Chapter 136: The Mu Family, A Lineage of Loyalty and Valor

The Mu Family Mansion was shrouded in a heavy, indescribable sense of oppression.

Night had fallen, yet the estate remained brightly lit. Nearly all the women of the household were gathered in the courtyard of Yishui Pavilion.

At the front sat the Old Madam¹, her fingers slowly turning a string of prayer beads, betraying the unease in her heart.

Inside that room lay the wife of their fifth son².

She was not yet eight months pregnant, but had nearly gone into premature labor. Now, the imperial physician from the palace and a midwife from the capital were both inside, working urgently.

The Old Madam had already given her orders: if both mother and child could be saved, that would be ideal. But if it came down to a choice, then the mother must be saved.

Grandchildren could be had again, but her fifth daughter-in-law—there was only this one.

It hadn’t been easy for the two of them to come together. Before Fifth Son left the capital with the army, he had only two requests: that she, his mother, take good care of her health, and that she look after Qu Rou.

“Fifth Sister-in-law must be safe. Little Fourteen must be safe too.”

The wife of the eldest son murmured prayers under her breath, trying to calm herself, seeking a sliver of peace.

As everyone in the courtyard waited anxiously for news, a light-footed figure hurried in, heading straight for the Old Madam and bending down to retrieve a letter from her sleeve.

“Madam, a letter from Wuyou Tang.”

The messenger spoke in a low voice, but it couldn’t be helped—everyone in the courtyard was already holding their breath in silence.

In an instant, all eyes turned toward the Old Madam.

Some among them might not know exactly what Wuyou Tang was, but they understood this much: any letter delivered directly into the Old Madam’s hands at a time like this must be of great importance—and likely concerned one of their own.

Several gazes, subtle yet intense, drifted toward that letter, filled with hope and dread.

No one knew whether this letter carried good news or word of another tragedy on the frontier.

The Old Madam took the letter, opened it under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and pulled out a thin sheet of paper.

The paper was old and of poor quality, the ink cheap and the handwriting a chaotic scrawl.

But as the Old Madam looked at those scribbled characters, her time-worn hands began to tremble.

This was… Twelfth Son’s handwriting. Even written with his left hand, she recognized it.

Twelfth Son was still alive!

Before the joy could fully surface on her face, the Old Madam seemed to realize something. She quickly folded the letter and tucked it away, her expression returning to calm.

The daughters-in-law, seeing the Old Madam remain silent, did not dare ask questions.

If she didn’t speak, asking would be pointless.

With a creak, the tightly shut door to the room opened.

At once, everyone turned to look at Imperial Physician Wu, desperate for news from inside.

“Reporting to the Old Madam, the situation has stabilized. However, the madam has been under great emotional stress lately, and today’s fright triggered signs of early labor.”

The Old Madam finally let out a long breath of relief and quickly rose to offer her thanks.

“Yes, yes, I understand. We owe you greatly this time, Imperial Physician Wu!”

Imperial Physician Wu smiled gently. “No need for such formality, Old Madam.”

Seeing that the Old Madam intended to escort her personally, Imperial Physician Wu quickly declined.

The Old Madam turned to her eldest daughter-in-law. “Liu’an, see Imperial Physician Wu out for me.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Then she looked to her third daughter-in-law, who was closest to Fifth Daughter-in-law. “Funian, go inside and stay with Qu Rou. The rest of you, go get some rest.”

“Yunhui, you stay.”

Fushou Hall, the Old Madam’s residence.

The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows, the flames crackling softly.

Second Madam Yunhui sat quietly, unsure why her mother-in-law had asked her to stay.

The Old Madam sighed slowly and took out the letter from Wuyou Tang.

“Take a look at this.”

Second Madam accepted the letter with a calm expression, but if one looked closely, they would see the fear in her eyes—though the wavering candlelight helped conceal it.

How could she not be afraid?

The last time she had received such a letter from the Old Madam, it had brought news of her youngest son’s death.

And this time?

Whose name would it carry?

If it were good news, the Old Madam wouldn’t have kept it hidden and shared it only with her.

Right now, the entire Mu Family was in desperate need of some joy to ease the sorrow and anxiety weighing on everyone’s hearts.

Second Madam unfolded the letter. The moment she saw the scrawled handwriting, her breath caught. Her emotions surged, and she began to gasp instinctively.

The chaotic script was actually a coded message developed by the younger members of the family.

Its meaning was simple: “Twelve is safe. Do not worry.”

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. As the first drop fell, her immediate reaction was to hold the letter away, afraid her tears would smudge the ink and ruin the precious words.

The Old Madam frowned deeply. “We don’t know where this letter came from, but both the handwriting and the code are unmistakably Twelfth Son’s. However…”

Second Madam knew what her mother-in-law was about to say, and cut in, “But Da Mao³ was confirmed dead. The report was solid—there’s no mistake.”

“But this is Da Mao’s handwriting. That’s certain. And this code—only Eighth to Thirteenth Sons know it.”

Second Madam gradually calmed herself and began to analyze the situation.

“And none of the children would joke about something like this.”

“Mother, who can say what really happens on the frontier? What if… what if Da Mao isn’t dead? What if he met with some accident but survived, and the one who died wasn’t Da Mao?”

“Didn’t the Taoist say Da Mao would face a great calamity, but survive it?”

Second Madam clung to that hope like a drowning person grasping at driftwood. She wouldn’t let go.

In her youth, she hadn’t understood why her mother-in-law, once a decisive and formidable matriarch from a military family, had begun to turn to gods and Buddha.

Now, she understood.

When you’re young and bold, you scorn such things. But after watching your loved ones leave, one by one, and experiencing the agony of burying your own children, you start to believe.

Belief becomes the last thread of hope in utter despair.

Liang Manor.

Mo Han hurried in from outside, closed the door behind him, and leaned close to whisper in Liang Tian’er’s ear.

“Miss, the letter has been passed through several hands and delivered to Wuyou Tang.”

“Good.”

Liang Tian’er thought about that letter.

She hadn’t expected Wuyou Tang to have ties to the Mu Family.

Even more surprising—or perhaps simply puzzling—was how someone from the Mu Family had ended up in Taoyuan County. And why had that letter been left quietly on her desk, instead of being delivered personally?

Were they so certain she would help?

She asked casually, “Has anything major happened with the Mu Family lately?”

Mo Han replied, “Miss, does the death of their Twelfth Young Master on the battlefield count?”

Liang Tian’er paused. “Counting the Twelfth Young Master, that makes four of the younger generation lost on the frontier, doesn’t it?”

Mo Han nodded. “The Mu Family… a lineage of loyalty and valor.”

Liang Tian’er nodded in admiration.

“Yeah, the generation of General Zhongyong⁴ went through the Hanxuemeng battle. The Mu family’s numbers were devastated — almost all their men and women were lost in those brutal years of war.”

“They finally had fifteen years of peace, and this new generation began to flourish. But now the Northern Barbarians have grown stronger. Last year brought an unprecedented winter. If this year is the same, they may well push Great Yu into war.”

“Thankfully, our nation has enjoyed peace and prosperity in recent years. With a strong economy and good harvests, we can still supply the front.”

Liang Tian’er closed her ledger and exhaled. “I wonder how Sister Jiang and the others are doing with the tavern in Taoyuan County.”

Translator’s Notes