Before nightfall, Li Xing, Dalang, Liulang, and over a dozen workers left the city. Instead of heading directly to Fangyuan, they waited at a farmhouse in the suburbs until the second watch of the night before quietly making their way to Fangyuan.
Sitting under the lamplight with the fifth young master, Mudan casually chatted about childhood memories. When the conversation turned to Li Xing, the fifth young master smiled and said, “Xingzhi always liked to follow Father around when he was little. He said he wanted to be a great man when he grew up, ride on big ships, and go to faraway places. Who would have thought he’d go into business…”
Mudan quietly replied, “He’s not like us. One day, he won’t be doing business anymore.”
The fifth young master sighed and poured Mudan a cup of tea. Taking the opportunity, he brought up something he had long wanted to discuss with her: “Your fifth sister-in-law has a maternal cousin, about my age. His first wife died two years ago, and he already has children. His family is well-off, and he’s a kind and honest man with a proper appearance. I’ve met him, and he’s incomparable to your sister-in-law’s brother. But your fifth sister-in-law still doesn’t dare to mention it to Mother or you. She asked me to sound you out first. After all this is over, would you be willing to meet him?”
Mudan was stunned. Was she only fit for widowers? Since he already had children, perhaps he didn’t care whether she could bear children or not.
Seeing her lower her head in silence, the fifth young master realized she was unwilling. He quickly said, “Don’t overthink it. We’re just suggesting based on our thoughts, only wanting the best for you. We have no intention of forcing you or making you unhappy. If you don’t want to, just forget about it.” Although the family knew the real situation, they couldn’t go around telling others. To outsiders, Mudan was just a sickly person.
Mudan smiled bitterly, “I know you and the others are all worried about me and care for me. How could you intentionally make me unhappy? I’m just a bit afraid of getting married.”
She meant it as an excuse, but the fifth young master took it differently. He hurried to comfort her, “People like the Liu family are rare. Your fifth sister-in-law’s aunt’s family is very honest. Seeing is believing. Why don’t you meet him once?”
Suddenly, Yuhe’s voice came softly from outside the curtain, “Someone has come from home.” Immediately after, the curtain lifted, and Dalang entered first. Mudan smiled, “Big Brother, how were you able to leave the city at this hour?” Before she finished speaking, Li Xing and Liulang entered side by side.
Mudan hadn’t expected Li Xing to come as well. This was their first meeting since he had confessed to her, and being caught off guard, she felt somewhat awkward.
Dalang said, “We left early but waited until it was completely dark before daring to come here. We were afraid those dogs might find out we were coming and not dare to show up.”
Li Xing, who had been trying hard not to stare at Mudan since he entered, smiled and said, “Tonight, we’ll lie in wait and catch them like turtles in a jar.” His smile was natural, but he knew how much effort it took to keep his voice from trembling.
Mudan quickly stood up to pour tea, not daring to look back as she said, “Have you eaten? I’ll have Yuhe prepare some supper.”
Dalang glanced at Li Xing, thinking it must be uncomfortable for the two of them to sit like this, and said, “Go ahead.”
Mudan took the opportunity to leave. Li Xing discreetly shifted his gaze from her and smiled at the fifth young master, “Fifth Brother, let’s call back the night patrol.”
The fifth young master smiled, “What trick are you up to now?”
Li Xing said, “If our defenses are too tight, they won’t dare to come, and we won’t be able to make our move. My father has already made arrangements, and we’re just waiting for things here. These ungrateful wretches who aid the enemy will have no way back tonight!”
The fifth young master said, “Since you’ve already made arrangements, we’ll follow your lead.”
When Mudan returned with Yuhe and Feng Daniang, bringing steamed flatbread from the kitchen, only Li Xing and Liulang were in the room. Dalang and the fifth young master had gone outside to make preparations. Liulang blinked, grabbed a flatbread, and said, “I’ll go check on Big Brother and the others,” before walking out without another word.
Mudan was silent for a moment, then forced a smile and handed the meat soup to Li Xing, saying in a light tone, “Cousin, please eat. Eat well so you’ll have the strength to help. I was going to say you didn’t need to help, but you ended up coming all this way.”
