Chapter 16

The escorts removed Second Master Mu's shackles; a chorus of gasps and a commotion rippled through the crowd.
Good heavens, they could do that? Why? Why him? Countless question marks flashed through people's minds.
Eldest Master Mu's eyes reddened with envy, his second brother had hit the jackpot!
He couldn't help but make a sour remark, "All he does is pander to Officer Zeng, no backbone at all. I'm embarrassed for him."
Third Master Mu sniffed, "He makes me ashamed, I don't even want to acknowledge him."
Still, he thought to himself, What does Officer Zeng like? I should flatter him, go win his favor.
Not just them, the others brightened too, as if a door to a new world had opened.
If you flatter Officer Zeng, you'll have a good life. Not bad, not bad, this approach could work.
Second Master Mu flexed his newly freed hands and rubbed his wrists. A wave of relief ran through him, the freedom to move felt exhilarating.
He couldn't help but fill with tears and repeatedly professed his loyalty, "Thank you, sir. I'll keep in my place and obey you completely. If you say go east, I will never go west."
Officer Zeng glanced sideways, how did such an honest, simple man produce a daughter with such a sharp, clever mind?
All of Second Master Mu's luck in life had gone into having such a good daughter.
From then on, Second Master Mu could drive the cart freely. Countless people cast envious, jealous glances and kept sneaking over to ask what had happened.
Everyone wanted to know why, so they'd have something to aim for in their own efforts.
Second Master Mu beamed, "You'll see soon enough." He had a fine daughter, they didn't. Ha ha ha.
At lunchtime, the escorts found a spacious spot to set up a pot and cook.
Mu Wanqing and her father walked over; Deputy Captain Li beat them to it and led them into the luggage compartment of the carriage.
The escorts weren't picky when traveling: two sets of clothes to change into, one bedding set, and a water skin plus a bundle of dried rations.
Most of the escorts came from poor backgrounds, so their preparations were simple.
Deputy Captain Li explained, "At noon we usually grab something quick; at night we stay at an inn and make a few decent dishes to replenish supplies. Of course, just in case, we carry three or four days' worth of food, pick whatever you like."
Anything can happen on the road, so food is the most important thing. They had flour, rice, vegetables, and meat fairly well stocked.
Unfortunately, the cook wasn't very skilled. Still, even mediocre hot soup or water could be sold to the transported prisoners.
Mu Wanqing shook her head slightly. "There's no sesame or peanuts, just flour alone can't achieve that great texture."
Deputy Captain Li grew anxious. "Then what can we do? No chance of making it?"
"Let's wait until we reach the inn and buy the ingredients," Mu Wanqing said, spreading her hands, it's impossible to work miracles with no supplies.
Deputy Captain Li was so disappointed his face fell.
Mu Wanqing's eyes lit up. "How about this: I'm in a good mood today, I'll cook a pot of vegetable rice for everyone."
It's the easiest and most convenient, perfect for cooking in a big pot.
Deputy Captain Li's eyes brightened and he nodded eagerly. "Great, great."
If you can't have the fancy rice, vegetable rice will do.
Mu Wanqing smiled, these people really loved to eat. Not bad, not bad, I'll jot that down in my little notebook.
She selected the ingredients: greens, lard, rice, and salted meat. "Father, come help me out."
Mu Wanqing cooked a pot of salted-meat vegetable rice.
Everyone can make vegetable rice, but making one that's both tasty and attractive is a bit more challenging.
She moved with quick, practiced hands; Second Master Mu helped alongside, and the father and daughter worked together with easy coordination.
The cook’s assistant was sneaking glances to learn; Mu Wanqing didn’t stop him and even slipped him a few little tips.
Her generosity had successfully won the assistant’s heart, he was full of gratitude.
You have to understand: a single recipe can be passed down for generations, and descendants can live off one treasured dish.
Who would selflessly teach a family recipe to an outsider?
He had once been sent to an inn as an apprentice, serving his master for six hard years, never allowed to watch when the master cooked, let alone learn.
