Free Web NovelChapter 162: Chapter 162
Chapter 162
While Prince Five’s furious voice echoed through the room, the Third Prince let out a dry laugh.
“Hmph, I can’t believe my men are starting to blame a lowborn commoner for the failure...” The Third Prince slammed his wine cup down loudly, startling everyone.
“So then...” The Fifth Prince hesitated.
He didn’t understand what his older brother meant, prompting the Third Prince to continue.
“So then what? Do you really think that commoner could have defeated our people? That’s ridiculous! A mere commoner couldn’t possibly be that capable to fight. It just means that the Bai Region knew of our plan in advance. This implies... there’s a traitor among us!” Dismissing the truth of Mu Heng’s abilities, the Third Prince, who thought the same as Young General, spoke.
Young General also didn’t believe that the husband of his future wife could be skilled. That man was just a coward, acting brave only when behind Yueqian. In reality, he was just a worthless commoner.
He was unwilling to admit that Mu Heng was capable, so the only plausible explanation was that there was a traitor among them!
Who would have thought that the pride at this point would cause the Third Prince’s group to be less united than in a typical story? They became suspicious of each other, and ultimately, it would lead to a division they never anticipated!
Because of this, the Third Prince’s group became preoccupied with finding the traitor. Meanwhile, the next day, the delegation from the foreign Region and Mu Heng’s group traveled back to the capital.
It took a full day and night for them to reach the capital, and they arrived at the entrance just before dusk. The capital had a rule prohibiting travelers from entering after dark, as it made it easy for wrongdoers to sneak in. Therefore, many tents were set up in rows outside the city.
Traveling merchants who had arrived earlier had already claimed spots, and there were those making money by selling goods at night. During the day, they would return to the capital to rest, and at night, they sold food. The area around the capital was bustling at this time.
Mu Heng’s group consisted of only six people, so they set up just two tents. Yueqian shared a tent with Huan’er and Qu Yi, while Mu Heng shared the other with Xiao Long and his master. None of them planned to sleep early. Since they had the opportunity to go out, the children invited Qu Yi and the eldest brother’s master to watch the performances around the bonfire.
Finally, Yueqian and Mu Heng had some time alone together. Although the princess and the Wang’s tents were not far away, they didn’t interfere, allowing the couple to enjoy their sweet time together.
“Are you tired?”
Because it was his plan, Mu Heng felt guilty for having his beautiful wife travel such a long way, encountering dangers like bandits along the journey.
Yueqian smiled slightly and shook her head.
“No, my dear. How about you?” Seeing his beauty tilt her head to look at him under the moonlight, he felt like a tyrant emperor who had claimed the most beautiful woman in the world.
Mu Heng’s eyes grew misty. He hadn’t held his wife close for many days, and his longing for her was strong. His rough hand gently reached out to Yueqian, taking her hand tenderly and lifting it to kiss.
“I’m fine. From now on, we’ll have to travel to the Bai Region. I’ve seen that you’ve prepared many things. We’ll ask the people from the Bai Region to help carry them. When we get there, though it may be a bit difficult, there will be servants to call upon and soldiers to protect the city and us. You won’t have to do everything alone anymore,” Mu Heng said.
Like other governors, they would be in the safest area, always guarded by soldiers. The warehouses, treasuries, and various goods collected from the people were also within their domain, thus receiving special protection. This was a privilege for the governor, considered the most powerful person in the city.
Besides the soldiers, there were numerous servants to take care of the governor’s manor. These were government-provided benefits, although they had to work very hard in return.
“Hmm, even if I had to do everything myself, this Yueqian wouldn’t consider it a difficult task. I’m always ready to help you,” the beautiful woman said sincerely, making Mu Heng’s heart swell with pride.
“Thank you very much. I promise to repay you in the future,” he pledged.
Under the bright moon, before heaven and earth, even though he felt shameless for taking Yueqian as his wife without a dowry, he vowed that in the future, he would make Yueqian a woman envied by the entire world!
The two soulmates made their vows to each other today. Despite any future hardships or misunderstandings, they would always remember their promises and overcome everything smoothly.
The next morning, Mu Heng brought his beautiful wife back to the capital. Their arrival was quite surprising, causing the surrounding villagers to gossip. Some speculated that Yueqian might not want to return to the remote area, so she persuaded her husband to bring her back to the capital.
Even so, the negative comments about the couple significantly decreased. Many people were even pleased that they had returned.
