MLIAM Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Eating Soft Rice, He Punches People Indiscriminately

Seeing the Crown Prince, Yu Shuli’s face turned pale. He understood everything.

He shook off Wei Yan’s hand, turned to look at him, and said in a cold voice, “Wei Yan, you set me up?”

Wei Yan also frowned at this moment.

Just as the Crown Prince and his entourage glanced over, he pulled Yu Shuli back into the shadows.

The sound of footsteps grew closer. Yu Shuli was pressed against the deck by Wei Yan, a slightly cool finger pressed against his lips, signaling him to be quiet.

Yu Shuli blinked, somewhat puzzled.

Wei Yan… seemed to not know about the Crown Prince’s arrival either.

The leading man laughed softly, surrounded by a group of people fawning and flattering as they escorted him into the cabin.

During this time, Wei Yan maintained this posture, blocking Yu Shuli.

As the moonlight shifted, Wei Yan finally released him and explained, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know the Crown Prince would come.”

Yu Shuli stood in the same position, unsure of what to think. After a long silence, he mumbled, “Okay.”

Yu Shuli and the Crown Prince had always been at odds.

Years ago, when the Yu family was forced to come to The Capital City because of that Imperial Decree, his father took him to The Capital City to sample the local snacks and they encountered the Crown Prince’s carriage.

Galloping horses kicked up dust everywhere.

Yu Shuli was holding a pancake at the time. The originally greasy pancake was splattered with a layer of dirt, and he was pulled back by his father.

He saw a small boy pushed out of the crowded crowd and fall in front of the carriage.

The boy’s mother hurriedly called him back, but the little boy seemed to be injured and couldn’t stand up.

The carriage was moving very fast and didn’t slow down at all when they saw the person.

With the horse’s hooves about to trample him, the little boy’s mother cried out.

Yu Shuli threw away the pancake, flipped out, grabbed the little boy, rolled over to avoid the approaching hooves, then jumped onto the horse, forcefully pulled the reins, and the horse neighed.

The coachman was squeezed into the corner of the carriage, and the speeding carriage was finally forced to stop.

The sound of porcelain breaking came from the carriage, a mess.

Yu Shuli patted the coachman, told him to be careful in the future, and then jumped off the carriage.

He thought it was just a small accident, but who knew that the person in the carriage would say in a deep voice that they wanted to take Yu Shuli down for questioning.

Yu Shuli was confused at the time, and since he was new to the city, he didn’t know who was inside, so he retorted, “You’re driving a carriage in a place with so many people, and you don’t even slow down. You disregard people’s lives, and you still have the nerve to question me?”

The person in the carriage lifted the curtain.

Behind a pair of sharp and shrewd eyes was a face that looked like it would haggle over every penny. “Bold commoner! How dare you obstruct the Crown Prince’s carriage! Someone, seize him!”

Yu Shuli looked up and saw the gloomy and unruly face behind this strange man who lacked any masculinity.

The man wore a green jade inlaid gold crown and a black python robe, with a dignified face and an air of authority.

That was the current Crown Prince, Zhao Yong.

The little eunuch announced his name, but Yu Shuli still didn’t budge. Seeing that the instigator wasn’t admitting their mistake and was still unrepentant, he simply wanted the person inside to come out and apologize to the people.

The two sides were at each other’s throats.

Finally, Yu Huaxin stood up, nodded and bowed, apologizing and pleading to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince, who had been silent all along, finally curved his lips and spoke, “I was wondering why I hadn’t seen such a young and vigorous young master in The Capital City… so it’s the family of Old General Yu…”

His expression gained a hint of interest, and he turned to look at Yu Shuli, “Today, I, as the Crown Prince, have important matters to attend to in the capital, and in my haste, I almost injured the people. I have long heard of Flying Dragon Junior General Yu’s integrity. Seeing him today, he is indeed graceful and handsome.”

“Forget it, it was my fault today,” he turned to face the child’s mother, “I’m really sorry, I’ll send someone to offer condolences later. Please accept it and forgive the recklessness and rudeness of my subordinates.”

The woman was so frightened that she didn’t dare to breathe loudly, crying and saying, “I dare not,” “I can’t afford it.”

Yu Shuli finally nodded in satisfaction, “That’s more like it.”

Zhao Yong turned his head, looked at Yu Shuli again, and sized him up.

This time, there was an unknown glimmer in his eyes.

He glanced at Yu Huaxin and said, “General Yu has just arrived in the capital, the Imperial Palace will definitely hold a welcoming reception for you.”

Yu Huaxin repeatedly bowed and said, “I’m ashamed, I’m ashamed…”

“As for Flying Dragon Junior General Yu…” Zhao Yong didn’t know what he was thinking of, and suddenly showed a bright smile, “We have a long time to get to know each other.”

