Zhao Yuechan stole a glance at Qin Shi's expression and fabricated a story: "It was nothing serious. This morning, my maid found some Buddhist scriptures copied by Concubine Lan in the garden. Out of kindness, I personally delivered them back, fearing she might be anxious if she couldn't find them, and also hoping to share some heartfelt words with her. After just a few words, I noticed it was about to rain and prepared to leave. On the steps, I wanted to ask her a few things about the Master—private matters of the inner chambers that shouldn't be overheard by maids—so I dismissed them all. But after just two questions, Qing Lan blushed and became evasive, unwilling to answer. When I pressed further, she stepped back and, in her distraction, fell down the steps... Ah, this is all my fault. I should never have..." She immediately knelt facing the door and kowtowed loudly, saying, "Heaven have mercy! All of this is my fault, and I deserve to die ten thousand deaths. I beg Heaven to protect my sister Qing Lan and the child in her womb, safe and sound. In the future, even if I must climb mountains of blades or plunge into boiling oil, or lose twenty years of my life, I will not utter a word of complaint."
Qin Shi, being astute, naturally didn’t believe this tale. She thought to herself, "Zhao Yuechan is slick and quick with excuses. A single mention of 'private matters of the inner chambers' shuts my mouth, making it hard for me to press further." Aloud, she said coolly, "Very well. After Qing Lan gives birth, I’ll ask her myself what kind of 'private matters' could have flustered her so much that she fell down the steps."
Zhao Yuechan’s heart sank, wishing fervently that Qing Lan would die right then. But she said, "I, too, pray for Concubine Lan’s safety..."
Before she could finish, Yin Die stumbled into the room, crying out, "Reporting to Taitai and the Mistress—Concubine Lan is gone!"
Qin Shi shot to her feet. Zhao Yuechan was startled at first, then let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing Qin Shi beside her, she covered her face with a handkerchief and wailed, "Oh, my sister! My cruel-hearted sister! How could you leave us, taking the Master’s child with you!" She cried so violently it seemed the earth shook, yet the corners of her lips curled slightly upward. Had Qin Shi not been present, she might have laughed outright.
Qin Shi went to the eastern chamber and, upon seeing Qing Lan’s lifeless form, couldn’t help shedding tears. The others, seeing her weep, immediately raised their voices in loud lamentation. After a long while, Qin Shi finally composed herself and began arranging the funeral affairs. In her haste to reach the eastern chamber, she had been drenched by the heavy rain on one side of her body. Now, with the wind blowing, she felt chilled to the bone, her head throbbing as if pierced by needles.
Hongjian, noticing Qin Shi’s pallor and exhaustion, grew concerned and approached her. "The departed is gone, but Taitai must take care of yourself. If you won’t rest, at least have something to eat."
Qin Shi shook her head. "With her just gone, there’s so much to arrange. There’s no one else competent enough, so I must handle it myself. Besides..." Besides, Qing Lan’s death was suspicious, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Hongjian tried to persuade her a few more times but, seeing it was futile, stepped out and said to Qiang Wei, who had accompanied them, "Go back and fetch a cloak for Taitai. Also, inform the Master that Concubine Lan has just passed, and Taitai is arranging the funeral. She’s unwell but refuses to rest. As maids, we can’t persuade her, and we’re worried about her health. We need the Master’s instructions." Qiang Wei nodded and left.Before long, Lin Changzheng arrived in person. Seeing Qiang Wei draping a cloak over Qin Shi's shoulders, he sat down beside them and said, "What on earth is going on? Everything's in chaos. How could someone just die out of the blue? And you—you should take care of your health first. After all, it's just one of Jinlou's concubines who died. What is the wife of the main branch doing? Why trouble yourself with handling this personally?"
Qin Shi replied, "You don't understand. I’ve been watching this closely, and Madam Zhao is definitely involved." Lowering her voice, she continued, "Concubine Lan fell down the stairs right after hearing just a couple of words from Madam Zhao. Doesn’t that strike you as odd? You know full well what kind of person Madam Zhao is—sharp as a tack. Every death in Jinlou’s household seems to have her shadow lurking behind it."
Lin Changzheng frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Even if she’s involved, what can we do? The Zhao family is currently influential, and Jinlou’s father-in-law is rumored to be promoted after this winter. No matter how deep her involvement, we can’t possibly have him divorce his wife, can we? Even if we uncover the truth, what good would it do? Dragging it all out would only embarrass both families. It’s better to give her a warning and confine her to her quarters. You’ve already stripped her of her household authority anyway. As a woman confined to the inner chambers, how much trouble can she really stir up?"
Qin Shi said, "Now that Concubine Lan is dead—and she was carrying the Lin family’s heir—if we don’t take strict action after such an incident, the entire inner household will descend into chaos. Besides, I also feel guilty towards Qing Lan and her family..."
Lin Changzheng raised his brows and said, "If you feel guilty, compensate them generously with silver. As for Jinlou, we’ll just find him another concubine... That scoundrel spends his days carousing and isn’t the faithful type. Once he finds a new favorite, he’ll forget all about this concubine."
Though Qin Shi disapproved of Lin Jinlou’s behavior, she couldn’t stand to hear anyone speak ill of her eldest son. She glared at Lin Changzheng and snapped, "Nonsense! Jinlou is diligent, ambitious, and hardworking—how is he a scoundrel?"
