Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 47

The snow in Yao City was heavy today. The green-canopied carriage carved deep tracks into the snow-covered road.

A burly man with a full beard and twin axes strapped to his back cracked his whip as he drove the carriage. He asked the person inside,

“Master, there’s another letter from the Southern Capital. Fourth Young Master has been meeting frequently with the Second Prince’s people lately. He even gave the Tianxiang Pavilion to the Second Prince. Looks like he wants to side with him.”

A soft cough came from inside the carriage before a cold, indifferent voice followed,

“Just a clown trying to jump onstage.”

The bearded man frowned in concern.

“You’ve been recovering on the mountain these past years. After the Crown Prince’s faction fell five years ago, the Madam’s family got caught in the fallout and were demoted to Taiyuan. They haven’t been able to return to the capital since. The Marquis no longer treats the Madam with the same affection—she’s grown depressed and sickly. Now the household is controlled by Concubine Wang and her son. Madam only has you left to rely on!”

Mu Xingfeng’s voice carried a hint of weariness. 

“I know.”

The bearded man, Ge Hui, hesitated, then spoke again,

“Prince Lian is a close confidant of His Majesty. If you accept the marriage proposal with his daughter, it’d be a huge boost. No matter how favored Concubine Wang is, her son can never surpass you. Master, a real man should never fear marriage.”

Mu Xingfeng’s gaze turned cold.

“Ge Hui, you’re a man of jianghu. When did you start gossiping like a housewife?”

Ge Hui immediately realized his slip.

“My apologies, Master. I overstepped.”

Mu Xingfeng massaged his temples.

“Just drive.”

As soon as he said that, the carriage suddenly lurched violently. Mu Xingfeng grabbed the window frame to steady himself.

Outside, Ge Hui clenched his teeth and crossed his axes just in time to block a heavy white bronze saber slashing down from above.

The saber was plain, not made of fine metal like his steel-forged twin axes. Yet the force behind it made his hands go numb and even shoved the whole carriage half an inch backward. The horses neighed in alarm.

Ge Hui immediately knew this was no ordinary opponent. He glared at the black-clad person who had charged out of nowhere on horseback to intercept them.

“Who are you?!”

The young man on the black horse retracted his saber. His sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes radiated wild, commanding energy. He had the face of a jade statue but the aura of a demon.

Ge Hui was still trying to place him when the man called out Mu Xingfeng’s name directly.

“Mu Xingfeng!”

The carriage curtain lifted slowly, revealing a pair of warm, elegant eyes. Mu Xingfeng looked out at the armored figure. His smile was gentle, but something unreadable lurked beneath.

“So, my third junior disciple has grown up.”

The sudden remark made Yan Mingge’s face darken slightly. He’d been only seventeen when he left the mountain, still half a boy in Mu Xingfeng and Wei Rou’s eyes.

Back in those buried days, the mountain held a gentle and refined senior brother, a loud second senior sister, a proud and silent third disciple, and that wooden-faced servant who followed the third disciple everywhere… Time had passed, and they had all changed. Now that they were reunited, everything felt distant, unfamiliar.

Mu Xingfeng’s words seemed to poke a small hole in Yan Mingge’s heart. Remembering those times brought a touch of bitterness.

“You wronged Senior Sister.”

Mu Xingfeng looked up at the young man astride his horse. There was a flicker of affection in his eyes—along with too many things left unsaid. He gave a bitter smile.

“You were born into a noble family too, you should understand. If I had taken Ah Rou straight into the Marquis’s manor back then, a girl like her, born free, how could I bear to watch her waste her life in the filth of the inner courtyard? Yes, it was a disgrace to make her a concubine, but she wanted to leave the mountain, and I had to give her a legitimate place. Yan Heng, it’s hard enough being the son of a noble house—being the wife of one is even harder. The Mu family’s household is in chaos. Ah Rou is simple and kind. If I married her now, I’d be throwing her straight into the fire.”

Yan Mingge’s eyes turned cold.

“If you knew you couldn’t protect her, why did you touch her in the first place?”

Silence fell between them.

Yan Mingge looked at Mu Xingfeng’s pale, sickly face and spoke slowly,

“Mu Xingfeng, with our master and mistress gone, I will protect Senior Sister. As long as she stays in the northwest, don’t you dare set foot here again.”

With that, he turned his horse and lashed the reins, galloping away into the snowstorm.

Mu Xingfeng watched the fluttering black cloak disappear into the distance. His lips curved in a soft, almost gentle smile—but behind it lay something bone-chillingly cold.

“Master?” Ge Hui finally broke the silence.

“Let’s go.” Mu Xingfeng dropped the curtain. His eyes seemed to dim along with the shadows inside the carriage.

Why did he touch her?

Because she was the girl he’d watched grow up. How long had he waited for her to become his bride?

Everyone said the eldest young master of the Mu family was a gentleman. But he had never considered himself one.

