MLIAM Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Tit for Tat. It’s normal for old lovers to feel dissatisfied…

Even Yu Shuli could hear the sarcastic tone in the fake Zhao Xuan’s voice.

Wei Yan calmly replied to the other’s scrutiny, “The Emperor’s decree is like thunder and rain, all are blessings from the sovereign.”

“A fine ‘Emperor’s decree’… speaking of the Emperor…”

Not at all displeased by such a simple perfunctory reply, the Third Prince smiled and looked at Yu Shuli, “I heard from Father that the Duke of Zhenguo shut down a money pit in Quzhou… tsk, tsk, tsk, what a pity, this Prince didn’t get a chance to see it for myself…”

Yu Shuli stepped aside, not wanting to engage with the insinuation in his words, and retorted, “The Third Prince is skilled at seeking pleasure, naturally you can find even more suitable places for entertainment.”

“Oh? Really?” Seeing Yu Shuli retreat with a much colder expression, the Third Prince lowered his eyes and took a step closer, scrutinizing Yu Shuli’s face. “Tell me then, where is this more suitable place? This Prince likes places with a bit of seductive charm, does the Duke of Zhenguo have any recommendations?” His gaze traveled from Yu Shuli’s jawline to his waist, and then gradually downwards.

Being looked at like this, Yu Shuli’s expression turned unpleasant, and just as he was about to say something, Wei Yan immediately stood in front of him, warning in a cool voice, “Third Prince, do not speak of what is improper, do not look at what is improper.”

The two’s gazes met directly, sparks flying between them.

The sun, which had been hanging directly overhead, gradually set in the west. Above the training field, the clouds were light and the wind was gentle, the shadows of the trees dappled. The surroundings seemed to be frozen, even the short breaths were suspended.

“Zhao Xuan” simply treated Wei Yan’s words as a passing breeze, chuckling lightly, “Prime Minister Wei, you’re certainly protective.” But his gaze did not leave Yu Shuli’s body.

His gaze held a playful and sinister casual appraisal, as if admiring an insignificant object, making it hard not to notice the predatory interest.

Seeing that he couldn’t avoid it, Yu Shuli simply stopped trying.

He stepped forward generously, answering “Zhao Xuan’s” previous question, “This subject has always been self-disciplined and does not have any recommendations.” His small face was full of disdain, and he no longer concealed his dissatisfaction in his words.

Just as the “Third Prince” was about to say something more, he met the gaze of the Second Prince, Zhao Lan.

His lips moved, and before he could open his mouth, Zhao Lan smiled and apologized to Yu Shuli on his behalf, “Duke of Zhenguo, please don’t mind him. Third Brother is unaware of the Quzhou case. Such nonsense is nothing more than childishness, some rashness and love of play.”

Being openly called “childish” to his face like that, the Third Prince’s expression naturally stiffened, and he felt displeasure in his heart. But after a moment, he smiled slightly, “Yes… This Prince never knew that a theatre would dare to be so bold, actually engaging in such flesh trade. Out of curiosity, I’m very interested in investigating it…”

“Whose audacity is behind it… who are they working for?” He raised his chin and asked Wei Yan, word by word, “What does Prime Minister Wei think?”

“The Censorate will naturally give the results of the case details in due course.” Wei Yan replied calmly, “Today… is the spring examination site, not a trial site, and naturally… it’s not suitable for questioning. Am I right? Third… Prince?”

“Naturally.” “Zhao Xuan” raised an eyebrow. “Prime Minister Wei is right.”

He glanced around, finally returning his gaze to Yu Shuli, and said slowly, “However, before watching this final exam, I have a story to tell everyone. I wonder if the Duke of Zhenguo would be willing to do me the honor of listening?”

He only asked Yu Shuli alone.

Wei Yan’s brow furrowed slightly, “Third Prince, the exam must not be delayed.”

“What if I insist on delaying it?” Zhao Xuan smiled.

