With this in mind, Mu Qing laid her thoughts out plainly to her “husband” and, in gratitude for him helping relieve her seasickness, she doubled her efforts to create a cheerful and harmonious atmosphere, trying to make the journey a bit more pleasant for everyone.
At the same time, her husband certainly didn’t let her down. With nothing but his looks—or rather, his looks paired with his elegant demeanor and refined manners—he won over the entire ship’s crew.
The first to fall was her elder brother, Mu Hai.
Though this older brother had been adopted by Master Mu years ago in a moment of compassion and often struggled with whether he was a “son” or just a “servant,” he was genuinely devoted to Mu Qing, his adoptive younger sister.
The proof? The very day Mu Qing brought her husband aboard, Mu Hai invited him out for a drink—though, because her husband still had a head injury, what was supposed to be a “men-only” drinking session turned into her husband abstaining completely while Mu Hai drank himself silly.
The most unbelievable part was that the next day, after sobering up, Mu Hai couldn’t stop praising her husband’s “drinking manners,” and even got drunk again at the send-off dinner before their departure.
During the meal, her elder brother passionately declared, “To find a husband like Feng Qing is our young lady’s great fortune!” Then turned around and added, “And to marry our young lady is Feng Qing’s great blessing too!”
Well then—not only were they calling each other brothers already, now they were exchanging open compliments? Clearly this round of drinking was even wilder than the last.
Mu Qing hadn’t expected her usually reserved brother to turn into such a cheerful chatterbox under the influence of alcohol. It was truly eye-opening.
After winning over her brother, her two personal maids Bingtang and Xueli quickly followed.
At first, though they were outwardly respectful to this “sudden son-in-law,” behind the scenes they were keeping a close eye on him, worried their young lady might suffer for it.
But it didn’t take long before they too fell.
Bingtang, being younger, was completely defenseless against their new son-in-law’s devastating good looks. Coupled with his strictly proper behavior—not overstepping in the slightest—even though Mu Qing had declared him “her husband,” he still insisted on sleeping in the cabin farthest from theirs. His daily conduct was courtly and refined, the epitome of a gentleman.
During the day, he would always accompany Mu Qing. If she wasn’t feeling well, he personally tended to her, bringing water and medicine himself without letting the maids lift a finger. Truly, flawless in every respect.
Xueli, though cautious, was deeply grateful after seeing how he personally took care of Mu Qing and relieved her seasickness. Over time, she too accepted him.
So, in just a few short days, Mu Qing’s contractual husband had successfully won over her three closest confidants.
And it didn’t stop there—even the other merchants and workers in the convoy spoke highly of him:
“Look, that’s the new son-in-law. Dashing as they say!”
“No kidding. I heard he’s especially good to our young lady.”
“No wonder the young lady’s so smitten. Must be fate tying the knot. The master and madam are going to be thrilled.”
…
Listening to these not-so-secret whispers, Mu Qing was half amused, half helpless.
Sure enough, being beautiful really did let you do whatever you wanted.
Was everything a beautiful person did just automatically right?
If he didn’t speak, it was called composure. If he did, it was wit and charm. Offer someone help and suddenly he was a saint, a celestial being…
Though tempted to roll her eyes, Mu Qing also realized this may very well have been a lucky misstep. Perhaps her eternally anxious, marriage-pushing parents would finally be happy.
Of course, they might be a little heartbroken a year later when they divorced, but that was a “white lie.” Better that than letting fate take its course, marrying off to the Dragon-AoTian male lead and dragging the whole family into the fallout of his meteoric rise.
Mu Qing silently apologized to her parents in Jiangnan and focused on deepening her bond with her “husband.”
Now that he could press her acupoints to relieve her seasickness, the rest of the journey was easy and pleasant. She could finally enjoy the breeze, the food, and the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river.
Seven days passed in a flash.
They arrived at Tongzhou City.
This was where she would part ways with her elder brother, Mu Hai.
Because her scholarly little brother, the child prodigy who would be attending the nationally renowned Baihe Academy in September, would be studying here in Tongzhou.
And the woman who had once nearly triggered a family war was also here.
Though the official reason for their trip to the capital was business, it was still Mu Hai who would complete the delivery of goods.
First, this route had always been under Mu Hai’s management. Ever since Master Mu stopped personally handling the capital’s trade route ten years ago, all the business connections in the capital had been maintained by Mu Hai.
Second, compared to meeting merchants, Mu Qing had more important things to do.
Like scouting the academy for her little brother.
And gathering intel on her mother’s “love rival” in a brothel.
She was really quite busy.
And after that monumental bout of seasickness, Mu Hai had eventually agreed to their party splitting up.
Of course, the key persuader in all this was her new husband.
