After tidying up, Lin Jinlou returned. He ordered the maids to bring water for washing up, changed his clothes, and called for a meal. Within moments, the kang table was filled with various dishes. Xiang Lan ate some pastries and had a bowl of porridge, while Lin Jinlou swept through the food like a whirlwind, finishing with a leisurely bowl of soup.

During the meal, both remained silent, lost in their thoughts. Lin Jinlou glanced at Xiang Lan’s attire and frowned. His mother was a shrewd and formidable woman – even his father, now a high-ranking official, showed signs of being henpecked, let alone someone timid like Xiang Lan. Her current outfit revealed as much – she didn’t dare wear anything bright. Though fortunately blessed with beauty, this outfit resembling an elderly noble lady aged her by at least ten years, which was quite unsightly.

Lin Jinlou set down his bowl and beckoned Chunling over, pointing at Xiang Lan’s clothes: “Find her another outfit, this one’s too plain.”

Seeing Lin Jinlou’s expression, Chunling hurriedly agreed and left.

Moments later, she returned with several outfits for Lin Jinlou’s inspection. Among them were a spring-green jacket embroidered with winter jasmine, a bright red robe with gold embroidery, and a pomegranate-pink satin robe with gold embroidery. Lin Jinlou flipped through them and asked Xiang Lan, “Which one would you like to wear?”

Xiang Lan, holding her teacup, lowered her head slightly and said, “Any of them is fine.”

Lin Jinlou picked out a short jacket in olive green with gold embroidery. After Xiang Lan changed into it, she indeed looked more radiant. Lin Jinlou then ordered someone to bring a pure gold necklace with jade pendants, but Xiang Lan quickly protested: “Only the Madam and Young Ladies wear such things. If I wear this and return, it will only displease Madam. What’s the point?”

Lin Jinlou pinched Xiang Lan’s cheek playfully and said with a grin, “Silly girl, Madam doesn’t care about such things. She has plenty of fine things – a gold necklace barely catches her eye. This is for those servant dogs to see. As the saying goes, ‘People respect the clothes first, then the person.’ Everyone in Madam’s courtyard is shrewd – if you dress poorly, you’ll end up being bullied.”

Unaccustomed to such teasing, Xiang Lan blushed when Lin Jinlou pinched her cheek in front of the maids. Chunling and the others, being perceptive, quietly withdrew after bringing the gold necklace.

Lin Jinlou personally placed the necklace around Xiang Lan’s neck, playing with the jade tassels as he said, “This jade isn’t lustrous enough. I heard the shop recently acquired a piece of mutton-fat jade, pure white as milk. I’ll have something made for you from it later. Tell the maids what style you’d like, and they can relay it to Shuangxi in the outer corridor.”

Seeing Xiang Lan still hanging her head gloomily, he asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something else?”

Xiang Lan lifted her eyes briefly to look at him, noting Lin Jinlou’s handsome, imposing face wearing an unusual smile, then quickly lowered her gaze again, saying softly, “Madam’s quarters… I’d rather not go…”

“Why not?” Lin Jinlou observed her timid demeanor and unconsciously softened his voice, taking her delicate white hand in his and holding it gently as he said, “Madam asking for you is an honor. Qinglan also served Madam for a while before her marriage. This means Madam has taken notice of you and wants to teach you personally.”

“I don’t want to go. I feel uncomfortable in front of Madam. She doesn’t like me, I know… I also don’t want to cause her any distress.”

After Xiang Lan finished speaking in one breath, Lin Jinlou remained silent for a while. She kept her head down, thinking Lin Jinlou must be angry again – his mercurial temperament was truly unpredictable, and he would probably scold her for “not knowing her place.”

Unexpectedly, Lin Jinlou laughed, lifting her small chin with his finger and looking into her onyx-like eyes as he said, “Don’t be afraid. Early this morning, I sent Lianxin with silver for all the important elderly maids and distinguished servant girls in her household. With their protection, no matter how strict Madam is, you won’t suffer. And if things go wrong, you still have me to back you up.”

Xiang Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Lin Jinlou seemed quite pleased with her shocked expression and tilted his head saying, “After I’ve gone to such lengths thinking about your welfare, you heartless creature should finally learn your lesson, right? Say something nice.”

Xiang Lan was somewhat dazed, unsure why Lin Jinlou had suddenly done all this for her. During their time together, Xiang Lan had come to understand Lin Jinlou’s nature somewhat – when he was in a good mood, he would speak softly and coax people, but women were merely his leisure entertainment. He typically didn’t concern himself too much; even if he particularly favored someone, they were just a pleasing plaything to him. He was generous and good at reading people, always knowing how to please others just right, but if one didn’t recognize their place and mistakenly thought they meant something special to Young Master Lin, they were only inviting humiliation. After what happened to Qinglan, followed by Luan’er and Huamei’s downfall, Xiang Lan was especially vigilant. She already found it difficult enough to deal with Lin Jinlou, and now she has become even more cautious. However, Lin Jinlou had protected her last night and specially sent people this morning, making her heart tremble with an indescribable feeling. This tyrannical man had forcibly kept her in the mansion, and their several confrontations had made her avoid him like a poisonous snake, yet he was also her only support in this golden cage.

