MLMD -Chapter 297 Lying With Your Eyes Open

“You have what?”

Yue Yang cast a sidelong glance at Yang Guozhu and said with disdain, “Old Yang, it’s not that I look down on you, but tell me, what is it that you have that I could possibly be interested in? Could it be the hundred-odd pounds of flesh you carry? Or are you planning to marry off your beautiful, marriageable daughter to me?”

“Well…”

Yang Guozhu’s face flushed crimson. Everyone else scratched their heads. Yue Yang was a great wealthy man—he lacked nothing, be it money or grain—so really, there was nothing on their end that could possibly interest him.

Wang Pu frowned and said, “Yue brother, truly, we don’t have anything that could catch your eye. Old Yang’s daughter has long since married and already has two children. My daughter is only three and a half; I guess you wouldn’t be interested. How about this: you just tell us what you want. As long as it helps us get through this difficult time, we’ll consider ourselves deeply indebted to you. How does that sound?”

“Indebted?” Yue Yang pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “Fine. I can lend you the grain allowance, but you must promise me that once the court distributes the grain, you’ll repay me. Forget about interest. But I also want a piece of land. If you can agree to that, I’ll lend you the grain.”

“You want land?” Everyone was stunned.

“Yes!” Yue Yang nodded firmly.

Currently, Yue Yang controlled a vast area from Yingzhou Prefecture to Gaoshanwei and Zhenluwei—a significant territory. But he wasn’t satisfied. He felt the area was still too small; he needed more land, more territory to support the growing population. Shanxi’s northern route had already become a haven for refugees, with people arriving daily to survive. And all of this required enough space to accommodate them.

“Where do you want?” Yang Guozhu smiled wryly. “Let’s make it clear, there isn’t much land left in Datong.”

“I don’t want Datong,” Yue Yang replied. “I want the three garrisons of Xuanfu.”

“The Xuanfu Three Garrisons… you’re crazy!” Yang Guozhu exclaimed. “Do you know what kind of place that is? It’s a major military garrison of the court. How could they possibly hand it over to you?”

“A major military garrison?” Yue Yang sneered. “Is that really the case? As far as I know, these three places have long been deserted. As for the troops you mentioned, there are only a thousand or two struggling to survive. I doubt they can even wield their weapons now.”

The Xuanfu Three Garrisons had once been a key frontier post of the Ming dynasty. At its peak, tens of thousands of troops were stationed there, and the court had established the Wanquan Right and Left Garrisons and Huai’an Garrison to protect it. But that was in the past. Now the three garrisons were desolate, with nearly all soldiers having fled. Only less than two thousand troops dispatched by the court remained to guard the Great Wall and frontier passes.

Yang Guozhu, rendered speechless by Yue Yang’s words, let out a wry smile. Then he said seriously, “Yue brother, tell me honestly: what do you intend to do with those three garrisons? While they aren’t prime places, they’re crucial frontier defenses. If they fall and the Mongols advance, we’d both be considered traitors to the court!”

“What could I possibly do?” Yue Yang rolled his eyes at this overly responsible man. “You know as well as I do, more and more refugees are flocking to my northern route. I can’t just feed them for nothing. I need a place to settle them. They can’t just idle around. The Xuanfu garrisons are perfect. I plan to reclaim and cultivate the land there, enough to support two to three hundred thousand people without issue.”

“Heh… Yue brother, you really dare to dream,” someone muttered.

Hearing Yue Yang, everyone wiped the sweat from their brows. Feeding tens of thousands? Only this man would have the audacity to say that.

“But what about the court? They surely won’t approve of you casually overstepping your bounds,” Wang Pu asked.

“They won’t say anything. As long as we don’t make a fuss, even if the court knows, they’ll turn a blind eye. They don’t have the strength to enforce it anymore,” said Hu Dawei, who had been silent until now.

Everyone fell silent. Indeed, with the decline of national power, the court’s grip over the provinces had weakened. Otherwise, the Xuanfu Three Garrisons wouldn’t be so derelict.

Yue Yang clapped his hands. “Enough of these gloomy matters. I’ll ask one thing: are you willing to hand over the Xuanfu Three Garrisons?”

“Can we refuse?” Yang Guozhu smiled wryly. “These garrisons were my defense area, but my forces were limited—only two thousand soldiers. If you’re willing to take over, that’s even better. But I must warn you: if you take it over, you must manage it well. Don’t let the Mongols cross the border and harm our people. Can you handle that?”

Yue Yang laughed. “Don’t worry, Old Yang. As long as I don’t go looking for trouble with the Mongols, it’s fine. But if they dare, I won’t hesitate to teach them a lesson.”

Yang Guozhu nodded. Yue Yang’s character was trustworthy; he always kept his promises. After a moment, he added, “Since you’re taking over, I can’t pull all my troops out. We’ll leave a few hundred there to maintain appearances. That way, the court won’t raise objections. Is that acceptable?”

“Fine. It’s settled then.” Yue Yang was elated. Raising his cup, he said, “Then it’s agreed. Let’s drink!”

“To… cheers!”

With matters settled, everyone relaxed. With Yue Yang’s assurance, they no longer had to worry about starving soldiers. They ate and drank freely.

The banquet lasted until the moon was high. The drunken generals were sent back to the inn, and Yue Yang staggered back to the rear courtyard.

Waiting for him were Hai Lanzhu and Yulong’er, who had already received news, accompanied by several maidservants.

“You… drinking so much right after returning? You should at least have some restraint. What if you damage your health?” Hai Lanzhu scolded while helping support him.

“No problem. Today, your husband is happy, so it’s worth it to drink more!” Yue Yang grinned at Hai Lanzhu, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. His weight almost made her stumble.