Though not especially talkative, everything her beautiful husband said struck home—some people simply had a way of speaking that made everything sound correct.
He was clearly one of those people.
Mu Qing watched her husband speak only a few sentences, yet Mu Hai was already nodding repeatedly. It felt like he could turn black into white and white into black, and her brother would still believe it completely.
She recalled how hard she had to work to persuade Mu Hai on her own—only for him to cave so easily when her husband stepped in. That’s when she truly felt the power gap.
This is what being a boss looks like.
It seemed she’d really lucked out. In a desperate scramble, she’d picked up what she thought was bronze, only to find it might actually be a champion.
Such a bargain.
If her husband kept being this capable throughout the contract period, she might even consider upping his pay.
When he returned triumphantly, Mu Qing greeted him cheerfully, hooked her arm around his, and laid on the praise. To her delight, she found both her praise and his tolerance for physical contact were becoming more natural.
That was a good sign.
At this rate, when they returned to the Mu family in Jiangnan, they’d appear to be a perfect couple—glued together, respectful and loving.
With such a display, how could her dear parents bear to tear them apart?
This “marry first, inform later” scheme should pass without issue.
Perfectly executed.
Mu Qing was so immersed in the joy of everything going smoothly that she completely missed the flicker of worry in her husband’s eyes.
Why did it have to be Tongzhou?
Let’s hope nothing goes wrong here.
They disembarked, waved farewell to the reluctant Mu Hai, finalized the arrangements for his return trip, and Mu Qing took her husband and two maids into Tongzhou City by carriage.
Located less than a hundred li from the capital and guarding the northern end of the Grand Canal, Tongzhou was bustling with traffic and trade.
Naturally, they checked into the best inn in town.
Since Mu Hai would need at least three days to finish deliveries and return, they’d be staying here for a while—but that was more than enough for what Mu Qing needed to do.
First on the list: visit Baihe Academy.
The most famous institution in Tongzhou.
Its director, Master Qin, had placed third in the national exam and was renowned for both his scholarly talent and refined charisma.
Back in the day, Master Qin had served as a court official, holding positions like editor in the Hanlin Academy and rector of the Imperial College. He was already a fourth-rank official by his early thirties, with boundless prospects. Yet twenty years ago, he suddenly resigned and returned to Tongzhou to farm.
But farming didn’t suit him—he soon founded Baihe Academy.
Thanks to his vast knowledge and impeccable character, and the many contacts he had from his court days, the academy flourished. In just twenty years, it became one of the most prestigious academies in the country.
Because of Master Qin’s years of experience in the imperial examination system, Baihe Academy was especially effective in preparing students for the exams and was widely acclaimed by scholars across the land.
With civil service exams held every three years, students were required to enroll at least a year and a half in advance. Those who passed came to give thanks, those who failed tried to stay and study longer—every aspiring scholar longed to pass the exams and become a court official, so the academy was always full.
Over time, it had developed its own unique rules and customs.
After settling in, Mu Qing took her husband and two maids to scout the academy.
Naturally, knowing the academy’s policies, she, Bingtang, and Xueli all wore male attire—when seeking favors from others, you had to play by their rules.
On open visiting days, the place was packed, but thanks to Director Qin’s excellent management, they were still able to get in for a proper look.
Mu Qing toured the academy and found it truly lived up to its reputation. She was reassured.
As she walked, she made careful notes—both written and sketched, though crude and disorganized, enough to seem a bit eccentric.
Bingtang and Xueli were used to it and thought nothing of it.
But her husband was seeing it for the first time.
He held back for a while, but once they returned to the inn and saw her still scribbling away on a pile of papers, he finally couldn’t help asking, “What exactly are you doing?”
Mu Qing looked up and smiled. “I’m drawing a map of the academy for my little brother.”
Chu Yu paused, eyeing the chaotic scrawl, and resisted the urge to shake his head. He quietly walked away.
Mu Qing didn’t mind and kept at it. That night, when they sat down to eat, her husband suddenly handed her a drawing.
She took it—and saw it was a detailed floor plan of Baihe Academy, with beautifully written labels for each building and its use.
“You drew this?”
Seeing her husband coolly nod, Mu Qing was stunned.
So this is what people mean when they say comparison kills.
She immediately put away her “masterpiece,” carefully washed her hands, and reverently stored his calligraphy away, making Bingtang and Xueli burst out laughing.
Her husband, too, curved his lips slightly in a rare smile—like ice thawing, like the first warmth of spring.
Mu Qing chatted with them for a while, then announced the next day’s plans. “Thanks to our esteemed son-in-law, our official business is done. Tomorrow, we’ll head into town for a stroll at Baixiang Pavilion.”
