When Mudan received the announcement, she could hardly believe it. Lady Bai had come to see her. She thought that after leaving the Liu family, she would have no more connections with people like the heir’s wife or Qinghe Wu’s Seventeen. Even if they met on the street, they might not greet her, and of course, she wouldn’t go out of her way to be friendly to those who were cold to her.
Lin Mama frowned, “Danniang, could she be coming to persuade you? After all, they’re on the same side.”
Yuhe hesitated, “Lady Bai doesn’t seem like that kind of person, does she? She was very kind to Danniang at the flower banquet last time.”
“Regardless, we must receive her properly,” Mudan said, unsure herself but feeling that Lady Bai wouldn’t be that kind of person. At the last flower banquet, when so many people ignored her plight or even treated it as a spectacle, only Lady Bai expressed concern and sympathy without reservation. Perhaps she was truly just coming to visit out of kindness. Whatever Lady Bai’s purpose, given how she had treated Mudan before, she deserved a proper reception today.
In the He family’s main hall, Lady Bai was chatting and drinking tea, accompanied by Xue Shi. Xue Shi was poised and graceful, showing no nervousness in the presence of such a noble lady. Her words were appropriate and her manners were dignified.
After exchanging pleasantries with Xue Shi, Lady Bai found her to be a woman of substance – literate and carrying herself with neither arrogance nor servility. She also noticed that the He family’s house had its style. Though the furniture was somewhat old, it was exquisitely crafted and made of fine materials. There were no popular gold-framed or jewel-inlaid decorations. The only eye-catching piece was an incense mountain made of the finest sugar-knotted agarwood, elegant and filling the room with fragrance. The servants were well-mannered and quiet. This was not at all like the rumors that the He family was uncouth and unsophisticated, thinking themselves above others just because of their wealth. Lady Bai’s attitude became genuinely warm, and her impression of Mudan improved even further.
When Mudan arrived at the main hall and exchanged greetings, Xue Shi politely excused herself, leaving Mudan to talk with Lady Bai.
Lady Bai saw that Mudan was dressed elegantly and distinctively in an ivory short jacket and a six-panel green silk skirt with white peonies embroidered on the hem. She wore a light blue silk shawl, her glossy black hair in a half-turned bun with only a newly fashionable jeweled ivory comb. Her complexion was like jade, her smile like flowers – she resembled a half-open white peony. Lady Bai silently admired her, lamenting Liu Chang’s misfortune, and got straight to the point: “Liu Zishu has asked my husband to have me come and make amends on his behalf. If you’re willing, he’ll come personally to apologize and bring you back home with full honors.”
Mudan was doubtful – wasn’t he supposed to be under house arrest? How could he be running around asking for favors? But she didn’t show it, only smiling gently: “Thank you for your kindness, Lady Bai. But there’s no turning back now. I don’t want to be despised and trampled on again.” There was no need for polite, insincere words with someone as straightforward as Lady Bai. It was best to be direct.
Seeing Mudan’s gentle smile but determined eyes, Lady Bai nodded: “I see you’re a woman who knows her mind. I didn’t want to come, but yesterday Xixia begged the heir, saying Liu Zishu was beaten by his father and confined because of you. They’ve been friends since childhood, so I had to come regardless. I hope you don’t think I’m meddling.”
Mudan smiled, “I understand.” But inwardly, she dismissed Liu Chang’s words. Who was he trying to fool? Lure her back only to abuse and frame her again, then divorce her when she was helpless?
Lady Bai smiled again: “Alright, just now I was speaking as Pan Rong’s wife. Now I’m speaking to you as Bai Xin.” She lowered her voice, “Wealth and status are fleeting. As women, if we can’t protect ourselves when given the chance, that’s truly foolish. You have parents and family who genuinely care for you – you should cherish that. With your beauty and character, you shouldn’t be treated like that. Even without Liu Zishu’s request, I would have come specially to see how you’re doing.”
Hearing this, Mudan finally showed a genuine smile.
Lady Bai then asked about Mudan’s divorce situation. When she heard that Liu Chengcai was making excuses and Liu Chang refused to write a divorce letter, she pondered for a moment before saying, “This can’t go on. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, I’ll send someone to fetch you. If you’re lucky, you might meet a noble person. If you ask for her help and she agrees, this matter will surely be resolved.”
Mudan was surprised at this offer, hesitating, “Is that appropriate? What if the heir blames you? Don’t worry about me, let’s wait and see. Someone will eventually get impatient.” She could see that Pan Rong and his wife weren’t on good terms. If Lady Bai offended Pan Rong for her sake, it might further strain their relationship.
Lady Bai smiled, “You’re thoughtful, but you don’t know Liu Zishu’s peculiar temper. And that person, if she’s unhappy, will eventually take it out on you. So it’s better to free yourself sooner. Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything. As long as you don’t say anything, who will know I brought you there? How could he blame me? Even if he does, I’m not afraid.”
