Li Manniang was quick to play along, immediately supporting Mudan and saying, “This child’s health is indeed frail.” Mudan, still feigning illness, whimpered pitifully, “I’m sorry for causing trouble. I’d like to go home.”
Li Manniang responded, “Alright, alright, let’s go home.” She quickly arranged for someone to inform Princess Qinghua, then complained to Madam Dou and the others, “I brought her out, so I must see her safely home. Otherwise, I can’t face her family.”
Madam Dou suggested, “In that case, why don’t we all go home together? We didn’t plan to stay this long anyway.” The others, who looked to these two for guidance, quickly agreed. Without waiting for a response from Princess Qinghua’s side, they began packing up.
Princess Qinghua soon rushed over personally. She needed people now and was unwilling to let them leave. She approached Mudan with concern, holding her hand and asking detailed questions about her condition. She repeatedly ordered someone to fetch a doctor and offered a room for Mudan to rest. If that wasn’t sufficient, she volunteered to arrange for Mudan to be sent home first, allowing the others to continue enjoying themselves without delay.
Mudan clutched her forehead in apparent agony, eyes closed and breathing shallow. Yuhe boldly spoke up, “Our Miss Dan’s condition is a chronic one. Her headaches are splitting, and only the special medicine at home, along with acupuncture, can help. Nothing else works.”
As Mudan’s body went limp, Yuhe turned to Li Manniang with tears in her eyes, “This morning, the madam entrusted Miss Dan to us servants. If anything happens to her, we won’t be able to live with ourselves. We’re at a loss and don’t know what to do. We’re relying on you, madam, to guide us.” She then knelt and kowtowed vigorously. Meanwhile, Feng Daniang pinched Mudan’s philtrum hard, shouting, “Miss Dan, hang in there! Wake up!” Their actions drew the attention of the crowd.
Li Manniang, looking embarrassed, feigned anger, “You silly girl, what are you making a fuss about? Did I say I wouldn’t take care of Dan’niang? Quickly pack up so we can return to the city.” She then turned to Princess Qinghua with polite words, “Your Highness, I truly can’t leave. I must at least explain to her family. I’m sorry to waste your kind intentions.”
Princess Qinghua glared at Mudan, seething with anger. She didn’t want to admit that she had forcibly dragged Mudan here with ill intentions. She only wondered why Mudan always seemed to ruin her plans at crucial moments. She almost wished Mudan would die from the pain and be done with it.
Madam Dou and the others noticed Princess Qinghua’s displeased expression and her prolonged silence, clearly unwilling to let them leave. They decided to depart regardless, knowing she couldn’t forcibly detain them. Suddenly, Princess Xingkang strode over with a cold smile, “Eighth Sister, you won’t even let a sick person go? She’s already in this state—aren’t you satisfied? Do you need to watch her die before your eyes to feel secure? You’re being too cautious. Are you that insecure?”
Princess Qinghua, her weak spot exposed, flew into a rage. How could she fear Mudan, a sickly commoner girl who was her defeated opponent? But she couldn’t say these things in front of everyone. Instead, she put on an extremely aggrieved expression and said, “Eleventh Sister, how can you say such things? I had good intentions. I wanted to thank them for saving Sister Liu Yun, so I invited them to join us…”
Before she could finish, Princess Xingkang cut her off, “I see now. Eighth Sister, your insistence on keeping her here isn’t out of malice or a desire to watch her die. You’re looking for allies, aren’t you? After all, everyone has seen Madam Li’s riding skills. She’s an expert in the field. Could it be…” She stepped closer, her voice sharp, “You’re afraid before the competition has even begun? Eighth Sister, have you been watching too much of Hu Xuaner’s dancing lately? Drunk too much? Feeling weak?”
She glanced back at her companions and burst into laughter.
Every word struck home for Princess Qinghua, causing her face to flush red and pale alternately. Unable to refute the accusations and knowing it was unwise to do so, she could only grit her teeth and coldly snort, “You’re confused and don’t know what you’re saying! I won’t stoop to your level!” With that, she turned to leave, no longer concerned with Mudan and the others.
Princess Xingkang, seeming to enjoy the confrontation even more, blocked Princess Qinghua’s path with her hands on her hips, pressing aggressively, “Oh, so that’s not it? Then perhaps I’ve overthought things. Let’s have a fair match then—you lead one team, I’ll lead another. No outsiders were involved. Do you dare?” Her supporters joined in, egging them on.
Princess Qinghua knew that if she backed down now, she would never be able to hold her head high among this group again. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she gritted her teeth and said, “Of course I dare! Eleventh Sister, you’d better watch out!” With that, she descended the stairs first.
Princess Xingkang watched her leave, then turned to Li Manniang and the others with a smile, “It’s quite hot now, and without a sedan chair, it would be inconvenient for Dan’niang to return. Rather than risking heatstroke and worsening her condition, why not rest here for a while? Let a doctor take a look, and you can leave when she’s feeling better.” Seeing Li Manniang’s silence, she added, “You just saved my cousin. I’m very grateful and have been looking for a chance to thank you properly.”
