MSW Chapter87

126

As night fell, the cold intensified. Outside, the north wind rattled the windows, signaling another chilly day ahead. Mu Peixuan emerged from the clean room to find Duan Linzhou leaning against the headboard, reviewing ledgers. His long hair cascaded over his shoulders, and the dim candlelight softened his features, making them appear delicate and gentle.

 

Mu Peixuan reached out and covered his eyes, saying, “Stop looking. It’s bad for your eyes. You can look at it tomorrow.”

 

Duan Linzhou tilted his head and smiled, placing the ledger aside. He sighed leisurely, “Xiao Junwang, you know, not even my father controlled me like this.”

 

And wasn’t it controlled? What he ate was questioned, when he took his medicine was managed, and even what he wore had to be approved… All in all, the young Mu Peixuan was practically becoming half his father. Even when old Master Duan was alive, he never managed Duan Linzhou, his Zhongyong son, as well. Before Duan Linzhou showed his capabilities, his father didn’t pay much attention to this mediocre son. Once he stood out, aside from occasional guidance, he rarely scrutinized him to this extent. This kind of meticulous “control,” according to Duan Linzhou’s previous temperament, would probably have made him impatient. But now that he truly experienced it, he felt a bit of novelty in his heart, and he was somewhat… somewhat reluctant to refuse.

 

He even seemed to be enjoying it.

 

Mu Peixuan thought, whose fault is this? He doesn’t take his frail body seriously at all. He said aloud, “Does Boss Duan want to call me ‘Father’?”

 

Duan Linzhou chuckled and replied, “With talk like that, Xiao Junwang, aren’t you afraid your father-in-law will come looking for a chat in the middle of the night?”

 

Mu Peixuan said, “Perfect, I wanted to talk to him anyway.” He was tall and strong, and when he got into bed, he brought warmth with him. Mu Peixuan skillfully touched Duan Linzhou’s feet under the covers. The room had an incense burner, and a hot water bottle was tucked into the bed, warming it up before Duan Linzhou got in. But even after all this time, it still wasn’t as warm as Mu Peixuan. He frowned and murmured, “Are you cold?”

 

Duan Linzhou looked at him and smiled. “No, I’m not cold. Xiao Junwang will warm me up in a bit.”

 

“What does Xiao Junwang want to talk about with my father?”

 

Mu Peixuan glanced at him, took his hand, and clasped it in his own. He jokingly replied, “What else would a son-in-law talk about with his father-in-law?”

 

Duan Linzhou said, “That won’t do. What if you complain about me to my father?”

 

Mu Peixuan replied, “Too late to think about that now.”

 

The two bantered back and forth, flirting. Mu Peixuan caressed the part of Duan Linzhou’s waist under his clothes, then couldn’t resist biting his ear. “Who said I liked you because you’re rich?”

 

Duan Linzhou, who was tickled by the gesture, chuckled and said, “You heard that?”

 

Mu Peixuan hummed noncommittally. Duan Linzhou then asked, “Could it be that Xiao Junwang doesn’t like me being rich?”

 

“I’d like you even if you had no silver.” Mu Peixuan replied.

 

Duan Linzhou was delighted, nodding enthusiastically, “Junwang Fei is rich, but I, Zhou Lin, am not. Does Xiao Junwang like me, or Junwang Fei?” His tone was incredibly enticing when he said this, with a playful mischievousness, trying to create a distinction between Duan Linzhou and Zhou Lin. Mu Peixuan’s adam apple bobbed, and his voice involuntarily became a little hoarse as he said, “My Junwang Fei is more than just wealthy.”

 

He murmured, “He’s understanding and perceptive—”

 

Duan Linzhou scoffed with a laugh, “Am I not understanding and perceptive?”

 

“I know a lot more; I’ll surely make Xiao Junwang forget his old flame from Ruizhou and only have eyes for me, his new love.” He whispered these words into Mu Peixuan’s ear, accompanied by kisses on his earlobe and neck. Mu Peixuan instinctively wrapped his arms around Duan Linzhou’s waist, leaning in to kiss him. But before their lips could meet, Duan Linzhou’s kisses had already moved lower. Mu Peixuan let out a soft gasp, passionately caressing Duan Linzhou’s cheek and neck.

 

The young Tianqian’s muscles were firm, with scars, deep and shallow, testament to his past glories on the battlefield. As Duan Linzhou’s tongue traced them, Mu Peixuan’s breathing grew heavier. He already loved kissing Duan Linzhou, and now, being teased like this with kisses withheld, he grew even more impatient.

 

Duan Linzhou kissed his fingers and said, “Don’t rush.”

 

Mu Peixuan couldn’t hold back. He slipped his fingers into Duan Linzhou’s mouth. Duan Linzhou didn’t pull away, opening his mouth to take them in as if they were that part below, while his hand actually reached down to strip off the Tianqian’s underpants. Ambiguous sucking sounds mingled with the Tianqian’s impassioned gasps. Inside the bed curtains, the air grew hot. Mu Peixuan’s two fingers were thoroughly wet from Duan Linzhou’s mouth. When he pulled them out, he couldn’t resist pressing Duan Linzhou down beneath him.

 

Duan Linzhou let out a muffled, pleased chuckle, then soothingly kissed Mu Peixuan’s taut lower abdomen. Mu Peixuan said, “Take it in.”

 

Duan Linzhou’s voice, muffled from beneath the covers, still tickled Mu Peixuan’s ears. He said, “Xiao Junwang, tell me, am I better, or is Junwang Fei better?”

