MLIAM Chapter 49
by VolareFacing Yu Shuli’s inquiry, Wei Yan closed his eyes: “Marquis Xunyang.”
“It’s him again!” Yu Shuli’s eyes widened: “In the end, the enemy is a relative of the imperial family. Princess Jiangning’s mother is just a fake princess. Even Qiu Wanshan acts cautiously in the Capital City. What gives Marquis Xunyang, someone who benefited from his ancestor’s service to the emperor, the power to control everything?”
Yu Shuli walked while angrily denouncing.
“My Lord, where are you going?” The maid who delivered the medicine earlier silently stood behind them.
She said calmly: “My Lord, if you want to rest and scout, don’t delay for too long. Otherwise, if this servant can’t find you, it will delay the effect of the medicine…”
Yu Shuli put down Wei Yan, whom he was carrying on his back, gently helped him to stand, and then lowered his eyes to look at the woman in front of him, asking, “Who poisoned him?”
The maid smiled: “Young General, knowing too much may make things difficult to deal with in the future.”
“Deal with? Who?” Yu Shuli also smiled, pointing to himself: “Why should I deal with anything?” He raised his hand to grab the sword at his waist. The hilt quickly rose, the scabbard fell, and the sharp blade was placed against the woman’s neck.
She didn’t even have time to react.
She was first stunned, then smiled: “I thought you were different from Prime Minister Wei, but now that I think about it, you’re the same kind of person.”
Yu Shuli looked at her coldly: “Yes, we are the same kind of person, so are you afraid? I can save you, and I can kill you too.”
However, the woman was not timid, but instead stepped forward, pressing her neck against the blade: “Young General, do you really dare to do it? Do you know who is behind me?”
“I don’t care who you are?” Yu Shuli pushed the blade deeper. A second bloody mark instantly appeared on the woman’s fair neck, “Look, these blood marks complement the previous ones, quite beautiful, aren’t they?”
The woman bit her lip, her eyes darting around, revealing a flustered look, as if she was frightened to tears.
Yu Shuli curled his lips, pulled her closer, and then stomped his foot “bang,” successfully scaring her into falling to the ground.
He laughed loudly: “All show, no go.” (Silver spearhead with a wax tip.)
The woman fell into the mud, but tried to calmly raise her head, looking at the two with a sympathetic gaze: “There are some things that only I know. It’s fine if the Young General doesn’t curry favor with me, but you even want to kill me?”
She wouldn’t say it herself.
Yu Shuli’s eyes were filled with anger: “This Young Master has never curried favor with anyone in my life. What are you?”
“Ji An.” Wei Yan suddenly interrupted, “You can’t kill her yet. She probably knows the whereabouts of Dong Siwen.”
“I know.” Yu Shuli was not so stupid, of course. He turned the sword around and used the hilt to tap the maid’s pressure points twice, preventing her from escaping, “Killing her would be letting her off too easily. We have many methods of torturing people in the military camp. It would only take a stick of incense to find out anything.”
Yu Shuli looked at Wei Yan, put his arm around him and examined him carefully, asking, “Has she bullied you a lot these days?” He seemed to want to seek justice for Wei Yan.
Wei Yan’s eyelashes fluttered, and he simply leaned weakly on Yu Shuli, gently humming an “Mmm.”
The maid’s eyes widened as she retorted, “Prime Minister Wei, how can you lie through your teeth? This servant has always followed the rules and never overstepped the line.”
“What are you afraid of?” Yu Shuli laughed: “I’m just settling accounts with you. Weren’t you quite arrogant before? Did you assume that Wei Yan is a gentleman, or that I am a gentleman?” He raised his hand and made a fist: “Let me state first that I am not a gentleman. It would be better to count on Wei Yan. If you have value, perhaps he can spare your life.”
Wei Yan leaned back in Yu Shuli’s arms: “I am not a gentleman, I am a treacherous official. Treacherous officials are most afraid of leaving future troubles.”
“Then why did you spare her before?” Yu Shuli raised his eyes to look at him, unable to hide the sourness in his voice: “She has served you for so long.”
Wei Yan chuckled and pinched his nose, explaining, “I kept her because she was indeed useful… Wasn’t it to save your friend? But don’t worry, she hasn’t touched a single hair on my head.”
Seeing the two of them in this posture, the maid simply fell silent and shrank to the side, no longer able to maintain her tough demeanor.
Yu Shuli supported Wei Yan’s seemingly boneless waist, but felt the other’s fingers restlessly probing into his belt. He gritted his teeth, imperceptibly pressed down on the disruptive hand, tapped the ground with the tip of his sword, and said to the maid: “Is your arrogant and domineering temper cured? You can rest assured that I will not use those dirty, low-down methods to deal with you.”
The maid “hmph”ed, but heard Yu Shuli continue: “In any case, I will treat you the way you treated Wei Yan.”
