Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Jiang Yunqing pick up the ant. A glimmer of joy appeared in Young Master Si’s eyes as he kept watching Jiang Yunqing intently.
Jiang Yunqing held the ant stiffly, unsure of what to do next. She looked around helplessly. After waiting for a moment and seeing that she wasn’t moving, Young Master Si opened his hand in front of her again. Jiang Yunqing quickly placed the ant back in his palm. He then carefully carried the ant outside, released it, and walked away without a word.
Although Young Master Si’s stay was brief and he didn’t speak, everyone could see that he liked Jiang Yunqing. Whether he saw her as a playmate or something else, his unusual attention towards her was evident. This was quite remarkable.
The Princess Consort of Fen looked at the bewildered Jiang Yunqing and sighed softly. She secretly ordered her people to prepare gifts for a future visit to Duke Zhu’s mansion. Soon after, Jiang Yunqing finished cleaning up and changed into her spare clothes. She quietly asked Mudan, “Sister-in-law, have you finished your business here? I’d like to go home.”
Mudan bid farewell to the Princess Consort: “Thank you for your generous hospitality… We’ll be leaving now.”
The Princess Consort didn’t try to keep them longer. She apologized to Jiang Yunqing once more, asking her not to dwell on today’s incident. Jiang Yunqing shook her head slightly without saying much.
As they were speaking, Madam Chen arrived with servants carrying two sets of luxurious dresses. She smiled, “This is for Qing’er to wear…” But seeing that Jiang Yunqing had already changed and that they were saying goodbye, she felt reluctant to let them leave. She desperately hoped Jiang Yunqing would stay longer, wondering what surprising thing Young Master Si might do next. She wanted to ask them to stay but knew it wouldn’t be proper. Instead, she took off a finely carved sandalwood Buddhist prayer bead bracelet from her wrist, intending to give it to Jiang Yunqing.
Jiang Yunqing firmly refused, her face flushing with embarrassment. Mudan intervened, “Please take it back, Madam. If she doesn’t want it, let it be.”
The Princess Consort signaled to Madam Chen with her eyes, indicating that they shouldn’t rush things. Madam Chen had no choice but to take back the gift and personally escort Mudan and Jiang Yunqing out. On the way, they passed the mud-covered Fifteenth Young Master still kneeling in the corridor. Madam Chen irritably gave him a light tap, scolding, “You naughty boy, you’re getting more and more unruly. I’ll have your mother give you a beating. Hurry up and apologize to our guests!”
The Fifteenth Young Master lazily bowed to Jiang Yunqing and said, “I’m sorry, I was wrong! Please don’t be an angry, honored guest.”
Jiang Yunqing kept a straight face and ignored him, showing her strong character. The Fifteenth Young Master pouted and dejectedly knelt back down, secretly turning his head to look at Jiang Yunqing again.
Madam Chen watched the two of them get into the carriage and said reluctantly, “Do come and visit us often in the future.”
Jiang Yunqing nodded silently. As soon as the carriage curtain was lowered, she leaned against Mudan’s shoulder, biting her lip as tears fell one by one. Mudan knew she had been holding back these tears for a long time. She handed her a handkerchief and gently patted her back, gesturing towards the outside of the carriage to remind her not to let the driver from the Prince of Fen’s mansion hear.
After crying silently for a while, Jiang Yunqing wiped her tears and sat up straight, staring blankly at the golden phoenix-patterned brocade curtains of the carriage.
Mudan said softly, “You’ve done well, holding it in until now.”
Jiang Yunqing shook her head lightly: “Those who have no one to care for them have no right to cry.” She dared to cry in front of Mudan because she knew Mudan wouldn’t mock her or pretend to sympathize while secretly laughing at her.
Mudan felt a pang in her heart hearing this. Looking back at Jiang Yunqing, she saw confusion in her eyes. Jiang Yunqing already understood the attitudes of Princess Consort and Madam Chen today, but this wasn’t the kind of marriage she had dreamed of.
Soon, the carriage arrived at Duke Zhu’s mansion. Mudan asked the driver from the Prince of Fen’s mansion to wait a moment as she escorted Jiang Yunqing inside. Jiang Yunqing had left with her but returned home in different clothes, so Mudan needed to explain the situation.
As soon as they entered the middle gate, Hong’er came to greet them, smiling and bowing to Mudan. She said, “The Old Madam is waiting.” Then, sharp-eyed, she noticed Jiang Yunqing’s change of clothes and looked questioningly at Old Woman Wu.
Old Woman Wu didn’t dare speak, only blinking her eyes. Hong’er seemed to think of something, and her expression became strange as she looked at Mudan and Jiang Yunqing, but she didn’t dare ask more and simply led them forward.
Jiang Yunqing had regained her composure and sensed that the atmosphere in the mansion was different. She asked, “Why are there so many more people in the house today?”
Hong’er smiled and replied, “The Madam has recovered and returned home.”
There had been no prior notice of this. Jiang Yunqing was stunned. Madam Du had been away recuperating for some time and had never mentioned returning. The Old Madam had sent people to check on her several times, always hearing that her condition wasn’t improving. How could she suddenly return without any warning? Thinking that from now on, she would have another authority figure above her in addition to the Old Madam, the weight on her heart grew heavier.
As the two approached the Old Madam’s door, they indeed heard Madam Du speaking calmly and gently inside: “It’s strange, I had this dream, and when I woke up, I felt light all over. My illness was mostly gone.”
