Concealed by Brocaded Clouds, Frost on the Roads: Extra 03
Extra 3: The Real Mu Family's Young Miss — Mu Ningyan
translator: Oyen
Mu Ningyan glanced back at the strange bed curtain in the inn, where the bed was towering, and it was clear that someone was lying down in the bed. In the middle of the night, she turned back, closed her eyes and when she opened her eyes again, she struggled without a moment’s hesitation, and pulled the door open with determination. The whole inn was still asleep.
At this time, the sky was slightly bright, the morning sun had gradually spread out, and the sky was extremely light in a bluish gray tone.
Mu Ningyan took a deep breath and lifted her steps towards the northern city gate.
Fuxi Tea House was a very lively place on the northern city gate, at this time because it was no longer early, so the tea house was full of seats, and the table was full. In the middle of the crowd, a dozen horses sprinted past on the street, leaving behind only the sound of ‘clattering’ hooves.
Someone poked his head out of the window, glanced at it a few times, and said in surprise, “These attendants seem to be from the Mu family’s estate in Xinzhou.” The people in the tea house couldn’t help but freeze, to know that the Xinzhou’s Mu family, that was the world famous merchant, no one didn’t know about it ah.
After a period of discussion, this person said. “Didn’t the old master Mu Xianxing of the Mu family pass away the year before last?” The man said, “Exactly, nowadays ah, the Mu family is managed by Mu Xianxing’s son, Mu Tiancheng, who is very capable, and has old Master Mu’s business with a great success.”
“That’s right, that Mu Tiancheng ah, has been following old master Mu in business for more than ten years, now the student has surpassed his master!”
Someone lowered his voice and said, “I heard that this Mu Tiancheng is only the adopted son of the old master of the Mu family…” Someone immediately echoed. “Yes, yes, yes, I have heard about it too. That old master Mu Xianxing ah, only has a pearl in the palm*.”
*beloved person(daughter)
Some people sighed. “It’s really a blessing for this Mu Tiancheng. Such a big estate, dozens of lifetimes can’t finish it ah!” Since there were many jealous people, they echoed, “Exactly, a good fate ah!”
There were also people who said, “I heard that Mu Tiancheng’s story, according to my opinion ah, this man is a protagonist everywhere he goes ah. According to the current view ah, it’s the Mu family that can’t be separated from him. I heard that Young Miss from the Mu family hadn’t been betrothed yet, so who will find someone to pick from in this huge stall?”
Some of the good people were laughing and joking, “Oh, so this Young Miss of Mu family is already in marriageable age ah?”
“What? Do you want to propose a marriage ah? Forget it, go back and take a look at yourself!”
“Think about it ah? Maybe that Young Miss Mu is ugly and disgraceful, and no one wants her?”
“That’s impossible!”
“How is it impossible? Such a rich family, and she had been at marriageable age long ago, but she has not yet betrothed to a man! Maybe it’s because of her ugly appearance that she can’t get married!”
Fortunately, that person wasn’t there, otherwise these people would have been crippled if not dead. In Xinzhou that year, he took her to have a meal at the most famous Guanyu House, and on the way down, someone made a joke about her. His face froze on the spot and slapped that person.
Later, she asked him why, and he only looked at her and said coldly, “You are my person, and no one can humiliate you except me.” Her heart was cold, and that was all she was to him. As he had said, she was just a prostitute for his own use.
Now, in such a situation, she actually thought of him again. Probably because they would never see each other again! She laughed slowly.
Mu Ningyan, dressed in men’s clothing, shrunk in the far corner. Until the crowd in the tea house gradually dispersed, and only then did she exit the tea house.
Mu Ningyan, dressed in men’s clothing, shrunk in the far corner. Until the crowd in the tea house gradually dispersed, and only then did she exit the tea house.
Looking up, the blue sky was clear and the daylight was pouring in. She stepped forward and walked out of town. For her, it was a new life.
A wooden house at the foot of Mount Lu, with lush Wutong leaves and turquoise pine branches in front of the house, and a small flower garden where a cluster of roses was blooming leisurely. A young married woman was washing clothes under a tree. After a while, she raised her hand to wipe her sweat and was about to enter the house for a sip of tea. Suddenly, as if hit by something, she froze there, staring blankly at the figures that were getting closer and closer on the path.
She stood up violently, ignored the clothes that had been knocked to the ground, and ran towards the figure. “Young Miss, Young Miss..” The person’s face was becoming clearer and clearer… It was really her Young Miss. Her tears came out and through her blur sight, tearful eyes, she saw her Young Miss smile, miserable but at peace. “Qiao Yun.”