“An eye for an eye.”
Wei Yan lowered his eyes for a moment, watching Yu Shuli’s face, the smile in his eyes unable to be concealed.
“Well, they fed me so many poisons, handful after handful, making me look like this…” He tugged at Yu Shuli’s belt and complained softly: “You know, I hate taking medicine the most.”
“The old poison in the Prime Minister’s body was already there, and the other poison was given by Marquis Xunyang. What does it have to do with this servant?! This servant was only ordered to deliver the antidote to the Lord on time.” Seeing Wei Yan talking nonsense and blaming her, the maid knew that the situation was not good. She trembled her lips, forcibly threatening Yu Shuli: “Young General, don’t be complacent. Although you are a formidable figure in the Northwest, you have to curl up like a dragon and lie low like a tiger when you get to Quzhou.”
“Who taught you these words?” Yu Shuli’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, “I am neither a dragon nor a tiger, just someone who protects those I care about, so I can’t stand being taken advantage of. I will make you all pay back for the grievances Wei Yan has suffered.”
“Even the Prime Minister is trapped in the Residence. What can you, a general without military power, do alone in Quzhou?” The maid stiffened her neck: “It’s best to avoid useless struggles, otherwise your beloved Prime Minister may suffer from the toxicity and lose his life.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Yu Shuli’s voice was faint, “Who said I am alone?”
Behind him were thousands of Northwest soldiers.
No one would have thought that these thousands of people had all defied the imperial decree on their own initiative and accompanied him to Quzhou.
Yu Shuli didn’t know what Wei Yan had said to them, but in the end, these people gave up their foolish loyalty, and Zhong Nian had also changed a lot. In the near future, they would not fear anyone.
“Quzhou is far away from the Capital City, and the Northwest army is far away in Xizhao. They will soon return to the Capital City to be conferred. You can’t get support without the Emperor’s order, can you turn the world upside down? Life and death are in the balance. Young General, remember to stand on the right side. Following someone without a future may lead to the destruction of the Yu family line.” The maid smiled, then lowered her eyebrows and stopped talking.
Yu Shuli was furious: “Who wants to turn the world upside down? You’re even blaming us. It’s ridiculous! If you want the Yu family to be destroyed, you’ll have to see if you have the ability.”
Wei Yan grabbed Yu Shuli’s hand: “She’s deliberately trying to anger you. It’s not necessary.”
Of course, Yu Shuli knew this. What angered him was that even a small maid dared to despise the Second Prince so much.
Objectively speaking, the Second Prince had been suppressed in his political achievements over the years, but he had never made a mistake. Compared with the Crown Prince and the other princes, his reputation should have been quite good, but neither the political parties nor the people seemed to have much expectation of the Second Prince.
The reason was simple: the Emperor disliked him.
How easy would it be for an unfavored prince to break through in the palace intrigues and power struggles?
Yu Shuli pursed his lips.
In the end, it was that the people behind them were not reliable enough.
If he, Yu Shuli, could pose a threat like Marquis Xunyang and Qiu Wanshan, the Second Prince would not be forced into such a situation.
But he used to have no money or power, and was indeed some distance away from these two.
But now, Yu Shuli’s heart moved.
The painful state of Wei Yan just now and the difficult situation of the Second Prince repeatedly appeared in his mind.
Having acted like a gentleman for too long, he finally understood at this moment.
He thought, perhaps Chen Li was right.
If he blindly tried to protect his reputation and couldn’t be ruthless, the ones who would be hurt in the end might be Wei Yan and the Second Prince.
Yu Shuli could easily guess why Wei Yan was poisoned.
Undoubtedly, it was because his friend Dong Siwen had become a prisoner. Wei Yan, because he cared about his feelings and wanted to protect Dong Siwen, was restricted everywhere. Otherwise, with Wei Yan’s ability and temperament, there was no reason to be threatened.
Wei Yan could treat him like this, so why should he continue to hurt Wei Yan with these ridiculous persistence?
So, Yu Shuli hardened his heart and simply didn’t leave after noon.
This was to tie himself and Wei Yan to the same boat.
Wei Yan originally wanted to use himself as bait to lure Marquis Xunyang, but Yu Shuli was worried about his health and strongly demanded to treat the disease first, and not worry about the big fish.
After much fruitless persuasion, Wei Yan could only let him take him in his arms and push him into the room.
Several hours later, Quzhou heavily armed soldiers surrounded the Prime Minister’s Residence. Marquis Xunyang did not appear, but Yu Shuli already knew who the troops came from.
The two were virtually placed under house arrest in the Prime Minister’s Residence, but Yu Shuli remained calm.
“Being a hostage isn’t bad either, it’s comfortable.” Yu Shuli touched his nose: “But it’s going to be more difficult for the Second Prince… He has to save both of us at once.”
