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 Lan Yiniang in the garden. Out of kindness, I worried she might be anxious if she couldn't find them, so I personally delivered them, hoping to share some heartfelt words with her. We hadn't spoken much when I noticed it was about to rain, so I prepared to leave. On the steps, I wanted to ask her about Eldest Master's affairs—private matters of the inner chambers—so I dismissed the maids to avoid being overheard. But after just two questions, Qinglan blushed and hesitated to answer. When I pressed further, she stepped back and accidentally fell down the steps... Ah, it's all my fault! I should never have..." She immediately knelt facing the door, kowtowing with a "thump, thump" and pleaded: "Heaven have mercy! All of this is my grievous fault. I beg the heavens to protect my sister Qinglan and the child in her womb. If they are safe, I would willingly walk through blades and boiling oil, or shorten my lifespan by twenty years, without a word of complaint."
Qin Shi, being astute, naturally did not believe this account. She thought to herself, "Zhao Yuechan is indeed slick and argumentative—using 'private matters of the inner chambers' to shut me up and prevent further questioning." Aloud, she said indifferently, "Very well. After Qinglan gives birth, I will ask her what kind of 'private matters' made her so flustered that she fell down the steps."
Zhao Yuechan's heart sank, inwardly wishing Qinglan would die on the spot, but she said, "I, too, pray for Lan Yiniang's safety..."
Before she could finish, Yindie stumbled into the room, weeping and crying out, "Reporting to Madam and Da Nǎinai, Lan Yiniang is gone!"
Qin Shi sprang to her feet. Zhao Yuechan was first startled, then let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing Qin Shi nearby, she covered her face with a handkerchief and wailed, "My sister, my cruel sister! How could you leave like this, taking Eldest Master's child with you!" She cried and beat her chest as if shaking the earth, yet the corners of her mouth twitched upward. Had Qin Shi not been present, she might have laughed aloud.
Qin Shi went to the eastern wing and saw Qinglan's lifeless form, shedding tears of sorrow. The others, seeing her weep, hurriedly joined in with loud lamentations. After a while, Qin Shi composed herself and ordered arrangements for the funeral. In her haste to the eastern wing, she had been drenched by the heavy rain on one side. Combined with her agitation and grief, she now felt chilled by the wind, her head throbbing as if pierced by needles.
Hongjian, noticing Qin Shi's pallid complexion and weary demeanor, grew concerned and approached, saying, "The departed is gone, but you must take care of your health, Madam. If you refuse to rest, at least have something to eat."
Qin Shi shook her head. "She has just passed, and there are countless matters to attend to. With no capable hands available, I must handle them myself. Besides..." Besides, Qinglan's death was somewhat suspicious and unclear—there had to be some underlying strangeness she wanted to investigate.
Hongjian urged her a few more times but, seeing she could not persuade her, went out to speak with Qiangwei, who had accompanied them: "Go back and fetch a cloak for Madam. Also inform the master that Lan Yiniang has just passed, and Madam is handling the funeral arrangements. She is unwell but refuses to rest. We maids cannot persuade her and fear for her health, so we seek the master's instructions." Qiangwei nodded and left.Before long, Lin Changzheng arrived in person. Seeing Qiangwei draping a cloak over Qin Shi's shoulders, he sat down nearby and said, "What exactly happened? Everything's in chaos. How could a perfectly healthy person just die like that? More importantly, you must take care of your health. After all, it's just a concubine of Lou'er who died. What is Da Nainai doing? Why trouble yourself to handle this personally?"
Qin Shi replied, "You don't know the whole story. I've been quietly observing, and this matter seems inextricably linked to Zhao Shi." Lowering her voice, she continued, "Lan Yiniang fell down the steps right after hearing just a couple of words from Zhao Shi. Don't you find that strange? You know exactly what kind of person Zhao Shi is—sharp as a tack. Every suspicious death in Lou Ge'er's household has her shadow lurking behind it."
Lin Changzheng frowned slightly and pondered for a moment. "Even if she's involved, what can we do? The Zhao family is currently influential, and I've heard Lou Ge'er's father-in-law is due for a promotion after this winter. No matter how serious her involvement, we can't make him divorce his wife, can we? So what if we uncover the truth? Exposing it would only embarrass both families. It's better to issue a warning and confine her to her quarters. Since you've already stripped her of household management authority, what trouble can a woman confined to the inner quarters possibly stir up?"
Qin Shi said, "Now that Lan Yiniang is dead—and she was carrying the Lin family's flesh and blood—if we don't enforce strict discipline after such an incident, the entire inner household will descend into chaos. Moreover, I feel guilty towards Qinglan and her family..."
Lin Changzheng raised his eyebrows. "If you feel guilty, compensate them generously with silver. As for Lou Ge'er, we'll find him another concubine... That scoundrel spends his days carousing with prostitutes and lacks constancy. 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 bear to hear anyone speak ill of her eldest son. She shot Lin Changzheng a glare. "Nonsense! Lou Ge'er is diligent, ambitious, and endures hardships—how could he be a scoundrel!"
