When Zhen'er saw Xianglan enter, she quickly bowed in greeting. Xianglan waved her hand dismissively and walked straight to the bedside, looking down at Tan Luhua. Tan Luhua had a thick cloth wrapped around her head, half-reclining against the wall, covered with a somewhat worn floral-patterned quilt. Her face bore the pallor of illness, yet her cheeks showed no signs of wasting away, and there was no look of exhaustion. When she saw Xianglan, the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile, but she neither spoke nor made a sound.
Xianglan asked softly, "Are you feeling better?" Tan Luhua did not respond. Xianglan pressed further, "Does your head still hurt? Is there any discomfort elsewhere?" Tan Luhua maintained her smiling expression and remained silent.
Xianglan couldn't help but glance at Zhen'er, who whispered, "When Second Mistress first woke up a couple of days ago, she was just dazed. Later, she became like this—she doesn't speak to anyone."
Xianglan took the medicine bowl and sat on the edge of the heated brick bed, saying to Zhen'er, "You may go. I'll feed Second Mistress her medicine." Xiao Juan and Hua Shan then led Zhen'er away.
Xianglan stirred the medicinal broth with a spoon and silently fed it to Tan Luhua spoonful by spoonful. Afterward, she gave her a cup of warm water to drink, wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and gazed at her for a moment before saying quietly, "There's no use in idle talk. You've committed a grave offense, and the Lin Family can no longer tolerate you. Yet, they cannot bear to take your life. You will be sent to a convent in Baoding Prefecture. In the future, you may live in obscurity and peace, finding solace in the company of ancient Buddha and dim lamplight—perhaps a life of quiet freedom."
Tan Luhua's expression remained unchanged, as if she hadn't heard a word.
Xianglan thought to herself, "Has Tan Luhua truly lost her mind from the injury? What a pity for such a clever girl—though perhaps this confusion is a blessing in disguise." She sighed, clasped Tan Luhua's hand, and said, "Rest assured, I will personally oversee the packing of your belongings. You may not be able to take large items, but I will carefully pack your gold, silver, jewelry, and loose silver for you, so you have something to rely on in the future. The Lin Family intends to send you away this afternoon. I came to see you one last time and share a few heartfelt words—I hope you take good care of yourself in the days to come." Only then did Tan Luhua's expression change.
As Xianglan stood up to leave, Tan Luhua grabbed her hand and pleaded, "Wait, please wait."
Xianglan turned back.
Tan Luhua said, "I beg you, sister, for the sake of our past friendship, to help me with one thing."
Xianglan sat down again and said, "Go on."
Tan Luhua continued, "Please send someone to the residence of Lord Dai at the Hanlin Academy. Inform Third Master Dai Rong which convent in Baoding I'll be sent to and beg him to come for me. Dear sister, if you do this for me, you may take any of my gold, silver, jewelry, or loose silver that catches your eye."
Xianglan felt as if she had misheard, asking, "Do you mean to say that your condition wasn't caused by Dai Rong?"
Tan Luhua was taken aback and pleaded, "He injured me by accident. That day, he knelt by my side and wept. Though I couldn't move, I understood in my heart—dear sister, I beg you, we are truly in love, sincere in our feelings for each other. Please help us reunite. He will surely come for me—"
Xianglan cupped Tan Luhua's face in her hands, incredulous, and said, "Have you gone mad? After what he has done to you, how can there be any sincerity left?"Tan Luhua stared fixedly at Xianglan, gritting her teeth as she said, "His feelings are genuine! You don't understand—in this deep mansion, my days were just a lifeless, miserable existence until I met him. Just one glance from him makes the sky clear and waters blue, blooming flowers in my heart. You don't know how many sweet words he's spoken, how many poems he's written for me, all his thoughtful gestures and tender care. He once said I'm the one he loves most in this life, wishing we could merge into one every day. Xianglan! If only we'd met before I married, we absolutely cannot be separated!" She grasped Xianglan's hands, her eyes wide open, two clear streams of tears flowing down her cheeks as she pleaded, "I beg you." Struggling to get up, she tried to kneel on the bed and kowtow to Xianglan.
