“My lady, please rest assured. This servant will not fail in her mission,” Bai Xiang said, carefully tucking the letter close to her body before turning to leave.
Lady Du called her back. “Go and find out what the Third Young Master did after he returned yesterday, and whom the Duke met. Take two gold ingots from my box; the rest is your reward.”
Bai Xiang obediently agreed, carefully lowering the curtain before slipping out as quietly as a cat. She first went to the Old Madam’s room. Hong’er was peering out from the courtyard gate and, upon seeing Bai Xiang, grabbed her arm as if she were a savior. “Where’s the lady? The Old Madam woke up this morning and couldn’t find her. She’s been asking about her.” Then, looking at Bai Xiang’s face, Hong’er dramatically covered her mouth and exclaimed, “Heavens! My dear sister, what happened to you?”
Feeling embarrassed, Bai Xiang pushed Hong’er’s hand away from her arm and said coolly, “You’re the Old Madam’s most capable servant. How could you not know what happened to me?”
Hong’er, of course, knew about the events of the previous night. She resented Lady Du for ignoring her and withholding favors since the last incident, naturally assuming Bai Xiang was behind it. Now, seeing both mistress and maid in trouble, she felt a hint of schadenfreude but feigned ignorance. “I haven’t left this courtyard since last night. How could I know anything?”
Ignoring her, Bai Xiang hurried inside. In the room, beside the Old Madam reclining on the couch with a stern expression, sat Jiang Zhong, Jiang Yunqing, and Jiang Changyi. When Bai Xiang entered with her swollen face, everyone stole glances at her, with some who had never gotten along with her showing hints of schadenfreude. Bai Xiang didn’t care; she only noticed Jiang Changyi’s concerned gaze, which was enough for her.
She calmly greeted the masters in the room, then knelt before the Old Madam and said, “Old Madam, the lady accidentally fell last night when getting up to use the chamber pot. She injured her waist and couldn’t get up this morning. She can’t eat anything and fears she won’t be able to attend to you. Please forgive her.”
“How did this happen? How could she be so careless? What are your maids doing? Are you all just eating for free?” The Old Madam exclaimed, shooting a shocked and somewhat accusatory glance at Jiang Zhong. The story of Lady Du falling while getting up at night was a face-saving explanation; everyone knew what had happened.
Jiang Zhong remained silent, his face ashen.
The Old Madam then dismissed the others. “Yi’er, take your father’s name card and ride to summon the imperial physician. Yunqing, you and your aunt go attend to your lady. Tell her that the Duke and I will visit her soon, and she should rest easy.”
As the group filed out, Bai Xiang caught Jiang Changyi’s eye when no one was looking. She then pretended to linger outside the Old Madam’s room for a while before Hong’er chased her away. Calculating that she could now satisfy Lady Du’s instructions, she headed toward the garden.
In a secluded spot, Jiang Changyi emerged from behind a rock formation and whispered, “How are you? Did the lady blame you?”
Bai Xiang hurriedly replied, “This servant is fine.” After a glance around, she took out the letter, which had already been steamed open, and handed it to Jiang Changyi. “Quick, look at this. It needs to be sent off soon.”
Jiang Changyi, dispensing with pleasantries, scanned the letter rapidly. Trying to conceal his shock, he folded it back as it was and returned it to Bai Xiang. “Be careful. If the lady finds out, your life will be in danger.”
Bai Xiang replied tearfully, “This servant fears her life may soon be in danger anyway.” She dared to show Jiang Changyi the letter but not to tell him about drugging the Old Madam. If she had never done it before, it might have been different. But if Jiang Changyi learned she had once drugged his grandmother, how would he view her?
Jiang Changyi sensed that Bai Xiang knew something important but didn’t ask directly. He only looked at her sympathetically and said, “Be extremely careful. Your safety is paramount. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”
Bai Xiang wiped her tears and smiled bitterly. “Don’t worry, this servant understands.” Then she left, disappearing among the flowers and willows.
Jiang Changyi was disappointed that he hadn’t heard what Bai Xiang knew, but thinking about the letter’s contents made his blood boil. He clenched his fist, steeling himself before quickly heading out.
While the Zhu Duke’s mansion was in turmoil because of Jiang Changyang, the man himself was oblivious. As the first-morning drum sounded, Jiang Changyang opened his eyes. Through the faint morning light, he saw Mudan’s sleeping face, as beautiful as a dew-covered peony in the early morning. Without realizing it, a smile touched his lips. He gazed at Mudan quietly for a moment before gently pulling his arm from under her neck, preparing to rise for his morning exercises.
Extracting his arm didn’t take much effort, but sitting up proved troublesome. His inner robe was disheveled, with half of it firmly trapped under Mudan. He carefully tugged at it, trying not to wake her. Mudan turned over, letting out a low, childlike murmur. Jiang Changyang smiled, contentedly touching her cheek and placing a kiss on her face before preparing to get out of bed.
