92
Having returned to Fengzhou, Mu Peixuan naturally took over all its affairs. He rarely dealt with administrative matters, so at first, he was somewhat unfamiliar with them. However, with Duan Linzhou’s guidance and his own intelligence, Mu Peixuan quickly got the hang of it.
The people’s livelihood was the top priority. Duan Linzhou told Mu Peixuan about the recent events in Fengzhou, including the city’s reconstruction and the temporary assignment and appointment of officials. Duan Linzhou had been a merchant for many years and didn’t know much about court politics, but he had his own unique insights into the lives of ordinary people and the art of recognizing and employing talent. The two of them, one in officialdom and the other outside, sat facing each other while brewing tea, and there was a remarkable unspoken understanding between them. When they spoke with enthusiasm, they would both smile knowingly, feeling a sense of profound benefit and sudden clarity.
The current state of affairs in Fengzhou was a complete mess. Whoever Liangdu sent to take over Fengzhou in the future would undoubtedly face a major headache.
However, the most troublesome issue was still the bandit refugees entrenched outside the city. Now that Daliang was in turmoil and the situation was unstable, although Liu Ziyi was dead and the rebel army had been quelled, but local bandits were rampant, with countless others following suit. Currently, with Mu Peixuan leading the Southern Army to garrison several prefectures, they dared not act rashly. But once Mu Peixuan returned to Ruizhou, these bandits might very well take advantage of the newly established and inexperienced local garrisons and launch a counterattack.
Mu Peixuan was well aware of this, and so was Duan Linzhou, but because the matter was so significant, neither of them explicitly brought it up.
What moved Mu Peixuan was that Duan Linzhou had also found a place for the wounded and disabled soldiers from this campaign. According to regulations, once soldiers in the army were injured and could no longer serve, they would be given a sum of silver as a meager pension and then sent back to their hometowns. But this amount of silver was like a drop in the ocean for a disabled soldier.
Duan Linzhou planned to establish a special institution called the “Ji’an Tang” under the name of Marquis Annan Mansion. This hall would provide suitable jobs for wounded and disabled soldiers who were unwilling to return to their hometowns, allowing them to support themselves. Duan Linzhou’s Duan family business already had a wide range of interests, and with the growing chaos in Daliang, he had sensed an opportunity amidst the turmoil and was in need of a large number of capable individuals. When he mentioned this to Mu Peixuan, they immediately agreed.
Mu Peixuan had grown up in the military camps with his father since childhood and had seen many soldiers leave the army due to injury or old age, living in poverty and hardship. His heart couldn’t bear it. Fortunately, there hadn’t been any major wars on the southern border in recent years. When soldiers were occasionally injured while suppressing bandits or quelling minor rebellions, Mu Peixuan would settle them on his own estates. However, private estates had limited capacity, and in the event of a major war, even Mu Peixuan wouldn’t be able to accommodate so many wounded soldiers.
In his opinion, these soldiers guarded the frontiers, shedding blood and risking their lives, and they shouldn’t end up in such a plight.
Duan Linzhou’s ability to do this filled him with respect and gratitude.
Duan Linzhou shook his head and chuckled. ‘Sentimentality doesn’t establish affairs, and righteousness doesn’t manage wealth. My setting up the Ji’an Tang isn’t solely for Your Highness’s sake. Although these wounded soldiers are injured, they’ve received years of training, and with some re-education, many will be capable. That’s the first reason. Secondly, if Marquis Annan Mansion and the Duan family extend a helping hand, even if not all of them, at least eighty percent will be grateful and repay our kindness. Thirdly, when the soldiers in the army see how thoroughly Your Highness has considered their welfare, how can they not feel grateful for Your Highness’s benevolence? They will naturally be willing to risk their lives for Your Highness.’
Mu Peixuan gazed steadily at Duan Linzhou. Duan Linzhou winked at him and joked, ‘Of course, if there are those with poor character or who are useless, I naturally won’t keep them.’
Mu Peixuan gently squeezed his slender fingers and responded with a deep ‘Alright’.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Xu Ying and the others led the main army back to Fengzhou. They returned two days earlier than Mu Peixuan had anticipated. Zhou Ting and several other generals temporarily stayed behind in Liangzhou to handle the aftermath.
The main army did not enter the city but instead encamped outside.
With everything settled, on the night the main army returned to Fengzhou, Mu Peixuan held a victory banquet in the camp to reward the troops.
Night had already fallen, and the sky was scattered with stars. A cool breeze rustled through the air. Clusters of bonfires burned in the encampment, making the sounds of toasts and laughter even more lively. Mu Peixuan, Duan Linzhou, Xu Ying, Fang Yuan, and others sat together. During the banquet, they tacitly left two seats empty, with wine poured into the cups.
