A faint fragrance emanated from Jiang Yunqing’s body, becoming particularly noticeable whenever she spoke. This scent differed from the usual incense or perfumes. With a slight smile, Mudan asked, “Yunqing, what fragrance are you using? It smells quite pleasant.”
Jiang Yunqing’s face reddened slightly. “I’m not like you, sister-in-law. I don’t know much about fragrances…”
Just then, a maidservant behind her chuckled and said, “In response to the young mistress, we’re not sure how our lady suddenly acquired this scent…”
The maidservant wore a short jujube-red jacket paired with a long wheat-yellow skirt. Her hair was adorned with a faux rhinoceros horn comb, and she wore a pair of red gold earrings. Her skin was fair and clean, appearing to be a favored servant. Mudan glanced at her briefly before smiling and lowering her gaze to the teacup before her. A woman who wasn’t particularly beautiful suddenly developing a fragrant body scent would make for a good selling point.
Noticing Mudan’s expression, Jiang Yunqing’s eyebrows shot up as she turned to reprimand the servant in a low voice: “Silence! When did I permit you to speak?” She then turned back to Mudan and said sincerely, “Sister-in-law, I usually don’t know much about fragrances and just use whatever the household provides. This time, Grandmother said that since I’m getting older, I should pay more attention to such things.
She gave me two boxes of five-spice pills, saying they’re made from eleven ingredients: cardamom, cloves, patchouli, borneol, agarwood, angelica dahurica, cinnamon heart, cyperus, spikenard, angelica sinensis, and betel nut. She told me to keep them in my mouth and swallow the juice, saying that in five days my breath would be fragrant, in ten days my body would be fragrant, in fourteen days my clothes and bedding would be fragrant, in twenty-one days people downwind would smell the fragrance, in twenty-eight days the water I washed my hands with would be fragrant when it hit the ground, and after fifteen days everything I touched would become fragrant.”
She paused, carefully gauging Mudan’s expression before continuing, “It was Grandmother’s kind intention, after all, and the fragrance is quite nice. I only started using them the night after you left, and it hasn’t been five days yet, but the effects are already quite noticeable. Would you like to try them, sister-in-law?”
“Thank you, but I’m not accustomed to using mouth fragrances,” Mudan replied with a smile. This girl was clever. She immediately made it clear that everything was arranged by others and that she had no say in the matter. She even scolded the servant who tried to lie, showing that she was completely open with Mudan and Jiang Changyang. If they harbored any resentment towards the Duke’s household, she asked them not to direct it at her, a pitiful concubine-born daughter.
Feeling somewhat uneasy under Mudan’s gaze, Jiang Yunqing fidgeted with her skirt ties and said softly, “We came so suddenly without any notice. We must have caused a lot of trouble for you and my elder brother.”
“Not at all,” Mudan smiled and asked the servant who had shown signs of displeasure after being scolded by Jiang Yunqing, “This mama’s face is unfamiliar. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
Seeing that she was being addressed, the servant opened her mouth to speak, but Jiang Yunqing cut in first, saying coolly, “Her surname is Wu. She used to work in Grandmother’s quarters and was only recently given to me as a reward.” She then pointed to another servant who looked somewhat listless and younger, who had remained silent throughout, “Her surname is Niu. She was given to me by my mother and has been by my side for five years.”
The two servants then came forward to pay their respects to Mudan. Mudan instructed Kuan’er to take them for tea. Niu hesitated, but Wu pulled her sleeve and led her out. It was clear who held the upper hand. A Wu who had only been there for two days could already boss around Niu, who had been with Jiang Yunqing for five years and even tried to speak for Jiang Yunqing. Moreover, Mudan had never seen this Wu during her two visits to the Old Madam’s quarters, indicating that she wasn’t originally someone of importance… Mudan keenly discerned a message from this: the Duke’s household was no longer Madam Du’s domain. The Old Madam was now asserting her authority, while Madam Du had taken a step back.
After the two left, Jiang Yunqing visibly relaxed and looked at Mudan obediently, saying, “Elder brother has already spoken to me about some things. I know this is difficult for you both. I will be very obedient and do whatever my sister-in-law tells me to do. I won’t take a single extra step or say an unnecessary word, trying my best not to add to your troubles.”
Mudan spoke seriously, “It’s good that you understand. I can invite you to stay, but no one knows what the final decision of the Princess of Fen will be, nor can anyone guarantee it. You say you won’t wander about or speak out of turn, and I believe you. After all, if you miss this opportunity, there may be others in the future. But once your reputation is damaged, it’s not easily repaired…” She glanced at Jiang Yunqing, who seemed lost in thought, and softened her tone, “Of course, I don’t need to teach you these things.
You’re clever as ice and snow, and having grown up in a noble household, you understand even better than I do. I hope you can successfully achieve your wishes, but I also hope that if the worst should happen, you won’t resent us. That’s not an outcome your elder brother and I would want to see, and it would sadden us greatly. We wouldn’t waste our energy on future attempts.”
The underlying message was clear: don’t count on us next time. Mudan was laying out the harsh truth upfront. Jiang Yunqing, having grown up hearing plenty of pleasant words, whether genuine or not, understood that the truth isn’t always pleasant to hear. She immediately responded cheerfully, “I love sister-in-law’s straightforward nature. I’ll keep everything you’ve said in my heart. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.
