Against the Current

Liu Xiaochuan leaned in with a strange chuckle, beckoning Xie Yu, "Brother, come take a look at this thing, will ya?" As he spoke, he snatched the sachet and brought it under his nose for a sniff. "Smells oddly fragrant. I say, has that young lady's heart stirred? She must've left this behind on purpose to convey her feelings to you."

Chu Dapeng shoved Liu Xiaochuan aside. "Stop talking nonsense." He grabbed the sachet back, examined it closely, and pointed, "Look, the fastener on this end of the waistband is broken—that's why the sachet was left behind."

Xie Yu rapped Liu Xiaochuan on the forehead. "Your mouth has no restraint, always spouting nonsense. If this gets out, her reputation will be ruined, and we won't come out clean either."

Liu Xiaochuan muttered, "What's the big deal? I was just saying." Then he lowered his head and snickered again.

Xie Yu squinted at him. "What mischief are you plotting now?"

Liu Xiaochuan grinned mischievously. "Yours truly can read fortunes at a glance. I saw right away that young lady isn't the demure type—there's a flirtatious air about her. Maybe Lin the Second isn't up to the task, leaving the beauty lonely in her spring chambers."

Chu Dapeng chuckled and tapped Liu Xiaochuan. "You and that mouth of yours—it's downright shameless."

Liu Xiaochuan retorted, "I've seen all kinds of women in my time. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet."

Xie Yu asked, "What's the wager?"

Liu Xiaochuan explained, "She lost her sachet, so she'll definitely come looking for it. We won't return it—instead, we'll leave a man's pouch in its place. If she's a proper woman, she'll either ignore it, send a maid to find the owner, or assume someone's teasing her and might even weep in outrage. But if she's the flirtatious type, she'll think some gentleman exchanged tokens with her and will be secretly delighted. We'll just watch quietly from the side. I bet she'll be thrilled inside. The loser treats everyone to a five-tael silver feast at Yanbin Tower tonight."

Chu Dapeng rolled his eyes. "If you put this much thought into studying or official duties, your old man would be burning incense to thank eight generations of ancestors." He shook his head and walked away.

Xie Yu sneered, "See? He mocked you."

Liu Xiaochuan snorted, turned around, and produced a pouch as if by magic, twirling it in his hand. "Hypocrite. As if he never indulged in drinking, gambling, and womanizing before." He chuckled. "I swiped this from him just now without anyone noticing. We'll use it to test that young lady later."

Xie Yu pointed at him with a laugh, then hesitated. "This... isn't really appropriate, is it? If Chu the Fourth finds out..."

Liu Xiaochuan argued, "Why not? Can't he lose a pouch in the garden? If something's lost, any maid or matron in the garden could pick it up—why not that young lady? Hurry, hurry, quickly toss this pouch over there."

Xie Yu, who was also eager to see the drama, immediately perked up at this and stealthily threw the pouch onto the veranda.

Meanwhile, after Madam Tan returned to her room and was changing clothes, her maid Lüluo remarked, "Second Madam, the sachet you wore this morning seems to be missing."Madam Tan lowered her head and looked—sure enough, her waist was bare except for a green jade pendant adorned with tassels and Yingluo. She panicked and quickly instructed, "Hurry and help me look for it. That scented sachet is from the palace, extremely rare." Thinking she might have dropped it outside during her earlier outing, she rushed out to search. She followed the path all the way to the small garden and spotted something in the distance on the Covered Corridor ahead.

Madam Tan approached and saw it was a peacock-blue, square-shaped brocade pouch with a ruyi pattern woven in gold thread, fastened with a red coral clasp wrapped in gold wire. It was exquisitely crafted, far beyond what ordinary wealthy families would use. She opened it and shook out the contents: a few scattered pieces of silver, a small enamel bottle containing Xuejin pills, and a peace charm obtained from a temple. Unfolding the charm, she saw the name "Chu Dapeng" written on it. Her heart immediately pounded like a drum, and she quickly folded the charm, glancing around. All was quiet, with only the swaying shadows of branches and flowers in the breeze.

Clutching the pouch, Madam Tan felt her heart churn like boiling soup. She thought to herself, "I’ve often heard that the young masters of the Chu, Xie, and Liu families grew up with Lin Jinlou since childhood, and their bond is extraordinary. Among them, Chu Dapeng, the son of the Minister of Justice, is a man of literary talent and grace, renowned in the capital as a handsome gentleman. The most dashing and elegant one I saw earlier must have been him. How vexing that I didn’t realize it was Chu Dapeng himself at the time—otherwise, I could have chatted with him a bit more... Now, did he intentionally drop this pouch, or was it accidental? If it was unintentional, then so be it. But if he had picked up my scented sachet earlier and deliberately placed his here to exchange with me, then, then, then that would truly be..." At this thought, her face grew even hotter, and holding the pouch softened her heart into a fluttering mess. She felt both too shy to speak and unable to contain her delight.

Suddenly, she heard laughter and chatter. Seeing Ling Qing and Xue Ning approaching from a distance with bottles in their hands, she quickly tucked the pouch into her sleeve. After they passed, she took it out again, gazing at it repeatedly. She mused, "I’ve read unofficial histories and tales where talented scholars and beautiful ladies often pledge their love through small tokens like pouches, jade pendants, scented sachets, or handkerchiefs. I never thought Young Master Chu would also be such a refined and romantic soul. He’s a man, and a close friend of my brother-in-law—he must admire me but finds it hard to speak openly, so he uses the pouch to convey his feelings. My scented sachet must have been picked up by him. Well, since we are fated to have no connection in this life, I’ll consider my sachet a gift to him, to repay his longing." As she pondered, she grew sentimental, now reciting, "Flowers bloom bright but soon decay, like a lover’s vow; River waters flow on endless, like the sorrows I have now," and then, "Returning your bright pearls with tears in my eyes, I regret we did not meet before I was wed." She glanced around but saw no sign of Chu Dapeng, feeling disappointed. Swaying slightly, she walked away with the pouch.

