As the sun sets and the sky is filled with colorful clouds, a low-key yet luxurious carriage is driving on the street.
The streets were filled with the sounds of hawking. Mu Wanqing heard someone selling candied haws, so she asked someone to go down and buy a few.
When you bite into the bright red candied haws, it tastes sour and sweet, with a unique flavor.
Mu Wanqing nibbled on a candied haws slowly and gave instructions softly, "Go check the whereabouts of the Mu family members over the past few days, especially Mu Shiqi. Report all of their whereabouts to me."
Some people are too ambitious. Once they have earned enough money, they want more without even considering their own abilities.
"yes."
When passing by General Du's residence, Mu Wanqing took another look and still closed the door to visitors. "Is Du Shaoxuan still living in a hut on the mountain to observe mourning?"
The maid calculated the time and said, "It has been a hundred days. They should go down the mountain to celebrate the New Year."
Mu Wanqing nodded slightly, "Add 10% to the annual gift to Marshal Du's mansion. It is not convenient to visit him this year."
The maid responded, and suddenly her eyes fixed, "Young Marshal Du has gone down the mountain."
Not far away, a group of people came on horseback. The handsome man in the lead had cold eyes and eyebrows, and had an aura of majesty without even being angry.
A group of people rumbled past the carriage, rode a few hundred meters, then suddenly reined in their horses and rode back.
Du Shaoxuan was a little surprised. "Wanqing, it's really you. I thought I was seeing things. Why didn't you call me?"
The Mu family's carriage is very low-key, with only the word "Mu" engraved on the front of the carriage. If you are not careful, you will miss it.
Mu Wanqing smiled and waved, "Come up and have a cup of tea. I have always been open to all things and have no taboos."
Du Shaoxuan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist the urge to see her, so he got off the horse, bent down and sat in the carriage.
The maid poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over, then quietly left.
"You've lost weight."
"You've lost weight."
The two of them spoke at the same time, were stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.
The cheerful laughter diluted the strangeness brought by the time distance.
Du Shaoxuan was very thin, with veins on his arms showing. His complexion was very bad, with all his skin pale and blue. I had never seen him look so listless.
He lived in a poor house and didn't eat meat. How could his body be healthy? His spirit was also very poor.
This can be said to be the lowest point in his life, and a series of events hit him hard.
"Have you not eaten well recently?"
Although Mu Wanqing is thin, she is slender and strong. She eats five meals a day, plus lunch and supper.
"I've been too busy lately and a little stressed, but I'll be on holiday starting tomorrow, so I can sleep in peacefully. I told you, it's inhumane to go to work so early in the morning in the middle of winter, and there's no holiday!"
Du Shaoxuan's eyes were filled with heartache, "It was you who gave up your rest, your health is more important."
Mu Wanqing pouted, "It gets busier towards the end of the year. Others can take a day off, but I can't. If I get up late, someone will come to my house to look for me."
Du Shaoxuan saw that she was complaining, but she was clearly enjoying it.
Listening to her cheerful complaints, his suppressed and depressed mood gradually relaxed.
A bowl of hot food was handed to Du Shaoxuan. "Have a bowl of fried flour. I will rely on this to improve my living conditions during my exile."
Du Shaoxuan wanted to refuse, as he had no appetite, but after hearing this, he could not help but stop and said, "We should have gotten a few more cows that time, so that we could have more food for you."
He had seen her at her most miserable, but since there was no emotion between them at that time, he naturally didn't feel much distress.
Now I can’t stand just listening to it, and I can’t help but feel a little regretful.
"Food is fine, we can make do with it, but I'm afraid of snowstorms. The roads are hard to walk on and it's easy to get lost. I'm shivering with cold. I also have to prevent the snow from crushing the carriage. I have to go out to sweep the roof in the wind and snow from time to time." Mu Wanqing recalled the past, and it was still vivid in her mind, "Some people died on the road in the heavy snow."
The Mu family was fine, but only a few members of the Fang family were killed.
It is really cold in winter, and it is really difficult to travel. The road conditions are bad, the road is bumpy and rugged, the wind is cold, and problems occur frequently.
If she hadn't gotten the carriage and thick clothes, countless people would have died on the road just by walking.
Her carriage even got lost during that snowstorm.
Du Shaoxuan stared at her blankly, shocked and heartbroken, "You never said these things before. How did you lead the whole clan through such a difficult time?"
Mu Wanqing seldom mentioned that past event, and when she did, she would just brush it off in a casual manner.
Everyone only knows that she made a fortune on the road, but they don’t know the hard work and danger behind it.
She took out a token and said, "Here, look, this is the hope you left for me."
Du Shaoxuan could tell at a glance that this was a gift from him, and his expression was a little complicated, "You still carry it with you?"
Now that power has changed, the token has a greater symbolic meaning. As for real power, Mu Wanqing could have gotten it by just using her connections.
"Well, it's very commemorative. I thought at the time, if I can't hold on, I'll take the token to ask the government for help. Maybe it will work."
Du Shaoxuan felt sour in his heart, "You have never used it, not even once."
Mu Wanqing played with the token, which was more of a reminder to herself that she had gone through a difficult time and to always be alert and motivate herself.
"I didn't reach the point of being penniless. Later I found a way to make money, and things became smoother and smoother."
"If I had known earlier..." Du Shaoxuan felt worse and worse the more he thought about it, and he was filled with pity. "I would have accompanied you on the road to exile."
He would definitely protect her well and not let her suffer any pain.