…

After Zhao Yong left, Yu Huaxin straightened up a little and slapped Yu Shuli hard on the face, “Is that someone you can afford to offend? Your mother is kind and has raised you to be lawless!”

…

The memory ended, Yu Shuli took a deep breath and looked at Wei Yan, “So, it was just a chance encounter?”

Wei Yan nodded, “Don’t worry, I’m here, the Crown Prince won’t make things difficult for you.”

Seeing that Yu Shuli’s expression wasn’t happy, he immediately said, “Didn’t you want to listen to music? It’s about to start, let’s go in.”

Yu Shuli thought for a while, nodded, and followed him into the boat.

Over the years, it wasn’t that he hadn’t been in contact with the Crown Prince. On the surface, they were harmonious, but in reality, they hated each other to the bone.

In secret, the two sides had already competed many times.

If it weren’t for Yu Shuli’s meritorious service on the battlefield, the Crown Prince would have attacked him countless times already.

And Yu Shuli was the same. He would never allow the Crown Prince to inherit the throne, so he had already befriended the Second Prince. Once the Crown Prince stepped down, it would be time for the two sides to tear their faces apart.

The cabin was hung with bright lights. Yu Shuli followed Wei Yan and sat down in the middle of the cabin. The waiter brought up dishes one after another and said with a smile, “Miss Haitang will come after changing her clothes. Today, she will play ‘Magpie Bridge Fairy’.”

There was a burst of booing from the audience. Even the Crown Prince softened his expression, picked up his wine, and sipped it lightly.

Yu Shuli pulled on Wei Yan’s sleeve, “Who is she? How can she have such a big impact?”

Wei Yan’s eyes paused, a little surprised, “You don’t recognize her?”

The expression on Yu Shuli’s face was very strange, “Is she famous? Do I have to recognize her?”

Wei Yan was speechless, “Aren’t you the one who always wanted to see the number one qin player in the world?”

Yu Shuli’s eyes widened, “You said she is the number one qin player in the world?!”

Seeing that he really didn’t know, Wei Yan couldn’t help but smile.

“You don’t even know that Miss Haitang is the number one qin player in the world, and you still have the nerve to say you admire her?”

Seeing Wei Yan squinting and mocking him, Yu Shuli glared at him, “Why can’t I admire her? I admire the music she plays, and I don’t need to know her personally. Besides, everyone says she’s the number one qin player in the world, how would I know her name is Mudan?”

Wei Yan was speechless, “Her name is Haitang…”

Yu Shuli: …

“That’s not important, anyway, I heard that the music she plays is very good!” Yu Shuli cupped his cheeks in his hands, “She must be an extremely beautiful woman.”

Wei Yan’s Adam’s apple moved. He lowered his eyes and drank a glass of wine.

After a while, the lights flickered, and a graceful woman slowly walked onto the stage.

She wore a light veil, smiled generously at the crowd, sat down in front of the qin, and began to play without any opening remarks.

The waiter walked around the stage with a reward pot, receiving tips from the audience along the way.

Seeing that the waiter was about to come over, Yu Shuli’s face suddenly panicked. His pocket was cleaner than his face.

To avoid embarrassment, he simply lowered his head quickly, bending his back to his knees, shrinking down like that, his body stiff and unable to straighten up.

The waiter stopped in front of him. Yu Shuli pretended not to see him.

Even Wei Yan couldn’t figure out what he was doing.

“Young master… young master…” The waiter’s face changed, and he called Yu Shuli a few times, but Yu Shuli ignored him.

Wei Yan threw a piece of silver to send him away.

Who knew that a hand would quickly reach out and pick up the silver.

Then… he put it in his pocket.

Waiter:?

“Young master, is there anything wrong?” The smile on the waiter’s face was about to disappear, “That reward…”

Yu Shuli shook his head, “No.”

“That young master just gave it…”

Yu Shuli finally straightened up, coveting Wei Yan’s piece of silver, and sighed, starting to act, “To tell you the truth, this is my money to sell myself.” He wiped the corner of his eye, wiping away tears, “It hasn’t been easy for me all these years, giving myself to him for this little bit of money, but he’s not human! He used the money he gave me to tip… When he’s in the mood, he doesn’t distinguish between face and ass…”

The waiter “ah’d” and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the delicate young master in front of him.

He looked at Wei Yan with a contemptuous expression, wanting to persuade him but not daring to.

Wei Yan’s face, already with a bad reputation, turned black, “Yu Jì’ān…”

Yu Shuli quickly pushed the waiter away with a pale face, “Hurry up and leave, he punches people indiscriminately!”