Lin Changzheng raised his brows higher. "How is it nonsense? I've long heard about his wild behavior outside. I've scolded him and beaten him, but he never reforms. I've thought, since Lou Ge'er is just a military man who practices with spears and clubs under sun and wind all day, it's not easy for him. As long as he doesn't cause major trouble, I turn a blind eye to his carousing. But the affairs in his household never settle. The year before last, a bedchamber maid died. This year, an unborn child died. Now we have a concubine and her unborn child both dead—one tragedy after another. Either the courtyard has bad feng shui, or we need to invite a master to exorcise the evil spirits."
Qin Shi sneered, "The evil spirit in Zhichun Hall is none other than Da Nainai herself. We don't need any master. After Qinglan's funeral, I'm going to thoroughly rectify this."
Lin Changzheng knitted his thick brows again, angrily saying, "Zhichun Hall, Zhichun Hall—the name itself is flashy and sounds like a brothel. Lou Ge'er has no sense of propriety, insisting on these gaudy names. Tomorrow, have that plaque smashed and replaced with something dignified and majestic!"
Seeing Lin Changzheng's rising anger, Qin Shi quickly appeased him, "Yes, yes, we'll change it tomorrow. We'll have someone compose a new inscription."Lin Changzheng rubbed his temples and steered the conversation back, saying, "Since that's the case, let's settle the matter like this. There's no use investigating how that concubine died—it might only stir up trouble. Just compensate them with more silver. Withdraw three thousand taels, and we'll each contribute another five hundred, making four thousand in total. Let's arrange a grand funeral for her."
Qin Shi sighed, feeling somewhat persuaded by Lin Changzheng. Indeed, investigating wouldn't change the outcome. They couldn't divorce Zhao Yuechan now, and Lin Jinlou was already displeased with her. If they uncovered something, Lin Jinlou's anger would only disrupt the household's peace. Still, she pitied Qinglan... Well, they could only offer more silver to her parents. The more Qin Shi thought, 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," and called out loudly, "Where's Hongjian? Come and help your Madam back to rest!"
Hongjian immediately entered and escorted Qin Shi away. Qiangwei went to the second branch to invite Wang Shi to take charge.
Lin Changzheng hastily gave Chunling a few instructions before turning and leaving with a flick of his sleeve.
It was already a quarter past three in the afternoon, long past lunchtime. The people in the east wing were exhausted. With Lan Yiniang dead, 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.
Chunling selected a few plain yet elegant garments as Qinglan's burial clothes and picked out hairpins and ornaments Qinglan had favored for dressing the corpse. After sealing the chests containing the jewelry and clothes, she claimed she needed to fetch white cloth from the storeroom and slipped away, never to return.
Yindie said, "I have a terrible headache, probably from the wind earlier. I need to lie down." She went inside to rest and didn't emerge again.
Xiao Juan, feeling desolate, tugged at Xianglan's sleeve under the eaves and said, "With Lan Yiniang gone, the maids in the east wing don't know where to go. Yindie's family are longtime servants, and Chunling came from Madam's quarters—they both have places to fall back on. But I..."
Xianglan comforted her, "Don't panic. You served the concubine faithfully after all. I'll ask Wu Mama to find you a good placement later."
Xiao Juan said, "I don't want to go anywhere else. I'll just follow you, Xianglan. Now that your luck is turning and you're about to become a mistress, with the Eldest Master promoting you..."
Before she could finish, someone snorted coldly. Xianglan turned to see Chunling swaying her hips as she entered the room. Chunling rapped Xiao Juan on the head and scolded, "You reckless girl! The concubine has just passed, and here you are spouting nonsense! Hurry inside and help with the tidying." She followed her in, sighing inwardly. Everyone assumed she was about to "rise gloriously," but no one knew how anxious and fearful she truly felt.
Inside, several old maids were boiling water and mopping the floor, while the bolder ones went to wash Qinglan's body and change her clothes. Unexpectedly, Huamei was also there, helping change the bedding. She worked deftly and tirelessly, earning praise from everyone.
Xianglan was secretly surprised, thinking, "Huamei is shrewd—she usually avoids such tasks at all costs. Has she changed her nature, or is she no longer afraid of offending Da Nǎinai?"
After the flurry of activity, once the room was put in order, Xianglan remembered how kindly Qinglan had treated her and couldn't help weeping again. With red-rimmed eyes, she quietly recited the "Amitabha Sutra" to guide Qinglan's soul to peace.
By evening, the mourning hall had been set up in the east wing, draped entirely in plain white.Xianglan was both exhausted and hungry, her hands and feet trembling slightly. After finishing her evening meal and drinking an extra bowl of porridge, she finally began to feel better. Returning from delivering the bowls and chopsticks to the small kitchen, she spotted Yindie furtively rummaging through the pillows and bedding on her bed. Xianglan cleared her throat loudly and said coldly, "What are you doing?"
Yindie jumped in fright. Looking up and seeing her, she hastily tossed 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 gold hairpin adorned with rubies into her sleeve.
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