MLIAM Chapter 31
by VolareChapter 31 Sweetheart: Isn’t it immoral to peek at other people’s letters? …
Yu Shuli’s journey with the army was not smooth.
Halfway there, it was discovered that subordinate officials had embezzled military pay and supplies. Enraged, he executed three incompetent generals who were spreading rumors, finally stabilizing the morale of the army.
However, the issue of military pay could be resolved through Yu Shuli’s reputation, but there was not enough food for combat, so the war could not proceed smoothly.
The Northwest was already poor. By the time they reached the Northwest and gathered food, it would be too late.
Returning would be violating the Imperial Decree, and going forward would be a pointless death.
Reluctantly, Yu Shuli could only send a letter back requesting support, and continue along the way, gathering food as he went.
Fortunately, the Northwest army led by Yu Shuli had an excellent reputation, and they managed to scrape together just enough to barely supply the army.
When passing through Lu’ang County in Suzhou, Xu Song, the governor of Suzhou, came to pay respects. Hearing about the shortage of military pay and food, he generously offered to help.
Yu Shuli wasn’t a fool, and of course knew that such a bargain wasn’t free.
The traitor had not been completely eliminated. A zealous high-ranking official suddenly popped up wanting to help, which was extremely strange.
Now he was dealing with the local overlord. Even if Yu Shuli’s status in the The Capital City and on the border was unshakable, in the local area, even a dragon had to lie low.
Yu Shuli accepted the invitation, looking at the gold-stamped words on it, and felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before.
But he had amnesia, and really couldn’t remember.
Vice General Zhong Nian frowned and asked, “General, could this be a trap?”
Yu Shuli handed him the invitation and asked, “Do you recognize this writing?”
Zhong Nian looked at it for a few moments and said, “It looks somewhat familiar, but your subordinate is ignorant and can’t recall it.”
Yu Shuli had no advisors, only some brainless, loyal, and courageous generals. It wasn’t their fault that they lacked intelligence.
Yu Shuli sighed. For the first time, he missed Wei Yan a little.
If it were Wei Yan, he would definitely be able to come up with a way to avoid offending Xu Song while also making a complete escape.
Yu Shuli thought for a moment and closed the invitation: “I’ll go.”
“General!” Zhong Nian was worried. “What if it’s a trap?”
“If I don’t go, it will be easier for him to find an excuse to use underhanded tricks. The enemy is in the dark, and I am in the light. If the military pay hadn’t gone wrong, I definitely wouldn’t buy his story. But now it feels like a series of interconnected schemes. If I don’t enter the game, I won’t be able to catch the person behind it.”
Zhong Nian: “It feels like you’ve been talking so mysteriously lately, Junior General… I don’t understand some of it…”
Yu Shuli smiled: “Your general is resourceful!” He said proudly: “If Wei Yan were here…”
He stopped there. He seemed to be… too reliant on Wei Yan…
“How is Prime Minister Wei?” Zhong Nian asked.
Wei Yan, in the eyes of the soldiers, was an extremely terrifying figure.
Yu Shuli put away his smile and shook his head.
He decided not to scare Zhong Nian.
“Have there been any letters from him recently?”
Zhong Nian said no. He saw a flash of disappointment in the Junior General’s eyes, and added: “However, there was a family letter from a Madam Wu to her husband. I searched the army camp for a long time, but couldn’t find this person, so I held the letter back.”
Yu Shuli hurriedly said: “Bring it here!”
Zhong Nian brought the letter over, pointing to the words on the cover and said: “In our army camp, there is no soldier called ‘Zheng An’. This Madam Wu might have written the wrong address.”
Yu Shuli looked at the heading, which read Wu Qingqing Wu Shi.
The two words “Zheng An” also had a strange rhythm to them. The familiar handwriting on the envelope made Yu Shuli’s heart leap, and inexplicably he began to blush.
Seeing Yu Shuli begin to open the letter, the upright, four-good youth Zhong Nian hesitated: “General, isn’t it immoral to peek at other people’s letters?”
“What ‘we’? Who said I was letting you read it?” Yu Shuli said sternly, taking the letter for himself, “Get out, get out, get out.”
Zhong Nian pouted, still wanting to persuade him: “Junior General, you really shouldn’t be like this.”
“Shouldn’t be like what? This letter is for me!” Yu Shuli gritted his teeth.
Zhong Nian’s eyes widened, belatedly realizing and saying “ah.”
