Xianglan returned to Emerald Pavilion and sat on the bed, only then realizing her clothes were soaked through with cold sweat. The wine she had consumed earlier at the banquet had a lingering potency that now surged to her head, compounded by the chill she caught in the garden, leaving her dizzy and lethargic. This was her first time being drunk, and she slumped sideways onto the bed.
Xiao Juan brought over sobering soup and managed to feed her a couple of spoonfuls. She then fetched a thin apricot-blossom-patterned quilt from the cabinet, draped it over Xianglan, and instructed a young maid to remove the medicine from the small stove, to be reheated when Xianglan woke up.
Lying in bed, Xianglan felt the heaviness of the wine, her heart pounding erratically as her consciousness gradually faded. Random thoughts flooded her mind—scenes from her past and present lives jumbled together, leaving her heart in turmoil. Just as she was feeling utterly wretched, Lin Jinlou strode in. Spotting Xianglan, his anger flared. He sat on the edge of the bed, yanked her upright, and snarled, "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, patted his cheek, and shook her head, saying, "This dream isn’t good—I actually dreamed of this scoundrel…"
Xiao Juan happened to enter with tea and, hearing this, was so startled she nearly dropped the teacup.
Lin Jinlou instantly flew into a rage. He slapped Xianglan’s face, gripping her arms as he barked, "Who the hell are you calling a scoundrel?"
Xiao Juan trembled at the sound of the slap and cautiously set the tea on the small table. Summoning her courage, she pleaded on Xianglan’s behalf: "Eldest Master, the mistress is talking nonsense from drinking too much. She…"
Lin Jinlou shot Xiao Juan a glare and demanded, "Did you give her the sobering soup?"
Xiao Juan timidly nodded, then shook her head and said, "I was afraid the ingredients 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 roared, "Get out! Wait outside!"
Xiao Juan hastily retreated, casting one last worried glance at Xianglan, who remained slumped drunkenly against the wall, but there was nothing she could do.
Lin Jinlou dragged Xianglan over, picked up the bowl of tea, and forced it down her throat, cursing through gritted teeth, "Well, aren’t you bold? Drunk out of your mind, sneaking off to meet an old flame, 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 bitterness and hatred until it felt ready to burst. Pointing at him, she cried out, "What kind of state am I in? I, Chen Xianglan, have always acted with integrity and lived uprightly through two lifetimes, standing tall as a person. It’s you! You’re the one forcing me to bend my back, pressing down my head, demanding I live a servile existence from now on—unable to cry or laugh as I please."
Lin Jinlou shot to his feet with a start. The teacup shattered on the floor with a crack, his hands trembling with fury. He raised his hand and struck Xianglan hard across the face.Xianglan lay sprawled on the bed, then pushed herself upright, covering her face as she stared at Lin Jinlou with a gurgling laugh. Tears streamed down her cheeks like broken strings of pearls. For so long, she had lived with excessive caution in his presence that she had forgotten she, too, had a temper. Now, emboldened by drink, she cast all restraint aside. Slowly straightening up, she wept, "Back then, I was nearly sold to a brothel by Zhao Yuechan. It was Song Ke who reached out to save me, who stepped forward to ransom my parents—and never once did he use that debt to demand anything of me. Even if Song Ke can't compare to you in family status or power, the respect and love he showed me... Hah! For that alone, though we were never meant to be in this lifetime, I will remember his kindness for the rest of my days. Today, you deliberately arranged for me to meet Song Ke—I know exactly what scheme you're plotting. If you held even the slightest affection for me in your heart, 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 clamoring to be 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, wanting to hit her—his hand rose high only to fall again. Finally, he grabbed her by the collar, grinding his teeth as he snarled, "Don't covet it? This master will keep you by my side as a concubine just to watch you suffer and cry every single day!"
Xianglan's head spun dizzily, nauseated and miserable. Lin Jinlou's rough handling churned her stomach violently, and with a "wah," she vomited. That initial retch triggered a wave of sickness, heaving convulsively as she spewed 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, eavesdropping in terror, ready to rush in and rescue Xianglan if Lin Jinlou lost his temper. Hearing his roar, she scrambled into the room to find Xianglan slumped over the bedside, having already vomited all over the floor and still retching violently. Lin Jinlou appeared so enraged that smoke seemed to rise from his head; shaking a finger at Xianglan, he cursed through gritted teeth, "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 before 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 the basin back in. Lin Jinlou snatched it from her and dumped the entire contents over Xianglan's head, snarling through clenched teeth, "This master will make you sober up properly! Let's see if you still refuse to appreciate what's offered!"
