Mudan sat properly, her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought. She was primarily worried about the outcome of Jiang Changyang’s summons to the palace. Secondly, she was concerned about Qin Sanniang’s third-day celebration the following day. It was impossible to visit Lady Bai at the Chuzhou Marquis’s mansion today for advice, so she had to carefully consider what gift would be most appropriate.
The old madam observed Mudan sitting properly, her posture impeccable and her demeanor calm and composed. This should have pleased her, but due to her preconceived notions, she found it irritating. She decided to challenge Mudan: “Danniang! Come here and play Go with me.”
Lin Mama was delighted. The old woman surely wanted to give Mudan a hard time, assuming she knew nothing. Now she’d see what Mudan was capable of. Lin Mama was always confident in Mudan’s abilities, believing she could excel at anything. She secretly signaled to Mudan to let the old madam win to please her, as long as she didn’t lose too badly.
Mudan rose, washed her hands, bowed, and sat in Jiang Changyi’s former seat with perfect posture. She first arranged the board, carefully wiped it with a white cloth handed by Hong’er, and then asked the old madam to grab white stones to decide who would play first. Mudan held a single black stone, indicating that if the white stones were odd, she would play black; if even, she would play white.
Her impeccable etiquette was not something acquired overnight. The old madam’s expression gradually became serious, setting aside some of her earlier contempt. Mudan played black, the old madam white. Black moved first, and they began their silent battle. The old madam was determined to defeat Mudan, while Mudan ignored Lin Mama’s hint, playing naturally. Victory would be pleasant, but defeat would also be acceptable.
Jiang Changyi watched from the side, sighing inwardly. The old madam was too aggressive, only attacking without defending, while Mudan was much more steady, balancing attack and defense. Most importantly, the old madam was impatient, while Mudan remained calm. Being able to maintain such composure after recent events meant the old madam had already lost in a sense. Now it was a question of how this young sister-in-law would end the game, giving Jiang Changyi a chance to understand her character.
With a soft “pat,” Mudan placed her final stone. The old madam’s face turned ashen. She had lost, but she knew Mudan had deliberately played for a draw to avoid embarrassing her.
Jiang Changyi looked surprised at Mudan, who was now formally bowing to the old madam. He laughed dryly, “It’s a draw.” He hadn’t expected Mudan to end the game this way. Shouldn’t the weaker party show submission?
Jiang Yunqing entered, smiling, “Grandmother must have let sister-in-law win out of consideration for her feelings.”
The old madam’s expression was complex. She wanted to say she hadn’t let Mudan win but couldn’t bring herself to do so. She also couldn’t agree with Jiang Yunqing’s statement, as it would be too shameless. She remained silent for a long while before saying, “I was distracted, worrying about your father and elder brother.”
Jiang Yunqing and Jiang Changyi, knowing her temperament best, realized she had been easily deflated by Mudan but couldn’t articulate it. Suppressing their amusement to avoid awkwardness, they changed the subject: “Father ordered Yan Biao to be confined. What will happen to him?”
The old madam replied coldly, “Such people should first be punished according to family rules, then expelled. Otherwise, everyone will follow his example, and there will be no discipline left.”
Mudan rose to put away the Go set, sitting aside to carefully wipe the board with a white cloth. She neither listened to nor participated in their conversation. She merely smiled faintly when she received Lin Mama’s reproachful look. Precisely because she was in an absolutely weak position, and winning at Go wouldn’t earn her any favor, she couldn’t afford to lose. She couldn’t allow people to look down on her even more. She chose a draw to convey her attitude to the old madam: she could avoid conflict but hoped for peace.
Suddenly, the old madam said, “Danniang, you haven’t said a word. What are you thinking about? Is there nothing you can say to us?”
Mudan turned slightly and spoke softly, “Your granddaughter-in-law is worried about Dalang, and there’s another matter on my mind.”
Lin Mama immediately guessed she was referring to the gift for Qin Sanniang and signaled for her to say nothing. However, Mudan had already decided how to handle this. The old madam was testing her, and she was also testing the old madam. After all, they would have to interact frequently in the future. She didn’t seek to win anyone’s favor, but it would be better if they could avoid constant confrontation and maintain a semblance of courtesy. She didn’t want every interaction to be like a battle, as it was exhausting.
The old madam raised an eyebrow, “Oh? What else is on your mind?” She was sure Mudan would try to gain some advantage and wanted to see what she would say.
Mudan replied, “Your granddaughter-in-law has an old friend who recently had a child. Tomorrow is the third-day celebration, and I’ve been invited for drinks. She doesn’t lack money or rare items, so I’m at a loss as to what gift would be most thoughtful. Grandmother, with your age and experience, if it’s convenient, could you please advise me?”