Wei Yan’s expression turned cold, “Then this subject can only handle things according to the rules.”

Repeatedly hinting and targeting Yu Shuli, even if Wei Yan had the best temper, he would inevitably have a grim expression at this time, and besides, Yu Shuli knew that he was not such a tolerant person at all.

When it came to his, Yu Shuli’s, affairs, Wei Yan would never let him be wronged.

With a flick of his finger, he quickly grabbed Wei Yan, who was about to step forward. Yu Shuli hooked his lips at “Zhao Xuan”, “Of course I want to listen, please proceed, Third Prince.”

Wei Yan felt a warmth on his wrist. He raised his eyes to meet Yu Shuli’s gaze.

Grasping Yu Shuli’s fingers in return, he squeezed them even tighter. After a moment, Wei Yan turned his eyes away.

Watching the two’s interaction as if no one else was there, “Zhao Xuan’s” lips slowly curved into a mocking smile, the mole under his eyes glaringly red.

“Once upon a time, there was a mountain forest. A group of wild beasts lived in the forest, killing each other every day, causing the people to live in misery. These wild beasts were greedy, cunning, and bloodthirsty. The villagers really couldn’t do anything about them. One day, a butcher came. He wanted to help the villagers deal with the aftermath.”

“So, he set traps in the forest, and placed delicious, addictive food on the traps. As expected, many wild beasts were fooled.”

“The captured beasts were fed medicine, forcing them into heat and sexual promiscuity. The butcher watched these livestock being tamed into lustful beasts, losing their ability to bare their teeth and claws, begging for mercy and pleasure, indulging in sensual pleasures, and was extremely satisfied. He kept these beasts in captivity, for the villagers’ daily entertainment.”

“But one day, a group of government officials appeared. They actually wanted to arrest the butcher, saying that he was harming living beings.”

Meeting the increasingly unsightly expression on the face of the person opposite him, “Zhao Xuan” smacked his lips, his gaze deep. “Duke of Zhenguo, do you think this butcher is harming living beings, or eliminating harm for the people?”

Listening to his meaningful remarks, Yu Shuli’s face was almost livid, his palms clenched tightly into fists. “Third Prince, this subject is ignorant and doesn’t know what you mean by telling such a story?”

“Zhao Xuan’s” eyes carried a vague mockery, and he smiled slightly. “Ignorant?… That’s a pity.” He turned his gaze to Wei Yan, “Since that’s the case, let our Prime Minister Wei explain.”

Wei Yan pursed his thin lips slightly, feeling the strength with which Yu Shuli’s hand was gripping his palm, he raised his eyes to look at the person opposite him, “Does Your Highness really want to hear it?”

“Zhao Xuan’s” mouth curved into an elegant arc. “Of course I want to hear it.”

“Birth, old age, sickness, death, natural disasters, and accidents are natural laws. This subject does not judge the evil deeds of wild beasts, after all, you also said that they are wild beasts. But the existence of the butcher in your story is the embodiment of malice, the work of private desires, not the so-called acting on behalf of heaven.”

“Zhao Xuan’s” eyes sharpened slightly, and he suddenly raised his head, “What do you mean?”

“He punishes the beasts, not for the sake of the villagers, but for his own sake.” Wei Yan’s gaze locked onto “Zhao Xuan’s” eyes. “Am I right?”

“Zhao Xuan” shook his head with feigned profundity.

Yu Shuli’s patience ran out. He let go of Wei Yan, took a step forward, his hand on the hilt of the sword he carried with him, his voice icy cold, “Third Prince, the story is over, can the final exam begin?”

“Zhao Xuan” looked at him in surprise as he touched the sword hilt, then chuckled. “So you understood?”

He hooked his lips. “It’s good that you understood. Then you should also understand that no matter what the butcher’s ultimate goal is, he ultimately helped this group of government officials solve a problem. Logically, they should be grateful to the butcher, not think about killing him off, right?”

