Lin Jinlou escorted Xianglan back to the east wing. Huamei had already left, and Qinglan was napping in her room. Upon hearing Lin Jinlou had arrived, Qinglan hastily had Chunling help her out. Yet Lin Jinlou didn’t even glance at Qinglan, instead pointing at Xianglan and instructing the maids and matrons, "She hasn’t eaten lunch yet. Later, when Shu Ran brings some food over, make her a soup she usually enjoys."
Qinglan’s face paled again, and Chunling quickly steadied her. Xianglan lifted her eyelids and saw everyone lined up in the room, their expressions a mix of shock and complexity. She no longer cared what others thought and simply lowered her head in silence.
Lin Jinlou turned, pinched Xianglan’s cheek, and said, "Stay here for a couple of days. I’ll make arrangements." With that, he headed out. Noticing Qinglan standing by the door, he paused and said, "Focus on recuperating. If you need anything, ask Da Nǎinai. If she doesn’t comply, come to me. Don’t trouble Madam over trivial matters—the weather’s hot, and she’s not well. Burdening her would make me an unfilial son."
Xianglan understood clearly: Lin Jinlou’s words were a rebuke to Qinglan for causing trouble and even involving Qin Shi. By calling himself "unfilial," he was shifting the blame squarely onto Qinglan’s shoulders.
Swallowing her grievances, Qinglan gave a slight curtsey and murmured, "Understood."
Lin Jinlou then pointed at Xianglan and added, "This girl is frail. Don’t assign her any more chores." He lifted the curtain and left.
The room fell into silence. Xianglan turned wordlessly and returned to her room, burying her face in the quilt. Before long, Shu Ran indeed arrived personally with a red-lacquered food box containing several delicate dishes and a bowl of jade rice, fussing over Xianglan with concern.
Soon, word spread throughout the Lin residence: the Eldest Master had taken a fancy to a new maid. Xianglan from the Hall of Knowing Spring had climbed to a high branch and was poised for a meteoric rise.
Coincidentally, that very evening, Lin Jinlou received orders from his superiors: bandits were causing trouble in the neighboring province, and he was commanded to lead troops to suppress them. Thus, Lin Jinlou returned to the barracks overnight. Upon hearing this, Xianglan breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, the Hall of Knowing Spring remained tranquil. Zhao Yuechan knelt in the ancestral hall for half a day, then went to Qin Shi’s room to weep and lament dramatically; Qinglan copied the Admonitions for Women ten times and returned from Qin Shi’s main quarters. Wu Mama sat with Qinglan in her room for half a day, the two whispering who knows what. When they emerged, Qinglan’s eyes were slightly red, but her complexion had improved. The matter was thus lightly brushed aside without consequence.
Only Xianglan became an object of subtle scrutiny in everyone’s eyes. People treated her with wary distance, and even Xiao Juan spoke to her more formally. Xianglan spent her days sitting on her bed in a daze. She wanted to seek out Song Ke again, but after hearing Lin Jinlou’s dismissive tone toward the Song family, she hesitated. Knowing the Lin family’s influence, she feared implicating Song Ke. Torn by indecision, she gritted her teeth and thought, "If Lin Jinlou comes again, I’ll threaten suicide. If he isn’t heartless, he should grant me a way out... May the Bodhisattva protect me and help me escape this living hell soon."
After a silent prayer, she found a few worn booklets, rebound them with indigo-blue covers, and took her writing materials to the garden pavilion to copy Buddhist sutras for peace of mind. Firstly, she knew she mustn’t lose composure—copying sutras would calm her; secondly, it was a way to seek blessings for her future.Several days passed in this manner. On this particular day, Xianglan brewed a pot of tea and brought her writing tools to the garden. Accompanied by birdsong and floral fragrance, she slowly copied scriptures for a while, then wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Suddenly realizing that summer had arrived, Xianglan noted how the spring blossoms had long faded, replaced by lush greenery and deep shade.
