MLIAM Chapter 46
by VolareChen Li said, could it be that the person the Crown Prince originally wanted to target was Yu Shuli himself?
These words awakened Yu Shuli.
At the thought of the Crown Prince’s filthy thoughts, the blood in his body flowed backward, and his anger seemed to fill his entire being.
“Tianyuan seventeen years, I should have been twenty-two years old at that time?”
Chen Li said, “How would I know how old you are? What does your age have to do with this?”
Yu Shuli shook his head: “I offended the Crown Prince in Tianyuan seven years.”
Chen Li was stunned. Yu Shuli continued, “He remembered this hatred, remembered it for ten years. Once he made a move, he wanted me to be utterly destroyed and fall into hell.”
Yu Shuli sneered: “He underestimates me too much. If he just drugged me and found a few men to sleep with me, such things would never crush me.”
“Yu Shuli, I really didn’t know before that your grudges with the Crown Prince were so great.” Chen Li turned his head, his face a little pale: “With this kind of grudge, if I were to endure it, I would be pissed to death sooner or later. If he really admired you, couldn’t he have been forthright? Why use these low-down methods? Luckily, he didn’t succeed…”
Yu Shuli shook his head: “How could he possibly admire me? For such a filthy thing to say he admires me is an insult to the word. And if it’s really like you said, his problem is even bigger. He dares to mess around like this even with me, let alone anyone else.”
Chen Li agreed, sighing: “If it wasn’t because my brother-in-law’s family was rich enough to rival a nation, and could be considered a royal merchant for generations, even His Majesty would give them some respect, preventing the Crown Prince from acting rashly, my sister would have been one of the victims.”
“What do you mean by one of the victims?”
Chen Li closed his eyes: “Isn’t this the little story I wanted to tell you? This Crown Prince, during a private visit in disguise, raped dozens of women from the common people…”
“This beast!”
Yu Shuli clenched his fist: “Didn’t the local officials report it? Dozens of people!”
“Who would dare? The people don’t fight with the officials, and the officials don’t fight with the imperial power. It’s always been like this… Otherwise, why would I have taken matters into my own hands to assassinate him?”
Only then did Yu Shuli remember that he had just mentioned his sister, so he hurriedly asked, “What about your sister’s matter?”
“That day, my sister was discovered by the Crown Prince and his people, but she reacted quickly and immediately fled with her servants. In the process, she happened to meet my brother-in-law, who rescued her onto his carriage, and that’s how the two became connected.”
Yu Shuli nodded, relieved: “I see.”
“But later, the Crown Prince was still incredibly resourceful and actually found out my sister’s identity, sending people to follow her more than once. It was my brother-in-law who came forward, and the two of them reached some kind of deal, which persuaded the Crown Prince’s people to retreat. My sister never came to the Capital City again after that, and has been living with my brother-in-law in Qingzhou.”
“Those years should have been the most arrogant years for the Crown Prince. His enemies gained power and openly supported the Crown Prince… If his enemies hadn’t fallen later… The Crown Prince wouldn’t be so subdued now, and might have been even more lawless.” Yu Shuli’s voice was swept into the cold wind outside the camp: “Speaking of which, Wei Yan’s rise also happened during those years, right?”
Chen Li pondered for a moment and replied, “That’s indeed the case.”
“That’s right.” Yu Shuli said, “Wei Yan once said that he had the Crown Prince’s weakness in his hands, and that must be this matter.”
“Prime Minister Wei… he’s been holding onto such a case for so long, doesn’t he want to uphold justice?”
“In the past, Wei Yan himself was barely able to protect himself, so where would he have the strength to fight against the Crown Prince? Even if you tell me now, it’s hard for me to guarantee that I can immediately avenge those women…”
If the rampant selling of official positions and the common practice of rape and plunder among redundant officials were the norm, it naturally wouldn’t be a single act in one region. Yu Shuli understood Wei Yan’s concerns.
On the one hand, rumors are fearful, and it’s necessary to take care of those victims and prevent them from being harmed a second time due to the case being exposed. On the other hand… the Crown Prince is not at his last gasp after all. A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. The matter of bringing down the Crown Prince is a long and arduous task.
Chen Li “ah”-ed, and suddenly exclaimed: “Then Prime Minister Wei… also knew long ago that the Crown Prince had malicious intentions towards you?”
These words stumped Yu Shuli somewhat, and he felt a stuffy feeling in his chest.
After a long while, he abruptly replied: “Probably.”
