Chapter 61: Chapter 61
Chapter 61
"You still don’t understand. Well then... I’ll wait and see if you will come back to be my wife." The Young General began to feel displeased.
He had no counterargument to Yue Qian’s words, but his three perspectives still convinced him that he was right. It was a norm that should be accepted. Why couldn’t Yue Qian accept it, instead arguing point by point?
Reasonableness made the one with an extensive experience in battles understand that even if he argued, he would still seem in the wrong. But how could this be? Why did she think this way? He was a nobleman, a valiant general. If he didn’t make alliances through marriage, other nobles could take advantage of him. He wouldn’t be able to be in that position for long. Was this really his fault?
Shouldn’t the position of principal wife be enough for her?
"Miss Qin has such peculiar ideas. For women like us, we don’t go out to work hard like men. Our duties in socializing or expanding influence must be cooperative.”
"For me... I would be more than happy if the general had many children and descendants filling his home and beyond. It signifies the stability of a family’s future. Having more sisters is nothing troublesome for you. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a large, loving, and harmonious family where any issues are resolved together? I think your actions suggest that you are selfish.”
Liu Sun said, adhering to teachings, knowing this was her chance to assert her stance. Even as just a concubine of a Young General, she was willing to stay by his side, to love him, to be close to him. That was enough for her.
When the Young General heard this, his gloomy face brightened significantly. After all, he was a man. How could he not feel happy and proud by a woman who was obedient and supportive appearing right before him?
Liu Sun’s importance in his heart grew a little more at that moment.
"Ah, since you all share the same view, then stay together. Why bother me? And... Liu Sun, you say my view is narrow, I admit it’s true. So, let’s not talk about this a second or third time. I won’t marry another, and I plan to stay with Mu Heng until my death."
"Oh, and if you want to say anything else, you can say I’m a villainess, a demon, a narrow-minded person, whatever evil you want. You guys can say anything, I don’t care anymore," the beautiful woman shrugged.
After saying so much, if they still behaved shamelessly, she didn’t see why she should waste her time arguing.
It felt like explaining was just a waste of energy!
"Y-you..” Liu Sun has never seen anyone as shameless as this before, she was at a loss for words.
Originally, Yue Qian was not like this. She wasn’t someone who disregarded her own reputation. She remembered when she was in the capital, Yue Qian dealt with everyone who spoke ill of her. Who would have thought that in just a few months of living in such a rural area, Yue Qian would change to such a thick-faced woman.
"Are we done here? If so, you can all go back. You’re wasting my working time. It’s getting dark, and tomorrow we still have to wake up for our ’hard’ and ’exhausting’ work."
Yue Qian dismissively waved her hand, once this bad-mouth got to speak, it did not care for others, and if there had been a stick nearby, she might have used it to chase them away.
“Yue Qian, you..., you...” Liu Sun’s voice faltered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Her face turned ugly with shock, and so did the general’s. He thought he could play the shameless guy but encountering Yue Qian who was even more brazen was indeed headache-inducing.
Finding himself at a loss for words and unable to argue, he chose to remain silent. The young man swiftly walked away without waiting for his young guard or Liu Sun, his figure nearly floating, likely seeking a place to vent his frustrations. One could only wonder who that unfortunate soul would be.
“He seems unwilling to give up on you so easily,” Mu Heng said after they had left.
Yue Qian nodded in agreement, knowing full well the kind of pride a man like the Young General held. She had initially thought he would back off by now. So, she had started by speaking kindly to him in ways she never had before. But as time passed, she increasingly felt like killing him. Where would she find the mood to speak with him now?
“He’s a man of high standing here; it might not be good if we continue to stay in this kingdom,” Mu Heng said, causing Yue Qian to pause slightly.
“You mean...”
“If the opportunity arises, I plan to take you and my younger siblings to another kingdom. What do you think?” Mu Heng asked his wife, his expression serious and intent, not seeming like he was merely making conversation.
Yue Qian was taken aback, having never anticipated such a thing. Although she was capable of defending herself in this kingdom and the Arts Institute was a powerful group respected by many nobles.