 

How could one answer that? Mu Peixuan’s palms were sticky, and he said hoarsely, “How can you tell with just a shallow taste?”

 

Duan Linzhou smiled, then leaned down and gave Mu Peixuan a “deep taste.”

 

Because of Duan Linzhou’s comment, “Perhaps it’s because he’s rich,” Li Chengyi had been looking at Mu Peixuan strangely for several days. Mu Peixuan paid it no mind until one day, when Duan Linzhou was absent, Li Chengyi said to Mu Peixuan, “Brother, you’ve suffered.”

 

“I know things are tough in Ruizhou. The Ministry of Revenue is slow with funds, and the national treasury is indeed in deficit right now,” he said, looking at Mu Peixuan sympathetically. “The border army is all on your shoulders; it sounds good, but it’s genuinely hard to manage… Ah, you’ve suffered.”

 

Mu Peixuan was speechless.

 

Li Chengyi continued, “Don’t worry. The Assistant Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Revenue is my cousin’s husband’s brother-in-law. Once the court recovers from this, I’ll do my best to mediate for you, so you don’t have to be beholden to a merchant.”

 

Mu Peixuan laughed in exasperation, patting Li Chengyi’s shoulder with an air of “you get it.” He said gravely, “I’m counting on you then.”

 

Li Chengyi puffed out his chest and declared, “You and I are like brothers.”

 

Just as Li Chengyi had mentioned, Xiao Xun did send his chief eunuch, Zhao Xi, to invite Mu Peixuan to participate in the Spring Plowing Festival. Mu Peixuan, however, feigned illness, claiming to have caught a cold. Firstly, he feared transmitting it to the emperor and harming his health, and secondly, performing a sacrifice while ill was simply improper. So, he declined the invitation.

 

The situation in Yu’an City is currently complex. The emperor’s personal participation in the Spring Plowing Festival was the first major event since the move south, and it was of great importance. There was no telling if someone might stir up trouble. Mu Peixuan wanted no part in any potential mess and decided to steer clear.

 

No one knew the emperor’s true thoughts, but he publicly sent his chief eunuch, Zhao Xi, with an imperial decree, instructing Mu Peixuan to take good care of his health. Mu Peixuan naturally accepted.

 

It was a beautiful day when Duan Linzhou left his residence. The surveillance operative, seeing an opportunity, tried to follow him. However, after only a street, an ox cart loaded with charcoal suddenly emerged from an alley, nearly colliding with him. By the time he recovered, Duan Linzhou was nowhere to be seen.

 

Duan Linzhou was on his way to meet his confidantes, who were covertly established in Yu’an.

 

Since arriving in Yu’an, there had been many hidden agents monitoring the residence. Messages were handled by Jiang Yu, whose exceptional martial arts skills surpassed even Zhang Chao’s, making it effortless for him to evade the agents. Liu Sanjiu was meticulous; both Liangdu and Yu’an were crucial, so the spies operating in these locations were thoroughly vetted and screened, all proving fiercely loyal to Duan Linzhou.

 

In a private room at the eating house, after their discussion, Duan Linzhou stood with his hands in his sleeves, observing the street scene. Despite the grim circumstances, there were still many pedestrians moving about.

 

Suddenly, a flamboyantly dressed young man, swearing profusely, was thrown out. He was a scrawny young Zhongyong, clearly hollowed out by excessive drinking and carousing. Two servants rushed to help him up, but the young Zhongyong angrily shoved them away, yelling, “Are you dead?! How could you let them humiliate me like this!”

 

The servants remained silent, not daring to speak.

 

At the entrance of the gambling house, a zhongyong man in his thirties, likely a steward, stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, “How can this be considered humiliation? Young Master Shen, your bets are all gone. Naturally, you can’t place any more.”

 

The young man’s face flushed crimson as he loudly retorted, “I just had a run of bad luck! I told you to put it on account, on account! Do you think I’d default on a debt to you?”

 

The steward smiled, pointing to a wooden sign hanging above the door. “My apologies, but it’s a rule of our gambling house that we don’t allow credit.”

 

The young man pointed to someone else. “Then why can he get credit?”

 

The steward replied, “Young Master Liu is a longtime patron of our gambling house; we know him well. You… are different.”

 

The young man was furious. “You’re looking down on people! Back in Liangdu, no one dared to speak to me like that!” The young man declared, “Do you know who my mother is? My mother is His Majesty’s nanny; she’s someone who serves before His Majesty!”

 

“Rules are rules, Young Master Shen. Please understand.” The steward said with a smile.

 

Below, the crowd grew noisy. Duan Linzhou thoughtfully held his teacup, asking the man beside him, “Ruan Xiu, do you know him?”

 

Ruan Xiu, the manager of the inn located diagonally across from the gambling house, had naturally seen the man before. He replied, “Boss, his name is Shen Que. He’s often found loitering in this gambling den. When he first arrived, he was quite extravagant, casually handing out gold leaves as tips. Unfortunately, his silver ran out quickly.”

 

“He’s had drinks at the inn before. From what he said after a few drinks, it seems he was set up by the gambling house,” Ruan Xiu whispered. “I heard his mother was the young emperor’s nanny, and the young emperor trusts her quite a bit. Shen Que often uses this to his advantage.”

 

Duan Linzhou smiled and told Ruan Xiu, “Look into it. If what he says is true, help him out next time you see him.”

 

“Yes, Boss.” Ruan Xiu replied.

 

A couple of days later was the Spring Plowing Festival. Unexpectedly, the festival’s sacrifice went smoothly, but an incident occurred at the imperial city that was under construction. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, which was nearing completion, had collapsed.