Seeing her smile as if nothing was wrong, Li Xing thought of the conversation he had overheard earlier between her and the fifth young master. His heart felt heavy and anxious. He wanted to ask her a few questions, but glancing at the watchful Feng Daniang and the uncomfortable-looking Yuhe nearby, he could only sigh inwardly and force a smile, saying, “I was really afraid you wouldn’t want my help anymore.”
Hearing the double meaning in his words, Mudan’s smile became somewhat forced. Feng Daniang coughed and said with a smile, “Miss Dan, it’s getting late. You should rest. This old servant will take care of them here, making sure they all eat their fill. Don’t worry.”
Mudan had no choice but to bow to Li Xing and say, “Then I’ll go rest first. If you need anything, just let Feng Daniang know.”
Li Xing quickly put down his soup bowl, looked at her deeply, and said in a low voice, “Go rest easy. We’ll take care of everything.” Though he said this, he secretly mocked himself. He had helped her this time, but what about in the future? It seemed she would need him less and less. As he was lost in thought, Feng Daniang pushed a large, hot steamed flatbread into his hands, enthusiastically saying, “Young Master, eat more!”
Li Xing had no choice but to bury himself in the battle with the flatbread and meat soup.
Outside, Yuhe silently lit a lantern and led Mudan back to her room. Mudan quietly linked arms with her, resting her head lightly on Yuhe’s, and softly called out, “Yuhe.”
Yuhe responded with an “Mm,” waiting patiently for her to speak, but Mudan fell silent again. It wasn’t until Mudan lay down and Yuhe lowered the bed curtains that Mudan, with bright eyes, looked at her and said in a low voice, “If I tell them I don’t want to get married, do you think they’ll be angry with me?”
Yuhe was startled and said, “How can you think like that? You’re in the prime of your youth. How could you remain alone for life? That would be wasting heaven’s gifts!”
“Wasting heaven’s gifts? You know how to talk,” Mudan chuckled, waving her hand to stop Yuhe’s series of persuasions. “I’m just saying. I don’t want to be someone’s stepmother.”
Yuhe said irritably, “If you don’t want to, then don’t. Who in the family would force you? There’s no reason to say such things, it’s frightening.”
Mudan teased, “Don’t worry, even if I never marry, I won’t keep you by my side for life.”
Yuhe blushed and glared at her, “What are you saying!” In retaliation, she blew out the candle with a puff and went to lie down in the outer room, ignoring Mudan’s calls.
No matter what others thought, she absolutely wouldn’t wrongly marry someone for no reason. Mudan tossed and turned a few times before finally falling asleep from exhaustion. At the fourth watch, there was a commotion outside, saying they had caught thieves. Mudan wanted to get up and look, but Feng Daniang stopped her: “If you want to know, let this old servant go and find out. What are you doing running outside in the middle of the night?”
Mudan had no choice but to let her go inquire. About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, Feng Daniang returned and casually said, “It was just a few petty thieves. They found flint, steel, and oil on them. They were indeed planning to sneak in and burn our timber. Dalang and the others had made good arrangements and caught them like turtles in a jar, with both people and evidence in hand! They’re interrogating them now and say they’ll send them to Prince Ning’s mansion at daybreak.”
Finally, as the sky began to lighten, Mudan sent the exhausted Feng Daniang to rest and went with Yuhe to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. When she went to call Dalang and the others for breakfast, there was no sound from outside the room. Lifting the curtain to look, she saw the men sprawled on couches and rope beds, all fast asleep.
Mudan was about to retreat when she suddenly saw Li Xing, who was leaning on a rope bed, open his eyes and stare at her intently. Mudan’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled her head back. As she turned around, the curtain lifted, and Li Xing quickly followed her out, saying softly, “Danniang! Have you decided to avoid me every time you see me?”
Seeing this, Yuhe fixed her eyes on the tips of her shoes, inching away to stand aside, pretending she hadn’t seen or heard anything.
Mudan remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Li Xing with a faint smile. “Cousin, you jest. Why would I hide upon seeing you?”
Li Xing noticed her delicate jade hands clasped alternately against her chest. He longed to grasp them and pour out his heart, but he dared not, fearing it might forever drive her away. He clenched and unclenched his fists within his sleeves, struggling to calm his turbulent emotions. Finally, he smiled and said, “I’m glad that’s not the case. Even if… well, you understand. Others are others, and I am who I am.” Seeing no particular reaction from Mudan, he stumbled over his words, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have said those things. Can we be as we were before? Please don’t deliberately avoid me.”
