123 Chapter 123
◎No matter where in the world◎
After Gui'er went berserk, Jiuniu was left alone. She waited and waited, but no one showed up. Finally, Li Yu showed up.
"It's so late and they haven't come back yet. Mom asked me to come and see if they're resting here."
Cheng Mu and the others didn't know where Gui'er had gone. It was dark and it was not convenient to let the baby walk at night, so Cheng Mu asked Jiuniu to stay here for one night, and Li Yu went back to reply.
Jiuniu didn't have enough urine rings, but luckily Huaihua and Yapo helped. They quickly burned the brazier to dry the ones they had washed. At night, Cheng Mu took Jiuniu to bed, fearing he would wet the bed. She woke him up every once in a while, and he didn't dare to sleep for a long time. It was really tiring.
Li Yu came to pick her up early the next morning, but Gui'er still hadn't come back.
Xu Xiuying boldly asked Cheng Mengui'er what was wrong with her. After hearing the whole story, she guessed, "Maybe she's gone to find Mu Yun?"
Cheng Mu also guessed that, and didn't care whether she went or not, she just said, "She will come back eventually."
Escort Master An and his men received the rice seeds early in the morning and set out. The journey would take over a month, and it was impossible to predict what might happen along the way. Cheng Mu simply ordered the mute woman to prepare some dry food, instructing them, "Although I'm your employer and these rice seeds are excellent, not available on the market, they're unimportant compared to your lives."
The escorts were all moved and said they would live up to the trust and return soon.
Cheng Mu escorted them out of the village.
The grass was green, the wind was gentle, a cloud was floating in the distant sky, and a group of people and horses emerged from the foot of the mountains. At that time, Cheng Mu didn't know that those people and horses were coming to her.
A quarter of an hour later, Saohu came to report that Guier was back.
Returning with Gui'er were Mu Yun and seven or eight bodyguards who had been trained in Zhaojia Village.
Gui'er cut some brambles on the road, wrapped the handle with cloth, and handed it to Cheng Mu as soon as they met.
"Madam Cheng, I committed a crime yesterday and I should be taught a lesson."
Xu Xiuying spoke first, "Just accept whatever Madam Cheng teaches you. Why didn't you go home all night and bring Mu Yun back?"
Mu Yun stepped forward and said, "I have something to ask my sister-in-law, so you guys can go ahead and do your thing first."
Several people went to the guest house on their own.
Gui'er knelt on the ground and handed over the thorn stick again, "Madam Cheng, don't show any mercy."
Cheng Mu simply said, "Get up and go home. Your mother has sent people to ask about you several times and is very worried."
"Madam Cheng, you won't punish me?"
"Don't make a big deal out of it. Since it was an unintentional mistake, remember not to look at or touch anything inappropriate in the future."
"But if you're really angry, it's okay if spanking me a few times can make you happy."
"That's enough! Didn't you hear Madam Cheng say it wouldn't happen again?" Xu Xiuying said, "You're forcing Madam Cheng to whip you? Have you ever seen Madam Cheng whip you? She's never even whipped a horse. That's enough."
"Oh." Gui'er stood up and broke the twigs.
Xu Xiuying glanced at Cheng Mu's expression and then instructed Gui'er, "Tell me how you went to bring Mu Yun here."
"I didn't mean to bring him here, he just followed me here on his own." Thinking of Mu Yun's crazy behavior last night, Gui Er thought to herself, "I just wanted to ask him if he knew that Madam Cheng was leaving, so he must have come to ask."
Xu Xiuying: "Bring so many people here to ask?"
"He didn't tell me anything. Oh, and he made a couch for Madam Cheng and placed it in her room."
Xu Xiuying gave her a sidelong glance.
Cheng Mu urged Gui'er, "You should go back first."
Mu Yun divided the rooms in the courtyard of the guesthouse.
The small courtyard of the guesthouse was barely big enough for practicing martial arts. It was too crowded and difficult to move around. He could also go to other courtyards. He looked around and thought of breaking through a wall to connect the two courtyards for shared use.
Sao Hu came to invite Mu Yun.
