Jiang Changyang was slightly surprised by Jiang Gong’s sudden anger. He smiled and said, “You think I’m causing trouble for your family under the banner of Duke Zhu’s household? Whose family am I troubling?”
Jiang Gong’s face reddened. “Isn’t it obvious? Of course, you’re causing trouble for my family! If you weren’t relying on Duke Zhu’s household, do you think those royal clansmen would let you off so easily? What kind of hero are you? This isn’t the Anxi Protectorate where you can charge through with just a sword and a horse!” By now, he had completely forgotten his original purpose for coming.
Jiang Changyang remained silent for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately: “Listen carefully. First, I can’t change the fact that I’m his son, so people will always associate me with Duke Zhu’s household, regardless of what I do. I can’t control that, nor do I want to. I won’t stop acting just because I’m afraid people will connect me to Duke Zhu’s household. Second, as you said, it’s your family affair, so how are your troubles related to me? Third, so far, I’ve only done what I believe is right and just, and I won’t stop because of this. Fourth, don’t project your narrow-minded suspicions onto me. If anyone has issues with my actions, let them come to me directly. Tell them I have no connection to Duke Zhu’s household and don’t use the Duke’s name. Fifth, I’m risking my life here. If I happen to lose it, you’ll have no one left to trouble you, so you should be happy. Now, can you leave?”
Jiang Gong was speechless. After a while, he stood up, glaring at Jiang Changyang. “You’re utterly unreasonable! I came here with good intentions, asking you to take care of yourself and not burden the family. I’m even willing to give you everything, yet you put on this aloof act for whom to see? If you don’t have such intentions, why are you staying here? Why didn’t you stay in the Anxi Protectorate?”
“Give?” Jiang Changyang looked at him with pity. “You think if we wanted all this, anyone could take it away? Remember, what you’re desperately clinging to now was originally what my mother and I disdained and gave to you as charity. So you have no right to yell at me. Where I choose to be is none of your business, understand? In the future, I don’t want to see you. You’d better avoid me in advance and don’t say you know me. You’re not worthy.”
Jiang Gong’s face turned from red to white, then to green. He glared at Jiang Changyang hatefully, but seeing no reaction in the other’s eyes, tears of humiliation welled up. Just as they were about to spill over, he stomped his foot hard and quickly walked away.
Monk Fuyuan chanted a Buddhist phrase and said, “You’ve gone bad, bullying an ignorant child like that.”
“I’m not a monk, I don’t need to be compassionate,” Jiang Changyang placed a chess piece on the board. “Want to play? I always lose to you, and I’m not convinced.”
Monk Fuyuan smiled and picked up a chess piece, placing it down. Ruman came in from outside, carrying a large bowl of food. He ate while excitedly saying, “That gentleman cried! People asked him what happened, and he started whipping them! I said he’s already seventeen or eighteen, why is he still crying? Jiang Gong, did you hit him?”
Jiang Changyang said seriously, “Buddha is merciful, how could I hit someone? He probably just got sand in his eyes.”
Monk Fuyuan finally couldn’t help but throw a chess piece at him, sighing, “Duke Zhu having such a son has truly ruined his lifetime of glory.”
Jiang Changyang said calmly, “To protect the family and inherit the title, it’s better to be a bit timid. I think he’s just right, he’s probably secretly delighted.”
Monk Fuyuan raised an eyebrow, “Do you think so?”
Jiang Changyang smiled, “Play your chess. A monk shouldn’t have so much curiosity.”
Monk Fuyuan indeed curbed his curiosity, and as the chess pieces fell, his face resumed that blank expression. Jiang Changyang frowned in thought, taking a long time before making his move. Ruman, having finished his large bowl of food, burped contentedly and sat down to watch them play. As the sky darkened, the two became more engrossed in their game. Ruman quietly got up to light the lamps, then sat aside and began to doze off.
Meanwhile, after leaving Fashou Temple disappointedly, Mudan, seeing it was still early, decided to try her luck at the nearest temple. However, she still came up empty-handed. She couldn’t help but smile bitterly, wondering how many peonies it would take to fill such a large garden. After resolving the matter at the manor this time, she would inevitably need to find time to visit various flower farmers again, otherwise, the peonies in her garden next spring would be pitifully few.
