Chapter 556 (1/2)

The Duan Mu Family’s Conspiracy

What was it that those madams and young misses downstairs had said earlier? Leader Duan Mu had already taken in twelve concubines, with each one younger than the previous. The youngest was not even of marriageable age.

He brought his wife to celebrate Duan Mu An Guo’s birthday. The purpose was to have Duan Mu An Guo say something to the court to get him the position of magistrate of Qing Zhou. The gift that had been brought was naturally of great value. Now, the situation was different. He wanted to preserve his life. He wanted to demonstrate his value among all of these officials so he could remain in the North; however, relying on madam Lu’s familial relations was not enough. Just this birthday gift was also not enough. Adding in that daughter of a concubine was also not enough. He had to think of another method.

And this method…

Magistrate Lu quickly looked over Feng Yu Heng and came up with an idea.

The couple no longer spoke and fell silent for a while. Finally, under magistrate Lu’s suggestion, the couple decided to retire to the inner room to rest. Either way, things were already as they were. They could not go out and could only rest inside their room.

Feng Yu Heng helped prepare the bed. She then helped madam Lu get washed up before closing the door and returning to the outer room.

In the instant that the door was closed, madam Lu immediately shot magistrate Lu an inquisitive gaze. Magistrate Lu only said in a small voice: “Repeat the same trick.” She managed to take the hint.

Feng Yu Heng faced the door and raised a corner of her rosy lips. What sort of person was she? She was a person that had experienced two lives. How could magistrate Lu’s intentions remain hidden from her.

You want to send me into the leader’s palace? Very good, I was worried about how to get in; however, you’ve given me a chance. It’s just that she needed to think carefully. If she was sent in as the 13th concubine, and when the time came, this fat madam Lu was brought into the bridal chamber, would Duan Mu An Guo die of disgust?

She made up her mind and lay down on the bed in the room. Closing her eyes, she began to rest.

As Duan Mu An Guo’s birthday drew near, the number of officials entering Song Zhou increased. Of course, the majority of these officials were middling officials from the outer provinces. Of the officials in the capital with the right to attend court, none of them had come. After all, the officials in the capital were well-informed. They more-or-less understood what was going on in the North. This matter would naturally be what they feared.

The day before the birthday celebration, Duan Mu An Guo sat on an old-fashioned wooden armchair inside his study. Sitting next to him was his eldest son, Duan Mu Cong.

As of the current year, Duan Mu Cong was already in his early 40s. He was the father of Duan Mu Qing, who had died at the hands of Feng Yu Heng and Xuan Tian Hua. In regards to Da Shun, Duan Mu An Guo’s hatred was something that was a result of many years of fawning. As for Duan Mu Cong, it was a hatred stemming from the loss of a child. Even in his dreams, he was thinking of rushing to the capital and killing Feng Yu Heng along with the seventh and ninth princes. Unfortunately, if Da Shun rushed North, they would be able to endure it, but any hope of the North rushing down was completely impossible.

Duan Mu An Guo looked at his son and knew that the hatred in his heart needed to be vented. This was not just a hatred that Duan Mu Cong wanted to vent. Even he wanted to go to the capital to settle this debt. Duan Mu Qing was the grandson that he favored the most. He was well-versed in his scholarly affairs and martial arts. He had even requested the position of deputy leader of the North; however, who knew that the plan of sending him to the capital to get some training would result in him losing his life. How could he possibly feel reconciled about that?

“Cong’er.” Duan Mu An Guo spoke up, “Don’t worry. Father will definitely give you a chance to get revenge for Qing’er, but now is not the time. Right now, what we need to do is conserve our strength and grow. We must then help Da Shun tidy up the formidable opponent in Qian Zhou. When both sides are tired and wounded, that will be our chance to take action.”

Duan Mu Cong took a deep breath and suppressed the hatred inside his heart then nodded, saying: “Father is reasonable. Right now, there are 40 officials from Da Shun that have come to the North. They have also brought along their families. With these people here, even if we cannot completely empty out Da Shun, we’ve taken half.”

Duan Mu An Guo’s face became cold. He was not too optimistic about this matter, saying: “The ones that could come to the North are definitely people that have not heard about the situation here. To Da Shun, these people are of little importance. But it’s fine. Even if they are of little importance, at least their numbers are high. Even if they want to replenish their numbers, they cannot fill such a big hole. For a long time, they will not be able to fill up that hole. These people must be kept in Song Zhou. No matter what the method, even if they need to be locked, just lock them all up.”

Duan Mu Cong quickly said: “Father, don’t worry. These people have already been separated into their own inns. Son has already dispatched soldiers to stand guard. This is the North. It’s not the capital. Even if they manage to understand and wish to escape, it will be incredibly difficult. Based on the registration of the people that entered Guan Zhou, we have already dispatched a large number of people to control their families. With control of their families, these people will have no choice but to listen to us.”

Duan Mu An Guo sighed to himself. This eldest son of his really was not quite as mentally flexible, and he was lacking in vision. When he considered matters, he would only think down a singular line. He would never know how to turn. This was also the reason that he had given the title of deputy leader to his eldest grandson, rather than his eldest son.

He helplessly shook his head and said; “The North is too far from the central region. These people have also come from all over. Just how many people are you going to dispatch? Or how many secret letters are you going to send out? How could Da Shun’s courts not notice such a large shift in populations. Moreover, by the time our people found their families, who knows what sorts of countermeasures the enemy might have, especially the ones that can come up with ideas rapidly. Cong’er, oh, Cong’er, if you were as sharp as Qing’er, I wouldn’t need to worry about leaving this land without a leader.”