Chapter 51

The Prince of Jin’s heir was displeased. “You're not giving me any face.”
Mu Wanqing couldn't help laughing. “How much is the Prince of Jin’s heir's face worth? It's certainly not worth much before me. By the way, you were the one who brought up money first.”
What's with the pretense? People who put on airs like that are the worst.
The Prince of Jin’s heir snapped back unexpectedly, “At such a young age you're all about money, you're stinking of coin.”
“Think money stinks?” Mu Wanqing fired back. “Eating, drinking, even your bodily needs, all need money. Then don't eat, every grain of rice, every vegetable was grown with money. And don't wear clothes either, clothes are made from money. You're so high‑minded? Fine, then take them off.”
“Take them off, take them off.” She even whistled, utterly like a little rascal.
The Prince of Jin’s heir flushed. Had he been flirted with? Was she really a girl? He couldn't believe it, no way could he.
“Shameless.”
Mu Wanqing snorted. “A grown man argues with a young girl and suddenly needs his face? Losing an argument means you lose your face?”
When she said that, the attendants couldn't bear to look and turned away.
She wasn't wrong, the young lord had indeed...lost face.
The Prince of Jin’s heir realized it too, his brow tight. “Shut up. Give her the money, now.”
Mu Wanqing took the silver note and leisurely counted it once. “That's right, exactly one hundred thousand taels. Thank you for your patronage.”
The Prince of Jin’s heir couldn't stand her brazen confidence, she even counted the money herself, smiling while doing it! So vulgar!
He looked at Mu Jinyao. “Go fetch your family, we'll leave in a moment.”
He didn't want to stay another second. This girl was venomous, reckless in action and unbearable in speech.
Mu Wanqing had a strange kind of charm: those who liked her adored her; those who disliked her hated her with a passion.
She carefully pocketed the silver note. “Wait, you're not done yet. Let's split it per head: adults ten thousand taels apiece; children, one hundred thousand.”
Everyone stared in disbelief. Was she getting addicted to selling people?
Mu Jinyao had reached her limit. “Mu Wanqing, must you push me this far?”
Mu Wanqing gave her no kind face. “I'm speaking to your master in my capacity as head of the Mu clan. What right does a woman of uncertain status have to interrupt?”
She didn't mean to humiliate her, she only wanted Mu Jinyao to realize sooner what she would be facing.
Bought with money, the thing the Prince of Jin’s heir purchases has a wife, concubines, and children, these were realities she had to face.
"You..." Mu Jinyao's face flamed, her eyes rimmed with moisture, she couldn't tell if it was from anger or shame.
Mu Wanqing put the ugly words up front. "One more thing, a reminder: the moment any of you leave, you're as good as dead. If rumors spread or anyone claims to be of the Mu family, the Mu clan will disown them entirely."
In other words, the instant they left, they became living dead.
Living dead with no identity.
Even if they were discovered, the Mu clan would stubbornly deny them.
Take it one step at a time, get past the immediate crisis first. Who knows what the future holds; we'll deal with that later.
Like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, Mu Jinyao went white as paper, her legs nearly giving out. "Your Highness, I'm sorry. I didn't know this would be so troublesome. Don't trouble yourself on my account; I'll accept my fate."
She bowed her head. "To have met Your Highness in my darkest hour is my life's blessing; I am content, only please do not forget me."
Two tiny tears rolled down, like scattered, glistening pearls.
If she begged for help it would only irritate the Jin heir, but this display stirred his pity. "I can only offer another fifty thousand taels."
Mu Wanqing replied cheerfully, "Fine. Let Mu Jinyao pick five people herself." That would let her avoid being the villain.
She called out loudly, "Someone, bring the whole Mu family here, including the main elder branch, the third branch, and Old Madam Mu."
What was she up to? Mu Jinyao felt a bad premonition.
Before long, the clamor of footsteps rose as the Mu family members hurried in from all directions.
The great hall on the first floor and the circular corridor on the second were packed, a sea of dark heads as far as the eye could see.
Those from the Mu family's main house were brought forward. Eldest Master Mu had awakened but was weak, his eyes half-closed, he had been carried down.
Third Master Mu whimpered and groaned, his face twisted in pain.
