The weather was fine that day, and Xianglan was just thinking of taking the quilts outside to air when she suddenly heard Cao Lihuan call from the hall, "Xianglan, take these things to Eldest Madam Lou." She pushed a golden marigold lacquered wooden box on the table. "You must hand it to her personally and say it's from me. She'll understand when she sees it."
Xianglan nodded, asked for directions, and then carried the box out. Gauze Snow Dock was located in the most remote part of the Lin family garden. Xianglan walked briskly along the long, winding pebble path.
Spring was in full bloom—banana leaves deep green, bamboo leaves lush and emerald, peach and apricot blossoms like fiery clouds. Birds chirped among the trees, and a gentle breeze rippled the surface of the pond. Occasionally, maids dressed in bright reds and greens crossed the arched bridge. Everything was radiant with life. As Xianglan took in the scenery, her heart felt lighter.
Exiting the garden, the easternmost building was Knowing Spring Pavilion, where Zhao Yuechan resided. The pavilion was vast, with three grand main halls and four side wings, flanked by several east and west annexes. Xianglan entered the courtyard cautiously, finding it eerily quiet. She called out several times, "Is anyone here?" but received no response.
With no other choice, Xianglan ventured further, not daring to enter the main hall. She noticed a window slightly ajar on the right and approached it. Peering inside, she saw Zhao Yuechan seated on a carved crabapple-style wooden chair. Standing to her right was none other than Ying Shuang, while two women knelt at Zhao Yuechan’s feet. One hung her head, shoulders trembling as she wept, while the other sobbed hoarsely, "Eldest Madam, I truly didn’t bump into Chunyan..."
"Zhi Cao, you clearly knocked into me! How can you deny it? Eldest Madam, you must stand up for me!" The woman who had been weeping suddenly lifted her head—it was Chunyan, the eldest daughter of Lu Ershenzi.
"Eldest Madam, I was standing behind Chunyan, but I swear I didn’t touch her. She stumbled forward on her own and bumped into Ying Ge..." Zhi Cao, a frail maid of thirteen or fourteen, trembled uncontrollably, her pitiful sobs filling the room.
"Nonsense!" Chunyan glared at Zhi Cao, her pretty face twisted with fury. "You little wretch, spouting lies like this—aren’t you afraid lightning will strike you?" Unable to restrain herself, she pinched Zhi Cao twice. Zhi Cao flinched but couldn’t avoid the blows, crying out in pain as tears streamed down her face.
Zhao Yuechan slammed the table. "Enough! Must this go on?"
The room fell silent at once. Zhao Yuechan turned her head slightly and asked, "Ying Ge, are you feeling better now?"
Only then did Xianglan notice a delicate beauty reclining on a daybed by the wall. She wore a pale turquoise-gold BeiZi embroidered with winter jasmine branches, her hair adorned with a pair of golden lotus hairpins. Her face was pale, her expression fragile, like the legendary beauty Xi Shi cradling her heart. Ying Ge placed a hand on her abdomen, tears welling in her eyes. "I’m fine, but I worry about the child in my womb... Eldest Madam, this is the Master’s first child. If anything were to happen, how could I ever face the Old Madam and Taitai?" As she spoke, two crystalline tears slid down her cheeks.A chuckle came from the corner: "I say, Sister Ying Ge, everyone in this household knows you were given to the Master by the old madam. Must you always bring her up? Just set your heart at ease. The Taitai sees everything clearly and will surely vindicate you." The tone was neither friendly nor hostile, laced with a hint of schadenfreude and sourness.
Xianglan turned to see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl sitting in the corner, dressed in a double-colored gold chrysanthemum embroidered jacket. She wore a large phoenix hairpin adorned with red gold auspicious pearls and a pink-gold skirt. Her face was oval-shaped, with a slightly pointed chin, bright eyes, and white teeth, a black mole under her left eye adding to her striking beauty. Though heavily made up—a style that would look vulgar on others—she carried it with an effortless charm. She stretched out her hands impatiently to admire her newly painted nails, the gleaming gold bracelets accentuating her snow-white wrists.
Xianglan thought to herself, "Among all the women here, apart from Zhao Yuechan's unparalleled beauty, she stands out the most. Her demeanor is that of a proper young lady, certainly not from a humble background."
"Sister Hua Mei, how can you say such things... I'm only worried about the Master's flesh and blood," Ying Ge said with a look of shock and sorrow, tears welling up again.
Hua Mei covered her mouth with a handkerchief, as if laughing. "Enough of your pitiful act. Save it for the Master—it won't work on me. Don't you always feign chest pains or stomachaches to lure him into your room? The Master will be back soon. With today's 'heaven-sent' collision, you'll surely have more to cry about in front of him, won't you? Maybe I should learn from you, Sister Ying Ge—get drenched in the rain, moan in bed to summon the Master, and who knows, maybe I'll end up pregnant too..."
Zhao Yuechan said coldly, "Hua Mei, have you said enough?"
Hua Mei smiled sweetly. "I've said enough. I'll shut up now." She pulled out a hand mirror from her sleeve and began adjusting her hair.
Xianglan nearly laughed aloud. She thought, "The Master has three Bedchamber Attendants—Chunyan, Ying Ge, and Hua Mei. Chunyan is lively and delicate, Ying Ge is pitiable and fragile, and Hua Mei is alluring and bold. This room is packed with beauties of every kind, not to mention the heavenly Zhao Yuechan. Lin Jinlou is certainly blessed with good fortune. But among these three, Chunyan is the most witless, Ying Ge the best at acting, and Hua Mei—now she's the most interesting."
