Chapter 735: Brothers All the Same

The youths of the Boy Soldier Camp dropped their weapons outright; those who had long been kneeling and begging for mercy went without saying. The man who had spoken nodded and said, "Keep everyone under watch. Send two women to attend to Miss Mu — no mistreatment!"

Two of the "refugees" tore off the cloths covering their heads and walked straight over. Only when their hair buns were visible did everyone realize that among this gang of "refugees" who had charged in to kill, there were actually women.

Those two women seized Mu Shulan by the arms and headed directly for a building at the other end of the estate. Mu Shulan looked back at the Boy Soldier Camp, then at Li Yuliang, whose face was full of unwilling resentment, and merely shook her head. Without a word, she left in silence.

Seeing her reaction, the man giving orders found it intriguing and couldn't help asking, "Aren't you going to ask how your uncles are doing?"

"I have no uncles. After my father died, I am the only one left in the Mu family," Mu Shulan answered with complete indifference.

The man giving orders was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, waving to have her taken away. The estate's people, who had been utterly terrified, now came to their senses. The wealthy man's trusted aides were shouting orders at the real refugees who had scattered in panic, while the wealthy man himself bent low and hurried over at a quick step. The man giving orders watched Mu Shulan leave the threshing yard, glanced at the Boy Soldier Camp and the Mu family guards herded into a huddle, shook his head, sighed, and said with some regret, "All fine seeds. A pity."

He was about to raise his hand to give the order, but before he could move, the wealthy man hastily grabbed his arm and said in a lowered voice, "Sir Xie, that stocky one is the only son of Inspector Li of this city. This Inspector Li has far-reaching influence, immense wealth and power. If his child's life is ruined, it won't just be trouble for the situation here in Dongchang Prefecture — I fear it will cause problems in several other places as well."

Xie Mingxian frowned, stared at Li Yuliang over there for a few moments, nodded, and said, "Arrange for someone to escort this Li Yuliang back to the city, to his home."

The wealthy man nodded hurriedly and called a subordinate over to run and drag Li Yuliang out. At that moment, Xie Mingxian swept his hand down, and his men, who had long been prepared, immediately raised their blades and struck. Of all those who had come to this place, only Mu Shulan and Li Yuliang were left alive.

Mu Shulan's second uncle, Mu Wuzhen, was the grand chief of the Smelling Incense Sect in Dongchang Prefecture and the surrounding regions. No matter, great or small, could proceed without his nod.

Recently, however, Mu Wuzhen had been somewhat agitated. He was a direct disciple of Wang Sen, the founding patriarch of the Smelling Incense Sect, and had always served at Wang Sen's side, utterly loyal to the Wang family. He had never entertained any thought of building the Mu family's own domain or enterprise; Mu Wuzhen believed that everything he did was for the Wang family.

Before the old patriarch Wang Sen passed away in seated meditation, he had agreed to the marriage alliance between the Wang and Mu families. This had overjoyed Mu Wuzhen, who felt that his and his deceased brother's efforts had finally been rewarded, and that the Mu family could henceforth be considered to have ascended to immortality.

Overjoyed as he was, Mu Wuzhen also knew that Mu Shulan would not agree. This niece of his appeared more and more reckless, yet her character grew ever more resolute. If reasoning failed, suicide was not out of the question. He had therefore given instructions in every quarter to keep the news sealed off from Mu Shulan.

As the matter drew near, members of the Wang family and their trusted followers from all over Northern Zhili arrived one after another. Once they came, they spoke not of the marriage alliance, nor of the Smelling Incense Sect's grand plans, still less of jointly safeguarding Patriarch Wang Haoxian so that the Wang family's foundation might endure for ten thousand generations. They did only one thing — squeeze out silver.

The good positions the Mu family had painstakingly secured had to be handed over to the Wang family. The businesses the Mu family had acquired had to be given to the Wang family. The Mu family's operations on the Grand Canal had to be yielded to the Wang family. Everything was taken as a matter of course — I am a relative of old patriarch Wang Sen, I am a relative of the current patriarch Wang Haoxian; everything in the Smelling Incense Sect belongs to our family. Letting you outsiders guard it was already giving you face.

This self-righteous plundering provoked fierce backlash from the Mu family faction. Although Mu Wuzhen felt it was all only right and proper, even he thought the Wang family's manner of seizing was far too ugly. Sooner or later, all of it would be yours — why scramble for it like people who haven't seen silver in eight lifetimes? No wonder Xu Hongru wanted to set up his own sect over there. But the moment this thought surfaced, Mu Wuzhen suppressed it himself.

The one jumping and raging the most in the Mu family faction was Mu Wujia. Although he was no real power magnate in Dongchang Prefecture, he still had his own domain, his own subordinates, and held several of the fattest pieces. But as soon as the Wang family arrived, they openly and blatantly moved to seize them — how could he stomach that? Mu Wuzhen was also most worried about this younger brother. The idea of swapping him with those branch heads in Hejian Prefecture had been proposed by Mu Wuzhen himself.

He had thought that once this plan was announced, his fourth brother Mu Wujia would raise a huge ruckus, yet to his surprise, Mu Wujia had simply fallen quiet. This greatly gratified Mu Wuzhen — the Mu family were still the Mu family, all of them utterly loyal to the Wangs.

The only worry now was little Lan. He had no idea what to do once the news of the marriage alliance was told. On this point, Mu Wuzhen's thinking was quite clear: even if she was unwilling now, she would be willing in the future. What an enormous blessing this was.

