Chapter 44

Although Eldest Master Mu was badly hurt, he still ranted, "I am the head of the Mu clan, you cannot do anything to me..."
Mu Wanqing sneered coldly. "Clan leader? Mu Zhongde, as a subject, failed to show loyalty to the ruler, could not protect the people, and was corrupt and perverted the law. The law of the land stands above all; our entire clan has been implicated and reduced to criminals because of you. As long as you remain clan leader, the Mu clan will never see the light of day. Tell me, do you want your descendants to all become criminals, to be trampled by every decent person and suffer every indignity?"
Members of the Mu clan all turned pale, no one was willing.
Yes, Mu Zhongde's conduct was improper; he was unfit to be clan leader.
Mu Wanqing had never been one to meddle, she cared only for the people around her, but this time he had crossed her line.
"As head of a clan you should look after your people, lead the family toward prosperity, ensure everyone's food and shelter, and let them live in peace. And you, for your own selfish motives, want to execute your own nephew, without a shred of mercy or pity. If you are so ruthless toward your nephew, how will you treat the rest of the clan?"
At her words, everyone's faces grew even darker.
A heartless, unprincipled leader who only sacrifices his people's lives, what good is he?
The head of the Fang family watched in silence and sighed, Mu Zhongde was finished.
Third Miss Mu was no ordinary girl; in two or three sentences she had nailed Mu Zhongde's fate shut.
"You're talking nonsense, I'm acting for the greater good..." Mu Zhongde tried to protest.
Mu Wanqing didn't give him the chance to finish; she said loudly, "I propose we strip Mu Zhongde of the clan headship. Those who oppose, step to the left; those in favor, stay where you are."
At her words the crowd stirred.
Almost everyone remained where they stood; only about twenty or so hesitated, then silently moved to the left.
These were Mu Zhongde's diehards, men who had gained plenty from him.
Mu Zhongde, furious and humiliated, shouted, "You have no right, "
A faint sneer crossed Mu Wanqing's eyes; the very thing he prized most, the clan headship, she was taking.
"I declare, by the decision of the majority of the Mu clan, Mu Zhongde is stripped of his position as clan head. Mu Zhongde, you can no longer harm others. I imagine even the sovereign in the capital would be pleased to see this."
Mu Zhongde trembled with fury. How dare she treat him like this? How dare she?
She'd even invoked the ruler, who would dare oppose that? Stand against the sovereign?
The Mu family fell silent. A young man spoke up weakly, "So, who will be the new clan head?"
One of the elders who had stepped to the left spoke first, "I nominate Mu Zifeng as clan head. He is the family's principal son; his succession is only natural."
Mu Zifeng's eyes sparkled, that might do.
Once he became head, he'd deal with all those who had opposed his father.
Especially Mu Wanqing, he would never let her off. No matter how formidable she was, how could she contend with the entire family?
Another elder agreed, "Not a bad idea. I support it."
Many wavered; a few diehards pressed their case desperately.
Mu Wanqing's cool voice cut through, "I disagree. The son of a criminal should be held accountable as well, aren't you afraid Mu Zifeng will revenge himself wildly once he takes power? You all agreed together to remove Mu Zhongde; do you really think he's a magnanimous man?"
Everyone frowned in unison. As the family's eldest legitimate grandson, Mu Zifeng was born proud and imperious, never deigning to look his kin in the eye.
He had neither stature nor talent, how could he lead the whole clan?
This one won't do, that one won't do, but there must be a clan head.
"Then who do we nominate? There is no suitable candidate."
By rights, if the main branch is unsuitable, the second branch should ascend, but the second branch are of concubine birth, inherently inferior to the legitimate line.
The third branch is legitimate, but old Master of the third is a fool with no brains.
As for several collateral branches, they were itching to make a move, each putting forward their own candidate.
The problem was, none of them were especially able or commanding of respect.
For a time the arguing never ceased.
A voice suddenly rang out, "I nominate Third Miss Mu as clan head."
It was Sixth Uncle of the collateral branch, Mu Zhongrui. His voice carried weight; many backed him.
But he had actually stood and nominated Mu Wanqing!
The old fossils bristled, "Don't be ridiculous, how could a woman be clan head?"
"Exactly, say that out loud and everyone will laugh. Has the Mu family run out of men?"
Mu Wanqing crossed her arms, expression calm and composed, unmistakably at ease.
An old man snapped aggressively, "Third Miss Mu, why don't you step forward and decline?"
