Chunling had been supporting Qinglan as they came out to see off the guests. Hearing this, she released Qinglan’s arm and stepped back. Zhao Yuechan pointed at Chunling and said, “Go inside first.” Then she turned to Bailu and said, “You may withdraw as well.” Chunling had no choice but to go inside, while Xianglan quietly crouched by the window, watching from afar through the madder silk gauze.
Once the maids had withdrawn, Zhao Yuechan ascended the steps again, a faint smile still playing on her lips. “You must be feeling quite smug now, aren’t you, sister?” she said. “You think that by holding onto that booklet, you’ve got a handle on my weaknesses. After all, I’m the neglected one, while you’ve won Eldest Master’s favor and are carrying his child. You believe that if you hand that thing over to him, he’ll be so enraged that he’ll divorce me and elevate you to the position of Da Nǎinai, isn’t that right?”
These words struck directly at Qinglan’s thoughts. She was horrified, her face instantly drained of color as she stared wide-eyed at Zhao Yuechan. Zhao Yuechan let out a light laugh, then her expression abruptly darkened, her words sharp as venom-dipped blades: “Pah! Shameless, low-born whore! Don’t you know your place? You’re nothing but trash from a poor scholar’s family, with just a bit of looks and the skill to please a man. You have no family background, no talent, and no wit—all you do is eat your fill and wander around aimlessly all day. And yet you dare to dream of becoming the Lin family’s Da Nǎinai! I come from an official’s family—my grandfather was the Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, my father was promoted to Vice Prefect last year, my uncle serves as a Secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, and my fourth uncle has just been promoted to Garrison Commander of the Regional Military Commission. In our clan alone, at least seven or eight of my cousins have passed the imperial examinations as scholars or provincial graduates. What are you compared to me? Even if Eldest Master divorces me, it would never be your turn! Keep dreaming your mother’s spring and autumn fantasies!”
Qinglan’s lips trembled, overwhelmed by humiliation, tears welling in her eyes, about to spill over. Zhao Yuechan took a step forward. “I suppose you still don’t know, do you? Do you know why Eldest Master and Madam have been so kind to you? After I failed to produce an heir for so long, my family and the Lin family had already agreed to bring in a concubine to bear children. Once a son or daughter is born…” A flash of lightning illuminated Zhao Yuechan’s face as she looked at Qinglan, her smile both triumphant and exhilarated: “They will remove the mother and keep the child!”
These words, accompanied by a clap of thunder, struck Qinglan like a bolt from the blue. Her soul seemed to shatter, her heart pierced as if by a sharp knife. Tears flew from her eyes as she shook her head desperately. “No! It’s not true! You’re lying!”
Zhao Yuechan remained composed. “You’ll see whether I’m lying or not once the child is born. It’s not as if Eldest Master hasn’t sent away women from his chambers before. I originally thought you were honest and that keeping you around wouldn’t be so bad. Who knew you’d turn so treacherous, even worse than the others! Hand over that booklet obediently, and I’ll make sure you have a place in the Lin family. How about that?”
Qinglan was heartbroken, not hearing a word Zhao Yuechan said. She murmured to herself, “I’ll go find Eldest Master, ask Madam to make things clear…”
Zhao Yuechan took another step closer. “Ask what? Ask if you can become Da Nǎinai someday? Or ask who the child will belong to? If you’re not afraid of losing face, I still have the written agreement from the Lin family promising to remove the mother and keep the child. Would you like me to fetch it for you to see?”Zhao Yuechan had merely been spouting nonsense in a desperate attempt to bluff Qinglan, intending to cause her distress even if the bluff failed. If Qin Shi questioned her later, she planned to stubbornly deny everything. Unexpectedly, Qinglan, being young and inexperienced in such storms, actually believed Zhao Yuechan's plausible-sounding words. Overwhelmed with sorrow and bitterness, she grew dazed. As Zhao Yuechan stepped forward, Qinglan stumbled backward without care, failing to notice the edge of the steps. She tumbled down into the courtyard, her abdomen striking the ground heavily. A piercing, agonized scream tore from her lips, horrifyingly shrill. Blood instantly gushed out, mingling with the rain and spreading in all directions.