Seeing her aimlessly riding her horse through the streets, Madam Feng advised, “Danniang, let’s go home first. We can come early tomorrow to invite Master Fuyuan, it’s the same.”
Mudan smiled, “Forget it, there’s no need to invite him anymore. Let’s go home.” Since Monk Fuyuan was acquainted with Jiang Changyang, he would likely know about her situation if it came up. There was no point in her bringing it up again.
As they approached the gate of Xuanping Ward, Mudan spotted Luoshan, Li Xing’s servant, lurking in the shadows and looking around. She told Yuhe to greet him: “Go ask what he’s doing here. Is he waiting for someone?”
Yuhe, now nervous about anything related to the Li family, especially with her mother Madam Chen watching as Lady Cen’s informant, looked timidly at Madam Feng. Madam Feng sighed and scolded Yuhe, “Silly girl! Are we cutting off relations with them?” Even if Luoshan was here on Li Xing’s orders to find Mudan, there were so many people around. What was there to fear? He couldn’t possibly pull Mudan aside for a private conversation.
Yuhe responded with an “Oh” and gently nudged her horse forward, putting on a smile as she greeted Luoshan: “Luoshan, what are you doing here?”
“Sister Yuhe!” Luoshan was so excited to see Yuhe that he almost jumped. Looking in the direction she came from, he also spotted Madam Feng, which scared him into shrinking his neck. His voice immediately lowered, and his eyelids twitched as he signaled to Yuhe: “I have important matters to report to Danniang!”
As Yuhe remained unmoved, she said, “What’s the matter? Since you’re already here, why not wait at our house? Come on, let’s go home.”
Seeing that Yuhe wasn’t catching on, Luoshan let out an anxious “Ah—” and said, “Sister Yuhe, I have urgent business.” As he spoke, Madam Feng had already accompanied Mudan over. Madam Feng called out with a smile, “Luoshan, you little rascal, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you!”
Luoshan had no choice but to steel himself and greet Mudan and Madam Feng, then complained, “I’ve been busy following the young master these days, there’s been a lot to do.”
Knowing that Li Xing had been busy with Princess Ning’s funeral arrangements lately, Mudan smiled and said, “Though busy, I’m sure you’ve learned a lot?”
Luoshan grinned, “Indeed.”
Mudan pulled her horse’s head towards the shade of the trees. “It’s hot. My home is nearby, would you like to come in and rest for a bit?”
Yuhe quickly interjected, “He said he’s not going. He has urgent matters to report to you and then he needs to leave.”
Hearing this, Mudan glanced at Luoshan, who was standing there with his hands down, stammering and not at all forthright. She knew it must be related to Li Xing, but she really couldn’t meet with Li Xing privately anymore. So she said directly, “What is it? Go ahead and say it.”
Luoshan looked sadly at Madam Feng, who was sticking close to Mudan without any intention of giving them privacy. He knew that today he couldn’t perfectly carry out his master’s instructions, so he reluctantly said, “My master asked me to tell you that he knows about the matter at the manor. He says not to worry, he’ll have it sorted out in a day or two at most. There are also some matters he wants to remind you about.”
Mudan was silent for a moment, then smiled, “Thank him for me. But there’s no need to trouble him with this matter for now. I’ve already spoken with my uncle, and he has his arrangements. I’ve prepared almost everything I can on my end, and there shouldn’t be any major surprises. Even if there are, we should be able to handle them. He’s so busy, he shouldn’t be distracted. When he has time, he should rest well.”
Luoshan could hardly believe his ears when Mudan flatly refused. It was a kind gesture, yet she rejected it. Didn’t she realize that when he said his master wanted to remind her of some matters, it was actually because he hadn’t seen her for a long time and wanted to talk to her? Was she being stupid or heartless? Probably heartless, truly disappointing his master who cared so much for her. Luoshan looked up at Mudan and felt she wasn’t as pleasant to look at as before.
Mudan saw the disappointment, confusion, and displeasure on Luoshan’s face. She sighed inwardly and forced a smile, “Look, I was just out today taking care of this matter. There isn’t any major problem. If I encounter something I can’t resolve, I’ll seek help from my cousin. Tell him not to worry.” She paused, then added, “Why don’t you come back to my house for a meal before you report back?”