Her tears fell more and more fiercely, and in the haze of her tearful eyes, she saw her Young Miss fall down in front of her. She hurriedly helped her up and exclaimed, “Zhong Bao, Zhong Bao, come here ah… come quickly ah…”
A young, honest and simple man came running out of the house, “Qiao Yun, what’s wrong? Eh, who is this person?” Qiao Yun said urgently, “Quickly, help me into the house, then immediately go and invite physician Hua from the village entrance!”
The physician came hurriedly with Zhong Bao, checked the pulse before speaking towards the anxious Qiao Yun, “Don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious, there’s nothing wrong, it's just too much strain, physically weak and fainted. It’s just that… it’s just…”
Qiao Yun said urgently, “Just what ah? Physician Hua, say it quickly ah?” Physician Hua swallowed and stammered like this, her heart hung in her throat again.
Physician Hua lowered his voice before saying, “It’s just that I took her pulse just now, and found that she is already more than a month pregnant!” Qiao Yun was also slightly shocked, but she had been in the Mu family for so many years and was used to seeing scenes, whether it was big and small, so she quickly hid her surprise. “Then asking physician Hua to prescribe some prescriptions to support the fetus as well.”
Mu Ningyan woke up to the scent of food. Her eyes opened faintly, and there was a humble roof in front of her. She closed her eyes, and then she remembered that she had already left the Mu family and that person a long time ago.
Qiao Yun said in surprise, “Young Miss… Young Miss… you are awake ah?” She opened her eyes weakly and smiled relaxedly, “Qiao Yun, why are you crying seeing me ah.” Her voice was actually so hoarse and hard to hear that it didn’t seem like her own.
Qiao Yun only felt a soreness in her eyes and was about to shed tears again, “Young Miss, did… Did something happen in the house?”
Mu Ningyan looked at her and smiled bitterly. “Qiao Yun, I have nowhere to go, so… I had to come to you.” As soon as he woke up at the inn and found her missing, he would surely seal all the passages to the capital. If she insisted on going to the capital to find her uncle and aunt, she was afraid that she would have been caught by him long ago before she reached the capital.
Qiao Yun wiped her tears and said, “Young Miss, is it the Young Master…”
Mu Ningyan tremblingly closed her eyes, “Qiao Yun, don’t ask more.” Young Miss looked in pain, Qiao Yun knew that even if she asked again, Young Miss wouldn’t say anything. She diverted the topic and said, “Young Miss, I cooked chicken soup, I’ll bring it to you.”
Four years ago, Xinzhou, Mu Family.
Because it was spring, a hundred flowers exuded their stamens, and the breeze passed through the hollow magpie spring pattern on the window, faintly carrying the fragrance of the garden.
She caressed the small sachet that was almost embroidered into the finished product, and the corners of her mouth gently curved up a seemingly innocent smile. It was good, she could put the jade Guanyin requested in the Buddhist Temple in this small sachet and offer it with the fragrance of flowers, and then tell her father to wear it on his body everyday to bless him with good health.
Her father suddenly passed out a few months ago, unconscious. Many physicians had been invited to come and check him, and they all said that it was because of a qi deficiency, and that the wind and evil from outside had entered the muscles and invaded the meridians, thus blocking the movement of the qi and blood of the body. Coupled with years of overwork, the physicians prescribed many remedies, but there was still no improvement at all.
She sighed quietly, she was afraid of her father’s disease…
Suddenly, a delicate voice from outside the room came softly. “Qiao Xing, why are you in such a hurry? Lighten up, Young Miss hasn't woken up from napping yet.” The tone of the voice suddenly, and a surprise came out, with a hidden smile, “I thought it was something wrong, but it turns out that it’s Qiao Xing’s brother Zhou Xing who has returned.”
Her heart trembled as a pain came from her fingertips, and it turned out to be an embroidery needle piercing deep into her fingertips.
Qiao Xing seemed to stomp her feet, and her voice was shy. “How do you know…” It seemed extremely shameful, and the voice gradually weakened down, almost inaudible.
The delicate voice said, “The silver hairpin on your head has clearly never been worn before, and when you look at the carving pattern tells me it’s not the work of our master in Jiangnan, so I’m sure Brother Zhou Xing brought it to you from the West, isn’t it?”
The word ‘isn’t it’ clearly contained a lot of teasing.