A gentle voice suddenly joined in from the air, “Hold on.”

“Third Brother’s story isn’t finished yet, but I have a better punchline. Let me write a perfect ending to this story for you.” Zhao Lan’s eyes were as gentle as water, and he said in a warm voice, “The butcher is actually a jackal who transformed into a human. He disguised himself as a person and hid in the village, just wanting to instigate the villagers to kill each other. Those wild beasts were precisely what he raised to do evil, all to help him establish himself in the village, so that he could replace the village chief later. After being discovered by the government officials, he cleverly found someone to replace himself and be arrested by the officials, while he himself still wore human skin and mingled in the village.”

“That sounds like a good story… body double, taking over the nest… this style, I’m very familiar with, Prime Minister Wei must be very familiar with it too?” “Zhao Xuan” glanced at Wei Yan, whose face turned ashen in an instant. Without waiting for a response, he continued to ask, “Then what’s the perfect ending you’re talking about?”

“The story is naturally not over yet.” Zhao Lan’s smile deepened, he leaned forward and whispered in “Zhao Xuan’s” ear, “The perfect ending is naturally that the butcher was killed in the village by a real hunter, and his hypocritical skin was peeled off, and the villagers lived and worked in peace and contentment from then on.”

“Zhao Xuan’s” smile froze. “I’m not very satisfied with the ending of Imperial Brother’s story.”

“It’s just a story.” Zhao Lan put away his smile. “If I didn’t tell it well, Imperial Brother, please bear with me.”

“Imperial Brother’s storytelling skills still need to be honed…” “Zhao Xuan’s” gaze suddenly turned fierce. “Okay, the story is over… our debts…” He glanced around, and then suddenly stopped.

He cut off his words and abruptly looked at Yu Shuli, “Duke of Zhenguo, are there more elite soldiers on the training field today?”

Yu Shuli replied gloomily, “For the archery competition, there are many prey. To prevent onlookers from accidentally entering the training field or the prey from escaping out of control, there must naturally be elite soldiers to protect it.”

“Oh, that’s how it is.” “Zhao Xuan” smiled again, the ferocity in his eyes suddenly disappearing, and he returned to his lazy and amorous appearance.

The Second Prince glanced at Yu Shuli and reminded him, “Alright, the story is over, and the exam has been delayed for a long time. Duke of Zhenguo, please announce the start quickly.”

He turned his head and asked “Zhao Xuan”, “Imperial Brother, do you have any other questions? Can we start now? It’s one thing if Father blames us for delaying the exam, but don’t make these candidates dissatisfied. They will all be pillars of the country in the future.”

“Zhao Xuan” stared deeply into Zhao Lan’s eyes, and after a moment, nodded sullenly. “Alright.”

He seemed to have changed his face, and laughed, “Then let’s continue the exam, I can’t wait any longer.”

Yu Shuli received the Second Prince’s hint, suppressed the thought of exposing the fake Third Prince’s identity in his heart, and nodded dejectedly, “Then please trouble the Princes to take your seats in the safe area of the training field as soon as possible.”

Zhao Lan put his arm around “Zhao Xuan’s” shoulder and smiled like a good brother, “Imperial Brother, please?”

“Zhao Xuan” smiled stiffly. “Let’s go.”

After the others left, Wei Yan followed Yu Shuli to the examiner’s seat.

After only the two of them were around, Yu Shuli exhaled the breath he had been holding in.

“I’m so angry!” His small face flushed red, and he spoke in a barrage of words, “If he had even a shred of humanity, he wouldn’t have been able to tell such a story today. Turning black into white, packaging himself as an innocent and kind person, how can he be so disgusting!”

Wei Yan put his arm around him and comforted in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I won’t let him get away with it.”

Yu Shuli curled his lips. “The old Emperor is now delirious, and the Crown Prince’s punishment may not even be handed down. Are you really sure?”

