Chapter 42: Mu Family's Attitude

  "Second brother, don't ever mention this again, walls have ears." Zhang Dengke said with a serious face: "In these times, anything can happen, just be careful not to get mixed up with those revolutionaries. Don't you think about it? The leaders of the revolution back then, Sun Yat-sen, Huang Keqiang, Wang Jingwei and others, aren't they all fleeing to Japan for political asylum now? This so-called 'Second Revolution' was a farce from start to finish. Nowadays, only President Yuan can truly sit securely."

  "You know a lot!" Mu Haixia said discontentedly, pouting and giving her husband a sideways glance.

  "I think Shao Gong makes a lot of sense." Mu Changqing glared at his daughter, then raised the cane in his hand and pointed it at Mu Haiwei. "You rascal, don't you know that when dealing with people, the most important thing is to keep your word! Your elder brother has already agreed to let Mr. Tang arrange for Master Cao to make contact with the Governor's Office and the Commander's Office in Di Hua Prefecture, so from now on, our Mu family only has one path to follow, and that is to follow Mr. Tang!"

  As a person, you can't forget your roots. You must remember that without Mr. Tang, our Mu family wouldn't have the peaceful environment we enjoy today. Without Mr. Tang, what could we use to resist the 3,000-strong army of Niu Baichu and Ma Zhongqiang? Perhaps by now, our family would have been destroyed! Therefore, I'm reiterating an old saying: from top to bottom in our Mu family, no one is allowed to utter a single word of disrespect towards Mr. Tang! If anyone offends, they will be punished according to the family rules and expelled from the household! Mu Haixia, Mu Haiwei, you two have already committed this grave offense today. Considering the circumstances, I can pardon you with a heavy penalty, but not with a light one! Hailin, as the head of the clan, it's up to you to enforce the family rules and decide on the punishment.

  Mu Haixia and Mu Haiwei's faces changed greatly as soon as they heard their old father say this.

  "Mother!" Mu Haixia cried out with a sad face, seeking her mother's help.

  "Don't call me." Bai Xiuzhen shook her head and sighed, "This is what you brought upon yourself, don't blame your dad and Hailin. You must remember that the Mu family didn't conquer the Xiongnu, it was all thanks to Mr. Tang's power, Hailin just led people over to pick up the easy gains."

  Mu Haolin stood up expressionlessly and shouted towards the outside of the door, "Cai Shu, trouble you to invite my Third Uncle over, the Mu family is going to carry out family law."

  Mu Jincai, the steward of the Mu estate who was guarding the door, responded with a "yes". After about seven or eight o'clock, Mu Changyuan, wearing a black robe, holding a red long rectangular brocade box in both hands, and looking slightly puzzled, came in from outside.

  "Hailing, who are you going to execute family law on?" Mu Changyuan asked with a serious expression.

  "Mu Haixia, Mu Haiwei, do you know why I specifically called you two to this family meeting?" Mu Hailin's face was gloomy, with a thick layer of frost, his piercing gaze swept across the faces of his sister and brother. "In recent days, I have discovered some very ominous signs. I heard that someone said that Mr. Tang alone occupies such a large foundation, which is a waste, and it would be better for our Mu family to take over. This rumor came from whose mouth, I won't mention names today."

  However, I can clearly warn you that you must not harbor such evil thoughts again, as this may lead the entire Mu family into an abyss of no return! Everything has its own way and should be done in moderation. One should never be too greedy! Today, I personally came to visit Mr. Tang to apologize for my mistakes, aside from being wrong about the killing of Niu Fumin, another important reason is that I feel guilty towards Mr. Tang, as someone in the Mu family had thoughts of harming him, which is my dereliction of duty!

  I once swore to the all-powerful Allah that the Mu family would follow Mr. Tang for generations, through thick and thin, without complaint or regret. It's only been a few days since then, how could someone be so ungrateful and harbor evil intentions? Don't you think about it, if this matter were to reach Mr. Tang's ears, what would he think? What would he do?

  Taking this opportunity, I solemnly tell you that Mr. Tang's strength is simply unimaginable to us! Father said earlier that the victory of Canglong Ridge was entirely due to Mr. Tang's efforts. The reason why I could easily take down Mu Jiao and avenge the Mu family's hundred-year-old hatred was also thanks to Mr. Tang's annihilation of the Niu and Heifeng gangs, which allowed me to achieve this feat.

