Chapter 423 - 422: Brothers
Mu Lianxiao finished listening and solemnly expressed his thanks.
He thought that bringing Ye Yuzhi with him to Shanyu Pass was the best decision he had made in the past couple of years.
Being from the same noble background, Princess An Ran, due to personal interest, always sought to have Ye Yuzhi interact with the Mu family brothers, so Ye Yuzhi was quite familiar with Mu Liankang.
Even though it had been more than eight years since they last met, and Mu Liankang’s appearance had changed a lot as an adult, Ye Yuzhi still recognized him.
General Huang rubbed his hands and said: "Everyone coming back safely is better than anything. That Jia De, by a twist of fate, managed to take care of this matter."
"Jia De?" Mu Liankang frowned. Having lived outside the pass for many years, he was used to the names of the barbarians around him, so the occasional Han name left a deep impression.
Mu Lianxiao explained: "He used to be the leader of the Yangwei Escort Agency in the Capital, frequently escorting goods outside the pass. A few years ago, after getting injured, he retired. This time, under the guise of a guide, he entered Shanyu Pass to commit wrongdoing."
"Leader? Does he have a scar on his forehead?" Mu Liankang asked. Seeing Mu Lianxiao nod, he shook his head and said, "Impossible, Jia De died right before my eyes, and I personally buried him."
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled.
Mu Liankang explained: "About six years ago, that Jia De and our leader had a bit of friendship, so the leader decided not to rob his escort.
But they were targeted by another band of bandits. In the end, the escort was saved, but Jia De was gravely injured.
The deputy leader of the escort agency took the goods back inside the pass, while Jia De stayed with us to recover.
Being fellow Han people, he talked to me a lot about his hometown and his travels escorting goods.
He was supposed to recover, but his wound accidentally reopened, and in the end, he couldn’t be saved. I buried him myself."
Mu Lianxiao and General Huang exchanged a glance, realizing that if Jia De indeed died outside the pass, then the Jia De they captured was a fake, an impostor.
At that time, Yangwei Escort Agency’s business had just started to pick up. If people found out they were almost robbed outside the pass, their business might plummet again.
Therefore, everyone in the Yangwei Escort Agency only said that Jia De accidentally suffered an internal injury and went home to recover, and Jia De’s friends in the Capital never received news of him again.
Jia De was indeed a real person, which is why his past appeared so complete and intact.
The fake Jia De likely also came from the escort agency, which is why he was so knowledgeable about Jia De and the agency, and Changping Marquis probably paid Jia De’s uncle and aunt outside Shaoling City quite a bit of silver.
That village was almost deserted, with the young and strong having all gone to the cities, leaving behind only poor elders. For them, telling a lie to earn silver would be an opportunity no one could resist.
Leaving General Huang’s quarters, Mu Liankang and Mu Lianxiao walked together. He pondered and asked: "Is my name Mu Liankang?"
"Yes, we are from the Lian generation. You are the legitimate son of the third house, our eldest brother, and your name was given by Grandfather, meaning ’harmony above and below, peace throughout the land.’"
Mu Liankang softly recited, saying: "Tell me more about the family."
Mu Lianxiao nodded in agreement and started from their grandfather Mu Shi Yuan, speaking of Madam Wu, the several Mu brothers, the upheavals in the 13th year of Yong’an, and Mu Liankang’s disappearance...
"Elder Brother, do you remember why you left the mourning hall?" Mu Lianxiao asked. This question had lingered in his heart for more than eight years, and he had always wanted to find the answer.
Mu Liankang gave a bitter laugh, a mix of confusion and loneliness: "I don’t remember. The things you said about Grandfather and Grandmother—I can’t recall any of it.
When I woke up, I was already outside the pass. The leader said he saved me, saw that I had martial training and could ride a horse, and let me follow them.
Over these years, I’ve been a bandit, ambushed caravans, and hurt people.
A couple of years ago, there was fighting at the border, and caravans almost completely disappeared, leaving us idle. Running into Ye Yuzhi was just luck."
Mu Lianxiao laughed aloud.
If Mu Liankang hadn’t disappeared, he would have been the eldest son of Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, fighting alongside his brothers, bringing further glory to the Marquis Mansion.
But he became a bandit instead...
To Mu Lianxiao, it didn’t matter whether he was a bandit or a farmer, as long as Mu Liankang was alive.
"Elder Brother, let’s go to my place to change clothes and freshen up. You’ve found your family, so there’s no need to return outside the pass. Once everything settles, we’ll go back to the Capital." Mu Lianxiao said.
Mu Liankang paused in his steps, looked down at his attire, stroked his bushy beard, and laughed heartily: "I’ll keep dressing like this. I’m used to it, and besides, I still need to go back outside the pass."
"Why?" Mu Lianxiao asked. Whether he changed his attire or not was no big deal, as there was no one in Shanyu Pass who would pursue Mu Liankang with a sword. But concerning going back outside the pass...
"I’m married and have a son and a daughter." Speaking of his wife and children, Mu Liankang’s expression turned extraordinarily gentle. "I can’t leave them behind."
Mu Lianxiao touched his nose, realizing he had been foolish. They were no longer children—having a wife and children was the norm.
"Is she a barbarian?" Mu Lianxiao tentatively asked. "Will she be willing to come back to the Capital with you?"
After finally finding Mu Liankang, having him stay outside the pass for family would be difficult for Madam Wu and Mrs. Xu to accept.
Mu Liankang laughed: "She is the most beautiful pearl on the Oasis. Her father is Han, and her mother is a barbarian.
Because of this, she’s considered an outcast on the Oasis, just like me, so she married me.
She can speak the Han language. I need to discuss it with her properly. No matter what, Ah Shao, I will return to the Capital once to see Grandmother and Mother."
Speaking of his wife and children, Mu Liankang asked: "What about you? Are you married?"
"I got married two years ago, and in January this year, we had a son. He is only this big now," Mu Lianxiao gestured, beaming joyfully. "She came with me to Lindong, lived in Xuancheng before, and just arrived in the small town ahead yesterday."
"Why not go see them someday, and meet my nephew?"
Though they said "someday," they didn’t delay long. Since Shanyu Pass was conveniently close to the town, Mu Lianxiao and Mu Liankang arrived at the small town by nightfall.
Du Yunluo came out holding Brother Yan. Seeing Mu Liankang in his bandit attire, she couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Did I frighten her?" Mu Liankang whispered to Mu Lianxiao.
Mu Lianxiao couldn’t help but grin: "Surprised her at first. A little while later, she might constantly ask you about life outside the pass and the bandits."
Du Yunluo had Jin Rui serve wine and added a few more dishes before sitting down to eat.
Life outside wasn’t as rigid as in the Capital, and since they were family, there wasn’t anything to avoid.
Mu Liankang held Brother Yan for a while, playing with him, and laughed aloud: "Looking at him, I think of my son."
Mu Lianxiao recounted how Ye Yuzhi found Mu Liankang, and mentioned that he was already married outside the pass.
Du Yunluo turned her eyes to him: "Are you worried that the family won’t accept Eldest Sister-in-law?"
Mu Liankang couldn’t help but laugh when he heard her call "Eldest Sister-in-law."
"I can’t speak for the others, but Grandmother and Aunt Xu won’t doubt her," Du Yunluo said solemnly. "Compared to the torment of yearning with no knowledge of Eldest Brother’s life or death, as long as Eldest Brother can return home, Grandmother and Aunt Xu won’t find fault with Eldest Sister-in-law."