Chapter 220
Chapter 220
Mulan received an invitation.
The name on it was Su An, her former senior martial sister. Memories of Su An from years past came flooding back.
Su An came from a noble background, the daughter of a century-old aristocratic family, much like Mulan. She was the young lady of the Zhuo Clan, from the estate of the Count of An'ting. The Zhuo Clan could be considered a semi-established noble family.
They had been enfeoffed as counts for their military achievements, so their fief was not large, nor was their private army numerous. While they were inferior to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate in terms of land and soldiers, their political influence was far greater. Both brothers of the Zhuo Clan were active in the royal court, and one had even risen to the position of Grand General of the South-Pacifying Army—the very position currently held by Zhu Lin.
Back then, Su An had held a strong sense of superiority over Mulan.
But a few years ago, the Zhuo Clan had fallen overnight. The Count of An'ting, Zhuo Guangbo, committed suicide, and the Zhuo Clan was stripped of all its titles and lost all its fiefs. Though not an ancient noble house, a prominent family that had lasted for a century was wiped out in an instant.
Why did it happen? To this day, the reason for the Zhuo Clan's destruction remained shrouded in mystery.
The upper echelons of the State of Yue considered the Zhuo Clan's fall a taboo topic, so while they didn't gossip openly, many suspected the Great Yan Dynasty was responsible for the family's downfall. From that moment on, Su An was demoted from the daughter of a prestigious noble family to an unfortunate woman of the world.
Although her family name was stripped and her clan had fallen, she was not implicated in the incident and could still practice martial arts under the tutelage of Grandmaster Zhong Chuke. However, being a proud woman, she left not long after her family's disaster, without so much as a farewell. For several years, nothing was heard from her.
At some point, the affair of the Zhuo Clan became a taboo in the State of Yue. In truth, only a few key members of the Zhuo Clan had died, but none of the family's children were ever allowed to hold public office again. And Zhuo Su An seemed to have vanished from the world completely.
Three years ago, she reappeared.
And she had become the Crown Prince's mistress, living outside the palace. Not only that, but the ban preventing the children of the Zhuo Clan from entering official service began to be lifted. Although the family's titles were not restored, two of the Zhuo Clan's children successfully passed the imperial examinations.
Mulan knew more about the truth of the incident than the average person. The destruction of the Zhuo Clan at that time was indeed related to the Great Yan Dynasty. However, even Mulan didn't know the specific details of what had occurred.
In truth, Mulan didn't particularly like her senior martial sister. Su An was beautiful and possessed a natural talent for martial arts, so she always looked down on others. However, because Mulan came from an ancient noble family, Su An also felt a sense of jealousy toward her. To others, she faithfully played the role of a very kind and good senior sister. But to describe her in her husband's words, Su An was a "bitch."
It wasn't strange at all that this senior sister had become the Crown Prince's mistress. What was unusual, however, was that she had become the one to act on the Crown Prince's behalf, contacting his subjects. She was excessively active, which the Count of Xuanwu and Mulan found hard to understand.
“My master has invited Lady Jin Mulan to Raging Tide City to reminisce about old times.”
The eunuch said in a shrill voice. He was merely a eunuch, yet he carried an inexplicable air of superiority before the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. People from the Crown Prince's residence were generally like that. Even an insignificant eunuch from there would habitually look down on people.
“I'm sorry. I don't have time.”
Hearing Jin Mulan's reply, the eunuch's expression turned cold.
“Lady Jin Mulan, do you know how precious my master's invitation is? Even the prefect of the commandery dreams of receiving this invitation, but he cannot get one no matter what he does.”
“I'll say it again, I'm sorry. I don't have time. See the guest out.”
Almost everyone knew that the Crown Prince had his eyes on Jin Mulan. Therefore, although Mulan didn't express it verbally, she utterly detested and loathed the Crown Prince. Moreover, with Su An—her former senior sister with whom she had a distant relationship—sending such an invitation as the Crown Prince's mistress, she had no desire to give her any face.
Seeing Mulan's attitude, the eunuch let out a sharp laugh.
“How rare. Truly a rare sight. The young lady of a mere count's estate dares to refuse my master and dares to throw out someone from the Crown Prince's residence. Hahaha... All sorts of strange things happen in this world.”
And with a few more loud laughs, the eunuch left a parting shot and immediately departed from the estate.
“The day disaster befalls the Jin Clan is not far off.”
These were the words spat by a mere eunuch from the Crown Prince's residence.
* * *
The Spring Festival had arrived!
Shen Lang was still staying on Misery Isle. To celebrate, lanterns were hung all over the island, and people gathered inside the barracks, eating and drinking the prepared feast in the warmth. To be with the people, the Count of Xuanwu, surrounded by his subordinates like Jin Shiying, visited every single barracks to greet the new soldiers and laborers. He asked if they had enough to eat, if they were getting meat every day, if their clothes were warm, if their wages were paid on time, and if anyone was bullying them.
Shen Lang, not fond of mingling with the masses, was drinking fine wine and eating delicious food alone in the best room. Thirteen was with him.
“I hear your mother introduced you to a woman?”
“Yes.”
“How was she?”
“She was decent-looking, but not to my liking.”
“Why?”
“I asked the old master to read her face, and he said she has a harsh disposition.”
