MSW Chapter78

Recalling the various events during the Tianqian’s rut, Mu Peixuan’s breathing quickened. Suddenly, Duan Linzhou tightened his grip on the collar around Mu Peixuan’s neck, forcing Mu Peixuan to look up, only to fall into Duan Linzhou’s indulgent and gentle eyes. Duan Linzhou pecked his nose and chuckled softly, “You don’t need to feel guilty.”

 

“What you wanted to do to me just proves that you love me, you love me very much, and I’m very happy.” Duan Linzhou said.

 

“You never need to feel guilty towards me,” Duan Linzhou said. “You can rely on my affection for you to do anything to me.”

 

Worried that Duan Linzhou might have harmed himself, Mu Peixuan invited Old Physician Ji and Mu Ke to examine Duan Linzhou. Old Physician Ji shot Duan Linzhou a disapproving glance. They had once considered forcibly suppressing Mu Peixuan’s rut with medication and acupuncture, but Duan Linzhou disagreed. If a Tianqian’s rut was forcibly interrupted by external forces, not only would a more intense second rut follow, but the Tianqian would also be easily affected by Xinxiang.

 

Duan Linzhou didn’t want Mu Peixuan to have this hidden danger.

 

Moreover, with Old Physician Ji and Mu Ke present, his body had recovered significantly; otherwise, Duan Linzhou wouldn’t have been so foolishly consumed by desire either.

 

Duan Linzhou naturally noticed Old Physician Ji’s piercing gaze. He sat obediently, offering Old Physician Ji a smile tinged with apology.

 

Old Physician Ji snorted. A Zhongyong constitution was already not comparable to a Kunze, let alone someone with Duan Linzhou’s physical condition. After such indulgence, he would need at least another half a month of strengthening his foundation and recuperating well.

 

Mu Peixuan and Duan Linzhou had originally planned to leave Ruizhou for Yu’an City in Yuzhou after Xu Ying and Fang Yuan’s wedding. However, Mu Peixuan unexpectedly entered his Tianqian rut, which caused another half-month delay. By the time they were ready to travel, it was already mid-December.

 

During the days Duan Linzhou was recuperating, neither of them was idle. Duan Linzhou knew that if this journey didn’t go smoothly, he probably wouldn’t be able to return to Ruizhou. So, with the New Year approaching, he invited the capable and loyal stewards in charge of the Duan family to have an early New Year’s Eve dinner at Weixiang Lou. This had been a rule since Duan Linzhou took over the family. He had his methods, treating people with sincerity, and also had strong measures that earned him the Duan family’s heartfelt respect. Even when he was ill for three years, there hadn’t been any major chaos that would shake the family’s foundation either.

 

Over the years, there have been those with ulterior motives, which is quite common; after all, wealth is tempting. If his subordinates were truly honest and straightforward, Duan Linzhou would suspect that those he heavily relied on were all mediocre.

 

Whether it was dissent or turmoil, Duan Linzhou had suppressed it all these past three years. As long as Duan Linzhou had a breath left, no one would dare to tarnish the Duan family’s reputation.

 

But what if he died?

 

Duan Linzhou thought that if he died, internal strife would surely erupt within the Duan family, and the Duan family, once dominant in the region, would crumble.

 

Although Lu Chong was capable, his martial arts world ethics and behavior were too strong, and he was inherently rebellious and disliked restraint, and he was not patient with scheming. He might not be willing to take on this trouble.

 

Liu Sanjiu could be a blade to cut through thorns, but his personality was extreme, and he couldn’t tolerate any impurity in his eyes, which was not enough to support the entire Duan family.

 

Duan Lin’an was indecisive; he was fine with minor matters, but when it came to major decisions, he was not as decisive as Duan Weirui—Duan Linzhou had once considered Duan Weirui. Although Weirui was intelligent, her nature was quiet, and she never contended with others. He also pitied her for being a Kunze, and he always couldn’t bear for her to face the hardships and dangers of the world.

 

Duan Linzhou meticulously considered everyone in the Duan family, but those who were capable also had ambitions that were too great. He feared they might be detrimental to the family, perhaps even turning their blades against the Duan siblings in the future. He already racked his brain but couldn’t come up with a good solution.

 

Until he thought of Mu Peixuan.