Qiao Xing’s face was crimson as blood, but she couldn’t refute it, so she had to stomp her feet and say, “Qiao Yun, I… I will report to Young Miss and say you bullied me!”
Sure enough, he came back. This had been over for more than four months.
Inside the hall, she only listened to Qiao Yun and Qiao Xing creeped open the door and entered in a daze. The moment the curtain was lifted, Qiao Xing had already come up with joy and said playfully, “Young Miss, Young Miss, Young master and the merchant team have returned.”
She nodded, indicating that she knew. She lowered her head and the embroidery needle shuttled back and forth. This peony was gorgeous and graceful,with more than twenty kinds of stitches, and the stitching was tedious, so one had to be calm and quiet, and work with a hundred percent concentration to avoid mistakes.
Suddenly, there was a tingle in her fingertips. She slowly got up and stared at a little red on her fingertips. Her skin color was already as white as snow, her ten fingers were verdant and thick, and at this time this blood bead was as red as cinnabar. The white and red color were reflected in each other, suddenly dazzling.
It was night, and the whole mansion was silent. In the dark sky, only the crescent moon was like a hook, hanging shallowly. The moonlight shone through the window screen, illuminating the boudoir clearly.
Mu Ningyan woke up suddenly, and a tall figure stood coldly by the bed. She covered her chest and gasped for air.
A faint mocking voice spat out from the man’s mouth, “What? Didn’t you know I was coming tonight?”
It had been over four months since they saw each other and he was still like that. She looked away.
He stepped forward and impetuously reached out and gripped her small jaw, his robust body leaning oppressively toward her. Forcibly turning her head over, facing him, “It's brother, right?”
Her eyes were like two pills of black mercury, looking at him with hatred, as if there was a fire about to erupt, but even so, there was a faint flow of floating light, and people couldn’t help but indulge in it. The skin on her glittering white jade-like face was already extremely thin, and at this moment, it was probably because of irritation, and there was a faint hint of redness, which made her look even more delicate and attractive.
He jerked his head down and kissed her like a poison. Her breathing was short and fast, and her hands were pounding him wildly, trying to push him away. Her delicate fragrance, curved and feminine lines, and white and tender skin seduced the darkest beast in his heart. He no longer held back and let loose…
She leaned on her side, and above her head was the blackness of the covering veil, sinking straight down in the darkness, like a great net that swept her up in it without limit, and made her almost suffocate.
If… If she really suffocated, it seemed to be okay. Nothing could be seen, nothing could be known, and there was no need to be like this, to be humiliated like this everyday.
She still remembered the year she first met him, when she was nine years old and he was already a handsome teenager. It was a winter day, and she was wearing a big red brocade coat, armed with a small heater, and ran into the hall breathlessly through the winding corridor, “Father…”
Her father turned his head back, and it was him who turned his head too. He was only sixteen years old at the time, but he was already as tall as her father. Looking at her, Mu Qinjun smiled slightly.
Her father took her hand and smiled warmly. “Nannan, come here, call your brother. He will be your brother from now on.” She grew up alone since she was a child, and had always envied others for having the love of a brother, and when she heard it, she was overjoyed, she called out ‘brother’ softly.
His body seemed to shake slightly, and he immediately smiled and said, “Hello sister.” then he took a small and delicate Baguenaudier* out and gave it to her. “This is a gift from this brother to you.”
*Also known as the Chinese rings, Cardan's suspension, Cardano's rings, Devil's needle or five pillars puzzle, is a disentanglement puzzle featuring a loop which must be disentangled from a sequence of rings on interlinked pillars. The loop can be either string or a rigid structure.
*Also known as the Chinese rings, Cardan's suspension, Cardano's rings, Devil's needle or five pillars puzzle, is a disentanglement puzzle featuring a loop which must be disentangled from a sequence of rings on interlinked pillars. The loop can be either string or a rigid structure.
She took it with joy and thanked him, “Thank you brother.”
But then, afterwards, she finally knew what a white-eyed wolf was, what it meant to ‘luring a wolf into the house.’ After his father was deeply ill and unconscious, he was… he was…
He once stood in front of her father’s sickbed, looking at him coldly, with an unspeakable evil charm on his face. “I have been waiting for this day for eight years. It’s time for your Mu family to repay me.”
She stood there, unable to say a word, her heart chilled. “You… what else do you want?” Now, this entire Mu family was in his grasp, he had refused to even let her go, what else did he want?
