MLIAM Chapter 75

Chapter 75 Old Grievances: We were once… good friends. …

Yu Shuli suddenly fainting on the training ground was something no one could have imagined.

Physician Yang frowned, twisting his beard as he examined Yu Shuli from head to toe, yet he couldn’t find anything abnormal.

Yu Shuli looked at Wei Yan, who was anxiously pacing beside him, and smiled to reassure him, “I’m fine. Perhaps I’ve just been too tired these past few days. A little rest and a few more naps will do the trick.”

“Has the Duke of the Nation been experiencing frequent headaches recently?” Physician Yang didn’t think it was a minor matter. He repeatedly asked Yu Shuli to stick out his tongue and switched wrists to take his pulse.

Yu Shuli shook his head, “No, just this once…”

“Did you consume anything unusual yesterday?”

“No…” Yu Shuli stammered, “What does that have to do with what I ate?”

Physician Yang blew on his beard, “Of course it’s related. Not only the diet, but also what you did yesterday, you must tell me in detail.”

“It wasn’t anything important…” Yu Shuli frowned and began to recall, “I ate two red bean buns and a bowl of soy milk in the morning. Wei Yan brought me a portion of chicken feet from that corner shop… We often go to that shop, and there’s never been a problem before. Then I went to court as usual, the training ground, the military camp, and after that, I went home. I ate at home for lunch… too much, I can’t remember everything.” He looked at Wei Yan with a pleading expression.

Wei Yan took over, “There shouldn’t be any problem with the food either. They were all common dishes we eat regularly. Just in case, I’ll make a list for Physician Yang later.”

Physician Yang nodded, conscientiously continuing his inquiries, “Besides food, did you do anything else special?”

“I don’t think so.”

Wei Yan gave him a meaningful look. “Yes, there was…”

“Last night…”

Yu Shuli finally realized what he was talking about and clapped a hand over his mouth, his ears turning red. “Shut up! Don’t say it.”

Wei Yan chuckled softly, “This… needs to be told to Physician Yang. Don’t worry, he’s one of us, it’s fine.”

Physician Yang coughed lightly, seeming to guess what they were about to say, his gaze shifting uncomfortably. “This old man has been there, done that. You two don’t need to be shy.”

Yu Shuli was not comforted. He hesitantly asked, “Um… does doing that for too long cause problems?”

“As long as your body isn’t having issues, it’s nothing.” Physician Yang glanced at Yu Shuli, “Given the Duke of the Nation’s physical condition and build, an hour or two shouldn’t be a problem, it won’t have any impact.”

Wei Yan’s eyes curved into a smile, and he nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

Yu Shuli pinched him. “What do you understand that you’re agreeing to?!”

Wei Yan took his fingers and placed a light kiss on them. “I’ll listen to you from now on. Whatever time you say, that’s the time.”

Yu Shuli scoffed, “Ha, men.” He muttered, “I don’t believe it.”

Physician Yang averted his eyes, pretending not to see anything.

Yu Shuli propped himself up on his elbows and looked at him, asking, “Physician Yang, what exactly is wrong with me?”

Physician Yang turned his face back, carefully examining Yu Shuli’s face, then glancing at Wei Yan. After a moment, he beckoned Yu Shuli over, “Come here, let me feel the back of your head.”

Yu Shuli obediently said “Oh” and leaned closer.

Physician Yang ran his hand along the back of his head, then frowned, his expression becoming serious. “Duke of the Nation, have you… ever experienced amnesia before?”

“Amnesia?” Yu Shuli let out an “Eh,” “Like that time, after falling into the water, I didn’t remember things from two or three years ago, but I remembered things from long before.”

“Besides that time?”

Yu Shuli was stunned.

“What do you mean?” Yu Shuli’s mind went blank for a moment, his voice trembling slightly. “Are you saying…”

“Before that episode of amnesia, the Duke of the Nation should have experienced amnesia once before.” Physician Yang stroked his chin and stated definitively, “You just don’t remember it.”

The color drained from Yu Shuli’s face in an instant, his complexion turning pale as he took a step back and murmured, “How… is that possible…”

Yu Shuli grabbed Wei Yan’s arm and suddenly looked up, “You know… don’t you?”