One wonders what kind of dream Madam Du had that could cure her illness. Jiang Changyi was to be married in a few days, and most of the preparations were already complete. By appearing at this time, was she planning to avoid responsibility while still asserting her position as the lady of the Duke’s mansion? Mudan smiled slightly and stepped steadily into the room. She saw the Old Madam, Madam Du, Gao Duanshu, and Gao Duanshu’s mother all sitting in the room, each with a smile on their face, though the meanings behind their smiles differed. The only similarity was their reaction when Mudan and Jiang Yunqing entered – they were all eager to know the outcome of today’s visit to the Prince of Fen’s mansion.
Before Mudan and Jiang Yunqing could greet everyone, the Old Madam’s sharp eyes noticed that Jiang Yunqing had changed her clothes. Her expression became unclear and severe as she glared at Jiang Yunqing and Mudan, though she refrained from lashing out immediately in front of the Gao mother and daughter. After Mudan and Jiang Yunqing had greeted everyone and taken their seats, she finally asked, “Did you have a good time today?”
Jiang Yunqing replied flatly, “Yes,” and said nothing more.
The Gao mother and daughter tactfully stood up to take their leave. As soon as they were out of earshot, the Old Madam exploded: “Why did you change your clothes?”
Madam Du smiled maliciously: “Old Madam, don’t be hasty. Yunqing has always been timid, don’t frighten her or she won’t be able to explain clearly. Yunqing, Dan’er, tell us properly, what happened?”
Jiang Yunqing said flatly, “They got dirty.”
Mudan quickly explained, “The Fifteenth Young Master of the Prince of Fen’s mansion was unhappy with Yunqing because of the previous incident. He threw mud at her, soiling her clothes, so she had to change.”
Hearing this, the Old Madam deflated like a punctured balloon. This meant that the people at the Prince of Fen’s mansion didn’t favor Jiang Yunqing. All their efforts had been wasted, and they had only sent her there to be humiliated. She was furious and looked at Jiang Yunqing with increasing displeasure. Not only was she useless, but she also brought shame and trouble to the family.
However, Madam Du slowly asked, “So the Prince of Fen’s mansion just let it go like that?”
Mudan replied, “They apologized. When we left, the Fifteenth Young Master was still kneeling in the corridor.” Seeing the Old Madam’s expression of apparent animosity towards Jiang Yunqing, she added emphatically, “The Prince of Fen’s carriage brought us back. The carriage is still waiting outside, and it wouldn’t be right to keep them waiting too long. I should go now.”
The Old Madam’s eyes lit up. “The Prince of Fen’s carriage brought you back? Whose carriage was it?”
Jiang Yunqing said calmly, “It was the Princess Consort’s carriage. Not only did they bring us back, but they also picked up Sister-in-law on the way there.”
The Old Madam was puzzled but then guessed it was because of Madam Wang that the Princess Consort was deliberately giving face to Mudan. She showed a disapproving expression: “Dan’er, you don’t know how to behave. You have your carriage, why trouble the Princess Consort? Be careful, people might say you’re presumptuous.”
Madam Du, however, remained silent as she looked at Mudan. She already knew about Mudan’s near-accident with the mad bull on the street and the conflict between Jiang Changyang and the Prince of Min. This was one of the reasons for her good mood. But the Princess Consort’s gesture seemed to have a deeper meaning, at least indicating that she was willing to protect Mudan. Was the relationship between Wang Ayou and the Princess Consort that close, or was there another reason?
Seeing the Old Madam speaking harshly, Jiang Yunqing said, “Sister-in-law’s carriage at home was broken, and she’s with child. She was frightened that day, and her brother originally wouldn’t let her go out. That’s why the Princess Consort sent a carriage to pick her up.”
The room fell silent. Both Madam Du and the Old Madam were shocked. Wasn’t it said that Mudan couldn’t have children? How did she suddenly become pregnant without anyone knowing? They even looked suspiciously at Mudan’s belly, wondering if she was playing some trick again.
“When did this happen? How long has it been?” the Old Madam asked first.
Madam Du clutched her handkerchief tightly, frowning as she stared at Mudan. The first grandson of the main family was about to be born.
Mudan smiled slightly: “It was only diagnosed after the fright a few days ago. It probably happened around the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
The Old Madam observed Mudan’s expression, seeing that it didn’t seem to be fabricated. She silently calculated – it was now the 16th day of the 10th month, which meant it had been nearly two months. How could a woman, especially one who had been married before, not know anything? It was deliberate concealment! Feeling displeased, she spoke harshly: “You’ve been so careless, not even knowing what’s going on with your own body? And still going out everywhere. It’s fortunate nothing happened that day, otherwise, wouldn’t you have committed a grave mistake?”
Mudan smiled gracefully: “You’re right, Old Madam. Your daughter-in-law will take her leave now, and I’ll certainly be more careful in the future. I won’t go out carelessly anymore.” With that, she bowed and excused herself.
Lin Mama hurriedly came forward to support her steadily: “Please walk slowly, Madam.” As they reached the door, Mudan could still feel Madam Du’s fiery gaze on her back. She had calculated this – in a few days, it would be Jiang Changyi’s wedding day. She would have to reveal her pregnancy then anyway, so it was better to mention it a few days in advance. This way, she could reasonably take it easy during the festivities.