The next day, Lin Jinlou and Yuan Shaoren went out early in the morning. Xianglan passed the time chatting and joking with Lin Dongxiu. De Ge'er wanted to go out to play, but Lin Dongxiu was extremely worried he might catch a chill and fall ill again. Despite De Ge'er pleading three or four times, she refused to let him go, saying, "It's no use. If the Marquis were here, I wouldn't care if you lay in a snowdrift, let alone went out to play." De Ge'er was listless until Xianglan secretly slipped him a handful of pine nut candies and whispered, "We're going to see the lanterns tonight. If you behave, I'll let you set off fireworks in the evening." Only then did De Ge'er cheer up, climbing onto the heated kang to play with the kitten.
Lin Dongxiu subtly asked Xianglan whether Lin Jinlou had agreed to support her at the Marquis Yongchang's residence. Xianglan carefully worded her reply, "The Eldest Master said it's inappropriate for a man to interfere in your affairs. He'll have Madam step in later."
Lin Dongxiu, being highly skilled at reading between the lines, immediately understood and felt half her energy drain away. She tossed the wind cap she was making for Yuan Shaoren aside and slumped against a pillow in a sulk. Xianglan thought to herself, "Lin Dongxiu has just become the Marquess and is brimming with ambition, eager to make her mark. Trying to advise her now is futile—she won't listen, and saying more will only cause displeasure. It's better to let things cool off for now." With this in mind, she took De Ge'er to play on the bed in the bedroom. Yet her thoughts were turbulent, recalling how Lin Jinlou had interrogated the spy yesterday, especially regarding the former Crown Prince. The more she pondered it, the more unsettling it became. As she was lost in thought, she heard the door open—Lin Dongxiu had summoned her confidantes like Qiangwei, Han Mama, and Hanzhi. They huddled together to discuss matters quietly before dispersing.
For a while, nothing happened. It wasn't until nearly evening that Lin Jinlou and Yuan Shaoren returned and immediately ordered a banquet set up. Lin Jinlou entered the room and saw Xianglan teaching De Ge'er to play chess. Upon hearing Yuan Shaoren's voice outside, De Ge'er threw down the chess pieces and ran out. Lin Jinlou said, "I just went with Lao Yuan to inspect the barracks stationed in the outskirts of the capital. Unexpectedly, we ran into Liu and Xie, who were drinking and boasting there. When they found out I was at this estate, they insisted on coming over to see." He then glanced at Xianglan, who was silently helping him change his clothes with her head bowed. The moment she saw Lin Jinlou, last night's events resurfaced, along with vivid memories of her previous life's family destruction due to involvement in the succession struggle. Her heart gradually sank.
Lin Jinlou scratched his head. Xianglan had been preoccupied last night too—she was probably frightened. He felt irritated as he looked at her. This woman, with her lovely appearance, was amiable to everyone else, so why was she so stubborn with him? She kept everything bottled up, and on the rare occasions she spoke her mind, it was always things he didn't want to hear. You're ignoring me, huh? Well, I don't care to bother with you either! With a darkened expression, he changed his clothes again, turned around, and stomped away.
Xue Ning, carrying tea, peeked in cautiously. Only after Lin Jinlou had left did she approach and ask, "Is the Eldest Master angry?"
Xianglan, still absorbed in her thoughts, snapped back to reality at Xue Ning's question. Just then, barking was heard at the door, indicating someone had arrived.
At that moment, Liu Xiaochuan entered through the main gate, looking around with a smile. "Brother, I've long heard you have a residence at the suburban estate, but only today did I come to see it. It's quite impressive. Lend it to me for a couple of days soon, will you?"Lin Jinlou pointed at him and said, "I was wondering why you were so insistent on tagging along—turns out you had your eye on my estate. Haven't you acquired property elsewhere? What brings you here to freeload?"