Mudan thought to herself, how could words once spoken be unspoken? How could events that had transpired be undone? She wished it were so, but others didn’t see it that way. Look, wasn’t Da Lang already lifting the curtain and peering out, looking displeased at the two of them? Mudan quickly called out, “Elder Brother.”
Li Xing started, swiftly composing himself before turning to face Da Lang with a natural smile. “Brother, I was just telling Danniang that those men have confessed. Once we settle this matter, no one in this area will dare cause trouble again.”
Da Lang didn’t expose him, instead smiling and saying, “Xingzhi, you’ve worked hard this time.” He then turned to Mudan, “Danniang! Go see if breakfast is ready. We need to leave early.”
Mudan hurriedly replied, “I came to call you for breakfast. Why don’t you all rest for a while after eating before leaving?”
Li Xing said, “We can’t. We need to return early to make arrangements.”
Da Lang called out, and Wu Lang and Liu Lang emerged, rubbing their eyes. The group chatted as they ate breakfast. Wu Lang remained to guard the work site, while Mudan accompanied Da Lang and the others back to the city. Li Xing ordered the captives to be tied behind horses, parading them before the villagers and workers as they set off swaying back to the city.
Along the way, curious villagers stopped to stare at the prisoners, whispering among themselves. The bolder ones asked directly what was happening. Li Xing loudly explained that these men had been misusing Prince Ning’s name to commit crimes. He had been ordered by Prince Ning to capture them and was now taking them back for the Prince to deal with. He warned that no one should dare misuse the Prince’s name for wrongdoing again.
Seeing the villagers’ reverent expressions, Mudan thought silently that while Prince Ning cared about his reputation and wouldn’t allow this small fry to ruin his affairs, Li Xing’s public proclamations were also a way of supporting her. From now on, it was unlikely that anyone in this area would easily cause her trouble. She felt relieved!
Upon returning to the city, Da Lang and Li Xing took the prisoners to Prince Ning’s residence, while Mudan and Liu Lang went home to await news. At noon, Da Lang returned in high spirits, saying, “Prince Ning was furious. He’s dealt with those men severely and ordered the estate’s manager to be brought in for punishment. Not just the manager Deng, but even the head steward of the estate has been implicated. Danniang, no one should dare to cause trouble at your estate anymore.”
Mudan frowned, “Wasn’t manager Deng said to be the nephew of the Prince’s chief steward? Won’t this cause trouble for Cousin and the others?”
Da Lang hesitated, then laughed, “It shouldn’t. The evidence is irrefutable; even if he wanted to object, he couldn’t. Besides, Cousin is formidable and knows what he’s doing. How could the chief steward compare to him? Prince Ning himself said that if all his subordinates behaved like these presumptuous, bullying scoundrels, his good reputation would be ruined in no time.”
Xue Shi smiled, “You saw Prince Ning himself?”
Da Lang grinned, “Of course. I hadn’t expected to, but Cousin called me in, so I went. The Prince asked me about the specifics of the situation, and then reassured me. I must say, this Prince isn’t frightening at all. He has a good temper and speaks kindly, much more gentle than those in his household.”
Mudan now wondered why Manager Deng had been so set against her.
In the evening, Li Xing, who came to summarize and report the situation, finally revealed the details he had learned. Someone had instigated Manager Deng, offering a high price for Fang Garden if he could acquire it. Ten taels of gold were found in Deng’s room, said to be a deposit.
Mudan gave a bitter smile. Without asking, she knew who that person was—the one who harbored a deep grudge against her and had tried to make trouble for her several times. Who else could it be?
Sure enough, Li Xing glanced at her and said, “It seems that a certain person fell from a horse. Though not fully recovered, she’s certainly lame now and flies into rages daily. Someone told her that my aunt excels at ball games and horsemanship, suggesting that if my aunt and the others had joined in the game that day, this wouldn’t have happened. Somehow, this grudge has been directed at Danniang. However, Prince Ning has already sent people to Prince Wei’s residence. She should restrain herself in the future.”
Mudan frowned, “Who told her such things?” She truly seemed to attract trouble even when minding her own business.