“Soon, everything will be settled.” Wei Yan’s gaze fell on the man drawing his bow in the distance. “Once the red list of the spring exam is released, it will be the time for the Crown Prince to step down.”

“Was that fake Zhao Xuan trying to do something just now?”

Wei Yan absentmindedly said “Mmm,” “If he hadn’t seen the troops you deployed, I’m afraid he would have wanted to launch a palace coup today, right?”

Yu Shuli sneered. “Where did he get the confidence? Not only am I here today, but even the Second Prince is here. How could we let him run wild?”

Wei Yan didn’t say anything, but Yu Shuli felt that his expression wasn’t relaxed.

Clearly, this fake Third Prince wasn’t that simple.

“You told me before… he’s Wanyan Jun?” Yu Shuli frowned. “Are you sure? If you hadn’t said it, I definitely wouldn’t have believed that he was Wanyan Jun… He even came to Da Liang as a hostage before, right? We even had some interactions back then? At least… we were friends for a time, and I didn’t think he was a bad person. How did he become like this after so many years?… Speaking of which, when did he and Zhao Xuan switch identities?”

Wei Yan turned his head to look at Yu Shuli, his eyes deep.

After a long silence, he said, “I also… don’t know.” Then he still kept his gaze on the distance, not looking like he really didn’t know anything.

Yu Shuli actually didn’t mind him hiding some things he didn’t want to say from him. Wei Yan thought about many things, and the level he himself focused on was too shallow after all. It was normal for Wei Yan to have some secrets of his own.

But… noticing where Wei Yan’s gaze was lingering, Yu Shuli still frowned. “Why have you been staring at that man for so long?”

Wei Yan paused, chuckled, and turned his head to look at him, “What? Jealous?” He pointed at that side. “Take a good look, who is that?”

“Who is it?” After the accident on the street today, Yu Shuli had no mind to care about the martial exam at all. After the fake Third Prince came, he was full of vigilance and alertness, making it even harder to focus on the exam.

It was already difficult to ask someone who was straightforward to use their brain.

Fortunately, Zhong Nian and the others were here now, they would definitely give those candidates a fair assessment.

Yu Shuli hadn’t even noticed the face of the person Wei Yan was looking at before, so he walked to Zhong Nian and the others, pointed at the person and asked, “Who is that?”

Zhong Nian raised his eyes, and seeing that it was Yu Shuli, he smiled, “Little General, you didn’t recognize him? This person is an old acquaintance! You can’t even recognize our own people, the soldiers under you will be disappointed in the future.”

Yu Shuli said “Ah,” and finally frowned and looked carefully.

The moment the person turned around, Yu Shuli exclaimed, “It’s Dai Meng?!”

“Why did he come to the martial exam?!” Yu Shuli suddenly turned his head to look at Wei Yan, “You put him on the list?! I clearly didn’t see his application form.”

Wei Yan nodded in response. “He wanted an opportunity, so I gave it to him.”

“Wei Yan, you’re not right to do this, you’re opening the back door.” Yu Shuli muttered, “Our military camp emphasizes fairness and justice. Zhong Nian, Ding Sheng, and the others all came this way, there can’t be any exceptions.”

Wei Yan explained, “He’s going through the proper channels. Don’t worry, I won’t interfere with your military camp’s affairs.”

Yu Shuli was puzzled, “Then why wasn’t he on the list before?”

Wei Yan’s mouth curved slightly. “Naturally because someone crossed his name off.”

“No one has the ability to be so presumptuous in my territory!” Yu Shuli was furious. “Tell me, and I will definitely punish him according to military law!”

Wei Yan raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then go ahead. This person is the Second Prince.”

Yu Shuli’s pupils trembled, and he looked at him in horror. “Not to that extent, right?”

“Why not?” Wei Yan smiled, “It’s normal for old lovers to feel dissatisfied.”

His voice paused, and suddenly became resentful, “If the Duke of Zhenguo abandons me, I will definitely make things difficult for you in the future.”