Mu Chun asked three questions in rapid succession: “What Xiang? What lady? How can a woman hold office?”

Mu Chun was only eighteen this year. Previously he had been idling away his time in the capital, then suppressing bandits in Jiangxi, following Hu Shanwei to Hangzhou to print books, then going on the northern campaign. His limited life experience was shallow. This time following his uncle Feng Cheng on the southern campaign, he wasn’t fighting on the front lines either. His father Mu Ying looked down on him, preferring to take his second son Mu Sheng into battle rather than leave him any advisor or guidance for command.

Now that his uncle Feng Cheng had run off to support Yunnan, leaving him to guard the rear, he had marched day and night to reach the Guizhou Regional Military Commission and arrived at dawn. He had fallen asleep immediately and had that indescribable spring dream. Having just awakened, he still couldn’t distinguish north from south.

But Chen Xuan was different – his father had once been Deputy Regional Commander of Chengdu Guard and was familiar with the geography and customs of the southwestern frontier.

Chen Xuan hurriedly said, “There’s no time to explain. You must save her first. If someone dies, the Guizhou Regional Military Commission will surely descend into chaos!”

Mu Chun had many flaws but also many virtues. For instance, he trusted his subordinates and listened to advice. Regardless of their background, he treated everyone equally without the airs of an aristocratic young master.

Though he didn’t understand the situation, he didn’t question Chen Xuan’s judgment. Half-asleep, rubbing suspicious grime from the corners of his eyes, he casually grabbed a bow and arrows from a soldier beside the execution ground. The executioner raised his whip, and the leather lash flew toward the woman’s bare back like a venomous snake’s tongue.

An arrow broke through the air. The iron arrowhead, like an eagle’s beak, struck the whip with deadly accuracy. The whip lost its force and drooped like a dead snake.

“Who?” The executioner angrily turned around and found Mu Chun stretching and yawning, leaning boneless against Chen Xuan, even filing a complaint first: “Is that Lord Ma? I just arrived here this morning and finally got some sleep, only to be awakened by your whip sounds – couldn’t you wait until I woke up before beating people?”

This person was indeed Ma Ye, Regional Military Commander of Guizhou, a high-ranking official of the first rank. Moreover, Ma Ye was also imperial family – one of Empress Ma’s clan members, and by generation, even a nephew within five degrees of kinship.

Empress Ma was extremely strict with her external relatives, not letting Emperor Hongwu grant the Ma family members titles or positions. Most clan members stayed in their hometown tending Empress Ma’s parents’ graves. However, there were still several Ma family members who relied on their own abilities, distinguishing themselves through military achievements and civil examinations to serve as officials in court.

Ma Ye was skilled in warfare and utterly loyal to the Great Ming. Emperor Hongwu was very willing to promote him. During this Great Ming southern campaign, Ma Ye was also among the southern forces, achieving considerable merit. After the southern army conquered Guizhou, the three great generals Fu Youde, Mu Ying, and Lan Yu continued advancing, leaving Ma Ye stationed in Guizhou as Regional Military Commander, currently the highest commanding officer of the Guizhou garrison.

If anyone else had shot down his whip and dared to insubordinate, Ma Ye would definitely have bound them to the execution rack and beaten them to death according to military discipline. But the person who came was precisely the devil incarnate Mu Chun! The most unreasonable, most disregarding of military rules, most headache-inducing person!

His father was Marquis Xiping Mu Ying, deputy commander of this southern campaign. His uncle was Duke Ying Feng Cheng. His eldest brother-in-law Xu Zengshou was the beloved son of Duke Weiguo Xu Da, and Xu Zengshou was brother-in-law to three princes. His eldest aunt was the wife of Duke Zheng, his second aunt was Princess Zhou…

He had kinship relations with half the imperial nobility in the capital.

Therefore, Ma Ye ignored Mu Chun’s insubordination and said, “Dear nephew, you’ve had a hard journey. Go sleep in my main tent – it’s quieter there. Once you’ve slept well, I’ll host a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust.”

Ma Ye was Empress Ma’s nephew, Mu Chun was Empress Ma’s adopted grandson – calling him “dear nephew” was perfectly natural.

Ma Ye tried to use generational relationships to deflect and send Mu Chun away, but Mu Chun paid no attention and said to Chen Xuan, “Quick, take off your clothes.”

Chen Xuan: “Huh?”

