An overnight downpour had made the already murky river, which had been widened recently, even more turbid. As a result, Fang Garden received two groups of visitors in a single day.
The first group, surprisingly, was a steward surnamed Deng from Prince Ning’s estate. When he arrived, Fifth Young Master happened to be overseeing the work, so Mudan had to receive him personally.
Steward Deng was momentarily stunned upon seeing Mudan. However, he quickly suppressed his surprise and adopted the typical demeanor of stewards from wealthy households when dealing with common folk. With a haughty expression, nose in the air, and hands tucked into his sleeves, he ignored the tea offered by Tao. Casting a sidelong glance at Mudan, he said in an affected tone, “Are you the owner of this Fang Garden?”
Although annoyed by his rudeness, Mudan knew these people would be her future neighbors, and he had the backing of Prince Ning’s household. She couldn’t afford to offend them rashly. So, she forced a smile and replied patiently, “Yes, I am. May I ask what brings Steward Deng here today?”
Steward Deng had thoroughly investigated the background of Fang Garden’s owner before coming. Knowing that Mudan was merely the daughter of a wealthy merchant, he immediately became displeased upon hearing her response. When visiting the estates of more prominent families, it made sense for their stewards to address him this way. But for a mere merchant’s daughter with some money to put on airs before him! He coldly replied, “I wouldn’t dare! It’s just that a small stream in our estate has suddenly become murky and unsightly. I’ve come to see what’s going on.”
His manner suggested that Mudan had committed some terrible crime. She thought to herself that over the past few days, workers had been widening the river and digging in various places, so it was possible that the water flowing downstream wasn’t as clear as usual. But Prince Ning’s estate was so far away – could the water still be that murky when it reached there? There had been no complaints in the past few days; it only happened after the rain. Perhaps it was due to the rainfall?
Regardless of the actual situation, when the Zhou family sold the property to her, they had clearly stated that this river was brought in by the Zhou family at great expense. She had later confirmed this with the estate workers. So what did this have to do with Prince Ning’s estate? Could it be that Prince Ning’s estate had also been benefiting from this river, drawing water from it for their use? Putting aside Steward Deng’s intentions, it was quite impolite for someone who had been benefiting from the river to come barging in and demanding answers from the rightful owner without any explanation.
Nevertheless, even if he was impolite, she should still try to reason with him first. Mudan said, “The river on our property has also been murky these past few days because I ordered the riverbed to be widened. It will naturally clear up after some time. I wasn’t aware that this river was connected to the stream on your estate, nor did I expect the water to still be murky after flowing such a long distance. It was fine a couple of days ago; perhaps it’s due to last night’s heavy rain? Regardless, it was my oversight for not informing you beforehand.”
However, Steward Deng was not one to back down easily. Seeing that she was young, beautiful, and gentle, with no man by her side to support her, he became even more overbearing. He said, “Since when did this river become your family’s property? Ridiculous! Rain? Hmpf! Before you started your work, even days of torrential rain never made it murky. Now that you’ve done this, are you afraid to take responsibility?”
Faced with such an unreasonable and domineering servant hiding behind his master’s power, Mudan’s earlier regret for not informing the downstream estates turned into anger. She hardened her expression but didn’t answer him directly. Instead, she turned to the frightened Tao beside her and said, “Tao, go fetch your father.”
Steward Deng merely smirked coldly, waiting to see what Mudan would do next. He had seen many such insignificant people before. As long as he put on airs and invoked Prince Ning’s name, applying a little pressure, they would be scared witless. Then they would do whatever he said without daring to utter a word of protest.
Shortly after, Hu Dalang arrived and stood respectfully by the curtain, saying, “What are your orders, my lady?”
Mudan smiled and said, “I just want to confirm something. When I bought this property, the Zhou family’s old steward clearly stated that this river was brought in from the Yellow Canal at the Zhou family’s expense. Is this true?”
Hu Dalang, having already heard a brief account from Tao, answered seriously, “Indeed, it is true. Many of the neighboring households witnessed it. This river has always belonged to this estate. The land for digging the river was all paid for.”
Mudan glanced at the steward, seeing his face flushed with anger, and smiled slightly before continuing, “Then let me ask you, where does this river flow downstream? Does it pass through anyone else’s estate?”
Hu Dalang replied, “The river takes a bend before flowing back into the Qu River. However, at the time, several nearby estates approached the previous owner to benefit from this river. They dug their channels to draw water into their estates. Some offered to pay, but the previous owner said it was mutually beneficial and never accepted money from anyone.”
Unexpectedly, the usually quiet and timid Hu Dalang spoke about these matters clearly and logically, hitting all the key points. Mudan was quite satisfied with his explanation and looked at him approvingly before saying, “I see. You may go now.”