This implied that she meant no harm, but Li Manniang only wanted to leave and avoid further entanglement. She smiled and said, “It was nothing, Your Highness. No need to dwell on it. Your intentions are kind, but this child’s illness can’t wait. I’ll carry her and ride double on a horse. We’ll gallop back quickly.”
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade them to stay, Princess Xingkang didn’t insist further. She ordered her attendants to escort Mudan and the others to the outskirts of the estate. She and her companions then went to carefully inspect the horses and polo mallets, quietly discussing how to deal with Princess Qinghua: “We’re all princesses of imperial prince households. Why does she always act so superior and try to dominate everything? She bullies our relatives and friends and has a vicious heart. Today, even if we lose the polo match, we must teach her a lesson! Otherwise, what happened to me today could happen to you tomorrow! If we can’t even protect our relatives, how can we face them in the future?”
The others, who had all suffered at Princess Qinghua’s hands before, agreed. One said, “With the Prince of Fen and her lover present, we must be careful not to leave any evidence. And it’s best not to cause any deaths—that would be hard to resolve.”
Another coldly laughed, “Careful? She’s always been ruthless. If we show mercy, she’ll surely take the opportunity to deal with us harshly, making sure we never dare to challenge her again. Then we’ll be the ones in trouble.”
Princess Xingkang’s face darkened, “Polo mallets are merciless, and horses can be unpredictable. There are countless ways things can go wrong on the field. Just do what you must—I’ll take responsibility! My poor sister’s arms and legs are broken; her life is ruined. If I don’t break one of Qinghua’s legs in return, I won’t be able to face going home. I’m not leaving today. If any of you feel uncomfortable with this, you can leave now. I’ll remember your support, and if you ever need my help in the future, I won’t refuse.”
The group exchanged glances and replied, “If we were afraid of her, we wouldn’t have come with you.” They finalized their strategy and swore an oath, agreeing never to reveal their plan and to treat any “accidents” as genuine accidents.
Meanwhile, Mudan’s group had left the estate. True to her word, Li Manniang carried Mudan in her arms as they rode double on a horse. Under the blazing sun, both women were soon drenched in sweat. Li Manniang sighed, “Once you start lying, you have to keep it up. We’ll have to endure until we reach the city before we can relax.”
Madam Dou laughed, “We should be glad we got away. Stop complaining.”
Suddenly, they heard someone calling from behind, “Ladies ahead, please wait!”
Thinking the situation might have changed again, the group was about to pretend they hadn’t heard and hurry away when the person caught up on horseback. It was a dark-skinned man in his teens who dismounted and bowed before Li Manniang with a smile, “I am a servant from Master Jiang Changyang’s household, named Wu. My master is an old acquaintance of the He family’s eldest son.”
Mudan, still pretending to be unconscious in Li Manniang’s arms, was surprised to hear this but couldn’t sit up to inquire. She gently pinched Li Manniang’s waist, prompting her to ask, “Is there something we can help you with?”
Wu replied, “We heard that the He family’s young miss fell ill and had no sedan chair to return to the city. My master happens to have an estate nearby with sedan chairs available. He has sent for one to be brought here. Please wait a moment; it will arrive shortly.”
Hearing this, Mudan thought to herself that Jiang Changyang was indeed a kind person. He must have seen Princess Qinghua causing trouble again and felt sympathetic towards her. It was a kind gesture, and since she already owed him a great debt of gratitude, accepting a ride in a sedan chair wouldn’t make much difference. She remained silent.
Li Manniang was unsure but thought that accepting a sedan chair wouldn’t cause much trouble. Seeing no objection from Mudan, she smiled and thanked Wu. Looking at the sky, she said, “It’s hot here. Let’s wait in the shade up ahead.”
Soon enough, a two-person sedan chair arrived, carried swiftly by porters. Li Manniang expressed her thanks and helped Mudan settle in. The group then set off for the city without further incident.
Wu, having completed his task, returned to report to Jiang Changyang. Hearing that Mudan and her group had safely returned to the city, Jiang Changyang felt relieved and sat down to watch the polo match. In the blink of an eye, the men’s match concluded with Liu Chang’s team emerging victorious. They received the prize and an additional reward of ten bolts of Shu brocade from the Prince of Fen. Liu Chang and his teammates rode around the field brandishing their mallets in celebration, while the imperial clan members retreated with sour expressions.
Princess Qinghua had discussed tactics with her chosen allies, and both sides changed into their polo uniforms and took to the field. On the surface, they all laughed and joked, but in reality, they were prepared to play rough. Princess Qinghua quickly sensed something was amiss. Princess Xingkang’s side was playing with vicious intensity as if fighting for their lives. Meanwhile, some of Princess Qinghua’s supposed allies, seeing the unfavorable situation, had cold feet and began to avoid helping her at crucial moments.
Her confidence in her riding and polo skills didn’t mean she could single-handedly withstand such a fierce onslaught from so many opponents. She began to feel genuinely afraid and almost wanted to surrender. Desperately, she searched the crowd for Liu Chang, hoping he would notice the dangerous situation, and quickly request the Prince of Fen to stop the match. However, Princess Xingkang and her allies had planned this thoroughly. Having set their plan in motion, they had no intention of stopping halfway.