The Qin family already knew they would be returning. The night before, they had been at the meeting with the princes. Of course, even though they weren’t on friendly terms with the Wang from the Bai Region, they understood that Mu Heng and Yueqian’s assistance to the princess and the Wang from the Bai Region would surely earn them a reward. This prompted the head of the Qin family to ride out personally to welcome Yueqian with concern.
The beauty subtly pursed her lips, but the other party’s actions were still a positive sign. It meant that the arrival of the delegation from the Bai Region was very important. Otherwise, the great head of the Qin family wouldn’t have come to greet her himself.
“Greetings to Wang and Princess.”
“Hm, no need for formalities,” the Wang of the Bai Region replied from his horse, waving his hand, which caused quite a stir among the onlookers.
Yueqian and Mu Heng feigned surprise. Mu Heng performed so well that he jumped from the carriage and knelt before the Wang. Yueqian, too, tried to alight from the carriage, supported by her siblings and Qu Yi, appearing weak and delicate despite having earlier knocked out a bandit with a club.
“Y-You are the Wang, and this is the Princess? Forgive me for not recognizing you. Please, don’t hold it against me. This matter...” Mu Heng pretended not to understand the situation. ƒreewebɳovel.com
The Wang laughed heartily, clearly pleased. The Princess straightened up, feeling vindicated. After having been suppressed for so long, these people finally knew how to pay respect to her. However, she felt a twinge of regret, sensing the growing distance from both of them, and the children who had bravely taught her the board game.
In truth, since she was born, as a princess, she had never had genuine friends. Everyone who approached her had ulterior motives. Meeting Yueqian and her siblings had given the Princess a sense of freedom.
“There’s no need for this. Since I consider you a friend, after we swore our bond over drinks, you no longer need to bow to me,”
“But... how could I agree to that, Your Highness?” Mu Heng protested.
The Wang merely shook his head at them, indicating that they should discuss it privately later.
It was evident from this interaction how deep the camaraderie between the Wang and Mu Heng was, as the other party had declared them sworn brothers. Upon hearing this, Qin Mazhu’s eyes lit up.
Initially, this Wang supported the Crown Prince simply because he was the Emperor’s eldest son. Clearly, this support wasn’t very strong. However, if the other party considered Mu Heng a friend, he might be able to use this worthless son-in-law for something.
“Your Excellency, have my son-in-law and daughter caused you any trouble? If so, please forgive them. These two wanted to return to the husband’s home and were unaware of your travel plans. So...” Qin Mazhu quickly interjected. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
He boldly referred to Mu Heng as his son-in-law and Yueqian as his daughter. This statement was quite shameless.
Even Yueqian couldn’t help but purse her lips in disapproval. Of course, the Wang noticed the young couple’s reactions but chose to remain silent, waiting to see what they would do.
Normally, Yueqian would argue that she was no longer part of the Qin family, but this time, the importance of being recognized as a daughter of a noble family was advantageous. At least as the wife of a governor, being from a powerful family was beneficial, right? So, she stayed silent.
The atmosphere suddenly grew silent. A tense and awkward feeling arose. Fortunately, this atmosphere didn’t last long. Suddenly, the voice of a woman from the Tang family interupted.
“Yueqian!! Did you encounter bandits on the way? I heard about it. Everyone, move aside! I’m going to see my friend,” Tang Mujin was panic. Her extremely loud voice startled everyone.
The petite young woman pushed through the crowd, rushing toward Yueqian without considering the situation her friend was in. If she had been facing royalty who strictly adhered to rules, this little young miss could easily have gotten herself killed.
"Mujin, kneel quickly. The person before you is the Wang of the Bai Region, and there’s also a princess present."
Although Yueqian whispered urgently, her words alerted the surrounding villagers to the identities of the newcomers.
The villagers promptly knelt, and some quickly moved out of the way. They had a habit of avoiding nobility, as their status as commoners could easily lead to their deaths. Hence, the mindset of ‘the farther away, the better’ had become ingrained in them.
"W... Wang?" The young girl’s wide eyes glanced at the Wang, who, despite wearing a large hat and a thin veil, could not hide the scars on his face.
The girl knelt, looking at the foreign Wang with eyes full of "pity," which made the tall Wang momentarily pause.In truth, he didn’t favor thoughtless women; his preference was for intelligent women like Yueqian. Therefore, Mujin’s appearance made him raise an eyebrow. Displeased!
