“Ruizhou is too far from the capital.” Mu Peizhi sighed lightly.
With his sleeves rolled up, he held a fine iron poker in his hand, stirring the silver charcoal as he said, “For news to travel from Liangdu to Ruizhou, even with relays of fast horses and no stops along the way, it would still take four or five days. But once matters become urgent, the time left for us to respond will be very little.”
Mu Peixuan remained silent.
Mu Peizhi turned his head to look at Mu Peixuan’s darkened expression and said, “You should ease your mind a little. At least the Yu family is not entering the capital as convicted criminals but merely for investigation. Even with Yao Cong escorting them, the journey to the capital will take at least half a month, especially with the elderly, women, and children among them. With such delays, by the time they arrive, the situation might have already changed. Though the road will be rough, for the Yu family to be on the road is actually a good thing.”
Mu Peizhi spoke in an unhurried tone. Shaking his head, he said, “The crux of this case does not lie with the Yu family, but with King Duan.”
Hearing this, Mu Peixuan looked toward Mu Peizhi and asked, “Big Brother, are you saying that King Duan still has a chance to fight back?”
Mu Peizhi replied, “I don’t know.”
“I do not know this King Duan well,” he said with a light smile, “But—”
He paused briefly before continuing, “Do you know why Prime Minister Lin is so wary of King Duan?”
Mu Peixuan thought for a moment, then said slowly, “There were once rumors that the late emperor had actually intended to pass the throne to King Duan…”
Mu Peizhi poured tea for Mu Peixuan, then filled his own cup halfway, saying, “This is the first point. The late emperor valued this younger brother, born of the same mother. King Duan was supposed to leave the capital and serve as a provincial governor, yet the late emperor kept him in the capital all these years. This shows the deep bond between the brothers.”
“Over the years, although King Duan has not been involved in court politics, he has always treated scholars with respect and cultivated relationships with them. His reputation among scholars is very high. As long as he remains, even if he does nothing, Prime Minister Lin and the eunuch faction have to tread carefully in their actions.”
“There’s also something few people know,” Mu Peizhi sighed deeply, “King Duan has a deep connection with Qin Fengyuan.”
Mu Peixuan raised his eyes, staring intently at Mu Peizhi. Mu Peizhi helplessly smiled and said with a sigh, “Qin Fengyuan has never married. Do you know why he hasn’t?”
“Unfortunately, King Duan is a tianqian and a descendant of the royal family. He cannot dream of anything like that.”
Mu Peixuan’s guess was confirmed. He said, “They fear that Qin Fengyuan and King Duan together—”
Mu Peizhi nodded. Mu Peixuan furrowed his brows slightly and said, “But if they calculate this way, aren’t they afraid of pushing Qin Fengyuan to…” He paused and uttered two words, “rebel?”
“With King Duan around, Qin Fengyuan won’t rebel.” Mu Peizhi glanced at Mu Peixuan and sighed. “Ah Xuan, you can’t say such treasonous things outside.”
After he finished speaking, he continued, “Qin Fengyuan is a subject; how could he act like that?”
“A subject,” Mu Peixuan repeated these words slowly, then gave a cold laugh and said, “In today’s Daliang, the ruler is no true ruler, and the ministers are no true ministers, what talk is there of loyalty?”
Mu Peizhi’s face darkened as he said sternly, “Peixuan!”
“Mind your words.”
Mu Peixuan met Mu Peizhi’s gaze, his eyes cold as ice, and said, “Big Brother, have you forgotten how Father died?”
Mu Peizhi choked slightly. He replied in a hoarse voice, “I have not forgotten—”
How could he possibly forget?
Seven years ago, the Arles tribe allied with other southern tribes to rebel and invade the south. At that time, Old Marquis Annan was appointed commander-in-chief by imperial decree, and the former commander of the southern garrison was assigned as the court-appointed overseer, accompanying the army to suppress the rebellion. However, though the overseer was a civil official unfamiliar with military affairs, he repeatedly interfered with the army’s command, hampering the Old Marquis. The battle was fought with great difficulty until Old Marquis Annan, staking his life, finally slew the leader of the Arles tribe.
The Old Marquis also perished for his country in that battle. Meanwhile, Liang Qizhe, the commander of the southern garrison, steadily rose through the ranks, was transferred to the capital, and became a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court.
Mu Peizhi gripped his teacup tightly, staring at Mu Peixuan as he said, “Mu Peixuan, I don’t care what you’re thinking. Don’t forget, our Marquis Annan Mansion has defended the borders for generations. We are subjects of Daliang! Think of the 372 lives of the Marquis Mansion behind you and the 180,000 soldiers of the frontier army. They raise the banner of Daliang and guard the lands of Daliang.”
Mu Peixuan’s jaw was tightly clenched, but he said nothing.
Mu Peizhi looked at him for a long moment before sighing. His expression softened slightly as he said, “Peixuan, I know you’ve held a deep grudge over Father’s death all these years. But Liang Qizhe is already dead. Everything should end here.”
“He’s dead, so what!” Mu Peixuan’s voice suddenly rose sharply. “Now that he’s dead, will Father come back to life? Will all those eyes that constantly watch us, afraid we might harbor disloyalty, just vanish?”
