MLIAM Chapter 50
by VolareChapter 50: Kiss Me, Then I’ll Allow You to Find Someone with Brains, But Not Allow…
Yu Shuli smiled, “I don’t accept free interrogation here.”
He said, “I can answer your questions, but you have to answer mine as well.”
The woman scoffed, “Say it or don’t, whatever.”
Yu Shuli picked up a red-hot branding iron from the side. “It’s a pity, I’ve never hit a woman before, but I’ll make an exception for some thick-skinned ones, especially since you’re not even from Da Liang.”
The woman paled at the sight of the branding iron. “Hmph, you Da Liang people are despicable, always using tricks. Women are like this, and so are men.”
Yu Shuli raised an eyebrow. “It seems… you have some complaints about Da Liang women? Who offended you?”
“It’s just…” The woman suddenly shut her mouth, resentfully saying, “Don’t think you can trick me into talking.”
“No need to trick you.” Wei Yan walked in. “I know who you are.”
Yu Shuli looked at him in shock. “So fast?” He muttered, “But she didn’t say anything.”
Wei Yan shook his head. “I don’t need her to say anything, I’ve investigated everything.” He took Yu Shuli’s hand, explaining why he came, “It’s been a while, and I saw you hadn’t returned, so I came to find you.”
Yu Shuli wasn’t used to being intimate in front of outsiders, so he pushed him away somewhat embarrassed. “Why are you so clingy?”
Wei Yan chuckled, going along with it, “Yes, that’s how clingy I am, so hurry and go back with your husband.”
“Crazy.” Yu Shuli cursed, ignoring him.
Wei Yan then turned his gaze, his face turning cold, and looked at the woman. “The Tatar Pearl, Princess Tatar, would you be so kind as to tell us, where is Dong Siwen?”
Yu Shuli’s eyes widened. “She’s a Tatar princess?”
“Yes.” Wei Yan smiled, looking at the woman. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
Meeting Wei Yan’s cold, hawk-like gaze, the woman’s breathing instantly became erratic. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The Tatar King sent a letter a few days ago, saying that the princess was playing around and ran into Da Liang territory, asking Da Liang to help find her carefully.” Wei Yan curled his lips. “Who would have thought that you were thinking of more than just playing around?”
Yu Shuli instantly realized something, glaring at Tatar. “You don’t think that if Da Liang is in chaos, your Tatar can reap the benefits, do you? How incredibly stupid!”
Tatar couldn’t stand Yu Shuli scolding her, immediately retorting, “Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will condemn him! That’s your Da Liang’s saying! Hasn’t Tatar paid enough tribute over the years? Why do you still want to increase it? My royal brother is a coward and admitted it, but I won’t!”
“Now that you’ve just fought a battle with Xizhao, Xizhao is no longer a threat to us. As long as this pool of muddy water is stirred up, it will be the time for my Tatar to rise!”
Wei Yan smiled. “Princess Tatar is really naive.”
“What do you mean?” Tatar turned her head, glaring at Wei Yan. “I know you are the prime minister of Da Liang, a generation of treacherous officials, said to be second only to one and above ten thousand. But I’m not afraid of you, I look down on people like you the most. I heard you were poisoned, and I was the first to applaud it. Only when you die can Da Liang truly change.”
“Change?” Yu Shuli stood in front of Wei Yan. “I can guarantee that if anything happens to Wei Yan, my Northwest army will definitely trample Tatar flat.”
Tatar’s pupils shook. “Are you crazy? What does this have to do with you?”
Yu Shuli didn’t answer, his expression cold. “Princess Tatar, I won’t beat around the bush. Tell us what poison Wei Yan was poisoned with, or give us information about Dong Siwen and Xunyang Marquis, and we will send you back to your country. Otherwise… let the Tatar King come and negotiate with us.”
“You’re not allowed to tell my brother!” Tatar finally reacted strongly at this moment, her voice a little tearful. “My brother always says I haven’t grown up and that I’m not even a fraction as good as my sister-in-law. Ever since that Princess Ping’an from your Da Liang married over, he hasn’t had me, this sister, in his eyes anymore. I’m just not reconciled! Why am I not as good as her?! Big brother always says that Ping’an has single-handedly maintained the friendly and peaceful relations between the two countries, and has also promoted economic and cultural exchanges and integration between the two countries. Her long journey is a great feat that spans civilization and race. When he looks at my sister-in-law, his eyes are full of light… In recent years, he has never treated other women like this except for me! I’m just not convinced! I don’t want them to succeed!”