Lost in these thoughts, Mu Wuzhen arrived at the entrance of the Riverside Tavern. Long before, servants of the Mu family had been waiting there. Mu Wujia had sent an urgent message saying he wished to speak with his second brother here. Mu Wuzhen could more or less guess what it was about — nothing more than the matter of going to Hejian Prefecture. He must harden his heart and give him no room for compromise whatsoever.

He had just dismounted when a subordinate came running over from a distance and reported in a slightly nervous, hushed voice, "Master, the Holy Maiden's Boy Soldier Camp is preparing to leave the city. They say the Holy Maiden sent an urgent summons. Should we send men to keep watch?"

"Children wielding knives will cut themselves sooner or later. How can she still not give up even now? Send men to follow. If there's nothing unusual, follow little Lan's arrangements. If they try anything reckless, show no mercy to the Boy Soldier Camp. Keeping these lawless youths around will be a great calamity sooner or later!" Mu Wuzhen's tone hardened as he spoke. She was his own niece, yet she distrusted her own blood uncles. Could her own kin possibly harm her? Gathering a bunch of half-grown brats to form some Boy Soldier Camp — bodyguards for what? Wasn't it all to guard against him and the fourth brother? What a joke. He simply didn't take it seriously. If he really tore off all pretense, those youths would be nothing at all!

Before she married the young patriarch, he absolutely had to twist little Lan's temperament around and get rid of this damned Boy Soldier Camp. Otherwise, she would become a laughingstock in the Wang household.

Thinking as he climbed the stairs, he found the vast second floor occupied by only a single, solitary table. His fourth brother, Mu Wujia, was waiting there and had already risen with a smile.

"Second Brother, remember when we brothers first came to this Dongchang Prefecture? To cover our lads' expenses, we wouldn't even bear to spend on a bite of meat or fish. That day at lunch, we passed by here, and I said if I could ever afford the food and wine in this place, it would all have been worth it. It's only been a few years, and now we brothers can book the whole establishment!" Mu Wujia spoke with deep emotion.

Mu Wuzhen had not expected this topic. For a moment, memories flooded his mind, and in the end he only smiled and said, "Little Lan has also worked hard. Just now, little Lan mobilized the Boy Soldier Camp to leave the city. Has something happened? Do you know anything?"

"How would we ever be told of her affairs? Little Lan is on guard against us!" Mu Wujia gave a cold laugh.

Mu Wuzhen shook his head as well, saying helplessly, "That child doesn't know who's inside and who's outside, doesn't understand that we're doing this for her own good."

"Second Brother, little Lan may not understand, but your younger brother does. Your younger brother knows who's inside and who's outside. If I go to Hejian Prefecture, Second Brother will be left here alone and hollowed out. By then, this foundation we've fought so bitterly to build will all become someone else's family property. What have we been toiling for?"

Hearing this, Mu Wuzhen knew today's conversation was going exactly as expected. He merely smiled and said, "Hejian Prefecture isn't far from Changlu; the income from salt there is considerable. Once there, you might even prosper more than here. This is a good thing — others can't even get such a chance!"

"Second Brother, the Changlu Salt Fields are watched over by the big shots in the capital, and there are powerful salt magnates there too. When has our sect ever been able to get a piece of that? Besides, the officials and common folk in that region are all rough and ruthless. If I go, I'll certainly come to grief. Let me stay, let me stay and help Second Brother." Mu Wujia spoke without any preamble, straight to the point.

Seeing his second brother Mu Wuzhen smile, Mu Wujia's words grew even more earnest: "Second Brother, of us brothers, our parents and eldest brother died early. After we became disciples of the old patriarch, it was always Second Brother who looked after everyone. That Xu Hongru built his own domain and then ignored the rest of us. Third Brother went to Xuzhou and ended up dying there under unclear circumstances. We brothers have risked life and limb here, finally seized Dongchang Prefecture in our grasp — why must we hand it over to others again?"

"What 'others'? As members of the congregation, everything belongs to the sect. Whatever the patriarch decrees, that is what must be done!" Mu Wuzhen's expression instantly turned cold as he spoke grimly.

"That Wang Haoxian, whoring with women and catamites, living in luxury under the old patriarch since he was a child — what has he ever actually done?! We brothers fought and bled to carve out this foundation — on what grounds should it be handed to that waste of space? What 'everything belongs to the sect'? Then why doesn't anyone demand Xu Hongru's domain from him? Why doesn't he hand it over to Wang Haoxian? On what—"

A sharp slap rang out. Mu Wujia clutched his face, staring in utter shock at his second brother across the table. Mu Wuzhen had put no small force into that slap; the left side of Mu Wujia's face was already swelling up.

The several attendants standing on the second floor all lowered their heads. Mu Wuzhen stared coldly at Mu Wujia and said with stern solemnity, "If the old patriarch hadn't taken us brothers in, we'd have long been eaten by wild dogs by the roadside. Have you forgotten the oaths we swore when we burned incense and took him as our master? That traitor Xu Hongru broke his oath and will sooner or later face retribution. Do you want to do the same? If you keep spouting such reckless nonsense, you won't need to go to Hejian Prefecture — I'll enforce the sect rules and family law right here!"

Mu Wujia covered his face with both hands. One side had already swollen up high. Scolded like this by his own elder brother, he could no longer hold back his tears.

"Fourth Brother, for the patriarch—"

"Second Master! Fourth Master! Terrible news! Something big has happened to the young lady outside the city!"

Just at that moment, the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs rang out, and a man came shouting as he charged up, his face full of flustered urgency.

Thanks to old friends "Yuan Heng Lizhen," "Gu Wuzhao," "Wu Liulang," and "xyzann" for their gifts. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. It's the last day of November — begging for monthly tickets!