The story goes that Xianglan returned to Dripping Emerald Pavilion and sat on the bed, only then realizing her entire body was soaked through with cold sweat. The lingering effects of the wine she had consumed at the banquet earlier were now hitting her head with increasing force, compounded by the wind she had caught in the garden, leaving her dizzy and heavy-headed. This was her first time getting drunk, and she found herself slumping onto the bed.
Xiao Juan brought over some sobering soup and managed to feed her a couple of spoonfuls. She then fetched a thin apricot blossom quilt from the cabinet, draped it over Xianglan, and instructed a young maid to remove the medicine from the small stove, to be reheated once Xianglan woke up.
Lying in bed, Xianglan felt the weight of the wine, her heart pounding erratically as her consciousness gradually scattered. Wild thoughts flooded her mind, scenes from her past and present lives overlapping chaotically, leaving her heart in turmoil. Just as she was feeling utterly wretched, Lin Jinlou strode in. Seeing Xianglan in such a state fueled his anger. He sat on the edge of the bed, pulled her up, and said through gritted teeth, "Still sleeping? Where's all that energy from earlier, crying and laughing?"
Xianglan opened her bleary, drunken eyes and stared at Lin Jinlou for a long moment, as if she didn't recognize him. Suddenly, she let out a giggle, leaned in close to him, reached out to pat his face, and shook her head, saying, "This dream isn't good at all—I actually dreamed of this scoundrel..."
Xiao Juan happened to enter just then to offer tea. Hearing this, she was so startled she nearly dropped the tea bowl.
Lin Jinlou instantly flared up. He slapped Xianglan's face and gripped her arms, demanding, "Who the hell are you talking about?!"
Hearing the sharp slaps, Xiao Juan trembled with fear. Carefully setting the tea on the small table, she mustered her courage to plead on Xianglan's behalf: "Master, the mistress is speaking nonsense from too much wine, she..."
Lin Jinlou shot her a glare and asked, "Did you give her the sobering soup?"
Xiao Juan timidly nodded, then quickly shook her head and said, "I was afraid the herbs in the sobering soup might clash with the medicine the mistress needs to take later, so I didn't dare feed her much."
Lin Jinlou scratched his head irritably and barked, "Get out! Wait outside!"
Xiao Juan hastily retreated, casting one last worried glance at Xianglan, who was still slumped drunkenly against the wall, but there was nothing she could do.
Lin Jinlou grabbed Xianglan, picked up the bowl of tea, and forced it into her mouth, cursing furiously, "Well, aren't you bold? Drunk out of your mind, meeting your old lover in secret, and now you're cursing at me? You've really grown some nerve, huh? Go ahead and ruin yourself!"
Xianglan struggled desperately, splashing tea all over herself and the bed. Choking and coughing violently, she could barely catch her breath. Through her hazy vision, she stared at Lin Jinlou's face, her heart swelling with such bitterness and hatred it felt ready to burst. Pointing at him, she cried out, "What kind of state am I in? I, Chen Xianglan, have always walked the straight path, lived two lifetimes with integrity, and held my head high. It's you! You're the one forcing me to bend my back, pressing down my head, making me live like a groveling slave from now on—unable to cry or laugh as I please."
Lin Jinlou shot to his feet. With a sharp crack, the tea bowl shattered on the floor. Trembling with rage, he raised his hand and struck Xianglan hard across the face.Xianglan lay sprawled across the bed, then pushed herself upright, covering her face as she stared at Lin Jinlou and giggled uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her cheeks like broken strings of pearls. For so long, she had lived with excessive caution around Lin Jinlou, nearly forgetting she had a temper of her own. Tonight, emboldened by alcohol, she cast all restraint aside. Slowly sitting up straight, she wept, "Back when Zhao Yuechan nearly sold me to a brothel, it was Song Ke who reached out to rescue me. He even stepped forward to redeem my parents, yet he never used his kindness to demand anything from me. Though Song Ke may not match you in family status or power, the love and respect he showed me—hah! For that alone, even if we were fated to part in this lifetime, I will remember his goodness for the rest of my life. Today, you deliberately arranged for me to meet Song Ke—I know exactly what schemes you're plotting. If you held even the slightest affection for me, you would never have put me in such an humiliating position." She fixed her gaze on Lin Jinlou and slowly shook her head. "But then again, when have you ever shown genuine affection for any woman? They're all just playthings to you, like pets you keep. Let me tell you, even if every woman in the world were desperate to become your concubine, I wouldn't covet it!"
Lin Jinlou stared fiercely at Xianglan, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked, wishing he could strike her dead with one blow. He was so enraged he felt like vomiting blood. He raised his hand to hit her, then lowered it again, finally grabbing her by the collar and snarling through gritted teeth, "Don't covet it? This Master will keep you by my side as my concubine just to watch you suffer and cry every day!"
Xianglan's head spun dizzily, overwhelmed by nausea. Lin Jinlou's rough handling made her stomach churn violently, and with a "wah," she vomited. This initial retching triggered even greater discomfort, and she began heaving convulsively, spewing all over Lin Jinlou.
Trembling with fury, Lin Jinlou shoved Xianglan away and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Servants! Where have you all crawled off to?"
Xiao Juan had been hiding by the door, listening in terror, ready to rush in and rescue Xianglan if Lin Jinlou lost his temper. Hearing his roar, she scrambled into the room and saw Xianglan slumped by the bed, having already vomited all over the floor and still retching violently. Lin Jinlou appeared to be steaming with rage, his trembling finger pointed at Xianglan as he cursed hatefully, "Drunk words are sober thoughts! Very good, very good! You've truly treated me well!"
