Astute Princess: Married to be the Empress Novel - Chapter 177

Chapter 177 Young General’s Mansion
So after Mu Lin left the palace, He did not directly return to the Great General’s Mansion, nor to the Mu Army barracks, Instead, he went straight to Mu Hai’s current mansion. Ever since Mu Hai returned to the capital of Ye Lan from Tianshui Kingdom, he took his mother to his mansion for support, He never went back to the Great General’s Mansion. As a father, Mu Feng did not care about what had just happened. He only said coldly when the mother and son walked out of the gate, “Don’t think of coming back after you leave. From now on, my Mu Clan will no longer have any place for you and your son. All of you will have nothing to do with me, Mu Feng.”

At that time, Mu Hai only turned his head and looked deeply at his father and elder brother. Then, he left the Great General’s Mansion with his mother without hesitation. Actually, the moment they did not notice, Mu Feng also shed tears of heroes. Facing this woman who had been with him for many years, and his own son, how could he be so heartless?

However, he also knew that, He had offended Huyan Mingshuo and his wife because of his greed, In the future, this Great General’s Mansion would probably not end well, Their mother and son’s departure was a way out, At that time, they would not be implicated, His Mu Clan’s bloodline was not completely declining. That was why he said such heartless words. His goal was to tell everyone that Mu Hai and his mother had already separated from the Mu Clan. In the future, the honor and disgrace of the Mu Clan had nothing to do with their mother and son. In fact, this was another form of protection for their mother and son.

Thinking about what had just happened, Mu Lin stood at the entrance of Mu Hai’s mansion. Looking at the plaque inscribed by His Highness the Crown Prince, ‘Young General’s Mansion’, Mu Lin felt that these words were especially dazzling. Obviously, in Huyan Mingshuo’s mental state, his younger brother’s position was much higher than his.

And all of this was caused by his temporary greed. Otherwise, in terms of friendship, he would have known His Highness the Crown Prince first. Normally, he would have known the Crown Prince from the bottom of his heart. No matter what, he would not be inferior to Mu Hai. However, the result now was that he was a bit shorter than Mu Hai.

Mu Lin was extremely regretful now. If he had known earlier, they would not have provoked Fu Yingran peacefully. He would not have pushed the Mu Clan Army to such a state now.

However, everything was settled, No matter how much he regretted it, The only thing he had to do now, is to try to preserve the entire Mu family army, Mu Hai, on the other hand, was the crux of the matter. He had thought about it. As long as Mu Hai was willing to become the commander of the Mu Clan Army, the Mu Clan Army would be able to continue to create glory with His Highness the Crown Prince. As for him, as long as the Mu Clan Army was still alive, he would still be General Mu. Whether he was the commander or not was not important. What was important was that as long as the Mu Clan Army was preserved, it would be equivalent to preserving the entire Great General’s Manor not.

Thus, he slightly adjusted his mentality. He knocked on the door of the Young General’s Mansion. After asking about his background, the housekeeper didn’t dare to neglect him at all. He hurriedly went inside to spread the news. Not long after, he saw Mu Hai coming out from afar. After seeing Mu Lin, he asked anxiously, “Why is Big Brother here? Is something wrong at home?”

As for what his father and brother had done, He was well aware, With His Highness the Crown Prince’s temperament, Based on what his father and elder brother had done back then, At that time, Mu Army would probably have died in name only, because no emperor would allow a hostile force to continue to grow stronger. If he did not wait for the opportunity to suppress Mu Army, then the other forces would definitely follow suit. At that time, how would Huyan Mingshuo manage Ye Lan? Moreover, anyone could tell that His Highness the Crown Prince had treated Mu Army like this in order to set an example for others.

Therefore, Mu Hai had already known that the fate of the Mu Clan Army would be bleak. He was already prepared for it. Therefore, the manager Ding came in to inform General Mu Lin that he was here. His first reaction was that the Crown Prince had made his move. The Mu Clan Army might encounter some trouble. That was why Big Brother personally came to see him.

Seeing his younger brother’s anxious appearance, Mu Lin patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, there’s nothing else at home for the time being. It’s hard to say after that. Let’s go. It’s important. Let’s talk in your study.”

Mu Hai was relieved to hear that there was nothing to do at home. Since elder brother said he had something to talk about, Then let’s talk, He also wanted to use this opportunity to persuade them, Tell them not to go against His Highness the Crown Prince anymore. After all, His Highness the Crown Prince is the ruler, and they are ministers. There is such a huge disparity in strength between the rulers and ministers. No matter what, their arms can’t be twisted. In the end, it will only implicate the innocent. Thus, he said to Mu Lin, “Alright, I have something to say to Big Brother. Let’s go talk in the study. Big Brother, please.”

As he spoke, Mu Hai took the lead and brought Mu Lin into the study. Afterwards, he instructed the maidservant who was cleaning the study, “There’s no need to clean this place. You can go down first. Remember to close the door after you go out. No one is allowed to approach the study room without my instructions.”

After hearing this, the maidservant bowed and said, “Yes, Young General.” Then, he turned around and left, closing the door.

When the study door closed, After the maidservant’s footsteps grew further and further away, Mu Hai asked, “Big Brother has always come to the Three Treasures Hall without any trouble. I believe that there must be something important when he comes to my mansion today. Big Brother, just say it. My brother, you can help me. I will definitely do my best. If I am unable to do my best, don’t forget that Big Brother should be surprised.” After all, now that they were their own masters, there were some things that they couldn’t say too fully.