The waiter looked at Wei Yan’s seemingly angry face and believed him, running away quickly.

After the person left, Wei Yan laughed, “What are you doing?”

Yu Shuli honestly replied, “I didn’t bring money.”

“Didn’t I pay for you?”

“That’s different.” Yu Shuli said decisively, “If you pay for me, the waiter will say that I’m eating soft rice; but now when he goes back, he will only pity me.”

Wei Yan gritted his teeth, “You’re living too comfortably.”

Yu Shuli nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, “Don’t worry, this is the blessing you’ll have when you’re with me.”

Wei Yan: …

I have to say, thank you.

The song “Magpie Bridge Fairy” should have been a lingering and unfulfilled love, but in the hands of Miss Haitang, it became a tenacious and brave pursuit, a lifelong dedication.

Yu Shuli stared blankly at her, as if he saw his ethereal mother in the small courtyard.

Wei Yan drank until his eyes were red. He turned his head, his gaze never on the woman on the stage, but always on Yu Shuli’s every move.

Seeing him melancholy, seeing him yearning, seeing him falling.

“Do you like it?” Wei Yan suddenly said in a low voice.

“I like it.” Yu Shuli answered subconsciously.

Seeming to realize that Wei Yan’s tone was wrong, Yu Shuli turned back to look at him, but saw that the wine pot in front of the man was already empty.

Yu Shuli was shocked, “How much did you drink? Your body is not well, you can’t drink like this.”

Wei Yan glanced at him, his voice as sour as drinking vinegar, not wine, “You can look at others, what do you care about me for?”

Yu Shuli: …

“Brother, I just like to look at beautiful girls, can’t you understand that?” He sighed, his fingers slowly touching Wei Yan’s leg, pinching it hard, “Hey, it seems we’re not very compatible.”

Wei Yan grabbed his wrist, looking over with a cold face, “Not compatible? You’re not compatible and you’re still teasing me?”

Yu Shuli wasn’t that blind. He carefully leaned over, took away Wei Yan’s tightly held wine glass, and tentatively asked, “Wei Yan, are you jealous? Don’t be jealous, what’s teasing, I don’t just have the ability to be with two people at once.”

He puffed out his chest and raised his head, “There will be more days of being jealous in the future!”

“You better just be saying nonsense because you’re drunk.” Wei Yan laughed in anger. His fingers rubbed against each other, touching Yu Shuli’s side, his eyes, which were already extremely beautiful, now watery and seductive, “Yu Jì’ān.”

Being touched by him, Yu Shuli’s eyelashes trembled, but he didn’t dodge.

Wei Yan completely leaned over, almost half of his body leaning into his arms. “Today is my birthday.”

Yu Shuli was stunned, finally not joking around, “What did you say?”

He looked at Wei Yan, who was already a little drunk, in disbelief. Counting the days, it seemed to be true!

Suddenly understanding what his mother and grandmother came home for.

After he stood him up at noon, why he lostly looked for him again, and invited him to dinner together, at a place like Magnolia Cloud Ship.

Yu Shuli looked at Wei Yan beside him with a complicated expression, and pursed his lips.

The song on stage ended, and Miss Haitang gracefully bowed and prepared to step down.

The audience cheered and shouted, “Another song! Another song!”

Yu Shuli was about to turn his head to look over, but was hugged by Wei Yan.

His arms stretched out from behind, holding Yu Shuli tightly in his arms.

Yu Shuli’s back was pressed against a hard thing. After a moment, he remembered that it should be the jade pendant he gave as an apology at noon.

Has it already been worn on his body and treasured?

But… that was just for apology, not a birthday gift at all.

“Don’t look at others!” Wei Yan threatened.

“I won’t look.” Sighing, Yu Shuli didn’t look at the stage again. His gaze was on Wei Yan, never moving away again.

The drunken man lost his usual aloof and ruthless appearance.

Fierce and clingy.

His face was tinged with a dazzling red, setting off a face of thousands of styles.

Yu Shuli knew that Wei Yan was good-looking, but he had never seen him like this.

Flustered, at a loss, clinging to himself, unknowingly seductive, scratching people’s hearts.

Yu Shuli suddenly thought: Maybe… marrying Wei Yan wasn’t that bad?

“Wei Yan,” Yu Shuli thought for a while and suddenly said, “Haven’t you ever heard me play the qin?”

Wei Yan “ummed.”

“Then I’ll play a song for you.” Yu Shuli hugged him a little shyly, helped him up and straightened him, “Just… just as a birthday gift for you.”

Wei Yan lifted his eyelids to look at him.

Yu Shuli was already as red as a little apple.

So easy to bully, obedient beyond words.

Only endless tenderness remained in Wei Yan’s eyes, “Okay.”