Chapter 98 Finally, I saw Third Brother enter the city gate. "I have a little grudge to tell..."

The next morning, Mu Chuan made all the preparations and led his men to the north gate.

The heavy armor was being carried on the carriage behind, and they would put it on when they arrived at their destination.

The Ministry of Rites officials explained the process of the hostage's arrival in the capital to Mu Chuan in detail. In summary, there was a brief ceremony at the city gate, followed by a temporary ceremonial court assembly in the main hall, which all officials were required to attend in order to demonstrate the power of the Great Wei state.

At the court meeting, the hostage was appointed as General Changhuai and Chief of Moluo, and then entered the Imperial Academy to study.

Changhuai and Moluo are the same place, which was originally the territory of the Hua Azan chieftain. Changhuai is the name given by the emperor, and Moluo is the transliteration of that place.

The nominal control of this area belongs to the Great Wei, which also receives some tribute and taxes. However, the administrative staff are mostly locals, including dozens of Hua Azan's sons. As for when it will be fully under the control of the Great Wei, that depends on the transformation plan of Cuoge Na.

"What goes around comes around," Mu Chuan sighed.

Last time, when he presented the prisoners at the Meridian Gate, he barely slept a wink all night. He set off from the camp in the middle of the night and waited at the city gate before dawn.

Now he can go out at dawn; others are waiting for him, not the other way around.

The phrase "fortune changes like the wheel" doesn't quite fit, but it gets the point. I'll have Daiyu teach him properly later.

As Mu Chuan pondered this, he glanced at Lin Daiyu on the tall building next door.

He can see the people and places he arranges at a glance.

The four-story building had a brick and stone structure on the bottom two floors and a wooden structure on the top two floors, where Lin Daiyu sat at the top.

She was also dressed in red, making her stand out.

Seeing him looking for her, Lin Daiyu blushed and waved her handkerchief. "It's not a big deal," she reassured herself. The surrounding buildings were full of onlookers; besides waving handkerchiefs, people were throwing them, purses, and fan pendants.

"Lord Zhongyong!" someone called from a nearby building. "My younger sister is sixteen years old, beautiful as a flower, and unmarried. Would Lord Zhongyong be interested in seeing her?"

What!

Lin Daiyu immediately glared at him and saw that the young man who had shouted was blushing, but he was also smiling. There was a group of people cheering him on. She didn't know if it was a joke or if he had a sister.

"The Earl of Zhongyong is engaged!" Lin Daiyu also said, but since she had never experienced this before, her voice didn't even reach the door.

"Cough." She chuckled, took a silver ingot from her purse, wrapped it in a handkerchief, tied it up, called out to Mu Chuan, "Third Brother!" and then threw it out forcefully.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Chuan reached out and the handkerchief and silver ingot were in his hand.

He smiled broadly and replied loudly, "Young lady, you threw it very accurately."

Lin Daiyu had never done anything like this before. She was both surprised and embarrassed, yet also delighted and happy. Her heart pounded, and she quickly shrank back from the window.

But what she threw was caught by the Earl of Zhongyong!

This action certainly set a good example. Originally, the young ladies and gentlemen on both sides of the building only threw things occasionally, but now, more than thirty or fifty handkerchiefs flew out from both sides of the building in an instant. However, in their haste, they were not tied tightly, and as soon as they went out the window, the handkerchiefs separated from the jade pendants, silver ingots and other heavy objects inside.

Someone actually threw gold ingots? Mu Chuan pulled his horse a couple of steps toward the city gate, then said seriously to the Ministry of Rites official accompanying him, "This is bribing an official of the imperial court."

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were completely bewildered by him.

He had seen people throw handkerchiefs before, but he had never seen anyone like the Marquis of Zhongyong.

The official from the Ministry of Rites pointed forward, pretending not to hear, and said, "The time has come."

The musicians began to play, and Mu Chuan turned his head to signal Hua Azan to follow him.

Hua Azan followed with trepidation. Putting everything else aside, the heavy armor he was wearing today had practically become Hua Azan's inner demon.

He was captured by Mu Chuan, who was wearing this armor, back then. Just as he was feeling smug and imagining how he would threaten Pingnan Town, torture Li Chengwu, and make General Li's family weep bitterly after capturing Li Chengwu, Mu Chuan, dressed in heavy armor, arrived.

He killed all his warriors, his three sons, and his two accompanying masters.

Hua Azan shuddered. From that moment on, he went from being one of the top chieftains of Beili to a prisoner of the Great Wei.

Hua Azan didn't dare to look up, following behind Mu Chuan as they left the city gate with the welcoming party from the Great Wei.

Not far away were the people of Beili, led by Hua Azan's son, Cuoge Na. However, Mu Chuan first saw not this, but the five white yaks behind him, three large and two small.

The Li people of Beili regard the white yak as the embodiment of a mountain god, so it is indeed not easy to offer five yaks from such a long distance.