 

Duan Linzhou’s complexion looked much healthier than usual, and his lips were lightly rouged. If not for the heavy cloak and the ever-present hand warmer, one might almost forget that Duan Linzhou had been ill for a long time. The stewards of the Duan family were greatly reassured to see Duan Linzhou in such good spirits. Amidst the clinking of cups, they all declared that their master was blessed by heaven and would surely overcome all difficulties. Duan Linzhou listened with a smile, agreeing to all the well wishes. Before leaving, he prepared a generous New Year’s gift for each of them.

 

Duan Linzhou kept Lu Chong behind. Lu Chong knew Duan Linzhou was going to Yu’an and had requested to accompany him but was refused by Duan Linzhou.

 

Duan Linzhou said that while he was away from Ruizhou, Lu Chong was the only one he trusted among the entire Duan family.

 

Lu Chong’s face was grim, and he remained silent. Duan Linzhou chuckled, “Don’t worry, there’s also Xiao Junwang, and besides, there’s Sanjiu’s Wenfen Yuan in Yu’an.”

 

After a long silence, Lu Chong sighed and said to Duan Linzhou, ‘I will watch over the Duan family and wait for you to return, Boss.’

 

Duan Linzhou smiled and said, ‘Alright.’

 

Duan Linzhou and Lu Chong had a deep mutual understanding, they were confidants and almost like family. Lu Chong had witnessed Duan Linzhou’s suffering from “Jian Huangquan”, and now that Duan Linzhou had a glimmer of hope, Lu Chong couldn’t be happier. He looked at Duan Linzhou deeply, almost unable to stop himself from bringing up the old topic again, wanting to accompany him to Yu’an.

 

Duan Linzhou saw his hesitation and chuckled softly, saying, ‘Second Brother, the business is entrusted to you.’

 

Lu Chong paused, then let out a long sigh, saying, ‘Just go, and don’t worry.’

 

Duan Linzhou reached out and touched his shoulder, laughing, ‘With Second Brother here, what do I have to worry about?’

 

Lu Chong looked at the smile on Duan Linzhou’s face and smiled helplessly, shaking his head. ‘Don’t worry about the Duan family either; I’ll look after them.’

 

Duan Linzhou’s heart warmed, and he nodded. After a moment of thought, he began, ‘Second Brother, if I can’t return, please look after the Duan family for three years—’

 

Lu Chong’s face darkened, and he glared at Duan Linzhou, saying, ‘What nonsense are you talking about…’

 

‘Second Brother,’ Duan Linzhou interrupted him, ‘You know my nature; it’s always best to be prepared.’

 

Lu Chong was silent for a moment, then said nothing more. After a while, he replied, ‘Alright.’

 

He looked steadily at Duan Linzhou and said, ‘You must come back alive.’

 

Going to Yu’an, even Duan Linzhou wasn’t entirely confident he would emerge unscathed. Yu’an and Liangdu were unlike Ruizhou; they were even more dangerous than Fengzhou had been.

 

Yu’an was King Xin’s fiefdom, and Liangdu was already Qin Fengyuan’s domain.

 

For Mu Peixuan, going to either Yu’an or Liangdu would be extremely perilous.

 

Even though Mu Peixuan was entering Yu’an under the guise of paying homage to the young emperor, this was the reason Mu Peixuan devised to leave his fiefdom for Yu’an. He was currently guarding a region and could not easily leave Ruizhou without an imperial decree. As soon as he decided to go to Yu’an, he had already written a memorial and had someone send it to Yu’an.

 

The young emperor assented.

 

Or perhaps it was King Xin who assented.

 

Before leaving, Duan Linzhou also met Duan Weirui once. This was the first time the siblings had seen each other since the Duan family’s ancestral worship incident.

 

Duan Linzhou noticed that his sister had matured a great deal.

 

Duan Weirui was deeply troubled by the Duan family members’ coercion of Duan Linzhou. She felt she hadn’t protected the Duan family for him and had even allowed their clansmen to turn their blades on her third brother. For years, Duan Weirui had lived under Duan Linzhou’s wing. It was then that Duan Weirui suddenly wondered if she had become a burden to her third brother. Perhaps even Duan Linzhou’s marriage into Marquis Annan Mansion had something to do with her.

 

Duan Linzhou wanted to find a protector for them.

 

Duan Weirui was perceptive, and though she hadn’t thought about it before, once she did, she found herself sleepless night after night.

