Chapter 166: Chapter 166
Chapter 166
"Qian’er, all of my words..." Young General reached out, hoping to grab her jade-like white arm.
However, he couldn’t do it!
A silver blade flashed before him, causing a small drop of blood to seep out. Young General instinctively jumped back, knowing that if he hadn’t, he would have lost his arm.
"My apologies, General. I was listening for so long that I felt like throwing up, so I had to interrupt your private conversation with “my wife,”" came the deep, angry voice of Mu Heng.
Yueqian raised an eyebrow slightly and slowly stepped back towards Mu Heng, as if she had known all along that her husband was eavesdropping on the conversation between the villainess and the male lead.
"You!"
"Yes, it’s me, the lowly ambitious one. Thank you for understanding my feelings better than anyone else. And yes! I feel very ambitious now. My goal is... to be above you," Mu Heng declared defiantly.
He wasn’t usually one to say much, but today he had heard enough nonsense from the despicable man before him. He didn’t want Yueqian to be swayed by what the other man said, even though he knew that his beautiful wife wasn’t like that. Still, Mu Heng couldn’t just let it go.
"Heh!" Young General wiped the blood off the back of his hand and laughed derisively as he looked at Yueqian, as if to say, "See? Just as I told you.”
But Mu Heng didn’t let them exchange glances for long. He touched Yueqian’s slender waist, pulling her into a tender embrace.
"I’m indeed ambitious, but I won’t be like you." Upon hearing this, Young General raised an eyebrow.
"I promised Yueqian that she would be my only one. It’s true that I’ll take her through hardships at the beginning, but if I ever rise to a high position, I won’t do what you do. I won’t let her be an old furen watching the children of other women play in our manor. I’ll make sure only she and her children play in my manor," Mu Heng said firmly. Although he told this matter to Young General, he was also making a vow to his little wife.
"Hah! A lowly person like you can think that way. You don’t know how difficult it is to be a noble."
"Is it so difficult that a man can’t protect his wife’s feelings? If that’s truly the case... I’d rather be a loser and live humbly forever! My ambition is to protect those I love, not to protect my own honor."
Mu Heng shook his head. He also despised the thoughts of these nobles. If rising to greatness meant taking a woman into his manor for connections, asking for favors, or sending his own daughter to be someone’s concubine against her will, how could he live with honor as a man and a warrior?
Wouldn’t it be better to call him a coward instead?
If he thought of selling his wife and children, or taking women from other families to strengthen his own power, how could he laugh while climbing to a position built on his family’s suffering?
Mu Heng’s gaze caused Young General to pause. However, having grown up with a different mindset from Mu Heng, Young General merely let out a laugh. He looked at Mu Heng as if he were a naive loudmouth who knew nothing about life.
Didn’t the other man know? Once you ascend to a high position, descending is incredibly difficult.
Sometimes, one’s wife, children, and family could be eradicated in a single night. With just one order, everyone you love could be killed. This is the power they must seize and hold onto.
They have to consider the hundreds of lives in their manor. It’s the responsibility of a noble family. Without anyone to support them, when many nobles petition, the result is that no one stands by their side. Without checks and balances, they become prey when the time comes.
Mu Heng could think this way because he hadn’t yet experienced such pressure. Young General understood this. As the young general and even as the son of the Great General of the East, the emperor’s sword was already at their necks. One wrong move, or anything that caught the emperor’s eye or ear, would mean only death awaited his entire family.
His aging father still had to marry in wives to ensure other families were interested in the Deng family’s affairs, preventing the emperor from acting freely. This was everything! They weren’t infatuated with women; they did it for the survival of their family.
This is the reality for noble families. Even a hothead like Mu Heng wouldn’t get through it unless he had so much power that the emperor wouldn’t dare to even look their way!! But that’s impossible, and he knew it best.
"Hah! There’s a saying, ’One does not shed tears until seeing the coffin.’ Today, I’ve seen its truth. Take your courage, as childish as that of a five-year-old, and go back. Qian’er knows well how difficult this is for a noble." Young General no longer looked at Mu Heng.
He looked at Yueqian with a very serious expression because he truly believed in his own thoughts and considered Mu Heng’s ideas to be shallow.
But Yueqian shook her head.
"Young General, this difference alone tells me that my decision was correct."
"What do you mean?"
"A strong general like you, in the end, doesn’t even have the heart to fight. But my husband, from the small Mu family, just a commoner, has the determination to protect me. No matter what the outcome will be, my feelings have already been completely protected." Yueqian lightly touched Mu Heng’s arm.