“If you won’t take them off, should I?” Mu Chun forcibly pulled off Chen Xuan’s upper garment, went to the execution rack, and covered Lady She Xiang’s bare back with it. He untied the ropes binding her hands and feet. “Tsk tsk, such a beautiful woman beaten like this – quite pitiful. Lord Ma, you’re not someone who doesn’t know how to cherish beauty and tenderness.”

Mu Chun’s experience was shallow – he didn’t know Lady She Xiang’s background, but seeing her bloodied back reminded him of the spring dream he’d just awakened from, where Hu Shanwei’s back was also covered in fresh blood. Mu Chun couldn’t bear to see similar scenes of humiliation and whipping, so he removed Chen Xuan’s clothes to cover Lady She Xiang.

“Dear nephew, you absolutely cannot!” Ma Ye stopped Mu Chun from releasing her. “You’ve just arrived and don’t know who she is. This barbarian woman is utterly wicked, conspiring to organize collective tax resistance everywhere. Not paying taxes means not submitting to Great Ming rule – it’s rebellion!”

“Rebellion?” Mu Chun pretended to be startled. “Rebellion is a crime punishable by exterminating nine generations of kin. Why are you beating her? Just kill her directly and be done with it. Harboring rebels is a serious crime – Lord Ma surely knows this, right? We’re close, so don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Ma Ye’s identity as Empress Ma’s nephew could intimidate many people, but Mu Chun was raised by Empress Ma. He knew Empress Ma always cherished her reputation and was consistently indifferent to clan members. As long as they caused no trouble, it was fine, but if they did cause trouble, Empress Ma would deal with them herself before others could act.

Therefore, Mu Chun strutted arrogantly before Ma Ye, not showing the same respect he did before Duke Weiguo Xu Da.

Ma Ye was taken aback: “This… as long as she can pay back taxes, the court will give her another chance.”

Mu Chun scratched his head: “I still don’t understand. Lord Ma wants her to pay taxes – why beat her? You should send her home to raise money and silver. Chen Xuan, quickly arrange for this Lady What’s-her-name’s family to come take her away.”

Chen Xuan: “Yes, Lord Mu!”

Ma Ye hurriedly intervened: “No, this matter isn’t so simple, it requires—”

“I know, I’ve fought battles too.” Mu Chun winked at Ma Ye with a lecherous, greedy expression. “How can she not pay taxes? Where would military pay come from? Where would rewards come from? Should the brothers who came south with me drink the northwest wind? Taxes must be paid, and not only that – back taxes too, starting from last year, everything must be paid up.”

Looking at the young and reckless Mu Chun, Ma Ye knew he had the reputation of a devil incarnate in the capital and was known as “walking Wu region love songs” in military camps, with subordinates who were almost all scoundrels – either reformed bandit leaders or pampered military second-generation wastrels.

This person had some ability and luck in battle, being a tiger cub from a general’s den after all, but due to his debauchery and unrestrained nature, he was disliked by his father Marquis Xiping Mu Ying, who still hadn’t requested his enfeoffment as heir apparent.

In short, Mu Chun was not a good person… but he was an excellent scapegoat. He didn’t even know who Lady She Xiang was and immediately talked about back tax collection – I only demanded current taxes, but this shameless bastard wants to collect back taxes from last year too!

Last year, this place was still Northern Yuan Prince Liang’s territory.

Shameless, absolutely shameless.

Though thinking this way, Ma Ye praised aloud: “Indeed, heroes emerge young. You’re more thorough than I thought. These barbarians don’t know the rules, thinking that sending a few horses and bags of grain constitutes submission to Great Ming jurisdiction. They don’t want to pay taxes while we drink the northwest wind. Besides, I’ve already discovered their territory has gold and silver mines. They clearly have money but won’t pay – truly deserve beating! I’ll leave tax collection supervision to you, dear nephew.”

Mu Chun showed the fearless greed of a young calf: “Lord Ma, I can’t work for nothing. When we collect the taxes, I want this much—”

Mu Chun held up two fingers.

Ma Ye said: “Twenty thousand taels of silver? Easy, easy.”

Mu Chun shook his head: “You’re underestimating me too much. What’s the point of such little silver? This year is Her Majesty the Empress’s fifty-first birthday – I need to prepare a grand gift.”

Ma Ye: “How much do you want?”

Mu Chun said: “Twenty percent of the tax revenue. You must keep this from my father and uncle – absolutely can’t let them know, or everything will fall apart and none of us will escape.”

This proactive scapegoat wastrel! Whatever happens has nothing to do with me! Ma Ye nodded repeatedly: “Fine, twenty percent it is.”