Calling him despicable was putting it mildly. He was a demon crawling out of the River of Forgetfulness, wearing human skin, greedy for everything this world had to offer.

What he wanted—no matter if it crumbled to dust—would still be his. No one else could touch it.

The empire? He wanted it.

The girl in his heart? He wanted her too.

He couldn’t bear to be cruel to her. So he’d craft a cage of tenderness instead. Even if it meant scheming against the whole world, he would trap her inside.

He carved gentleness into his very bones—for one reason alone: to ensnare her.

Mu Xingfeng’s smile bloomed elegantly, his warm eyes gleaming with ruthless obsession, like a drowning man clinging to a single straw.

“Ah Rou… wait for me to come back.”

—

A tall building along the road.

Through the half-open lattice window, a green-canopied carriage could be seen passing slowly.

Nie Yun turned to the sixth prince beside him.

“Your Highness, that’s Mu Xingfeng, the number one diviner in the empire. The Noble Consort sent an urgent message all the way from the capital just to tell you he’s come to the northwest. Are you really not going to meet him?”

The sixth prince’s shoulder wound had healed, but he still felt cold easily and wore a thick fox-fur cloak. His youthful features bore a lazy charm with a hint of roguishness.

“My third brother made five trips to Qianlong Mountain just to get him to come down. If Mu Xingfeng switches sides after a few words, he’d be a joke.”

“But just letting him leave like this? Your Highness, at least meet him…” Nie Yun was reluctant to see the prince let such a golden opportunity slip.

The sixth prince only shook his head.

“He chose my third brother. With his skills, if he helps my brother unify the realm, his name will go down in history. Power and fame—he’s already been promised both. What more could he want?”

Nie Yun thought for a moment.

“Money? Women?”

The sixth prince scoffed. “If that day ever comes and he holds all the cards, what in the world could he not get? No—find out why he came to the northwest during such a chaotic time. For someone like him to leave everything behind and come here now… it must be for something even more precious than fame or power.”

The words hit Nie Yun like a splash of cold water.

“I’ll investigate immediately.”

“Wait,” the sixth prince stopped him. “Yan Heng earned great merit in the battle at Jintong Pass. Find some rare gifts to send—especially things that women would like.”

Nie Yun understood instantly. Yan Heng used to be the heir of the Yan family. He’d seen all kinds of treasures. Anything they sent wouldn’t impress him. But his wife—just a former maid sent into exile—what could she possibly have seen? Gifts that pleased her would surely delight her husband too. If a man has no weakness, you find it in his woman.

Just as Nie Yun was about to leave, he paused.

“Your Highness, something strange happened at Jintong Pass.”

The sixth prince gave him a look, signaling him to continue.

Nie Yun said, “The salt shipment from the court was ambushed by barbarians at Lufu Ridge. Yao City was already in an uproar. But Jintong Pass? Not a single whisper. Just a few days ago, salt merchants here were buying salt at high prices. Now their goods are piled up in warehouses—unsellable. Word is, the military returned the stolen salt to the people. Yan Heng’s troops are incredibly popular now.”

The sixth prince fell into thought.

“Could the Yan family be hoarding illegal salt?”

“Merchants say they had valid permits—not smugglers,” Nie Yun replied.

The prince tapped the armrest of his chair slowly.

“Whatever the case, we’ve just glimpsed the tip of the iceberg that is the Yan family’s hidden power. Third Brother has Mu Xingfeng, the greatest diviner. Yan Mingge is a fierce general in this chaotic age. Let’s see which proves stronger—words on paper or bl00d on the battlefield. Perhaps I should learn from my third brother and show some sincerity. Pass it down—if that salt merchant tries any new ventures, make sure our people quietly support him.”

Nie Yun quickly agreed. He knew well how things worked in court. Bribing someone with cash was crude. Helping them succeed in business without them realizing? That was the master’s play.

The result was that one day, Lin Chu realized that no matter what business she started, the money just came pouring in. She began to wonder if she was a business genius wasted on engineering.

—

When Yan Mingge returned home, Lin Chu was busy in the kitchen.

Chef Zhao saw the general approaching and nearly panicked, stammering,
“My Lord… the lady… she said she wanted to cook personally…”

Yan Mingge waved him off, clearly not upset. The chef fled like he’d been pardoned.

The general leaned against the doorframe, tall and imposing. Just standing there blocked most of the kitchen light.

Lin Chu was stir-frying, hoping a good meal would cheer Wei Rou up. She glanced at the door.

“Why are you blocking the entrance?”

Yan Mingge squinted, taking in the sight of his petite wife. Whatever she was cooking smelled amazing. His stomach growled, but more than that—she looked delicious.

Yes, delicious.

A soft smile spread in his eyes. His chest swelled with a strange emotion, warm and overwhelming.

Lin Chu could feel his gaze on her and grew flustered. 

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Yan Mingge strolled over slowly and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her head with a lazy tenderness.

“Chu’er… when does your period end?”

Lin Chu was so startled that she dropped the spatula right into the pan.