Although he was merely a merchant, he had made his business renowned over generations. If he decided to stand up for a woman for good reasons, they could surely manage it.
Not to mention their network, all information they held, if they wanted to take down any family, they could find and expose their wrongdoing.
But using her connections with the Arts Institute would undoubtedly blow her cover, making a quiet life impossible for her.
After all, the emperor and the empress were known patrons of her literature; the emperor had even used some of her works for governing.
Initially, the Arts Institute had declared that the author wished to remain anonymous and live a quiet life, hence the emperor refrained from pressing them for something impossible. He simply waited for her to write each manual.
Yue Qian didn’t want things to escalate to such an extent, thus she wasn’t keen on leveraging her close ties with the Arts Institute. But Mu Heng’s suggestion was something to consider deeply.
If they were to move to another kingdom, it would likely be more challenging since they would have to start everything from scratch. Even though they could maintain their relationship with the Arts Institute, it would be more difficult. The people, nobles or the monarch of that place might have unknown attitudes and ideas. If they really had to live there, they would have to plan everything anew, which might turn out to be either good or bad.
"That would be quite tough, isn’t it? Moving to another kingdom is not an easy thing to do. Moreover, we don’t know what we might encounter." Yue Qian commented. Mu Heng understood her worries and elaborated on his plan.
"Moving out this time, I will take up a position as a mayor, as I have some influential contacts there. However, that city is currently experiencing an epidemic, and although it’s not heavily populated, the location is quite advantageous. If we can win over the locals and the vagrant groups, we can gather a significant military force. I plan to become a noble there," Mu Heng said with determination.
"Don’t worry about the epidemic. My mother has a medical manuscript that has been passed down from our ancestors. This epidemic can be controlled and prevented. What remains is for me to convince those vagrants to integrate with the city I will govern."
Mu Heng detailed his plan along with his solution for the issues. But it made Yue Qian feel mentally exhausted instead.
Initially, she thought she would become a simple villager living peacefully. She hadn’t anticipated ending up like this—becoming a mayor’s wife with her husband becoming the new mayor. Wouldn’t this lead to more complications? What was all her effort for?
Wanting to escape turmoil only to find it always follows her!
"Husband, this decision is yours to make. But I, Yue Qian, dislike chaos. I fled the capital for this reason. If I must return to such a life, I’d like to have a happy family."
"Do you understand what I’m saying? If you must work, if you must fight others, I will stand by you. But the day you take another wife, that will be the day I ask for a divorce."
"I believe you know I am capable of it. Previously, I was known as the Villainess Qin to escape a contest for a man. If in the future you wish to bring another woman into our lives, regardless of her status, I would rather be a widow and live on my own," Yue Qian declared her intentions.
Mu Heng nodded in acknowledgment.
"Of course, I never had such thoughts. My father only had my mother, and they lived together peacefully. If we want children, I only want them with you. Or if you cannot bear children, we could simply adopt and raise a child to continue the Mu lineage. There’s no need for you to worry about such matters.”
Hearing this, Yue Qian sighed.
Although she wasn’t entirely convinced, the road ahead was still long. Since she had chosen to trust him and come this far from home, there was no easy way back.
"So, when will this plan proceed?"
"In about four months," Mu Heng calculated the time.
He remembered the younger sister of the Wang from a neighboring kingdom will come to form a relationship, but that will take a while. So, they still have plenty of time.
The beautiful woman nodded. Four months might seem both long and short. There were still many things she needed to prepare to ensure that the business would run smoothly.
If it’s a neighboring kingdom that agrees to ally with this one, trade and travel routes shouldn’t be too difficult. It’s just one mountain away, a horse carriage ride of just 2-3 days—much closer than traveling to the capital.
However, trade between kingdoms must be monitored more closely. Everyone fears revealing secrets from one place to another. If they find out this fine liquor is imported, it could cause a significant issue.
Some people in the kingdom might not favor foreign goods, and supporting foreigners might not be well-received. It’s best not to let them know about this.
One more thing... she needed to set a precise date with the Arts Institute. And she could later find time to pretend to visit the old home because her husband’s former home was here.