Mu Chuan nodded, and Hua Azan, who had been observing him, seized the opportunity to say, "My son has never been very popular since he was a child. General, rest assured, he will definitely be loyal to the Great Wei."

As the group stepped forward, officials from the Ministry of Rites on both sides guided them on what to do.

Everything went smoothly until it was time for Cuoge to greet Hua Azan, when he suddenly got stuck.

Mu Chuan reacted quickly. He remembered that Hua Azan had said that Cuoge was the child born to a female slave. In Beili, someone of that background could not call the chieftain "father," but rather a title similar to "master."

He felt that the rubbing was a bit deliberate, but it wasn't a big deal; it was just a way of putting Hua A in a bad light in front of Da Wei.

Mu Chuan gave Cuoge an approving look, then patted Hua Azan's shoulder hard.

Hua Ajarn looked three inches shorter after being photographed by him. He quickly said, "Your father has been waiting day and night for you. Did you have a safe journey?"

With this step, Cuoge stepped forward and knelt before Hua Azan: "Thank the mountain god, no one died after leaving the snow mountain pass. After leaving the snow mountain, the journey was very smooth. How is Father?"

After a performance of filial piety, the group headed to the palace.

Upstairs, Lin Daiyu was still somewhat unsatisfied. Her third brother was so majestic and imposing, and his heavy armor was also very impressive. However, the various marks on it suggested how dangerous the scene must have been.

Perhaps due to her overwhelming emotions, Lin Daiyu smiled but her eyes were red. She instructed, "Let's go to the pharmacy later."

She also wanted to see if there was any scar-removing ointment. She wasn't there when her third brother was injured, and now that he's healed, she could only go to some old shops to find some scar-removing ointment to apply to him.

After the court assembly, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial accompanied two northern Li people to the Huitongguan Zhiningyuan. Cuoge Na was to stay with Hua Azun for the time being, and another place would be arranged for him a month later.

The emperor summoned several relevant officials to the imperial study to discuss matters, which mainly involved debating the character of the person in question and whether previously agreed-upon matters should be changed.

Mu Chuan spoke first. Aside from trying to trick people, he didn't have the habit of waiting for others to speak before making a final decision, because he didn't want to offend anyone or waste time.

“Cuo Ge is not Hua Ajarn’s proper son, so he has no right to call him Dad. He is also one of the few of Hua Ajarn’s sons who does not have any warriors or monks making offerings to him.”

No one who can stand in the Imperial Study is a fool; they are all exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted. Although a few did not go to the city gate, Mu Chuan's reminder made everyone understand.

“He will definitely be bullied by his brothers. With such a status, there is no way for him to turn things around. He can only rely on the Great Wei.”

The Emperor nodded: "Then let's do as we agreed and arrange a hostage residence for him, so that he knows that Hua Azan is a prisoner and he is a hostage."

As mentioned before, the hostage residence must be located in a heavily monitored area within the inner city. However, even now, in the Great Wei Dynasty, it is indeed difficult to find a residence in the inner city that is of a suitable size.

Mu Chuan didn't speak last time because he hadn't met Cuoge Na yet, but now that he'd met him in person, he offered his opinion.

“The Ningguo Mansion has moved away, and the Rongguo Mansion next door won’t be staying for long either. There are only these two mansions on Ningrong Street. The mansions of the four kings and eight dukes who founded the country are actually oversized. Why not convert them into four mansions and set aside one for the hostage prince’s residence?”

The emperor smiled, and the expressions on the faces of the officials below him were quite subtle.

Everyone in the court knew that the Earl of Zhongyong had a grudge against the Jia family, but his complaint was very reasonable and appropriate.

The residences of Ning and Rong were indeed beyond the standard, and were indeed in a good location. After the renovation, they were indeed suitable as a hostage residence.

You really can't find a single flaw in it.

While the emperor might not know about other places, he was quite familiar with the Ning and Rong mansions, where there was even a villa for his imperial visit.

The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "First, change the name of Ning Mansion. Have the Ministry of Works send people to measure the house. Don't touch the Imperial Villa for the Emperor's Visit to His Family; I have other uses for it. Also, don't call that street Ningrong Street anymore. Hmm... let's call it Ding'an Street."

As the emperor spoke, he looked at Mu Chuan and smiled.

Everyone present was shrewd; who couldn't see through it?

Then consider the rumors circulating about the Jia family in the Rongguo Mansion. This isn't for any other purpose; it's clearly meant for the Earl of Zhongyong.

I'm so annoyed.

I hate discussing matters with you favored ministers the most.

While the Imperial Study was discussing how to turn Cuoge Na into a tool of the Great Wei Dynasty, in the Zhi Ning Courtyard, Hua Azan was also telling his son, whom he had never given a second glance, how to survive in the Great Wei Dynasty.

"Stop talking about monks, gurus, Buddhas, and so on. There are no female or male slaves here either."

Chogna listened attentively, but his heart was full of sarcasm. Where did he come from as a monk? He was the one who provided offerings for others, not the other way around.

