Chapter 68: Chapter 68
Chapter 68
The matters concerning the general and the group of girls from the capital were of no concern to Yueqian, she had no time for that. She had her husband quickly eat the prepared meal and took the anti-inflammatory medicine, which was not as bitter as the ones from physicians of this era. Mu Heng did not ask any questions and simply followed her instructions, going to bed early.
Regarding the bandit attack earlier that day, it was in fact initiated by government officials trying to lead him to where the fake bandits were hiding. However, Mu Heng was no fool. Before they could lead him to the prepared bandits, he had already brought those people to the real bandits.
Most of these bandits were his brothers. Mu Heng had been contacted with the One-Eyed Mountain Bandits quite often, grew familiar with them. Thus, instead of letting the soldiers get a chance to prepare, he used tricks to deceive them and signaled the One-Eyed Mountain Bandits about the soldiers’ arrival. The One-Eyed Mountain Bandits ambushed the soldiers, but they didn’t kill them outright because their intention was only to drive them away. Otherwise, how could the soldiers have returned with just minor injuries?
It must be said that these soldiers were not weak; they were better trained than some of the bandits. However, their objective from the start was abnormal, as they were always on guard and looking for an opportunity to deal with Mu Heng. In the end, they were outsmarted and didn’t set up defenses, thinking this was the group of bandits their master had arranged.
It was truly a pity that they trusted their general too much. Otherwise, they would have thoroughly checked things before letting their guard down!
Mu Heng himself contributed to disrupting the soldiers’ attempts to deal with his bandit brothers. If he saw someone in trouble, he would pretend to stumble and knock over the soldier about to deal with the bandit, causing the soldier to fall. The injuries he sustained were minor because he feared the soldiers would suspect him. Since the entire group went in together, if he alone remained unscathed, it would be easy to guess he was one of the bandits.
Thus, Mu Heng pretended to intervene, stopping a bandit from attacking a soldier, playing the hero before collapsing from his injuries. At that moment, the soldiers thought he was a fool. since he had no combat skills yet still reached out to take the sword with his hand. Such an action could be seen as just foolish. Ultimately, the fool discreetly observed his plan to get on their back with satisfaction.
He didn’t let the soldiers die, but the bandits were barely hurt at all.
It was expected that future conflicts with the bandits would intensify. However, the Wang planned to retreat within the next few days. No matter how well the Young General planned or how furious he was, they would only see the shadow of the One-Eyed Bandits. If they wanted to deal with the bandits, they would have to handle the ones they hired themselves, or they would be laughed at.
Bringing an army only to fail in dealing with a small group of bandits, how could the Young General maintain his respect?!!
Yueqian learned about today’s events through people from the Art Institute. They had been following the bandit group and noticed the strange signals between Mu Heng and the bandits. Moreover, there were unusual movements. It seemed the bandits were going to disband and move to a neighboring kingdom.
This immediately made the young woman correctly guess right away that the bandit group must be quite significant. They couldn’t be just an ordinary bandit group, as such a group would never be able to offer Mu Heng the position of governor.
Thinking this far, Yueqian had to plan to discuss with the people from the Art Institute again. Fortunately, the Art Institute had secrets she didn’t know about as well. Previously, Yueqian hadn’t paid attention to neighboring kingdoms, so she never questioned the old man from the Art Institute. Now, when she mentioned wanting to move, the people from the Art Institute handed her a letter from Yuandong, telling her to meet someone there. He was also from the Art Institute and ran a business involving an inn, with a tea shop on the first floor, a restaurant on the second, and guest rooms on the third floor.
Of course, Yuandong also mentioned that he had a cousin there, who he would entrust Yueqian to the person’s care. This news made Yueqian very happy.
She sold only two types of liquor to the Art Institute: barley liquor and fermented potato liquor. She originally planned to add apple and honey liquor as well, but the master at the Art Institute advised that good liquor should be limited to just a few varieties. Ultimately, he chose only the two types, suggesting that Yueqian give the other two types as gifts occasionally, a bottle or two at a time.
However, if she could keep contact with the Art Institute when she moved to another kingdom, she would ask Yuandong to discuss the other two types of liquor. Surely, the old man would agree because he also enjoyed all the liquors. It was just a marketing strategy not to release all four types.
Initially, they wanted to choose just one type of liquor, but they couldn’t decide between the barley liquor and the fermented potato liquor. In the end, they could only present both types at the same price, reluctantly.
Customers liked both liquors as well, and the positive feedback made the Art Institute owner very happy. However, it caused some trouble because of differing tastes. If there was only one type of liquor, customers wouldn’t have to choose. With two types, the ordering process became a bit complicated. Instead of just counting the remaining stock, they had to count how much of each type remained and report to Yueqian to hand them the exact number of goods they needed.
Sometimes, the potato liquor sold out faster, so they had to order more of it, reducing the order for barley liquor.
Lazy old men like him weren’t too pleased about it. Thankfully, it was just two types. If they had to sell all four, Yueqian would surely hear his complaints until her ears went numb.
