The carriage swayed as it passed through the gate, then came to a halt. Xianglan lifted the thick felt curtain and peered through the patterned gossamer window. She saw over twenty guards escorting Lin Jinlou as he mounted his horse. Clad in a black feathered fox-fur cloak and a large sable hat, he glanced toward the carriage. Their eyes met briefly, and Lin Jinlou frowned slightly, as if unwilling to acknowledge her. Gripping the reins, he turned his horse and rode off, followed closely by his entourage of guards.
A moment later, Shuangxi came running, his hands tucked into his sleeves, face nearly frozen stiff. He forced a smile and greeted her through the carriage window. Xue Ning opened the window, and Ji Xiang said, "The Fourth son-in-law and his wife are bringing De Ge'er along to enjoy the plum blossoms as well."
Xianglan hadn't seen De Ge'er in some time and was delighted by the news. Leaning toward the window, she asked eagerly, "Really? In such cold weather, won't the child catch a chill?" She then smiled and added, "Thank you for going out of your way to tell me." With that, she took out a handful of coins and instructed Xue Ning to give them to Ji Xiang, saying, "It's freezing—buy yourself some wine to warm up."
Though the dozen or so copper coins meant little to Shuangxi, what mattered was the face he gained in front of the new concubine, whom the Master doted on. Beaming with pleasure, he hastily added, "The Master instructed me to tell you this, ma'am."
Xianglan was taken aback. Shuangxi, still smiling obsequiously, continued, "The Master also said that once we arrive, you're free to enjoy yourself to the fullest. However, since we'll be passing through crowded streets shortly, he asked that you keep the windows closed to avoid being seen by unwanted eyes."Hearing this, Xianglan looked ahead and saw Lin Jinlou seated tall and straight on his horse, his figure tall and upright like a pine." She pursed her lips and thought to herself, "It's rare that I get to go out. Even if someone sees me through the gossamer, it won't be clear. He's more fussy than an old nanny—what a difficult master to please." With that, she abruptly let the curtain fall.
Ji Xiang, who had been standing by with his hands tucked in his sleeves, saw Shuangxi rubbing his nose and snickered, "What's the matter? Did the new concubine give you a hard time?"
Shuangxi shoved him and said, "Go away, I'm in no mood for this."
Ji Xiang slapped the back of his head and scolded, "Getting full of yourself, are you? I'm your elder brother—how dare you call yourself 'young master' in front of me? You fool, the new concubine hasn't set foot outside since arriving in the capital. She was finally in high spirits today, and you had to go and deliver the Master's message to spoil her mood? She's the apple of the Master's eye. Lately, he's been postponing all sorts of external affairs just to take her out in this icy weather to make her happy—you'd better learn a thing or two. Look at Guiyuan—he's younger than you but sharp as a tack. He's recognized Xiao Juan as his sworn sister, and now he's in charge of all the new concubine's outside affairs. Not long ago, she quietly bought a Manor, and I heard he's managing it for her too."
Shuangxi asked in surprise, "When did that happen? Tsk, tsk, wasn't the new concubine recuperating from her illness all this time?"
"Tsk, tsk, don't underestimate her. If she didn't have some tricks up her sleeve, would the Master be so devoted? After what happened to her, I heard the Jiang Family paid a hefty sum in silver. She's a clever one—bought a small Manor and put Guiyuan in charge of it."
"Does the Master know about this?"
"How could he not? What the new concubine doesn't know is that the Manor originally belonged to the Master—he sold it to her at a discounted price."
"Why not just give it to her outright? That would have made her happy.""Tsk, you're such a dimwit. With the new concubine's temperament, would she accept it outright? By giving it to her this way, when she later learns the truth, she'll surely feel grateful and remember the Master's warmth and consideration?" Ji Xiang glared at her younger brother as she spoke. "You, you! You may share my clever looks, but none of the wit!"