Mu Lin had come here because he had something to ask. Seeing Mu Hai say this, he immediately said bluntly, “To be honest with Second Brother, there is indeed one thing that Big Brother has come here for today. I need your help. Actually, this matter is not a big deal. The matter is like this. I believe Second Brother must have heard about what happened this morning.”

His Highness the Crown Prince has already made his move. The court has now been divided into two factions. The officials in power in the court have already surrendered to His Highness the Crown Prince. The people in the hands of the old emperor are all civil servants with no real power. Even the old emperor and the right Virtuous King have given up resisting and decided to leave everything to fate.

And our father is still stubborn, He also threatened to use Mu Army’s influence, To prevent the ascension ceremony from proceeding smoothly, I am very worried. If father really continues to go against His Highness the Crown Prince like this, I am afraid the consequences of our Mu Army will be unimaginable. Therefore, I would like to ask you to step forward and take the position of Commander of Mu Army from father. Only in this way can our Mu Army not be dismissed by His Highness the Crown Prince.

Although my father and I have never helped you, and the Mu Clan Army has never given you any convenience, my father has not suppressed you in these past few years, has he? Instead, he has allowed you to follow the King beside you all the way. Only then can you smoothly achieve your current accomplishments.

“That’s why Big Brother is so shameless to beg you today. Please take over the Mu Clan Army. Only when you become the Commander of the Mu Clan Army will His Highness the Crown Prince agree. Father and the entire Mu Clan Army will not have too much conflict. After all, your surname is Mu, and you are also the son of your father. It can be considered justified for you to take over the Mu Clan Army. However, I wonder what second brother thinks?”

After hearing Mu Lin’s words, Mu Hai couldn’t tell what it was like in his heart. Back then, regarding everything about the Mu Clan Army, Both father and brother acted as if they were guarding against thieves, He was afraid that he would covet the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Mu Clan Army. He watched helplessly as he followed the King of Side by Side. At that time, the King of Side by Side had not been recognized. Everything could only be done in secret. It could be said that he was helping His Highness the Crown Prince deal with some unworthy matters.

If it weren’t for the fact that the old emperor’s true identity had been exposed and His Highness the Crown Prince had chosen Prince Bingjian at the right time, they would have been exposed to the sun. Otherwise, he would have been a shadow that couldn’t be seen in his entire life. How could there be such a glorious scene in front of people?

Thanks to his years of hard work, he and his mother had finally managed to live a peaceful life. But now that his big brother had actually said such words, Mu Hai couldn’t help but feel a wave of desolation in his heart.

He wasn’t stupid, how could he not know what his big brother was up to? They just wanted to use their relationship with the Side King, Ask yourself to protect the Mu Clan Army in front of His Highness the Crown Prince. As long as the Mu Clan Army does not collapse, then the Great General’s Mansion will remain the Great General’s Mansion. The Great General will remain the Great General, and he himself will only be given the title of Commander in Chief in the Mu Clan Army. In fact, nothing has changed.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but look up at Mu Lin. This was his eldest brother who had always treated him kindly since he was young. Now, even he was scheming against him. Could it be that in his eyes, he didn’t have any affection for Mu Hai anymore, and only the value of using him was left?

He didn’t even think about it. If he really wanted to take over the Mu Clan Army, it would be equivalent to forcing His Highness the Crown Prince to compromise. This was the most taboo thing His Highness the Crown Prince had ever done. Otherwise, the Mu Clan Army wouldn’t have ended up like this because of the greed of Mu Feng and his son.

So he would never do such a stupid thing right now, In his current state, If you offend His Highness the Crown Prince, It was the same as destroying everything that he had now with his own hands, Then he and his mother would have to return to the Great General’s Manor, which was full of schemes, He continued to endure the gazes of the crowd. His mother had to continue to humbly bow to everyone. He had finally managed to let her live a comfortable life for a few days now. He absolutely couldn’t let her go back to the past. Mother’s life was already very difficult. She definitely couldn’t let her continue to live humiliatingly at such an age. Therefore, his eyes instantly turned cold.

He coldly looked at Mu Lin and said, “Big brother, it’s not that I’m not willing to agree to it even if I’m your younger brother, I don’t think big brother understands the Crown Prince’s temperament. If I agree to do so, it will be the same as what you and father did back then. I am also threatening His Highness the Crown Prince. This has always been the Crown Prince’s most taboo thing, so please forgive me, little brother, for not being able to do anything about it.

Big brother, it is not easy for me to achieve what I have achieved today. Besides, even though I am now a young general, I have no military power or real power in my hands. All I have is the trust that His Highness the Crown Prince has placed in me over the years. If I offend His Highness the Crown Prince because of this, who can protect me?

When the Mu Clan’s army was at its peak, Mother and I didn’t get anything good out of it, “Now that the Mu Clan Army is in trouble, I don’t want to interfere either. I can only promise big brother that I won’t make trouble when I’m down. In the future, if something big happens at home and I need my little brother’s help, I will definitely be obliged. However, if it’s the Mu Clan Army, please forgive me for being powerless. Big brother should find someone else.”

Seeing Mu Hai refuse so decisively, Mu Lin was also helpless. After all, Mu Hai was right. Back then, when Mu Army was at its peak, he did not give him any help. On the contrary, he and his father were still on guard against him, worried that he would covet Mu Army’s military power. Now that Mu Army was at this critical juncture of life and death, there was no reason for him to ask for help.