Chapter 8

Outside the city, a group of prisoners shackled in irons stood by the roadside, turning back to glance at the capital with sorrowful, bewildered faces.
Exiled to Liangcheng several thousand li away, could they ever return alive?
To die in a foreign land, unable for one's spirit to return home, was the ultimate fate of many banished criminals.
Would they be among them?
By contrast, the female dependents and boys under ten didn't have to wear shackles; their journey was less harsh.
In the Mu family's second branch, only Mu Wanqing and her mother were unshackled. Wanqing wore a set of men's clothes altered down, taken from her second brother, and tied her hair in a neat ponytail; it was hard to tell her gender.
She also had Madam Qian stitch a bundle wrap from the cut fabric; a few clothes and a small box wrapped inside, this was all the second branch's luggage.
Pitifully little, but compared to others it was decent.
Others were truly penniless, sleeves empty and without a coin, with no idea how they'd endure the brutal road of exile.
Many died along the way; it was a journey where nine out of ten perished.
Even upon reaching the place of exile, few managed to survive peacefully.
She looked around. Besides the Mu family, there was the clan of Fang Yukun, the former military bureau official, the whole procession totaled over three hundred people.
As for the servants, they had been sold off; no one knew where they had been scattered.
Thirty officers were responsible for the escort. They had five wagons and several horses, distributed around the prisoners' perimeter.
The lead constable, surnamed Zeng, was large and brawny, with a rugged air. He sat astride his horse with imposing authority, staring down at the prisoners.
Mu Wanqing continually gathered information, her mind quickly analyzing every detail.
Suddenly, the joyful voice of the sixth aunt from a collateral branch reached her ears, her natal family had come.
Not only had they come, they brought clothing and dry provisions, which delighted the sixth aunt's household beyond measure.
This opened a good precedent; other relatives and friends came to see them off.
Only the main branch of the Mu family showed no sign of movement; everyone stood on tiptoe, glancing this way and that, unbearably anxious.
Second Master Mu and his wife sat quietly, with no expectations.
Mu Ziang couldn't help asking, "Father, will anyone come to see us off?"
Second Master Mu gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly. "No."
The second household rarely left the compound; there had been no chance to make friends, and among relatives no one held the second house in any esteem.
"What about our maternal relatives?" the eldest son Mu Zicheng asked curiously; he seemed never to have met them.
Madam Qian looked at her husband and son, both wearing shackles, her heart aching. "Why did the old madam choose me as the second daughter‑in‑law? It's because my family couldn't support me."
She came from a merchant family; merchants did not enjoy high status. Besides, her birth mother had died young and she had no full brothers.
Her stepmother put on a kindly face but was hard at heart; having borne a son, the inner household became her domain.
Her biological father wandered off all over the place; their bond was weak, and with a meddling stepmother came a stepfather.
So even if the stepmother was harsh to her stepdaughter, no one dared complain.
After she married, her natal family, seeing there was nothing to gain, simply cut off contact.
While the second household chatted quietly about daily life, the first and third households paced about in a frenzy.
Third Master Mu watched the sun climb and grew increasingly restless. "Mother, where are our two younger sisters? They can't possibly not know what's going on."
Eldest Master Mu frowned. "If they don't come soon, we'll have to set off."
Both sisters' marriages had been carefully arranged to bring advantage to the family; a match was a joining of surnames.
In‑laws bound together, sharing fortunes and misfortunes.
"They're here, Second Aunt has arrived."
The Mu family stirred as if they'd glimpsed a savior, their spirits lifting.
A carriage drew up, its curtain pulled back, and a maid helped a plainly dressed yet beautiful woman step down.
It was indeed the family's second grandaunt, striking in looks and bearing; she'd married the eldest legitimate grandson of Grand Secretary Sun and had two sons.
Old Madam Mu's face lengthened in displeasure. "Why are you so late?"
"Mother, it's my fault for being unfilial, but..." Second Aunt Mu, seeing her mother's gaunt, wasted state, couldn't help but tear up.
She had two layers of mothers‑in‑law above her and sisters‑in‑law who loved to compare themselves, life had not been easy.
"My mother‑in‑law wouldn't let me go out. I slipped away in secret."
When her natal family was influential, she had been respected; once they fell from grace, her treatment plummeted and even the household servants dared show her their displeasure.
It was only because she had two sons that her husband's family abandoned thoughts of repudiating her.
A woman's natal family is her support; her sons are her confidence. Now that her family was gone, she had to keep her head down.
Old Madam Mu's face was sour, she had thought only of linking branches through marriage, forgetting how mercenary and shrewd this circle could be.
At the first sign of decline, people turned their backs and pretended they never knew you.
"It's been hard for you too. What about your eldest sister?"
Second Aunt Mu frowned. "Her situation is worse, she has only a daughter, and the Xu family is threatening to divorce her. She can't leave the house at all."
Eldest Master Mu couldn't help cursing, "What petty, mercenary people, worthless."
It had been he who personally approved the marriage into the Xu family; they had been useful allies, and he had married off his sister to curry favor.
The fawning and servility that once won them over had now turned into merciless kicking when they were down.
Third Master Mu craned his neck impatiently. "Enough of this, what did you bring for us?"
Second Aunt Mu, dutiful and practical, had prepared two flatbed carts.
