MLIAM Chapter 33
by VolareChapter 33: You Came to Catch Me in the Act? Why Are You Here?
Yu Shuli glared at Zhong Nian. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m just helping people for fun.”
Zhong Nian looked at the dozen or so girls who were winking and flirting with Yu Shuli, their hearts full of longing, with a puzzled expression.
“You call this helping people for fun?”
Yu Shuli glared at Zhong Nian. “You don’t understand. I call this risk investment.”
Zhong Nian really didn’t understand.
Yu Shuli explained, “I saw it in Wei Yan’s book… Sigh, you’re illiterate, it’s normal that you don’t understand these things.”
You’re even proud of it…
Yu Shuli then explained to Zhong Nian the reason he saved these girls.
Only then did Zhong Nian realize it was all a misunderstanding.
The young general was just kind-hearted, afraid that these good family girls would be defiled.
When they arrived at the post station, Zhong Nian asked, “Young General, what should we do with these girls? Should we let them go home?”
Letting them go home now would certainly be unsafe.
Yu Shuli thought for a moment and said, “First, find a few empty rooms and let them stay there for now. They definitely can’t go to the battlefield. Find someone to register their household information, confirm their family details, and if everything checks out, find a large house in the suburbs to send them to, and wait for their families to come and take them back.”
Zhong Nian’s eyes widened. “General, are you still going to… keep them in a golden house?” He sighed. “How pitiful Miss Wu is… she doesn’t even have a proper title yet… and you already have new loves…”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Yu Shuli glared at him. “You better keep a close eye on these dozen or so people for me. They could endanger my life.”
Zhong Nian was stunned to hear this.
“I won’t go into detail, but in short, nothing must happen to them.”
Only then did Zhong Nian agree to take care of it.
A few days later, Yu Shuli left the post station and went to the horse farm for a walk, where he found Yang Shang, the Sixth Stable Magistrate, to inquire about the military horses.
Yang Shang took him to see the stable chief.
This experienced horse breeder had healthy wheat-colored skin, a strong build, an honest-looking face, and a simple smile. “Don’t worry, they’re all healthy. Since there wasn’t enough fodder before, I had the groomsmen graze them outside while our troops were passing through. They’re eating the outer grass, so they’ll be strong enough to eat their fill when we get to the battlefield, as we’ll be passing through so many barren mountains and wild ridges along the way.”
Yu Shuli sized him up, smiled, and said, “You’re a thoughtful and capable fellow.”
Seeing that Yu Shuli was satisfied, Yang Shang quickly nudged the stable chief and said, “Why don’t you introduce yourself to the general in detail!”
The horse breeder smiled blankly and then introduced himself.
His name was Dai Meng, from Luzhou. There was also a younger brother at home who was taking care of their sick elderly mother in the countryside.
Judging by his background and family situation, he seemed honest and able to endure hardship. If he was willing, he could be given priority for cultivation in the future.
Now was the time when people were needed. Yu Shuli didn’t have any prejudices and didn’t care about status or position. As long as someone was capable, he didn’t mind giving him a chance.
However, Dai Meng didn’t seem like someone who would be enthusiastic about an official career.
Yu Shuli asked, “You were a farmer at home, why did you suddenly want to join the army?”
A complex color flashed in Dai Meng’s eyes, and his eyelashes drooped slightly. “With the turmoil imminent, no one can stay out of it.”
Yu Shuli shook his head, his eyes carrying a hint of caution. “Dogs guard the night, chickens announce the dawn. Each minds their own business, and the affairs of the country are handled by the generals and soldiers. Why don’t you just farm in peace?”
“With loved ones in mind, one naturally cannot be at peace.” Dai Meng bowed. “Young General, rest assured, this subordinate has no disloyal intentions and will never betray the Northwest Army.”
Yu Shuli’s remaining roundabout questions were blocked by this sincere speech.
He chuckled. “Dai Meng, you don’t promise to never betray Da Liang, but you promise to never betray the Northwest Army?”
Dai Meng lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Yu Shuli stared at the seemingly straightforward and taciturn man in front of him and casually took two steps closer, noticing that Dai Meng subconsciously took two steps back.
He smiled knowingly, his voice casual but hitting the mark. “There are people you want to protect in the Northwest Army?”
Dai Meng was stunned for a moment, then nodded without denying it. “Yes.”
