He Zhizhong argued, “Liu Chengcai is different from his wife and children. He’s more interested in pleasure. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to our family’s proposal against his son’s wishes. With no risk involved, he’ll easily obtain a large sum of money and can marry his son to another well-matched family, forming a new prestigious connection. For him, it’s the most profitable deal he won’t pass up. I’ll find another opportunity and a suitable intermediary to save face for both families. Once his goal is achieved, he won’t pursue the matter further. As long as he agrees, Liu Chang will have to comply, and Qi Shi won’t be able to cause much trouble.”
He Dalang, furious, slammed his fist on the table. “How pathetic!”
He Erlang shook his head disapprovingly. “It won’t be settled so easily. There will be plenty of trouble in the future unless the intermediary far outranks Liu Chengcai in status. Moreover, what if he agrees in person but secretly sabotages the deal?”
He Zhizhong frowned. “What else can we do? We’ll take it one step at a time. If they push me too far, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.” He turned to Li Xing and asked, “Xingzhi, don’t you agree?”
Li Xing smiled and said, “I recall a story from years ago in Luoyang. A wealthy merchant named Wang Yuzhi presented Persian dates and golden platters to the Emperor, along with thirty thousand bolts of silk for military funds. The Emperor granted him two requests: first, bestowing upon him the sixth-rank title of Fengyi Lang; second, ordering Left Dragon Martial General Zhang Huan’s son to repay a loan of ten thousand strings of cash, which resulted in Zhang’s demotion.”
This incident caused quite a stir. Wang Yuzhi not only made generous offerings but also boldly boasted to the Emperor about his wealth, claiming he could hang silk on every tree in the Zhongnan Mountains and still have a surplus. Instead of using it for that purpose, he chose to contribute to the dynasty’s military. The Emperor, being magnanimous, didn’t rebuke Wang for showing off his wealth. Instead, he was delighted, viewing it as a sign of the nation’s prosperity and his own enlightened rule. Besides resolving Wang’s two requests, the Emperor bestowed additional rewards.
Li Xing wasn’t suggesting that the He family should boast of their wealth before the Emperor, as they weren’t comparable to Wang Yuzhi. However, the approach of presenting rare treasures and directly appealing to the Emperor was worth considering.
He Erlang worried, “But where can we find such precious items like golden platters? If we decide to do this, we should contact Hu merchants early to acquire some valuable treasures.”
He Dalang scoffed, “Why bother with such complications? If they’re truly so unreasonable, I’ll beat the drum of justice and fight them to the bitter end!”
He Zhizhong smiled faintly. “It hasn’t come to that yet. I’ve made my decision. In a few days, you two brothers will accompany me to see Liu Chengcai.”
As dusk fell, a muffled thunder rumbled outside. The wind carried the damp scent of rain through the windows and door cracks, causing the hanging gold-plated silver fragrance sachets to spin, their colorful silk cords tracing arcs in the air. The fresh plum fragrance dispersed, instantly clearing the stuffiness in the room.
Li Xing rose to open the window, peering at the heavy dark clouds above and the whitening horizon in the distance. “There will be a rainstorm tonight,” he remarked.
He Zhizhong said, “Let’s hurry and eat before the rain starts.” He instructed the two elder brothers, “Go check if Third Brother and the others have returned from the market.”
As Dalang and Erlang left together, Li Xing and He Zhizhong strolled along the corridor. Li Xing adjusted the silk cord on his jade pendant and whispered something into He Zhizhong’s ear.
He Zhizhong squinted at him for a moment, then smiled. “Aren’t you afraid of playing with fire?”
Li Xing chuckled. “How could I possibly escape now?”
He Zhizhong laughed. “In that case, feel free to choose anything from my warehouse.”
Li Xing shook his head. “I don’t want that.”
Surprised, He Zhizhong asked, “Then what do you want?”
Li Xing grinned mischievously and leaned in to whisper, “Nephew just wants to know if the Liu family agrees to compromise because we’ve shown humility, will Uncle truly swallow this bitter pill and suffer this silent loss?”
He Zhizhong sighed deeply. “As you’ve seen, Dalang is hot-tempered and rash, while Erlang is overly cautious and somewhat resentful of our initial oversight. The others are even less capable. With such a large family, what else can this old man do?”
Li Xing laughed heartily. “If Uncle truly thinks this way, I’ll say no more.”
He Zhizhong quickly dropped his pretense of sorrow and said seriously, “You’re sincere about this? It could be quite troublesome.”
Li Xing replied solemnly, “Of course I am.”
He Zhizhong smiled and beckoned him closer. “Come, let me whisper to you. This matter truly requires your involvement; no one else in our family can handle it.”
