Everyone in the room stood up. Wang Shi said, "Enough, everyone may sit." Being somewhat dull-witted and lacking perception, she failed to notice the varied expressions among those present and simply seated herself on the edge of the kang.
Xianglan thought to herself, "Wang Shi is far from clever and lacks any eloquence. I fear she cannot control the several formidable figures here. I worry that someone who loves stirring up trouble might seize this opportunity to create more disturbances. As the saying goes, 'It is better for the doer to undo what he has done.' It would be best to resolve this matter from its root." Having thought this, she said to Lin Dongxiu, "The Eldest Master will likely return soon. I'll go check and then come back." She then left the others and went out, where she encountered two or three maids and matrons who asked, "Have you seen the Fourth Master?" All replied they hadn't. Xianglan then searched along the way until she reached the small garden, where she met Ruizhu, the young maid serving Lin Zhaoxiang. Ruizhu said, "The Fourth Master is behind the flower trellis."
Xianglan turned around the trellis and indeed saw Lin Jinyuan sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up. She slowed her steps, hiding herself behind a tree, and stole a glance. She saw Lin Jinyuan frowning as he plucked the magnolia, rose, and crabapple blossoms from the trellis one by one, the ground already covered with fallen petals. Xianglan thought to herself, "Although Lin Jinyuan can be somewhat mischievous, having been raised under the Old Master's care, he has always been a well-behaved child. Growing up in a wealthy family, he would never dare to waste flowers and plants. His current state shows that even if he dares not speak of it, something is troubling him deeply." She sighed softly, walked over, and gently patted his shoulder.
Lin Jinyuan was startled. He turned his head, sprang to his feet, and only relaxed when he saw it was Xianglan. Patting his chest, he said, "You nearly scared me to death." He stole a glance at Xianglan and stammered, "How are the Old Master and Old Madam?"
Xianglan said with a stern face, "Naturally, they are very angry."
Lin Jinyuan looked dejected, hung his head, and began tearing at flower buds again. Xianglan stepped forward, took his hand, and bent down to whisper, "You little ancestor, do you know how much trouble this one matter of yours has caused? First, the Old Master was furious, and the Old Madam nearly fell ill. If it were just our own family, it might be manageable, but with an outsider like Jiang Xiyun present, we’ve become a laughingstock."
Lin Jinyuan shuddered and looked up, asking, "Did you tell the Old Master that I was the one who lost the bracelet?"
Xianglan slowly shook her head. "I promised you I wouldn’t say anything, so I haven’t."
Lin Jinyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Xianglan said gently, "Come, I’ll go with you to apologize to the Old Master. The Old Master usually dotes on you as if you were the apple of his eye. If you’ve made a mistake, he might be angry and punish you, but once his anger subsides, it will be over. We’ll all plead for you. With the Old Madam’s birthday approaching, even if the Old Master is upset, he won’t be too harsh."
Lin Jinyuan pouted, tilted his head, and his delicate, pale face was full of reluctance.
"Because of this bracelet, your sisters have become suspicious of each other. The Eldest Young Miss, Second Young Miss, Second Mistress, and Miss Jiang have all argued over this matter. In such a large household, with elders and juniors, brothers and sisters, in-laws and relatives, and so many mouths and opinions, it’s inevitable that conflicts arise and harmony is damaged. But what I fear is that a small matter could escalate into a major disaster, that trivial issues could lead to severed ties and broken hearts. Once unity is lost, the family will fall into ruin. Putting that aside, if you don’t take responsibility for your own mistake, and in the end, your sisters bear the blame for you, how would you feel?"Lin Jinyuan lowered his head in thought, then suddenly looked up, blinking his eyes as he said, "The sisters naturally won’t do. How about... we say Jiang Xiyun took it!"
Xianglan gasped, the breath catching in her throat, and immediately replied, "How can that be?"