Mu Wanqing lifted an eyebrow, "I hate trouble and I don't take orders well. Since everyone objects so much, then... I will not shirk this duty, I'll step forward. This clan headship is mine."
The crowd erupted in astonishment. She actually dared to think it! The first female clan head?
The old man, crimson with anger, demanded loudly, "Do you think you're fit? You're a girl, and only thirteen."
"Fit? Perfectly fit. I'm young but capable, better than any of you; you still need me to feed you." Mu Wanqing had previously shown no interest in the headship, but after this she suddenly realized how important the position was.
At the very least, everything she did would carry legitimate authority.
The old man flushed, "Mu Zhongping, you must persuade your daughter, listen to the nonsense she's spouting. How did you raise her?"
Second Master Mu was shocked too; he'd never heard his daughter speak like this before.
"I respect Qing'er's decision, and I believe she has the ability."
Several elders flew into a rage, "Are you mad? I absolutely refuse, I'd rather die than agree."
"Not unless I'm dead. Don't even think about it."
Mu Wanqing struck a gong, and the assembly fell silent.
She pointed delicately to one side, "Those in favor stand here. Each night everyone will receive one bowl of braised pork, one bowl only."
"Second: each person will receive one chi of cloth."
One chi of cloth can make two garments.
"Third: in groups of five you'll gain the right to purchase a carriage; you may buy one at any time."
The moment she announced those three terms the crowd went wild, surging toward the side she'd indicated.
What does 'young' or 'a girl' matter? None of that matters if they'll be given meat and cloth!
And they can even buy carriages.
Ahhh, we must follow Third Miss Mu.
Look at the officials; don't they bow to Third Miss Mu anyway?
Those officers feel no shame at all, what shame is there in escorting a prisoner into exile?
Soon, more than a hundred people split into two camps: descendants of the main and third branches stood firm, a few old fossils stood their ground, a handful of diehards held out, everyone else ran over.
Mu Wanqing counted: one side had one hundred and three people, the other had forty-five.
"All chosen? The minority must yield to the majority. I announce that I, Mu Wanqing, have been successfully elected the 35th clan head of the Mu family."
The crowd exchanged looks, could it really be so?
"Alright, I'll begin registering names. Distribute the meat, one portion per person. As for the carriages, it's one purchase-right per group of five; form your teams and sign up. Elder Brother, Second Brother, come help."
"Wait." Mu Rongxue, pulling her sister with one hand and their mother with the other, forced her way out of the crowd. "The three of us, mother and daughters, will go over as well."
“Mu Rongxue, you traitor.” Old Madam Mu trembled with rage; she had never been unkind to this granddaughter.
Mu Rongxue ignored her, she hadn’t informed the old woman when the trouble started, and naturally she wouldn’t sink with those people.
Why should she?
"Father, don’t blame me. Third Sister offered too much; I couldn’t refuse. You know Mother is frail and my younger sister has a weak constitution, they can’t stand the turmoil."
Everyone knew that once Mu Wanqing took power, the first thing she would do was purge.
Anyone who refused to submit to her would, of course, be dealt with.
Third Master Mu was torn in a hundred ways. He opened his mouth, “You… take Concubine Hong and your brother over there.”
What else could he do? Circumstances were against them; they had lost and could only consider their escape routes.
They had thought the second branch would collapse without Mu Wanqing, who could have expected her to appear out of nowhere?
Eldest Master Mu roared in fury, “Third!”
Mu Rongxue couldn’t put the feeling into words. “I only look after my brother. Concubine Hong must stay to attend you, how could she run off when you’re injured like this?”
Concubine Hong begged with tearful eyes, “Miss, let me go care for the child.”
“No.” Mu Rongxue hated these concubines; she’d suffered under them more than once. “They run at the first sign of trouble, this your so-called deep devotion? A concubine’s duty is to tend to the man; the children are for the main wife to raise. You needn’t worry.”
Concubine Hong looked pitifully to Third Master Mu for help. As a concubine of the third branch, she couldn’t leave without his permission.
Third Master Mu glanced at his miserable favorite and then at his daughter’s cold face, closed his eyes, and decided to do nothing more.
Mu Wanqing picked up a stick from the ground and dragged it over to Eldest Master Mu.
“Mu Zhongde, what did you do to my second brother just now? Beat him with a cudgel to death, wasn’t it?”
Mu Zhongde stared at the stick in her hand and backed down, “I… I was just trying to scare him. I didn’t mean anything else.”