Hearing this, he laughed wildly. “What do I want? What do I want? Let me think about it…” There seemed to be a look of confusion in his eyes, and it was overwhelming. “Is it better to destroy your Mu family little by little, or is it better to torture you slowly, or perhaps is it better to combine the two together?”
His voice gradually softened, but it was very strange in her ears. “Rest assured, I will not let your father die, I just want him to survive, he can’t die, let him lie like this, and see how I torture you.”
She took a deep breath. “Father’s illness…” Mu Tiancheng stared at her and said word by word, “Not bad, your father’s illness is thanks to me, he took the poison I gave him for years, that’s why he’s like this…”
She covered her chest and retreated one after another. “The Mu family has treated you well, why are you biting the hand that feeds you!”
He laughed again. “Hahaha, your father has really treated me well for the past eight years. But do you know why he treats me so well? Because he felt guilty. If it wasn’t for him, my father and my mother wouldn’t have committed suicide.”
“It-it can’t be, you’re lying! Your father and my father are sworn brothers…”
Mu Tiancheng coldly ‘hummed’ and taunted. “Sworn brothers? When your father and my father met to secretly hoard rice grain, in the end, it was found out by the imperial court. Your father relied on someone in the court to back him up and put all the blame on my father alone. As a result, my Zhu family was copied, my father knew that he could not escape death, and immediately commited suicide with his sword, and my mother couldn’t beat the blow…Sworn brothers, it’s indeed sworn brothers!”
She shook her head in a hurry. “No, it can’t be. My father… How could my father do such a thing? There must be a misunderstanding!”
He tugged the corner of his mouth lightly, “Misunderstanding!” He took a step, his head slowly pressed down, and his eyes were cold. “Where in the world is there so much misunderstanding!”
“You!”
For more than a year since her father’s illness, the entire Mu family was in his hands, the original subordinates had long been sent by him, retired, and the whole mansion was full of his people except for Qiao Yun and Qiao Xing beside her. But he even threatened her with Qiao Yun and Qiao Xing, “If you dare to let your servants report the news, see what means I will use to rectify them? You know I can do what I say, and then don’t blame me for selling them to a brothel, a pair of jade arms and a thousand people’s pillows.”
“Don’t think that there are your aunt and uncle in the capital who can support you. You must know that this is Xinzhou. Although your uncle can cover the sky with one hand in the capital, in this Xinzhou, the prefect will inform me of even a small matter. I tell you, if you can disregard your father’s life, go to them. As long as your father doesn’t take my antidote for half a month, he will go to see your short-lived mother.”
She knew his means, and she knew that what he said was true. For the sake of her father, she could only endure the humiliation.
Mu Ningyang suddenly woke up from a dream. After such a long time, how could she have such a lucid dream, as if everything had happened yesterday. So vivid, and still heart-wrenching.
Looking down, she only saw the child was in the middle of a good dream, sleeping extremely soundly, with some drool snaking from the corners of his mouth.
Anyway, she couldn’t sleep, she might as well get up and do the embroidery. The young master of the Liu family would get married in a few days, and it was best to hand over these embroidery tasks tomorrow. As long as Madam Liu was happy, she could take care of the entire Liu family’s embroidery work by herself.
She took out the fire torch, lit the oil lamp, and began to embroider, stitch by stitch. In Xinzhou at that time, whose young miss of the big household was not good at embroidering ah? She was no exception. Thanks to this skill, it was barely possible for the mother and son to survive in this world.
She went to Qiao Yun back then, but less than three months later, he went to find her. Fortunately, on that day, she and Qiao Yun went to the village entrance to consult with Physician Hua to check her pulse when they saw a few horses galloping by on the path from afar. Then she took the food, hiding in the cave for three days before avoiding it. She just didn’t want to involve Qiao Yun’s family anymore. Dragging her belly, she went to Luo Province and dressed as a man.
Perhaps it was because of the light of this Luo Province that she had survived these five years with her child here.
She shook her head, not to think about it anymore. She was going to put her mind to embroidering this mandarin duck pillow.
Liu family was a large family in Luo Province and a famous big merchant in the area of Luo Province, and Madam Liu was extremely pleased with her embroidery since she saw it from Madam Wang in the jade shop a month ago, so she got her to her residence and gave her some embroidery work.
Today, once she saw the embroidery presented by Mu Ningyan, she nodded her head in approval and said with satisfaction, “You embroider well. In the future, ah, I will only need you to embroider things.” It seemed that she was allowed to wrap up the entire Liu Mansion’s embroidery work, so that she would no longer have to be exploited by the introducer in the future. With full gratitude, Mu Ningyan gave a salute, “Thank you, Madam.”