Yu Shuli sighed after listening. “So it’s just a child who hasn’t grown up yet.”
He said, “It’s a good thing that your brother treats Ping’an well and that they are a loving couple. As Ping’an’s sister-in-law, you should get along with her in a friendly manner, instead of being jealous. You’re really narrow-minded.”
Tatar felt even more aggrieved after being told this by an outsider. She pursed her lips and cried, “I just want my brother to treat me like he used to, what’s wrong with that?!”
Yu Shuli still wanted to say something.
“You’re not wrong.” Wei Yan suddenly spoke, “You have a filial affection for your brother, so naturally you don’t want him to transfer his love for you to another woman.”
“But have you ever thought about it, your brother’s love for you hasn’t diminished in the slightest. And at the same time, you have an extra sister-in-law who will love and care for you. From now on, you will have double the affection. Isn’t that a better thing?”
Tatar had never thought about this before. She blinked her somewhat wet eyes. “Really?”
“Naturally.” Wei Yan softened his voice. “The Queen is worried that you will suffer in Da Liang and has already asked the Tatar King to urge the troops to set off. Now they have already set off to pick you up. As long as you are not willful and behave yourself, we will send you back.”
Tatar’s tears, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally poured out at this moment.
“Wuwuwu… Brother… Sister-in-law…”
After this incident, Tatar honestly confessed how she got into this temporary Prime Minister’s Residence.
It turned out that the person who arranged for her to enter the Prime Minister’s Residence in Quzhou was not Chou Wanshan, nor Xunyang Marquis, but Chou Dongshuo.
Chou Wanshan’s youngest son, who came late in life, was also the most favored child.
Tatar said that when she was playing in Quzhou that day, she heard the news of Chou Shuchun’s death. Knowing that this matter was a big deal, she went to join in the fun. It happened that the Quzhou governor was arranging the Prime Minister’s Residence. Out of curiosity about Wei Yan, she applied to be a maid in the residence.
Who knew that the master she would later face was not someone from the Quzhou governor.
Tatar recalled, “The person who trained us, this group of new people, turned out to be the old woman from the brothel where the accident happened.” She nodded. “Yes, no mistake, I remember very clearly. I joined in the fun at the gate for a long time that day when someone died. I remember her appearance very clearly.”
“I felt something was wrong at the time, but I didn’t show it. But then one day… the old woman suddenly found me and asked me if I wanted to soar into the sky.” Tatar’s expression changed. “I guessed at the time that there might be something wrong with this Prime Minister’s Residence. I pretended to agree happily, and then a few days later, I received a prescription from her. She asked me to go to various places in the city to collect the medicine, and I had to collect the entire prescription.”
Tatar handed the prescription to Wei Yan. Wei Yan glanced at it lightly and handed it to Yu Shuli, as if the matter related to his life and death didn’t matter to him.
Yu Shuli took the prescription and looked at it very carefully, but he was not an expert in medicine and couldn’t see any flaws. He asked Tatar, “Is this the poison that was given to Wei Yan?”
Tatar shook her head. “I didn’t lie to you before, this is really an antidote.”
Yu Shuli frowned.
“She’s not lying.” Wei Yan said, “It’s an antidote, but it’s a segmented antidote. One batch is missing in the middle. If you can’t get the complete prescription, each time the poison flares up, it will be more serious than the last time. The last time will be like a Gu worm drilling into your heart. The death will be horrible. Xunyang Marquis grabbed your friend Dong Siwen before. I negotiated with him. At the dinner table, he tried to use this to control me. I was too confident at the time. Because Doctor Yang said that my body had been immersed in poison for many years and was invulnerable to all poisons, I thought it would be fine to drink the poisoned wine. But I forgot that there are always experts outside the world…”
Yu Shuli frowned tightly, his eyes filled with worry and uneasiness. “Then… can it be cured completely?”
Wei Yan shook his head. “It’s not clear yet. I have old poison in my body, and the previous poisoning was not just because of this time. It is almost impossible to cure with ordinary medical methods, unless there is a prescription for the poison.”
“The prescription for the antidote won’t work?”
“Yes.” Wei Yan said, “It’s not enough.”
Yu Shuli pursed his lips, looking at Tatar. “What do you want? I can try my best to satisfy you.”