Good fortune doesn’t come by chance, and there’s no one to blame.” Then, she casually and discreetly mentioned recent events in the Duke’s household: “I heard that after the Qixi Festival, they’ll go to the Xiao family to set a date. Our family will surely have double happiness this year. It’s just strange that even though the Xiao family doesn’t treat the elder brother well, why are they in such a hurry?” She had essentially sold out Madam Du completely for the sake of her marriage prospects. After all, a daughter’s situation differs from a son’s – as long as she could secure a good marriage, it would be her liberation. As for the future, without a good start, how could there be a future to speak of?
Mudan made a few perfunctory responses to Jiang Yunqing before heading to the study to find Jiang Changyang. “I never expected that she would dare to tell me all these things about the household when just the other day she wouldn’t even let us sit down. It seems the power dynamics in the Duke’s household have shifted completely. Madam Du’s recent display of grief doesn’t seem to have had much effect; it’s just a superficial balance.”
Was it the Xiao family’s doing? The reason seemed compelling. Had Xiao Yuexi gone mad? His sister hadn’t even married into the Zhu Duke’s household yet, and he was already stirring up trouble. Wasn’t he afraid the marriage would fall through? But Jiang Zhong had never sent anyone to speak to him about this. On the contrary, he was rushing to ally with the Xiao family. What did this mean? Whether the Old Madam believed it or not, he didn’t know, but Jiang Zhong certainly didn’t believe it. He was trying to have it both ways with the Du and Xiao families while also using Jiang Yunqing to find another option. Jiang Changyang abruptly closed the book in his hand and sneered, “They’ve all lost their minds.”
After all, they were his relatives, so Mudan refrained from commenting. Noticing that the grapes and plums in the nearby glass dish remained untouched, she washed her hands, peeled a grape, and offered it to him. “Eat one.”
Jiang Changyang, who disliked all sweet foods including fruit, immediately frowned. “I don’t want it.”
Mudan furrowed her brow as well. “Eating fruit is good for your health. What’s the point of just eating meat?” She tried to force the grape into his mouth. “Will you eat it or not? I’ve gone to the trouble of peeling it for you, and you dare refuse?”
When he had first told her he didn’t like sweet foods, she had thought it was a common trait among men. It was only later that she realized the extent of his aversion – he would only occasionally taste steamed pears and avoided all other fruits. She loved fruit, but in his presence, she found herself losing her appetite for it.
Jiang Changyang covered his mouth and turned away. “I won’t eat it. I said I don’t want it, so I don’t want it!”
Mudan pursued him with the grape. “You must eat it! If you don’t, you’ll face the consequences.”
Jiang Changyang hesitated for a moment before finally stopping and obediently opening his mouth. He swallowed the grape whole as if it were poison. Mudan pressed on, “Eat a bit more. You don’t have to eat anything else, but you must eat fruit.”
Jiang Changyang frowned. “You can’t use this to threaten me.”
Mudan smiled slyly. “How am I threatening you? Have I threatened you?”
She hadn’t threatened him directly, but she would say she was tired or sleepy. Jiang Changyang glared at her resentfully. “I’ll only eat five. Not a single one more.”
Mudan clapped her hands. “Alright! Five today, six tomorrow. Or if you find these too sweet, we can try another kind?”
“He’s not a child! Just order him to eat! He’s always had this annoying habit since he was young, refusing to eat except when he’s starving,” said Madam Wang, wearing a light purple gauze robe. She stood regally at the door, pretending to knock. “Am I interrupting?”
It was unclear how much of their playful banter she had overheard. Jiang Changyang’s face reddened slightly, but Mudan jumped up and circled Madam Wang, who was putting on airs. Pointing at the fist-sized, fully bloomed lotus flower made of amethyst on her head, Mudan exclaimed in surprise, “How beautiful! Did Father-in-law give it to you?”
Madam Wang smiled proudly. “Beautiful, isn’t it? He gave me the clothes too.” She then turned a full circle in front of them. Mudan gave Jiang Changyang a meaningful look, and he immediately understood, showering Madam Wang with praise. Amid the chorus of compliments and Madam Wang’s delight, the earlier awkwardness was forgotten.
Not seeing Fang Bohui with Madam Wang, Jiang Changyang inquired about him. Madam Wang replied nonchalantly, “He’s with that Yuan Shijiu of your household, talking to him.” She then asked about Jiang Yunqing, “I heard she shamelessly sent someone over?”
Jiang Changyang lowered his voice and recounted the recent events in the Duke’s household. Madam Wang laughed heartily, “She’s just a young girl. It wouldn’t hurt to give her a hand. What a mess! But they deserve it! They’ve already eaten the meat, so a little more hanging won’t matter. Have you heard the story of cutting flesh to eat flesh? I’ll tell you, but Danniang, don’t think that if I fall ill in the future, I’ll want to eat your flesh.”
“You’re being too harsh, Ayou!” Fang Bohui, dressed in a blue robe, entered slowly, looking somewhat reproachfully at Madam Wang. This talk would inevitably touch upon Jiang Changyang’s father and grandmother. How could it be appropriate to discuss such matters in front of him and Mudan?
Madam Wang smiled silently, turning her head away and changing the subject. “They say the hairpin you gave me is nice. Danniang particularly likes it and wonders if you have any more?”
Fang Bohui laughed. “Where would I find another? It took years of effort to acquire just this one. If you want one, ask Dalang for it.”