For a while, nothing happened. The carriage rocked and swayed, and Xianglan sat inside hugging a hand warmer, feeling drowsy. Having risen early that morning, she grew increasingly sleepy, drifting in and out of slumber as she leaned against the carriage wall. When she woke again, she saw Xue Ning open a sachet and toss two banana leaf-shaped osmanthus incense cakes into the hand warmer. After replacing the lid, Xue Ning tucked it back into Xianglan's embrace, signaling that an hour had passed. Xianglan lifted the curtain again and saw they had long left the city. A troop of guards accompanied the carriage, along with local government offices that had specially dispatched soldiers and officers to escort them along the way.
After another two cups of tea's time, they arrived at the foot of a mountain, where a magnificent estate stood. Steward Xu Fu was waiting at the entrance. Seeing the group arrive, he hurried forward and kowtowed to Lin Jinlou, saying, "This humble servant welcomes the Master's arrival." He repeatedly ordered others to take the horses and first guided the carriage inside.
Xianglan alighted from the carriage, and several old women immediately came forward to usher her into the house. The bedroom already had a warmed heated brick bed, along with two braziers burning silver-thread charcoal. Lotus incense burners filled the room with the fragrance of storax, making it as warm as spring. Xianglan let out a long sigh. Xue Ning helped remove her cloak and went to pour tea. Since the carriage ride had left her sore and aching, Xianglan walked to the heated brick bed and sat down. Before long, Lin Jinlou entered, having removed his cloak and hat. He held a stack of thick documents and said, "It's too cold this morning. We'll go out later and wait for Fourth Sister and the others. You rest and warm up first." With that, Lin Jinlou sat by the kang table and buried himself in the documents. Some time passed until noise and children's laughter sounded outside—likely Marquis Yongchang had arrived with his family.
Lin Jinlou rubbed his temples and looked up to find Xianglan had fallen asleep against the head of the heated brick bed. Her head was tilted, her body curled up, her fair face slightly flushed, and her rosy lips gently closed. Her expression was innocent and serene, as if carved from jade, like a figure made of precious stone. Lin Jinlou couldn't help but smile, his heart softening. He quietly pulled a quilt over Xianglan.
Just then, Xue Ning peeked in carrying a cup of tea. Seeing Lin Jinlou covering Xianglan with the quilt, she tactfully withdrew, thinking to herself, "The Master is used to giving orders—when has he ever stooped to such attentiveness or devoted himself to a woman like this?" She shook her head, feeling that Chen Xianglan had not had it easy to have reached this point.
The movement woke Xianglan. She opened her bleary eyes to see Lin Jinlou gazing at her. "Awake?" he asked.Lin Jinlou had always been condescending, fierce, and domineering, yet at this moment, his expression was extremely gentle, carrying an indescribable emotion. Xianglan was speechless; she stared blankly for a long while, not daring to look at him again. As she propped herself up to rise, he embraced her the moment she lifted her head, pressing his lips to hers. Lin Jinlou carried a scent of pine, mint, and soapwort—a fragrance Xianglan knew all too well. For so long, day and night, this aroma had lingered by her pillow, from her initial panic and helplessness to her current familiarity. This man was so formidable, imprinting layer upon layer on her heart and bones, causing past events—even her former husband from a previous life and Song Ke, whom she admired in this life but could no longer reunite with—to slowly fade into vague shadows. He had saved her time and again, humiliated her time and again, and to this day remained the lock that bound her. Yet, he had also shielded her time and again, stepping forward to shelter her from wind and rain in her most desolate moments.
For some reason, Xianglan suddenly felt sorrowful, as if something were stuck in her throat. Tears welled up and rolled down. After hesitating for a long time, she finally raised her arms and wrapped them around Lin Jinlou’s shoulders. Lin Jinlou trembled, his heartbeat suddenly quickening like a rabbit thumping in his chest. He lifted his face and whispered, “What’s wrong? Hmm? Why are you crying? Is it because you’re too happy?” Without waiting for her reply, he wiped the tears from her face with both hands and kissed her again.
Xiao He’s Weibo account is on a certain platform—search for “He Yanshan” to find it~~
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