  In the past, we always envied the powerful and influential kings of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang, but now I can tell you clearly that compared to Mr. Tang, these kings and nobles are nothing! It's a blessing for our Mu family to be able to follow Mr. Tang, it's the ancestors' blessings and Allah's protection! So, I reiterate what my father said earlier: from now on, if anyone in our Mu family dares to show disrespect to Mr. Tang, don't blame me, Mu Haolin, for not being mindful of familial ties and turning against you! Mu Hailian, as a woman, you spoke thoughtlessly, you will be punished with three lashes, do you accept it?!

  Mu Haixia's face lost its color, and she saw that her father and mother didn't intend to plead for her, so she could only blame herself for being too outspoken. With a trembling voice, she lowered her head and said, "I... I admit..."

  Mu Haolin turned his gaze to Mu Haiwei's face and said expressionlessly: "Mu Haiwei, you are arrogant and reckless, with your eyes high and your hands low. Your thoughts are radical and you have been entangled with the revolutionary party without a clear understanding of what it means to be humble. I will give you five lashes as punishment. Will you accept it or not?"

  Mu Haiwei's eyes showed a hint of fear as he glanced at the red box in Mu Changyuan's hands, swallowed hard, gritted his teeth and nodded, saying only one word: "Submit!"

  Mu Haolin turned to face Mu Changyuan, who was standing beside Mu Changqing, and said solemnly: "Third Uncle, you are the thirty-third generation of law enforcers in the Mu family. Please enforce the family law!"

  Mu Changyuan solemnly placed the box on the ancestral altar, lit three sandalwood incense sticks in the Xunde furnace with a match, and bowed three times to the ancestors' portraits. Only then did he carefully open the brocade box containing the family rules and took out a black long whip coiled around a disk.

  Mu Changyuan's right hand grasped the whip, raised high, and said in a stern, emotionless tone: "The Wulon Whip is my Mu family's 15th generation ancestor, made from python skin, spider silk, human hair, and iron wire, using secret methods. When it was first created, it was black, but now it has turned dark red because it has not only absorbed the blood of enemies, but also the blood of unfilial descendants of the Mu family. The Wulon Whip, with one strike, will leave a wound that will never fade, forever remembered by the punished descendants, as a reminder of the ancestral rules and laws set down by our ancestors!

  "Now, Mu's 34th generation unfilial descendants Mu Haixia and Mu Haiwei have violated the family rules and will be subject to family law! The executor is Mu Changyuan, a member of the Mu clan from the 33rd generation. Mu Haixia and Mu Haiwei, which one of you will receive punishment first?"

  "I'll go, or else I'll be even more scared after seeing Haiwei being punished." Mu Haixia stood up with a bitter face, took off her thick leather coat, and only wore a white cotton undershirt. She walked to the Ba Xian table and knelt under the ancestor's portrait.

  Mu Changyuan stood still about two meters behind Mu Haixia, his right hand shook violently in the air, and the nearly two-meter-long black dragon whip unfolded straight in the air.

  Mu's right arm swung up and then came down with a fierce swing.

  With a "crack", a whip mark instantly appeared on Mu Haixia's back, splitting the skin and flesh.

  "First whip!" Mu Hailin counted on the side with a expressionless face.

  Zhang Dengke and Mu Haiwei both turned their faces away, not daring to look again.

  Mu Haixia was also strong, and she only let out a muffled hum, without letting out a blood-curdling scream.

  But her tightly clenched fists and the cold sweat rolling down her face were enough to show how much pain this whip had caused her.

  As Mu Changyuan's right arm swung again, Mu Hailin shouted out in the same tone "Second whip!" "Third whip!"

  After the third lash, Mu Haixia had fainted from pain and fallen to the ground. Zhang Dengke, who was watching the punishment, hastily rushed forward and tightly hugged his wife in his arms.

  Next, Mu Haiwei knelt down in the same place where his sister had just been punished, his face deathly pale and his body trembling uncontrollably, revealing how frightened he was at this moment.

  Family law is heartless, especially for this ancient family with a history of over a thousand years, it is even more severely enforced than other families.

  Mu Haiwei was unconscious by the time he received his fourth lash.

  However, this does not mean that the fifth lash can be exempted.

  Mu Haolin personally came forward and supported his brother to kneel down, insisting on receiving the fifth lash. Only then did he let the old steward Mu Jincai call in Ziwei and Zilu, who had been waiting nearby to rescue them.

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