Soaked to the bone, Xianglan retched even more miserably. Terrified, Xiao Juan knelt on the floor, weeping and begging Lin Jinlou, "Eldest Master, please calm your anger! The mistress only spoke nonsense because she had too much to drink, she..." Too frightened to continue fabricating excuses, she kowtowed repeatedly like pounding garlic, each bow accompanied by the plea, "Eldest Master, calm your anger! Eldest Master, calm your anger!"
With nowhere else to vent his pent-up rage, Lin Jinlou kicked Xiao Juan hard and roared, "Get out! Scram!"
The kick was vicious. Xiao Juan, terrified, shrank back outside the door, not daring to enter again.
Lin Jinlou forcibly dragged Xianglan to her feet, cursing, "Disgracing yourself all over the place—get up! We'll settle this when we get back!"Xianglan had nothing left in her stomach to vomit, yet the unbearable discomfort overwhelmed her. Drunkenness clouded her mind as she desperately sank her teeth into Lin Jinlou’s arm and clawed at his face, driven by a mix of reckless despair and bitter satisfaction. Perhaps provoking this tyrant was for the best—let him truly beat her to death and spare her further suffering in this world.
Lin Jinlou merely sneered, effortlessly subduing her while inner fury and agitation surged within him like a raging tide. He knew Xianglan stayed with him only out of obligation, repaying the debts from his repeated rescues. Today, she had spoken of Song Ke—how he "never used favors to demand anything." Ah, yes. He was the one leveraging gratitude, while Song Ke was her beloved, a noble and upright gentleman. In her eyes, he, Lin Jinlou, was nothing but a scoundrel who held kindness over her head. When had he ever been so humiliated and powerless? Outside, he was a formidable figure who commanded respect and influence. Yet this woman, despite his efforts to treat her well—even seeking medical help to hope for an heir—still regarded him with contempt. He wanted to strangle her, to end it all, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Shoving her aside, he pushed her away.
Xianglan, overcome with nausea, slipped and collapsed to the floor. Her hand landed squarely on the shards of a shattered teacup, and blood instantly welled up. The sharp pain jolted her, and she couldn’t suppress a groan. At the sight of blood, Lin Jinlou immediately rushed forward, hauling her up as he cursed 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 by the entrance, hurried in with fresh water. Using a hairpin, she carefully picked out the fragments embedded in Xianglan’s palm and rinsed the wound. As a military man, Lin Jinlou always carried trauma medicines far superior to ordinary ones. He applied the remedy himself and asked the Lu family for clean cotton bandages to wrap the injury.
Xianglan’s face paled from the pain, but she bit her lip and made no sound, her drunkenness largely faded. She sat on the bed, tears welling in her eyes.
Lin Jinlou glared at her and sneered, his expression stern. "Seeing blood sober you up? Finally behaving? Still looking for trouble?"
Xianglan closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Lin Jinlou let out a series of cold laughs and stood up. "Fine. You’ve grown bold, daring to disrespect me." He moved aside to change out of his soiled clothes.
A short while later, Gui Yuan brought two sets of clean inner and outer garments. Lin Jinlou changed into one set and tossed the other onto Xianglan’s face. "Hurry up and change!" He then ordered Xiao Juan, "Get her changed, understood?" With that, he strode out.
Xiao Juan helped Xianglan into fresh clothes. Her hair still damp, she styled it into a simple bun with a braid underneath, storing the remaining hair ornaments away.Xianglan's face was deathly pale, her head throbbed unbearably. After vomiting and having a hysterical outburst, she finally felt somewhat relieved. The young maid from Emerald Pavilion had already reported to Lin Dongwan about the argument between Lin Jinlou and Xianglan in the pavilion. Lin Dongwan had secretly come to take a look, then immediately decided to play deaf and dumb. Only when the storm had completely subsided did she bring her maid over, pretending not to notice Xianglan's swollen cheek. With a beaming smile, she said, "So younger sister Xianglan has had too much to drink. It's my fault for not taking better care of you. Here's a cup of sobering tea—unlike the sobering soup full of medicinal herbs, this one contains ginger to warm your stomach. The kitchen has some light porridge and side dishes. Please have some, sister, to settle your stomach." After offering more sympathetic words, she finally left.
Xianglan drank the tea and finished half a bowl of porridge, but her head still felt heavy. Xiao Juan applied a cold towel to her face. Xianglan grasped her hand and asked, "Where did he kick you earlier? Was it bad?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Juan's eyes welled up with tears. Choking up, she said, "I'm fine. I can eat and sleep normally. At most, the kick will leave a bruise for a couple of days. 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 brushes and paint."
Xianglan couldn't help shedding tears at these words. Just then, footsteps were heard, 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."
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