MLIAM Chapter 8
by VolareChapter 8: Locust Plague – Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.
The disaster came quickly.
Even though Yu Shuli was prepared, he couldn’t stop the locusts from rapidly sweeping in, along with a large number of displaced people, into The Capital City.
The usually bustling and prosperous streets of The Capital City fell silent. Even the brothels didn’t dare to easily receive guests. The entire city was shrouded in gloom, and teahouses and taverns closed early.
Outside the tightly shut doors were swarming locusts, while inside were helpless, anxious cries and pleas for help.
Locusts don’t cause much harm to people directly, but they destroy the crops that people rely on for a living. That’s why the farmers from the countryside had nowhere else to go and came to The Capital City to seek redress.
But how could this kind of disaster ever reach those in power?
The Capital City has more wealthy households. These people not only don’t know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, some have never even seen a locust.
When they saw the flying insects and displaced people, they thought it was a natural disaster, a great calamity, and were only concerned with leaving to seek refuge.
The cunning rabbit has three burrows; these people have more than one place to go in the entire Da Liang.
And the The Imperial Guards in the city are basically from noble backgrounds and have never seen this kind of situation before.
The news reported by The Imperial Guards commander was suppressed by those above, never reaching the emperor’s hands. With no new instructions issued, The Imperial Guards commander was indecisive and increasingly unable to control the frantically fleeing crowds.
In the air, besides the stench of the locusts, there was also an indescribable sense of oppression and heaviness.
The crowds were hurried and nervous, and order was gradually collapsing.
Most of the displaced people outside the city were farmers. They lost their farmland and could no longer survive. Once these farmers who had lost everything entered the city, a scramble and looting would be inevitable.
Once the city gates were breached, the people trying to run out and those trying to crowd in would clash, and The Capital City would fall into chaos.
At that time, The Imperial Guards would be useless.
After receiving the distress call from The Imperial Guards inside the city, Yu Shuli went out with a grim face, wearing armor, carrying a knife, and leading his body guards to patrol the streets. He ordered the control of the city’s order and also ordered people to use nets to catch and kill the flying locusts. He also sent people to patrol near The Imperial Palace to prevent locusts from flying into The Imperial Palace.
The city gates were teetering on the brink, but Yu Shuli knew how to manage soldiers, not ordinary people.
He could punish any soldier, but he couldn’t use force against the common people.
He tried to persuade and coax them, finally driving the restless people on the streets back home. But when he turned around, there was another large group secretly planning to slip away, and the city gates had been pried open.
If Yu Shuli hadn’t reacted in time, they would have broken through the city gates.
In his anger, Yu Shuli directly dismissed The Imperial Guards commander and, leading his Northwest army, took to the city walls, abandoning the gentle policies and using military regulations to suppress the chaos.
Fortunately, the entire Northwest army battalion, which had come to The Capital to receive rewards, was stationed outside the city, which helped to maintain order and prevent further chaos in The Capital City.
“Junior General… The refugees from the north have been settled, but there are some special circumstances…” Yu Shuli’s close guard, Thirteen, rushed in, speaking anxiously before he even saw the person he was addressing.
But when he saw the man slumped over the desk, he was instantly stunned.
Yu Shuli hadn’t been home for three days, naturally he also hadn’t slept for three days and three nights.
After finishing the reports at hand today, he had directly slumped down on the military camp desk and fallen asleep unconsciously.
Thirteen pursed his lips and was about to retreat when he realized that Yu Shuli was already awake.
“What’s the matter?” As soon as he raised his head, he concealed all his fatigue in his eyes. “I heard everything, tell me, what are the special circumstances?”
Thirteen then said: “Several people contracted a cold on the way, and have started to develop high fevers in the past few days.”
Yu Shuli frowned: “Have Zhong Nian send people to isolate these people and immediately find a doctor to go over.”
Thirteen hesitated: “We’ve looked… but the doctors in The Capital City are all used to living good lives and aren’t willing to endure any hardship. When they heard they had to go to the refugee camp, they were already hostile to those refugees, and none of them were willing to move.”
“Did you offer more money?”
