Contrary to Liu Chang’s usual temperament, which might have led him to lash out recklessly or even throw the hot tea in his cup at Wu Xilian’s face, he surprisingly maintained his composure. He responded calmly, “Thank you for your concern, Seventeenth Miss. Although Qinghua is still having difficulty moving, she can at least get out of bed and walk a little now. I’m sure she’ll be able to visit and congratulate you on your wedding day. If I remember correctly, your future husband is from the Cen family of Yuan Prefecture, right? Young Master Cen spent two years in the capital and is quite a good friend of mine. We often drank and composed poetry together. We might end up spending time together in the future as well. So you shouldn’t be so impolite to me, Seventeenth Miss.”
At this point, a cruel smile appeared on Liu Chang’s face. Mudan was all too familiar with this smile; she knew the words he was about to utter would be incredibly hurtful, more than a lady like Wu Xilian could bear. She coughed lightly, preparing to change the subject, but Liu Chang didn’t give anyone the chance. He looked at Wu Xilian, smiling brilliantly, “You know, in Pingkang Lane, the wine is particularly good, always more fragrant and rich than elsewhere. He would often get so drunk he couldn’t even mount his horse and had to stay there for extended periods.”
The light in Wu Xilian’s eyes suddenly dimmed, and her lips, painted to resemble pomegranate blossoms, began to tremble uncontrollably. Pingkang Lane – what kind of place was that? A place teeming with courtesans. She had just said that Young Master Cen was as dissolute as Liu Chang and Pan Rong, and he immediately proved it to everyone present. Cen, her future husband, was indeed such a man. But in reality, how many of the noble young men, scholars, and court officials in the capital didn’t frequent Pingkang Lane? Many noble ladies could turn a blind eye and a deaf ear like Madam Bai, or be as fierce and difficult as Lady Qi, but Wu Xilian couldn’t do either. She certainly couldn’t be as thick-skinned and black-hearted as Liu Chang. So she was destined to be hurt by Liu Chang’s words.
She remained silent for a moment, glaring at Liu Chang, wanting to pour the still-scalding tea over his head and face. But Madam Bai calmly held her hand. She saw Mudan’s silent and sympathetic expression and suddenly realized the difference between herself and Mudan. She was a noble lady from one of the five great clans, her family lineage stretching back generations. For a man to marry her would be considered more honorable than marrying a princess or a duke’s daughter. Her status and upbringing didn’t allow her to behave like a shrew, especially in front of someone like Mudan, whom she had always pitied and looked down upon. Wu Xilian slowly withdrew her trembling hand, her face taking on an icy expression. She glanced away, refusing to look at Liu Chang again as if he were something disgusting.
Liu Chang didn’t mind, happily savoring Wu Xilian’s expression as he drained his cup of tea with satisfaction. He had once cared deeply about those hurtful words regarding Wu Xilian, just as he used to involuntarily recall how he had been forced to marry a dying girl and how his unaccomplished and greedy father had sold him like merchandise whenever he saw Mudan or heard topics related to the He family. Back then, he was young and couldn’t control his anger, always wanting to lash out regardless of consequences, just for a moment of satisfaction.
But things were different now. Since his divorce from Mudan and engagement to Princess Qinghua, he had heard far worse things, so many that he could no longer keep count. When one hears malicious words often enough, there are usually two outcomes: either one reacts angrily, and gets beaten down repeatedly until becoming numb and forgetting, or one remembers deeply but doesn’t show it, choosing instead to retaliate in another way by finding the opponent’s weakness and striking a fatal blow. He had chosen the latter. He had found Wu Xilian’s weak spot and with just a few words and a smile, left her wounded and unable to retaliate.
Heh, so much for being a lady from a prestigious family. The noble and righteous Madam Bai, and the proud and aloof Wu Xilian – none of them dared to truly express their anger. They wouldn’t dare to spit at him in public like Mudan had done, shouting insults on the street, nor would they act as willfully as Princess Qinghua. They cared too much about appearances, putting on a facade of virtue while being different on the inside. Hypocrites, that was how Liu Chang defined them. He was a hypocrite too, but he embraced being a cold and insincere person because that was how he could get what he wanted.
He had just drunk tea with a salty taste, but he felt as if he had drunk alcohol. His lips, throat, and stomach burned. He glared fiercely at Mudan – she had taken everything from him, so one day, he would make her pay back tenfold.
Mudan met Liu Chang’s gaze without flinching. She quietly looked into his sinister eyes. She wasn’t sure what her expression was at that moment, but she thought it might have contained contempt and indifference, or perhaps no expression at all. Because apart from fearing he might physically harm her, he meant nothing to her, even less than an insect on a peony leaf. But now she wasn’t afraid of him harming her physically at all, so she might have had no expression whatsoever.
