Chapter 59: Lady Qingguo

Chapter 59: Lady Qingguo

“Stay kneeling and don’t move!”

Just as Mu Feng was about to spring up, a low command reached his ears. His mother, kneeling motionless in front of him, remained perfectly still. After a long while, she spoke softly, “General Aksu, it’s been a while.”

“You… who are you?”

The Jianning Commandant was startled again and abruptly halted his steps.

Gradually, his eyes adjusted to the smoky haze in the hall. Focusing intently, he could see a woman in a white robe kneeling in front of Mu Feng. Her long hair was piled high, and she had gentle curves. He couldn’t recall ever meeting a woman like this, but her cool, soft voice felt vaguely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

What shocked him even more were the words “General Aksu.”

The title “General Aksu” was a distant memory for him. No one had called him that in almost twenty years. Over twenty years ago, when he served as the border general in Aksu in the empire’s northwest, people addressed him that way. After all these years, having been demoted from a border general to a mere commandant and exiled to the remote Jianning City, he had nearly forgotten that title.

Who was this woman in white? How did she know this title?

Hearing the woman in white suddenly call him that, the Jianning Commandant’s shock was understandable.

“Sigh…”

With a soft sigh, Situ Qing slowly turned around. Looking at the sturdy and fierce Jianning Commandant, she spoke calmly, “The desert winds blow, the beacon smoke rises straight. Twenty-five years have passed since we parted by the Blackwater River. It’s too painful to look back. General Aksu, have you… forgotten everything?”

“By the Blackwater River, twenty-five years ago…”

The Jianning Commandant murmured to himself. Long-buried memories surged into his heart like a tide. Staring at Situ Qing’s veiled face and listening to her familiar voice, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and cried out in alarm, “You… you are…”

“General Aksu, it’s been a while.”

Situ Qing slowly lifted the veil from her face, revealing a delicate, noble countenance with a graceful brow. “With troops pressing at the borders, General Aksu, have you come today to kill both me and my son?”

“You… you are Shangqing…”

Once he clearly saw the face of the woman in white, the once-aggressive Jianning Commandant cried out in shock. The sharp scimitar in his hand dropped to the ground with a clatter, and he knelt heavily, knocking his head on the floor. “Lin Lei wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh, so it’s not that you don’t want to, but that you don’t dare.”

After a pause, Situ Qing looked at the kneeling Jianning Commandant and continued softly, “My husband Mu Yuan died early, and I failed in teaching our son properly. That led Mu Feng to act without knowing his own strength, severely injuring your son. General Aksu, go ahead. Whatever Mu Feng did to your son, you do the same to him. If that doesn’t satisfy your hatred, then kill me too!”

“No… Lin Lei wouldn’t dare! No… I have no such intention. It was entirely my worthless son’s fault!”

The Jianning Commandant broke into a cold sweat, knocking his head repeatedly on the floor.

The more polite and gentle Situ Qing appeared, the more terrified he became. Beads of cold sweat the size of peas formed on his forehead.

He knew better than anyone what kind of person his son was. In the past, even when his son caused major troubles, he had to turn a blind eye—after all, he couldn’t just disown his own flesh and blood. But this time, his son had run into an immovable wall. After anxiously knocking his head nine times, he cautiously took his leave. He closed the hall door without a word, turned, and left immediately.

Seeing him retreat like that, the beautiful woman who had been crying along the way was not satisfied. She stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “You cursed fool, what are you doing? They’ve already bullied us, beaten your son like this, and you’re just letting it go?”

“Get lost!”

The Jianning Commandant irritably shoved his wife aside, mounted his large warhorse, and ordered sternly, “Withdraw, everyone withdraw. Do not damage a single blade of grass here. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!”

As he prepared to leave, the middle-aged beautiful woman, who had fallen to the ground, desperately rushed forward and grabbed his horse’s reins tightly. “Lin Lei, you useless coward! Tell me, why? Why are you letting go of the enemy who crippled your son? Why?”

“Do you know who Mu Feng’s father is? And who his mother is?” The Jianning Commandant’s face was dark, his tone icy.

“Who?”

The middle-aged beautiful woman clung tightly to the reins, afraid the Jianning Commandant would gallop away without a word.

“His father was called Mu Yuan! Great lady, I think… you should know that name. As for his mother…”

The Jianning Commandant leaned down and whispered something into the middle-aged beautiful woman’s ear. Instantly, her face turned pale, and she even began to tremble uncontrollably. “The talented lady Shangqing, the Situ Clan… Lin Lei, is what you’re saying true? You… you didn’t mistake her?”