Chen Li was asked to leave Yu Shuli’s camp. Seeing Yu Shuli’s face suddenly darken, Chen Li didn’t want to push his luck, so he didn’t mention wanting his share of Silver Filigree Charcoal and went back to snoring as usual.
But Yu Shuli didn’t sleep all night.
If Wei Yan had known long ago that the Crown Prince coveted him, then why had he remained indifferent for so many years?
Was that incident really that simple? The Crown Prince wanted to do evil to him but accidentally insulted others?
Was the answer he got from his confrontation with Wei Yan in the Heavenly Prison really the truth?
*
The next day, the battle roared, and the Northwest Army once again flattened the border city of Xizhao with an overwhelming victory.
The two sides finally entered the stage of peace talks, and this time, Da Liang occupied an almost heaven-defying advantage.
At this moment, a major event also occurred in Quzhou.
The Quzhou governor, Dong Lingqing, was assassinated and died in his mansion.
Only a thin line mark was left on his neck, making it impossible to tell what weapon was used. But it was possible to clearly recognize the terrifying martial arts and strength of the assassin.
All five hundred or so people in the mansion that night, including servants and family members, were completely unaware of the events of that night.
Following the major case at the Quzhou theater, another assassination occurred, equally inexplicable.
Before Qiu Shuchun’s matter was resolved, another high-ranking official died.
It could truly be said that one wave was not settled before another rose.
The entire Quzhou was in a state of panic.
Yu Shuli was in high spirits, organizing his troops in preparation to return to the Capital City to receive rewards when he heard the bad news.
It was only when Zhong Nian entered with a pale face that Yu Shuli’s smile sharply faded.
“What’s wrong?” He frowned and asked Zhong Nian.
Zhong Nian endured it for a long time but couldn’t hold back, almost with a crying voice: “Little General, Lord Dong has been assassinated and died…”
Yu Shuli couldn’t react for a moment. He was in a daze for a moment before stiffly asking: “You said… what?”
“Lord Dong… was cut in the throat with a narrow weapon of unknown type while sleeping peacefully at night. His concubine woke up during the day and discovered it, by then the blood had already drained…”
A silvery thread seemed to flash before his eyes, and Yu Shuli couldn’t grasp where he had seen it.
His eyes were red as he gritted his teeth and asked, “The concubine is unharmed?”
Zhong Nian nodded in a muffled voice. “Apart from Lord Dong… everyone else is fine. Although Master Dong is depressed, he is still able to preside over the funeral.”
“That concubine didn’t hear any sound in the middle of the night?”
“She said she slept peacefully all night.”
Yu Shuli’s heart tightened: “Did you check for any traces of drugs nearby?”
Yu Shuli had a guess in his heart, but he subconsciously felt a sense of panic, as if he was eager to prove that his guess was wrong. He asked very anxiously.
“Master Dong said in his letter that he had already checked and there were no traces of any sleeping incense or intoxicating fragrance. Perhaps she simply slept soundly.”
Yu Shuli let out a long breath, relieved the frustration in his chest, and closed his eyes: “What kind of person is this concubine?”
“Master Dong didn’t say in his letter… but… it is said that this woman committed suicide in fear of punishment while being held in custody. Now there is no way to verify the truth.” Zhong Nian’s tone was quite regretful: “I didn’t expect Lord Dong to be wise all his life, but in the end, he fell for lust.”
“Was the case solved?”
Zhong Nian shook his head: “His Majesty was furious and ordered Prime Minister Wei to thoroughly investigate Quzhou, and there must be an explanation for these two matters.”
Yu Shuli was thoughtful: “So that is to say, His Majesty does not agree to attribute the assassin to that concubine either?”
“But… if it wasn’t that concubine, who else could it be? Killing someone so silently, even I may not be able to do it. It can’t be a ghost, right?” Zhong Nian muttered.
“No.” Yu Shuli looked at him, seriously saying: “If I were to assassinate an ordinary civil official with no martial arts skills out of ten thousand people, I could also do it.”
“This… Little General, don’t bully me for being stupid. I may be stupid, but I’m not foolish.” Zhong Nian scratched his head: “How many people in the world can compare to your martial arts skills? It can’t be that you made a special trip to Quzhou to kill someone, right? Moreover, Lord Dong treated us so well, how could you possibly kill him?”
Yu Shuli glared at him: “What I mean is… since I can do it, then others can naturally do it too.”