Luoshan glanced at Madam Feng and Yuhe, thinking that even if he went, he wouldn’t be able to speak to Mudan alone. So he said, “Thank you, but I have other errands to run.”
Mudan didn’t press him. She instructed Yuhe to give him some money, “It’s so hot. You’ve been waiting for a while, go buy yourself a bowl of cold noodles.”
Luoshan accepted the money, bowed to Mudan, and quickly ran off. Instead of going home, he headed straight for Anyi Ward. He found Li Xing among a group of people and looked at him sympathetically.
Li Xing was parched and irritated from his busy work. Seeing Luoshan looking at him with sympathy but not speaking, he angrily said, “If you have something to say, say it quickly! Why are you acting dumb?”
Startled, Luoshan said pitifully, “I just didn’t have the heart to say it.”
Li Xing couldn’t help but laugh at this, wiping away his sweat and poking Luoshan’s forehead hard, “You’re putting on airs in front of me now? Speak up, I don’t have time to waste with you!”
Luoshan finally pouted and said, “She doesn’t want your help. She says she can resolve it herself, and if she really can’t, she still has her cousin. Madam Feng was watching closely, so I couldn’t even say a few kind words. She just sent me back like that.”
Li Xing was silent for a moment, then forced a smile, “If she can resolve it herself, that’s for the best.” He then turned around and plunged back into the crowd.
Luoshan called out “Ah…” and stared at Li Xing’s busy figure, somewhat regretting his blunt words earlier. But he didn’t dare call Li Xing out again. Cangshan walked over and angrily slapped the back of Luoshan’s head hard, “You stupid oaf! The moment I’m not watching, you do something foolish again!”
Cangshan was older and much stronger than Luoshan. The slap sent Luoshan stumbling, and the coins in his sleeve clattered to the ground. Cangshan grabbed his collar and shoved him into a corner, sneering, “Well, well. You couldn’t complete your task properly, but you took the reward and came to upset the master? You little rascal, you’re getting bold.”
Luoshan protected his head and face, mumbling, “I didn’t say anything wrong. That’s exactly what she said. I think she doesn’t care about the master at all. He’s worrying about her for nothing.”
Before he finished speaking, Cangshan slapped him again. Unable to bear the pain, Luoshan cried out, “Why are you hitting me again? What did I say wrong this time?”
Cangshan said fiercely, “You dare to speak nonsense like this? You’ve ruined the master’s affairs!” He raised his hand to slap again but was caught from behind by Li Xing, who said in a low voice, “Are you here just to embarrass me?” His gaze fell on the scattered copper coins on the ground, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. “She rewarded you?”
Luoshan blinked pitifully, “Master, I didn’t speak carelessly earlier. That’s exactly what Danniang said. She also thanked you and said not to worry, just focus on your work and rest when you can. I hadn’t finished speaking when you walked away.” He glanced furtively at Li Xing, hoping to see if his expression had improved.
Li Xing glared at him and said expressionlessly, “You can’t even deliver a message properly. I think you shouldn’t come out with me anymore in the future.” With that, he turned and left.
Rubbing his head, Luoshan couldn’t understand why the master seemed even more displeased. Cangshan gave him another slap on the head, saying in exasperation, “You fool! If the madam asks again, you know what to say, right?”
Luoshan said resentfully, “Don’t hit me, of course I know!”
Cangshan gave him a withering look and quickly caught up with Li Xing, smiling apologetically, “Master, it’s a good thing that the old master is willing to help.”
Li Xing said calmly, “Go find out what she’s been doing these past few days.” He could see that Mudan was deliberately avoiding him since she had sought help from Li Yuan instead of him. She said she could resolve it herself, but what could she do? Although her temperament had changed after the divorce, she was originally gentle-natured, and probably couldn’t do much. If she wouldn’t accept his help openly, he could still assist in secret.
Cangshan acknowledged and immediately went to carry out the task. He was much smarter than Luoshan and went directly to the He family, stating he was under Madam Cui’s instructions to look into the matter, thus successfully gathering information about the process. When Li Xing heard about what Mudan had done, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It seemed that there wasn’t much he could help with in this matter after all. Danniang was becoming increasingly different from before.