Old Madam Mu walked at the front, supported by her granddaughter-in-law, head held high, her features sharp and dignified.
Seeing Mu Wanqing, she snorted coldly, wearing the proud air of someone about to reclaim authority.
She grabbed her eldest granddaughter's arm, eyes full of affection. "Jinyao, my dear granddaughter, your grandmother will rely on you for the rest of her days."
She'd always believed Mu Jinyao was born fortunate, and now fate had come knocking, impossible to stop.
Mu Wanqing raised an eyebrow; it seemed Old Madam Mu had been pulling many strings, though she'd learned to keep herself in the background.
"Is everyone here? Group leaders, call the roll."
She divided them into groups of ten and chose a leader for each to make management easier.
Soon the leaders began to call names. "Group One present."
"Group Two present."
...
"Group Fifteen present."
Everyone was used to the routine; orderly and efficient.
The Jin heir and his men looked on in astonishment, to see military-style discipline applied to a family gathering was surprising.
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin." Mu Wanqing got straight to the point.
"I've called you together to deliver news: the eldest daughter of the main house, Mu Jinyao, has married above her station and intends to take her family away from us. Everyone knows exactly what state the Mu clan is in."
She certainly wasn't going to cover for the main house.
"A criminal's escape from exile is a serious crime, and the person she's attached to is noble and armed, we are common folk who cannot resist. I am in a bind and troubled.
So I called you all here to discuss what to do."
The Mu clan members grew anxious. "We can't let them go. If word gets out, we'll all be finished."
"True, they'll live well, but we'll bear all the consequences."
"What can we do? They have swords and look dangerous, they could wipe us out at any moment."
"Once someone wants to leave, how can you hold them? If there's any help waiting, they'll slip away sooner or later."
"What's wrong with the people of the main house? Always making trouble, always causing us problems, so annoying."
"Tell me about it. I get sick of them the moment I see their faces."
Everyone had something to say; opinions varied.
Pointed fingers and bitter words left those from the main house miserable, wishing they could hide in a hole.
Old Madam Mu glared viciously at the girl sitting composedly. "Mu Wanqing, you cannot stop her. Even if the whole family tried, you wouldn't be able to."
This provoked everyone's wrath, and they tore into her with righteous fury.
They accused her of selfishness and malice, saying she only cared for her own interests, failed to raise her descendants, and would bring ruin upon the clan.
Old Madam Mu was furious and wanted to retort, but the last shred of reason held her back, a noble was present.
Mu Wanqing saw that the crowd was sufficiently whipped into a frenzy; she raised her right hand and the room fell silent.
The Jin heir shot a sidelong glance, so young, yet able to command the clan's trust; truly impressive.
Unconcerned with others' opinions, Mu Wanqing spoke up, "Here's my thought: whichever option we choose, the whole clan will face grave pressure. So I propose a compromise, demand compensation from the noble, a payment for emotional damages, and divide it equally among everyone. If you agree, raise your hand."
The clan members exchanged glances; half raised their hands, half did not support it.
"That still won't make up for our losses. We might be prosecuted..."
Mu Wanqing smiled slightly. "A total of one hundred and fifty thousand; that should come to roughly a thousand taels per person. Do you find that acceptable?"
That settled it, the other half all raised their hands in unison.
"Let them go, quickly." A thousand taels each, they could pay off the carriage, cover the travel expenses, and have funds to settle beyond the border.
"Perfectly reasonable, Clan Leader. We support all your decisions."
Once the money flowed, nothing was a problem, trading the main house for such a sum was well worth it.
“I hereby declare this resolution unanimously passed by all clan members.” Mu Wanqing waved her hand; the clanspeople responded with three quick waves in return, then all at once lowered their hands.
The whole process flowed like clouds and water, disciplined, practiced, spectacular, and it left the Prince of Jin’s heir and his men dumbstruck.
What kind of prodigy is this?
The Prince of Jin’s heir thought even further: with this sum, Mu Wanqing had bound every member of the clan together, forging them into a powerful bloc of shared interests.
From now on, everyone would keep their mouths shut and move forward or retreat together.
What seemed like a decision reached by the whole clan was, in fact, running entirely according to Mu Wanqing’s design; everyone was a marionette on her strings.
Yet nobody complained, each one wore a joyous expression.