Zhong Nian retorted: “But first of all, you have to be highly skilled in martial arts…”
“There are many capable people in the world, it’s not surprising.” Yu Shuli rubbed his forehead in thought: “What’s strange is that Lord Dong knew martial arts, and it was impossible for him to be completely unaware when he slept at night, and there were no traces of drugs… how did that person do it?”
He walked out while thinking, Zhong Nian followed behind slowly: “Little General, this matter, Prime Minister Wei will take care of it, right?”
Yu Shuli paused and let out an ambiguous: “Mm.”
A few days later, after the Northwest Army was reorganized, they all returned to the Capital City to prepare to receive rewards. Yu Shuli sent three letters to Wei Yan by carrier pigeon, but all three were lost without a trace.
Not only Wei Yan, but all of his letters to Dong Siwen also received no response.
With the return to the Capital City imminent, Yu Shuli became increasingly anxious.
Half a day later, an Imperial Decree arrived, stating that Prime Minister Wei’s old illness had relapsed, and Yu Shuli was specially approved to go to Quzhou as an Imperial Envoy to handle the aftermath of the two cases.
Two murder cases, each more difficult and unrewarding than the last. Going now, if he doesn’t handle it well, he will face accusations from several forces behind the scenes.
Zhong Nian said: “The Second Prince also sent a letter, knowing that the Quzhou matter is thorny, and told you not to care about the Imperial Decree this time. In short, don’t go to Quzhou, he already has plans for the follow-up.”
The more it was like this, the more worried Yu Shuli became. He shook his head: “I know what I’m doing.”
“Little General, have you heard about the Quzhou matter?” Chen Li stormed in: “I knew it! This kind of Imperial Decree must have been issued by the old emperor at the instigation of the Crown Prince, deliberately tormenting you. These kinds of murder cases are not easy to solve. Prime Minister Wei has been there for so long and has no solution, and his old illness has even relapsed, which shows that Quzhou is a tricky place. If we go now, what’s the difference between sending a lamb to the slaughter?”
Commander Mu learned the news and was also extremely angry: “That’s right!” He slapped the table: “We are battlefield soldiers, we learned how to kill and how to behead. Is it possible for our Little General to do the lousy work of solving cases and arresting criminals?”
Yu Shuli glanced at Commander Mu: “Mu Shaoyang, are you calling me stupid?”
Commander Mu choked: “Little General’s level of case-solving is indeed not very good.”
Chen Li chuckled a few times and was glared at by Yu Shuli. “Okay, I didn’t laugh.”
Ding Sheng and Lao Si followed behind. Seeing this, they also stood aside, sealing the camp so that no one outside could eavesdrop.
Ding Sheng walked over: “Little General, we’ll accompany you on this trip. Three cobblers are as good as Zhuge Liang.”
“You accompany me?” Yu Shuli turned his head slightly and rolled his eyes: “Accompany me to do what? Accompany me to be beheaded? Do you think this case can be easily solved?”
His gaze swept over a few people: “Do you think Wei Yan hasn’t solved the case for so long because he’s stupid?”
Everyone was silent.
Chen Li finally became more serious: “You mean…”
“This case… whoever solves it dies.” Yu Shuli chuckled: “His Majesty is afraid that after we return to the Capital City, we will be too successful and arrogant, so he wants to give us a warning in advance. Once the case is solved, several forces will collide head-on, dogs bite dogs, and they will either die or be seriously injured.”
“What do you mean?” Commander Mu roared: “Afraid that we’ll rebel?”
He chuckled a few more times: “Who cares about rebelling against him? If he insists on forcing us, even if we don’t solve the case, we can start fighting from Quzhou. By then, who cares about murder cases or assassinations? We’ll just become kings on the ground, and what can he do to us?”
“Mu Shaoyang, if you’re tired of living, don’t drag others to their deaths with you.” Yu Shuli, hearing this, became angry instead of happy.
He suddenly turned around and punched Commander Mu. “Do you think the old emperor wouldn’t have made preparations? Are the generals and troops he helped the Crown Prince cultivate just for show? If there is a single traitor present, you won’t die enough even if you die ten thousand times.”
A bright red fist mark instantly appeared on Commander Mu’s face. He rubbed his face, stubbornly saying: “That’s right! What kind of emperor is he? In my opinion, he’s just a foolish ruler!”
Yu Shuli punched him again.