“Miss Qingqing is… the General’s… sweetheart?” Could it be that they had been secretly seeing each other, and the Junior General was using a false name to protect the girl’s reputation?
Zhong Nian immediately looked at Yu Shuli with a teasing gaze.
“What nonsense? He’s the one who’s fond of me! I haven’t agreed yet.” Yu Shuli retorted, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curve upward.
Zhong Nian let out a “hehe” laugh: “Before, I thought the General was really going to end up with Prime Minister Wei. Many noble ladies in The Capital City must be crying their eyes out, but Prime Minister Wei, after all, is like a lofty mountain and a bright moon. Many people still have self-awareness, knowing they can’t compare. But this inexplicable Miss Wu, if word of this gets out, then the Junior General will be in trouble.”
Yu Shuli understood his meaning, and casually took out a piece of silver from his pocket, throwing it to him to seal his lips: “Alright! Stop mentioning it!”
Zhong Nian took the silver, immediately smiling: “I’ll keep this money for the brothers, and when we win, I’ll treat them to drinks.”
Yu Shuli nodded, finally getting the man to leave, and then carefully opened the letter.
The letter was indeed in Wei Yan’s handwriting, and he did indeed write it to himself.
The two had a secret code between them, and the ordinary words had different meanings. They used each other’s mothers’ surnames to correspond, precisely because they were afraid that spies would intercept their letters, causing unnecessary trouble.
In the letter, Wei Yan stated that he knew of Yu Shuli’s predicament. He had already negotiated with the Ministry of Revenue a few days prior, and funds had been allocated, with a special person already dispatched to deliver the military pay. It would arrive soon, so Yu Shuli shouldn’t worry.
He also said that because there was probably a traitor in the army, Yu Shuli should carefully investigate himself. Before finding out who it was, he must not rush to the front lines.
To conceal his identity, he would correspond with Yu Shuli under the name “Wu Qingqing” in the future. If there were any developments, he would offer advice, telling Yu Shuli not to act rashly.
Yu Shuli, propping his face up, finished reading, and sighed with a mixture of joy and disappointment.
Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. No matter how resourceful Wei Yan was, it was impossible for him to determine the outcome from a thousand miles away.
But his letter ultimately gave Yu Shuli a lot of confidence.
Looking at the letter, at the words that were meant to conceal his identity, and at the “Wu Qingqing” who kept acting spoiled and saying he missed him, Yu Shuli felt somewhat unsatisfied.
Another day… another day he would have Wei Yan say it to his face.
*
The next day, Yu Shuli carefully tidied himself up and still went to the restaurant.
The place Xu Song invited him to wasn’t some Brothel, but an ordinary restaurant, which put Yu Shuli a little more at ease.
Upon entering the restaurant, at the door of the private room on the second floor, Yu Shuli’s adjutants and subordinates were stopped. Yu Shuli himself was also forced to remove his armor before entering.
The welcoming servant looked at Yu Shuli apologetically: “Junior General, this is the restaurant’s rule, weapons are not allowed inside, please understand.”
Yu Shuli threw his saber to Zhong Nian, nodding to the others: “You guys wait outside, I’ll be back soon.”
Zhong Nian was anxious, but could only let the General go.
But the Junior General was stubborn and willful, and couldn’t be persuaded at times like these. So Zhong Nian thought about it and wrote a letter to that “Wu Qingqing” Miss, explaining the situation and wanting her to subtly advise the Junior General, so that he wouldn’t be so impulsive in the future.
Even though he knew that from thousands of miles away, that girl wouldn’t be able to come and help Yu Shuli solve his urgent problem even if she received the letter, Zhong Nian still did so subconsciously.
Seeing how much the Junior General valued her, perhaps… the sweetheart’s persuasion might really stop the Junior General from being reckless?
Yu Shuli was skilled and daring. Removing his armor and sabers, he went to the banquet alone.
The man at the table was tall and sturdy, with a neatly trimmed mustache. He looked shrewd and treacherous, with a pair of drooping, triangular eyes slightly curved. Seeing Yu Shuli enter, he smiled and came over to salute.
There were also a few other officials with him, who looked like civil officials. The surrounding decorations were clearly visible, and there was no place to hide anyone.
Yu Shuli put his mind at ease.
“Junior General honoring us with your presence, truly makes Lu’ang County shine.” Xu Song lifted his drooping eyelids. As he moved, two tassels on his exquisite embroidered robe swayed, making a soft sound along with the sound of him pulling out the chair.