Tatar shook her head, looking rather embarrassed. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s just that I really don’t have the complete prescription for the poison.”
Yu Shuli pressed his palm on the table, his knuckles slightly white from the force. “Think again?”
Tatar cooperated and thought carefully for a while. “I’m sure they didn’t tell me any information about the poison. I asked the old woman what kind of medicine this prescription was, and she only said that if I wanted to live, I should follow the rules and not ask about other things.”
“Where is that old woman?!” Yu Shuli asked quickly.
“Dead.” Wei Yan replied, “The day Dong Siwen was arrested, she was hanged at the entrance of the theater.”
Yu Shuli gritted his teeth. “How could this be such a coincidence?” He looked at Wei Yan. “They are aiming at you.”
“Not really.” Wei Yan glanced at Yu Shuli, saying, “Compared to me, they might be more interested in you.”
“Why?”
“The Northwest army is a sweet treat. If something happens to you, someone will have to stand up to inherit it.” The person who inherits it will of course be selected from the army camp.
Yu Shuli widened his eyes, suddenly thinking of the local officials selling official positions when he passed by Lüang County. He couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.
He looked at Wei Yan with some confusion. “So… they are not after fame and wealth, but to get rid of me?”
Seeing his face full of fear, Wei Yan quickly comforted him in a low voice, “It’s okay, I’ve solved everything, don’t worry.”
“What about those ten or so people?” Yu Shuli raised his head and asked.
Wei Yan paused. “After coming to Quzhou, they secretly bribed the city guard. After being caught, I found out that they also had correspondence with other countries. The case was recorded in the files, multiple penalties were imposed, reported to the capital, and then they were killed.”
Yu Shuli moved his lips, sighing, “Then the officials involved behind them…”
“Not one left.”
Yu Shuli met Wei Yan’s gaze, seeing a hint of caution in it. “I killed them all, will you think I’m cruel?”
Yu Shuli shook his head. “I’m just worried that killing so many people for no reason will cause you to be impeached and abandoned by the Emperor.”
Wei Yan smiled. “Naturally, I couldn’t do it for no reason, otherwise, what would I bring them to Quzhou for?”
Yu Shuli widened his eyes.
“Quzhou is indeed not a completely clean place, so I simply made the water even more turbid.”
Yu Shuli pursed his lips. In his memory, Quzhou was clearly a place of peace and prosperity. Why is it different now after so many years?
Or was he too shallow back then? He could only see the bright and beautiful surface, but couldn’t see the darkness surging behind it.
He asked, “What about Xu Song?”
“Already captured and escorted to the capital.” Wei Yan said, “Thanks to the women you rescued who testified and provided a lot of secrets, otherwise it would be difficult to obtain real evidence from those few cunning people.”
Yu Shuli asked, “Who exactly are those people’s people?”
“It’s obvious, the one who is jumping the most fiercely now.”
Yu Shuli bit his lip. “Xunyang Marquis?” He said fiercely, “He really harbored rebellious intentions… no wonder… no wonder he wasn’t dismissed after the Crown Prince’s incident.”
Wei Yan nodded. “Xunyang Marquis has long put pressure on the Emperor behind the scenes. If nothing unexpected happens, the Imperial Decree of abdication will be issued soon, it’s just a matter of these two days.”
Yu Shuli was stunned. “So fast?”
He looked at Wei Yan. “Who will the new Emperor be?”
“Whoever you want it to be, it will be whoever you want it to be.” Wei Yan looked at him seriously, guaranteeing.
Yu Shuli was stunned.
Does this mean that Wei Yan intends to give up the throne? Yu Shuli’s nose felt sore. He clearly couldn’t even say the words of persuasion last time, but Wei Yan had already understood. How well does he have to understand him?
Giving up the power that is readily available for one person, even Yu Shuli wouldn’t be so determined.
After all, when he attached himself to the Second Prince, in addition to wanting to support a wise monarch, he also had the goal of becoming a high official.
If he didn’t know how much he was worth and didn’t yearn for the life restricted in the Imperial Palace, the throne would have been very attractive to him.
Yu Shuli couldn’t tell what his emotions were at this time. Meeting Wei Yan’s gaze, he only felt a swelling and numbness in his chest. He was so moved that he almost shed tears.
Wei Yan pulled his hand, his eyes gentle. “Why are you in a daze?”