Jiang Changyang half rose, handing a cup of tea to Mudan, saying softly, “It’s unsalted.” His tall body blocked Liu Chang’s view, and the scent of fresh grass from him cut off the strong perfume emanating from Liu Chang. Holding the cup of tea, Mudan had a sudden realization – Jiang Changyang was like a large, heavy rosewood folding screen, blocking out everything she disliked.
Unsalted tea. Everyone present heard and saw Jiang Changyang’s gesture. No one had known before that Mudan disliked salted tea. But what did it mean for Jiang Changyang to give her such a unique cup of tea? Was it his preference? Or a new special preference Mudan had developed? Regardless, he was conveying his care and comfort to Mudan.
Liu Chang saw this gesture as a provocation. He lowered his eyelids, his gaze falling through his lashes onto Mudan’s hands and the Yue porcelain teacup with lotus patterns she was holding. The celadon was as beautiful as jade, her slender hands as delicate as orchids. But neither the celadon nor the hands were his. They could potentially be held by another man. He took a deep breath and smiled, “Sister Dan, when did you start liking unsalted tea?
We were married for a year, together day and night, so deeply in love, yet I never knew you had such a quirk. When did you develop this peculiarity? Perhaps it came from Li Xing? You’ve changed so quickly. First me, then Li Xing, and now who? No wonder they say a woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.” He refused to admit that he hated how easily she had changed her heart and how ruthless and ungrateful she was.
A silence fell over the pavilion. Wu Xilian forgot her pain and looked at Mudan in astonishment, but she only saw an expression on Mudan’s face that could hardly be called an expression. Wu Xilian quickly looked at the others to see if they had gathered the same information from Liu Chang’s words as she had. Jiang Changyang was still focused on pouring tea, showing no particular expression. Pan Rong was smiling bitterly, and Madam Bai’s brows were tightly furrowed. As for Duan Daniang and Shu’er, anger was already flashing in their eyes. So she turned her gaze back to Mudan.
Mudan lifted the cup of unsalted tea and took a small sip, saying calmly, “Since it’s a quirk, it’s not surprising that you don’t know about it. If you didn’t know about it during our year of marriage, there’s even less reason for you to know now.” She didn’t explain what Wu Xilian wanted to know, because Liu Chang didn’t deserve to ask or to hear. Whether it was Li Xing or anyone else, it had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Madam Bai said, “Shu, a day as husband and wife brings grace, a hundred days brings depth like the sea. You’re already divorced, and you’ve gotten what you wanted. Why do you keep pestering her? Isn’t it better to part on good terms? What’s the use of dwelling on these things?”
Among those present, Madam Bai was certainly not the only person Liu Chang hated. She had promised to persuade Mudan to reconsider on his behalf, but instead, she had conspired with Princess Kang Cheng and Princess Qinghua behind his back, selling him out completely. She was partly responsible for his current situation. So he looked at Madam Bai coldly and said in a flat tone, “Madam Bai is a righteous female hero, a female Zhuge Liang, willing to go to any lengths for her friends, regardless of the consequences. That’s why I’ve always respected you greatly.”
Pan Rong muttered something, put Pan Jing in Madam Bai’s arms, and sat down next to her. He lightly tapped the table and glared at Liu Chang, saying discontentedly, “Hey, hey, Liu Shu, I think you’re overstepping. How my wife behaves is between us, you have no say in it.” He somewhat regretted bringing Liu Chang along. He had thought he could make up for the unwise thing Madam Bai had done regarding Mudan earlier, but it seemed he couldn’t.
Liu Chang smiled slightly, “Of course.” He looked towards Jiang Changyang, wanting to see how he would react or retaliate to his previous words. He Mudan, do you think beauty is enough? It’s not, far from it. Status, talent, power, money – none can be lacking, and beauty is secondary. In this world, with your status, only I was willing to keep you as a proper wife. Will you turn back after hitting the south wall?
Jiang Changyang looked directly at him, his smile friendly but his tone firm and indisputable: “Assistant Director Liu, you are Second Young Master Pan’s friend. Miss Wu is Madam Bai’s friend. The Pan couple and Miss He is my friends. You are all my guests, and I am willing to do my utmost to entertain each of you, but if anyone dares to bully my friends, they are bullying me.”
It was only natural that a guest who insulted the host’s friends would be expelled. Everyone could understand this message. Although he had included the Pan couple for context, everyone knew who he was specifically referring to.
Liu Chang sneered. He indeed couldn’t find any flaw in Jiang Changyang’s words. But he knew clearly that there was something between Jiang Changyang and Mudan.