Lin Jinlou left Knowing Spring Pavilion and headed straight for the study at the front. Pushing the door open, he saw Shuran directing two young servants to divide the local specialties he had brought back from his travels into several portions, preparing to send them to various households later.
Seeing Lin Jinlou enter, Shuran hurried forward and said, "Master, everything has been sorted. Please take a look. If there’s anything unsatisfactory, I’ll rearrange them."
Lin Jinlou nodded and examined each portion one by one. Some contained stationery like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, while others held sachets and hair oils. For the elders, most were nourishing foods, medicinal herbs, and fine silks. As he sifted through them, he remarked, "Don’t forget Song Yima from the second household. Her share should be the same as Second Taitai’s, and her two children should receive gifts comparable to those for the young masters and misses of the household."
Shuran quickly replied, "Naturally, it’s all prepared."
Lin Jinlou then asked, "There was a calligraphy piece by Shen Zhou in the boxes we brought back. Where did you put it?"
Shuran answered, "I saw it wrapped in red silk and thought it was something valuable, so I placed it in the drawer beneath the curio cabinet." She then took out a key and retrieved the calligraphy piece.
Lin Jinlou unwrapped the red silk and flipped through the pages. Shen Zhou, also known as the Master of Bamboo Dwelling, was a successor of the Wu School of painting, excelling in landscape paintings and renowned for his elegant, free-flowing calligraphy. During this trip, a subordinate had presented him with Shen Zhou’s Tian Ji Wu Yun Tie (Skyline Dark Clouds Script). Originally, he had intended to gift it to his father, but after seeing Xianglan’s calligraphy earlier, he changed his mind. Tucking the script into his sleeve, he turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and turned back to instruct, "Set aside a portion of the hair oil and face powder to send to Xianglan in the east wing."
Shuran was startled but immediately lowered her head and replied, "Yes, understood." She courteously saw Lin Jinlou out. Returning to the room, she took a bottle of hair oil and a box of powder from the chest. After a moment’s thought, she added a sachet, then hesitated briefly before including a string of glass bangles. Finally, she wrapped everything in a piece of pink silk.
Shuran was eighteen, of average height, with a round face and delicate features. Though her looks were merely ordinary among the dazzling maids of the Lin household, her warm and gentle demeanor, always accompanied by a smile, made her especially approachable. Originally a second-tier maid serving Qin Shi, Shuran had been reassigned to Lin Jinlou due to her steady, clever, and cheerful nature. Having served by his side for five years, she had weathered many storms and earned his deep trust, moving freely between the inner and outer residences without restraint. Throughout the household, she was respectfully addressed as "Sister Shuran," commanding deference from all. Once, her parents had tentatively suggested she become Lin Jinlou’s concubine, but Shuran immediately sought an honorable marriage from him to clarify her stance. Lin Jinlou then betrothed her to Xu Fu, a highly respected senior steward in his service, and in the past two years, she had been allowed to leave the household.Shuran's actions had earned the admiration of everyone in the Yang household, even Qin Shi praised her a few words. Yet Shuran herself saw things clearly—over the years, she had witnessed Lin Jinlou's ruthless decisiveness time and again. While others saw him as a languid nobleman, she knew he was a living demon king, whose methods still sent chills down her spine when she recalled them. Moreover, this Master had a constant stream of beauties by his side, not to mention the ogress of a wife sitting at his bedside. Being a clever woman, she had long abandoned any improper thoughts and devoted herself wholeheartedly to serving Lin Jinlou as her master. Seeing him take an interest in a mere maid like Xianglan, though surprising, Shuran had honed her instincts over the years and knew better than to ask unnecessary questions. She quietly speculated that the Master's courtyard might soon welcome a new addition.
To show respect and extend goodwill to the "new concubine," Shuran decided she couldn’t just send a random maid to deliver the gifts as she had done last time when Lin Jinlou rewarded Xianglan with ointment. This time, she would personally deliver them and engage in some warm conversation.