“Big Brother, all these years you’ve been treading on thin ice, careful in everything, hasn’t it been suffocating and humiliating enough?”
Mu Peizhi said in a low voice, “Then what is it that you want?”
Mu Peixuan fell silent.
Mu Peizhi looked at his younger brother and said, “Mu Peixuan, if someone with ill intent were to overhear the words you just spoke, it would spell catastrophe for the entire Marquis Mansion! By then, before the Yu family even perished, our whole household would have already lost our heads.”
“Today, I will simply take it as you being momentarily confused and speaking nonsense because of the Yu family’s affair.” Mu Peizhi said.
“Once you step out of this door, you are not to repeat these words to anyone.”
“Go back to your Wen’an Courtyard and calm yourself properly.”
Mu Peixuan flung his sleeves and left.
Mu Peizhi watched the young man’s tall, stubborn back and let out a sigh, draining the now-cold tea in his cup in one gulp.
Wen’an Courtyard.
When Mu Peixuan returned, Duan Linzhou was just setting down his brush and pressing his sore brow. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Mu Peixuan.
“You’re back.” Duan Linzhou rose and said, “How is the Yu family?”
Mu Peixuan looked at Duan Linzhou and said, “They’ve been hit by a sudden disaster, not so good. Uncle Yu’s hair turned white overnight.”
Duan Linzhou was taken aback for a moment, then sighed and said, “Governor Yu is a good official.”
Mu Peixuan gave a quiet “en” and said no more.
Duan Linzhou changed the subject, saying, “You’ve been busy all day, you must not have eaten yet.” He instructed Liu Guang to have the kitchen prepare something for Mu Peixuan, but Mu Peixuan said, “No need to trouble them.”
Mu Peixuan’s gaze never left Duan Linzhou as he said, “I’m not hungry.”
Duan Linzhou glanced at Mu Peixuan before telling Liu Guang, “You can go now.”
Liu Guang, understanding the situation, quietly left, leaving only Duan Linzhou and Mu Peixuan in the room. Duan Linzhou pushed the pastries on the table toward Mu Peixuan, saying, “The kitchen just sent these over, they’re still warm. Have a little, at least.”
Mu Peixuan stared at Duan Linzhou for a long moment before finally walking over. The pastries were delicately made, shaped like plum blossoms, sweet but not overly so. Mu Peixuan ate one, and Duan Linzhou had already poured him a cup of hot tea, smiling, “It’ll warm you up.”
Mu Peixuan remained silent, but he drank the tea. Duan Linzhou refilled his cup, watching Mu Peixuan quietly eating the pastries. Unable to resist, he reached out and gently ruffled Mu Peixuan’s hair.
The sudden embrace took Duan Linzhou by surprise. He froze for a moment; then, feeling Mu Peixuan’s tight grip around his waist, his hands instinctively moved to hold him back, soothingly rubbing his back.
“Don’t worry,” Duan Linzhou said in a gentle tone, his voice soft as he reassured him, “Yu Jing will be fine.”
Mu Peixuan whispered, “Duan Linzhou.”
Duan Linzhou replied, “En?”
Mu Peixuan didn’t know where to begin. He inhaled the scent of the medicine on Duan Linzhou’s clothes, his nose brushing against his temple and ear, yet he couldn’t catch the familiar scent of Duan Linzhou’s Xinxiang. Duan Linzhou, feeling the tickle, didn’t pull away but looked up at Mu Peixuan. Mu Peixuan lowered his eyes, and their gazes met. He raised his hand to shield Duan Linzhou’s eyes, as if trying to block the gaze that seemed capable of seeing through the panic and anger inside him.
Duan Linzhou had been ill for a long time, and his lips were pale. Mu Peixuan looked at him for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and rubbed the corner of Duan Linzhou’s lips, then leaned over and kissed him.
Duan Linzhou stroked Mu Peixuan’s hair, opened his mouth slightly, and showed a docile posture. Mu Peixuan’s kiss was calm at first, as if he just wanted the comfort with his lips and teeth, but as soon as he indulged, the kiss became uncontrollably fierce, as if mixed with resentment and anger that could not be expressed to others, like a raging wave, all poured out here.
Somehow, Duan Linzhou actually felt a bit of hidden sadness and unwillingness from it.
He stroked the back of Mu Peixuan’s neck and squeezed it gently. Mu Peixuan paused and bit his lips hard. His palm also clasped Duan Linzhou’s slender neck, covering the Zhongzong’s gland, and encircled it in his palm.
After a long time, Mu Peixuan let go of Duan Linzhou. Duan Linzhou almost couldn’t stand. The back of his neck was rubbed red, and the small gland was rubbed and crushed, making it hot and red.
Mu Peixuan was always good at restraint, and his mood had calmed down. He picked up Duan Linzhou, whose eyes were red, and put him on the desk. He looked at the older youth, who still had a faint plum fragrance over teeth, and couldn’t help but lean over and peck his eyes again.
“Duan Linzhou’s eyelashes fluttered, sensing the boy’s unabashed affection. His ears turned red, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.”
Mu Peixuan whispered, “Duan Linzhou, thank you.”
Duan Linzhou: “…Huh?” He hesitated for a moment, then let out a soft “Oh.”