The onlookers were stunned.
Xianglan, who had been watching from inside through the window, saw Qinglan fall and hurried out with Chunling. Cradling Qinglan's head in her arms, she shouted, "Help! Someone, help!" Looking down at Qinglan, she cried, "Concubine, Concubine, how are you?"
Qinglan trembled uncontrollably from the pain, drenched to the bone, her face indistinguishable between rain and tears. Clutching Xianglan desperately, she wailed, "It hurts so much... my stomach... my child... quickly, go fetch Madam!"
Chunling exclaimed in alarm, "The Concubine has fallen!" She promptly ordered two sturdy matrons to carry Qinglan back to her room and urgently instructed Xiao Juan to summon a physician.
Xianglan thought to herself, "With such a grave incident, we must inform Madam to take charge." Soaked through by the rain, she didn't bother with an umbrella and sprinted toward the Zhuoshou Garden where the third branch resided. Entering the courtyard, she saw two maids amusing themselves with birds under the eaves. Rushing up to them, she wiped the rain from her face and said, "Sisters, Concubine Lan fell down the steps and landed on her stomach. She's already lost a lot of blood. I've come to seek Madam's instructions."
The two maids paled instantly and hurried inside to report. Shortly after, Qin Shi emerged hastily, flanked by two maids—one holding an umbrella behind her, the other supporting her arm. As she strode forward, Qin Shi asked Xianglan, "What's the situation now? Has a physician been summoned?"
Xianglan replied, "The Concubine has been carried back to her room, and Xiao Juan has gone to fetch the physician."
Qin Shi quickened her pace, frowning. "How did she fall so suddenly out of nowhere?"
Xianglan answered honestly, "Da Nǎinai came over earlier and spoke a few words with the Concubine in her room. When she was about to leave at the doorway, she said she had more to say and told the maids to step away. I watched through the window and saw Da Nǎinai speak to the Concubine. The Concubine then stepped back, missed her footing, and fell." She thought to herself, "Just a few days ago, there was discord between wife and concubine because of me. No sooner had that page turned than this happened. The Lin family is indeed in troubled times—one could call it a household misfortune..."
Qin Shi asked no more, only furrowing her brow more deeply.
As the group reached the entrance of Zhichun Hall, they heard heart-wrenching screams from within. Xianglan saw Zhao Yuechan standing in the outer parlor, stammering nervously as she addressed Qin Shi, "Madam." Qin Shi gave her a cool glance without responding and headed straight for the bedroom.
Chunling stood blocking the doorway, saying, "The birthing room is unclean, Madam. Please don't enter."
Qin Shi exclaimed in shock, "Birthing room? But it's only seven months, how could..."Chunling said with a pale face, "The physician and several experienced wives and matrons all say Concubine Lan's condition is critical, showing signs of miscarriage. Her water has already broken, and in this situation, the child must be delivered first. But the baby is in a breech position—it's a difficult birth..." She glanced at Qin Shi and lowered her voice, "Madam should be prepared. The physician just said that since the child is premature, it may not survive even if born..."
Qin Shi's heart sank. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Xianglan slipped back to her room, wiped her face with a towel, and pulled a set of clean clothes from the cabinet. She thought, "Having been drenched in the heavy rain for so long, falling ill would be no joking matter." She hurriedly took off her wet clothes and threw them under the bed, changing into dry ones. She then pondered, "How did Concubine Lan fall so suddenly? What could have caused such a mess? I fear this won't end well. I wonder how she's doing—I hope she pulls through." After changing into a pair of cloth shoes, she returned to the front.