“Deputy General Zhong offered it, but they have plenty of money and aren’t willing to make the trip and suffer. Besides…” Thirteen pursed his lips, cautiously looking at his general: “Some people are already spreading rumors that they are infected with the plague.”
“Nonsense.” Yu Shuli’s face, already strained from lack of sleep, was filled with hostility. “Don’t worry about the doctors, leave it to me, I’ll take care of it. Go find the people spreading the rumors, find them, and give them thirty heavy blows.”
Thirty heavy blows in the military camp are different from thirty blows in the yamen; those can be fatal.
Thirteen didn’t dare disobey military orders, but he was still hesitant: “Junior General, in theory, this matter is not for us to handle. Now that we are handling it, if we use private punishments, The Censorate will…”
Yu Shuli already knew that The Censorate was currently being managed by Wei Yan. His breathing hitched, and he remembered that it had been several days since he last visited Wei Yan.
When he left, Wei Yan hadn’t woken up yet. In the past few days, the subordinates who stayed behind only reported that he had woken up. Afterward, he was too busy, and he didn’t have time to open and read the intelligence about Wei Yan that had been sent back.
His chest felt a little stuffy, and Yu Shuli simply got up: “I know, I’ll go out for a while. Let Zhong Nian take over for now, and you also help me keep an eye on things. When I come back, I’ll give you a plan.”
“Understood.”
Arriving at the Prime Minister’s Residence, the locusts nearby had been mostly eradicated. Seeing the servants inside and outside the residence handling things with ease and maintaining a calm demeanor, Yu Shuli breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Wei Yan was alright.
He stepped forward, about to announce his visit, when the gatekeeper, with sharp eyes, greeted him.
The boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with bright, sparkling eyes. He blinked his black eyes, stared at Yu Shuli for a long time, and said with a smile, “You must be Junior General Yu?”
“You recognize me?” Yu Shuli was a little surprised.
“Yes, yes.” The boy nodded: “The Prime Minister instructed that the most handsome general must be you.” He stepped aside to welcome Yu Shuli in, his attitude attentive.
The boy said as he walked, “The Prime Minister said that if you come, there’s no need to report, just take you directly in.”
Yu Shuli was a little shy: “I didn’t come for anything special, just to see him.”
“I know… I know.” The boy smiled playfully: “This will be your own home in the future, so feel free to do as you please.”
Yu Shuli coughed a few times, his handsome face flushed red.
Just as he was about to explain, who knew that the boy ran off so quickly that Yu Shuli didn’t have a chance to speak.
“You can take a walk in the garden, I’ll go tell the master that you’ve come, he’ll definitely be happy…”
“This kid…” Yu Shuli laughed and stopped, walking around the front yard of the Prime Minister’s Residence.
The servants in the garden were doing their own things. They were curious about Yu Shuli’s arrival, but they didn’t stare at him rudely.
Yu Shuli was easygoing and had seen the world, so he didn’t care about their gazes. He guessed they were just curious about his identity because of the armor he was wearing.
As he walked, he reached the pavilion opposite him.
The autumn wind was gentle. There was no pond in the yard, but the pavilion was surrounded by red maples. Stepping on the soft leaves and looking at the fiery red garden, Yu Shuli felt like he was stepping on crimson clouds.
Perhaps because Wei Yan often came here, there was a long chair and a small blanket in the pavilion.
Yu Shuli walked over and slowly sat down on the long chair. When he picked up the small blanket, he could still smell a bitter medicinal fragrance.
He had barely slept in the past few days, and when he smelled the familiar scent, he almost had an imprinting reaction, and a wave of fatigue swept over him.
Yu Shuli subconsciously snuggled into the long chair and slowly closed his eyes.
When he woke up again, he felt a tickling sensation on the side of his face. He reached out to scratch it, but someone grabbed his hand.
A slightly low and seductive male voice sounded in his ear: “Had enough sleep? It’s already dark, little sleepyhead.”
Yu Shuli opened his eyes groggily and met Wei Yan’s slightly curved eyes.
He subconsciously called out, “Wei Yan?” as if wondering how he could appear before his eyes.
