The newcomer was Li Xing, Mudan’s distant cousin from her father’s side. Unlike the He family, who had been merchants for generations, the Li family had first gained wealth through trade before successfully transitioning into official circles. Li Xing, however, was known among the gentry for his open love of business, pleasure, and entertainment.
Since arriving in this world, Mudan had never met Li Xing. But during her severe illness, she had received many gifts from him—exquisite trinkets and delicious delicacies. In her memory, this man had shown genuine kindness to her, second only to the He family members.
Regarding her divorce, since she couldn’t rely on the He family and was alone in this, she had to depend on him. His late arrival had made her anxious, and now that he was finally here, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.
“How could I miss a peony-viewing party?” Li Xing’s face was smiling, but his eyes were serious. Without asking why Mudan was sitting alone, he pointed at the Hu Xuan dancer performing enthusiastically in the center. “Looking down on merchants? Heh, without merchants trading goods, what would they eat, use, or wear? That Hu Xuan dancer is worth barely a hundred taels of silver, but what I’ve brought today is worth thousands or even tens of thousands. Just wait and see.”
Mudan smiled, “I was just thinking about that. I’d rather be a wealthy, carefree merchant than a poor, starving official.”
Li Xing clapped his hands. “Well said!” He then beckoned to a servant in blue clothes nearby, giving him some quiet instructions. The servant left promptly. Li Xing sat down next to Mudan’s table, lifting his robe, and quietly inquired about her health.
Meanwhile, Princess Qinghua had been watching Mudan intently. Seeing her pointing and discussing with Li Xing about the Hu Xuan dancer, she leaned towards Liu Chang, covering her mouth with a fan. “Did you see that? She likes the Hu Xuan dancer. I could give her one so she won’t cling to you anymore. What do you think?”
Liu Chang’s eyebrows shot up. He slammed his chopsticks down and sneered, “So in your eyes, I’m no better than a lowly Hu Xuan dancer?”
Princess Qinghua realized her mistake but didn’t seem too concerned. She giggled, fanning Liu Chang, and whispered in his ear, “You’re overthinking. I just blurted that out because I like you so much. You should know your place in my heart better than anyone.”
Liu Chang’s expression softened slightly, but when he looked up and saw Mudan chatting happily with Li Xing, he let out a heavy snort. Noticing this, Princess Qinghua slapped her fan on the table and also snorted loudly.
As the drums and strings stopped, the Hu Xuan dancer finished his performance. He bowed proudly to the audience, seeking rewards. Typically, guests would offer gifts, but as the host hadn’t done so, others hesitated to act. Liu Chang remained expressionless, showing no intention to reward the dancer.
Surprised by Liu Chang’s lack of courtesy, Princess Qinghua grew furious. She turned and glared at Liu Chang, who silently drank his wine, not even glancing at the dancer who stood uncertainly in the center, his eyes reddening, unsure whether to approach or retreat.
Sensing the tension, Pan Rong quickly spoke up with a laugh, “Excellent dance! Reward him with a bolt of red silk and ten thousand coins.” His high status and close relationship with Liu Chang allowed him to act without waiting for Liu Chang’s cue.
Liu Chang finally drawled lazily, “Award him a bolt of white silk.”
The other guests then began offering rewards, and the Hu Xuan dancer knelt to express his gratitude.
After the dancer left, the music paused. Liu Chang addressed Li Xing, “Xingzhi, why are you late? Not only did you arrive late, but you’re hiding over there. Are you afraid of being punished with drinks? Tell us, what should we do now?”
Li Xing stood up, smiling. “I had some business, so I was a bit late. I’ll first punish myself with three cups of wine, then make amends to everyone.” He poured wine from Mudan’s table into a crystal glass offered by a maid and drank three cups in quick succession.
Pan Rong laughed, “It’s been a while, but you’re still as straightforward as ever! You mentioned making amends—how do you plan to do that?”
Li Xing smiled slightly. “I have a treasure that I guarantee none of you have seen before! I’ll let everyone enjoy it today as my apology.”
What rare thing haven’t I seen? Princess Qinghua thought disdainfully, “What could be so special?” Despite her apparent disinterest, she was quite curious.
Pan Rong clapped and laughed heartily, “Stop keeping us in suspense. Hurry up, I can’t wait!”
Li Xing smiled, “It won’t be long now.” He then walked to the musicians and gave them some quiet instructions.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves was heard. Everyone craned their necks in surprise. They saw a pair of identical twins, about twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in colorful clothes and looking adorably cute, leading two horses—one black and one white—of similar height and build. The horses were beautifully groomed, their manes adorned with gold and jade ornaments and covered with colorful silk. They stood on the green grass without lowering their heads to graze or showing any signs of fear or timidity.
“What’s this about?” Princess Qinghua covered her mouth with her fan and giggled. “Xingzhi, are you selling horses or people? These horses look good, but my household certainly doesn’t lack horses. You’d be better off selling me these twin boys—I’d pay a good price for them!”