Even now his skill was amateurish; to be honest, his food wasn’t all that great.
So you can imagine how generous Third Miss Mu must be.
As soon as the pot was opened, the dish’s bold, irresistible aroma spread through the room, assailing everyone’s sensitive taste buds; they all swallowed hard.
Her salted pork with greens and rice: the vegetables were jade green, the grains of rice translucent and glossy, like a piece of art.
A spoonful of lard stirred in made it fragrant to the bone, utterly soul-stealing.
Deputy Captain Li was the first to shout and rush forward, thrusting a big bowl out. “Serve me a large bowl, make it heaping.”
Serving the rice was Second Master Mu’s job, but the constables swarmed around him like starving ghosts returned to life.
Deputy Captain Li, eating the steaming salted-pork rice, couldn’t help but let tears fall.
There was the savory sweetness of the pork, the fresh crispness of the greens, the tender, fragrant chew of the rice mixed with the scent of lard, almost glowing. It was food that soothed the soul.
Officer Zeng glanced at him in puzzlement. “What’s the matter?”
“I just think I’ll cry at the thought that I may never eat something this good again.”
Officer Zeng:……Are you sick?!
Still, Third Miss Mu’s culinary skill was genuinely exceptional.
With simple ingredients she somehow created the illusion of a grand banquet, the flavors were so delicious you wanted more; your stomach felt completely satisfied.
Damn it, why is everyone eating so fast? Are they swallowing without even chewing?
“Old Li, how many bowls have you had now?”
He couldn’t help speeding up as well, devouring it as if a gale had swept through.
Bowl after bowl, they nearly emptied the pot, only a little remained when Deputy Captain Li panicked, “Don’t touch it, it's mine!”
He’d only eaten three bowls!
One constable, not yet satisfied, said, “Whoever’s hand is fastest gets it; there are no fathers or brothers at the table.”
Officer Zeng:……These people, nothing else gets them moving, but they’re the most enthusiastic about eating.
He sprang to his feet. “Enough noise, mind your manners, it's all mine.”
The constables were stunned. “Sir, you…”
The worst of all was that it came from their superior!
The commotion had already alerted the prisoners; watching the scramble, their eyes widened.
The second young master of the Mu family’s main branch, the most flamboyant of them, said, “They’re fighting over this kind of food, what a lack of worldliness. Back then, one of our crispy roasted lamb dishes used only the most tender cuts; it took a hundred sheep to make a single platter…”
A relative nearby dryly quipped, “Which is why the whole clan got exiled.”
Second Young Master Mu:……
The eldest young master, who hadn’t eaten meat in ages, was drooling. “I’d love a taste, smells heavenly. I didn’t expect Third Miss to have such talent. Why not ladle out a little for us? Even a small bowl would do.”
They exchanged looks, expressions complicated, what were they imagining?
Mu Wanqing didn’t waste words; at the slightest provocation she’d start a fight, if action was needed, she didn’t just chatter.
With one look they confirmed she wasn’t someone to provoke, much less someone to be enslaved or exploited.
Second Young Master Mu looked longingly at the nearby spot. “So Uncle was picked for menial tasks and that’s why his shackles came off? Why not choose someone young and strong? Uncle isn’t young anymore, his head’s not sharp like ours.”
He wanted his hands free too! With shackles on, everything was inconvenient, even using the privy required help.
Mu Zifeng grew impatient. Didn’t he think so? Being picked for odd jobs was a cushy position, half an insider, protected.
“They want people who’ll be obedient and honest, people who won’t try any clever tricks.”
Second Young Master Mu protested in a wronged tone, “I’m obedient and honest too.”
Mu Rongxue, the legitimate daughter of the Mu family’s third branch, sneered, “Are you idiots? They’re clearly basking in Mu Wanqing’s reflected glory. But is her cooking really that good?”