The scenery lifted her spirits somewhat. Just then, she noticed Chunling supporting Qinglan as they approached from a distance. Knowing Qinglan held resentment toward her, Xianglan hurriedly gathered her writing implements to avoid them.
Unexpectedly, Qinglan approached her instead and smiled, saying, "I thought I saw someone here from afar—it turns out it was you."
Xianglan was taken aback, thinking to herself, "Concubine Lan usually ignores me completely—why the sudden change today?" Aloud, she replied, "The view here is lovely, so I came to copy scriptures."
Qinglan reached out and took the booklet from Xianglan’s hands to examine it. The writing inside was bold and free-flowing, with a vigorous, untamed style unlike typical feminine penmanship. Surprised, she exclaimed, "You have such excellent handwriting!"
Xianglan quickly tried to retrieve the booklet, saying, "It’s just scribbling—I wouldn’t want to offend your eyes, Concubine."
But Qinglan pulled it back, smiling. "What a coincidence—I’ve been wanting to copy scriptures lately to accumulate merit for the child in my womb. With handwriting as fine as yours, why not lend me this copied scripture?" Her true intention wasn’t the scriptures themselves; she merely sought a pretext to smooth over appearances.
This change stemmed from Wu Mama’s earlier advice: "If it weren’t for Old Madam Zeng’s mourning period, with your pregnancy so advanced, the Eldest Master would have already taken another concubine. Even without Xianglan, there would have been someone else. Why hold a grudge over this? Da Nǎinai is already putting on a show of virtue and tolerance—if you keep resisting, it will reflect poorly on you. If gossip reaches the Eldest Master and angers him, the consequences could be serious. You should learn from Huamei, who always greets others with a smile. Xianglan served you before—ending up as enemies would be unfortunate." Though Qinglan felt wronged, she took these words to heart, and her resentment had gradually eased over the past few days. Thus, upon encountering Xianglan, she took the initiative to reconcile.
Xianglan had no choice but to agree, handing over one volume of the scriptures she had already copied.
Just then, Chunling stepped forward and said, "Concubine, it seems the wind is picking up—the weather might change. Let’s return and continue talking inside."
Qinglan looked up and saw dark clouds gathering—a sign of impending rain. She nodded, handed the booklet to Chunling, and allowed herself to be supported back. Xianglan carefully packed the remaining scripture booklets into her bag, collected the tea bowl and writing tools, and poured the leftover tea from the pot into the flowerbed. Then, carrying the bag and teapot in one hand, several scripture booklets in the other, and a slightly worn silver-red python-embroidered seat cushion tucked under her arm, she hurried after Qinglan and her maid.Who would have thought that on the garden path, someone came rushing from ahead. Chunling couldn't dodge in time, and the two collided head-on. With a cry of "Ah!", Chunling, fearing she might bump into Qinglan, threw herself toward Xianglan, causing the booklet in her hand to fall to the ground. Xianglan's feet slipped, and both of them tumbled to the ground. Xianglan hurriedly protected the teapot with her hands to prevent it from breaking, while the Buddhist scriptures in her other hand, along with the sitting mat under her arm, clattered to the ground. The other person also cried out "Aiyo!" as she fell, dropping the book in her hand. She scrambled up, glared at Chunling, and said, "Trying to die? Running so fast—are you rushing back for a funeral?" After saying this, she bent down, grabbed two fallen booklets, stood up, and ran off ahead.
Xianglan saw that the person she had bumped into was Yingshuang, a maid from the main household, and couldn't help but inwardly sigh at the bad luck. Chunling, however, scrambled up in a flash and, pointing at Yingshuang's retreating back, cursed, "You little slut! If you had bumped into the Concubine, you wouldn't have your life anymore!" She added angrily, "I'm going to report this to Madam!"
Qinglan quickly tried to calm her, saying, "Alright, alright, don't quarrel with someone from Da Nǎinai's side. Let's just gather our things and go back."
Chunling grumbled under her breath as she picked up the books from the ground.
With the rivalry between the main wife and the favored concubine, Xianglan naturally kept her mouth shut. She silently gathered her belongings and returned to her room with Qinglan, and for now, that was the end of it.
