Chapter 36

A crowd started brawling, and somehow Second Master Mu and his wife were drawn in and took a few blows.
Officer Zeng and his men hurried over to quell it. "All of you, stop at once! Don't want to live anymore? I'll send you straight to the afterlife."
The moment he intervened, everyone immediately fell silent.
Officer Zeng glared angrily at them. "Have I been too lax with you? Fine. Men, put the shackles on."
No exceptions, anyone who laid a hand, man or woman, was shackled, even Second Master Mu.
Pleading for mercy filled the air.
He acted decisively, snuffing out the trouble from the start, then asked coldly, "Why are you fighting?"
They looked at one another, none daring to speak.
Officer Zeng frowned and pointed at Second Master Mu. "You tell me."
Second Master Mu glanced at his daughter; Mu Wanqing gave him a slight nod, and only then did he recount the whole affair.
It turned out they were fighting over a carriage, everyone wanted to be the first to claim one.
Someone, green-eyed with envy, had stirred things up and approached Second Master Mu, asking him to grease some palms.
Second Master Mu, of course, refused, claiming he had no such ability. But the man's words were coarse and insulting; he infuriated Second Master Mu, who landed a hard punch.
Neither side would back down, some tried to break it up while others jumped in to help, and it all exploded into chaos.
Fang Asan, with a piggish face, shouted, "Officer Zeng, he started it! I only defended myself. It's really not my fault."
Didn't Mu Wanqing already know her father's nature? He was timid and avoided trouble. "Father, what did he say to anger you?"
Second Master Mu fell silent.
Mu Wanqing pressed her lips together, a flash of anger in her eyes. "Let me guess, he said bad things about me, didn't he?"
There wasn't any other plausible reason.
Before Second Master Mu could reply, Fang Asan's expression shifted. "I didn't."
Mu Wanqing slowly produced a small piece of meat. "Whoever heard it, speak up, this braised meat will be yours."
It would have been a shame to waste the braising liquid from last time, so she'd braised eggs and pig's head meat as well, the flavor was rich and intoxicating.
At dinner, the constables loved pig's head meat with a little wine, blissful as immortals.
Everyone's eyes lit up. Who didn't know her cooking was superb? Besides, on ordinary days they only got fingernail-sized scraps of meat, so this was a real treat.
One man jumped in. "I know, it's Fang Asan who said you... are too cozy with Officer Zeng, always hanging around together..."
He dared not say it outright, but everyone understood.
Mu Wanqing's expression darkened. "Slander. Seems like you're all quite displeased with me."
Seeing how things had escalated, Fang Asan decided to offend completely.
"How am I wrong? What skill does a young girl like you have to get this far so easily, having even the constables obey you? What's it based on if not your looks? We all know it in our hearts."
Everyone: ...
No, no, no, they didn't think that.
Mu Wanqing snorted. "My looks? So I possess a face that ruins dynasties, this is the first time I've heard that. Thanks for the reminder."
Second Master Mu looked at his daughter anxiously. "Qing'er, don't be angry. This kind of person has a filthy mind."
Mu Wanqing usually didn't care what others thought, but hearing slander to her face, if she didn't strike back they'd take her for an easy mark, anyone would try to climb on top of her and lord it over her.
"Officer Zeng, I apologize to you. I dragged you into this and may have damaged your reputation, perhaps even risking a complaint against you."
Officer Zeng looked ill-tempered. "Miss Third, you overstate it. I'm just a constable, neither an official nor a clerk, what reputation do I have to speak of?"
A constable's status was very low, lower than a clerk, and their descendants couldn't sit for the imperial exams.
But there was one thing: they were a hereditary clan, deeply rooted in the region and a force to be reckoned with; at times they could even overturn their superiors.
People like that couldn't become officials, had no prospects, their descendants couldn't rise to prominence, so what did they seek? Of course, riches!
"Report me for what? Doing business? The court has rules forbidding officials from trading, but we're not officials."
"The court only has one requirement of the escorting constables: deliver the exiles to their destination within the allotted time. A few deaths along the way don't matter."
As he spoke the last sentence, his icy gaze fell on Fang Asan.
Fang Asan couldn't help shuddering. Damn, he'd thoroughly offended Officer Zeng. He wouldn't send him to his death, would he?
He trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed with regret.
Mu Wanqing had dared to make her suggestion precisely because she knew this, the situation with officials and with constables was completely different.
Of course, she hadn't spoken rashly, after observing Officer Zeng for several days, she found him loyal, unconventional in his methods, fairly decent; he wasn't the sort to sadistically torment exiles.
The one thing he did was make money!
He sold all manner of supplies to the exiles at inflated prices, pocketing the mark-up.
The trip was grueling, wind and sun, thousands of miles of hardship. What were they after but money?
As for exiles spending on horses and carts along the way, it wasn't unusual, once they were out of the capital, anything went.
The officials knew full well and tacitly permitted it.
A voice suddenly burst from the crowd, "Sir, I saw Fang Asan sneaking around, meeting with that guard whose hands and feet are bound."
Officer Zeng's face changed at once. Jiang, the guard from the Fifth Prince's residence? He hadn't treated the man harshly, only restrained his movements, but it was conspicuous, and the man hadn't given up.
"Fang Asan, what did he say to you?"
Fang Asan stubbornly denied it. "I didn't see him, I don't know anything...ah."
The whip cracked across his back; a wave of pain forced a cry from him.
Fang Asan wasn't made of steel, after a few lashes he confessed. Guard Jiang had told him to pick fights along the road; the more chaos, the better, to sow panic among everyone.
In return, he'd promised to take Fang Asan back to the capital and find him work in the Fifth Prince's household.
Fang Asan was, of course, tempted.
Mu Wanqing smiled faintly, "It seems some people don't deserve kindness. Officer Zeng, if Guard Jiang enjoys causing trouble so much, he must eat too well, how about making him live on a bowl of thin gruel a day? We're law-abiding people; we can't take private justice into our own hands."
"Third Miss is merciful." Officer Zeng only wanted to complete the escort smoothly and earn a little more along the way.
If all went well he could earn enough silver to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
So nobody was to sabotage his money-making scheme.
What if he offended the Fifth Prince's household? He had no chance of promotion anyway, what was there to fear?
Besides, wealth is gained where there's risk.
"Fang Asan, since you take orders from Guard Jiang, fifty lashes and then you can keep his company, try a bowl of thin gruel a day as well."
Fang Asan begged desperately, but to no avail; no one was willing to plead for him.
After Fang Asan was given fifty lashes and dragged away barely alive, Mu Wanqing made a suggestion, "Officer Zeng, I think we should start a reward system."
Officer Zeng made a please-go-on gesture, "How so?"
Mu Wanqing smiled, "Give the best performer each day a small red flower. Collect six and they'll earn the right to purchase a cart. What do you think?"
A chorus of exclamations, Could it be that way?
Officer Zeng understood instantly. The idea was a bit offbeat, but he had to admit that, if implemented fairly, it would stir everyone's ambition.
Everyone striving to perform would make them easier to manage, a win on multiple counts.
"All right, but the number's a bit small. Pick six people each day. Third Miss, you'll have the harder work, you'll handle the evaluations."
It's give and take; Officer Zeng handed over part of his power to her, helping her establish authority.
Last time Mu Wanqing had shared half of her beef, the sauced beef, meatballs, diced beef and braised beef, with him; it had tasted divine.
Sharing the benefits is the way to maintain a long-term relationship.
Mu Wanqing accepted without hesitation. Fair and sharp-eyed, she publicly announced the day's chosen names and the reasons for their selection, winning everyone's approval.
Mu Jinyao's performance was unexpectedly good, though sometimes she grew absent-minded and would stare at everyone with odd looks that made people uneasy.
But her management skills improved by leaps and bounds; her team always vied for first place, working quickly and well.
She was among the first to collect six little red flowers; when she finally had her own cart, she felt an unprecedented satisfaction.
Self-reliance really is satisfying.
As for the things her mother whispered in her ear, she simply ignored them.
Mu Wanqing often said something very true: life is short, live it with gusto.
Having been reborn, she wanted to try living differently this time.
This time she wanted to grow stronger, to take control of her own fate instead of being manipulated by others.
Owning a cart meant needing the right supplies, so she had to work even harder to earn money.
Mu Wanqing was very busy; she was hatching a plan.