Wei Yan chuckled: “I don’t want him to save me.”
Yu Shuli turned his head and poked his face: “Still jealous? I’ve already explained it. You’re my lover, and the Second Prince is my boss.”
He called someone to bring two frozen pears, took a bite of each, leaving a tooth mark, and then slowly gnawed on them.
Wei Yan’s gaze fell warmly on him, and his fingers slowly stroked Yu Shuli’s back. “If it’s always like this, it’s indeed not bad.”
Yu Shuli pushed Wei Yan away, poured him a cup of warm milk, and said, “Don’t look at my pears. You can only drink this.”
He handed the warm milk over: “If you want to live like this for the rest of your life, you have to live a long life. You yourself said that keeping yourself safe is the most important thing, but you’re always the one who breaks your word. Later, when the doctor arrives, let him examine you carefully.”
Wei Yan chuckled, and the fingertips of his hand that took the warm milk brushed against Yu Shuli’s wrist, “I’m looking at you, not coveting your pears. Why are you marking your territory like a little dog?”
Yu Shuli hissed as a chill ran through his wrist, rebuking, “Look, what month is it? How can your hands be colder than my pears?”
Wei Yan took the opportunity to stretch his hand over: “I’m still sick. Just warm them for me.”
Yu Shuli asked the people outside to fill a hot water bottle for him, then turned to look at Wei Yan: “Back then, you wanted half of my pancake. Who knows if you’re after this pear?”
“You should know what I’m after now.” Wei Yan turned his eyes to look over, smiling: “Young General charged into battle, deep into the tiger’s den to save my life. I have nothing to repay you, so I have no choice but to offer myself.”
Yu Shuli turned his head away, “Then, after today, get your illness cured. You don’t have to worry about the Old Emperor. If he finds out, he finds out. We won’t endure it anymore, and we won’t engage in those conspiracies. Let’s just fight head-on!”
Wei Yan raised his eyebrows and looked over: “You’re… going to protect me?”
Yu Shuli gritted his teeth and glared at him: “Yes! I’m going to rebel. Are you satisfied now?!”
After exaggerating, he slowly explained that the Northwest army had already entered the Capital City long ago, and the two wouldn’t be trapped for too long.
Wei Yan nodded and said, “Okay.” He curved his eyes: “I always trust you. In fact, even if we can’t get out, it would be good to die together.”
Yu Shuli bit his neck hatefully: “That’s bad luck! Who wants to die with you?!”
The two were very close, their breaths almost touching.
“Wei Yan, if I move the troops, can you not…” fight for the throne?
Halfway through the sentence, Yu Shuli suddenly couldn’t say it.
He himself had said that the throne was something for the Second Prince and Wei Yan to rely on their abilities for.
But now he wanted to persuade Wei Yan to retreat, which was ultimately unfair to him.
So Yu Shuli endured it and didn’t try to persuade anymore.
Wei Yan lowered his eyes and saw the expectant but hesitant look in Yu Shuli’s eyes. The trace of gloom in his eyes gradually disappeared.
Yu Shuli still cared about him. That was enough.
In the matter of love, one party had to make concessions.
At least, the consequences of the concession were not too bad for him.
Wei Yan sighed, and in the end, only unparalleled sincerity and gentleness remained.
“Although the essence of the Young General’s rebellion is not for me, after all, I am the trigger, and it can be considered a convergence by different paths. I just don’t know, is our Young General after my heart or my body?”
Yu Shuli quietly moved a little further away with a guilty conscience, and said in a muffled voice, “Who is after your body? You don’t have much meat.”
Wei Yan could already see that he had weight in his heart.
So his eyes darkened, and he grabbed Yu Shuli’s wrist, pulled him over, and pressed it against his waist with a coaxing tone: “Touch it. It has meat.”
Yu Shuli felt a layer of muscle and was shocked.
The feeling under his hand was warm and firm. Although it was not like many burly warriors with strong muscles, there was no doubt that Wei Yan’s body must also be very beautiful.
He wasn’t really skinny after all…
Yu Shuli swallowed and withdrew his fingers in a fluster, stammering: “Y-you have it… you have it, so what!”
Wei Yan leaned over, saw his flushed cheeks, and couldn’t help but feel playful. He lowered his voice: “Reciprocity. Young General touched mine, so you should let me touch yours too.”
Heat covered his earlobes, and Yu Shuli took a step back violently. He gritted his teeth: “Wei Yan, you lecher!”
Wei Yan raised his eyebrows and continued to tease him: “We’re married. Isn’t it justified between husband and wife?”
He reached out and pulled Yu Shuli closer, and the distance between the two suddenly narrowed.
“Don’t kiss me! You pervert!”
A dozen guards and servants outside the door, nominally servants but actually guards, looked at each other, not understanding why these two people, having become turtles in a jar and facing death, could still flirt so calmly.