Mudan, with her eyes half-closed, accurately grabbed his collar, snuggling closer to him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pressing her face against him without a word, eyes still closed in sleep. Her desire for him to stay was unmistakable. Jiang Changyang blinked, wondering whether he should stay with her or stick to his original plan. He could imagine the looks Wu San and the others would give him later if they didn’t see him at the training grounds this morning.
A great man shouldn’t lose himself in the boudoir, but he should also understand the pleasure of holding a soft, fragrant woman in his arms. Once his honeymoon was over, who knew what troubles awaited him? There would be less time to accompany Mudan then. Jiang Changyang decisively lay back down, deciding to enjoy another moment of sleep holding Mudan in this tranquil morning.
However, being accustomed to the routine, unlike Mudan who usually slept until after the Chen hour (7-9 am) at home, he found himself stiff and sore after lying there for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Looking at Mudan, he wondered how she could sleep so sweetly. Feeling envious, he plucked a strand of hair, carefully twisting it into a thread, and began tracing her ear, then her nose.
“Jiang Changyang, you rascal!” Mudan, unable to bear the disturbance any longer, let out a frustrated cry and burrowed her head under the thin quilt. “You’re the one who wouldn’t let me leave,” Jiang Changyang said, pulling back the quilt and pouncing on her, grabbing her feet and tickling her soles. Mudan, unbearably ticklish, kicked at him and turned to counterattack.
The two laughed and wrestled for nearly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, both laughing uncontrollably. They lay on the bed whispering to each other, and before they knew it, the day had fully dawned. Outside, they could hear the soft sounds of servants sweeping the courtyard and Shasha making a fuss about going out: “Kuan’er, Kuan’er, let’s go out, you lazy girl!”
How lively it was—he loved this feeling. Jiang Changyang smiled, imitating Shasha’s voice as he gently pushed Mudan: “Mudan, Mudan, get up, get up, you lazy wife!”
“You’re the lazy one. There’s no one more hardworking than me. Look at these rich people—how many of them work in the fields as often as I do?” Mudan turned over, sat up, and began dressing. “Isn’t Pan Rong going to redeem Maya today? I wonder if everything will go smoothly.”
Jiang Changyang put on the dark blue round-collared thin silk robe that Mudan had prepared for him the night before, fastened the rhinoceros leather belt, and bent down to pull on his boots. “As long as Madam Bai has agreed, there shouldn’t be any problems.” Maya was currently staying at Liu Chang’s tavern, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go redeem her personally. He had discussed it with Pan Rong, arranging for her to go instead. After Maya was redeemed, she would temporarily stay in Pan Rong’s separate courtyard, waiting to return with Madam Wang and the others.
Mudan smiled and said, “I haven’t hidden any of this from Ah Xin. But I’m worried that since Pan Rong and Maya used to be close, people might gossip and say unpleasant things to Ah Xin, which would reflect poorly on us. Why don’t we have Maya stay at your estate for a while?”
Jiang Changyang let out a “Hey” and said, “Say that again?”
Mudan realized her mistake and covered her mouth, giggling. “I misspoke. I meant to say she could stay at our estate near Fang Garden for a while.”
“That’s better. Don’t make that mistake again in the future,” Jiang Changyang said, stretching as he took the water Shu’er offered to wash his face. “It’s not convenient for the next few days. That person over there is still ill, and if I hide a songstress at the estate now, it’ll cause endless gossip. Let’s wait until this matter is settled before deciding. After we eat, let’s go over there for a while, and then visit the Chu State Marquis’s mansion.”
“All right,” Mudan agreed, putting on a light purple gauze robe over her clothes. She adjusted the purple jade hairpin in her hair and smoothed out her light green gold-embroidered silk skirt. She gestured for Shu’er to hand her the emerald ornament, which she carefully applied, then turned to Jiang Changyang with a charming smile. “How do I look?”
Jiang Changyang glanced at Shu’er and Kuan’er nearby and said economically, “Not bad.”
Mudan pouted at him, implying he was just putting on an act in front of the maids, then began praising him effusively: “This new robe of yours suits you.” Shu’er and Kuan’er smiled with pursed lips, while Jiang Changyang felt slightly uncomfortable. He coughed and turned to leave, saying, “I’ll go arrange some other matters first.”
Madam Lin came in from outside, just in time to meet them. She smiled, greeted them respectfully, and handed over a red lacquer box. “This was sent from Fengle Fang. They say a son was born last night, weighing eight jin. They’re having the third-day celebration tomorrow and invite the young mistress to attend.”
Fengle Fang referred to Qin Sanniang. Jiang Changyang took the box and opened it. Inside was a gold-inked invitation on a bright red background, looking very festive. However, it only invited Mudan, not mentioning him. This was normal social interaction between women, and he didn’t need to be involved. No matter how favored or capable Qin Sanniang was, she was still a concubine and had to mind her place. In this regard, Prince Jing had always been careful and proper.
Jiang Changyang put the invitation back in the box and asked Madam Lin to take it to Mudan. “Tell Dan’niang that the gift doesn’t need to be too expensive, but it should be thoughtful.”