 

Duan Weirui wanted to do something for her third brother. The world was not kind to Kunze, but she thought that since her third brother, with his Zhongyong constitution, had established such a vast enterprise, even if she wasn’t as capable as him, she should still be able to stand on her own, so her third brother would no longer worry about her.

 

Duan Weirui was intelligent. Having grown up by Duan Linzhou’s side, she had been subtly influenced and conducted herself very much in Duan Linzhou’s style. She owned the rouge shops Duan Linzhou had given her for her birthdays, which she had always managed well. In terms of business acumen and handling affairs, even her elder brother Duan Lin’an couldn’t compare to Duan Weirui.

 

When the two met, though Duan Weirui didn’t explicitly say anything, Duan Linzhou was astute enough to notice her changes.

 

He felt both gratified and a little wistful.

 

Duan Linzhou thought that perhaps he had made a mistake, but he was running out of time.

 

Mu Peixuan hadn’t forgotten the incident where sea pirates attacked the Duan family’s merchant ships. Once his Tianqian rut passed, he immediately had Fu Yue seek out Lu Chong to inquire about the pirates. After staking out the docks for several days, he finally found a few clues. Then, with great fanfare, he coordinated with the local authorities for a bandit suppression campaign.

 

His large-scale operation targeted not only the sea pirates but also several groups of mountain bandits, who were wiped out. In particular, the sea pirates were routed by Ruizhou’s naval forces, suffering terribly. They, in turn, held grudges against the pirates who had originally plundered the Duan family’s merchant ships, leading to further infighting, which goes without saying.

 

That group of sea pirates, those who died at sea died at sea, and those who were captured alive were all brought back to Ruizhou, their crimes publicly displayed, and then they were beheaded in public. Mu Peixuan even personally supervised the execution. There was no way his princess consort could be bullied right under his nose and he would just swallow it.

 

It was already deep winter then, and the biting wind was like knives. The sea pirates, tortured beyond recognition in prison, were barely alive, disheveled, and covered in blood.

 

The young Tianqian stood with his hands behind his back on the high execution platform, his beautiful face stern as an Asura, making people afraid to look a second time. Beside him, the supervising official read out the pirates’ crimes, adding at the end, “Those who dare to commit crimes within Ruizhou will suffer capital punishment without pardon.”

 

The two words “Execute—!” carried on the cold wind, accompanied by the gleaming long blades in the executioners’ arms, sending chills down the spines of the onlookers.

 

When Liu Guang recounted the execution scene that had instilled a sense of solemnity throughout Ruizhou to Duan Linzhou, Duan Linzhou was receiving silver needle acupuncture. His back was covered in fine, hair-like silver needles, and he laughed so hard his shoulders shook, earning him a slap from Old Physician Ji.

 

Duan Linzhou closed his mouth, then after a moment, said, “Our Xiao Junwang killed two birds with one stone; it’s a warning.”

 

Liu Guang: “Huh?”

 

Mu Ke, who was staring intently at Old Physician Ji’s needling technique, didn’t even lift his head as he said, “Firstly, he avenged your Boss Duan’s personal grudge. Secondly, with outlaws causing trouble everywhere these days, don’t let Ruizhou’s apparent peace fool you; there are undercurrents stirring. His Highness’s actions are just right to deter these desperate individuals.”

 

“It’s to tell them that Ruizhou is a tough nut to crack; it’s not something anyone can just kick around.”

 

As a silver needle entered him, Duan Linzhou gasped, saying, “Master Mu is right.”

 

Liu Guang suddenly realized, “I thought Xiao Junwang was sticking up for our Young Master.”

 

Old Physician Ji couldn’t be bothered with talk of fighting and killing. He asked Duan Linzhou, “When are you planning to leave?”

 

Duan Linzhou replied, “In two days.”

 

Old Physician Ji nodded and said, “Mu Ke says he wants to go back with you guys. This old man won’t bother himself with such a trip.”

 

Duan Linzhou was momentarily stunned. “Master Mu is going to Yu’an?”

 

Mu Ke said, “En, my parents are both in Yu’an, I need to see them. Besides, you can’t be without a physician for your poison, and Old Physician Ji and I understand it best. It would be perfect if I went as well.”

 

Duan Linzhou looked up at Mu Ke and said earnestly, “Thank you.”

 

Mu Ke rubbed the tip of his nose and chuckled, “Regardless of whether you’re Peixuan’s princess consort or not. You’re the patient, and I’m the physician. There’s no need for thanks.”