Xianglan quickly held her down, saying, "If you move again, I truly won't help you!" Hearing this, Tan Luhua finally quieted down, clutching Xianglan's hand and murmuring, "Please, help me this once. Do you know how I've endured lying in this dirty, foul place all this time? The only hope keeping me going is recovering to find my dear Dai. Yesterday when that old man from the Lin Family came, no matter how harsh his words or oppressive his methods, I wasn't afraid. If the Lin Family divorces me, it would fulfill my wish—I could be with Dai Lang forever—" Her voice grew increasingly choked with sobs.
Xianglan looked at her, feeling mixed emotions and finding it utterly absurd. Part of her was angry that Tan Luhua remained so confused and ungrateful despite her circumstances, while another part pitied her for pouring her sincere affection into vain hopes. After a long silence, Xianglan finally sighed and said, "It's not that I won't help you, but that I can't even if I want to. The Dai Family—has been executed to the last member for treason."
Tan Luhua turned pale with shock. "Impossible! How could that be!"
Xianglan said slowly, "It's absolutely true. You were ill during that time and didn't know. Dai Rong—has long been dead."
Tan Luhua went limp and collapsed, her eyes staring vacantly as tears fell drop by drop. She murmured, "How could—how could—" Half her spirit seemed to wither away. Clearly, she had been thinking of Dai Rong every day all this time. Now knowing of his death was like a thunderbolt from the blue—the hope she had clung to was shattered, and she could barely hold herself together. Covering her face with her hands, she cried "Dai Lang" over and over, weeping bitterly.
Xianglan tried to comfort her for a while, but Tan Luhua was completely unreceptive. Eventually, she cried until her head throbbed with pain and collapsed on the bed in exhausted sleep, tears still streaking her cheeks.
Xianglan felt unsettled. After covering Tan Luhua with the quilt, she got up and went out. Zhen'er hurried to greet her, looking quite fearful and apprehensive. She was the maidservant who had accompanied Tan Luhua as part of her dowry. Of the four senior maids with "Color" names who came with Tan Luhua, some had died, others been sold—not a single one remained except her. Xianglan couldn't help sighing at the sight of the young maidservant, gently patting her shoulder and saying, "Take good care of the Second Mistress." She ordered Xiao Juan to reward her generously.
On the way back, Hua Shan asked, "Is the Second Mistress any better?"
Xianglan sighed deeply. "No, she's still very ill." She lifted her head, gazing at the few wisps of drifting clouds in the azure sky, and suddenly asked, "Tell me, what makes someone knowingly blind themselves to another's poor treatment, yet still offer sincere devotion with all their heart?"Xiao Juan said, "Perhaps it's a debt from a past life, repaid in this one with foolish devotion."
Hua Shan remarked, "Surely that person must have treated her well at times, otherwise how could she cling to such fond remembrance?"
Xianglan shook her head. Whether Tan Luhua was genuinely deeply in love with Dai Rong, or whether she was too proud to admit that her tender affections had ultimately been misplaced on the wrong person, she desperately convinced herself that she and Dai Rong were mutually devoted. Just as she knew in her heart that having an affair was a shameful matter, yet to conceal it, she maintained a smiling silence in front of others, stubbornly feigning ignorance. Xianglan couldn't tell which it was, but such matters of love and hate are like drinking water—only the one who drinks knows whether it's warm or cold—how could they be explained to outsiders? It was just like her and Lin Jinlou, entangled and complicated; by now, she herself could no longer clearly distinguish whether it was hatred, affection, or love.
At the exact hour of Wei, a carriage departed from the Lin Family heading towards Baoding Prefecture. The next day, news spread from the Lin Family that Second Mistress Lin, Madam Tan, had died suddenly.
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