Mu Wanqing didn't need anyone to save her, but that didn't stop her from saying sweet words, "After going through the lows, I will cherish the hard-earned good days more. Meeting you is the best arrangement."
Du Shaoxuan's eyes lit up and he looked at her in disbelief.
"You really think so?"
Mu Wanqing raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "Well, after you finish your three years of mourning for your mother, we will get married."
The surprise came unexpectedly, and Du Shaoxuan's head was buzzing, wondering if he was dreaming. "Getting married? Are you serious?"
"Then let me think about it again?" Mu Wanqing pinched her chin. The time was almost right and the wedding arrangements should be put on the schedule.
Before, the emperor would have liked to see a single Princess Qingping who would not marry into a powerful family, which would be more in line with the emperor's interests.
But, times have changed.
When she reaches the highest position in the country, no matter who she marries, her power will not be as great as hers.
Her image as a lone minister has been deeply rooted in people's hearts over the years. Which one is more reliable to use: a perfect minister with growing prestige, or a lone minister with a family and weaknesses?
She definitely won't defile herself, so the only option is to get married.
Since you are getting married, of course you should choose someone you like and who shares the same values with you.
Du Shaoxuan finally reacted, and he grabbed Mu Wanqing's hand. The sadness in his eyes disappeared, and joy was about to overflow. "No, no, you said it yourself, you are not allowed to regret it, we will get married in three years."
His joy infected Mu Wanqing, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised. This was not bad.
…
The moonlight was as bright as silver gauze, the entire Xuanwu Street was ablaze with lights, lanterns were hung high on the shops on both sides, the lights were brilliant, gongs and drums were beating, the sound was deafening, dragon dance teams were parading in the streets, the noise was deafening, it was a prosperous scene.
People, young and old, came out to visit the lantern festival with their whole families, and there was constant laughter.
Mu Wanqing and Du Shaoxuan went out together. Both of them dressed very low-key and only brought a few guards with them.
Mu Wanqing saw that many people were wearing masks and couldn't help but become interested. She stopped at a mask stall, picked out a tiger mask and put it on to cover her face.
Du Shaoxuan glanced at her and picked out the men's version of the same style, but with a larger mask.
The two looked at each other, which was quite interesting. If someone knew them, they would not recognize them.
Well, you can have fun without caring about your image.
The government arranged a lantern riddle guessing program, and a mountain of lanterns rose high, attracting countless people's attention.
As long as you can guess the answer to the riddle, you can get a lantern.
Seeing that everyone was guessing, Du Shaoxuan asked, "Which lamp do you want?"
Mu Wanqing took a casual look and took a fancy to the lotus lantern at the top. She nodded casually and said, "Let's take this one."
Although Du Shaoxuan was a military general, he was educated in the palace after all, and was a man of both civil and military talents. He guessed it after watching for a few seconds. The organizer took down the lotus lantern with some heartache, as it was the most beautiful one.
He was about to hand the lantern to Mu Wanqing when a man and woman wearing fox masks came over and said, "Wait a minute, brother, can you give me this lantern? I'll pay you twenty taels of silver."
Is Du Shaoxuan a person who is short of money? He waved his hand and handed the lantern to Mu Wanqing.
Mu Wanqing lifted the lantern and looked at it carefully. It was indeed more beautiful than ordinary lanterns. It had several layers stacked up, each layer was a different color, and it was very delicate.
The two of them left on their own, neither taking the other seriously.
The fox man came over to block their way and introduced himself, "I am a relative of Princess Qingping, please give me your love."
What does this tough tone mean?
Du Shaoxuan was about to stop him, but his mouth twitched when he heard this.
Mu Wanqing froze. Haha, she recognized it. It was that bastard Mu Shiqi.
He actually used her name to rob and plunder. He has become so capable that he doesn't even take her ban seriously.
She deliberately pinched her throat and changed her voice, "I heard that Princess Qingping's relatives are all in Xiliang, who do you think you are?"
Mu Shiqi was stunned for a moment. As soon as the woman spoke, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Had he seen her before?
The fox girl said delicately, "Brother Seventeen, this woman looks down on you."
The voice was affected and indescribably sweet.
A trace of anger flashed across Mu Shiqi's eyes. "I'll give you fifty taels of silver."
Mu Wanqing laughed, thinking that she was rich and powerful.
Looking at the fox girl, "Who are you to him? Lover? Concubine? Or a prostitute?"
The fox girl was furious, "How dare you humiliate the family of a high-ranking official."
Mu Wanqing became interested. "Whose family are they? Tell us about it. Maybe we know them."
The fox girl looked at Mu Wanqing, who was dressed in fine cotton cloth without any ornaments on her body, and only had her hair tied up with a jade hairpin. She did not look wealthy at all.
She said disdainfully, "How could I possibly know someone like you?"
Mu Wanqing didn't wear any jewelry because she was afraid of dropping something when there were too many people around. Besides, the only way for her to have a good time was to keep a low profile when traveling.
There was no way around it; the officials who maintained law and order and supervised this street all knew her face.
"I haven't asked yet, what kind of person am I?"
"Untouchable." The fox girl was so arrogant.
Mu Wanqing shook her head slightly, and said in amazement, "Mu Shiqi, the noble daughter is calling you a lowly person."
The fox girl was very angry. "I'm talking about you, not Brother Seventeen. Don't sow discord. Brother Seventeen, just use the name of Princess Qingping to send the man to the government for punishment."
Mu Wanqing didn't say anything and just waited to see how Mu Shiqi would handle it.
Some people are too ambitious and blinded by power. Is it so easy to climb high branches?
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