"Why can’t it?" Lin Jinyuan tugged at Xianglan’s sleeve with his small hand. "I’ll just say I saw her take it with my own eyes. You only need to pretend you know nothing." He shook her arm. "She’s not part of our family, and besides... I’ve heard the maids and old women gossiping that she once tried to harm you. Let’s pin this on her—first, she’ll take the blame for the bracelet, and second, it’ll avenge you. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?"
Xianglan looked into Lin Jinyuan’s grape-like eyes and felt a fleeting impulse stir within her, almost agreeing. Yes, why shouldn’t she? Jiang Xiyun had harmed her deeply, yet as a young lady from a prominent family, she had escaped unscathed, arriving at the Lin residence as if nothing had happened, eager to please, without a hint of remorse. It was as if her previous actions were entirely justified. Such a selfish person—why should Xianglan show any kindness? Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to retaliate like this and let Jiang Xiyun taste the consequences? This way, Lin Jinyuan would be indebted to her, and she could vent her pent-up resentment. What was there to lose?
Seeing Xianglan’s half-closed eyes and furrowed brow as she pondered deeply, Lin Jinyuan sensed an opportunity. He shook her arm, clinging to her like sticky candy, and pleaded repeatedly, "Will you do it? Will you? Let’s just go ahead with it! Good sister, I beg you!"
Xianglan opened her eyes and looked at Lin Jinyuan. After a long pause, she uttered two words with great difficulty: "No." Once spoken, she let out a deep breath, as if relieved of a heavy burden, and repeated firmly, "No!"
Lin Jinyuan exclaimed in surprise, "Why not?"
"Because if I did it, I would despise myself for the rest of my life," Xianglan said calmly, taking his hand. "Living in this world, we talk about being upright and honorable, but how easy is that? At the very least, we must take responsibility for our own mistakes. No matter the punishment, we must keep our conscience clear, so we don’t spend our days tormented by guilt, making excuses to ourselves, saying we were ‘forced by circumstances’ or ‘had no choice,’ or that the other person ‘brought it upon themselves’ and we were merely ‘going with the flow.’ In the end, we know the truth in our hearts."
Lin Jinyuan shook off her hand petulantly. "You make it sound so simple. You haven’t seen how terrifying Grandfather is when he’s angry. My eldest brother has the exact same temper. Last time, he struck me with his cane, and I couldn’t move for half a month! If you want to go, go ahead. I’m not going!" He kicked the petals on the ground in frustration and stomped his feet angrily. "No wonder my eldest brother says you’re as pedantic as an old scholar. Are you really that foolish? Here’s a perfect chance to kill two birds with one stone, and you insist on making things difficult for yourself!"Xianglan looked at Lin Jinyuan without speaking, thinking to herself: "Yuan Ge'er is already so scheming at this age. He shares the same temperament as Lin Jinlou—both are extremely competitive and concerned with face. If I expose his faults, he might flare up in agitation and cause a scene, which would be unpleasant for everyone. And I'd gain nothing from it. How can I resolve this matter now? I might as well burn my bridges and use this to provoke him—he'll likely agree." Slowly, she said, "Very well. Framing someone else for the bracelet matter is absolutely unacceptable. Yet I promised you I wouldn't mention this incident to anyone. But if we don't clarify things, an innocent person will be wronged. Since that's the case, I'll take the blame myself."
Lin Jinyuan was startled and hurriedly asked, "What did you say?"
Xianglan said, "I said, I'll bear the fault for you and go to Old Master immediately to receive punishment." With that, she turned to leave.
Lin Jinyuan exclaimed in alarm, "Mad! Mad! Are you out of your mind?" He quickly chased after her and asked, "You're lying to me, aren't you? Huh?"
Xianglan stopped and said, "I'm taking the blame for Fourth Master not to gain your favor, but in the hope that from now on, you can act with integrity and uphold righteousness. A true man should be able to shoulder his own mistakes."