After Hu Dalang left, she turned back to Steward Deng with a sincere smile and said, “I apologize for my oversight. I didn’t realize your estate also drew water from this river. Indeed, my work upstream would affect the downstream, though it’s ten miles away, it’s understandable that the water isn’t as clear as before.” She paused, watching Steward Deng’s face grow increasingly displeased, then continued with a smile, “As neighbors, I feel quite embarrassed about this situation. Being a woman, I’m not sure how to handle it properly. Does the steward have any suggestions? I’ll have them implemented right away.”
A reasonable person would have backed down at this point, settling the matter with a few casual words. However, Steward Deng was a fierce and unreasonable man. Perceiving Mudan as weak and easy to bully, he stood up abruptly and said harshly, “What to do? Of course, stop the work immediately!”
Mere servant of a prince’s household, yet daring to bully people like this! Mudan felt a surge of anger rising in her throat, which she barely managed to suppress. She said calmly, “While the steward’s suggestion is clever, I’m afraid it’s not reasonable. My property and land are all officially registered and documented with the authorities. It’s entirely within my rights to dig on my land and widen my river channel.”
Yes, in this era, merchants had a low social status and were often looked down upon. As a merchant’s daughter, she had suffered her fair share of hardships because of it. But so what? She never considered herself inferior to others, nor did she believe that those so-called royal descendants or officials were much superior to her. She would try her best to adapt to the survival rules of this era, but that was for the sake of living well and improving her life. It didn’t mean she had to bow and scrape, allowing others to trample on her even when she was in the right.
Seeing that this young woman was neither intimidated by his forceful manner nor scared by his threats, Steward Deng let out a cold chuckle and said in a sinister tone, “Well, well, you’re digging on your land and widening your river channel. But do you know that His Highness Prince Ning is currently at the estate? He sits by that stream to read every day. You’ve disturbed his peace – do you know what crime that is?” He then pointed his finger right at Mudan’s face.
Ordinary commoners would have been frightened into submission by such words and gestures. But Mudan was not one to be easily intimidated. Not only did she not back down, but she also stepped forward calmly, gently pushing aside Matron Feng and Yuhe who had moved to shield her. She stared at Steward Deng and said firmly, “What a coincidence. My cousin happens to be the Chief Secretary of the Prince’s household.
We’ve also dared to seek His Highness’s favor before. I recently learned that the Prince’s wife and young son have unfortunately passed away, and His Highness has fallen ill. I wasn’t aware he had come to the estate. If I’ve truly committed a grave error, I should certainly go and beg for forgiveness. Steward, you’re experienced in such matters and know much more than I do. Please enlighten me – what crime have I committed? So that I may avoid making the same mistake in the future.”
Steward Deng was left speechless. In a moment, his mind raced through several possibilities, unsure whether Mudan’s words were true or false. But the news about the Prince’s wife’s death and the Prince being ill and not at the estate was indeed true. Because he couldn’t be certain, he didn’t dare to push too hard. He could only put on a false bravado and sneer, “Some crimes, even if you want to make amends, it might be too late! Young lady, take this old man’s advice – it’s better not to be so arrogant!” With that, he stormed off, swinging his sleeves.
Bah, what ‘old man’? More like an old dog! Mudan couldn’t be bothered to watch him leave. She said lazily, “Take care on your way out! Matron, please see our guest off.”
Matron Feng silently escorted Steward Deng out and returned, worrying, “Miss Mudan, what’s going on? How did he suddenly become so angry? Although we’ve sent him away this time, I’m afraid he’ll come up with other excuses to cause trouble later.”
Mudan sneered, “He was fuming from the start, probably because I didn’t grovel and fawn over him, asking what orders this steward from the Prince’s household had for me. Instead, I simply asked what business he had. He felt offended. But even if I had played the sycophant and flattered him, we couldn’t have avoided his troublemaking. He came with ill intentions from the beginning.
Matron, do you believe that the river would still be murky and unsightly after flowing ten miles and taking several turns? He came here deliberately to cause trouble. I’m not saying that just because the river is mine, I don’t care about the people downstream. But what’s wrong with discussing it properly and coming up with a solution? On what grounds does he demand I stop the work? If I back down now, how will I ever establish myself here? I’m afraid anyone would think they could come and bully us.”
Fifth Young Master rushed over upon receiving the news. After hearing Mudan’s words, he agreed wholeheartedly, “There might be more to this. We should send someone to investigate the real reason behind this, so we can be prepared.”
“I’ve already sent a reliable estate worker to follow the river downstream and see if it’s as murky as they claim, especially near Prince Ning’s estate. We need to know if the steward’s words are true,” Mudan said, winking and feigning self-satisfaction. “Could it be that because this land is in a good location, and no one bought it earlier due to those rumors, they’re now jealous that I acquired it so easily? Does this mean the value of my land has already increased? Who knows, if I were to sell it now, it might fetch far more than what I paid for it.”