Yu Shuli thoughtfully “hmm”-ed and didn’t ask any further questions.
He carefully noted Dai Meng’s situation and planned to have Zhong Nian investigate him thoroughly when he returned. If he was indeed innocent and there was indeed someone he cared about in the Northwest Army, then he could be given an important position.
Yu Shuli left the horse farm and invited Yang Shang to drink together.
Yang Shang was enthusiastic and upright. Apart from that, he was a very good drinking buddy.
The two of them held warm pots and drank heartily in the tavern. Yang Shang, being straightforward, couldn’t help but complain to Yu Shuli about his male wife.
Yu Shuli didn’t know before that Yang Shang was married. He opened his round eyes, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Your wife… is a man?”
Yang Shang nodded and sighed. “He’s more controlling than a woman, forbidding this and forbidding that. I haven’t had a drink in months. If you hadn’t come looking for me, I wouldn’t have been able to get out on official business and have this drink until the year of the monkey.”
“Ah…” Yu Shuli exclaimed.
He subconsciously thought of Wei Yan, and prompted by some inexplicable thoughts, he asked Yang Shang, “Then… is he good to you?”
Yang Shang rarely blushed, coughed a few times, and said, “He’s… he’s alright, I guess.”
“Then… what about you?” Yu Shuli almost couldn’t hide his little thoughts and looked him up and down. “Did you marry him because you like him?”
Yang Shang made an “aiya” sound and finally sensed Yu Shuli’s unusual behavior. He looked over with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “Caring so much about other people’s love stories, does Young General have something going on?”
Yu Shuli mumbled a few times, neither admitting nor denying, and stubbornly asked him to answer.
Yang Shang took a sip of wine and said, “Actually, I didn’t know I liked men before. I thought I should find a woman to carry on the family line.”
“Pedantic,” Yu Shuli couldn’t help but comment.
Yang Shang smiled. “Yes, later I felt very pedantic. At that time, my family had already arranged a marriage for me, and I hesitated because of this, so I told him not to meet me again in the future. He has a stubborn personality and insisted on coming to my door. He thought my parents didn’t agree, so he came forward to persuade my father and mother.”
Yang Shang revealed a helpless expression. “I don’t know what he did, but now my mother treats him better than she treats me, her own son. I was originally worried that he would be bullied after marrying into the family, but he’s living very well.”
As Yu Shuli listened, the corners of his mouth also turned up slightly. “That’s good, it’s best to have your parents’ support.”
Hearing this, Yang Shang turned to ask him, “What about Young General? What’s the situation?”
Yu Shuli was stunned. “Me ah…”
He sighed. “I don’t know if I like him or not, and I’m not sure if I want to be with him.”
“Why?” Yang Shang said, “Liking someone is very clear. If the other person is sick, you’ll worry about him; if he teases you slightly, your heart will beat faster and your face will turn red; you’re always very concerned about his affairs; if you do something worthy of pride, you’ll want to get the other person’s approval and praise as soon as possible…”
Yang Shang asked, “Don’t you have any of these reactions?”
Yu Shuli “ah-ed” and “um-ed.”
He didn’t admit it, but his face turned red.
Yang Shang slapped his forehead and was a little embarrassed. “Then you probably don’t like him.”
Yu Shuli coughed guiltily, then touched the back of his head. “Then do you think, if he likes me, should I agree to him?”
Yang Shang’s expression twisted. “You don’t even like him, why do you care if he likes you?”
Yu Shuli stretched his neck and stammered, “Then… then he’s so pitiful?”
Astonishment appeared in Yang Shang’s eyes. “No, are you the Leshan Giant Buddha? There’s more than one or two women in the Capital who like you, are you going to give each of them a home?”
Yu Shuli pouted. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Yang Shang, our situations are different.” He stared at Yang Shang’s face. “I have a friend of a friend who likes my friend. If my friend rejects his friend, then they might not even be able to be friends anymore. But my friend cherishes his friend and doesn’t want to break off the friendship.”
Yang Shang: …So convoluted.
“Isn’t your friend yourself?”
Yu Shuli’s ears were a little hot. “Just answer me first.”
Yang Shang was forced to answer, so he had to ask, “So your friend is also a man?”
Yu Shuli’s voice was vague. “Yes.”
