The felt-covered carriage moved slowly along the damp streets. The lush green locust trees along the roadside passed by the window, leaving only a blurry silhouette. Mudan took a deep breath of cool air, trying to smile calmly. “Is this what you wanted to talk about, Mother? You’re all overthinking it. Cousin has never promised me anything, and I’ve never said anything to him either. As for Aunt’s matchmaking intentions, let’s forget about it. I don’t want to marry right now. I just want to stay by your side and be filial.”
Madam Cen looked at Mudan with sympathy but pressed on, “If there was even the slightest chance, your father and I would always hope for you to have the best care and the best future. That way, even if we were to pass on, we’d be at peace. But how can we not worry in this situation? Their family and ours are ultimately on different paths. Being relatives is fine, but becoming in-laws is unlikely. From what your aunt implied, your cousin’s marriage will be decided by Prince Ning. Our family doesn’t even factor into the equation.”
Li Xing’s affection and consideration for Mudan were apparent to everyone. Initially, she and He Zhizhong had approved of Li Xing, thinking the pair was a perfect match. They had planned to have Li Xing formally propose after Mudan’s divorce was finalized. However, the Li family looked down on the He family’s social status, or perhaps they disapproved of Mudan’s frail health. Being helpful relatives was one thing, but accepting her as a daughter-in-law was quite another.
Although Madam Cui’s meaning today had been subtle, it was clear. Their family was willing to maintain a close relationship with the He family as relatives, supporting each other and benefiting mutually. They were also willing to help Mudan, but they didn’t want to become any closer. As a mother, Madam Cen felt angry and resentful, but after the lesson learned with the Liu family, she thought it best to nip Mudan’s hopes in the bud and maintain a good relationship as relatives only.
Mudan rested her head on Madam Cen’s shoulder, suppressing the sting in her eyes. “Don’t worry, Mother. I understand.” She wasn’t blind; she could see Li Xing’s goodness and understand his feelings. But she had long since passed the stage of daydreaming and had learned to analyze and accept things calmly.
She had been prepared since Li Manniang’s hint. The Li family was tied to Prince Ning, and marriage alliances were one of the best ways to expand influence. If Prince Ning valued Li Xing, he would undoubtedly arrange a marriage that benefited him most, with the feelings of those involved being the last consideration. Whether one accepted it or not, when the interests of the majority conflicted with those of the minority, it was always the minority that suffered.
She thought with a hint of self-mockery that perhaps she should be glad that she and Li Xing hadn’t reached that stage yet. If they had, even seeing things clearly wouldn’t have prevented the heartache.
Madam Cen gripped Mudan’s hand, finding it ice-cold. She asked warily, “Child, you’re not just saying this while secretly being stubborn again, are you? Don’t mind what others say or think. We’ll take our time looking, and we’ll surely find someone steady and ten times, a hundred times better.”
Mudan laughed. “Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t be stubborn anymore. Right now, the most important thing to me is our family’s happiness and peace, living our simple life well. There’s no need to compare ourselves to others or seek someone supposedly ten times better. As long as I feel he’s good, that’s enough.” Being looked down upon and despised indeed felt awful, but in life, while love was important, it wasn’t everything. No matter what, the sun would still rise, life would go on, and she would continue doing what needed to be done.
Hearing Mudan speak so insightfully and seeing no signs of tears, Madam Cen felt the weight on her heart lighten. She said approvingly, “It’s wonderful that you can think this way. Marriages are predestined; perhaps you and he simply weren’t meant to be.”
Mudan made a vague sound of agreement and then began recounting the events at the treasure exhibition to distract Madam Cen, eventually succeeding in cheering her up a bit.
He Zhizhong and Dalang rode behind the carriage, overhearing the entire conversation between mother and daughter. Their moods soured. Dalang felt the worst; he had been planning to find an appropriate time to remind Li Xing to propose, never imagining that the Li family had no such intention and was even wary of the He family having such thoughts. He had only considered that the Li family also had merchant origins, that they knew each other well, and wouldn’t believe the outside rumors. Moreover, his sister was truly wonderful and worthy of anyone. How could he have imagined she would be so despised and rejected? If the in-laws disapproved, no matter how much Li Xing liked Mudan, what good life could she have if she forced her way into the family?
He Zhizhong spoke with a neutral expression, “It’s fortunate you didn’t speak up. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for our families to associate in the future. Regardless, they have helped us greatly, and we can’t hold a grudge. Besides, this matter isn’t Xing’s fault. You should still treat him as a good brother and not show any ugliness.”
Dalang spoke with determination, “We must ensure that He Ru and He Hong study hard and progress, so they can support our family’s daughters in the future.”
He Zhizhong nodded, adding, “Just make sure they don’t become bookworms who know nothing else. It’s good to have multiple skills.”