Fifth Young Master couldn’t help but smile at her words, gently flicking her forehead. “You’ve just bought it and you’re already thinking of selling? That’s not how it works. But what you’re saying is possible. However, it can’t be Prince Ning’s intention; he has no interest in fighting over this land right now. It must be his subordinates causing trouble.”
Mudan sighed softly, “Mother doesn’t want to rely on the Li family’s influence anymore, but sometimes we have no choice. If I hadn’t mentioned my cousin, that man wouldn’t have left so quickly.”
Fifth Young Master looked at her sympathetically and smiled, “It just so happens that he’s from Prince Ning’s household. Besides the Li family, Father knows other people too. Don’t worry too much about it.”
The makeshift kitchen had prepared lunch, and Yuhe brought the food for Mudan and Fifth Young Master. Having been busy for half the day, Mudan was already hungry and ate half a bowl more than she usually did at home. Seeing her enjoy the meal, Fifth Young Master smiled and said, “You should come out and keep busy more often. Having things to do keeps your spirits up.”
Mudan replied, “You’re right, Fifth Brother. I feel much stronger now than I did before. Previously, riding back and forth from here to home and walking a bit would leave my legs aching. Now I don’t feel that at all.”
Fifth Young Master smiled, thinking that in a few days when large quantities of materials would arrive, it might be more convenient to send Mudan away. He said, “Weren’t you planning to prepare peony seedlings for autumn planting? These next few days aren’t crucial, so you can go with Sixth Sister-in-law to continue your inquiries and place orders. I can handle things here.”
Mudan agreed. Just as the siblings put down their bowls, Tao came in nervously to report, “There’s another visitor outside. I heard he walked along the river bank a few times before asking someone to announce him.”
Who could this be? Was the river pollution really that severe? Fifth Young Master and Mudan exchanged glances and asked, “What kind of person is it?”
Tao replied, “It’s a dark-skinned man in his teens. He says he’s a servant named Wu from the Jiang family estate nearby.” Tao’s little heart was full of worry. First, a steward from the prince’s estate came, and now another person from some powerful family. What trouble would they bring this time? If they couldn’t use this estate and land, would they have to sell it again?
Hearing it was a servant named Wu from the Jiang family, Mudan quickly said, “Invite him in,” and explained to Fifth Young Master, “It’s probably a servant from Jiang Changyang’s household.”
Fifth Young Master was puzzled upon hearing this: “Why would he come here?”
As they spoke, Wu, wearing a gray round-collared robe, entered with a broad smile. Fifth Young Master hurriedly invited him to sit and asked Yuhe to serve tea. Mudan first thanked him for delivering medicine last time, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then said, “We were planning to visit after everything was settled here. We’ll be neighbors from now on.”
Wu smiled and said, “I wouldn’t dare. I’ve come today about the river water issue.”
Mudan quickly asked, “Has the water in your estate also become murky?” She remembered Hu Dalang mentioning that several families had come to discuss drawing water from this river. Could the Jiang family have been one of them? The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. After all, when Wu said he’d deliver the eaves that day, they didn’t have to wait long, suggesting that the Jiang estate wasn’t far from Prince Ning’s estate. It might well be downstream of this river.
Wu smiled and said, “I can say I’ve come for this matter, and I can also say I haven’t.”
Hearing his words seemed to have a hidden meaning, Mudan thought that given Jiang Changyang’s character, he wouldn’t come to cause trouble over something like this. Since Wu had come, there must be another reason. She said, “Please explain in detail, Steward Wu.”
Wu smiled slightly and said, “My master and I are aware of this river’s origin. It’s something everyone benefits from, and it’s reasonable for the owner to carry out work on it. Nobody drinks this water directly anyway, so if it’s murky for a couple of days, it’s not a big deal. Moreover, by the time the river reaches downstream, it’s taken several turns, and the water is drawn through side channels, so it won’t be that murky. Therefore, it has no impact on our estate.”
At this point, Wu glanced at Matron Feng and Yuhe. Mudan understood and signaled for Matron Feng and Yuhe to go out and watch the entrance. Seeing that the others had left, Wu smiled and said, “It’s not a big matter, but it’s better if fewer people know. Earlier, did a steward named Deng from Prince Ning’s estate come to cause trouble?”