“Tsk… this is quite different from my family’s situation. Fei Yang and I are friends in need, ah… Fei Yang is my family’s ancestor… we didn’t know each other from before, so we don’t have your kind of troubles.”
Yu Shuli corrected him. “Not us, my friends.”
“Okay, okay… your friends.” Yang Shang felt like his brain was about to burn up. “So what are your friend’s inner thoughts? Why does he want to reject your friend’s friend?”
Yu Shuli thought for a moment and said, “Because he finds it very magical?”
Yang Shang: “What’s magical?”
Yu Shuli: “He finds it magical that he likes me.”
Yang Shang: “See, you finally admitted it, your friend is still yourself.”
Yu Shuli: …
“That’s not the point.” He said, “The point is, he’s always been good at everything, smart, and now he has a high position and unlimited success. Being with a man will add a stain to him. Why would he do that? I think it’s very strange.”
“Young General,” Yang Shang sighed. “Liking someone is something you can’t control. If you like someone, as long as you don’t see him, you’ll always miss him. You’ll worry about whether he’s eating well, drinking well, sleeping well, you’ll worry about everything that sounds very cliché, but is actually very warm.”
Yu Shuli didn’t say anything. He raised his hand and took another swig of wine. He felt both novel and troubled by the love that popped into his head.
Of course, he soon had no time to worry.
Because the person he was worried about came.
Zhong Nian ran into the tavern, panting. “Gen… General…”
Yu Shuli’s eyes were red from drinking. He looked up at him, bewildered. “Hmm?”
“Miss… Miss Wu…” Zhong Nian gasped for breath, not knowing whether he was nervous or too shocked. He couldn’t speak clearly. “She’s coming to catch you in the act! Run!”
What the hell?
Yu Shuli frowned, but saw Zhong Nian take out a letter and explain to him tremblingly, “You met Xu Song single-handedly before, and I was worried about you, so I wrote to Miss Wu to report your situation. Now Miss Wu’s reply has arrived. She said she’s coming to find you!”
Yu Shuli’s eyes widened, and he didn’t know what day it was.
His heartbeat was like a drum, and his breathing was so tight that he could barely control it. “You said… he’s coming?”
“Yes, when she replied to me, she was already on the road!” Zhong Nian wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Young General, she’s not coming to catch you in the act, is she? What about those dozen or so girls? They haven’t been settled into the house yet, and they’re still at our post station. What if she sees…”
Yang Shang, who was already tipsy, suddenly looked up at Yu Shuli when he heard this. “You… you not only have a crush on a man, but you also have a female lover? And you’re hiding a dozen or so in a house?!” His shock could no longer be described as surprise.
“It’s not like that…” Seeing Zhong Nian make it worse, Yu Shuli quickly kicked Zhong Nian. “Shut your mouth!”
“If it’s not like that, then what is it like?” A clear voice came from behind.
Yu Shuli turned around and found that the person was wearing a thick cloak, her eyebrows and eyes covered in frost, but still unable to hide her beautiful face.
There was almost no blood on his face, and because of fatigue, there was a slight blue-blackness under his eyes. His eyes were as deep as the night.
The two people’s eyes met, and in an instant, light and darkness intertwined, and emotions overlapped.
The two had not seen each other for a long time.
Yu Shuli shrunk his head, like a quail meeting a hawk, unable to be arrogant again. “Why are you here?”
“If I didn’t come, Young General would be very carefree.”
Wei Yan snorted and looked up at Yang Shang, his face unfriendly. “Who is he?”
“Yang Shang.” Yu Shuli’s voice only revealed obedience.
When Yang Shang saw Wei Yan, he knew that this was the friend whom Yu Shuli “liked.”
Now, he deeply felt that everything he had talked about with Yu Shuli before was nonsense.
Could Yu Shuli not like this friend of his?
Bullshit!
If it was someone he didn’t like, could Yu Shuli be so obedient? He was like a mad dog on the battlefield, not like he is now, like a harmless and innocent little rabbit.
Seeing that the person had misunderstood, Yang Shang quickly explained, “The Young General and I are just drinking buddies. I already have a loving wife at home and don’t dare to aim high for the Young General.”
Wei Yan glanced at Yang Shang, seeing that his eyes were sincere and not feigned, and put his eyes back on Yu Shuli, the coldness on his body dissipating a little, and asked, “This can barely be explained, but…”
“What about those dozen or so girls?”