Madam Qi had been in a foul mood lately. She never imagined that the sickly girl from the He family, who had been under her nose for three full years, would turn out to be so ungrateful. Seeing her husband beaten without batting an eye and leaving without looking back filled her with a mixture of hatred, anger, shame, and pain. Although in her rage she had despised that ill-fated girl and wished she’d never return, she now felt some regret.
Part of her fear was that the He family might use that incident to threaten them, but another reason was that the position of the He family’s daughter-in-law couldn’t remain vacant at this crucial time. It would allow others to take advantage. So she fully agreed with Liu Chengcai’s strategy of “dragging things out.” Who was afraid of whom? She already had grandchildren and could have more. They could drag things out until Mudan was past her prime, then kick her out. Liu Chang would still be a handsome young man, and with their family background, they could still marry a daughter from a good family.
But events unfolded unexpectedly. The day after Mudan left, Princess Qinghua made her move, entering their house under the pretext of visiting her but intercepting Liu Chang. Liu Chang should have just placated her and stalled, but instead, he argued with Princess Qinghua, nearly causing her to tear the house apart in anger.
Fearing a major incident, Madam Qi tried to intervene but was pushed away by Princess Qinghua, hurting her old back. She couldn’t stop the princess, who left in a rage after uttering some harsh words. The memory of the princess’s expression and words left Madam Qi deeply unsettled, her eyelids twitching with a sense of impending disaster.
Liu Chang, however, was unconcerned. He left, returning in the evening reeking of alcohol, his face frightfully grim, causing his concubines to wail. Disturbed by this, Madam Qi summoned Xi Xia to inquire and learned that Liu Chang had nearly drawn swords with someone… all because of that shameless Mudan!
When Liu Chengcai finally returned home, she desperately grabbed his sleeve: “My lord! How are we supposed to live like this? This Mudan has turned our household upside down. I don’t care what you do, but you must sort this out immediately!”
Liu Chengcai, exhausted from the heat and hungry from missing lunch due to official business, found his no-longer-young wife’s tantrum irritating. Fearing her wrath, he restrained himself and said patiently, “I’m dying of heat! At least let me change out of my official robes first. And bring me something to eat from the kitchen!”
Nian Ci’er quickly offered a gauze robe to help Liu Chengcai change, while Nian Nu’er said, “Madam had the kitchen prepare a cold meal for you, my lord. It’s being kept cool in the ice pool. I’ll fetch it right away.”
Seeing him drenched in sweat, Madam Qi asked with uncharacteristic kindness, “There’s freshly brewed Mengding Shihua tea. Would you like some?”
“Of course! Bring me a large cup!” Liu Chengcai changed into the light, cool gauze robe and reclined contentedly on the chaise lounge, raising his foot for Nian Ci’er to remove his boots. His feet had swollen from the heat, and he disliked wearing large boots, making them harder to remove than usual. Nian Ci’er, anxious and sweating, feared hurting him and spending too much time in his presence, lest it arouse Madam Qi’s suspicions.
Liu Chengcai, initially irritated and ready to scold, looked up to see the fine beads of sweat on Nian Ci’er’s cheeks, like dewdrops on flower petals, along with her rosy, full lips, snow-white neck, and jade-green bodice. Suddenly, it was as if a cool breeze had swept through the sweltering summer day, dispelling all his irritation. Without a word, he kept his leg raised, deliberately making it difficult for her to remove the boot.
Nian Ci’er, experienced in such matters, quickly realized the lord was intentionally making things difficult. She nervously glanced at him through her lashes, seeing his inscrutable expression as he watched her obliquely. Terrified, she broke out in a cold sweat and involuntarily called out trembling, “Madam…”
Greatly disappointed, Liu Chengcai raised his foot and kicked Nian Ci’er squarely in the chest, scolding, “You useless idiot! Can’t even remove a boot properly! You’re attentive enough when serving your mistress, am I, not your master as well?”
Nian Ci’er, knocked to the ground, quickly got up and kowtowed, holding back tears without daring to make a sound. Offending the lord meant enduring his anger, but offending the madam could cost her life.
Madam Qi arrived with the tea, saw the scene, and laughed coldly. She slammed the teacup down on the table next to Liu Chengcai, splashing the scalding tea and causing him to jump up, howling in pain. Ignoring him, she coldly dismissed Nian Ci’er, then spat in Liu Chengcai’s face, gritting her teeth in hatred: “You shameless old fool! You cause trouble and leave your wife and children to bear the consequences. Things have barely improved, and you’re already harboring those filthy thoughts again! Disaster is about to strike, and you’d better figure out how to handle it! You’ll be the end of the Liu family line!”
Liu Chengcai’s anger rose, but he managed to swallow it down with great effort. Wiping the spit from his face with his sleeve, he stamped his foot and asked, “What’s happened now?”
Having vented her anger, Madam Qi recounted the day’s events, concluding, “If you don’t come up with a good solution soon, either that sickly girl will cause our son to commit murder, or that bitch will end the Liu family line!”