The group entered the house somewhat dejectedly. Zhen Shi was the first to greet them with a bright smile. After exchanging pleasantries with He Zhizhong and Madam Cen, she asked Mudan, “Danniang, did you have fun today? I heard from the children that you finally got your revenge?”
Mudan smiled and nodded, “I suppose so.”
Zhen Shi’s keen eyes noticed the group’s poor mood and immediately connected it to their visit to the Li family earlier. Instead of following the others inside, she pulled aside Feng Daniang, who had accompanied the carriage, to inquire about the situation.
Feng Daniang, who had never been fond of Zhen Shi, refused to tell her anything. The more she refused, the more Zhen Shi was convinced it wasn’t good news. Without getting a clear answer, she had already concluded that the potential match between Mudan and Li Xing had ended before it began. Zhen Shi couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased, and she began to calculate silently. Her family had a younger brother, only a year older than Mudan, who was of marriageable age. It would be better to keep the wealth within the family, even if Mudan might fall ill in the future, considering her substantial dowry. Now that the external threat was gone, she had to act quickly before the other sisters-in-law had similar ideas.
The He family’s dinner that evening wasn’t particularly enjoyable. Thanks to Zhen Shi’s clever deductions, everyone knew that the Li family looked down on Mudan and refused to marry into the He family. The women were careful not to provoke Madam Cen, whose mood was extremely poor, while the men were all very displeased. The children, sensing the heavy atmosphere, were also very cautious. The usually lively dinner table was exceptionally quiet, with even the slightest clink of chopsticks against bowls sounding particularly jarring.
Mudan, disliking this atmosphere, pretended to be very curious and asked He Zhizhong, “Father, I’ve heard that Hu merchants have a custom of hiding pearls in their bodies. Is that true?”
He Zhizhong looked at Mudan approvingly, pleased with her growth. “Of course it’s true.” He began to recount some of the legends he knew. He was a good storyteller and soon had everyone gasping and exclaiming, temporarily forgetting about the matter with the Li family.
After dinner, everyone dispersed. Mudan returned to her room, lazily picking up a book to read while lying on the couch. After a while, she grew bored, tossed the book aside, and brought Shuanshuan into the room to play with. Lin Mama and Yuhe stood by cautiously, wanting to offer words of comfort but afraid of making Mudan more upset, so they just pretended to know nothing and tried to lighten the mood.
Seeing their cautious expressions, Mudan grew impatient and dismissed them, saying, “I’m going horseback riding outside the city with Aunt Li the day after tomorrow. Go help me choose something suitable to wear.”
Lin Mama was pleased to hear that she was willing to go out and have fun, but then realized she would be going with the Li family. She hesitated, “Is that appropriate?” People needed to save face, and with the Li family’s attitude, if Mudan still went around with Li Manniang as if nothing had happened, people might say unkind things, which would only hurt Mudan more.
Mudan raised an eyebrow, “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate? Aunt kindly invited me to go play, so why shouldn’t I go? What reason is there not to go? Surely people won’t say I only rush to them when I need help, and then disappear when I don’t?” The more she avoided going, the more it would seem like something was wrong. With all the rumors about her outside, if she dared to go out, why wouldn’t she dare to socialize over something so small?
Lin Mama wanted to say more, but Yuhe, being perceptive, quickly said, “You’re right, Miss. I’ll go prepare right away.”
Before the morning drum sounded, Liu Chang was already up. He paced anxiously around the room, impatiently pushing away the breakfast Yuer brought. “I told you I have no appetite. Why are you being so annoying?”
Yuer cautiously said, “Master, I’ve already arranged for someone to wait outside. As soon as Young Master Pan arrives, they’ll come to report immediately. You’re going out to meet guests, and who knows how long you’ll be waiting. Why don’t you eat something to line your stomach? It’ll help you stay energized when handling matters.”
Hearing this, Liu Chang gave her a mild glance and said, “Bring it over.” His tone had softened considerably.
Yuer glanced at the few carefully wrapped treasures Liu Chang had placed on the table and sighed softly. Could the young master use these few items to escape this marriage? It seemed unlikely. Remembering how Princess Qinghua had trampled Mudan in the street, she shuddered, silently praying to Buddha to bless the young master’s wishes. A cruel and powerful mistress would be a nightmare for all of them.
As the sun climbed higher, Liu Chang sent people out many times to inquire, but there was no news of Pan Rong’s arrival. He began to sweat with anxiety. He sent someone to the Marquis of Chu’s mansion to ask, only to learn that Pan Rong hadn’t returned home all night. The household was used to this and hadn’t gone looking for him, so no one knew where he had gone.
For such a thing to happen at this critical moment was truly terrifying. As Liu Chang watched the sun climb higher and higher, his heart grew colder by the inch, while sweat seeped out of his skin drop by drop. Suddenly, he jumped up, grabbed his belongings, and headed out.