Fangsi crossed her arms and said, "It's all because of that Xianglan..." She stopped mid-sentence, remembering Song Ke's warning not to mention Xianglan's arrival at the Song household to anyone. Clamping her mouth shut, she picked up her tray and hurried out. Hanzhi and Nange followed, pressing for details, but Fangsi refused to say another word.
Nange then entered the room and whispered a few words into Lin Dongling's ear. Lin Dongling raised her eyebrows, fan in hand, and said, "Oh? Such a thing happened?" Noticing Zheng Jingxian chatting cheerfully with Song Tanzhai, she quietly rose and slipped out.
Seeing Lin Dongling leave, Lin Dongxiu announced, "I need to freshen up," and followed her out.
Just then, Fangsi approached along the Covered Corridor carrying a tray. Lin Dongling intercepted her and asked, "What’s this about a new maid in my cousin’s quarters that you mentioned to Nange earlier?"
Fangsi’s heart sank, but noting Lin Dongling’s furrowed brows and glaring eyes, she thought, "Everyone knows the Lin family’s third young lady has a domineering temper. She’s sweet on the Eldest Master—whenever I accompany Madam to the Lin residence, she pesters me for details about him. If I use her to deal with Xianglan, it might vent some of my frustration." Song Ke’s warnings were promptly forgotten. Sighing, she set the tray on the corridor railing and adopted a sorrowful expression. "It’s better if you hadn’t asked, Miss Ling. Now you’ve stirred up all my worries. A few months ago, our Eldest Master bought a maid. She arrived sickly and covered in bruises, bedridden for a full month. Once she recovered, she must have used some fox-like enchantment to bewitch him. He’s stopped visiting relatives, neglects his studies, and even his morning and evening greetings to Madam have become perfunctory. The moment he returns home, he shuts himself in his study with that girl. We servants dared not speak out of turn, but we tried to gently advise him. To our surprise, he said he intends to promote her someday. What more could we say? Yet seeing him obey her every word worries us sick."
She watched Lin Dongling’s face flush with anger then pale, inwardly pleased. Lin Dongxiu stepped forward, flicking her handkerchief. "Then why not inform your Madam? How can this be allowed? Though she’s just a maid, our cousin is meant to pursue an official career. A fine young man shouldn’t be led astray."
Fangsi clapped her hands. "Oh, Fourth Miss, no wonder they say noble young ladies have insight! Exactly! That’s our concern too... Think about it—why would such a delicate, pretty girl be sold off covered in wounds?" She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Forgive my bluntness, but I suspect she seduced her former master and was caught by his wife, hence the beating and sale. Pitifully, our kind-hearted Eldest Master treats this discarded weed like a treasure. It’s needlessly worrying..." She pretended to dab her eyes with a handkerchief. "With our master long passed, Madam pins all her hopes on the Eldest Master. If anything goes wrong..."Lin Dongxiu grasped Fangsi's hand and said, "We all know you're loyal." Seeing Lin Dongling's face flushed with anger, she thought to herself: "Third Sister is the legitimate daughter. If she insists on marrying Cousin Song and the family agrees, I won't stand a chance. But now is an opportunity—even if I can't have this marriage, I won't let you have your way either." Remembering that Lin Dongling had always been reckless, she said, "That maid is truly bold. I wonder what she looks like to have captivated Brother Song. Aunt and Cousin are both meek and naturally won't intervene, but if this continues, it'll be like nurturing a tiger that will turn on its master. Ah, to speak carelessly—if that maid has already won Cousin's favor and gives birth to a son before Da Nǎinai enters the household, it'll be difficult for the future legal wife..."
Lin Dongling's face turned as dark as a pot, and she sneered, "I want to see what kind of demon she is to cause such a stir. Aunt and Cousin may be weak, but the Lin family stands behind them. If Cousin goes astray, I'll go back and have the elders discipline him!" She grabbed Fangsi and said, "Where is that little wretch now?"
Fangsi felt pleased inwardly but put on a panicked expression. "Third Miss, please don't stir up trouble. This is Eldest Master's household matter. How can a young lady like you interfere?"
Lin Dongling thought, "Cousin's affairs concern me greatly. If I don't intervene today and let that little vixen grow stronger, what peaceful days will I have after marrying him? Today, I'll show my power, intimidate her first to curb her temper, and deal with her slowly later!" Aloud, she said, "Say no more. Today, I'm just disciplining a disobedient maid—it has nothing to do with anything else."
Lin Dongxiu said, "Third Sister, let it be. It's someone else's family matter; we shouldn't interfere. Even if Cousin has taken her as a concubine or even married her as the legal wife, if Aunt says nothing, what can we do?" But inwardly, she chuckled: "Third Sister is truly like a firecracker, igniting at the slightest spark. The bigger the fuss, the better. Now that Cousin dotes on that maid, if she bullies her, a few whispers in his ear later, and he'll never think highly of her again!"
These words further fueled Lin Dongling's anger. Gritting her teeth, she said, "She even dreams of becoming the legal wife of the Ren family? Pah! What wishful thinking! No one stop me today—I insist on seeing her. Why is everyone blocking me? Does she have three heads and six arms?" She pulled Fangsi and said, "Tell me, where is she now?"