Wei Yan considerately helped him recall: “Forgot? You came to find me and ended up falling asleep at my residence…”
Yu Shuli blinked a little embarrassed: “I think… that did happen…”
Wei Yan sat down next to him, not letting him get up, and covered him with the small blanket: “Have you been very tired lately?”
Yu Shuli didn’t know if Wei Yan was aware of the situation outside. He pondered for a moment and decided to hide it from him, saying, “It’s okay.”
Wei Yan’s smile faded a little: “Since it’s okay, why hasn’t the Junior General been home for days?”
Yu Shuli stammered twice and couldn’t answer.
Wei Yan’s tone was a little colder, and seemed to carry a hint of jealousy: “Could it be that the Junior General has gone to the brothels again for entertainment?”
Yu Shuli’s eyes widened.
Brothels?
How could he go to such a place?
However, his hurried shaking of his head didn’t gain Wei Yan’s approval.
He leaned in, casually placing his fingers on Yu Shuli’s shoulder, then gently moving them up to Yu Shuli’s face.
Yu Shuli met Wei Yan’s scrutinizing gaze, and his heart beat faster uncontrollably.
He swallowed and subconsciously asked, “Wh-what are you doing so close?”
“Seeing if you’re lying to me.” Wei Yan rubbed Yu Shuli’s slightly cool face vigorously.
“You can tell if I’m lying by looking at me?”
“Yes.”
“Then did I lie?”
“This time, you probably didn’t.” Wei Yan’s eyes curved into a smile.
“What do you mean probably not this time? I’ve never been to a brothel.” Yu Shuli pushed his hand away angrily and muttered.
Wei Yan raised an eyebrow and didn’t pursue the matter further.
“What did you come to find me for? If it’s about the displaced people and troublemakers, the army is suppressing them, I have no objections. If there are any who don’t obey, the Junior General can punish them on my behalf, and I’ll turn a blind eye.” He leaned closer to Yu Shuli, his voice a little low.
“How… how did you know I was going to ask about this?” So he already knew about the locust plague outside.
That’s right… What could be hidden from Wei Yan?
Even though Yu Shuli had arranged for people to eradicate the locusts at the Prime Minister’s Residence, perhaps even one flying in would be noticed by him.
He was too clever.
Seeing Yu Shuli’s somewhat frustrated expression, Wei Yan smiled: “It wasn’t someone informing me, I guessed it. When I came out of The Imperial Palace that day, I happened to see it.”
“See what?”
“See the locusts… and,” Wei Yan’s voice was colder, “the riots.”
“The city guards wouldn’t let people in, The Imperial Guards were coerced by the city’s people to open the city gates, and some displaced people were killed at the city gates.”
Yu Shuli paused.
“It has nothing to do with the Junior General, I know it wasn’t you who gave the order.” Wei Yan comforted him: “The Capital has been much more stable these past few days, and the patrols are in order, it must be the Junior General who took over.”
Yu Shuli nodded: “But…” It was also his first time dealing with this kind of thing. Now he also had the title of a heteronomous king, and he didn’t know how many eyes were watching him. Yu Shuli was afraid of making a mistake somewhere.
He had already reported this matter, but the emperor was just paying lip service to show concern. Seeing that he had taken over, he simply sat in The Imperial Palace and was carefree, claiming to believe in his ability.
Every day, there were also special people in the palace eradicating the locusts, so the emperor naturally couldn’t see a single one, let alone care about the people.
So the city guards carried the arrogance and selfishness of The Capital City’s residents, and the displaced people who had lost their farmland were destitute.
Yu Shuli had to stand up and take charge.
Seeing Yu Shuli’s somewhat dazed appearance, Wei Yan lowered his head and put his arm around him. “Don’t be afraid, you’re doing great.”
The warm breath brushed against his ear, and Yu Shuli turned into a hot coal.
These days, he had been working day and night, busy and exhausted, just to hear the people praise him for “doing a great job”.
But there were always people making trouble, always people who didn’t cooperate. He had scolded and beaten them, but he still couldn’t control them.
“Go do what you want to do, don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”
Yu Shuli shyly pushed Wei Yan away and mumbled an “Mm,” raising his eyes: “Wei Yan…”
“Mm?”