After the money was sold, Hua Azan said, "Your father chose you for your own good. If you hadn't come as a hostage, you would have died at the hands of your brothers sooner or later."

He believed that, and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Father, for saving my life."

Hua Azan recounted the path of becoming a hostage, getting married, having children, and eventually returning to Beili to become a chieftain. He then added, "These past few months, I've been thinking about what kind of woman you should marry."

Listen carefully to the cuoge.

"First, there's General Li's granddaughter. He has two grown-up granddaughters who are not yet married. If you marry one of his granddaughters, the soldiers of Pingnan Town will be your backup. Since the emperor is far away, sometimes you don't need to ask him for permission; they will send troops to help you on their own."

“Father is right, he is indeed a good candidate.”

"Come down... General Mu also has a younger sister, a widow, and a daughter."

General Mu needs no introduction; his 10,000 elite troops are a nightmare for all the people of Beili.

"General Mu is willing to marry his sister to me?" This was the first time since Cuoge Na arrived in the capital that a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Hua Ajarn shrugged and said, "I don't know." I didn't dare ask either.

Chogner sighed regretfully, "It would be best if I could marry General Mu's sister, or even better, a widow who has given birth. Her previous husband must have had a bad fate, which is why he was cursed to death."

“There’s no need to rush,” Hua Azan added. “This is indeed the most important thing, but you may be living in the Great Wei Dynasty for ten years. I don’t think they will ask you to get married after only three or five months.”

As noon approached, the meeting in the Imperial Study was almost over, and everyone rose to bow and take their leave. Mu Chuan deliberately lingered until the very end.

No official invited him to leave with them, after all, what if he had to stay and dine with the emperor? That would only make things awkward for him.

With no outsiders in the imperial study, the emperor smiled and said, "Is Qiao Yue hungry? I'll have them bring you food."

After thanking him, Mu Chuan asked, "Does His Majesty intend to bestow the Grand View Garden upon someone?"

The emperor chuckled twice more: "Indeed, people should be rewarded." Then he fell silent again.

Although the hints were quite obvious, as a favored minister, he certainly couldn't ask directly at this point; he had to play dumb with the emperor.

The two exchanged a few glances, and the emperor smiled first: "I'll give the Grand View Garden to your wife later."

Mu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "A reward of a mansion... Your Majesty, do you intend to bestow upon my wife the title of Lady of the Imperial Household?"

The emperor was more serious this time. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Everything else is negotiable. I intend to bestow upon her the title of County Princess, but I will announce the decree on your wedding day."

Before Mu Chuan could speak, the emperor continued, "Qiao Yue, you are not allowed to say anything else, but this is the only thing I cannot agree to."

Mu Chuan sighed: "Then when will I be able to get married?"

The emperor chuckled and picked up a piece of paper from the table: "Take a look at the date I chose."

The betrothal and name-asking stages have already been marked. The subsequent stages, such as auspicious date selection, gift-giving, wedding date setting, and wedding procession, all follow several dates. It seems that the chosen date will be based on the weather.

Leaving aside the intermediate steps, the wedding ceremony was scheduled for July, with the earliest day being July 18th and the latest day being July 29th.

Mu Chuan was very satisfied; time was running out for the Rongguo Mansion.

"How many more good days do you think we have left?" Grandmother Jia summoned Lady Wang and asked sternly.

Madam Wang remained silent.

Grandmother Jia continued, "Look at the date the Empress has set. If this continues, she will definitely get married this year. If you don't hurry up and prepare things, you won't have anything left! The entire Rongguo Mansion will be buried with you!"

Madam Wang burst into tears: "Master hasn't entered my room for ten years. Zhu'er is dead, Yuan Chun went to the palace and hasn't been heard from since the first month of the lunar year. Bao Yu... Master has treated Bao Yu so badly, what is left for me? Is the Rongguo Mansion going to be ruined by her? When have I ever suffered such injustice?"

As Madam Wang was crying, Yuanyang suddenly entered, looking panicked: "Old Madam, something terrible has happened! Officials from next door have come and are measuring the house, saying that the Ning residence is for other purposes."

"What!" Grandmother Jia stood up in shock. Although the Rong and Ning families had already broken ties, they were still both surnamed Jia. Moreover, the Ning family's fate today might just be the Rong family's fate tomorrow.

“I remember that although Zhen’er and the others moved out, the deadline hadn’t come yet, and there were still servants packing their things over there.”

Yuanyang nodded, then said with difficulty, "The leading official said that the deadline is the deadline. Do you really dare to drag it out until the last day?"

Grandmother Jia's gaze was like a knife, slashing fiercely at Lady Wang: "Did you hear me? If you dare, then keep dragging this on."

Unable to contain herself, Lady Wang clutched her handkerchief tightly and burst into tears.

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The author's note: Actually, this kind of good thing, where one can gain power and might even become a female chieftain, is completely different from being sent to a marriage alliance after defeat in battle, and it wouldn't be the case for someone like Tan Chun.