Liu Chengcai already had a plan in mind but deliberately provoked her: “Given the situation, what do you propose we do?” He thought to himself, the He family was determined. Did she expect him to go and forcibly bring that sickly girl back? As long as the He family was willing to hand over that item and not demand repayment, all would be well. He didn’t believe the He family would dare to go against a third-rank official like himself in the future! As for the princess, didn’t Liu Chang like her? The princess was favored, even more so than some actual princesses. If she truly wanted to marry Liu Chang, it wouldn’t be a big deal. She could still bear children, so how could the family line end?
Hearing this, Madam Qi’s beautiful eyes widened instantly. She stepped forward and grabbed Liu Chengcai’s ear: “Are you even a man? Why did I marry you? You ask what I want to do. Fine, let’s go right now and clarify everything in front of our son…”
Liu Chengcai winced in pain and, noticing a shadow pass behind the curtain, became even more irritated. He pried Madam Qi’s hand off and flung it away, saying angrily, “Women’s foolishness! How can you be so dramatic? The He family is just a merchant household. Even if they have some money and know a few influential people, what does that amount to? How can they compare to our family of three generations of officials? If they obediently submit, I’ll let it go! But if they want to challenge me… I’ll teach them a lesson! Stop constantly mentioning that whore; be careful what you say! If she wants to enter this household, can you and I stop her? You’re just afraid her high status will diminish your authority as a mother-in-law!”
Madam Qi’s face alternated between red and white at his words, but she wasn’t ready to give up. As she was about to bring up past events, Liu Chengcai had already left without looking back. Seeing him leave so decisively, she became anxious but couldn’t bring herself to send someone to check on his whereabouts. It wasn’t until Mama Zhu, who was watching Liu Chang in his courtyard, sent word that Liu Chengcai had gone there that she finally relaxed. When Nian Ci’er came to attend to her, she found everything about her irritating and considered sending her away.
As she was deliberating, someone announced, “The Madame’s sister-in-law has arrived.” It was her brother’s wife, Madam Pei, coming to visit. Madam Qi, already irritated, grumbled, “It’s almost dark, what is she doing here at this hour?” But she couldn’t refuse to see her, so she had Nian Ci’er help her with her clothes and hair before reluctantly going out to greet her.
Madam Pei, young at only thirty-six or thirty-seven, wore a gold-inlaid jade dragonfly hairpin, a five-colored printed eight-panel gauze skirt, a sky-blue gold-embossed shawl, and a pair of gold-threaded lily shoes. She entered with a radiant smile, saying, “Sister, I meant to come over a few days ago, but I was too busy. Today I finally had some free time, so I rushed over to see you.”
Madam Qi listlessly invited her to sit, first inquiring about her family before asking about the purpose of her visit.
Seeing Madam Qi’s obvious displeasure, Madam Pei didn’t rush to state her business. Instead, she asked with concern, “Is it the heat making you uncomfortable? Don’t worry too much. Don’t spoil your son and daughter-in-law too much.”
This mention only further irritated Madam Qi, who snorted, “Don’t mention them! It makes my blood boil just thinking about it!”
Madam Pei feigned surprise: “What’s happened? Who’s upset you? Tell me, and I’ll help you get even!” The commotion of the He family moving their belongings from the Liu residence had already spread from the neighborhood to the government offices, and she was well aware of it. But for the matter she came to discuss today, she needed to pretend ignorance and draw out Madam Qi’s words.
Madam Qi, still trembling with anger, recounted the events: “That He family is truly uncouth, a household full of arrogant, ill-mannered people…”
Madam Pei listened quietly until she finished, then said, “I heard from Second Sister that the one who fought with Zishu that day was the one who performed the horse dance. Wasn’t he some relative of the He family?”
Madam Qi spat hatefully, “Indeed! He’s that sickly short-lived girl’s distant cousin, the son of Ning Wang’s Chief Historian who gave up being an official to become a merchant! Li Xingzhi! Born without a brain, he was easily provoked by that sickly girl and raised his hand! Today he nearly drew his sword again. Heaven help them if they fall into my hands!”
Madam Pei indulged her ranting for a while before casually mentioning, “I heard from my eldest son that on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is also the Empress’s birthday, the Ning Wang’s mansion will present two dancing horses to congratulate Her Majesty. They will perform in front of the Qinzheng Tower. Have you and your brother-in-law heard about this?”
Madam Qi was taken aback. The Empress had two princes; the eldest had been named Crown Prince but had passed away just over two years ago. The Empress was grief-stricken, and the Emperor had ordered performances from all over the country on this occasion to help her overcome her sorrow. It had been over two years since the Crown Prince’s death, and there were many wise and talented adult princes, yet a new Crown Prince had not been appointed, showing the depth of the Emperor’s favor. And this Ning Wang happened to be the Empress’s youngest son.
Realizing this, she slammed the table and cursed, “No wonder Li Xingzhi is so fearless! No wonder the He family is so arrogant! They’ve found powerful backing!”
Madam Pei lowered her head silently. The Li family had been serving as the Ning Wang’s Chief Historian for quite some time. How was she only realizing this now? Had she become foolish from living too comfortably?
After pondering for a moment, Madam Qi suddenly laughed, “I’m not afraid of him!”