Liu Chang’s face indeed grew paler, but his eyes were thoughtful, not necessarily fearful. He paused briefly, then spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “Don’t count on Jiang Changyang. He’s too far away to help. By the time he returns, it’ll be too late. You have many friends, though. You can try asking them for help, but I doubt they’ll be of much use. Lady Bai is busy with her pregnancy, and Pan Rong’s abilities are limited. That Wei Guo you’re looking for is on leave. Your relatives, like General Huang, can’t reach this far so quickly. As for the other nobles you’ve associated with, they’re all in the palace now, out of your reach. Go ahead and try. If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back to me.”
Mudan felt nauseated but managed to ask, “What do you want from me?”
Liu Chang’s heart raced as he stared at Mudan and slowly said, “This isn’t the place to talk.” He then acted as if he wouldn’t speak unless Mudan let him in.
Mudan remained silent, showing no intention of yielding.
Liu Chang had no choice but to continue, “Young couples become lifelong companions. We were married young, and our bond should be special. I’ve always been unwilling to divorce you, but your temper got the better of you, leading us to this point. You may be heartless, but I can’t be disloyal. To be honest, this incident is closely related to Prince Min’s mansion and Secretary Xiao’s household. It’s because you got involved with Jiang Changyang that you brought this trouble upon yourself. As for me, thanks to you, I married Qinghua and my life has been miserable. But I don’t want to dwell on that anymore.”
Mudan frowned, “Don’t tell me all this! Just say what you want.”
Liu Chang glanced at her, his heart racing, “I bought a large mansion in Yongyang District. It’s furnished with the most expensive and finest things, but it lacks a mistress. It feels empty and cold. If you’re willing to live there, I’ll forget about the past. We’ll be family again, and I’ll do my best to help your household. I know you’ll feel wrong, but it’s only temporary. In a couple of years, things will be like they were before. I’ll find a way to reopen the spice shop soon.”
He thought to himself, “We’ll have another child, even more lovable and clever than Qi’er. I’ll cherish him, and once I get rid of Qinghua, we can go back to our old life.” The idea suddenly popped into Liu Chang’s mind.
Mudan laughed bitterly, unable to find words to respond, wondering how his mind worked.
Seeing her cold laughter and silence, Liu Chang became angry and embarrassed. He snarled, “If you refuse, I won’t force you, but don’t regret it! You should be grateful that I’m giving you this chance despite our past!”
Mudan stopped laughing and calmly asked, “If I agree, will you immediately find a way to release my mother and sister-in-law?”
Liu Chang replied, “Of course.”
Mudan said, “Release them first, then we’ll talk. Otherwise, how do I know you’re not holding a grudge and trying to humiliate me? It’s up to you whether you agree or not. They’re already inside, so I can wait a bit longer.” She now knew it was his doing, that he had Mrs. Cen and the others arrested to force her hand. She wanted them released first.
Liu Chang’s expression changed rapidly. He said, “Fine, I’ll go take care of it. As soon as they walk in the door, I want to see you move to Yongyang District.” His face suddenly turned cold and vicious, “If you dare deceive me, I’ll make sure your brothers become cripples! I’ll have them exiled to Nanling for life! I mean it!”
“That’s not possible. I need to see my family’s situation resolved first. Otherwise, I’d rather watch them suffer than lose both face and fortune. Besides, if I leave home right after this incident, it would be obvious that you deliberately had Qinghua harm me,” Mudan lowered her eyes, her hand clenched into a fist, her nails digging painfully into her palm.
“You don’t have to live in Yongyang District immediately, but I need a guarantee,” Liu Chang stared at her for a moment before turning and striding away.
Mudan knew what kind of guarantee he wanted. She had no time for fear or disgust now. Taking a deep breath, she turned and entered the house. She ordered people to clean the courtyard and asked Concubine Wu to take stock of the lost property. She then called for Gui, Yuhe, and others to assign them tasks.
First, she sent Gui with money to find trusted imperial guards to investigate the truth, preferably getting key information from the Sixth Young Master. Second, she asked them to secretly look for Maya, hoping for unexpected findings. Third, she sent Yuhe back to Fang Garden to keep watch, wary of those who might take advantage of the He family’s troubles. Fourth, she sent someone to invite Zhang Wulang over, as she had a task for him. Finally, she asked Shu’er to wait outside Prince Fen’s mansion and report immediately if he saw the Princess return.
Soon after, Zhang Wulang arrived. Without hesitation, he accompanied Mudan to the East Market to find people. They first went to see Fang Er, only to be turned away. They learned that Fang Er had been taken away as a witness that morning, claiming that the Sixth Young Master had used him as an intermediary to buy fake goods for illicit profits, unaware that they were destined for the palace.