Qin Shi had already taken Zhao Yuechan to the main room for questioning, while Xiao Juan, Yindie, and others hurried back and forth carrying hot water, towels, and other items. Xianglan went to the tea room and fetched a basin of hot water. As soon as she entered, she saw four or five people gathered around the bed, chattering instructions like "Breathe in!" and "Push!" Blood-stained cloths were scattered all over the floor. Qinglan was writhing in agony, screaming and moaning incessantly. Chunling shouted, "Stop with the water! Go to the kitchen and brew a bowl of ginseng soup for Concubine Lan!"
Xiao Juan didn't know how to light a fire or cook, and Yindie pretended not to hear. Seeing this, Xianglan returned to the small kitchen. Finding a small pot of leftover black chicken and bamboo shoot soup from the morning, she sliced ginseng into thin pieces, added it to the soup, and set it to simmer over the fire. After simmering for half an hour, she extinguished the flame, poured the soup into a green-and-white crane-patterned bowl, placed it on a red lacquer tray, and carefully carried it over.
Qinglan had suffered a fright, her emotions unstable, and the fall had disturbed the fetus, leaving her spirit weakened. The pain of childbirth had drained half her life away, and now she had no strength left, only emitting faint, mournful whimpers. The child had not yet been born, and fresh blood appeared below—several experienced old matrons knew things were dire and turned pale with fear. They hastily sent Chunling to inform Madam.
Just then, Xianglan entered with the ginseng soup. An old matron hurriedly lifted Qinglan's head, and Xianglan brought the bowl to her lips, forcing a few sips down. Seeing Qinglan's sallow, haggard face, disheveled hair, and the bloodstains on her body and bedding, Xianglan felt a pang of sorrow. The once plump and beautiful woman was nowhere to be seen. Faintly, she overheard the old matrons murmuring, "I fear she won't last long," and knew Qinglan's chances were slim. Remembering how kindly and warmly Concubine Lan had treated her, tears welled in her eyes.
The old matron gently laid Qinglan's head back on the pillow. Qinglan let out a soft whimper and slightly opened her eyes to see Xianglan gazing at her through tear-filled eyes.
At that moment, someone wept at the doorway, "Sister Qinglan, how are you really?" It was Huamei, clutching a handkerchief and wailing.
Qinglan's eyes lit up. She grabbed Xianglan's arm and struggled to say, "Quick, quick... let Huamei in..."Xianglan was taken aback as someone had already let Huamei in. Huamei threw herself before the bed, weeping as if her heart would break. Clutching Qinglan's hand, she cried, "My dear sister! What has happened to you? Just the other day, we were chatting peacefully, and today you... you... Oh heavens, please come back quickly and see my poor, ill-fated sister!"
This outburst of grief made Qinglan's tears fall like rain. She gripped Huamei tightly and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Under the bed board... there is... something that took my life... Avenge me... and the child... Give it personally to... the Eldest Master... and... Madam... Let... let... let..." Before she could finish, she breathed her last.
Huamei leaned in close to listen but soon realized there was no more sound. Staring intently, she noticed Qinglan's eyes were glazed and wide open, refusing to close even in death.
Xianglan, watching clearly from the side, was startled and reached out to shake her, calling, "Concubine! Concubine!"
An elderly maid nearby came over to check her breathing and burst into loud sobs, exclaiming, "The Concubine is gone! She has passed away!"
Instantly, everyone in the room knelt down, their mournful cries echoing without end.
Kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down her face, Xianglan thought to herself, "Though Qinglan was foolish and somewhat selfish, she was not a bad person. She treated her subordinates kindly and allowed me a few carefree days in the east wing. For her to depart like this truly shows how beauty often meets a tragic fate." She then thought of Chunyan, who had been expelled from the Hall of Knowing Spring, Yingge, who had lost her child, Huamei, left alone in her empty chamber, and now Qinglan, who had died. With Zhao Yuechan's tyranny and Lin Jinlou's oppressive power, she felt trapped in this deep, confining mansion, and sorrow overwhelmed her, causing her to collapse weeping on the ground.
Meanwhile, Qin Shi was in the main room questioning Zhao Yuechan, her face stern as she asked, "What exactly did you say to Qinglan on the steps that made her slip and fall?"
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