“Why are you so good to me?”
Wei Yan chuckled: “Is this what you call being good to you?”
“Mm.”
“I’ll only be better to you in the future.”
“Is it because of… the engagement?” Yu Shuli’s voice was fuzzy and hesitant.
“When we didn’t have an engagement before, was I not good to you?” Wei Yan raised an eyebrow: “So heartless.”
“No…” Yu Shuli blushed and suddenly stood up: “But… but at that time… that time was different!”
Wei Yan caught the blanket that had slipped off him and put it back on the long chair.
“What are you nervous about? What’s different? Mm?” Wei Yan simply walked up to him.
As the slowly descending night approached, Yu Shuli was forced by Wei Yan to one side of the pavilion. Everything was silent, and only the sound of each other’s overlapping breaths remained.
Just when Yu Shuli thought something was about to happen, Wei Yan suddenly opened up the space in front of him.
“It’s late, go back.”
Yu Shuli:?
Wei Yan chuckled: “What? What did you think I was going to do?”
Yu Shuli gritted his teeth angrily: “I didn’t think anything!”
“You’ve been too tired these past few days, I can’t bear to wear you out.” Wei Yan still had a hint of a smile in his eyes: “I’m already very happy that you came to see me.”
Speaking of seeing him, Yu Shuli remembered that his original purpose seemed to be to visit Wei Yan, but he didn’t know how he fell asleep…
Yu Shuli coughed lightly to cover up the guilt in his heart, and leaned closer to examine Wei Yan’s face: “Are you… feeling better?”
“Thanks to Doctor Yang,” Wei Yan’s eyes were clear, “Of course, I also have to thank the Junior General for letting me get my life back.”
Only then did Yu Shuli notice that the cloak on him was thicker.
Yu Shuli felt even more guilty: “It’s because I slept here for too long, you took care of me outside, and the night is cold. I shouldn’t have stayed so long.”
Wei Yan coughed a few times in a low voice and shook his head: “The Junior General is busy, it’s understandable that you forgot about me. I’m already very grateful that you could take the time to see me.”
Yu Shuli frowned: “Wei Yan, why do I feel like your tone is sarcastic…”
He thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll come see you every day from now on, as long as you don’t mind me being annoying.”
Wei Yan’s ears turned a little red: “Of course not.”
Yu Shuli muttered, “Actually, we can see each other at court every day…”
Wei Yan said: “Recently, His Majesty has allowed me to recuperate and doesn’t require me to attend court.”
Yu Shuli could only nod obediently: “Okay, okay, I got it. I’ll come.”
“Mm.” Wei Yan then curved his eyes: “I’ll have the gatekeeper Chu Kai leave the door open for you, you can come at any time.”
Yu Shuli’s neck turned a little red.
The more he heard these words, the more he felt they were going too far.
What do you mean leave the door open, you can come at any time. It didn’t sound very proper.
Yu Shuli “ummed” and said, “When you say that… it feels… a little like an affair?”
“What affair? You and I are in the clear!” Wei Yan sent Yu Shuli away with a dark face, then turned and called someone over from the shadows: “Order them to investigate the backgrounds of those doctors who are unwilling to go outside the city for treatment. If there are any problems, arrest them and they’ll be honest in a few days. Also, find someone to plow the inferior fields, and at the same time, see if any farmers nearby raise chickens and ducks, buy some from them and release them all.”
“Yes.”
“Have the people eradicating locusts in the nearby cities all arrived?”
“They have.”
“Mm, don’t let the locusts spread to other places again.”
Wei Yan coughed lightly, thought for a moment, and took out a list from his chest and handed it over: “Send this to the Junior General. These people have many estates under their names, spread throughout Da Liang, enough to settle the displaced people. Let the Junior General distribute them himself.”
After listening for so long, the subordinate finally couldn’t help but speak: “Master… you’re so good to the Junior General, why don’t you tell him?”
Wei Yan’s voice was faint: “It’s enough for me to know about this kind of thing, what’s the point of telling him?”
“But…” the subordinate hesitated. But if you don’t say it, how will he know that you care about him so much?