Chapter 58

The moment Mu Wanqing returned she began taking roll and found thirteen carriages missing: seven belonged to the Mu family and six to the Fang family.
"The old, the weak, women and children stay here. Able-bodied adults, go out in groups of three and search in different directions. Move fast, the longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes."
"Be back before dark. Remember that."
"Group leaders count your people and check everyone's physical condition. Report any discomfort, especially among the elderly and the children."
"Mu Zicheng, you and logistics make two big pots of ginger soup. Add extra ginger and medicinal herbs so everyone can have a bowl."
One command after another was issued. The panicked crowd, looking at Mu Wanqing's steady composure, felt greatly reassured.
As long as Mu Wanqing was there, they believed nothing would happen to them.
Under her leadership they were certain they would reach the border safely. They believed it without question!
Mu Wanqing called Officer Zeng over and told him to contact the merchant convoy behind them to see if anything had gone wrong.
Fortunately, the convoy was fine. When the blizzard hit they stood their ground and huddled together defensively, Shen Yong had arranged them well.
Wei Shaohui watched her from a short distance, puzzled. "She's really... your sister?" He couldn't understand it.
Mu Ziang, busy setting up a stove, boasted smugly, "Of course she's my sister. We look exactly alike."
The youth glanced at him and fell silent. "Exactly alike", there wasn't much resemblance, really.
Still, the bond between the siblings was genuine, and it made him envious.
"Why does everyone listen to her so much?"
Mu Ziang answered matter-of-factly, "She's the head of the Mu clan. Don't be fooled by her age, she's incredibly capable and clever. Everyone respects her."
"My sister's the best, hahahaha." He laughed with delight.
He spoke as if it were only natural, but Wei Shaohui was stunned, this was absurd.
What sort of girl had he just encountered?
Under Mu Wanqing's arrangements, life soon returned to its usual rhythm: eat when it's time to eat, and then get back to work inside the wagons.
No matter what, the money still had to be earned.
Mu Wanqing went to visit the children. The little ones reached out for hugs and she picked them up one by one, handing out sweets; they were as happy as on New Year's Day.
Those children were fortunate, their carriages had been positioned in the safest area and were untouched by the disaster.
They didn't even know what had happened; they just played and grinned foolishly.
By dusk, carriage after carriage returned. People cheered and ran out to meet them.
Survivors who had been reborn from the catastrophe wept with joy and came straight to Mu Wanqing to offer their thanks.
Thank her for the carriage, for the carriage's accompanying gear, and for the food she sent.
It was thanks to those things that they all made it through.
"Clan Leader, if it weren't for this carriage we'd have frozen stiff." When they realized they'd become separated from the main force, everyone was terrified.
"You told us to stow the charcoal behind the carriage walls; we did as you said. This time, with the little red-clay stove and the charcoal, we had food and warmth and held on until help arrived."
"And the bedding, everyone huddled inside to keep warm. Clan Leader, you gave us all of this; you saved our lives."
"Last time you supplied each carriage with five jin of rice, a sack of flour, a bag of steamed buns, and a small piece of preserved meat, it was those very things that kept us alive this time."
Mu Wanqing had distributed the supplies but forbade them from cooking small portions to eat, saying the food was to be stockpiled and not to be consumed unless absolutely necessary.
Some were itching to help themselves, but the carriages and food were communal, you'd have to convince every single person.
That twist of fate ended up saving everyone's lives.
"You anticipated this in advance, didn't you? Otherwise how could you have prepared so thoroughly?"
Mu Wanqing simply liked to plan ahead, to be doubly prepared. "These are the essentials for home and travel; at all times one must be mindful of danger, stockpiling grain and supplies."
"Understood."
When the snow melts, Wei Shaohui will be leaving too.
Mu Wanqing didn't try to keep him; she gave him a carriage and some provisions, and even the heavy cloak he'd been wearing.
Everyone has their own path to walk; no one can go in another's stead.
Wei Shaohui tugged a small vial from around his neck and handed it to Mu Wanqing. "There are two antidote pills here, it took five years to obtain them. They counter every poison. I'm giving them to you."
Mu Wanqing froze. "They're too precious; I can't accept them. Your mission is fraught with danger, keep them to save yourself."
Wei Shaohui suddenly looked up. "You… you know what I'm going to do?"
He had almost forgotten she was no ordinary girl; he hadn't expected her to be so perceptive.
Mu Wanqing pointed to his narrow eyes. "There's hatred in your gaze." It was a deep, unyielding thing.
Wei Shaohui fell silent; the hatred for the annihilation of his clan, the vengeance for his father's murder, irreconcilable.
"I don't know how I can ever repay you for saving us…"
Mu Wanqing could see he was bound for death, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"It was only a small kindness, no repayment is necessary. I just hope you won't drive yourself to a dead end, revenge is important, but so is your future."
Wei Shaohui didn't take it in, but in his darkest moment to meet someone like her, he was grateful for such kindness. "Thank you. Take care."
He pressed the vial into Mu Wanqing's hand; it was the only token of thanks he could offer, he refused to owe anyone a favor.
With that, he turned away with finality.
"Hey, hey, one pill is enough for me. I'm such a sweet, kind person; no one would poison me." Mu Wanqing quickly tipped out one antidote pill, screwed the cap back on, and tossed the bottle back. "Keep it."
Wei Shaohui didn't turn back. With his right hand he scooped the bottle and caught it securely.