Wei Yan put his arms around the uneasy man and sighed, turning to ask Physician Yang, “Physician Yang, can you tell what caused the amnesia?”

Physician Yang shook his head. “There are no obvious external injuries on the Duke of the Nation’s head. Even if there were, they probably would have healed after so many years, making it difficult to find any trace.” He asked Yu Shuli, “Regarding your past memories, do you know if there’s any period of time that’s missing? Perhaps we can look for clues in that area.”

“I’ve already lost the trivial memories, but I still have some vague impressions of a few major events. I really don’t feel like I’ve ever had amnesia before…” Yu Shuli rubbed his head, still unable to accept the sudden realization that he had experienced a second bout of amnesia.

“Is there anything unusual about this headache?”

Yu Shuli glanced at Wei Yan.

Wei Yan said, “Don’t worry, Physician Yang knows everything about the situation.”

Only then did Yu Shuli say, “I inexplicably recalled some memories of when Wanyan Jun was a hostage, perhaps because I saw him again today…” His voice paused, then slowly continued, “But I also remembered…”

“Remembered who else?” Physician Yang took out paper and pen, recording Yu Shuli’s symptoms one word at a time. He paused here, waiting for Yu Shuli to continue, but Yu Shuli remained silent.

He struggled out of Wei Yan’s arms.

Wei Yan lowered his eyes to look at him, but he refused to look up.

“Remembered…” Yu Shuli muttered, “Wei Yan…”

Wei Yan’s fingers barely managed to support himself on the desk. “Is that so? It’s about me?”

The ink brush in Physician Yang’s hand dripped onto the paper, leaving a thick ink stain.

He glanced at Wei Yan’s pale face, knowing that there must be a story between the two. But out of a physician’s compassion, even if it meant offending Wei Yan, he still asked, “What’s it about?”

“Wanyan Jun… being punished, whipped.” Yu Shuli spoke slowly, one word at a time, “Wei Yan… was standing on the side, watching coldly.”

Wei Yan’s face suddenly became terrifyingly ugly.

“There might be a misunderstanding…” Physician Yang steadied himself. “Besides that scene, what other impressions do you have?”

Yu Shuli shook his head.

“Did this Third Prince of Xizhao have any other interactions with the Duke of the Nation in the past?”

Wei Yan and Yu Shuli both paused at this question, their breathing hitching.

After a moment, Yu Shuli let out a long breath and answered, “After I first arrived in the Capital City, because my cultural knowledge was lacking, His Majesty granted me permission to study in the Imperial Study for a period of time. It was then that I met Wanyan Jun. We…”

Wei Yan’s gaze locked onto him, causing Yu Shuli’s heart to flutter.

“We were once… good friends.”

Wei Yan straightened his back, his calm eyes holding a deep meaning that Yu Shuli couldn’t understand. “Just… friends?”

Yu Shuli considered his wording and added for Physician Yang’s benefit, “At that time, my relationship with Wanyan Jun was probably better than my relationship with Wei Yan.”

Physician Yang didn’t show any surprise on his face, but continued to ask plainly, “What happened later that caused you to grow distant from him?”

“He… I saw him kissing a palace maid with my own eyes…” Yu Shuli bit his lower lip. “At that time, no one had a concept of settling down, but… in the end, it shouldn’t be what a proper man would do, to force a kiss on a maidservant. Afterwards, when I asked him about it, he avoided the subject, only saying that he wouldn’t marry her. At that time, I felt that he and I were not the same kind of people, and I gradually grew distant.”

Physician Yang nodded. “I understand roughly.”

Yu Shuli asked him anxiously, “Then have you come to any conclusions? How should I treat my illness?”

“The one who tied the bell must untie it.” Physician Yang glanced at Wei Yan, saying meaningfully, “Perhaps the Duke of the Nation should learn more about the past from the people involved at the time. It might help you recover your memory.”

Yu Shuli dejectedly let out an “Ah,” “Is there no prescription that can help me recover my memory? It’s not good for me to keep losing my memory like this. Besides, where can I find Wanyan Jun now? He’s changed his face and is playing our Zhao Xuan.”

Physician Yang leisurely stood up, “If you need a prescription, this old man can prescribe some for you. But medicines for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Prescribing them won’t do much good.” He raised his chin slightly, “The Duke of the Nation’s illness is probably a matter of the heart.”