Thinking of this, Yueqian recalled the cunning old man in the capital. It had been two months since she left the capital and hadn’t heard his complaint, which she quite missed it.
Well, if fate allows, we might meet again someday.
Yueqian had no idea that her bond with the old man she was thinking of was quite significant. They had helped each other since childhood. Even after having children and grandchildren, they kept in touch frequently despite their differing statuses. The new status Yueqian would attain would make the old man even happier than he already was.
"Tell Brother Yuandong about..." Yueqian winked at the messenger. He paused for a moment before smiling.
"Got it. I’ll inform Master Wu. I’m sure Master Wu will be delighted to see that Young General’s chaos."
"I am quite happy about it too," Yueqian chuckled softly.
"Still, you might not be able escape. The news that the general will forgive you and take you as his principal wife is now known throughout the capital. The Qin family is also making moves," the other said worriedly.
He was from the Art Institute and had known Yueqian since childhood, so he couldn’t help but worry about her. Despite her intelligence and cunning, the other parties were the Young General and the Qin family. She was just a commoner. Without the Art Institute’s help, she might be taken away before she could escape to another kingdom.
"It’s alright. I’m not afraid of them. Besides, I plan to rely on my husband for this," Yueqian said after a moment’s thought.
She could still make plans if needed. Yueqian had tons of strategies at her disposal. Having read the entire novel, she knew the plot well. To prevent the Qin family from making any moves at this moment, she just needed to send a letter to the emperor, reporting some irregularities in the family. The next day, they would be summoned to the palace for investigation, stopping their frightening actions.
As for the Young General? What could he possibly do?
She wasn’t underestimating him, but he was a general who only knew how to intimidate people and wage wars. Even his current actions were to have the shameless Qin family acted on his behalf. With his honor as a Young General and his aspirations to become a great general in a few years, he wouldn’t do anything to tarnish his reputation.
Even in the novel, despite his deep love for Liu Sun, he still took many wives to secure support. So, no matter how much he loved someone, he loved himself more. Yueqian understood this.
People with this much pride and honor were the type Yueqian didn’t fear at all!
Well, regardless of her extensive plans, the one thing Yueqian wanted to avoid the most was embarrassing her husband. He had his own thoughts, and she didn’t know how far he had discussed with the person in another land.
She wasn’t afraid of hardship; she was just tired of the chaos in her life.
Moreover, if she really intended to deal with the Qin family, who knows how much the novel’s plot would change? For now, she wanted to maintain the foundation of the story. The Qin family, the Young General, the heroine, and the other characters were all in this kingdom. As for her role as the villainess, it should be over by now. It was time for the second and third villainesses to act.
Yueqian believed that if she let the story unfold according to the original plot, the protagonists would eventually stop bothering her.
What she didn’t know was that the hero of the story had changed. The original plot was no longer in play. He was now solely focused on defeating and reclaiming her!
"Qian’er, it’s late. Go to bed," a deep voice suddenly spoke from behind, startling the little one. She had thought its owner was asleep. The eyes of the one in the darkness were glowing like a wild animal’s.
The instincts of someone who lived in the shadows urged him strongly.
The instincts of someone who lived in the shadows urged him strongly. This made the person from the Art Institute disappear quickly. How could the gaze of an ordinary, impoverished commoner be so frightening?!
"Husband, I thought you were asleep," Yueqian gave him a smile. She didn’t explain because she knew Mu Heng wouldn’t ask anyway.
"Mmm, I woke up and couldn’t find you, so I was worried." Mu Heng walked over to support her slender frame in the dark and guide her back into the warm house. He looked at Yueqian’s small hands and sighed.
"I’m sorry I can’t help you much. When I have more power, you can consult me about anything," Mu Heng apologized once they were inside the house. Yueqian quickly shook her head.
"Why would you say that? You’ve helped me many times already. I must thank you for speaking up for me today."
"That was my fault from the beginning. I made you worry, so I must speak up," Mu Heng shook his head. He hugged her tiny waist and gently pushed the petite woman inside to escape the cold wind that might make Yueqian catch a cold.
"Since we’re husband and wife, we should support each other. I’ll continue to handle what I can, and if there are things you can do, I’ll rely on you, Hhusband," Yueqian suggested, but her lips were soon covered by the large man.
His eyes showed a hint of possessiveness as he thought about the closeness between his little wife and the man from the Art Institute. This made Mu Heng unhappy. If he were stronger, the person the man should contact would be him, or his wife should have him accompany her if she needed to contact anyone. Mu Heng didn’t blame his wife; he blamed himself for not showing her that he could protect her enough. This jealousy led Mu Heng to easily push the little woman down onto the bed.
This was the first time Yueqian sensed Mu Heng’s displeasure since becoming his wife. He had never shown such discontent before. Thus, the beauty’s small hands slowly moved to please him. Eventually, Mu Heng’s bad mood was completely dissipated by his wife beneath him. She pleased him so well that all intense thought he had scattered away, leaving only a sweetness in his heart.