“You idiot! If you had a little more brains, you wouldn’t just be a commander after all these years.” Yu Shuli pointed at his nose and scolded: “Look at the Crown Prince’s side, how many connections does he have? A Minister here, a Vice Minister there. Those people have eyes growing on the top of their heads, relying on having a military seal, they wish they could step on the emperor’s head. Even the emperor has to protect him, this Crown Prince. What about me? I brought you out, each of you has no small feats of battle, but are you self-motivated? Now a great opportunity is in front of you, as long as you return to the Capital City, everything will be there. But what are you thinking? You’re thinking of rebelling? Are you worthy of me, you bastard?”
Commander Mu took two punches and was lectured, but he rarely kept quiet and didn’t refute.
The atmosphere became dull for a while.
Even Ding Sheng, who was always arrogant and conceited, lowered his head, looking ashamed and disappointed.
“These years, we have embarrassed Little General.” Ding Sheng said: “Our Northwest Army has been said to be simple-minded and well-developed limbs more than once. Those high-ranking officials and noble young masters in the Capital City look down on us and gossip about us behind our backs. We all know it and have retaliated with a lot of tricks in secret, but in the end, we are not relieved. Ultimately, we are still not worthy of our reputation. We have a reputation, the people support us, but His Majesty doesn’t like us, so we are in a dilemma.”
“Everything depends on Little General. Without you, we would be nothing.” Lao Si echoed. “So you must not have an accident, you are the backbone of our Northwest Army.”
“It’s not just me.” Yu Shuli shook his head, his voice firm: “The Second Prince has helped us a lot.”
“If it weren’t for him, so many people in the Northwest Army would have been submerged in the long river of history and ceased to exist.” Recalling the past, the Second Prince gave them a home, a garrison, when his own position was still unstable.
Although Quzhou is not a good fief, it has outstanding people and the villagers are simple and honest. When there are no battles, everyone works together in agriculture, military and civilians coexist peacefully, which can be considered very comfortable.
And at that time, after Yu Huaxin was defeated, it was also the Second Prince who risked disobeying the Emperor to resist public opinion and protect this group of border guards.
Not to mention, he gave Yu Shuli the opportunity to rise again when he was at his most difficult.
Such a person who knows how to recognize talent, is good at assigning people to jobs, and loves the lives of the people, but is always plotted and designed by his biological brothers.
The palace turmoil and infighting forced the Second Prince to travel far away time and time again, avoiding disaster under the pretext of disaster relief, away from the deep vortex of the center of power.
But… this vortex, it is impossible to never step into it.
So, the Second Prince finally began to resist.
Above the throne, there are countless lives hanging, he abandoned his self and freedom, and finally chose to fall into the vortex of imperial power. Even if not for himself, he must fight for the people.
How can a cruel and tyrannical monarch treat his people well? It is impossible to rest assured to hand it over to the eldest and third brothers. So, the Second Prince and Yu Shuli agreed that he wanted this throne.
Brothers turn against each other, tearing their faces on the surface, this is normal, the Second Prince and Yu Shuli had expected it long ago, but Yu Shuli did not expect it to be so fast.
“The Second Prince is our great benefactor, and he is about to return to the Capital City,” Zhong Nian finally understood after Yu Shuli pointed it out, “This matter is probably aimed at the Second Prince.”
“It’s too risky for Little General to go alone, we can’t not go.”
Mu Commander covered his injured face and said in a muffled voice: “Then I’ll go too! I promise not to mess around!”
Ding Sheng said: “I’ll go too! After all, I’m considered to have a slightly better brain among us.” Seeing Yu Shuli’s angry look again, he added: “When necessary, I will help Little General watch Mu Commander, at least not let his stubborn temper ruin things.”
“You…” Yu Shuli’s body trembled, and he sighed helplessly: “Why are you doing this? Maybe this trip will be a one-way trip. Return to the Capital City peacefully to receive credit, and you will have wealth and honor for the rest of your life.”
“We don’t seek wealth and honor, but we seek a clear conscience.” Zhong Nian said.
The others followed suit one by one.
Yu Shuli’s eyes turned red, and he reluctantly nodded. “On this trip, you have not received an Imperial Decree and have postponed your return to the Capital City, which is deceiving the Emperor.”
“Small matter.” Lao Si smiled naively: “I haven’t been beheaded yet, I’m also catching up with the new trend.”
Seeing that they were all going, Chen Li quickly stood up: “If you all go, then I definitely have to go too!” He held out his hand and gestured: “Look, in case we can’t solve the case, the emperor is furious, we can still rebel on the spot!”
He smiled: “I have money… Our military equipment is not a problem.”
Yu Shuli: …
What kind of army did he raise? A rebel army?