His steps faltered for a moment, then he continued forward with resolve.
Mu Ziang called out loudly, "Wei Shaohui, if you have nowhere to go after your business is done, come find us in Liangcheng."
Wei Shaohui still didn't stop; he climbed into the carriage and rode off.
Mu Ziang watched him go, a little sad. "Will he come back? Will he?"
They'd only known each other briefly, but he felt they'd already become friends.
Mu Wanqing looked at her innocent second brother and fell silent for a moment. "He will."
Hearing her say it, Mu Ziang immediately believed, his eyes shining. "I believe you, sister."
Mu Wanqing crossed her hands behind her back and thought, I don't even believe myself, okay?
This time everyone who had been scattered was found, though several fell ill and two of them were gravely ill.
Mu Wanqing could only find an inn to rest for a few days and sought out a good Physician to treat the sick.
She didn't idle; she summoned Shen Yong and Officer Zeng to discuss the route ahead.
"I know nothing about Liangcheng. How much do you know?"
She wouldn't fight a battle without confidence; she wanted to gather all the information first to prepare a plan.
Officer Zeng knew a fair amount about affairs in the capital, but wasn't well versed in frontier conditions.
Shen Yong, having come from the Fifth Prince's household and having been exposed to many levels of society, understood these matters better.
"The Da Qi is divided into Capital Guards and Outer Guards. The Outer Guards are organized under a headquarters called the duzhihuishi, abbreviated to 'du-si.' The Xiliang du-si is stationed in Liangcheng. Under it are sixteen garrison posts spread across Xiliang's fortresses, and beneath those are the thousand-household units…"
Xiliang had no prefectures or counties; the garrison posts handled both military and civil affairs, and the du-commander's office was garrisoned in Liangcheng.
He briefly explained the Da Qi's military setup: soldier registries were hereditary, soldiers combined farming with military service, and garrisons were designed to both defend and conduct offensives.
Mu Wanqing began to understand. "So the du-commander is the highest authority in Xiliang, overseeing both military affairs and civilian life, there are no prefects or county magistrates, correct?"
Shen Yong inclined his head. "Yes. The Du family has always held the du-commander post in Xiliang; they have garrisoned Xiliang generation after generation, dying on the battlefield, wrapped in their horse hides, a house of martyrs. The current Empress is a daughter of the Du family."
The du-commander is like a modern army group commander; the explanation made it clear.
Mu Wanqing pursed her lips. "What will happen to us when we arrive in Liangcheng?"
Officer Zeng could answer that. "We'll be assigned by the garrison to military reclamation duty; as for where we're sent, it's random."
Once he handed people over, his task was done.
Mu Wanqing's eyes flickered. "Random, huh, that means it can be manipulated."
Officer Zeng warned, "Generally, families are not allowed to settle together; they'd be broken up and distributed among the various thousand-household posts."
This was to make governance easier, to prevent groups from banding together to stir trouble.
Mu Wanqing had grasped the situation. "What about trade and commerce in Xiliang?"
Officer Zeng and Shen Yong exchanged a glance. "That's not entirely clear," one of them said.
Neither of them had ever been to the frontier, nor had they traded before.
Mu Wanqing anticipated it as well. "Send a few people over to check it out. This shipment should ideally be sold before we reach the capital, and at a fair price."
They'd hauled the goods all that way, so naturally they wanted to get a good price.
Granted, it was a no-capital venture, but they'd already earned a fair sum along the way.
Shen Yong, eyeing the prospect of a big profit, said, "Fine, I'll make the arrangements."
Officer Zeng remembered something. "By the way, Third Miss, what do you plan to do with that batch of jewelry you have?"
Mu Wanqing still had some money. She'd originally intended to purchase porcelain in bulk, but the road conditions were poor and the jostling would cause too many losses, so she abandoned that idea.
Instead she'd chosen a collection of jewelry, all fine pieces; they were small and easy to carry.
Officer Zeng couldn't see the point. The frontier was bitterly cold and the officials weren't wealthy, who could possibly buy such jewelry?
"I plan to trade them for other goods." Mu Wanqing didn't elaborate. Every item has value; it all depends on how you use it.
After a short rest, Shen Yong brought good news. "Outside Ganzhou City there's a frontier market that opens on schedule for trade with neighboring states. They say it's very lively."
Mu Wanqing's eyes lit up. "That sounds good. Where is Ganzhou City located?"
Shen Yong casually drew a triangle on the map. "It's one of our most remote cities, under the Xiliang Commandery, bordering Chu, it's over ten days' journey from here."
Ganzhou, Liangcheng, and their current location formed a triangle, with Ganzhou at the pointed end. It took over ten days to reach either Liangcheng or Ganzhou from here.
Mu Wanqing looked thoughtful.
Shen Yong volunteered, "Miss, you'll have to go and oversee things yourself this time. I have no experience with this."
Mu Wanqing paused for a moment. "Here's what we'll do, Officer Zeng: take the caravan to Liangcheng, don't enter the city yet, find a nearby village to stay in for a few days. I'll hurry there to join you."
"All right." Officer Zeng had no objections; he trusted Mu Wanqing's ability and character. If she really wanted to play tricks, he couldn't outwit her anyway.
At Ganzhou City, the two sweeping characters reading "Ganzhou City" hung high on the wall, visible from afar.
Mu Wanqing lifted the curtain and looked at the towering, majestic city wall. A small smile curved her lips; she was eager to get started.
She's here!