Liu Xiaochuan and Xie Yu, who had been hiding nearby, watched as Madam Tan left. Xie Yu clicked his tongue and said, "You really called it. Look at that lovesick expression on her face—she hid the pouch when the maids came by and even recited lines like 'I regret we did not meet before I was wed.' She must have fallen for it."

Liu Xiaochuan laughed. "I’ve always had a knack for predicting things. Who would have thought Old Lin really found himself such a charming little wife?" The two bantered back and forth, but that is a story for another time.It is said that Madam Tan would often dress up with heavy makeup and go to the small garden. Chu Dapeng and others, due to the house renovations and fearing to disturb the womenfolk in the mansion, stayed inside the courtyard and did not come out. Liu Xiaochuan and Xie Yu would see Madam Tan from the doorway or window, and the two would either cough loudly or exchange knowing glances, among other antics. Chu Dapeng, unaware of the underlying situation, could not be bothered to pay attention. Later, when servants were hired to plant flowers, replace tiles, and paint walls, Madam Tan stopped going. Liu Xiaochuan and Xie Yu, being idle young masters from wealthy families, merely amused themselves by teasing others, unaware that this incident would sow the seeds for future turmoil.

Meanwhile, Lin Jinlou grew increasingly busy in the capital, often absent all day. Once the wounds on her hands had healed, Xianglan had someone replenish her painting supplies. She spent her days chanting Buddhist scriptures, worshipping Buddha, painting, and writing, occasionally strumming her plain zither. In recent days, she had completed several more paintings, which she stored in a brocade tube. She said to Hua Shan, "Go and call Gui Yuan over."

Gui Yuan had been tending to a black dog kept by Lin Jinlou with a few other servants. The dog was exceptionally fierce, robust, and greatly favored by Lin Jinlou, who had ordered it to be meticulously cared for. Hearing Hua Shan call him from the corridor, Gui Yuan quickly washed his hands and went over. Upon seeing Hua Shan, he repeatedly said, "Sister Hua Shan, what do you need me for?"

Hua Shan replied, "It’s the mistress who wants you."

Gui Yuan hurriedly followed Hua Shan inside, saying, "Dear sister, it’s been a few days since I last saw you, and you’ve grown even more beautiful."

Hua Shan spat, "Who’s your dear sister? Don’t call me that."

Gui Yuan chuckled and said, "You’re younger than me. If I don’t call you ‘sister,’ should I call you ‘older sister’? Yesterday, I picked up some interesting trinkets on the street. If you call me ‘dear brother’ twice, I’ll show them to you."

Hua Shan retorted, "Pah! Who would call you…"

As they spoke, they reached the door. Gui Yuan immediately changed his demeanor, calming his breath and quieting his voice. With lowered eyes and a submissive posture, he gently stepped into the courtyard, avoiding any wandering glances. He kept his head bowed as he approached the door. Hua Shan lifted the curtain, and Gui Yuan, catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, saw Xianglan sitting in the main hall. He promptly knelt and said, "I wish the mistress eternal blessings."

Xianglan said, "I have a task for you. Take these two scrolls, have them mounted first, then find a Four Treasures of the Study shop to sell them on my behalf. Each scroll must fetch at least ten taels of silver. Any extra money earned can be kept by the shopkeeper. Do not speak of this matter to anyone. If you handle this well, I will reward you handsomely."

Xiao Juan handed the brocade tube to him.

Gui Yuan thought to himself, "Who would pay ten taels for a piece of scrap paper? Only a fool would buy it." But aloud, he repeatedly agreed and respectfully accepted the brocade tube with both hands. Xianglan instructed Xiao Juan to give Gui Yuan two taels of silver for mounting the paintings and also handed him a large handful of coins and a plate of fruit pastries.

As Gui Yuan was about to leave, he overheard Xiao Juan say, "Mistress, you worked so hard to paint these. Why sell them? It’s not as if we’re short of money."

Xianglan replied softly, "No matter how much silver is here, it isn’t mine. Only when I have my own money can I feel secure…"

Gui Yuan dared not listen further and hurried out, thinking to himself, "The Eldest Master has several shops in the capital, but I don’t know if any sell paintings. This is the first task the mistress has entrusted to me—I must handle it flawlessly."

As he reached the gate, he happened to run into Lin Jinlou returning from outside. Gui Yuan quickly stepped aside, holding his breath and bowing respectfully. Lin Jinlou strode in, his eyes glancing at Gui Yuan, and asked, "What are you holding in your arms?"

Gui Yuan replied, "It was given by the mistress."

Hearing this, Lin Jinlou grew curious. "Bring it here for me to see," he said.Gui Yuan hurriedly presented the brocade tube. Lin Jinlou opened the lid and saw two neatly rolled, unmounted paintings inside. He pulled one out and saw a deep mansion courtyard depicted, with a cluster of peonies planted in the corner. A maid with double buns was holding a fan, chasing butterflies in the yard. The painting was elegant and delicate, extremely vivid, with the signature reading "Recluse of Orchid Fragrance." Lin Jinlou then pulled out another one, which showed a black cat lying beside an embroidered screen, its eyes bright and full of spirit, lifelike and vivid. The signature still read "Recluse of Orchid Fragrance."

Lin Jinlou asked Gui Yuan, "What are these paintings for?"

Gui Yuan inwardly lamented. Although Xianglan had instructed him not to tell anyone, he dared not hide anything from Lin Jinlou, so he answered truthfully, "Madam gave them to me and told me to find a shop to sell them." After speaking, he cautiously glanced up.