Zhang Wulang looked at Mudan, “Where to now?”
Mudan replied, “Let’s find Old Jian.”
They hurriedly went to look for him but didn’t find Old Jian either. They only met a steward who came out cursing angrily, saying the He family was ungrateful and had ruined his master. It seemed Old Jian had also been taken away.
For a moment, it seemed there were no other options, no leads to follow. Zhang Wulang silently looked at Mudan’s tired face and said, “Why don’t we go back and wait? This happened suddenly, and rushing won’t help. Things will become clear in a couple of days.”
Mudan nodded. As they passed by Fashou Temple, she suddenly remembered Liu Chang mentioning that the matter was also related to Secretary Xiao’s household. Though she knew he might have been lying to scare her, she still wanted to go in, thinking the monks might have a way to contact Jiang Changyang.
Zhang Wulang followed her inside. Monk Fuyuan was conducting evening prayers and couldn’t be seen, but they met someone Mudan wanted to see – not Xiao Xuexi, but Xiao Yuexi.
Xiao Yuexi wasn’t sitting at the chessboard today but was quietly brewing tea. Seeing Mudan enter, he greeted her and invited her to sit down for tea.
Mudan sat down silently beside him, watching him gracefully prepare the tea and casually hand her a cup. After rushing around all day, she was indeed tired and thirsty. Without caring if it contained salt, she raised the cup and drank it all at once.
Xiao Yuexi offered her another cup after she finished, which Mudan drank again. When he offered a third, Mudan shook her head, “That’s enough. Thank you for the tea.”
Xiao Yuexi didn’t insist and slowly sipped his cup, saying, “You must be very tired?”
Mudan remained silent.
Xiao Yuexi looked at the slanting sunlight outside the pavilion and slowly said, “Being born beautiful without the matching family background and ability to protect oneself is a tragedy if one doesn’t accept fate. It easily brings trouble to those around you. Do you agree with this view?”
Mudan looked up at him and said firmly, “I agree with your view. But I think that appearance and birth are not choices we can make. The troubles of those around me might stem from me, but it’s not my fault. It’s not my fault that I don’t accept fate and am tossed about by it. Only if my actions were inappropriate and caused disaster would it be my fault.”
Xiao Yuexi smiled lightly, “When I first saw you, I thought you were a woman hiding a fierce nature beneath a gentle exterior. I wasn’t wrong. The disaster your family is facing now is indeed not your fault, but it’s inextricably linked to you. If your parents hadn’t been greedy for your survival years ago, desperately arranging your marriage to the Liu family, and if you hadn’t been greedy for youth and freedom, divorcing Liu Chang and becoming ambiguous with Jiang Dazhang, you wouldn’t have faced today’s calamity.”
He knew about what had happened to her family. Mudan sat up straight suddenly, “Are you suggesting that I should have sat waiting for death, allowing others to slaughter me at will? Aren’t you supposed to be a scholar? You’re no better than the rest. I heard Liu Chang say that my family’s current misfortune is also related to your household. How have I offended your family?”
Xiao Yuexi looked back at Mudan, unhurried and condescending, “I mentioned it already. You don’t accept fate.” He didn’t try to hide at all that the Xiao family had also pushed things along.
It was naked contempt. “I’ve bullied you, so what? What can you do about it? What do you dare to do?” Mudan was so angry her eyes widened, feeling an unprecedented hatred, hating herself for being useless, hating this evil old society.
Seeing her face flushed with anger, Xiao Yuexi smiled slightly, “But I’m not in league with Liu Chang. I look down on his character. I just wanted to give you an opportunity.”
Mudan gritted her teeth and said, “Today, two people have already given me opportunities. One wants to make me his mistress and seize my family’s property. What opportunity do you want to give me? And for whose benefit?”
Xiao Yuexi couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re quite frank and straightforward. My family has a beautiful wife and young children, a bright future ahead, and no lack of money or power. We don’t want to make you a mistress or seize your family’s property. I just want to discuss something with you, which could also be considered advice.”
Regardless of whether Mudan wanted to hear it or not, he continued calmly, “You and Jiang Changyang are not a good match. You will be a great burden to him in the future.”
Mudan felt a sharp sting and said in a sharp tone, “You’re overstepping! If I’m not worthy, who is? Who are you speaking up for?”
Xiao Yuexi said calmly, “My sister is worthy. A married couple needs more than just compatibility; they need to be able to support each other. They come from similar backgrounds and will have more in common. My sister can give him all the benefits and help that you can’t! So they will be happier than you two. If you’re willing to listen to my advice, I’ll help you solve this problem! It all depends on your decision.”