Having settled on the split, Chen Xuan had already brought local Yi people to collect the unconscious Lady She Xiang. Chen Xuan also brought a water bottle to give to the pale-faced woman, but it was knocked away by angry Yi people nearby who chattered in Yi language while taking out their own bamboo water containers to give to Lady She Xiang.

Mu Chun couldn’t understand a word. However, from these Yi people’s angry expressions and body language, fortunately they had been disarmed before entering the military camp, otherwise Mu Chun believed they would hack him to pieces.

Mu Chun asked Chen Xuan: “What are they saying?”

Chen Xuan looked blank: “Don’t know, can’t understand.”

Mu Chun immediately understood: Chen Xuan grew up in Chengdu Guard and knew several ethnic languages. If he didn’t understand Yi language and Yi politics, how could he immediately know the Yi people would rebel just from seeing Lord Ma whip Lady She Xiang? He was deliberately playing dumb in front of Ma Ye – there must be hidden circumstances.

Indeed a bunch of scoundrels! Ma Ye became even more certain of his arrangement to use Mu Chun as a shield: “Dear nephew, you see, these people born and raised in barbarous lands are a group of uncivilized savages who don’t submit to enlightenment at all. If we don’t use strong methods to command their submission to Great Ming rule, they’ll betray us and the Great Ming at any time.”

Mu Chun nodded: “Lord Ma is right. They don’t pay taxes, showing disloyalty to the Great Ming. I’ll follow them to the Regional Military Commission right now to urge payment of back taxes. Leave this matter to me.”

The Yi people carried away the unconscious Lady She Xiang, with Mu Chun and his trusted followers close behind. Chen Xuan and other officers were fully armed with an intimidating appearance, continuously urging the Yi people carrying the stretcher to walk faster.

Outside the military camp, guards at the gate returned the Yi people’s weapons. Along the way, Chen Xuan quietly explained to Mu Chun the origins of Lady She Xiang and the Yi people’s tax resistance.

She Xiang was originally from Sichuan, daughter of the She clan leader of the Yi Heng tribe at Yongning Regional Pacification Commission in Chengdu. Her father was a local hereditary native official accepting court investiture. Chengdu Guard frequently interacted with several local major tribes, so when Chen Xuan’s father was still Deputy Commander of Chengdu Guard, he already knew of She Xiang’s reputation.

She Xiang later married the Guizhou Yi leader and Deputy Regional Commissioner Long Zan Aicui. The Deputy Regional Commissioner position was also a hereditary native office. In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, her husband died and her son was young, so the twenty-three-year-old Lady She Xiang inherited her husband’s title, becoming Deputy Regional Commissioner of Guizhou.

In the Yunnan-Guizhou region, customs were fierce, not as constrained by male-female distinctions as in the Central Plains. If a widow had strong capabilities and enjoyed popular support, inheriting her husband’s official position was common, though she would return it when her son came of age.

This year, when the Great Ming southern campaign forces attacked Northern Yuan Prince Liang, Lady She Xiang presented ten thousand military horses and provisions to the Great Ming southern forces. Moreover, using her advantage of familiarity with the terrain, she served as a guide for the southern army. At that time, relations between the Guizhou Regional Military Commission and the Great Ming southern forces were very harmonious.

But after the Great Ming southern forces pacified Guizhou and established a foothold with permanent garrison troops, Guizhou Regional Military Commander Ma Ye immediately changed his attitude, ordering Lady She Xiang to pay taxes. When Lady She Xiang refused, Ma Ye used tax resistance as pretext to humiliate her and force tax payment.

Chen Xuan said: “…Just now at the execution platform, the Yi people scolded us, saying that under Northern Yuan Prince Liang’s rule they never had to pay taxes. Now their Regional Military Commission had already provided ten thousand military horses and grain to support the Great Ming southern forces’ attack on Northern Yuan Prince Liang without asking for a penny, yet the Great Ming still demands taxes and humiliates their leader Lady She Xiang with whipping – we’re worse than pigs and dogs.”

While talking, everyone arrived at the Regional Military Commission. As soon as Mu Chun and his group entered, the Yi people immediately closed the main gate and drew weapons, forcing Mu Chun and his men to lay down their arms and surrender.

Mu Chun asked Chen Xuan: “What are they saying?”

Chen Xuan said: “They say if Lady She Xiang dies, they’ll cut off all our heads and tear out our hearts for sacrifice.”