“Of course not. Now, do you finally understand why the important figures in Mu Manor didn’t show up and let us barge in? Because they knew we couldn’t afford to offend them!”

The Jianning Commandant’s expression was cold and gloomy as he impatiently pushed away the sobbing beautiful woman.

Many people knew that Mu Yuan’s wife had been granted the title “Lady Qingguo” by the Tongtian Emperor, as a reward for Mu Yuan’s contributions to the empire, announced to the world.

“Lady Qingguo” meant clear governance and a prosperous, peaceful nation—a great honor. However, what was unknown was that Mu Yuan’s wife had another identity. She was not only a once-famous talented lady in the Capital City who called herself “Shangqing,” but also the beloved daughter of the Situ Clan’s Ancestor.

After marrying Mu Yuan, she secluded herself and lived modestly. Even her maids didn’t know her true identity. The Jianning Commandant had only learned this secret when he was serving as General Aksu, having been fortunate enough to see her with Mu Yuan accompanying the Tongtian Emperor on an inspection tour to the border at the Blackwater River.

He had thought that Lady Qingguo had died along with Mu Yuan in the bloody storm that swept the Imperial Capital. He never expected she had been alive all along, living in seclusion in this remote Jianning City. And he certainly never imagined she was Mu Feng’s mother!

After receiving the urgent report from the front lines, the Jianning Commandant rushed back in great haste. In his hurry, he hadn’t had time to investigate Mu Feng’s background thoroughly, assuming he was just an ordinary disciple of Mu Manor. After all, Mu Manor was known for martial arts; only incompetent disciples pursued literature. Who would have thought he was Mu Yuan’s son?

Within Mu Manor, many of the older members knew Mu Feng was Mu Yuan’s son, but almost no one knew Situ Qing’s true identity. Seeing her and Mu Feng struggling and living in poverty, many had bullied them intentionally or unintentionally. Who could have guessed that a woman who had aged prematurely from hardship was the once-famous talented lady of the Capital City?

Scholar families were the foundation of an empire, and a clan was undoubtedly a giant among scholar families—a pillar of the empire. No matter how ancient or powerful a family might be, it could only be called a wealthy house at best, far inferior in status and influence to a true clan. The famous Situ Clan! Even if he had the courage of a leopard, the Jianning Commandant wouldn’t dare target Mu Feng and his mother again, unless he had a death wish. Moreover, a rumor that had once circulated among high-ranking officials made him even less inclined to seek revenge.

“What does the Situ Clan matter? I must kill that mother and son to avenge my son, I…” After the initial shock, the beautiful woman gnashed her teeth, still unwilling to give up. But before she could finish, her face was struck with a loud slap.

“Shut up! If you don’t want both our families to be wiped out, you’d better forget this matter forever and forget this worthless son of ours! The power of the Situ Clan is beyond our reach, and Lady Qingguo’s background is even more unimaginable! You can go get yourself killed if you want, but don’t drag our Lin family down with you!”

The Jianning Commandant slapped his wife hard, then dug his heels into his horse’s sides and led his heavily armored cavalry away at a gallop. They came quickly and left even faster, disappearing in the blink of an eye. His only son had been crippled, and he had originally wished to tear Mu Feng and his mother to pieces. But after learning Mu Feng’s mother’s identity, he dared not entertain any such thoughts.

“No… no matter who it is, if they hurt my son like this, I’ll make them pay!” Watching his retreating back without a glance her way, the beautiful woman let out a sharp cry, then issued a low order, “Someone! Take the young master to the Immortal Sword Sect overnight!”

“Yes!”

Several Personal Guards bowed and accepted the command. They carried the immobile Lin Zhengde into a Carriage, and the group quickly departed. Instead of returning to the commandant’s residence, they sped out of Jianning City, going farther and farther away.

“No… it can’t be, how could this happen?”

Mu Qingyuan muttered to himself, utterly disheartened.

The powerful Jianning Commandant had left, and the numerous fierce cavalrymen had all disappeared. Outside the door, almost in an instant, he was left completely alone. Staring at the chaotic hoofprints on the ground, he felt devastated, as if he had fallen heavily from the clouds to the earth. It felt like a dream.

He had thought Mu Feng was doomed this time, eagerly awaiting to see his suffering and struggles before death. But once again, his hopes were in vain.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment!

His mind empty, the disheartened Mu Qingyuan finally understood what disappointment and despair meant. After a long while, he accidentally touched the Messaging Talisman in his pocket. His spirits lifted instantly, like a drowning person finally grasping the last lifeline. Without hesitation, he took it out, channeled his Spiritual Power recklessly, and crushed it in his hand.