But let’s set aside Shuran’s plans for now. Lin Jinlou, carrying the calligraphy copy, walked toward Gathered Verdure Residence. As he rounded the artificial hill, he saw a gathering of women inside, along with several young ladies and married women clustered around a large table in the courtyard, chattering excitedly.
It turned out they had finished composing poems and were now enthusiastically critiquing them.
They went through each poem one by one. If they encountered a good one, they would praise it together and discuss its merits. For the mediocre ones, they would simply chuckle and move on. As for those that were neither here nor there, they would pick out a few interesting lines to comment on before moving along. Qing Lan, having failed to complete a full poem before the incense burned out, had hastily submitted Xianglan’s poem as her own. Thus, when it came to Lingering Fragrance , few praised it.
Lin Dongqi thought to herself, "Qing Lan is my elder brother’s beloved concubine. The fact that she can read and write is already impressive, let alone compose a poem. Since she organized this poetry club, we shouldn’t embarrass her too much." So she smiled and said, "Though this poem is short, it carries a profound melancholy. With just a few lines, it creates a beautiful atmosphere."
Qing Lan, who had been disheartened by the lack of praise, immediately brightened at Lin Dongqi’s words and laughed, "Second Young Lady flatters me too much. It’s not that good..."
Lin Dongqi smiled faintly and was about to move on to the next poem when Hua Mei giggled and said, "'Whose white magnolia is this?' —why, it’s Qing Lan’s very name! Sister Qing Lan is now the apple of the Master’s eye, yet she writes such gloomy lines like 'left behind in the spring breeze' ..."
Lin Dongqi frowned inwardly, annoyed at Hua Mei’s lack of tact. How could she speak so carelessly in front of all these noblewomen and wealthy wives? Zhao Yuechan’s face had already darkened as she snapped, "Enough!" Though she resented Hua Mei’s remark about Qing Lan being the "apple of the Master’s eye," which struck a sore spot, she hated even more that this little seductress Qing Lan dared to challenge her at every turn.
Fearing that Hua Mei’s words would embarrass her, Zhao Yuechan quickly changed the subject with a smile and said to Lin Dongqi, "Dear sister, read the next one for me. Let’s see who wrote it."
Lin Dongqi glanced at it and saw it was Song Tanchai’s. The assigned theme was "The Parasol Tree." She began to recite:
"Where to seek autumn’s melancholy thoughts?
Half-rolled blinds reveal the emerald shadows.
Borrowing the west wind’s three parts chill,
And stealing the moon’s one wisp of clarity.
Heavy mist and frost, withered lotus stands alone,
Vast river, low clouds, a solitary goose cries out." "Through ages none knew this melody rare,
Lonely phoenix trees by quiet window fair."
As Lin Dongqi recited each line, the gathered company praised it in turn, astonished that Song Tanchai possessed such depth of sentiment. Even Zheng Jingxian's usually haughty expression softened somewhat, and she looked at Song Tanchai with newfound appreciation, saying, "Who would have thought Tan-mei possessed such talent? This poem could easily take first prize."
Song Tanchai's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's hardly that good," she demurred. "Jingxian-jie's poem hasn't been shared yet... and Qi-jie's composition was excellent too." As she spoke, her gaze flickered toward Lin Dongling—unfortunately, Lin Jinting wasn't at the manor today, leaving Dongling without her usual ghostwriter. The forced composition had naturally been poorly received. Noting Dongling's ashen expression, Tanchai tactfully fell silent.
Zheng Jingxian hastily concealed her own poem, laughing. "I'd thought mine passable, but compared to yours, it pales considerably. Best not read it—let's burn it instead."
The others immediately protested: "Nonsense! You must share it with us."
As Jingxian dodged their demands, Lin Dongxiu suddenly snatched the paper and began reading aloud:
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Thank you Yueyue Ai Yueyue, christine_86, Tao Mama, yu21yu21, and Taohua Xiele for the Peace Talismans! Special thanks to Taohua Xiele for the PK votes =3= Though we won't be joining PK—too expensive, haha ^_^
Continued requests for comments, collections, and recommendation votes~
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