Not daring to look at Lin Jinlou's expression, Xiao Juan hastily fetched a spittoon and held it out for Xianglan. She hurried out and, fortunately, found a half-pot of water warming on the stove in the tea room. After mixing in some cold water, she carried it back. Lin Jinlou snatched the basin from her and dumped the water over Xianglan's head, gritting his teeth and saying, "This Master will make you sober up properly! Let this teach you to refuse honors!"
Soaked to the bone, Xianglan retched even more miserably. Terrified, Xiao Juan knelt on the floor, weeping and pleading with Lin Jinlou, "Master, please calm your anger! The mistress only spoke nonsense because she had too much to drink. She..." Too frightened to continue, she kowtowed repeatedly, each bow accompanied by the words, "Master, please calm your anger! Master, please calm your anger!"
With his pent-up rage finding no outlet, Lin Jinlou kicked Xiao Juan hard and roared, "Get out! Scram!"
The kick was forceful, and Xiao Juan, terrified, shrank back outside the door, not daring to enter again.
Lin Jinlou forcibly dragged Xianglan to her feet, cursing, "Disgracing yourself in front of others—get up! We'll settle this when we get back!"Xianglan had nothing left in her stomach to vomit, yet the discomfort was unbearable. Overwhelmed by intoxication and unable to endure any longer, she opened her mouth and bit Lin Jinlou's arm, then clawed at his face and head. In her heart, there was both the reckless satisfaction and despair of someone who had given up all hope. It would be just as well if she truly provoked this Overlord—let him beat her to death and spare her from further suffering in this world.
Lin Jinlou merely sneered, easily subduing Xianglan while inner turmoil and rage surged within him like tidal waves. He knew Xianglan did not wish to stay with him; her presence was forced, a reluctant repayment for the times he had saved her. Today, she had spoken of Song Ke, saying he "never used past favors to demand anything." Ah, yes—he was the one who leveraged kindness, while Song Ke was her beloved, a noble and upright gentleman. In her eyes, he, Lin Jinlou, was nothing but a scoundrel who held debts over her head. When had he ever been so humiliated and pathetic? Outside, he was a formidable figure who commanded respect and influence. Yet this woman, no matter how well he treated her—even seeking medical help in hopes she would bear his child—still regarded him with contempt. He wanted to strangle her, to end it all, but found himself unable to do it. Shoving her aside, he pushed her away.
Xianglan, overcome with nausea, slipped and fell to the ground. Her hand landed directly on the shards of the broken tea bowl, and blood immediately welled up. The sharp pain jolted her, and she couldn't hold back a groan. At the sight of blood, Lin Jinlou rushed forward and hauled her up, cursing through gritted teeth, "Damn it!" He quickly raised her injured hand and shouted toward the door, "Where is everyone? Fetch clean water!"
Xiao Juan, who had been waiting at the door, hurried in with fresh water. Using a hairpin, she carefully picked out all the fragments from Xianglan's palm and rinsed it clean. As a military man, Lin Jinlou always kept remedies for injuries on hand—far superior to ordinary ones. He promptly applied medicine to Xianglan's wound and asked the Lu family for clean cotton bandages to wrap it.
Xianglan's face was pale from the pain, but she bit her lip and made no sound, her intoxication mostly faded. She sat on the bed, tears welling in her eyes.
Lin Jinlou looked at her coldly and said with a stern face, "Seeing blood sobered you up, didn't it? Are you done with your foolishness now?"
Xianglan closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Lin Jinlou let out a series of cold laughs, stood up, and said, "Fine, you've grown bold enough to show me attitude." He moved aside to remove his soiled clothes.
A short while later, Guiyuan brought two sets of clean inner and outer garments. Lin Jinlou changed into one set and threw the other onto Xianglan's face, saying, "Hurry up and change!" Then he ordered Xiao Juan, "Get her changed, understood?" With that, he strode out.
Xiao Juan helped Xianglan into clean clothes. Her hair was still damp, so she simply styled it into a plain bun with a braid underneath, putting away the remaining hair ornaments.Xianglan's face was deathly pale, her head throbbed unbearably, and after vomiting and having a hysterical outburst, she felt somewhat better. The maid from Drip Emerald Pavilion had already reported to Lin Dongwan that Lin Jinlou and Xianglan were arguing in the pavilion. Lin Dongwan had quietly come to take a look, then immediately decided to feign ignorance. Only now, when the storm had subsided, did she bring her maid over, pretending not to notice the swollen side of Xianglan's face. With a beaming smile, she said, "So Sister Xianglan is drunk—it's my fault for not taking better care of you. Here's a cup of sobering tea; it's not like the sobering soup full of herbs. This one has ginger to warm your stomach. The kitchen has some plain congee and side dishes—please have a little to soothe your appetite." After offering more words of concern, she finally left.
Xianglan drank the tea and had half a bowl of congee, but her head still felt heavy. Xiao Juan applied a cold towel to her face, and Xianglan grasped her hand, asking, "Earlier, you were kicked—where did it land? Was it bad?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Juan's eyes welled up with tears, and she choked out, "I'm fine. I can eat and sleep well—a kick will just leave a bruise for a couple of days, and besides, I dodged quickly, so it didn't land squarely... Madam, you must take care of yourself. Look at you—what have you become... your face, and your hands... You still need these hands to hold a brush and paint."
Xianglan couldn't help shedding tears at these words. Just then, footsteps sounded, and Xiao Juan quickly wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief. Lin Jinlou walked in but acted as if nothing had happened. He went straight to Xianglan, wrapped her up in the quilt, and simply instructed Xiao Juan, "Pack up the things; we're going home."
Thanks to all supporters—acknowledgments in the next chapter.
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