Chapter 411 - 410: Reflection (Monthly Ticket 300+)

Chapter 411: Chapter 410: Reflection (Monthly Ticket 300+)

The end of May in Xuancheng gradually heated up.

Yunluo held her son and took a nap together.

Brother Yan had always slept on the inside; now that he could turn over, Yunluo dared not let him sleep on the outside, for fear that he might accidentally fall off the Arhat Bed.

These past few days, Brother Yan had been very clingy; as soon as he saw Yunluo, he wanted a hug, and he wouldn’t let go even when he slept, almost glued to Yunluo’s embrace.

Yunluo, covered in sweat from his clinginess, mumbled about being hot.

Jin Rui brought a cattail fan, sitting by the bed fanning Yunluo and Brother Yan.

Mu Lianxiao walked to the door; hearing Jin Lan say the two inside were asleep, he didn’t enter to disturb them, instead letting Jiuxi prepare some water in the front yard, where he washed up.

Upon returning to the room, Yunluo and Brother Yan were still asleep.

Jin Rui, hearing the sound, greeted Mu Lianxiao softly.

Mu Lianxiao took the fan from her hand and waved her off with a gesture.

Once Jin Rui had left, Mu Lianxiao sat by the bed, leisurely waving the fan.

A gentle breeze blew, and Yunluo murmured, adjusting her sleeping position slightly.

Next to her, Brother Yan half-opened his eyes, snuggled into Yunluo’s embrace, and fell back asleep with eyes closed.

Mu Lianxiao’s eyes were full of amusement, the corners of his mouth lifting, holding back laughter with difficulty.

Truly like mother, like son; Brother Yan’s sleeping posture was exactly the same as Yunluo’s, as Yunluo also clung to him without letting go like this.

Thinking this way, Mu Lianxiao felt even more at ease.

Her long hair covered her face, making Yunluo feel a little itchy; she reached out to scratch the corner of her eye.

Mu Lianxiao smiled and helped her tuck the dark hair behind her ear, revealing her fair face.

Her skin was as white as snow, no less than Brother Yan’s; Mu Lianxiao couldn’t help but gently caress her cheek with his fingertip.

The big and little ones slept soundly until the Western clock chimed, waking Yunluo.

Opening her eyes to see Mu Lianxiao’s gentle gaze, Yunluo was momentarily dazed, lying on the Arhat Bed without moving.

Brother Yan kicked her waist firmly, bringing her back to her senses.

"You came back without waking me up," Yunluo chided him.

Mu Lianxiao bent down and pecked her on the corner of her lips, "I couldn’t bear to disturb you both."

Yunluo smiled softly.

Brother Yan’s big eyes looked at Mu Lianxiao, babbling "yi yi" sounds.

Mu Lianxiao scooped him up, kissed him a couple of times on the cheek, watching as Brother Yan squinted his eyes, smiling back at him.

The little child looked extremely cute when smiling; Mu Lianxiao’s heart was overjoyed, hugging his son and showering him with kisses.

After playing around for a while, Brother Yan cried, indicating he was hungry.

Lady Peng took Brother Yan downstairs to nurse, while Yunluo snuggled against Mu Lianxiao, chatting.

"Did Shuying deliver the letter to you?"

Mu Lianxiao’s fingers combed through Yunluo’s long hair, saying, "I read it and discussed it with General Huang and his son. I came back to Xuancheng to invite him to Shanyu Pass as a guide."

Yunluo’s body stiffened, staring into Mu Lianxiao’s deep, unfathomable eyes, her thoughts racing: "Are you playing a trick to trap him?"

Mu Lianxiao nodded.

Yunluo frowned with concern: "Since you’ve laid such a detailed trap, and you couldn’t find out about the situation in Jiangnan, Jia De surely won’t reveal his cards easily.

Is it too dangerous to trick him into showing his hand by intentionally revealing a flaw?

Your Highness, if Jia De truly works for the Changping Marquis, and you’re his target, I’m worried..."

Mu Lianxiao placed a finger on Yunluo’s lips, his eyes steady and calming, "It’s precisely because he won’t act unless he’s sure, that we must proceed this way.

Inviting him into the trap will lower his guard.

Yunluo, I’m not merely trying to remove Jia De as a threat; I aim to uncover solid evidence of the Changping Marquis raising private soldiers.

Removing the root of the problem is never a comfortable task."

Yunluo held her breath, carefully pondering Mu Lianxiao’s words.

Removing the root of the problem carries both risk and opportunity; even if they had a completely reliable guide today, and Mu Lianxiao led the army into the desert for a surprise attack on Ancient Meili, he couldn’t guarantee a safe return.

This is war; standing alongside Mu Lianxiao through trials and tribulations, they must guard against not just the second house but also the genuine unexpected situations on the battlefield.

The matter with Jia De is similar; if he is indeed backed by the Changping Marquis Mansion, eradicating him would be removing future threats.

No matter how scared or nervous Yunluo felt, everything would ultimately become battles fought by men; on the battlefield, how could a woman intervene?

Thinking of this, Yunluo’s heart sank bit by bit.

In the mansion, she could use Mu Lianyu’s scandal to strike the second house, destabilize Jiang Yunuan, make the Lian Family speechless, have Brother Yan disrupt the second house’s plans, but she couldn’t truly protect Mu Lianxiao.

This is something Yunluo always knew; each time she experienced it, the weight increased.

Dealing with the second house, she would one day have to do the same.

Once she had enough ’rabbits,’ she could throw them out and wait for Mu Yuanmou to try to snatch them.

Otherwise, if caught unprepared, the ’rabbits’ would be snatched away, and not catching the ’eagle’ would mean having no cards to fall back on, making it harder to topple the second house.

Seeing her downcast, Mu Lianxiao held her close, gently stroking her back, "Yunluo, don’t be afraid; I promise to be extra careful, and besides, General Huang and Huang Yun are watching Jia De too, so rest easy."

Yunluo took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down slowly.

She looked up at Mu Lianxiao, her apricot eyes curving, managing a smile: "I promise you, I won’t let my imagination run wild, but you also must promise me, to stay safe and sound."

Mu Lianxiao kissed Yunluo.

The touch more reassuring than words.

That night, Mu Lianxiao went to Mr. Liu’s mansion, returning at the second watch.

Brother Yan had long been taken to bed by Lady Peng; Yunluo sat at the bedside waiting for him.

After washing up, while undressing, Mu Lianxiao said, "Tomorrow we’ll go to the government office, and the day after I’ll return to Shanyu Pass with Jia De.

Rest assured; if I don’t step outside the pass, he won’t reveal his hand.

If anything happens to me on the road, it’ll give the government office and the military commanders an excuse for a thorough investigation; Jia De won’t be that foolish."

Yunluo nodded.

With anything, traces remain once the event passes; a thorough investigation will yield results, especially with a clear direction.

Before, Mu Lianxiao and Du Huarang could only investigate secretly, making slow progress; once on the surface, the Changping Marquis couldn’t handle everything.

After all, the Lindong Prefect is Du Huarang, and the Shanyu Pass garrison’s Great General is General Huang; neither would give the Changping Marquis a chance to muddle through.

Mu Lianxiao blew out the lamp, and Yunluo leaned closer.

"Yunluo," Mu Lianxiao chuckled softly, "this afternoon Brother Yan slept clinging to you like this."

Yunluo was startled: "Just like you?"

Mu Lianxiao laughed heartily, pinching Yunluo’s nose tip: "No, like you."