These words made Lin Jinyuan flush bright red with shame. He stood rooted to the spot, tears welling in his eyes. Watching Xianglan walk away, he couldn't help but say angrily, "Go ahead if you're so capable! You're so virtuous, aren't you?" After sulking for a moment, he felt neither able to stand still nor sit comfortably, his mind still preoccupied. Stamping his foot, he chased after her again.
Xianglan walked very slowly, glancing sideways behind her. Seeing Lin Jinyuan following at a distance, she nodded imperceptibly. She thought to herself that although De Ge'er and Lin Jinyuan were only two or three years apart in age, their temperaments were quite different. De Ge'er was honest, humble, and harmonious, with a demeanor of courtesy and deference, displaying uprightness even at a young age. Yuan Ge'er, on the other hand, was full of cunning and peculiar ideas—clever but lacking in kindness. Still, having been educated in poetry and literature, he understood reason and propriety and had not fallen into outright deceitfulness.
She stopped and turned around. Lin Jinyuan also halted, hanging his head without speaking. Xianglan walked over, took his hand, and bent down to say, "When we return today, I'll tell your eldest brother that the Fourth Master of the Lin family is someone who takes responsibility." Seeing Lin Jinyuan still wiping his tears, her heart softened. She had always been very close to him and couldn't resist patting his head. "I'll go with you to receive punishment from Old Master. If you're afraid, I'll say we lost the bracelet together. How about I accompany you?"
Lin Jinyuan lifted his sleeve to wipe his eyes, stealing a glance at Xianglan. Hearing that she would share the punishment with him, his courage grew somewhat. Hesitantly, he nodded.
Xianglan breathed a sigh of relief and led Lin Jinyuan by the hand all the way to the flower hall. Entering, they saw that the hall was already empty. The fruits, tea, and wine on the table were still neatly arranged, and the golden beast-shaped incense burner was still emitting faint smoke. Only Liubei was there. Seeing them arrive, she said, "Old Madam said she wasn't feeling well and has gone to the inner room to rest."
Xianglan said, "Trouble you, sister, to announce us. We've come to apologize to Old Master and Old Madam regarding the bracelet matter."
Liubei was startled, looking at one and then the other, not daring to say more, and hurried inside to report. After waiting for a while, they heard a cough from inside the room. Lin Zhaoxiang said calmly, "Come in."The two of them walked in and saw Lin Zhaoxiang sitting by the kang table, holding a water pipe, while Old Madam Lin sat on the other side of the table, fingering a string of prayer beads. Xuezhan and Ruizhu stood nearby in attendance, along with Lin Zhaoxiang's elderly personal servant, Geng Tonggui, who also stood to the side.
Xianglan and Lin Jinyuan knelt down together. Lin Jinyuan dared not make a sound. Seeing his pale face, Xianglan spoke up: "We have come today to apologize to the Old Master and Old Madam. The items bestowed by the Eastern Palace were lost due to our negligence. This morning, the Fourth Master told me how precious the Eastern Palace's gifts were. The thought crossed my mind, and I begged the Fourth Master to take them out for me to see. The Fourth Master couldn't resist my pleas and took out the bracelet. We were looking at it by the pond in the small garden when, unexpectedly, it slipped from my hand and fell into the lake..."
At this, Lin Zhaoxiang paused, his eyes sharp as lightning as he glared at the two of them. His expression was icy as he stared at Lin Jinyuan and demanded in a low voice, "Jinyuan, is this true?"
Lin Jinyuan stammered, not daring to lift his head.
Lin Zhaoxiang slammed the gold-inlaid kang table and shouted, "I'm asking you—is it or isn't it?"
Lin Jinyuan trembled in fright, tears streaming down his face.
Old Madam Lin quickly tried to soothe him, saying, "Why are you shouting so loudly? Look how frightened the child is..."
Lin Zhaoxiang snapped angrily, "Stay out of this! It's all because you've spoiled him rotten! I won't tolerate anyone speaking up for him today!" Then, turning back to Lin Jinyuan, he roared, "I'll ask you one last time—how exactly was that bracelet lost?"
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