“You’re too kind.”
Yu Shuli unceremoniously took the seat of honor by the window, his eyes sizing up the people present, waiting for Xu Song to introduce them one by one.
Xu Song slowly and unhurriedly introduced the likes of Chief Secretary Luo, and Zhang Sima.
Yu Shuli nodded casually, showing a faint smile as if he were listening, but in reality, he didn’t plan to get acquainted with any of them.
Seeing that he was a little impatient, Xu Song then began to talk about the main business.
“I heard that the General is about to go to the front lines, but is troubled by the military pay.”
Lu’ang County was close to the border, and it was naturally difficult to raise a large amount of military pay.
But fortunately, Yu Shuli had prepared enough provisions. As long as the lower-ranking officers didn’t make trouble, delaying the issue of military pay for a few days wouldn’t be difficult.
Yu Shuli said: “There was indeed such a thing before, but now…” He paused, not continuing, but instead smiling and looking at Xu Song: “Governor Xu looks like a capable man. You invited me here today, I’m afraid it’s not as simple as just drinking, right?”
He took the initiative to pick up a wine cup, poured himself a cup of wine, and tapped it on the table: “I’m a straightforward person, I say what I have to say, and I don’t like to hide things. Everyone invited me to this banquet today, and I’m very happy. I’ll take it as making a few friends with you. Let’s speak our minds.” After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.
A sharp look flashed in Xu Song’s eyes: “The Junior General is forthright!”
Everyone at the table followed Yu Shuli’s example, drinking the wine in their cups.
Xu Song said: “This official knows that the Junior General is a god of war. This time against Xizhao, you will surely be able to beat them into a rout… The Junior General has won many battles and made great contributions to Da Liang. How can you be trapped by mere provisions?”
Zhang Sima smiled in agreement: “Our Governor Xu is concerned about the country and its people. Upon hearing of this, he immediately gathered everyone together to raise military pay for the General.”
Yu Shuli raised his eyebrows, remaining unmoved.
Chief Secretary Luo rubbed his hands, “This military pay… it’s easy for the Junior General to take it away…”
Yu Shuli laughed silently in his heart, but on the surface, he pretended to be ignorant and naive: “How so?”
Chief Secretary Luo showed a delighted smile, about to lean over, but was stopped by Xu Song.
The smile on Xu Song’s face didn’t reach his eyes, and he glared at Chief Secretary Luo: “What’s the rush? Can’t you see that the Junior General hasn’t eaten properly?”
He clapped his hands, and a waiter outside responded, starting to serve dishes.
Yu Shuli suppressed the impatience in his heart and slowly began to move his chopsticks.
Having been with Wei Yan for a long time, his impetuous temper had been smoothed out a lot, and now he could even make people feel a bit wary and elusive.
Zhang Sima glanced a few times at Yu Shuli’s calm face, his eyes rolled, and he whispered a few words into the waiter’s ear.
The waiter showed an ambiguous smile, and then nodded as if he were used to it.
Xu Song beckoned Yu Shuli to eat, asking him how the dishes were.
“Not bad.” Yu Shuli answered vaguely, gnawing on a roast lamb leg without any hesitation.
Halfway through the meal, Yu Shuli hadn’t asked anything, appearing not at all curious about the military pay, just eating obediently.
Even Xu Song couldn’t see through this Junior General.
Was this Yu Shuli truly stupid, or truly profound?
Zhang Sima gave Xu Song a look, and Xu Song’s increasingly cold gaze fell on Yu Shuli’s delicate and handsome face.
He curved his lips, nodding to Zhang Sima.
These two people’s secret glances were all seen by Yu Shuli, but he seemed completely unaware, and ate another half of a suckling pig before stopping.
Under the anxious gazes of the others, Yu Shuli finally mercifully wiped his mouth and smiled: “I’m full.”
Only a mess remained on the table.
Xu Song and the others had things on their minds and ate absentmindedly. Yu Shuli single-handedly took care of the entire feast.
He burped contentedly, looking at the others: “Is there anything else? If not, I’ll go back.”
Xu Song gritted his teeth, thinking that this Yu Shuli was actually an idiot. If he had known this, what was the point of preparing for so long?
So Zhang Sima stood up and laughed: “It’s still early, why are you going back so early, Junior General? Why not follow us and see the world together?”