How did he know so quickly? Although Mudan was very surprised, she smiled and answered, “Yes, indeed. He said the water in Prince Ning’s estate had become completely murky because of us, and demanded we stop work, otherwise he’d have me punished. I’ve just arranged for someone to check if this is true and to find a way to deal with it. It’s my fault for not investigating thoroughly beforehand. I didn’t know other families were using this water downstream. If I had prepared in advance, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Wu looked at Mudan and said, “Our estate is between yours and Prince Ning’s. After Steward Deng left your estate, he went directly to ours, intending to have us join them in causing trouble for you. There are several other powerful families downstream of this river, and he’ll probably go to them as well.” He was pleased to see Mudan and Fifth Young Master’s expressions become serious.
It seems this wasn’t just about causing trouble over a river. Mudan stood up and thanked Wu, “Thank you for the warning, Steward Wu. This will prevent us from being caught off guard when things happen.”
Fifth Young Master also said, “Thank you, but Steward Wu should return soon. If that man finds out you came to inform us, he might cause trouble for you as well.”
What’s a mere servant worth? Wu smiled and said slowly, “You two needn’t worry. Let me finish what I have to say. My master happened to be there at the time and had already responded to Steward Deng. Our estate is also widening the water channel, intending to draw more water to dig a pond. The murkiness of Prince Ning’s water should be due to our estate’s work. We’ve already told Steward Deng that we’ll send people to apologize to each household. I’ve come here specifically to apologize for implicating your estate and causing you to be wrongly accused.” As he spoke, he stood up and bowed to Mudan.
Mudan’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. This was quite something. She wasn’t a fool and understood why Wu had split his story into two parts, building suspense in between. Moreover, how could it be such a coincidence that while she was widening the river channel here, Jiang Changyang’s estate was also widening its channel? Her work on the mainstream affecting a tributary made sense, but a tributary affecting the mainstream didn’t seem right. It was clear that Jiang Changyang was taking on the responsibility to help her.
Mudan quickly gestured for Fifth Young Master to stop Wu from bowing and said, “I don’t deserve this courtesy. I’ve caused trouble for Master Jiang again. He’s so kind-hearted and has helped me several times. I don’t know how to thank him properly. But this is my problem, and I can’t keep troubling Master Jiang unnecessarily. I was just discussing with my Fifth Brother about going back to consult with my family on how to handle this matter quickly. We’ll find a way to deal with it, no matter what.” One couldn’t always rely on others, and luck wouldn’t always be on her side. She needed to learn how to handle these situations quickly to establish herself.
Wu was satisfied with her response but smiled and said, “Young miss is overthinking. We are indeed digging a water channel. My master wants to build a waterside pavilion and plant lotus flowers. We were just worried the water was too small, and, fortunately, your estate is widening the river channel. We’re benefiting from this. By your logic, since we’re taking advantage of this river channel, we should be paying your estate.”
Mudan smiled and said, “That’s not what I meant…”
Wu continued without letting her finish, “If someone else had bought this land, the water downstream might have become unusable for everyone. We’re doing this for our convenience as well. You don’t need to say more. Just keep this in mind.” With that, he prepared to leave without further discussion.
Mudan had no choice but to thank him again, and she and Fifth Young Master saw him out. After discussing, the siblings decided that Fifth Young Master would stay to guard against potential trouble from Prince Ning’s estate. Mudan would return home with Matron Feng, Yuhe, and two strong servants to consult with He Zhizhong about countermeasures.
As dusk approached, the sky was filled with colorful clouds. The crops on both sides of the road were lush and green. Mudan rode her horse slowly, taking in the verdant scenery. Many birds flew and hopped about in the fields, chirping away, and occasionally she could see white water birds standing in the paddies. In the distance, smoke rose from village chimneys, creating a picturesque rural scene.
Seeing Mudan lost in thought, Matron Feng and Yuhe didn’t rush her. The group moved along leisurely, occasionally exchanging jokes, feeling relaxed and at ease. Suddenly, they heard the sound of horse hooves behind them. Mudan turned her head to see a striking horse leading the way. It was jet black and glossy, with only its forehead and four hooves being white. The horse was large and beautiful, looking quite majestic. The rider wore a black gauze headscarf and a sapphire blue robe with a black sword hanging at his waist. His expression was resolute – it was Jiang Changyang. Behind him, the dark-faced man in a gray robe was none other than Wu, who had just been to Fang Garden to deliver the message.
Mudan hadn’t expected to encounter the master and servant here by chance. She reined in her horse, turned to look at Jiang Changyang, and smiled, bowing slightly, “Greetings, Master Jiang.”
Jiang Changyang was also surprised to meet Mudan here. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment, then broke into a hearty laugh, revealing a row of snow-white, even teeth. He returned Mudan’s bow and said, “Greetings, Lady He. Are you heading back to the city?”
Mudan smiled and said, “Indeed, I am.”
Jiang Changyang looked at the sky, then glanced at Mudan’s face, which seemed to glow in the sunset light. He said, “I also have business in the capital. It’s getting late. If you don’t mind, why don’t we travel together?”