Lin Changzheng arched his brows. "How is it nonsense? I’ve long heard about his wild behavior outside. I’ve scolded him, I’ve beaten him, but he still refuses to change. I figured since Jinlou is just a martial man, spending his days training with weapons under the sun and wind isn’t easy, so as long as he doesn’t cause major trouble, I’ve turned a blind eye to his antics. But his household affairs have never been peaceful. Two years ago, a bedchamber servant died. This year, an unborn child was lost. And now, a concubine and her unborn child are dead—one tragedy after another. Either this courtyard has bad feng shui, or we need to invite a master to exorcise the evil."
Qin Shi sneered, "The evil in Zhichun Hall is none other than that Madam Zhao. We don’t need any master—once we’ve held Qing Lan’s funeral, I’ll deal with her properly."
Lin Changzheng’s thick brows knitted together in anger. "Zhichun Hall, Zhichun Hall—the name itself is gaudy, sounding like some brothel. Jinlou has no sense of propriety, insisting on these flashy names. Tomorrow, have that plaque smashed and replaced with something dignified and proper!"
Seeing Lin Changzheng’s rising temper, Qin Shi quickly placated him, "Yes, yes, we’ll change it tomorrow. We’ll have someone inscribe a new one."Lin Changzheng rubbed his temples and turned the conversation back, saying, "In that case, let's settle the matter like this. No matter how clearly we determine how that concubine died, it won't do any good and might even stir up more trouble. Just compensate with more silver. Later, withdraw three thousand taels, and we'll each contribute another five hundred, making four thousand taels in total. Let's just hold a grand funeral and be done with it."
Qin Shi sighed, somewhat persuaded by Lin Changzheng's words. Indeed, investigating wouldn't change the outcome. Right now, they couldn't divorce Zhao Yuechan, and Lin Jinlou already disliked her. If the truth came out and Lin Jinlou flew into a rage, the household would be thrown into turmoil again. It was just a pity for Qing Lan... Well, they could only compensate her parents with more silver. The more Qin Shi thought about it, the more her head throbbed. She forced herself to say, "In that case, let's ask the second branch's sister-in-law to handle the funeral arrangements."
Lin Changzheng said, "Very well." He then called out loudly, "Where's Hongjian? Come and help your Taitai back to rest!"
Hongjian immediately entered and assisted Qin Shi out. Qiang Wei went to the second branch to invite Wang Shi to take charge.
Lin Changzheng hastily gave Chun Ling a few instructions before flicking his sleeves and leaving.
It was already mid-afternoon, long past lunchtime. The people in the east wing were exhausted. With Concubine Lan dead and Qin Shi gone, and Wang Shi from the second branch yet to arrive to take charge, the maids and servants gradually lost their enthusiasm for bustling about.
Chun Ling picked out a few plain yet elegant outfits for Qing Lan's burial attire and selected some hairpins and jewelry Qing Lan had favored, setting them aside for dressing the corpse. She then sealed the trunks containing the jewelry and clothes, excused herself to fetch white cloth from the storeroom, and slipped away without returning.
Yin Die said, "I have a terrible headache, probably from the wind earlier. I need to lie down." She went inside to rest and didn't come out again.
Xiao Juan, feeling desolate, tugged at Xianglan's sleeve under the eaves and said, "With Concubine Lan gone, the maids in the east wing don't know where to go. Yin Die's family are longtime servants, and Chun Ling came from Taitai's quarters—they'll both have somewhere to go. But I..."
Xianglan comforted her, "Don't panic. You served the concubine faithfully, after all. Later, I'll ask Wu Mama to find you a good placement."
Xiao Juan said, "I don't want to go anywhere else. I'll just follow you. Xianglan, your luck is about to turn—you're going to become a mistress soon. The Master intends to elevate you..."
Before she could finish, someone snorted coldly. Xianglan turned to see Chun Ling swaying her hips as she entered, rapping Xiao Juan on the head and scolding, "Mind your words! The concubine just passed, and here you are spouting nonsense! Hurry inside and help with the arrangements." She followed her into the room, sighing inwardly. Everyone thought she was about to "rise in glory," but no one knew how anxious and terrified she truly felt.
Inside, a few old women boiled water and mopped the floor, while the bolder ones went to wash and dress Qing Lan's body. Unexpectedly, Hua Mei was also inside, helping change the bedding, working diligently and tirelessly, earning praise from everyone.
Xianglan was quietly astonished, thinking, "Hua Mei is usually shrewd, avoiding such tasks at all costs. Now she's changed her tune, unafraid of offending the First Mistress."
After the flurry of activity, once the room was tidied, Xianglan thought of how kindly Qing Lan had treated her and couldn't help weeping again. With reddened eyes, she quietly recited the Amitabha Sutra for Qing Lan's soul.
By evening, the mourning hall had been set up in the east wing, draped entirely in white.Xianglan was exhausted and hungry, her hands and feet trembling slightly. After finishing her evening meal and drinking an extra bowl of porridge, she finally felt better. As she returned from delivering the dishes to the small kitchen, she caught Yin Die rummaging furtively through the pillows and bedding on her bed. Xianglan coughed loudly and said coldly, "What are you doing?"
Yin Die jumped in fright. Seeing Xianglan, she hastily threw aside the pillow in her hands and forced a smile, "N-nothing, I lost an earring and was just looking around..." She secretly slipped an Eight-Treasure Red Gold Ruby Hairpin into her sleeve.
Special thanks to Yan Sansheng, bubu8915, rk_owl, yu21yu21, Junxi812, and Duoduo Yezi for the Peace Talismans. The role of Qiang Wei in this story is played by Qiang Wei'er Duoduo Kai~ Also, thank you to everyone who cast pink votes for me. Please keep voting—more votes mean more updates! ^_^
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