"Young master, the people at the nearby farm say that Mr. Yue went out to visit a friend today and it's unknown when he'll return. Should we... continue waiting?"
Outside Suiping City, a sandalwood carriage was parked on a small road in the suburbs. Wei Qinglou sat in the carriage, listening to the news gathered by the guards.
His lips were straight: "Wait. If he doesn't come back one night, we'll wait one night; if he doesn't come back for ten days, then we'll wait for ten days."
The crown prince was young, and the emperor wanted to find a teacher for him. After looking around the court and the country, he finally decided on Yue Guanshan.
But once the person was chosen, the question of how to invite him to come became a problem: Yue Guanshan spent the first half of his life fighting on the battlefield, quelling wars, recovering lost territories, and risking his life for Daye. Later, when the world was at peace, he did not seek fame or fortune, but only asked to retire from the army and return to his hometown.
The Emperor, grateful for his merits, made a solemn promise: "You shall be granted a life of wealth and leisure, and shall not enter the court."
Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.
Unable to issue a decree to force the issue, the emperor turned his attention to the court officials.
It just so happened that Wei Qinglou committed a crime at that time, which is why he was sent to Suiping City.
To please the Emperor, to preserve the reputation of the Duke's mansion, and to avoid being ridiculed by those good-for-nothings in Yujing, he was determined to cross mountains and rivers to bring them back to Yujing.
Wei Qinglou lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the sky. On both sides of the road were vast paddy fields, and the clear water reflected the lonely spring moon hanging in the sky. He could also hear the faint chirping of crickets in the grass. His heart was at peace, and he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Not far away, Yue Guanshan, who was returning home in high spirits, saw the carriage parked in front of his house and the solemn-looking guards on both sides of the carriage. He had a bad feeling in his heart and turned to walk back, but was stopped by the sharp-eyed guards.
He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his forehead, and staggered over, half-closing his glasses as he said with a grin, "Which young master is this, still not home so late? You may not have a home, but this old man certainly does..."
His voice gradually faded, but then he suddenly started singing loudly again. His tone was off-key and the words were indistinct, making him appear completely drunk.
The guard turned to look at the carriage, saying with difficulty, "Young master, Mr. Yue is very drunk."
Drunk?
Wei Qinglou sneered inwardly, but his tone remained unchanged: "Since he's drunk, then you should help him back properly. It's dark and windy, so the old man might fall."
After the guards agreed, Wei Qinglou quietly lowered his head and got off the carriage, slowly following behind them as they headed towards the small courtyard at Yueguan Mountain.
While the guards were calming Yue Guanshan down, he went straight to the study, found paper and pen to write down the treaty, and then took out inkpad and went to the side room.
The lights in the room were quickly turned off. The night breeze was cool, and a faint chill seeped into Wei Qinglou's thin spring robe, but he stood there unmoved, as if unaware.
After about half an hour, he finally pushed open the door and entered. By the bright moonlight outside the window, he pulled Yue Guanshan's thumb to press the inkpad and pressed his bright red fingerprint on the treaty.
After doing all this, he turned and went out, instructing someone to stay here and keep a close watch on Yue Guanshan, lest he come back empty-handed the next day.
...
"What?"
The next morning, Yue Guanshan was so startled by Wei Qinglou's uninvited arrival that he sat up in shock from his deathbed. He stared blankly at Wei Qinglou, seemingly finding it utterly unbelievable. "Say that again?"
Wei Qinglou took out the treaty, spread it out in front of him, and said helplessly:
"Yesterday, sir, you were drunk. My men helped you back. As we were leaving, you kept tugging at my sleeve, saying you wanted to return to Yujing with me. You were afraid I wouldn't agree, so you asked me to write a treaty and put my fingerprint on it. Sir, you are a learned general, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and highly respected. Surely you don't intend to break your promise?"
What utter nonsense about getting drunk!
The brat has no sense of martial ethics!
It was clearly that brat who took advantage of him while he was sleeping and used tricks to make him put his fingerprint on the document! And now he's trying to twist the truth? If that's the case, then don't blame him for acting like a senior!
Yue Guanshan's gaze shifted, and an idea came to him. He leaned against the headboard, rubbing his forehead and lamenting, "Me! How could I be so foolish! Someone like me should just die! What's the point of living!"
While lamenting, he secretly observed Wei Qinglou's reaction, already planning to propose that the contract be nullified when Wei Qinglou wavered even slightly.
However, Wei Qinglou stood there without making a statement, but instead smiled gently: "Whatever you want to do, I can't stop you. Since you are determined to die, the only thing I can do is to take care of your funeral arrangements."
He clenched his fist, coughed twice lightly, and lowered his head slightly: "Go in peace, sir."
That's too ruthless.
Yue Guanshan never expected him to be so ruthless.
He pretended to crash into the headboard, but after realizing that Wei Qinglou had no intention of stopping him, he finally gave up his clumsy performance.
Wei Qinglou took out the contract and said with some surprise, "It seems that you have changed your mind, sir. In that case, please pack your bags as soon as possible so that we can go to the capital sooner. What do you think?"
They crossed the mountain pass without speaking.
But why would Wei Qinglou care whether he spoke or not? To him, now that his goal had been achieved, what Yue Guanshan wanted to say or do was irrelevant. Even if the man secretly ran away, with the contract in hand, once he reached the palace, it would only be Yue Guanshan's fault for breaking his promise, not for his incompetence.
He turned and left the courtyard, leaving two guards to watch over Yueguan Mountain, while the rest of the men followed him back to the inn in the city.
Knowing that he was coming, the county magistrate specially sent him a formal invitation, intending to visit him.
Outside the inn, Chen Rusong, who had been waiting for a long time, breathed a sigh of relief as Wei Qinglou's carriage slowly approached.
He had originally thought that the important person from the capital would not want to associate with insignificant county officials like them, so even though he knew the other party was in the city, he had not thought of currying favor with the wealthy and powerful. But he never expected that the other party would send someone to offer him a favor.
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