Zhou Zijin, Lu Chong, and Xu Ying recounted the events after Mu Peixuan returned to Fengzhou. They were all eloquent speakers, describing everything vividly. Amidst the clinking of cups and passing of wine, two jars were emptied before they knew it.
The wine was excellent, prepared by Duan Linzhou long ago for their triumphant return.
Xu Ying, having had a few too many cups, had a slight flush on his cheeks. He boomed, “Your Highness, you weren’t there at the time, you didn’t see it! Zhou Zijin charged straight at that rebel leader, roaring like a madman!” He slapped his thigh. “Even Second Brother Lu couldn’t stop him. Luckily, Second Brother Lu is incredibly skilled. He flung his blade and pierced that archer who was shooting from the shadows right through! Otherwise, this kid wouldn’t be sitting here drinking with us today.”
Having campaigned together to quell the rebellion, sharing life and death, they had become well-acquainted. Zhou Zijin, hearing Xu Ying’s accusation, he grumbled, “You’re one to talk! I wonder who it was who led a whole troop over half a mountain just to torch their hideout?”
Mu Peixuan, Duan Linzhou, and Fang Yuan exchanged amused glances as they watched the two bicker back and forth.
Xu Ying chuckled heartily. “What do you know? That was tactics! If we didn’t press our advantage, what if they regained their strength and ran again? Wouldn’t we have to put in even more effort?”
“Those bastards weren’t soldiers, they were just a bunch of bandits, stinking rats, slipping away into the mountains, impossible to catch,” Xu Ying muttered. “If there hadn’t been so many villages at the foot of that mountain, I would have burned the whole place down…”
At this point, for some reason, his voice lowered. He gulped down two cups of wine and then boomed, “Drink up!”
“Your Highness, I’ll toast you!” Xu Ying stood up, holding his wine cup. “We brothers don’t need to say much. Cheers!”
Mu Peixuan raised his hand and lightly clinked his cup against Xu Ying’s. “Alright, sit down.”
Xu Ying toasted Mu Peixuan and then turned to Duan Linzhou. “Boss Duan, you’re the most capable zhongyong I’ve ever met! I’ll drink to you! May you and His Highness grow old together!” He added in a tipsy mumble, “And have children soon!”
Duan Linzhou and the others chuckled. Mu Peixuan shot him a glance and said, “What are you talking about?”
Xu Ying looked bewildered. “Doesn’t Your Highness want to have children soon?”
Mu Peixuan’s ears grew warm. These kinds of things didn’t need to be said in front of everyone. Fang Yuan, who was beside him, also started laughing and tugged at Xu Ying’s sleeve. “Alright, sit down.”
Xu Ying mumbled an “Oh” and slowly plopped back down.
Duan Linzhou smiled and raised his cup. “Thank you for your kind words.”
Only then did Xu Ying beam. “Boss Duan, you’re really straightforward!”
Zhou Zijin, seeing that he had finished his cup, leaned over and said, “Xu Ying, why aren’t you drinking with me? Are you afraid?”
“What a joke!” Xu Ying’s eyes widened. “Who’s afraid? Watch this young lord drink you under the table!”
As they spoke, they were about to start a drinking contest, no longer using cups but switching to bowls. Lu Chong and the others watched with amusement and simply threw aside their cups as well, also using bowls. The bowls were deep, and the splashing of wine added to the boisterous atmosphere.
Duan Linzhou didn’t drink much, only watching Mu Peixuan and the others drink with a smile. After a while, seeing that some of them were getting tipsy, he said to Fang Yuan, “Aren’t you going to advise them a bit?”
Fang Yuan smiled faintly and shook his head. “It’s rare for them to get drunk. Let them be.”
After several rounds of wine, Mu Peixuan’s eyes were still clear, but Zhou Zijin and Xu Ying were already slumped over, unable to sit straight, their speech slurred. Xu Ying was truly drunk. He actually stood up again, clutching a wine jar, intending to find someone else to drink with. He stumbled around in circles and was about to fall when Fang Yuan quickly supported him. Xu Ying was tall and heavy, making Fang Yuan sway. “Xu Ying.”
Xu Ying slowly lowered his head, looked at Fang Yuan, and called out, “Yuan Ge’er.” He said, “What about Li Yue? I haven’t drunk with him yet.”
Fang Yuan was slightly taken aback. He looked at Xu Ying, whose eyes were slowly turning red. “I can never drink with Li Yue again.”
Fang Yuan gently patted Xu Ying’s back. Drunk, Xu Ying had forgotten all his restraint and hugged the wine jar, crying heartrendingly. His tears caused everyone except the completely inebriated Zhou Zijin to fall silent. Lu Chong, Mu Peixuan, and Duan Linzhou all fell silent.