No one could have imagined that Quzhou would really turn upside down soon after.
However, not in the way they thought…
Because in less than half a day, Zhong Nian took down the city guard, and the Northwest army broke through the city gates with brute force.
No one would have thought that these tens of thousands of Northwest troops would disregard life and death and disobey the imperial order, all coming forward on their own initiative to escort Yu Shuli.
With the imperial decree and the protection of the troops, Yu Shuli directly became the local Emperor of Quzhou in a legitimate way.
The Northwest army also directly suppressed the Quzhou heavy troops left by Marquis Xunyang with force.
Those officers and soldiers who only knew how to fight and kill in the city were, of course, no match for these death row inmates who had charged into battle on the battlefield over the years.
In almost a day, Quzhou had been completely rectified and completely transformed.
The rebellion plans of the Qiu family and Marquis Xunyang ultimately died in the womb.
Yu Shuli did not move out of the Prime Minister’s Residence, but still lived there with Wei Yan.
Yu Shuli lamented to Wei Yan that he had not recognized people clearly before. He had lived there for so many years and always thought that Quzhou was superficially glamorous and that the people were living a good life, but in fact, everything was a castle in the air.
Wei Yan comforted him: “At least now that the dream is broken, everything in the future will be real, and we can create it ourselves.”
A few days later, under the pressure of the army, the local traitors were either beheaded or arrested. Marquis Xunyang did not dare to show his face easily and fled directly, leaving Quzhou, which had once been so prosperous, in a state of leaderlessness. The guards and servants who were originally used to watch Wei Yan and Yu Shuli scattered and fled.
Yu Shuli did not back down, but boldly reformed directly and took over Quzhou.
After finishing his work, Yu Shuli remembered that there was still someone in the prison, the key to finding Dong Siwen.
He took the time to come over this day.
Now the maid was being held in a dark room. She had already been interrogated once, and her whole body was haggard due to lack of sleep. But perhaps Zhong Nian and the others’ interrogation skills were not good enough, or they couldn’t bring themselves to be ruthless against a woman, so they still failed to pry open her mouth.
Yu Shuli thought that if he still failed, he would have to ask Wei Yan for help and sign some not-so-“fair” terms with him.
He walked up to the woman: “How have you been these days? Can you tell me who is behind you now?”
The woman raised her eyes, with disbelief and hatred in her eyes: “You’re really crazy! You’re defying the imperial order and bringing troops into Quzhou. Aren’t you afraid of death! If your Emperor gets angry and orders your head to be chopped off, it won’t just be your head that’s chopped off!”
“I’m afraid.” Yu Shuli smiled and said frankly: “It’s precisely because I’m afraid that I brought troops into Quzhou. If I didn’t have this backing, I would have been swallowed alive by you. Besides, Marquis Xunyang can rebel. Why can’t I? Are you being so hypocritical?”
The woman turned her head away: “Since that’s the case, why are you still asking me? Kill me or do whatever you want.”
Yu Shuli was not surprised by her stubbornness.
People like her, who were placed beside powerful officials, were basically dead soldiers. It was impossible to get any information from their mouths.
But Yu Shuli had noticed a trace of abnormality before, and he spoke astonishingly: “As long as you honestly confess, I will of course not kill you. Not only will I not kill you, but I will also serve you with good food and drink afterwards…”
The maid’s pupils shook. “You… why?” Her breathing instantly became flustered.
Yu Shuli discovered a clue in this, which was exactly what he wanted.
“You’re not from Da Liang, are you?”
As soon as he said this, the woman’s eyes widened, and she shrank back twice, saying stubbornly: “Of course I’m from Da Liang!”
“There’s no need to pretend.” Yu Shuli continued: “Your etiquette and conversation are not like those of the people of Da Liang.”
“Impossible.”
Yu Shuli raised his eyebrows: “What’s impossible? You’ve already exposed yourself. Do you think others are fools? Your every move and gesture, where is it like the appearance of an ordinary lady from Da Liang?”
The woman bit her teeth hatefully and no longer concealed it: “Are you saying that I have no manners? I have learned Da Liang etiquette. It is impossible for me to make a mistake.”
As expected.
She was stubborn, but her mind wasn’t very sharp.
Yu Shuli shook his head, “Of course it’s not a question of manners.” His eyes were sharp: “It’s because you are not from Da Liang, so your tone of voice always has a superior, detached tone. All your coolness and ridicule are clearly indicating that you are very interested in the disputes of Da Liang. I had guessed this when I first met you, because there are really not many women in Da Liang who practice martial arts. And those who are not afraid and don’t blink an eye when they see knives and spears are even fewer. Until just now, a few verbal flaws finally made me realize that you are indeed not from Da Liang.”
The woman raised her head, her stubborn face full of unwillingness: “Then tell me, where did I make a mistake?”