Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

Fearing that her mother-in-law's words might be overheard by the two men and cause unnecessary trouble, she quickly pulled her mother-in-law up and hurriedly left.

In this capital city, powerful and influential people gather, and one might offend the wrong person if one is not careful.

For ordinary people like them, the best way is to hide and avoid as much as possible, so that they can live a peaceful life.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law turned and left. Several family members of minor officials invited them to go shopping together, and they happened to see the two on horseback.

These ladies had the good fortune to have met Shang Congwen before, and they recognized him at a glance.

"Hey, isn't that Lord Shang?" a lady exclaimed in surprise. "Has he taken another concubine?"

Although her voice wasn't loud, it still attracted the attention of some people on the relatively quiet street.

"It really is Lord Shang!" another lady chimed in. "However, this young lady looks only fifteen or sixteen years old, while Lord Shang must be twenty-six or twenty-seven. There's quite a difference in age; it's truly an old cow eating young grass!"

The two women clearly knew something about Shang Congwen, but they did not recognize Mu Qin, who was traveling with him.

"Keep your voices down, don't let him hear!" A minor official's wife hurriedly pulled the two women aside and whispered, "He's powerful and influential, it's perfectly normal for him to take a young concubine. What man doesn't like younger women? There's nothing strange about it."

After saying this, she hurriedly left with the other two wives. Their husbands did not hold high official positions and dared not offend the powerful and influential Shang family, for fear that Shang Congwen would find out that they were gossiping behind their backs.

"Who says otherwise? Men are all the same. You don't know, Old Wang next door also took a concubine. These past few days, his wife has been arguing with that concubine every day. He's over forty years old and still took a concubine, and I heard she's a young widow..."

As they walked and chatted, they discussed the affairs of their neighbors, which seemed to have become a part of their enjoyment.

The two rode their horses through the streets. When Shang Congwen saw some food, he stopped his horse and bought some for Mu Qin.

As time went on, more and more people began to notice them.

"Isn't this the young lady from the Duke of Huguo's mansion? Wasn't she said to have been kidnapped naked by villains? How come she's with Lord Shang?"

"Yes, the two of them look very intimate. I wonder if Lord Shang is going to take another concubine."

"No way, a daughter of the Mu family would become a concubine?"

"How could that not be? Everyone's saying Miss Mu was taken naked by a villain. Her reputation is ruined. If she doesn't become a concubine, how can she marry someone as their principal wife?"

"What you said is not wrong. Becoming a concubine to Lord Shang is a good outcome, after all, the Shang family is powerful and influential."

……

These whispers spread like wildfire among the crowd, filling people with curiosity and speculation about the relationship between Mu Qin and Shang Congwen.

These discussions quickly spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

Before long, another rumor began to spread in the capital: the young lady of the Mu family who had been kidnapped by villains was to be married off to Lord Shang as a concubine.

This news was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples.

Shang Congjian was waiting in the main hall of the mansion for Mu Qin to be brought back to the mansion.

But instead of waiting for his elder brother, he heard from a servant that his eldest cousin had swaggered into the city with Muqin.

A sense of doubt welled up in his mind.

According to the plan he discussed with Mu Nan and others yesterday, his eldest cousin should find the person and then secretly bring him back to the mansion.

But now, my older cousin is acting completely out of the ordinary. What's going on?

Shang Congjian didn't have time to think much. He hurriedly led his men out of the mansion, hoping to stop his eldest cousin before he was recognized and prevent things from becoming more complicated.

When Shang Congjian finally caught up with his eldest cousin, he found that the older brother had already ridden his horse and sped off towards the Mu family's location.

"Big brother, big brother!" Shang Congjian called out anxiously from behind, trying to get his older cousin's attention, but his older cousin didn't seem to have any intention of stopping and walked straight toward the gate of the Mu family.

Before long, the magnificent gate of the Mu family came into view.

Shang Congwen skillfully stopped his horse and then nimbly dismounted.

Then, he carefully lifted Muqin off the horse.

As soon as Mu Qin's feet touched the ground, her body began to tremble involuntarily.

She gripped Shang Congwen's sleeve tightly, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "Brother Shang, I...I'm scared."

Since entering the city, Muqin had been sitting on horseback, watching the passersby point and whisper about her, and her unease and fear gradually spread through her heart.

Despite Shang Congwen's gentle reassurances throughout the journey, telling her not to be nervous and that he was there for her, her anxiety remained unabated.

Especially as she got closer to home, Muqin's anxiety intensified.

She didn't know how her brother and sister-in-law would view her, whether they would judge her like strangers, or even despise her.

Shang Congwen sensed Mu Qin's fear. He gently patted the back of her hand and said softly, "I'm here, don't be afraid."

After saying that, Shang Congwen ignored the stares of the people around him and carefully helped Mu Qin tidy her hair and clothes. His movements were gentle and focused, as if the two of them were the only two people in the world.

At this moment, Shang Congjian caught up, panting.

When he saw what was happening in front of him, he was completely stunned.

He was shocked!

"Brother, this... this doesn't mean he's going to take another concubine, does it?" This thought naturally popped into Shang Congjian's mind.

The idea had barely surfaced when he immediately realized how absurd it was.

No way! This is the eldest brother's and the prince consort's sister. How could we possibly let her marry our eldest brother as a concubine?

What should I do?

Thinking about this, Shang Congjian felt that things were becoming increasingly troublesome, and the friendship between the two families might be completely ruined because of this.

No, we have to find a way to solve this problem quickly.

Shang Congjian was extremely anxious. Without thinking, he quickly dismounted and walked to the two men.

He grabbed Shang Congwen, pulled him aside, and said in a low voice, "Brother, what are you doing? Didn't we agree to secretly bring Miss Mu home?"

Shang Congwen calmly replied, "Your method is not good. I naturally have my own way of solving this problem."

Upon hearing this, Shang Congjian frowned deeply and pressed, "What good idea do you have? Surely your idea isn't to marry Miss Mu?"

Shang Congwen raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile, and asked in return, "You've already figured it out, so why are you asking me?"