Fangsi pretended to hesitate. "She... she usually stays in Eldest Master's study at the front... Today, there's a banquet, so she should be helping in the kitchen at the back." Pointing at the tray, she added, "These pastries were made by her."
Lin Dongling thought for a moment, took a piece of pastry, and strode off. Fangsi hurriedly hugged her waist, pleading, "My dear mistress, good miss, please don't go!"
Lin Dongling paid no heed, broke free from Fangsi, lifted her skirt, and went to the kitchen to look, but Xianglan wasn't there. Originally, because the Lin family young ladies had come, Xianglan had decided not to go to the front and only helped with cooking in the back. After preparing two pastries and one dish early on, she had slipped back to the study, locked the door tightly, and refused to show her face even if the heavens split open.Yuexi and Junxi had both gone to the front courtyard to attend to duties, leaving Xianglan alone. Remembering that Song Ke would be returning home for the midday meal, she prepared a pot of hot water in advance and placed the light dishes brought from the kitchen in a cool spot. She then fetched a basin of clean water, soaked a cloth, and began wiping the bookshelves and curio cabinets.
While busy with her tasks, she suddenly heard the door kicked open with a loud bang, and Lin Dongling stormed in like a gust of wind.
Startled, Xianglan turned to see Lin Dongling’s face flushed crimson, holding a piece of cake as she charged straight toward her.
Xianglan sensed trouble from her aggressive demeanor, but before she could collect her thoughts, Lin Dongling had already hurled the cake violently into her face, shouting, "Have you lost your mind? How dare you serve such low-quality pastries to your masters? There’s something filthy in this cake—are you trying to poison me?"
Xianglan looked down and saw that the cake rolling on the floor was the lotus seed and pine nut pastry she had made that morning. Glancing outside, she noticed Lin Dongxiu standing at the door with Nange, Hanzhi, and Yue’er. Beyond the madder silk gauze window, Fangsi’s face was faintly visible, peeking in with a hint of smugness.
Xianglan thought to herself, "I made this pastry with great care—there’s no way it could contain anything unclean. Lin Dongling must have been incited by Fangsi to find fault with me arbitrarily. But I am no longer a servant of the Lin family. If they think they can still order me around as before, they’ve miscalculated." She tossed the cloth onto the table, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her face, and suddenly her expression darkened as she retorted sharply, "What is the meaning of this, Miss? Bursting in here shouting accusations as if no one knows the Lin family’s young lady has rushed from the inner quarters to the front courtyard. What kind of place is this study? The Eldest Master is currently sleeping here. Regardless of the pastry’s quality, let me ask you: What has become of your propriety, dashing from the front courtyard through the second gate and barging into a man’s bedroom?"
Lin Dongling had never expected Xianglan to confront her so abruptly and was momentarily stunned.
Xianglan took a step closer and continued, "This pastry was meticulously prepared by me—how could it possibly contain anything unclean? Even if there were something amiss, you should have reported it to Madam or our young lady and had them summon me for questioning. How could you charge in here so recklessly, without regard for decency? And even if you came, you should have inquired properly. As the saying goes, ‘When beating a dog, consider its master.’ I am a servant of the Song family, not the Lin family. By humiliating me like this, are you looking down on the Song family?"
Lin Dongling was not quick-witted, and Xianglan’s words left her dumbfounded. She had been determined to teach Xianglan a lesson but had not planned to throw the cake in her face. However, upon entering the room and catching sight of a stunningly beautiful young woman, radiant as the clouds at sunset—a beauty far beyond her own—envy and resentment surged within her. Without a second thought, she had flung the pastry in a fit of rage.Lin Dongxiu leaned against the doorframe and said with a sarcastic tone, "Oh, aren't you imposing? The masters haven't questioned you yet, but you're already interrogating them? You truly frighten me." Lin Dongling was careless by nature and hadn't properly observed Xianglan before. Even if she had seen her at the Lin residence before, she had long forgotten. Lin Dongxiu, however, was meticulous. She found Xianglan's face familiar, and suddenly recalled rumors in the mansion that Lin Jinlou had intended to promote a maid named Xianglan. She grew suspicious, wondering if this Xianglan was that very one. But now, Xianglan lived contentedly in the Song household, her face had rounded out a bit, she had grown taller, and her features had blossomed into greater distinction. Moreover, she no longer carried the timid demeanor she once had at the Lin residence, so for a moment, Lin Dongxiu didn't dare confirm her identity.
Upon hearing this, Lin Dongling straightened her back, scowling with raised eyebrows, and said, "How dare you talk back to your mistresses? Is this how the Song family disciplines its servants? A rebellious slave like you would have been beaten to death with clubs long ago in our Lin household!"
Xianglan replied calmly, "It was the young lady who disregarded the Lin family's dignity first. What I said just now was to uphold our Song family's honor. Do the Lin family's young ladies all think we're easy to bully?" She then turned her head and fixed a piercing gaze on Lin Dongling. "Let me ask you: if today weren't at the Lin residence, but at Duke Xian's estate, would you dare barge into the master's study so aggressively to demand answers?"
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