Meanwhile, Qinglan returned to the east wing, and Chunling arranged the teapot and stationery one by one. Qinglan, reclining on the bed while drinking tea, said, "Bring me that scripture to have a look."
Chunling said, "Concubine, are you really going to copy that tedious thing?"
Qinglan sighed and replied, "I might as well write a few lines to pass the time. Only the Bodhisattva understands my suffering now." She took the booklet and flipped through it, but as soon as she opened it, she realized it wasn't the Buddhist scriptures Xianglan had copied. Instead, it contained entries like "loans," "interest," "collection," along with amounts such as "one thousand taels" and "three hundred taels." Startled, she quickly closed the booklet and asked Chunling, "This isn't Xianglan's scripture booklet. Did we take the wrong one?"
Chunling took the booklet and flipped through it, but being illiterate, she couldn't make anything out. She handed it back to Qinglan and said, "When we ran into Yingshuang just now, all three of us fell, and everything in our hands dropped. I remember Yingshuang was holding two indigo-blue booklets like this. It must have gotten mixed up in the chaos. Should I go exchange it back?"
Qinglan's heart skipped a beat. After pondering for a moment, she said, "No need. You may leave, and don't let anyone else in. Don't mention this to anyone. If anyone from the main household comes to ask you, just say you know nothing." Chunling obeyed and withdrew.
Qinglan opened the booklet again and flipped through it page by page. She had some understanding of bookkeeping and accounting, and after a quick scan, she grew more and more alarmed. She thought to herself, "This ledger has Zhao Yuechan's seal and fingerprint at the back, confirming it's hers. The amounts of silver recorded are enormous—a rough calculation shows seven or eight thousand taels. Her father was originally only a sixth-rank judicial official and was promoted to Assistant Prefect of Jinling just last year. How could her dowry have included so much silver? Eldest Master never entrusts his funds to her either. The last few times I went to pay respects to Madam, I overheard Hongjian and the others gossiping, saying that Zhao Yuechan embezzled and withheld funds from the household accounts, leaving a large deficit, and no one knew where the money went. So she used it for usury! How audacious!"Qinglan clutched the account book, feeling as though it were burning her hands. She pondered, "What should I do now? With the Eldest Master away, should I hand this account book over to Madam?" But then she reconsidered, "That would be utterly inappropriate. The Eldest Master has told me several times that after Old Madam Zeng's mourning period ends, if Zhao Yuechan behaves reasonably, he would grant her a generous settlement for a divorce; if not, he would issue her a letter of divorce. When the Eldest Master hinted at this intention to the Master and Madam, he was scolded. Last time, Madam even said to me, 'I know Zhao Shi can be harsh, but she was properly married into this family. The Zhao clan is thriving now, and Lou Ge'er's father-in-law is currently favored by the court. Since Zhao Yuechan has committed no major offense, divorcing her would inevitably strain relations between the two families, involve extensive interests and connections, and damage the Lin family's reputation. We must not act rashly. This marriage was brought about by his own willfulness—how can he now cause greater calamity by divorcing her out of further caprice? You should often advise Lou Ge'er in your daily interactions.' If I hand this account book to Madam, at most she will reprimand Zhao Yuechan behind closed doors. Even if Zhao Yuechan has engaged in usury, Madam would cover it up to protect the Lin family's reputation. After all, the Lin family has plenty of silver—what are seven or eight thousand taels to them? But... if I give this account book to the Eldest Master... He already despises Zhao Yuechan, and in his anger, he might write the divorce letter on the spot. And if I then give birth to a son..." Qinglan rested her right hand on her swollen belly, bit her lip, and thought, "I was personally chosen by Madam and brought into the household as a concubine from a respectable family. The Eldest Master dotes on me endlessly—even Huamei said that Madam's previous displeasure with me was only because I overstepped boundaries, not out of dislike. If I truly bear a son and the Eldest Master divorces Zhao Yuechan, he will surely elevate me to the position of principal wife, and Madam would undoubtedly be pleased, wouldn't she?"
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