Madam Liu smiled and said, “It’s because you embroider well. I’m so old, this is the first time I’ve seen such good craftsmanship from you!” After saying that, she beckoned towards Mu Yanxing who was standing beside her meekly and politely, “Child, come here.”
Yanxing stepped forward and bowed, “Hello Madam.” Madam Liu smiled, “Look at you, you have taught your child to be so polite and courteous. I love it so much,” She took some pieces of hibiscus cake from the table and handed them to Yanxing, “Here, try this. This is hibiscus cake.”
Mu Yanxing turned his head to look at his mother as Mu Ningyan said, “Yangxin, give Madam your thanks.” Mu Yanxing stretched out his hand and took it, said, “Thank you Madam.”
If she could have such a sensible grandchild in the future, it would really be a great blessing for her ah. Madam Liu touched the child’s head and couldn’t help but have all kinds of thoughts. It was easy to marry a wife, but it was difficult to get a virtuous wife, and what was even more difficult was to teach such a sensible and lovely child.
It was a pity… it was a pity that this woman was widowed at such a young age… life was so hard. Madam Liu sighed in her heart.
Mu Ningyan excused herself with her child. After taking a few steps, he noticed that Yanxing still had a crumb of hibiscus cake next to his mouth, so she took the silk and wiped it off for him.
Because it was autumn, it was windy in the garden. As soon as her fingers moved, a gust of west wind came, and the silk flew away like a colorful butterfly. Before she could react, Yanxing had already pulled out his leg to chase it.
This was Liu Mansion’s back garden, and she was afraid that her master would blame her, so she said hurriedly. “Yan’er, don’t chase it.” Yanxing had already chased farther and farther away, and his back disappeared behind a rockery, only to say from a distance. “Mother, I have chased it.” Suddenly, from behind the rockery came an ‘ouch’ cry.
She was startled and hurried over, only to see a few people behind the rockery. They were probably enjoying the scenery, but because one of them collided with Yanxing, they had already turned around at this time.
She only heard a familiar voice that sounded slowly, with a kind of unbelievable surprise. “Young Miss…”
She had already bent down and wanted to lift Yanxing up, but that voice made her freeze at once, which was clearly Zhou Xing. Although all of these years had passed, she still knew it immediately. She knew Zhou Xing was one of his most powerful men, and he loved to bring him along when he came out to walk.
She froze there like a stone pillar. It was a long time before she had the strength to lift her eyes.
What caught her eyes was a royal blue brocade sachet. Her body trembled involuntarily, even if the sachet turned to ash, she recognized it. She embroidered it herself, and because she was forced by him to embroider it, she reluctantly embroidered it for half a year. By the time it was finished, his birthday was long overdue. Perhaps because it took a long time to finish it, even if refused to admit it, she also knew in her heart that this was the best embroidery in her life.
Raising her eyes minute by minute, she saw a familiar face, staring at her deeply at this time. His eyes liked knives, cold and unpredictable and Yanxing was in his hand!
She only felt darkness in front of her eyes and she fainted.
If she could, she would never want to wake up, then she would never have to see him again, but there were no ifs in this world!
At this moment, she was locked up by him in his mansion in Luo Province, she screamed at the top of her lungs everyday but to no avail.
He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her. His voice was so cold that there was no trace of warmth. “Mu Ningyan, you run away, run away again. Try running away again!”
She watched in horror as he approached her little by little. He smiled coldly. “I’ll show you what it means ‘not allowed to live, but can’t beg for death’!”
He locked her in the house and never allowed her to see Yanxing again. She begged him, begged him every night and he just looked at her coldly and ignored her.
Finally, one day he spoke. “I will let you and the child together if you promise me one thing.” She nodded her head as if she was afraid he would back out, he, the bully, rarely did a good deed. “Okay, okay, you say, I will promise you anything.”
He gave her a deep lok, “Never leave my side again, you will go wherever I go. Even if I go to hell, you will be with me.”
She looked at him, not understanding the light flickering in his eyes, but nodded slowly.
He seemed to be somewhat pleased, and his head lowered slowly.
He would never let her take a step away again in this life!
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Now, this story has finished! Truthfully, I don't really like this extra of Mu Ningyan. What kind of man is that Mu Tiancheng!!! After this novel, I will pick a new novel next month, see you~
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