The young man still had his arm around her waist, so the couple’s posture made them look very affectionate. Young General heard her words and wanted to argue, but in the end, he remained silent.
"You are still very young, Yueqian. Perhaps the Qin family hasn’t made you realize the true dangers, but since you want to face such pressure... I will let you go."
"However, when you realize that this man cannot protect you, you can still return to the Du Region, and the position of the principle wife will be prepared for you as always."
With that, he looked at Mu Heng one more time before leaving.
It was unclear whether he felt defeated by Yueqian’s words about how her feelings were better cared for than when Young General was with her, or if he thought that she and her husband were merely naive. His departure left the couple in silence.
For a long time, they stayed close together, both contemplating Young General’s parting words. It wasn’t that his words were entirely unreasonable. Yueqian knew there was some truth in them. But ultimately, that was a cycle she despised.
Originally, Mu Heng’s life should have been like in the novel, where he was a simple commoner, lived happily, and died peacefully. But the storyline had changed completely. Yueqian knew there would be many more complications in the future. Despite her dislike for chaos, she could only accept it.
This was because she had truly fallen in love with Mu Heng.... Supporting him, no matter what he planned to do, made Yueqian feel like a fool. It didn’t suit her role as the demanding villainess at all. If it had been the old Yueqian, she might have thrown a tantrum and sent him back to being a commoner, or used a scheme to fake her death, making Young General think Yueqian had died.
However, when she saw the determination in Mu Heng’s eyes, how he returned every day from training covered in wounds, Yueqian told herself that she would support him and help him become the Mu Heng he wanted to be.
For her, the happiness of living quietly had transformed into the happiness of being by his side. It seemed that love truly made people foolish.
"My dear..." Mu Heng whispered to the little beauty in his arms, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
"Yes?"
"Are you afraid?"
"Afraid?"
"Yes, if in the future... something happens. If I am sentenced to death, and you too..." Mu Heng hesitated to speak, but he still wanted to ask his wife.
Seeing his adorable expression, Yueqian couldn’t help but smile faintly.
"In that case, would it be good for you to take another wife into the manor?" Yueqian teased, but Mu Heng’s face turned green.
"No, that..."
"Haha, I was just teasing you. My dear... You worry too much. We are a family, and besides... do you think I would let anyone easily target our family?" Yueqian spoke confidently. If push came to shove, she had many tricks up her sleeve.
Moreover, she planned to grow alongside her husband. Yueqian was not someone who would sit idly by, enjoying a life of luxury while her husband worked hard. When her husband had great ambitions, Yueqian knew she couldn’t stay idle either.
Furthermore, now that Mu Heng had a promise to possess the Pure Jade in the future, before they became targets of others, Yueqian needed to gather as many hidden cards in her hand as possible.
Perhaps her elder brother and mother, who had migrated to the Hu Region, could help, but she would consider them as the last resort. She believed that she and her husband were not so incapable.
"I will do my best too," Mu Heng, hearing Yueqian’s words, gained more confidence.
Yes, he realized he wasn’t fighting alone. His beautiful wife was so intelligent, and he would become a support she could rely on if anything happened. So, he needed to train harder and even harder!
The two spouses gazed into each other’s eyes, knowing that much effort lay ahead. Of course, it was comforting to be together, no matter what obstacles the future might bring...
A few days later, their journey began. Mu Heng, Yueqian, her two younger siblings, the master who always hid under a black cloak, and Qu Yi, who sat diligently embroidering.
Around the carriage were a handful of soldiers assigned to them. The ten soldiers had been officially given to Mu Heng by the Wang. Once they reached the Bai Region, Mu Heng could take all ten with him to the city. Once he received his jade seal, the additional 490 soldiers would immediately become his.
As the carriage slowly moved out of the capital, people came out to see them off again. However, this time, it was a farewell to the new mayor of the Bai Region. They dared not make much noise, but some even shed tears. It could be said that they had become Mu Heng’s loyal followers completely.
Since Mu Heng and Yueqian had helped them improve their lives, many villagers admired them. Various gifts were continuously brought to the carriage. This phenomenon left the Wang from the Bai Region astonished.
Now, he felt as if he was witnessing the people from a distant town, once plagued by disease, in the Bai Region, coming to life with newfound vitality.
The journey of this couple and their small family promised to bring about significant changes in the Bai Region!!
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There’s a bit of drama, but our characters are heading to the Bai Region now.Thank you to everyone who has been following the story. Please continue to support our little Yueqian.