Zhao Yuechan fixed her gaze on Ying Ge. "Did you see who pushed you earlier?"
Ying Ge lowered her face and shook her head. "We had just left Taitai's room. As I reached the steps, someone shoved me hard from behind. If Lei Er hadn't pulled me back, I would have fallen... but I still hit my stomach. It hurts a little." She clutched her abdomen, frowning in pain.
Zhao Yuechan said, "Just lie still. Ying Shuang has already sent for the physician."
Zhi Cao suddenly burst into loud sobs. "Taitai, Taitai, it really wasn't me! I didn't push Chunyan!"
"Liar! It was definitely you! You shoved me from behind, making me crash into Ying Ge!" Chunyan pointed at Zhi Cao, her eyes blazing with fury."It wasn't me, it wasn't me, it really wasn't me!" Zhi Cao shook her head vigorously, crying so hard she began to hiccup, her earrings swinging wildly and hitting her face.
Chunyan trembled with rage: "I clearly saw your hands pulling at my clothes, how dare you say it wasn't you! I'll tear your mouth apart!" She lunged at Zhi Cao.
With a shriek, Zhi Cao was knocked to the ground under Chunyan's assault. The maids in the room gasped and rushed to separate them. Ying Ge stood by with a cold smile, clutching her stomach and moaning. Hua Mei sat in the corner, screeching, "Oh dear, this is terrible! Pull them apart quickly! Sister Chunyan, let go before you kill that little girl!" Her voice was unmistakably laced with amusement.
Xianglan's eyes widened. Chunyan's fiery temper truly lived up to Lu Ershenzi's legacy—she really resorted to violence at the slightest provocation. Watching the two girls tussle on the floor, with no one able to separate them, Xianglan suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder as a voice asked, "What are you looking at here?"
Xianglan jumped, her soul nearly leaving her body. Turning around, she saw a round-faced little maid standing behind her, grinning broadly—it was Xiao Juan, the girl she'd met on her first day in the household.
Xianglan patted her chest. "It's just you—you scared me half to death!"
Xiao Juan giggled. "What are you sneaking around here for—" Before she could finish, her expression suddenly turned serious. She pulled Xianglan aside and whispered, "Quick, bow your head and stand properly." Xianglan hurriedly complied, glancing sideways just in time to see a tall figure stride past without looking their way. The man pushed open the door and demanded sternly, "What's all this commotion?"
As the saying goes, "One bird entering the forest silences a hundred others." The chattering maids instantly fell silent. Chunyan, still straddling Zhi Cao, scrambled to her feet at the sound of his voice, hastily adjusting her disheveled hair. She stole a glance at the doorway and murmured, "Master."
Zhi Cao remained half-lying on the floor, sobbing, her hair completely undone by Chunyan's assault, hairpins and ornaments dangling haphazardly. An older servant woman tried to pull her up, succeeding only after two attempts.
Lin Jinlou stood with his eyes half-lidded, his gaze sharp as a sword as it swept slowly across the room. His mere presence exuded an oppressive authority, making everyone feel breathless and instinctively step back. Finally, his eyes settled on Zhao Yuechan. "What happened here?" he asked.
Zhao Yuechan arched an eyebrow. "Ying Ge was bumped into and said her stomach hurt, so I had her rest here and sent for a physician. Chunyan and Zhi Cao were standing behind Ying Ge at the time. Chunyan claims Zhi Cao pushed her, causing her to bump into Ying Ge. Zhi Cao insists she didn't push Chunyan—that Chunyan bumped into Ying Ge on her own."
Lin Jinlou took a seat in a chair, his voice cold and hard as stone. "Has the physician been summoned?"
Ying Shuang whispered, "Someone was sent to fetch him. He should be arriving soon."Lin Jinlou glanced at Ying Ge, whose pale face was streaked with tears. Seeing him look her way, she appeared even more pitiful, her slender brows furrowed as she gazed at him with a pleading expression that seemed to say, "You must take pity on me." Lin Jinlou then turned to Zhao Yuechan and asked, "You've made such a grand spectacle here, turning a formal inquiry into a full-blown brawl. Have you managed to uncover anything? Who exactly pushed Ying Ge?"
Zhao Yuechan toyed with the red musk bracelet on her wrist, her expression indifferent. "I feel uneasy enough about making such a scene. Ying Ge is carrying Master's flesh and blood, and she's now the apple of his eye. Master has repeatedly warned me to take extra care of her. If anything happens to the child because of this collision, even hanging myself or slitting my throat wouldn't absolve me of blame. Forget a formal inquiry or a brawl—I'd even be willing to reenact Xiang Yu's suicide at the Wu River if necessary."
Chunyan fell to her knees with a thud, her voice choked with sobs. "M-Master, it wasn't me who pushed her! Someone really shoved me from behind, and I lost my balance and bumped into Ying Ge..." As she spoke, she inched forward, trying to cling to Lin Jinlou's leg. But a single sharp glance from him froze her in place. She awkwardly lowered her hands, collapsing into a heap on the floor as she continued to wail, "I didn't mean to..."
Ying Shuang's eyes flashed with severity as she stepped forward and barked, "Silence! Master and Madam haven't spoken yet. How dare you interrupt!"
Chunyan recoiled in fright, shrinking her neck and not daring to utter another word.
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