A deafening thunderclap tore through the pitch-black sky, followed by lightning that ripped open several jagged cracks. Large raindrops began to fall heavily, quickly forming a curtain of water along the eaves.
He Zhizhong and Li Xing stood beneath the soft glow of large red lanterns, admiring the flashing white light of the raindrops beyond the corridor, concluding their conversation.
At the second watch of the fifth hour, Mudan awoke to the sound of the morning drums and found herself unable to fall back asleep. It wasn’t due to unfamiliarity with the bed, but rather the multitude of thoughts and aspirations filling her mind, making her eager for daybreak.
She sat up, pushing aside the silver-plated folding screen adorned with flowers and birds in front of her bed. Peering out, she saw only darkness and silence, save for the low, steady breathing of Kuan’er sleeping on the couch by the window. Mudan felt a sense of peace, smiled softly, and closed the screen again, quietly waiting for dawn.
Although the city gates and ward gates had already opened, with officials heading to court and small eateries beginning operations in various wards, the East and West Markets would not open until the noon drum. No one in the He household needed to rush early, so they would sleep until the Chen hour, have breakfast, and then begin their day’s work and activities.
At the Chen hour, a light knock came from outside. Kuan’er startled awake, quickly got up from the couch, and quietly opened the door to receive hot water from the maidservant. She asked in a low voice, “Has the mistress risen?”
The maidservant smiled. “She has. She specifically instructed that Miss Mudan isn’t feeling well and should be allowed to sleep longer.”
Just then, Nanny Lin and Yuhe, already neatly dressed, arrived with clothes that had been fumigated the night before. They entered the room directly, intending to wake Mudan. As they pulled back the screen, they found Mudan already dressed in her undergarments, sitting in bed smiling at them.
Nanny Lin smiled with satisfaction. A woman who had returned home after separation naturally couldn’t behave as carefreely as before her marriage. Back then, oversleeping or eating whenever she pleased were trivial matters, with sisters-in-law at most complaining privately out of envy. Now it was different; being a burden to others, such inconsiderate behavior would only invite resentment.
Kuan’er quickly tidied up the couch and set up Mudan’s dressing table and mirror. After Mudan finished washing up, she sat on the couch as Yuhe began to do her hair. Yuhe suggested, “Shall we style your hair in a Wangxian bun today?”
Mudan shook her head. “No, that’s too high and complicated. Something simpler, please. I want to go to the market today to buy some flowers to bring home.” She also planned to observe the market trends and see what types and styles of peonies people preferred. In a couple of days, she would suggest to the family that they visit the Cao family garden to see the peonies.
Nanny Lin took the ivory comb from Yuhe and said, “Since you’re going out, let’s style your hair in a Huihu bun.”
Once Mudan was fully dressed, the He family’s bustling and busy day began.
Unlike the Liu family, the He household always dined together, discussing business arrangements and family matters openly at the table, except for confidential issues. One admirable aspect of the He family was that regardless of age or gender, everyone could freely express their opinions on any matter. As heads of the household, He Zhizhong and Madame Cen would consider everyone’s input before making final decisions. It could be said that the He family’s harmonious relationships and smooth sailing owed much to these morning and evening gatherings.
As He Zhizhong jokingly put it, even high-ranking officials dined together in public halls to discuss state affairs, so why shouldn’t the He family adopt a similar practice for their matters? The results were evident – by the end of each meal, all family affairs, big and small, were settled. Afterward, everyone attended to their duties efficiently and in an orderly manner.
In this atmosphere, Mudan’s request to visit the flower market was met with no objection. She received support from the entire family, who believed she should go out more often instead of brooding at home.
As Mudan followed her fifth sister-in-law Zhang Shi and sixth sister-in-law Sun Shi, attempting to mount a horse, and rode through the neatly planned cross streets of Xuanping Ward under the morning sun, listening to the clear clip-clop of hooves and breathing in the fresh post-rain air, her feelings were beyond words.
Heaven had truly blessed her. At just seventeen, she was young, healthy, and from a wealthy family. She had loving parents and brothers, possessed a talent for cultivating peonies, and didn’t have to worry about foot binding, being scolded for talking to men, being confined at home, or struggling to remarry after separation. Although many things were only vague impressions in her mind, seeing them in person repeatedly filled her with joy and amazement. The open-mindedness of both the He family and this era far exceeded her imagination. For instance, when she first saw the 50-zhang-wide Vermilion Bird Street, the impact reminded her that she was still quite naive, with little to boast about besides her peony cultivation skills.
How fortunate she was to have arrived in such an era – an unprecedented time of openness and prosperity, with envoys from all nations paying tribute. Women running households or even becoming wealthy entrepreneurs were not uncommon occurrences. Her colorful life was just beginning to unfold.