"Mother is old and can't stand a long journey. With these carts as transport, I'll feel more at ease."
The two carts were piled with belongings, clothes, shoes, and all manner of daily necessities.
"Everything is the same, each household can take a share."
She had prepared only two sets, forgetting completely about the second brother.
She always looked down on the half‑born second brother, legitimacy mattered.
She also handed Old Madam Mu a scented pouch containing three thousand silver notes.
This was her private dowry money, the sum she'd taken with her at her wedding in full ceremonial style.
With that sum in hand, Old Madam Mu felt secure; her children and grandchildren would have to show her respect if they wanted an easy life.
She took her second daughter's hand and sighed. "You are thoughtful, no wonder I doted on you. Be filial to your in‑laws; tend your husband well and win their favor. Whether we can return depends entirely on you."
Second Aunt Mu was calculating and promised readily, "Don't worry, mother. I know what to do."
Not only that, she had her servants bribe the escorting officials with silver.
She didn't ask for special treatment, only that they not make things difficult.
This was standard practice; officials were usually greased.
The Mu family tore open the packages in eager haste. Ah, there were greasy meat patties!
Everyone surged forward to snatch them, behaving like famished wolves, mouths watering.
They were so busy eating they forgot to let Old Madam Mu have the first bite.
Seeing this, Second Aunt Mu personally took a meat patty and placed it in her mother's hand, speaking loudly on purpose, "Brothers, you must be good to mother. If anything happens to her, I won't stand for it."
Eldest Master Mu understood the rebuke in her words and hurriedly smiled, "She is our mother. Even if I don't eat, I'll make sure she does, no need to tell us."
Third Master Mu beat his chest and promised, rattling off a few words before changing tack. "Second sister, turn on the charm behind closed doors, soothe your in‑laws, get us back to the capital as soon as you can."
Second Aunt Mu agreed immediately and in a flash stepped up to the niece she doted on.
"Jinyao, pull yourself together. You're one of the capital's famed beauties, who knows how many men admire you? Are you willing to sink into oblivion? Listen to me: stay alive and there may be hope."
Mu Jinyao had always seemed frail; this was a sickness of the heart. "Second Grandaunt, I..."
Second Grandaunt Mu gently interrupted, "Don't forget, the fortune‑teller said at your birth that you'd be of immeasurable worth. I firmly believe that, and you should too. I'll do everything in my power to pull you out of this."
She couldn't save the whole clan, but perhaps by seeking out those admirers she might manage to rescue her niece.
The niece was both beautiful and talented; one day she would surely rise to great heights.
Her words moved Mu Jinyao, the girl's whole demeanour brightened.
Second Aunt Mu gave her niece a conspiratorial look and slipped a little sachet into her hand.
Mu Jinyao pinched it lightly. It felt feather-light, it must be a silver note.
She quickly hid the sachet, and at last a careworn heart settled back to earth.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Third Master Mu began to strut. “Second Brother, since you gave nothing to your second household, do you regret it now?”
He really had a sharp tongue.
The second household had nothing, not even a meat pie to eat. Second Master Mu was used to being treated differently and didn't show anger.
Third Master Mu, however, pushed his luck. “Make Third Miss kneel and confess; maybe Mother will be generous and give her something.”
That remark stirred Old Madam Mu's memory and roused her indignation. “Hmph, I don't have such an unfilial granddaughter.”
Only then did Second Aunt Mu glance over at the second household. Huh, they actually looked better in spirit than the others. “Mother, what's going on?”
Third Master Mu couldn't wait to tattle. “She's been bullying us in prison, hoarding the food, and she even made Mother faint.”
All this time Second Aunt Mu had kept her head down, but she'd been boiling inside. She unleashed everything onto Mu Wanqing, swinging a slap. “I'll teach you a lesson today, you disobedient, ”
“Murder!” Mu Wanqing flashed aside, avoiding the blow, then shrieked at the top of her lungs.
She never picked fights first, but she certainly didn't shy away from trouble.
Everyone turned as one, eyes suddenly bright, time to watch a show.
At that, Second Aunt Mu's hand froze in mid-air.
Mu Wanqing bellowed even louder. “Come and see, everyone! Don't miss this! The eldest daughter-in-law of Grand Secretary Sun's household is abusing her power and says she's going to kill her niece. Whose power is she invoking?”
The moment she said it, onlookers closed in, several deep.
Mu Wanqing gave a bitter laugh. “The emperor is kind and merciful and spared my life, and yet you act more powerful than him...”
Second Aunt Mu was petrified and, without thinking, lunged to clamp a hand over Mu Wanqing's mouth. “Shut up, don't say such things.”
Words that kill without bloodshed; she had never seen anything like it, the first time she realized her niece could wield such power.
Mu Wanqing forcefully pried her hand away and mumbled indistinctly, “Two hundred taels. Hush money.”
Hush money? Second Aunt Mu glared venomously. Dream on. “Are you mad, you damned girl?”
Mu Wanqing was in no mood to be meek. “Five hundred taels.”
She raised her price on a whim, then suddenly let out a terrified scream.
“What? Secretary Sun told you to do this? Why? To show off that he's mightier than the emperor? Good heavens.”
The crowd fell utterly silent, shocked, stunned, and secretly a little thrilled.
Fight! Start the fight! Hurry up!