Yulong smiled, covering her mouth. “Sister… the husband is in this state. You should rest tonight; I’ll take care of him.”

Hai Lanzhu looked at Yulong thoughtfully. “Fine, tonight you’ll take care of him alone. One person doing the work of three.”

Blushing, Yulong teased, “Sister, what are you saying?”

“Alright, I’ll stop. Since you volunteered, the husband is in your care. Take good care of him!” Hai Lanzhu emphasized the word ‘care.’ Hearing this, Yulong couldn’t resist and took Yue Yang away, leaving behind a trail of silver laughter.

As dawn broke, sunlight filtered through the window.

Yue Yang slowly opened his eyes, exhaling deeply. His head throbbed slightly. A soft body pressed against his chest, warm and smooth, with a faint familiar fragrance—he knew without looking who it was.

The lady stirred slightly, murmured softly, then adjusted herself and fell back asleep.

Yue Yang gently tapped her on the rear. “Alright, it’s time to get up. Don’t linger in bed.”

Yulong opened her eyes, hugging his arm and pouting. “Husband, you just came back yesterday. Stay with me a bit longer.”

Yue Yang teasingly nudged her nose. “Didn’t I satisfy you last night, you little greedy cat?”

“Mm… stay with me more!” Yulong wriggled in his arms.

Though last night had been vigorous, youthful energy in the morning was strong. Yue Yang warned, “Hey… little demon, stop or you’ll get the husband’s discipline!”

“Scared?!” The little demon gave him a sultry look.

“Alright, if you won’t listen, then discipline it is!” Yue Yang succumbed to the teasing, and soon the room was filled with moans…

Eventually, calm returned. Yulong lay beside him, breathing softly, a pillow beneath her hips. Yue Yang laughed, “So eager, huh?”

Blushing, she said, “Sister and Hai Lanzhu already have theirs; I want mine too!”

“You’re only twenty; you’ll have time later.”

“Twenty isn’t enough! At sixteen or seventeen, girls were already mothers. How can I not be anxious?” She continued to lift herself.

“Fine, go on. I must get to work,” Yue Yang said helplessly. Sometimes he truly couldn’t understand women’s thoughts.

After dressing and washing quickly, Yue Yang went to the study and saw Hai Lanzhu organizing intelligence reports.

He sat beside her. “Wife, any matters while I was away?”

“Nothing major,” Hai Lanzhu shook her head. “The court is still debating who to appoint as Xuan-Da governor.”

“Not decided yet?” Yue Yang was surprised. Military strongholds cannot be without a commander. How could Emperor Chongzhen be so careless?

Seeing his expression, Hai Lanzhu said disdainfully, “The emperor wants Lu Xiangsheng reinstated, but Elder Yang and Minister Wen have other candidates. Local officials push for their patrons. Memorials pile up, and the emperor is troubled.”

“Oh… who are the candidates?” Yue Yang leaned back and sipped tea.

“This is your tea,” Hai Lanzhu tapped his hand, then continued. “Wen Tiren recommends Hong Chengchou, while Yang Sichen recommends Sun Tingfang. No one yields. The court is in chaos.”

“Really?” Yue Yang thought. In history, Xuan-Da governor was still Lu Xiangsheng, but now, due to his arrival, the Qing invasion was repelled, and Xuan-Da’s defenses were secure. Lu Xiangsheng was reassigned to Hebei, and Yue Yang became the power in Shanxi. History had changed.

He sighed. “These people… bickering for power, yet neglecting to distribute grain. The soldiers on the frontier suffer.”

Hai Lanzhu snorted. “A few days ago, generals came to demand grain. You were away, so I left them waiting. You returned and immediately secured their supplies. Do you think our grain grows on wind?”

“Women… long hair, short sight!” Yue Yang laughed. “You think I’d just hand it over? There are conditions.”

Hai Lanzhu’s eyes twinkled. “Oh! Husband, what did you gain from them?”

“Nothing much. I just asked for the Xuanfu Three Garrisons,” Yue Yang said, feigning modesty.

“The Xuanfu Three Garrison?” Hai Lanzhu was surprised. “Husband, do you intend to act against the Mongol tribes?”

“Why not?” Yue Yang sneered. “For years, the Mongols have raided the Ming. As the saying goes, courtesy demands reciprocity. Since we’re training troops, let the new soldiers go beyond the frontier for experience.”

“But so many will die… they only raid because they can’t survive otherwise.” Hai Lanzhu’s voice grew soft.

“That’s no excuse,” Yue Yang shook his head. “Since Genghis Khan, we’ve fought the Mongols for years, even being enslaved for seventy years. Was that survival? No. Power defines survival, not excuses.”

Hai Lanzhu sighed silently. She understood: war is always the strong preying on the weak. Yet hearing her husband plans to strike the Mongols beyond the frontier, she felt uneasy.

Yue Yang kissed her softly. “Don’t be sad. The Chahar tribe is doing well. Your Abu recently married a new wife.”

“Hmph! I don’t care about that.” Hai Lanzhu pouted. Over these years, the Keerqin tribe thrived under Yue Yang and the Qing’s management, without hunger threats, and Zaisang had gained weight.

Thinking of the frontier, she asked, “Husband, tell me honestly… what’s going on between you and the Doroi Empress Namuzhong of the Chahar?”

“What do you mean?” Yue Yang tensed, but masked it.

“You trick me! The Doroi Empress sent a letter, wanting to meet you. I said you weren’t here. The messenger insisted on giving it personally. Why? And you station thousands of troops there every year, consuming grain. You’ve never been this attentive to our Keerqin. Explain!”

Yue Yang was speechless. The truth was complex—and he had indeed slept with Namuzhong. How could he lie with eyes open?

Seeing him mute, Hai Lanzhu laughed, tapping his nose. “Men… always like this!”