Are all the Mu daughters this clever?
He couldn’t help but raise his expectations for Mu Jinyao; after all, her talent and reputation resounded across the capital.
By all rights, Mu Jinyao had received the best education and the finest resources, she should be sharper than Mu Wanqing.
Mu Wanqing was nothing if not decisive. “Your turn now, Mu Jinyao. Pick the people.”
Old Madam Mu blinked. “What do you mean?”
Mu Wanqing blinked back with a hint of mischief. “The benefactor only granted five places, you know.”
But the Mu family’s main branch had nearly twenty people.
Old Madam Mu was stunned; this was not what she had expected.
Mu Wanqing urged impatiently, “Don’t waste my precious time, hurry up and choose. I haven’t had breakfast yet; I get irritable when I’m hungry.”
Handle things on an empty stomach, does she think that’s easy?
Not far off, Second Master Mu’s heart ached; he quickly brought over a meal. “Eat.”
A steaming bowl of vegetable-and-lean-pork congee sat before her, thick and fragrant.
Two golden fried eggs gave off an irresistible aroma. Mu Wanqing couldn’t help but bite into one; it was cooked to perfection and she gave a thumbs-up. “Delicious, Father, your skills have improved.”
Frying a sunny-side-up egg isn’t hard, but to get it neither undercooked nor overdone and to keep it pretty takes practice.
Praised by his daughter, Second Master Mu beamed with pride.
He might lack in some areas, but in the kitchen he was gifted.
As the saying goes: like father, like daughter.
If the daughter’s cooking is so good, how could the father be any less? Right?
Old Madam Mu looked thoroughly disapproving. “You, a grown man in the kitchen, bring shame on the Mu family…”
Mu Wanqing shot her a cold look. “Say one more word and I’ll keep you here, making you cook for me every day as my housekeeper.”
Old Madam Mu shut her mouth immediately; she believed Mu Wanqing capable of such ruthless measures.
Mu Wanqing lifted her congee bowl and issued her final ultimatum. “Mu Jinyao, if you haven’t chosen before I finish eating, consider it a forfeit.”
Startled, Mu Jinyao blurted out, “I… choose Grandmother, my parents, my eldest brother…”
The grandmother was the family’s old matriarch; she had made an enemy of Mu Wanqing and could not be allowed to stay.
Her parents were the people she loved most, and her eldest brother was the primary heir of the family.
That made four people, leaving just one place.
She looked at this one and that one, torn and pained.
Second Young Master was beside himself. “Sister, you can’t just forget about me.”
The family was about to be set up for a comfortable life, why should he be left behind?
Second sister-in-law grew anxious. “Sister, I’ve always cared for you; you wouldn’t want us separated, would you?”
Once separated, it would be for life.
Second sister-in-law paled. “No, what about the children? We can’t just abandon them. They’re the Mu family’s future.”
Mu Jinyao looked at the four little ones, children at that age who only half understood what was happening, and her heart twisted.
She winced. “I’m sorry. I really can’t, I’d need a hundred thousand for one child…”
Mu Wanqing had done this on purpose: she left the children as bargaining chips to rein in those who betrayed the family.
Even if they wanted to act rashly, they’d have to consider the children left behind. Anyone with an ounce of parental instinct wouldn’t dare.
There was another motive: she wanted to punish them, make them taste the pain of being torn from their kin, to live out their days steeped in regret and sorrow.
And she’d made sure her scheme was airtight, any wrongdoing could be blamed on others: the Prince of Jin’s heir for deciding, Mu Jinyao for choosing. She herself would appear completely innocent.
If there was blame to be laid, lay it at the feet of those who made the decision and those who made the choice.
Those who stayed would still have to curry favor with her, the Clan Leader.
“What? One child for a hundred thousand? Pack them up and send them away straight off.” The clanspeople’s eyes lit up, they hadn’t expected children to be so valuable!
If possible, they’d sell their own kids too, one hundred thousand! Who wouldn’t want such a windfall?
“They’d refuse, the price is too high.” Mu Wanqing’s one sentence snuffed out the clan’s enthusiasm.
She ate her breakfast at a leisurely pace, leaving only the last spoonful of congee. “There’s one spot left.”
Everyone turned to Mu Jinyao to see how she would decide.