Li Xing smiled faintly and gave a stylish snap of his fingers to the musicians. As the sound of bells and drums began, the two horses suddenly became animated. Following the rhythm of the music, they raised their heads, swished their tails, reared up, walked sideways, turned in graceful circles, and even kicked and leaped in place. Their movements were varied and perfectly synchronized.
Unlike during the Hu Xuan dance, the audience was now completely silent, staring at the two horses with amazement. Mama Lin, Yuer, Yuhe, and others watched in fascination.
Although Mudan also found it impressive, her previous life’s exposure to many circus performances meant she wasn’t as astonished as the others. However, she pretended to be equally amazed. Suddenly, she heard someone say beside her, “I never imagined horses could dance to music like this.”
Mudan turned to see Pan Rong’s wife, Lady Bai, standing next to her with a faint smile. “The view here is quite nice. May I sit with you?”
This was the first noble lady to approach her kindly today. Mudan was momentarily stunned but responded with a gracious smile, making room in her seat. “I’m honored you don’t mind. Please, sit down.”
Lady Bai sat down elegantly beside Mudan, gesturing for her maid to bring her dishes and utensils. She then watched the horses’ performance in silence.
As the music ended, the horses immediately stopped dancing.
Instantly, a wave of cheers erupted, with Pan Rong’s voice the loudest: “Excellent, excellent! A generous reward! Two bolts of colored silk and a hundred thousand coins!”
The two boys, grinning widely, led the horses forward to receive the rewards. Each time someone offered a gift, they lightly tapped the horses with their whips, and the horses would bend their hind legs in a bow of gratitude. This further amazed the crowd.
Although Princess Qinghua and Liu Chang also offered generous rewards, their expressions were not pleasant. Princess Qinghua was embarrassed by her earlier lack of foresight and tactless comments. Liu Chang seemed lost in thought, glancing between Li Xing and Mudan. Noticing that Mudan’s expression was calm, even less excited than when she saw the Hu Xuan dancer, he lowered his gaze for a moment before pointing to the male guests’ section. “Xingzhi, your seat is over there.”
Li Xing sat down nonchalantly and smiled at Liu Chang, “My apologies for ruining your nice lawn.”
Liu Chang only smiled without speaking.
Pan Rong asked, “Xingzhi, where did you get this treasure?”
Li Xing replied, “On my recent trip to Qinghai, I came across this curiosity and spent ten thousand gold to buy it from a Hu merchant. They’re called dancing horses. Not bad, right?”
Pan Rong’s eyes lit up. “I’ll give you triple the price. Will you sell them to me?” He thought about how presenting such a rare gift to the imperial court could earn him great merit.
As soon as he spoke, both Liu Chang and Princess Qinghua guessed his intention. Almost simultaneously, Liu Chang said, “Sell them to me, I’ll give you five times the price!” while Princess Qinghua chimed in, “Give them to me! I’ll pay six times the price!”
The other guests were astonished by these offers. However, the three bidders were all thinking of the potential benefits of presenting such a gift to the imperial court, far outweighing their current offers.
Li Xing laughed heartily, “So everyone finds these dancing horses entertaining?”
As the crowd nodded, Li Xing continued, “Then I can rest easy.” The hearts of the three bidders sank as he went on, “How could I dare to keep such a rare treasure for myself or sell it for personal gain? To be honest, I intend to present it as a gift to the imperial court.”
The expressions of Pan Rong, Liu Chang, and Princess Qinghua immediately turned sour, with Princess Qinghua looking particularly upset. Mudan, observing from across the venue, couldn’t help but be amused by this obvious teasing. Li Xing, seemingly oblivious to their discomfort, raised his empty wine cup and asked, “Why hasn’t anyone filled my cup?”
Lady Bai commented softly, “All the world’s hustle and bustle is for profit. You see, everyone is more or less the same. The only difference is whether they can hide it or not.”
If her earlier act of sitting next to Mudan was a gesture of goodwill, these words were meant to comfort her. Mudan felt a warmth spreading through her heart and smiled genuinely at Lady Bai.
Suddenly, Pan Rong stood up and left. Shortly after, he returned, escorting a tall man with tanned skin and deep-set features, dressed in a blue robe. Pan Rong personally led the man to the first seat in the male guests’ section, then turned to Liu Chang and Princess Qinghua with a grin. “This is the friend I mentioned to you, Jiang Changyang, also known as Jiang Chengfeng. Later, the two of us will prepare the sliced raw fish!”
The guests didn’t seem surprised. Servants quickly brought tables, cutting boards, knives, porcelain dishes, and freshly prepared crucian carp.
Is a marquis’s heir personally slicing raw fish? Indeed, there were many novelties today. Mudan’s eyes crinkled with amusement once again.