No one believed him, and Mu Wanqing certainly didn’t.
“I’m magnanimous. I don’t like blood on my hands. So here’s the deal, Mu Zhongde, Mu Zhongwen, you’re the ringleaders. We’ll sever the tendons in your hands and feet and leave you cripples. I guarantee I won’t let you starve.”
If you can’t even stand and need someone to feed and wash you, what energy will you have left to make trouble?
At the thought of Guard Jiang, stinking and unable to move, Mu Zhongde went white. “You can’t do this to me, I’m your real eldest uncle.”
A sneer flashed across Mu Wanqing’s face. Weren’t you so proud a moment ago? “My second brother is your own nephew. Letting you live is the greatest mercy I can show.”
Soon they’d understand what living worse than death felt like, quick death would have been the kinder fate.
Officer Zeng stepped forward and volunteered, “Miss, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.” Mu Wanqing made sure to leave no room for misunderstanding.
Officer Zeng’s dagger flew; blood spurted. Eldest Master Mu and Third Master Mu let out heart-wrenching screams.
Eldest Master Mu’s eyes went red, his rage like a vengeful ghost. “Mu Wanqing, you bitch, even as a ghost I won’t let you rest.”
He was finished: a broken man, never to hold a brush again or walk properly; the rest of his life ruined.
Even if the court someday granted amnesty, he could never recover.
“Want to die that badly?” Mu Wanqing was utterly unafraid, smiling as she stared at him. “I can oblige. Alive you couldn’t beat me; dead is no contest.”
She smiled, but the fearless brutality and murderous intent in her demeanour made Eldest Master Mu shudder and swallow his words.
As for Third Master Mu, he’d already fainted, pathetically weak.
Mu Wanqing dragged the stick over to Old Madam Mu, this old crone knew how to make a scene.
Old Madam Mu backed away in terror. You wouldn’t be cutting my tendons too, would you?
“Old Madam Mu is elderly, if I cut her tendons she won’t last long. I’m a dutiful granddaughter: from now on she can lie on top of the carriage and get one meal a day, so we won’t have to fuss with feeding or tending her.”
Old Madam Mu: …
“Mu Wanqing, you’re trying to kill me.”
Mu Wanqing said in deadpan, “How could that be? I’ll feed you and give you a place to lie, expenses are on me. Consider it my filial duty.”
Officer Zeng couldn’t help but smile, “Miss, your righteousness is unparalleled.”
Damn, makes me want to curse.
Mu Wanqing dealt with several of the ringleaders; her blood-soaked methods utterly cowed the Mu clan.
They clearly realized that Mu Wanqing was different from everyone else.
Don’t be fooled by her youth and fragile appearance, she was ruthless and hard as steel. She’d punished even her own elders without mercy.
Her decisive cruelty in bloodshed was no less than any man’s.
Whoever treated her like a spoiled little girl was courting death.
Mu Zifeng and his brothers were terrified out of their minds, so frightened they’d wet themselves, how would Mu Wanqing deal with them?
Mu Wanqing wasn’t the least bit anxious. She looked at the little ones, “The children are blameless. These kids will be cared for by the main branch’s Mu Jinyao and Mu Nannan. The rest of you, crawl.”
The children were innocent. Though she disliked Mu Jinyao pleading for his kin, putting herself in his position, his family had treated her well; to stay silent now would have been true cruelty.
Mu Nannan, a concubine-born daughter of the main branch who usually went unnoticed, looked at Mu Wanqing in surprise.
Is she… letting them off? Wonderful, like surviving a catastrophe.
“Crawl?” What does that mean? Many hadn’t understood.
Mu Wanqing’s eyes flashed, “We need to make haste, so those without carriages… will be tied to the back of the wagons with ropes and dragged along.”
Those who supported her all had carriages, which meant those who didn’t could look forward to being dragged to their deaths by the horses.
She said they were leaving, but once the horses bolted, it would be over.
These delicate, pampered young masters could not possibly withstand such punishment.
Mu Zifeng was pale with fright; just the thought of it was unbearable. “Mu Wanqing, are you trying to kill us off!”
Mu Wanqing looked bemused. “Why would you say that? I'm only trying to help you catch up with the main force; otherwise you'll be treated as fugitives.”
She lifted an eyebrow, a mocking curl at the corner of her mouth. “Hm, do you want to be fugitives?”
Officer Zeng and his men swiftly drew their swords and leveled them at the group.