The flower shop assigned Lady Tang’s flower banquet order to Wang Qing purely because Lady Tang was picky and difficult to please, and Tang Silang was arrogant and domineering. No one in the flower shop dared to take on the order, so it was entrusted to Flower Mansion, which hadn’t yet joined the flower business. Even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be the flower shop’s fault. Wang Qing angrily accused Mudan and Lü Wanrong of scheming against him, to which Mudan retorted that if it weren’t for Wang Qing’s own greed, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a predicament. Seeing no way out, Wang Qing knelt down to beg Mudan for help. Mudan set three conditions: first, the immediate return of Flower Mansion with all proceeds from the banquet belonging to her; second, an apology to Sheng Yi with a bow; and third, a condition that would allow her to vent her anger.
Mudan returned to Flower Mansion to save the wilting flowers suffering from lack of water. Madam Sun and Zhu Fu helped her, working tirelessly through the night. The next day, the steward of the Tang residence was awakened and was delighted to see the flowers revived and full of life. The florist Wang Qing had chosen was inadequate, so Mudan had already arranged with another florist to redecorate the flowers. As for Wang Qing’s side, everything was overseen by Zhu Fu. At dawn, Wang Qing knelt all the way through the streets, confessing his misdeeds and clearing Flower Mansion’s name. Tang Silang was very pleased with the flowers, and Mudan finally felt a sense of relief. Sheng Yi watched from the crowd, feeling a sense of satisfaction from seeing justice served. She waited for Mudan at the entrance of the courtyard, relieved to see her victorious return.
Sheng Yi was still unwilling to return. She had been tormented by societal norms for too long and still yearned for a husband and children deep down. However, she was now infertile and perhaps no one would want her except for Wang Qing. Thus, Sheng Yi was willing to revert to being Qin Wu’er. Mudan didn’t want to force her and intended to give Sheng Yi the money from Flower Mansion’s second store, along with a gift she had prepared. However, Sheng Yi left before Mudan could retrieve the items. Mudan regained control of Flower Mansion, and the former florists were still willing to collaborate, for which Mudan was grateful. She settled their previous debts and promised to increase their monthly wages by 20% once a new store was opened. Mudan continued to save money, looking forward to the day she could reclaim Fangyuan.
Whenever Liu Chang went horseback riding in the wilderness, the Lord of Ji’an County and his maidens would secretly watch him. This time, they fell into a trap and couldn’t escape. Zhu Fu and Mudan placed bait outside the trap to lure wild wolves, causing Li Youzhen to experience the fear and panic of being surrounded by beasts. Although it wasn’t as severe as what Mudan endured in the military camp, it still allowed him to vent some anger. She Yan informed Jiang Changyang that Liu Shen had offered two boxes of precious items to the eastern capital’s garrison, far exceeding his annual salary. Jiang Changyang understood that the momentum to topple the Chen family depended on whether the Liu family could maintain their secrecy. Mudan handed over the monthly payments to Jiang Changyang, including the money he had previously spent on her, intending to reclaim her property deed. However, Jiang Changyang refused, citing that she should first bide her time and receive his protection.
The rice store sold moldy millet to Flower Mansion, causing Zhu Fu, who handled the moldy millet all day, to develop a rash. Mudan immediately decided to recall the fragrant powder made from this batch of millet. Lü Gengchun also noticed an increase in patients with stomach pain and diarrhea, suspecting they had eaten the moldy millet. Mudan instructed Zhu Fu to buy back millet from the Western and Eastern markets for comparison. They discovered that the Western market had mixed in moldy millet, while the Eastern market did not. Upon further investigation, Mudan found that Liu Shen was the culprit. No wonder the Western market had so many inferior products; greedy officials like Liu Shen disregarded the livelihood of the people. Mudan decided to plan a counterattack. Meanwhile, Jiang Changyang also learned from She Yan that Mudan was targeting the same major culprit, indicating that the situation was far from calm.
