Against the Current

Xianglan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

Seeing her gentle smile, which resembled rain-moistened peonies with red lotuses blooming on her cheeks, Lin Jinlou felt his heart lift with joy. He lowered his head and asked softly, "What are you laughing at?"

Xianglan looked up at him and saw Lin Jinlou gazing at her with a smile. She still wanted to laugh, but seeing his face made her suppress it. They stared at each other for a long moment, and she suddenly wanted to ask Lin Jinlou why he had sent away the crown prince back then - such a crime that would lead to family confiscation and execution upon investigation, bringing him nothing but harm. With his flourishing official career and prosperous family, was it worth taking such extraordinary risks?

Yet she ultimately didn't ask.

There's always something in a person's heart that weighs heavier than anything else - whether it's righteousness, affection, conscience, or fame and status. People struggle and hesitate for it throughout their lives, willing to sacrifice everything. Others might deem it worthless, but without it, nothing else would be worthwhile.

She understood him.

Seeing Xianglan staring at him without speaking, Lin Jinlou couldn't help but touch his chin, then asked with a roguish smile, "What are you looking at? Can't get enough of me, is that it?"

Xianglan smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that Master no longer refers to himself as 'this lord' when speaking to me, but says 'I' instead." After saying this, she lifted her skirt and turned to walk downstairs.

Lin Jinlou felt somewhat uncomfortable and followed behind, asking, "Well, what of it?"

Xianglan shook her head and said, "Nothing much. I'm just feeling emotional that Master is beginning to respect me now—" Lin Jinlou froze, gradually stopping in his tracks.

Xianglan continued walking forward without looking back, saying, "There must first be respect between two people before anything else can be mentioned." After walking a few steps and noticing Lin Jinlou hadn't followed, she turned to look and saw him still standing there dazed. After a moment, he approached, his expression unreadable, but suddenly reached out and flicked her forehead with his finger, saying, "Silly girl."

The memorial ceremony having concluded, everyone packed up and returned to the city. Lin Jinlou said, "If you'd like to linger outside a while longer, we can find a famous restaurant later for some tea and food."

Xianglan said, "We've already been hiding out for half a day. It's time to return." As they made casual conversation, they arrived at the Lin residence. After getting out of the carriage and passing through the second gate, they hurried to Chun Tang Hall to change clothes, then went to the Flower Hall. The opera had already ended, and a female storyteller was standing there telling stories. Lin Zhaoxiang had returned to Youshi Hall to rest. The room contained only Wan, Qi, Xiu, and seven or eight female relatives. Lin Old Madam was reclining on the Luohan bed, with Qin Shi personally serving fruits beside her.

Seeing there were other female relatives in the room and feeling impatient to socialize, Lin Jinlou first went to Youshi Hall to pay respects to Lin Zhaoxiang. Just as Xianglan was about to enter the Flower Hall, she encountered Lin Dongqi coming out from the banquet. They met in the corridor, and Lin Dongqi said, "Where were you earlier? The old madam sent someone looking for you." Without waiting for Xianglan's reply, she continued, "The Jiang Family has already taken their leave. The old madam said there weren't enough people to make it lively, so she invited some regularly visiting relatives. There will be an acrobatic show later."

Xianglan asked, "Where are you going?"

Lin Dongqi said, "Second Aunt is ill, and Miao Yatou went to attend to her. My mother asked me to go check on her instead."

Remembering what she and Lin Jinlou had discussed on the road about Wang Shi's illness, and that Lin Jinlou had told her to take two ingots of imperial palace-awarded medicinal herbs from the cabinet to send to Wang Shi, Xianglan said, "I'll go with you." She then ordered Xiao Juan to fetch the medicine and went with Lin Dongqi to visit Wang Shi.While one branch of the story unfolds, let us turn to another. Wang Shi returned to her own courtyard and lay upon her bed, feeling a suffocating lump of anger in her chest that she could neither vomit up nor swallow down. Her chest ached fiercely, and she pounded it with her fists several times before tears began to roll down her cheeks. Tossing and turning restlessly, she found no peace. When the physician came to examine her, he diagnosed her condition as stagnant energy and obstructed thoughts, prescribing a medicinal formula before taking his leave.