One day she summoned Shen Yong. He handed over the prices he'd researched. "Third Miss Mu, when do we move? We're getting impatient."
Mu Wanqing set the papers aside and asked seriously, "Do you have capital?"
"Uh?" Shen Yong patted his pockets; they'd brought a little silver on the trip, but not much. "I have a hundred taels; if everyone pools together, maybe around a thousand."
"What can that money do?" Mu Wanqing dismissed it, her eyes flicking. "Interested in a deal that requires no capital?"
Very interested, Shen Yong urged anxiously, "Please, tell us."
Mu Wanqing beckoned him close and whispered her plan. Shen Yong's face went pale and flushed by turns, shocked, incredulous, bewildered.
How could there be a woman like this in the world? To speak such an outrageous plan and remain so calm.
Mu Wanqing lifted an eyebrow. "Do it or not? Shen Yong, fortune favors the bold."
"Do it." Shen Yong hesitated for a long moment before making up his mind, but when he left his feet felt light and his mind was elsewhere.
That day, the weather was fine and Mu Wanqing strolled lazily up to a wooden cart.
"Guard Jiang, are you all right?"
Guard Jiang lay on the cart, his weak eyes barely open, his lips cracked and bleeding; surviving on one bowl of thin porridge a day only kept him alive by a thread.
He was so weak from hunger his whole body felt limp, barely clinging to life, so when he heard Mu Wanqing's voice he couldn't react.
He opened his eyes and stared blankly for a long moment before recognizing Mu Wanqing. Old and new grievances surged up and, finding some strength, he spat, "You witch, the Fifth Prince will never spare you. If you don't want to die, let me go..."
Mu Wanqing smiled and produced something, waving it before him. "What's this?"
At a glance Guard Jiang recognized it as a token from the Fifth Prince's residence. "Are you scared? Begging for mercy?"
Mu Wanqing toyed with the token, her eyes bright and sly. "Tell me, if I take this token to the local great houses and ask for things, will they give them to me?"
Need one even ask? Of course they would! Who would dare refuse a prince? Giving to you would be a sign of respect, to the royal family, even the grandest household is as fragile as an ant under a boot.
Guard Jiang had a bad premonition. "What are you trying to do?"
Mu Wanqing's smile bloomed like a flower. "Just now I had someone extract one hundred thousand taels as an offering from the Zeng family, and the Zengs had only one condition: to send their daughter to the Fifth Prince. I agreed on the Fifth Prince's behalf, and insisted they deliver their daughter to his mansion voluntarily."
The Zengs' daughter was more than happy, the chance to enter the Fifth Prince's household had everyone, whether of concubine or legitimate birth, practically tearing at one another for the spot.
It wasn't part of her original plan, but if one side is eager to give and the other eager to receive, there's no reason to refuse, right?
Guard Jiang gaped. "What... what did you say? Are you insane?"
Mu Wanqing produced banknotes amounting to a hundred thousand taels and waved them before him. "I know the Fifth Prince likes handsome favors, this is catering to his taste. I'm really a very generous person."
Her smile was dazzling. "Oh, and I did it under your name, Guard Jiang."
Guard Jiang: ...
Now there was no washing this off, even if he jumped into the Yellow River; he was finished!
She had severed his retreat with a single stroke.
He could never return to the Fifth Prince's mansion! His prospects were ruined forever! Mu Wanqing, you fiend!
There is hardly a crueler way to destroy someone than this.
"If my companions found out..." He thought. They would help clear his name!
Mu Wanqing laughed. "Shen Yong led the men. Of course, he claimed to be Guard Jiang, the Fifth Prince's trusted man."
Guard Jiang: ... "Grass", a kind of plant.
Mu Wanqing clapped her hands. "Guard Shen, come out."
Shen Yong stepped out from the shadows, his expression complicated, guilty but elated. "Brother, you can't blame me. It's the allure of the money; I couldn't resist."
Mu Wanqing pulled out ten one-hundred-tael notes and handed them to Shen Yong. "Take these and split them among the men. Use the rest as capital, the next town is famous for tea; we'll go buy wholesale."
Making money was secondary. Her true aim was to bind everyone to the same fate and completely cut off Guard Jiang's escape route.
"Alright." Shen Yong received the money with obvious pleasure. "But, Third Miss, why buy tea?"