Xie Yu giggled and interjected, "The estate he owned outside was taken back by his father..." Before he could finish, Liu Xiaochuan darted over and covered Xie Yu's mouth, protesting, "I wasn’t really scheming for your estate! Who’d dare scheme against you?"
Yuan Shaoren asked, "Where’s young master Chu? The three of you are usually inseparable—why are only you two here?"
Liu Xiaochuan hung his head and replied, "Chu’s cooped up at home studying all day and can’t get out. We two were bored, so we came by to see what was up."
The three of them chatted as they walked inside, where a banquet was already set up in the hall. The room was enclosed by a brocade screen embroidered with Shi Chong’s motifs, adorned with seven or eight large palace lanterns strung with beads. On either side stood several pale porcelain vases filled with red and white plum blossoms freshly cut the day before, their blooms lush and exquisite. The table was laden with delicacies, and two large braziers warmed the room to a springlike comfort. As they settled in and had just taken a couple of drinks, a knocking sound came from outside. Just as Lin Jinlou was puzzling over it, Liu Xiaochuan burst out laughing, "I bet the main event is here—quick, let them in!" Sending someone to open the door, he chuckled, "I figured it’d be dull with just us men drinking. And what luck—a courtesan named Guo Qiong recently arrived nearby. She’s utterly captivating, with a voice to match. Rumor has it she comes from a well-to-do family and is now the talk of the town. Anyone of importance here invites her to sing a couple of tunes at their banquets—she’s booked solid! It’s only thanks to my invitation that she’s here; no one else could’ve secured her!"
Yuan Shaoren pointed at him, laughing, "You! If only you’d rein in this playful side, your father might just return those properties of yours."
Xie Yu rolled his eyes and said, "Don’t listen to his nonsense. Though Guo Qiong is a beauty, in the capital, she might not even rank among the top courtesans."
As they spoke, the tinkling of jewelry announced the arrival of four heavily made-up women. The one leading them, draped in a silver-red satin cloak and cradling a pipa, glided in gracefully. She offered a delicate curtsy and said in a melodious voice, "This humble girl pays her respects to you, gentlemen." Removing her hat revealed a delicate, powdered face—the very picture of a beauty, artfully adorned. Her sleek, jet-black hair was impeccably styled in a Hangzhou coil. Shedding her cloak, she revealed a purple silk embroidered jacket paired with a vibrant pomegranate-red skirt. At the sight of Lin Jinlou, Guo Qiong started in surprise, quickly lowering her head to hide her fluster, but then couldn’t resist stealing another glance at him.It turned out that this Sister Qiong was none other than Qiongzhi, the maid who had served Zhao Yuechan. Earlier, in an attempt to win Lin Jinlou's favor, Zhao Yuechan had gone through great lengths to select and purchase a young girl, never expecting Lin Jinlou to reject the gesture. When Zhao Yuechan left the Lin residence, she took this maid with her. To secure her marriage into the Dai family, she schemed to have Qiongzhi seduce her brother Zhao Gang, but Zhao Gang, fickle in his affections, cast Qiongzhi aside, and she returned to Zhao Yuechan's side. Qiongzhi, however, was no virtuous soul either—she exchanged flirtatious glances with Dai Rong and eventually succeeded in seducing him. Initially, Qiongzhi lived quite comfortably in the Dai household, but then Zhao Yuechan's grandfather Zhao Jin was murdered, causing Zhao Yuechan's standing in the Dai family to plummet. Qiongzhi, accustomed to bossing others around, had long provoked silent resentment, and with the situation reversed, everyone seized the chance to turn against her. Someone reported the affair between Dai Rong and Qiongzhi to his wife, Jiao Shi. Jiao Shi, being a veritable shrew, could not tolerate such an insult and immediately raised hell. Qiongzhi was promptly dragged out and sold to a brothel overnight.
Now, by a twist of fate, Qiongzhi had ended up at Lin Jinlou's estate, performing songs and music.
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