The old madam’s ears picked up on two key points: the person doesn’t lack money or rare items. This suggested someone of importance, and Mudan’s attitude showed she valued this person highly. The old madam was curious about the person’s identity but felt it would be beneath her to ask Mudan directly. She coughed lightly and said, “Since you’re asking me, I’ll say a few words. It’s up to you whether to listen or not.”
Lin Mama inwardly cursed at how the old madam managed to make even a simple statement sound unpleasant. However, the old madam continued slowly, “For such people, sincerity is valued more than monetary worth. But it should still be presentable and save face. ‘A gentleman is as refined as jade.’ If you carefully select a jade piece with an auspicious meaning, ensuring it’s of the highest quality, and pair it with some needlework you’ve done yourself, that should suffice. The meaning, however, depends on what the host values.”
An auspicious jade piece would be easy to choose, but given Qin Sanniang’s delicate status, extreme care was needed. Mudan thought that Qin Sanniang likely didn’t expect much now, only wishing for her child’s safety and prosperity. Mudan said, “I have a jade screen at home with a ‘Many Blessings in the Clouds’ design. Would that be suitable?”
The old madam was silent for a moment, then said with a stern face, “Isn’t that too common?” She seemed dissatisfied as if the gift were for her guest or herself.
Mudan smiled slightly, “Then there’s also a ‘Wealth, Honor, and Peace’ piece. Although it’s a bit cliché, the craftsmanship is exquisite. The vase part is a natural cyan color, and the peony flower has a slight tinge of color. Thank you for your guidance, Grandmother.” This was her initial thought, but knowing the old madam would find fault, she had deliberately mentioned the ‘Many Blessings in the Clouds’ first.
The old madam, however, inferred another layer of information from Mudan’s words: her family was wealthy and didn’t lack fine things. This made her feel uncomfortable again, so she stopped paying attention to Mudan. She said she was tired and wanted to rest, then complained of being hot and asked for someone to fan her. When Red’er and the other maids did so, she said seeing them irritated her and sent them all away. Jiang Yunqing offered to fan her, but Mudan inwardly smiled bitterly, knowing the old woman wanted her to do it. She volunteered, “If Grandmother doesn’t mind, I can do it.”
The old madam remained silent, indicating that was indeed what she wanted.
Jiang Changyi and Jiang Yunqing both smiled at Mudan. Jiang Yunqing whispered to her, “Grandmother wants your company. She doesn’t allow people she dislikes in her presence.”
Mudan just smiled, determined not to cause any more trouble for Jiang Changyang. She had fanned for He Zhizhong and Madam Cen before, so doing so for the old madam wasn’t an issue. Although the old madam was quite detestable, and Jiang Changyang’s involvement was partly due to her feigned illness, she eventually came around. In dealing with people, one shouldn’t seek perfection in everything but rather aim to have a clear conscience.
The old madam, thinking about recent events, felt restless and couldn’t sleep. She kept creating problems: deliberately kicking off her blanket to see if Mudan would cover her, pretending to drop something for Mudan to pick up, asking for water, complaining of being cold then hot, and even spilling water on Mudan’s new clothes.
Lin Mama was furious, cursing the old woman inwardly. Mudan treated her like a hyperactive old child: covering her with the blanket was no problem; picking things up was a chance to stretch; fetching water allowed her to rest her hand and get some fresh air. She just needed to respond to each situation, while the old madam was the one exerting herself and having to think of new tricks. Mudan thought that later, Jiang Changyang could massage her arms, and this thought made her feel better.
After all her antics, the old madam finally grew tired. Before sleeping, she said drowsily to Mudan, “I’m afraid of heat. Keep fanning me, and if your right-hand gets tired, switch to your left…”
Old witch! This was just to torment people. Lin Mama wanted to bite her twice to vent her anger.
Mudan smiled without agreeing or disagreeing. As soon as the old madam started snoring, she put down the fan.
As time passed without any news from outside, Mudan began to worry. She didn’t know what had happened to Jiang Changyang or what fate awaited him. The old madam suddenly opened her eyes and immediately noticed no one was fanning her. Looking around, she saw Mudan standing by the window, staring outside with a troubled expression.
Hmph, another pretender. She stopped fanning as soon as I fell asleep, the old madam thought. She coughed loudly, intending to expose Mudan’s facade of obedience. Mudan turned back calmly to look at her, approaching to support her. “Grandmother, you’re awake?”
The old madam said coldly, “Why did you deceive me? If you couldn’t do it, you shouldn’t have agreed. I wouldn’t have done anything to you. What I hate most are two-faced people.”