*

After Physician Yang left, Yu Shuli grabbed Wei Yan, who was about to go brew medicine for him. “Wei Yan, stay here, I have something to ask you.”

Wei Yan nodded, leaning down to sit by his bed. “Ask away.”

“Did you and Wanyan Jun have some kind of conflict in the past?”

“Hmm?” Wei Yan chuckled, “Conflict? Not really. We just didn’t see eye to eye.”

“Why are you always so hostile towards the same gender? You didn’t like Chen Li earlier either…” Yu Shuli cautiously probed his expression, “Why did you have him whipped in my memory?”

“It wasn’t me, you… remembered wrong…” Wei Yan pursed his lips. “Do you remember the Inlaid Flower Festival that year in the Imperial Palace?”

“The Inlaid Flower Festival?” Yu Shuli tried hard to recall from the depths of his memory, finally retrieving a few details. “That year… I remember you hadn’t seen your aunt for a long time and missed her very much. It happened that on the day of the Inlaid Flower Festival, many opera troupes and female tutors would enter the palace, so I pulled you along to dress up as women and sneak in, saying I would take you to see your aunt.”

Wei Yan nodded. “Yes.”

“Later…” Yu Shuli tried hard to recall, “After entering the palace… I only remember hiding with you by the Clear Water Pavilion… Hiss…” Thinking further, Yu Shuli’s head began to ache again.

“If you can’t remember, then don’t think about it. I’ll tell you slowly.” Wei Yan rubbed his head, his smile stiff and awkward.

Yu Shuli keenly noticed that his emotions were off. After a moment of silence, he said, “Wei Yan, did something you don’t want to mention happen back then? If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

Wei Yan shook his head, “There’s nothing I can’t tell you.”

His voice was clear and cold as he recounted the story:

“At that time, you and that Wanyan Jun were close, and you told him about our plan to enter the palace. It just so happened that on that day, Wanyan Jun also wanted to see you and asked you to meet him outside the Clear Water Pavilion.”

“It was summer, and the sun was terribly hot. You waited for him, but he was late in coming. The servant girl’s clothes you were wearing were a little damp with sweat. I told you to go to a cool place in the pavilion to hide first, take off your outer garments to dry them, and I would go and find you a new set so that you could change clothes while no one was around.”

“Who knew that he would arrive late, and accidentally bring the Empress, who was still alive at the time.”

Wei Yan closed his eyes, “At that time, a palace maid suddenly stood up and reported that the hostage was in the garden, engaging in illicit relations with a palace maid. Immediately, the Empress announced that the entire garden would be sealed off and thoroughly investigated. At that time, your clothes were disheveled, and you were dressed as a woman, so you definitely couldn’t explain clearly after going out, and you would be charged with a crime of corrupting the harem.”

“So…” Yu Shuli stared at him intently, “Wei Yan, if you went to find clothes for me at that time and weren’t at the scene, how would you know all this?”

“I…” Wei Yan slowly approached Yu Shuli, tightly gripping Yu Shuli’s wrist with one hand.

Yu Shuli didn’t pull away. Wei Yan paused, giving up on pretense, “The palace maid in your memory… was me.”

Yu Shuli’s body stiffened. “You said… what?” He looked Wei Yan up and down with an incredulous gaze, “So… that palace maid Wanyan Jun was pulling… was you?!… Then you and Wanyan Jun…”

“No! Nothing happened!” Wei Yan hurriedly denied, “Nothing happened at all! The kiss you saw was fake, he kissed his own fingers.”

Yu Shuli shook off his wrist and took a step back in confusion, “But… why… would you… do that?”

“Was it because I was on good terms with him and neglected you during that time? So you deliberately put on an act to make me stay away from the seemingly immoral Wanyan Jun?” Yu Shuli sneered, “Wei Yan, so that’s what you were like back then, you had to get what you wanted, and you would stoop to any means to slander others, even if it meant hurting others. I… I thought that Wanyan Jun was morally deficient and didn’t want to associate with him, but it turns out that all of this was your doing. Did you deliberately want me to see it? I’m afraid that everything from the rendezvous at Clear Water Pavilion to the arrival of the Empress was the result of your careful calculations, right?”

Wei Yan closed his eyes, his voice low and hoarse with grievance, “I didn’t…”