Yu Shuli shook his head. “I was just thinking, Wei Yan… you’re really good-looking.”
Wei Yan couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this. As if he was deliberately trying to seduce Yu Shuli, his voice was controlled to be more magnetic, sounding gentle and doting, “Really? Then don’t you want to do something to me? I’m right here, doing nothing, letting you do whatever you want.”
Yu Shuli’s ears turned red.
Just as Wei Yan was about to change the subject, he was pulled by the collar by a hand stretched over from the side.
Yu Shuli directly and forcefully pulled Wei Yan in, tiptoed slightly, and kissed him.
The soft and sweet touch swept into a chest full of bitter medicinal air. Wei Yan was completely stunned. He widened his eyes, looking incredulous.
Seeing his stunned look, Yu Shuli only felt that seeing is believing. He bent his eyebrows triumphantly. “You think I wouldn’t dare?”
Wei Yan’s eyes darkened, pulling him closer. “Then… I will retaliate.”
Yu Shuli met his dangerous gaze, took two steps back, and spread his hands. “Retaliation is something for later, the important thing now is the main thing.”
His delicate eyebrows hid cunningness, but Wei Yan’s gaze was still involuntarily condensed on those delicate red lips.
After a long time, Wei Yan regained his senses and chuckled softly. “Since the young general has sacrificed so much, don’t worry, everything will be as you wish.”
“The way you say that,” Yu Shuli “pui”ed, “I’m not trying to seduce you.”
He frowned. “But… the Quzhou incident is such a big deal, why hasn’t the Third Prince taken any action?”
Wei Yan nodded. “It seems he is still busy with the spring examination.”
“Could it be that he knows the disparity in all aspects, so he gave up the throne?” Yu Shuli vaguely felt something was wrong. The Third Prince had been lurking even more fiercely than the Second Prince over the years. Could it be that he doesn’t have any capable people and fierce generals under his command?
That’s impossible.
The only reason he can remain indifferent at this juncture is that he has an even bigger trump card.
A trump card that can guarantee that he will survive the palace chaos with 100% certainty.
He suddenly looked at Tatar, who had been staring at the two of them with bright eyes, “When you came to Da Liang, were you entrusted by your royal brother, or did you want to come yourself? Who does your Tatar support?”
Tatar had just finished watching the two of them being intimate and was still a little uncomfortable. She didn’t react for a while, and after a long time, she touched her nose and looked away with some guilt. “… How would I know who my royal brother supports? I wanted to come myself. I said I ran away from home. I just like to join in the fun wherever there’s chaos.”
“That’s not right.” Yu Shuli keenly noticed that something was wrong and began to reflect on what Tatar meant by those words earlier.
Perhaps… is there a possibility… that she didn’t depreciate the Second Prince at all…
Because she couldn’t possibly know that he, Yu Shuli, was the Second Prince’s man.
As a princess wandering outside, Tatar’s intelligence is about the same as that of ordinary people. At most, the people only know that he and Wei Yan have a marriage contract.
With this in mind, it’s easy to be prejudiced and think that he is also the Crown Prince’s man.
So… Tatar doesn’t hate the Second Prince… but hates the Crown Prince…
Then who exactly is she… working for?
Yu Shuli’s eyes darkened.
If Tatar supports the Third Prince…
Then this Princess Tatar, he can’t send her back.
Wei Yan glanced at Tatar, “You and your sister-in-law don’t get along, these words are just polite words. If you really don’t get along, the Tatar King and Queen wouldn’t travel together to pick you up. So, your real purpose is to find the Second Prince, right?”
Tatar looked up in astonishment. “How did you know?!” The words blurted out because she was too surprised and couldn’t be taken back. After Tatar finished speaking, a trace of embarrassment appeared on her face.
She had been tricked.
Yu Shuli was reminded by Wei Yan and suddenly realized.
Only then did he think that the Second Prince sent Princess Ping’an off to her marriage.
Could it be that… Tatar was already acquainted with the Second Prince?
She entered Quzhou not to cause trouble, but because she was worried about the Second Prince?
Realizing this, Yu Shuli looked at the woman in front of him, then shook his head in disgust and commented, “The Second Prince is ambitious and talented, but you are uneducated. You are not a good match. I advise you to save your energy.”
“Hey, you!” Tatar broke down and cursed, “You’re allowed to find someone with brains, but I’m not allowed to find someone with brains?!”
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