MSW Chapter63

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It was indeed a joyous occasion that Xu Ying and Fang Yuan were getting married. Having grown up together as childhood sweethearts, their feelings were mutual, and they had long been acknowledged by each other’s parents. Otherwise, how could a Tianqian and a Kunze have become so close? Although Headmaster Fang didn’t favor Xu Ying’s lively and unconstrained nature and his lack of scholarly learning, he couldn’t withstand Xu Ying’s persistence. Moreover, their families were close neighbors, and over time, Headmaster Fang had also grown to accept Xu Ying.

 

After all, Xu Ying had a pure heart and was completely devoted to Fang Yuan. Once married, he wouldn’t dare to treat Fang Yuan poorly.

 

Thinking this way, Headmaster Fang had tacitly approved of the relationship between Xu Ying and Fang Yuan, but it had never been formally acknowledged. This time, Fang Yuan’s unauthorized departure from home to travel to distant Fengzhou had filled Headmaster Fang, who doted on this exceptionally intelligent youngest child, with a mixture of shock, anger, and worry. The battlefield was no place for a delicate Kunze with no strength to even truss a chicken!

 

Fortunately, he had returned safe and sound.

 

The two elders of the Xu family brought Xu Ying to the Fang family to apologize, showering Headmaster Fang with compliments and good words until he finally relented and agreed to Xu Ying and Fang Yuan’s marriage.

 

Ever since he became aware of things, Xu Ying had been set on marrying Fang Yuan when he grew up. Now that his long-cherished wish had come true, he was in high spirits for days on end, his grin stretching from ear to ear. Every time Mu Peixuan saw his worthless, lovesick appearance, his teeth would ache. He simply gave Xu Ying a few days off, letting him run wild and burn off his excitement before coming near him again.

 

Who knew that Xu Ying would return after only one day? Although he and Fang Yuan were engaged, they weren’t married yet, and the Fang family’s door wasn’t so easy to enter. Xu Ying had paced around his house countless times, only to be avoided as a nuisance by his parents and kicked out.

 

Having nowhere else to go, Xu Ying circled back to the garrison. Returning to the garrison was good, there were many brothers there and many unmarried Tianqian and Zhongyong in the camp, perfect for sharing his joy.

 

And so, throughout the garrison, from the acting commander down to the lowest-ranking soldier, everyone knew about Xu Ying and Fang Yuan’s engagement, except for the commander, who hadn’t yet returned to Ruizhou.

 

After showing off enough, Xu Ying squatted in Mu Peixuan’s study, now and then mentioning what needed to be prepared for the wedding or which guests to invite. He asked Mu Peixuan, who didn’t even lift his head and expressionlessly said, ‘Don’t know’.

 

Xu Ying said, “It’s one thing for others not to know, but how can you, Your Highness, as someone who’s been through it, not know?”

 

He muttered to himself for a while before realizing and chuckling, “Oh, I remember now. Your Highness didn’t want to get married back then and didn’t even want to return to the Marquis Mansion. The wedding arrangements were all handled by the people in the mansion. How would you know?”

 

Mu Peixuan: “……”

 

He grabbed a stack of official documents from the table and threw them at Xu Ying, saying, “Get lost, get lost, get lost.”

 

Who hasn’t gotten married before? Is marrying someone you like such a big deal? The person he’s marrying happens to be someone he’ll like and wants to spend his life with!

 

Xu Ying let out a yelp, dodging the thrown documents, then fawned over them, tidying them up and placing them back on Mu Peixuan’s desk, grinning with his white teeth, and said, “I’m leaving, I’ll go talk to Zhou Zijin.”

 

Mu Peixuan stared at the official documents on the desk. The characters were neat and upright, but he couldn’t focus on a single word. He recalled his own marriage to Duan Linzhou, a marriage that had come suddenly and hastily. They got engaged in mid-September and married in December. During those three months, Mu Peixuan hadn’t inquired about his and Duan Linzhou’s wedding at all.

 

The day before the wedding, he was incredibly annoyed. Yu Jing, Xu Ying, and a few others had kept him company drinking half the night, almost causing him to miss the auspicious hour.

 

The entire mansion was decorated with red and colorful hangings, it was festive and lively, but the more festive it was, the more vexed he felt. Mu Peixuan remembered that on his wedding day, the weather in Ruizhou was cold, and the first snow of the year had fallen. When he arrived at the Duan Mansion, Duan Linzhou was already dressed and made up, and was supported by Duan Lin’an, whom he had met before, as Duan Linzhou walked out.

 

Mu Peixuan suddenly realized that he had forgotten what Duan Linzhou had looked like at that time — not forgotten, but had never even looked properly.

 

A sense of loss washed over Mu Peixuan, mixed with a vague, inexplicable annoyance.

 

This restless emotion clung to Mu Peixuan.

 

…

 

The new prefect of Ruizhou has arrived, and Han Shiqing hosted a welcoming banquet for him, inviting Mu Peixuan and a number of Ruizhou officials to celebrate his arrival.

 

Jiang Zhen was in his forties with a beard on his chin, and he always wore a smile when meeting people. He was very polite to Mu Peixuan. Marquis Annan Mansion should now be called Prince Annan Mansion. Although Mu Peizhi’s eldest son had inherited the title, he was young, and the one truly in charge of Prince Annan Mansion was still Mu Peixuan. Mu Peixuan had always enjoyed considerable prestige in the army, not to mention his leadership in quelling the recent rebellion. Even Zhou Ting, the commander, probably didn’t have the same level of reputation as Mu Peixuan either in the military.

 

Having navigated the complexities of officialdom for many years, Jiang Zhen, after arriving in Ruizhou, naturally saw that all matters, big and small, were decided by Mu Peixuan and the Assistant Governor Han Shiqing. Whether he, the prefect, was there or not made no difference. He simply let go, going to the prefectural government to clock in every day. When Han Shiqing and other officials came to ask about matters, he would smile like a Buddha and say that Lord Han should make the decision, that they should handle it themselves, completely acting like a hands-off manager.

 

Han Shiqing, afraid of misjudging the proper course of action, would seek out Mu Peixuan. Mu Peixuan would say that the established procedures should be followed according to the rules.

 

Han Shiqing naturally agreed.