The eldest young master blinked, then his eyes lit up. “Sister Jinyao, you should go help with the cooking, you’re a famous talent, adept at qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, and your needlework and household management are top-notch. I still remember at the old madam’s birthday last year the 'Wealth and Fortune' dish you made, guests couldn’t stop praising it. Bring it out to show those country bumpkins.”
Mu Jinyao, lost in thought, was named and snapped back to reality with a rueful smile.
Eldest Master Mu, eager to bask in reflected glory, said, “Once you show off, there’ll be no need for Mu Wanqing to step forward. Hurry up, we support you.”
Mu Rongxue had had enough of these idiots. “Are you stupid? Since when does a noble miss cook herself? Stand around supervising for a few minutes and then claim the dish as your own.”
The Mu brothers were stunned. No way, right?
“You’d fake it? Even your so-called skill at needlework is false?”
Before the disaster, Mu Rongxue had been fairly pampered, ambitious and always excelling. “The family keeps masterful seamstresses; why learn it yourself? Being able to make a scented sachet is plenty.”
The Mu brothers:……
Second Young Master Mu didn’t understand. “Then how did Mu Wanqing become so skilled?”
Mu Rongxue knew the answer. “Their second branch set up a little kitchen but didn’t provide a cook, so they had to do everything themselves.”
Second Young Master Mu snapped back, “So the hardships they endured became an advantage, while what we pride ourselves on is useless?”
Those words hit hard; everyone around them recoiled in unison, out of sight, out of mind.
When the constables finished eating and wiped their mouths, they all said together, “Officer Zeng, make Third Miss Mu the camp cook, just thinking about eating her food every day makes me happy.”
“I second that.”
After tasting Mu Wanqing’s cooking, the constables’ fondness for her skyrocketed.
"I second that, Miss Mu's cooking is so good I could eat ten bowls."
"Make it ten bowls! Are you a pig?"
If you haven't tasted Mu Wanqing's cooking, you might still be unknowingly eating like a pig.
But once you've tried it, nothing else is tolerable.
Why endure inferior food when something far better exists?
Officer Zeng was quite willing, but would the Third Miss Mu agree?
"I'm afraid others will envy me." She said it with righteous certainty, and a faint trace of pride.
Second Master Mu nodded vigorously, yes, their daughter was perfect in every way, just too outstanding and bound to provoke jealousy.
Officer Zeng was dumbfounded; the girl's audacious schemes kept coming, and her reasons grew ever more preposterous.
"Who would dare? Only someone tired of living."
Mu Wanqing put on a fearful look. "My grandmother, my eldest uncle, my third uncle, they hate me so much it's like an itch between their teeth, secretly plotting to get rid of me. Behind my back they say far worse. Sigh, I'm a well-mannered girl, gentle and kind by nature, I only want world peace… ah, I mean I want everyone to get along happily and live in harmony."
Officer Zeng looked at the girl spouting nonsense and felt exhausted. What on earth was she up to now?
"You're right. But with my men and brothers standing guard, they won't be able to stir up trouble. We'll keep you safe all the way."
It was a promise to protect her on the road, the kind of assurance anyone would dream of.
Second Master Mu was overjoyed, this was perfect.
Mu Wanqing adopted a serene, gentle air. "Officer Zeng, you're very kind, but you and your men are outsiders, it's not appropriate for you to shadow me every moment. I want my father and brothers to take turns accompanying me."
"But, you see, they all wear shackles, it's inconvenient for them to do anything, let alone promise to protect me."
Second Master Mu had already arranged things under the pretense of day laborers; there were still the two brothers to consider.
Officer Zeng stared up at the sky in silence. Well played, Third Miss Mu.
I knew you had an ulterior motive.
Mu Zhongping at the side breathed hard with excitement, his eyes glittering. Would the official agree?
Just as Officer Zeng opened his mouth to speak, a commotion broke out in the crowd, a fight started!
A few men tumbled into a brawl; the scene devolved into chaos with frequent screams.
Officer Zeng's expression hardened and he snatched up his weapon and charged...