Mu Peixuan tightened his grip on the wine bowl in his hand, tilted his head back, and drained the wine in one gulp.
Duan Linzhou sighed inwardly and glanced at Lu Chong. Lu Chong nodded in understanding and said to Fang Yuan, “Young Master Fang, Xu Ying is quite drunk. I’ll escort him back to his tent.”
Fang Yuan quickly replied, “Thank you for your trouble, Second Brother Lu.” He then nodded to Mu Peixuan and Duan Linzhou before following Xu Ying, who was leaning heavily on Lu Chong, as they left the gathering.
Mu Peixuan’s gaze fell upon the two empty seats at the table. The figures of Mu Peizhi and Li Yue seemed to appear before his eyes. He closed his eyes briefly and then took another large gulp of wine. Duan Linzhou didn’t stop him or offer any words of comfort but simply sat silently beside Mu Peixuan, keeping him company.
That night, Mu Peixuan also drank too much.
As Duan Linzhou accompanied him back, Mu Peixuan was uncharacteristically talkative, abandoning his usual calm and reserve. He gripped Duan Linzhou’s hand and rambled on about how he, Li Yue, and Xu Ying had skipped classes together at Qinghe Academy. He recounted how Xu Fangyi loved to gamble on jade one year and had emptied his private coffers, resulting in a severe beating from his father and the suspension of his monthly allowance, forcing him to rely on Mu Peixuan and Yu Jing for half a year. He spoke of Yu Jing’s love for poetry and how he had endured being turned away for half a month just to get a renowned scholar exiled in Lingnan to write him a poem. His words circled around, eventually landing on Li Yue, whom he described as the most diligent among them. Commander Zhou had greatly valued him. If Li Yue hadn’t met with that accident… if he hadn’t, with Zhou Ting paving the way for him, he might very well have become the next commander of the garrison in the future.
Duan Linzhou had never heard Mu Peixuan speak so much. The young man held his arm tightly, rested his face on his shoulder, and called out “Duan Linzhou” several times. Duan Linzhou stroked Mu Peixuan’s hair, turned his head, and gently kissed his damp eyelashes. “I’m here.”
Mu Peixuan didn’t reply immediately. Just as Duan Linzhou thought he had fallen asleep, he heard him say, “My elder brother said he wasn’t as good as me. I never thought that way. In fact, when I was little, I was jealous of him.”
Mu Peixuan continued, “Mother never showed me any affection, but she was always so kind to my elder brother. I was jealous of him then.”
“My elder brother was much older than me. I didn’t spend as much time with him as I did with Xu Ying and the others. We weren’t particularly close.” Mu Peixuan’s gaze drifted, lost in thought. “It wasn’t until the imperial decree came from Liangdu, ordering me to go to the capital, that I realized… my elder brother didn’t agree. He even considered going to the capital in my place to plead guilty.”
Mu Peixuan gave a bleak smile. “He didn’t say it, but I knew. All these years, he had been doing his utmost to protect the entire Marquis Annan Mansion, to protect me.”
“He is my elder brother, the Marquis Annan. He was never inferior to me.” Mu Peixuan said.
He repeated the sentence to himself, as if trying to convey it to Mu Peizhi. A pang of tenderness touched Duan Linzhou’s heart, and he whispered, “I know.”
After a long silence, Mu Peixuan said to Duan Linzhou, “Duan Linzhou, don’t leave me.”
Duan Linzhou looked at Mu Peixuan. His eyes were red and still a little wet, but his gaze was stubbornly fixed. Duan Linzhou could barely bear to see such a look. He leaned down and kissed Mu Peixuan’s eyes. “I won’t leave you.”
As long as I am alive.
In the sixth month of the second year of Yuanfeng, the victorious army returned to Ruizhou.
In the same month, Xiao Zixing died in battle, and Qin Fengyuan conquered Bozhou, his forces reaching the gates of Lingguan. Lingguan was the last natural stronghold defending Liangdu and its gateway. Once Lingguan fell, Liangdu would have no more natural defenses.
The court and the common people were filled with fear, and voices advocating for a southward relocation began to rise.
King Xin in Yuzhou led his army north, directly reaching Qizhou, intending to escort the young Emperor south to Yuzhou. The court was immediately divided into two factions: one led by Prime Minister Lin, advocating for a desperate defense of Liangdu, and the other, led by Minister of Revenue Qin Qiong, arguing for a retreat to Yuzhou.
At this time, officials from Fengzhou, Longzhou, Liangzhou, and several other prefectures successively submitted memorials to Liangdu, stating that there was unrest within their jurisdictions, bandits were rampant, and the morale of the people was low. They specifically requested the Southern Army to garrison their prefectures and protect the peace of their regions.