Cheng Mu met him in the spacious main hall. Xu Xiuying poured tea and left.
Cheng Mu asked, "Why did you bring these escorts here?"
Mu Yun took a sip from his teacup and said, "Live here."
"You turned a deaf ear to what I said before."
Mu Yun glanced at her and said, "Compared to my sister-in-law's safety, it's nothing."
"What danger am I in?"
"This place is too close to Mengguo."
Cheng Xi put away her tough stance.
She was still frightened after coming back last year. Mu Yun recruited people to protect her in the name of training escorts so that she could sleep peacefully. She couldn't forget the potential danger just because there was temporary peace.
She asked, "What's going on in Mongolia recently?"
Mu Yun analyzed, "Before the market opened, they were desperate for food. Since the end of last year, their demand for food has decreased, and they have requested additional supplies several times. Furthermore, with Amuta's death and Anda Khan controlling all of southern Mongolia, Bingzhou has abundant grain production. Add to that the transformation of Neizhou by my sister-in-law last year, and food is no longer their most pressing need. Instead, they need ironware and other minerals."
The last sentence has a special meaning, those who understand will understand.
Even the people of Yan State could not buy and sell at will, let alone the people of Meng State.
"An Da is ambitious. He has repeatedly requested tribute but failed. The two countries are suspicious of each other. Sooner or later, this trade will collapse."
Although Mu Yun had left the army, the escort agency network he controlled was enough for him to keep abreast of border developments at any time.
Cheng Mu remained silent. Judging from the general situation, this was indeed not a place to stay for long. She had already made up her mind to leave.
Mu Yun asked calmly, "I heard from Gui'er that my sister-in-law is planning to go somewhere else?"
Cheng Xi nodded honestly, "It's just an idea, but it's very difficult to realize it."
"for example?"
Cheng Mu stroked the tea bowl with her fingers, thinking a lot, and finally uttered only two words: "Safety."
Mu Yun said calmly, "How difficult is that? We are here to ensure safety."
Cheng Mu half smiled and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Of course she knew that everything would be easier with Mu Yun, but the key was that she excluded him from her plan.
Cheng Mu lowered her head and drank her tea: "This... let's take a long-term view."
Mu Yun refilled his tea and asked Cheng Mu if she wanted more. Cheng Mu shook her head. Mu Yun put down the teapot, took out a folded piece of paper from his bosom, and spread it out. "Sister-in-law, take a look and see what you like."
When Cheng Mu saw it, she was shocked.
Mu Yun raised the corner of his mouth, as if smiling.
When Cheng Mu came back to her senses and looked at the paper again, she realized how important it was.
Maps in later generations were all printed, depicting mountains, rivers, and streams in great detail, and there were even specialized geography classes to teach them. In the world she lived in today, these maps were no longer available.
Fortunately, Mu Yun has his own network and channels.
Mu Yun not only had a map of Yan State's territory, but also circled every place suitable for her to go.
"The area around Huguang Dongting Lake is vast and sparsely populated. After the imperial court quelled the unrest in this area, it encouraged the migration of refugees, making it suitable for land reclamation."
"General Mu is stationed in Yunnan and Guizhou in the southwest, promoting military and civilian settlements. The climate there is suitable, there's no ice or snow, and the land is vast."
"We can also consider the coastal areas. To the east, there's Master Lin in Fujian, and to the south, there's General Pei in Guangdong, the Lieutenant General of the Central Army who entered Kyoto at the time."
"Don't consider Liaodong and Gansu."
Cheng Xi thought the same. She drew a straight line on the paper, from the northernmost to the southernmost end of the territory. "How long does it take to walk from here to here?"
Mu Yun's gaze seemed to casually land on her target location. "The couriers constantly change horses and boats, and it takes more than twenty days. A merchant caravan can arrive in more than two months, while ordinary refugees can take three or four months. In cases of war, disease, or bad weather, it may take more than half a year."
Cheng Wei murmured, "It's too far... too difficult..."