“A woman being harsh isn't a big deal. She can be tough on the outside as long as she's good at home.”
“I'm a harsh person myself. If another one comes along, the rest of my life will be difficult.”
“You have a point. Then next time, I'll tell my mother to introduce you to a woman with thick lips.”
At that moment, Thirteen didn't know how to respond. Because his master always veered into strange topics within three sentences.
“Yes.”
But he couldn't just not answer.
“But remember this. No matter how beautiful a woman you find, never just suck up to her. Men who only try to please women don't end up well. Look at Jin Hui. I can't bear to watch him. He has no manliness at all. He's always bowing and scraping in front of his wife.”
Just then, Jin Hui arrived outside, intending to offer Shen Lang a drink. When celebrating the New Year, one could forget to offer the Count a drink, but one must never forget the Young Master. However, upon hearing those words from outside, Jin Hui silently retreated. It wasn't because he was angry at Shen Lang. Rather, he was afraid of letting on that he knew Shen Lang had been badmouthing him.
*No matter what, not only do I have to pretend I didn't hear the Young Master slandering me behind my back, but I also have to act in a way that makes him think I don't know. Otherwise, if the Young Master thinks, 'Jin Hui, you heard me badmouthing you, so you must resent me deep down,' wouldn't I, Jin Hui, be finished?*
Then Shen Lang spoke.
“But if you meet a woman like my wife, it's okay to suck up to her. Of course, you'll never have the chance to meet a woman like that.”
“Yes.”
Thirteen never dreamed there could be someone as complex as Shen Lang in the world. Shen Lang possessed the supreme wisdom of a celestial being descended from the heavens, yet he was also as vulgar as a little girl who loved to gossip. People said that speaking ill of others behind their back was unbecoming of a gentleman, but his master loved nothing more than to badmouth people behind their backs.
After a while, Jin Hui entered, pretending to be in a hurry.
“Young Master, I've come to offer you a drink.”
“Jin Hui, I was just badmouthing you. Didn't you hear?”
“How could the Young Master possibly speak ill of me? Every word you say to me is a whip to make me live better. If you were talking about me, it must be because you care for me and are showing me affection.”
Shen Lang looked at Thirteen and said.
“Jin Hui heard the gossip from just now. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sucking up to me like this.”
Jin Hui was on the verge of tears.
*Master, do you have any idea how difficult you are to serve? You have to give your servants a way to live, you know.*
Shen Lang took out a bottle of perfume, a bar of soap, and a bottle of shampoo infused with rose oil.
“Here, take these and go win your wife's favor.”
Jin Hui was startled, but his heart warmed, and he accepted the gifts with boundless joy. These were truly fine things. In the Count's estate, only Mulan and the Countess were allowed to use them; they were items that couldn't be bought even with a lot of money. If he gifted these to Hongshan, she would surely be delighted.
Shen Lang said to him.
“If you act so spineless, what's to stop your wife from thinking her husband is worthless? My wife thinks I'm an incredible man. If I tell her to look east, she wouldn't dare glance west. Even though her martial arts are superb, she never fights back when I hit her. A woman needs a beating every three days, or she'll cause a ruckus.”
As he was saying this, Shen Lang suddenly stopped talking. It was because the expressions on Thirteen's and Jin Hui's faces were a little strange.
“Don't try that trick. Do you think you can startle me like that? Stop looking as if my wife is standing right behind me.”
Jin Hui and Thirteen stood up.
“We'll be taking our leave now.”
Their reaction made Shen Lang turn around, and he was horrified to see Mulan standing behind him.
“My dear wife, I've missed you so much. It's been a whole seventy-four *shichen* since we were last apart.”
“A man needs a beating every three days, or he'll cause a ruckus. Now you know that all too well, don't you.”
“My dear. Here, hit me.”
Mulan shot Shen Lang a fierce glare. Then she immediately sat on Shen Lang's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gazed at his face for a long time. She pressed her face against his and deeply inhaled his scent.
“My husband, I missed you.”
Shen Lang hugged Mulan's waist and said, trembling.
“My dear, I've also been dying to sleep with you.”
Mulan once again took Shen Lang's face in her hands and kissed him.
“Are your injuries all healed?”
Mulan asked in a flirtatious voice.
“It's scabbed over.”
“Then not yet. We have to wait until the scabs fall off. Otherwise, you'll start screaming like a banshee about how much it hurts again.”
“Even if I scream, it's all your fault. Isn't it because you've developed muscles even down there?”
“I hate you...”
By then, Mulan was completely immune to Shen Lang's vulgar remarks. Mulan continued to speak coquettishly.
“The fief hasn't been as peaceful as I'd hoped lately. Bandits have been raiding often, so I have a lot to do. But I missed you so much, and since it's the New Year today, I just couldn't bear it and had to rush over. I have to go back in half a *shichen* at least.”
She pressed her face to Shen Lang's, their noses touching, their lips together. This way, she could talk and kiss him at the same time.
And then, neither of them said a word.
Half a *shichen* later, Mulan reluctantly left Misery Isle and returned home. It was as good as having spent New Year's Eve with her husband. The journey of several hundred *li* back and forth took the entire night, all just to spend a mere half a *shichen* with her husband.