Seeing Xiang Lan’s blank expression, Lin Jinlou let out an amused “tsk,” with a touch of frivolity. He poked her chest and moved close to her ear, whispering, “Moved, aren’t you? Think about how to thank me tonight.” His arms tightened as he moved in to kiss her.

Lin Jinlou’s chest was hard and hot. When his iron-like arms encircled her, Xiang Lan instinctively panicked. Her hands formed fists against his chest, but before she could dodge, he had already kissed her lips.

Lin Jinlou had wanted to be intimate with her for the past few days, but Xiang Lan had been having her monthly period, and yesterday’s unpleasant events had spoiled the mood. Today’s kiss ignited the fire in Lin Jinlou’s heart, and he began sucking and nibbling, his member hardening as his hands explored under her clothes.

Xiang Lan was startled and began struggling forcefully.

As they were grappling, there came a gentle knock on the outer doorframe. Mother Wu stood at the door and said somewhat hesitantly, “Young Master, Madam… is asking why Miss Xiang Lan hasn’t come over yet.”

Xiang Lan nearly jumped in fright. Taking advantage of Lin Jinlou’s momentary surprise, she broke free with all her might, her face completely flushed, and retreated several steps until she was leaning against the dressing table, catching her breath.

Lin Jinlou took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes, and walked to the door. Lifting the curtain, he said, “I had some instructions to give her, which caused the delay. Thank you for coming to escort her.”

Mother Wu’s face immediately bloomed into a smile as she eagerly replied, “‘Thank you’ is too formal. I’m more than happy to escort her.”

Lin Jinlou nodded slightly and smiled, “Ah, I forgot – you two get along well. You’ve always praised her.”

Mother Wu smiled with narrowed eyes, “She’s such a lovable child.”

Before she finished speaking, Xiang Lan emerged from the room, her clothes and hair properly arranged, though her face was flushed and her lips were somewhat swollen. Looking down, she said, “Let’s go.”

Mother Wu noticed immediately but pretended not to see.

Lin Jinlou grabbed her and said, “If anything comes up, send someone to find Shuangxi at the front. He’s staying in the mansion today and knows where to find me.”

Xiang Lan responded with a soft “mm.”

Mother Wu’s smile grew even broader as she took Xiang Lan’s hand and said to Lin Jinlou, “Young Master need not worry. I’m here – she won’t suffer any grievances.” After a few more words, she finally led Xiang Lan away.

When they reached the courtyard, they saw four elderly servants carrying Luan’er out of the room on a wooden board. Luan’er was still in a daze, wrapped in blankets with a bandaged head, her black hair falling loose, making her face appear even more pale, her lips almost bloodless. Shuruan stood nearby with a stern expression, her manner indifferent. Upon seeing Xiang Lan and Mother Wu, she gave a slight bow, then averted her gaze and turned away.

The elderly servants carried Luan’er straight out through the hanging flower gate, with Shuruan following.

Mother Wu sneered, “That foolish Luan’er not only harmed herself but also implicated Shuruan. Poor Shuruan’s reputation was all ruined by her hands. Shuruan spent so much effort looking after this cousin, tsk tsk, but unfortunately, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Fortunately, Young Master is merciful – with other masters, such a treacherous maid would have been sold off.”

Xiang Lan watched Shuruan’s retreating figure and sighed, “Luan’er may have a bad temperament, but her feelings show plainly on her face. She’s not truly evil, just pitiful. Good and evil can turn on a single thought – sometimes one wrong choice makes it impossible to turn back.”

Mother Wu had intended to praise Lin Jinlou’s “mercy,” but seeing Xiang Lan hadn’t picked up on this, she changed the subject: “When you go to Madam later, just listen quietly if anything comes up. Madam may have a sharp tongue, but she has a soft heart. She’s generous unless someone pushes too far. Having you attend her is an honor – Sister Lan also learned etiquette by Madam’s side before, and her status became quite different… I always said you were blessed with good fortune, and sure enough, I was right.”

Xiang Lan gave a slight smile, tinged with helplessness and bitterness, saying, “What good or bad fortune – we have no control over it. We just make do with living.”

Mother Wu was startled, then said softly, “Don’t let Madam hear you say that. Madam is protective of her own, and in her eyes, Young Master has no flaws from head to toe. To be honest, even the Master disapproves of Young Master’s womanizing ways. When he first heard about Young Master having a lover in the pleasure quarters, he was so angry he wanted to apply family punishment. Madam immediately stopped him, glaring and saying, ‘My son risks his life out there, what’s wrong with having a hobby? It’s not like he’s bringing them home!’ The Master was furious, but in the end, he still gave Young Master a beating behind Madam’s back.”

Xiang Lan was dumbfounded. Lin Zhengzheng was proper and orthodox, a model scholar-official and Madam Qin was extremely dignified. Xiang Lan couldn’t help but sigh, “I don’t know who he takes after.”

Mother Wu clapped her hands and laughed, “They say he takes after the Old Master – cut from the same cloth.” She continued chattering, “Young Master just has too fierce a temper. You should coax him more when nothing’s wrong.”

As they talked, they arrived at Madam Qin’s courtyard. Mother Wu led Xiang Lan inside, approaching the main room. Mother Wu first lifted the curtain and entered – Madam Qin was in the Buddhist hall, chanting sutras while striking a wooden fish. Looking up to see Mother Wu at the door, she asked, “Has she arrived?”

Mother Wu respectfully replied, “Yes, she’s outside.”