After seeing the physician out, Li Miaozhi went to supervise the preparation of the medicine and then assisted Wang Shi in taking the dose. Just then, Xue Zhan arrived with a request, saying that several frequently visiting relatives had come and asked Li Miaozhi to greet them and keep them company briefly before returning. Li Miaozhi had no choice but to comply.

Thus, Wang Shi lay alone in her room. Suddenly, the door curtain shifted, and a woman dressed as a Taoist nun entered, her face veiled with a light gauze. Seeing no one else in the room, she removed the veil and hurried to the bedside, calling out "Mother" to Wang Shi. This was none other than Lin Dongling. It turned out that Wang Shi had secretly brought Lin Dongling from Jinling, first hiding her in a carriage. Upon reaching the capital, she had settled her in a temple built by the Lin Family, disguising her as a nun and instructing her to live in seclusion, awaiting the day when Wang Shi would select a suitable family for her to marry into after a complete transformation.

Today, as the Lin Family hosted a grand banquet, Lin Dongling faintly heard the music of string and wind instruments, stirring envy in her heart. She thought of how she ought to have been seated in a place of grandeur at the forefront, but her high self-regard made it all the more bitter to find herself in such reduced circumstances. In a fit of anger, she drowned her sorrows in a pot of wine and could not help but weep bitterly. By chance, Wang Shi’s maid, Hupo, came to deliver her meal and found Lin Dongling lying face down on the bed, wailing loudly. Hupo approached to console her, saying, "Taitai is holding on for the sake of you and Third Master. Even if you won’t take care of yourself for your own sake, you should do it for Taitai. If she knew you were crying like this, it would only add to her illness."

Lin Dongling sensed an underlying meaning in these words and pressed for details. At first, Hupo refused to speak, but when Lin Dongling grew insistent, she recounted everything that had happened in the side room.

Lin Dongling immediately gritted her teeth and said, "That wretch! She’s always been domineering, and I’ve long disliked her. Now she dares to bully my mother like this? Let me just catch sight of her!" With that, she slipped out quietly to visit Wang Shi.

Now, seeing Wang Shi’s face as pale as gold leaf, her spirit withered, tears streaking her cheeks, and looking five or six years older from distress, Lin Dongling let out a sob and began to cry. Stroking her daughter’s cheek, Wang Shi whimpered, "My child, if it weren’t for you, I would close my eyes and let go."

Lin Dongling’s eyes widened at these words. "Mother, what foolish talk is this! If anyone should die, it’s that wretch!"

Wang Shi hurriedly covered her mouth. She knew that Lin Dongling, having been spoiled since childhood, had a fiery temper and acted without considering consequences or weighing priorities, fearing she might cause trouble. "My fault, my fault," Wang Shi said anxiously. "I shouldn’t have said that. Now, Concubine Su is with child. If anything were to happen and it was blamed on us, it would be disastrous. I will handle this matter myself. You must stay quietly in the temple." She paused, then added gently, "I have already discussed several families with your aunt. Once we’ve made a decision, you will marry into one of them, and my heart will be at ease. You must not cause any trouble."

Lin Dongling pushed Wang Shi’s hand away and sneered, "When someone has bullied us to this extent, are we not even allowed to utter a sound? What does it matter that she’s pregnant? At worst, I’ll give her a kick. If she loses the child, let’s see if she can still be so proud!"

As she spoke, a maidservant entered and announced, "Second Aunt and Miss Xianglan are here to see how Taitai is faring."Wang Shi quickly sent Lin Dongling to hide behind the screen before inviting the two in. After exchanging greetings and inquiring about her condition, Xianglan and Lin Dongqi offered a few comforting words, left the pastries, congee, and medicine they had brought, and prepared to take their leave. Just then, a maid entered again, announcing that Concubine Su had come to apologize. With guests present, Wang Shi could not refuse, so despite her reluctance, she had no choice but to invite Su Meiru in.

Exchanging a glance, Xianglan and Lin Dongqi swallowed their farewells and sat back down.