Mu Yun leaned over and gave her careful instructions: "The route can be roughly divided into several sections. In Henan, there are plains on both sides. In the middle, you need to cross the Taihang Mountains and cross the Yellow River. Here is the Jianghan Plain, with many lakes and rivers. The Nanling Mountains have rugged mountain roads and are difficult to travel. In the south, you need to wait for a ship to cross the sea."
Cheng Xi really wanted to go, and she followed his route carefully, and suddenly their heads bumped into each other.
Mu Yun's eyes were bright, like a burning fire. "No matter where in the world, I will go with my sister-in-law."
This moment was captured by her soul. Cheng Mu was slightly choked and her heart beat very fast.
Mu Yun's gaze moved to her red lips, lust surging in his eyes. As soon as he moved, Cheng Mu pushed him away in horror.
Xu Xiuying sat on a low stool picking beans, thinking about what she had just seen, and couldn't help laughing again and again.
Madam Cheng met Mu Yun in the main hall. At first, they sat down as host and guest, which seemed quite appropriate. After talking for a while, their heads touched each other...
Madam Cheng overreacted, pushing Mu Yun violently. Could she have pushed Mu Yun with that much strength? Mu Yun cooperated and fell back out. The two of them pretended to be embarrassed and pretended to be nothing...
"What are you laughing at!"
Xu Xiuying shook the winnowing basket, and the beans spilled out.
"You scared me to death! You spilled all the beans I picked!" Xu Xiuying scolded and went to sweep up the beans scattered on the ground.
"Why are you here again? Have you gone home yet?"
"I'm back, I'm back from home." Gui'er squatted beside her and helped her pick beans.
Xu Xiuying put the swept beans into another dustpan and shook off the dust. "You need me for something?"
Guier picked up a handful of beans and blew away the dust with her mouth. After cleaning it, she stuffed it to Xu Xiuying flatteringly, "You're smarter than me, did you see that?"
"What?"
Gui'er lowered her voice: "Madam Cheng and Mu Yun."
Xu Xiuying leaned over and asked, "What do you know?"
"Mu Yun's affection for Madam Cheng is the kind of affection he has for women. Did you see that?"
"What did you find last night?"
"Yesterday, when I went to Puyang City's house, I found Mu Yun sleeping in Madam Cheng's room. He had so many places to sleep, why would he sleep in Madam Cheng's room? And I tried to persuade him with words, and he got angry! Then I said that he had saved Madam Cheng many times, and Madam Cheng should be willing to marry him. Guess what, his anger subsided!"
Gui Er sighed, "Even Madam Zhu noticed it, saying that with Madam Cheng around, who else could Mu Yun fall for? It's not like I didn't observe during the New Year holidays, but I didn't see anything. Hey, it turns out it's hidden so well!"
Xu Xiuying asked, "Did Aunt Zhu tell you about this?"
"I said that in a daze after getting drunk. Later, when I wanted to ask her about it, she was like a saw-mouthed gourd and didn't tell me a word."
"Didn't they say that the escort agency is looking for Mu Yun? Does his mother know about this?"
Gui'er guessed, "She probably won't agree. Madam Cheng is a widow with two children, and a widow should marry a widower. I think she's a perfect match for Master Huang."
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Don't be so clever and just try to coax me," Gui'er said, already showing her sincerity. "Tell me what you found."
Xu Xiuying thought about it and decided that she couldn't just keep this to herself. "The last time Mu Yun came..." So she told Guier.
"I've only seen her twice. Madam Cheng doesn't seem to be ruthless towards Mu Yun. She won't change her mind right away. Just give her some time. Just now, I saw that the two of them were still awkward, so I went in under the pretext of getting some water. When I came out, I heard that Mu Yun seemed to want to stay. Madam Cheng didn't chase him away, but said she wanted to make three rules, and Mu Yun quickly agreed. Just wait and see, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Gui'er nodded. "If Madam Cheng and Mu Yun were together, she wouldn't have thought of leaving. I see this as a success! What are their three rules?"
"How could I dare to listen to so much!" Xu Xiuying reminded her: "Don't interfere, just pretend you don't know."
Guier nodded vigorously: "Of course, of course!"
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