Mudan remained silent, and Lady Bai asked, “What else are you unsure about?”
After a long hesitation, Mudan looked at Lady Bai seriously and said, “Thank you for your kindness. I would be very grateful for your help. But we’ve known each other for such a short time, and I can’t help but have some doubts. Why are you willing to help me so unconditionally? Please explain it to me.” There’s no kindness or malice without reason. If it were a small favor or verbal goodwill, she could accept it without worry. But this could potentially threaten a marital relationship, which was no ordinary friendship. Mudan didn’t want to think the worst of others, but it was best to understand the reasons clearly.
Hearing this question, Lady Bai was momentarily stunned, then gave a light, self-deprecating laugh, “It’s rare that I actively want to help someone, and it makes you suspicious.”
Mudan’s face flushed, but she persisted, “You know, I’m just an ordinary woman. Without my father and brothers, I could barely protect myself, let alone help others. I don’t want to accept your kindness for nothing, causing you trouble, and then be helpless to watch you get into difficulty because of me, unable to repay you…”
Lady Bai said seriously, “You’re overthinking. I simply can’t stand by and watch a good girl be ruined. You’ve done nothing wrong, yet you’re suffering this undeserved calamity because of others’ faults. If I couldn’t do anything, that would be one thing, but if I can help and pretend not to know, or worse, aid the wrongdoers, how would I be any different from those I despise?”
Lady Bai’s tone became slightly emotional. Her maid quickly offered her some tea to calm her. After drinking, she regained her composure and said with a wry smile, “But I can’t blame you. Anyone who has suffered such a great hardship would find it difficult to believe that others would be kind without reason. But you’re forthright to say it to my face. If you feel indebted, after this matter is settled, you can send me a jade pavilion point cui in autumn.”
Mudan’s face reddened further, and she lowered her head, “Thank you for understanding.” Perhaps she had overthought things.
Lady Bai said, “You’ll only have one chance. You decide whether to come or not.” Without waiting for Mudan’s answer, she pointed to the maid beside her and said, “You remember her, right? Her name is Nianyu. She was the one who took you to me last time. She’s my most trusted person. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the Dragon Boat Festival, the night curfew will be lifted. We’ll have a viewing pavilion near Qinzheng Tower. At the hour of Xu (7-9 pm), wait at the gate between Changping Granary and Fangsheng Pool in the East Market. I’ll send Nianyu to fetch you, and she’ll tell you what to do. My help alone isn’t enough; it also depends on your luck.”
Mudan thought that since the He family would be going to watch the festivities anyway, she could just have Dalang, Xue Shi, and the others accompany her.
Yuhe came in to report, “The two Zhang brothers have arrived. I asked them to wait, but they refused, saying they’d come from far away and the weather isn’t good, so they want to return home early.”
Mudan explained, “I asked them to dig up some wild peonies from the mountains. They’re honest people and might suspect I’m trying to deceive them, so they don’t want to wait. Please excuse me, Lady Bai. I’ll be right back.”
“I should be going too,” Lady Bai said, standing up. She looked at Mudan seriously, “Whether you come or not, I’ll have Nianyu wait for you there for half an hour.”
Seeing Lady Bai’s clear gaze and natural air of lofty detachment, Mudan bit her lip and said, “I’ll come.”
Lady Bai smiled, “Good. I’ll be waiting for you.” She added, “You can have your family accompany you, but when you meet the noble person, they’ll need to step back.”
Hearing this, Mudan was almost completely convinced that Lady Bai genuinely wanted to help her.
After seeing Lady Bai off, Mudan went to meet the Zhang brothers. They were squatting in the He family’s gatehouse, refusing to sit on chairs, each holding a large porcelain bowl and gulping down tea. Yuhe’s mother, Madam Feng, stood before them with her hands on her hips, scolding, “Drink slowly, you’ll make yourself sick, you little fool! Aren’t you afraid of stomach ache?”
Zhang Dalang kept his head down, while Zhang Erlang’s face was red, but both pretended not to hear and continued drinking vigorously.
Mudan smiled, “What’s going on here?”
Madam Feng turned to see her and smiled, “Danniang, these two were getting restless and insisted on seeing you. I thought they might not have had tea before, so I gave them some to try. They’re drinking like they’ve been reborn as thirsty ghosts.” She kicked at the brothers, “Stop now! The mistress is here.”
Mudan couldn’t help but laugh. Despite her harsh words, Madam Feng was the softest-hearted. She felt sorry for the two brothers and had specially invited them to eat.
Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erlang hurriedly put down their tea bowls and carefully brought out a bamboo basket from the corner, placing it in the light for Mudan to see. “Young miss, this is it,” they said.