Su Meiru entered with a sallow complexion. Having cried and made a scene repeatedly that day, her makeup had long been ruined, so she had washed it off and applied no more. Upon seeing Wang Shi, she immediately burst into tears, sobbing, "It's my fault for causing Taitai to fall ill. Please punish me." As she spoke, she made to kneel.

Wang Shi said, "Enough. You're with child; there's no need to kneel."

Su Meiru replied, "Taitai is truly generous. In the future, my child will be yours as well. A Taoist priest once divined that I'm carrying the Wen Chang Star, and the master was so overjoyed he rewarded me with a thick Red Envelope. Ah, but I don't have such fortune. If this child grows up to have even half the accomplishments of Third Master, I'll be content. If it's a girl—I heard Taitai once had a daughter who passed away young. The master forbids mentioning her, afraid it would stir up heartache. If I have a girl, she could fill that void for you and the master, easing the pain in your hearts."

Xianglan's heart skipped a beat, thinking to herself, "This Su Meiru is truly a master of killing with soft words. Every sentence seems considerate, yet each one strikes straight at the heart, leaving the listener unable to voice their suffering. Is she trying to anger Wang Shi to death so Lin Changmin will elevate her to the main wife?"

Sure enough, Wang Shi's face flushed red, and she began coughing violently, tears streaming down as she coughed.

Behind the screen, Lin Dongling trembled with rage. A surge of anger fueled by the alcohol she had consumed overwhelmed her, and all the grievances she had endured and the humiliation of her current downfall seemed to find an outlet. Glancing out, she saw Lin Dongqi stepping forward to rub Wang Shi's chest while Su Meiru put on a show of great alarm, preparing to rise and approach. But just as Xianglan stopped her, Lin Dongling burst out without another thought, charging straight at Su Meiru and kicking her in the stomach, shouting, "You bitch! Today you'll learn your lesson!"

Caught off guard, Su Meiru cried out, "Aiyo!" and stumbled backward. Lin Dongling grabbed her by the hair and delivered two more fierce kicks to her stomach, cursing, "You lowly wretch with no respect for your mistress, you turtle-egg! Today, I'll teach you properly!"

Xianglan was initially stunned, but upon realizing what was happening, she hurried to pull Lin Dongling away, urging, "Stop this now! Taitai's condition is what matters!" But Lin Dongling refused to relent. Hearing the commotion, Granny Qian, Hupo, and Ying Luo rushed in to intervene.

At that moment, the door was kicked open with a bang, and Lin Changmin entered. Taking in the scene, his eyes turned red with fury. He seized Lin Dongling and began beating her, roaring, "You disloyal, unfilial, heartless, unjust wretch! How dare you strike someone!"

At the sight of Lin Changmin, Lin Dongling's courage fled, and she stopped resisting, weeping, "Father, you're so biased! You don't even ask how this bitch provoked Mother, but you hit me first!"Su Meiru let out a sharp cry and collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach as she moaned incessantly. Her face was deathly pale, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead. Xianglan looked down and saw a pool of blood beneath Su Meiru, startling her greatly. She immediately ordered someone to carry Su Meiru to the bed and hurriedly sent for a physician.

Lin Changmin grew even angrier at the sight. He drew a dagger from his boot and declared, "Fine, fine! Today you harm your concubine mother, tomorrow you’ll murder your own parents! I might as well end you cleanly today!" He lunged forward to strike. Wang Shi, flustered, tried to rise but lost her balance and tumbled from the bed. Stumbling, she crawled to Lin Changmin and clung to his arm, weeping, "Master! Master, open your eyes and see—she is still your own flesh and blood! You can’t just cherish the unborn child in her womb and then turn around to kill the one you’ve raised for over a decade!" Lin Changmin shook her off with a sweep of his arm and barked, "Get out of my way!" He shoved Wang Shi against the wall, while Granny Qian and others rushed over, wailing and sobbing, to help her up. The room instantly descended into chaos.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Lin Dongling seized the confusion to flee outside. Lin Changmin chased after her.

Panic-stricken and heedless of her path, Lin Dongling dashed along the corridor and noticed the side gate leading to the street was open. She hurriedly sprinted through it. Lin Changmin followed her out but only saw Lin Dongling stumbling into the alleyway before she turned a corner and vanished from sight. Cursing under his breath, he finally turned back.