MLMD -Chapter 428 It’s Settled

After listening to his younger sister’s account, Yue Yang didn’t state his position. He merely said flatly, “Let me think it over first,” and then, snorting with displeasure, returned to his room.

Feeling stifled, Yue Yang washed up and sat in a chair, lost in thought. After a while, Hai Lanzhu and the Linglong sisters entered one after another.

Turning his head, Yue Yang asked, “Are the children asleep?”

Hai Lanzhu nodded. “I had the wet nurses take them away long ago. They should have been asleep for quite some time by now.”

Seeing that her husband was still looking glum, Hai Lanzhu couldn’t help but chuckle. Yue Yang immediately grew unhappy. “Hey… wife, that’s a bit much, isn’t it? Can’t you see how worried I am, yet you’re still laughing? Won’t you feel even a little sorry for your husband?”

Laughing, Hai Lanzhu walked behind him and gently began tapping his back with her slender hands. The strength was just right, making Yue Yang groan comfortably. “Mm—yes… right there, keep at it a bit longer. My wife really is the best. Linglong, come here—let your husband hold you for a while.”

Seeing Yue Yang open his arms, the Linglong sisters—who hadn’t seen their husband for nearly a year—had reddened eyes. The two of them rushed into his embrace together, clinging tightly to him.

“Hey… easy, you two. Your husband still needs to breathe… Come, let me see whether you’ve gotten thinner these days…”

Faced with Yue Yang’s wandering hands, the Linglong sisters didn’t dodge at all. Instead, they gazed at him with tender, affectionate eyes, letting him take liberties with their delicate bodies.

While Yue Yang was thoroughly enjoying himself, Hai Lanzhu laughed from the side. “These two little ones missed you terribly. They’ve been listless at everything they do these days.”

Still busy, Yue Yang asked, “And you? Did you miss me?”

“Tch…” Hai Lanzhu spat lightly and stubbornly replied, “Who would miss you? I’m not as useless as these two.”

Before she could finish, Yulong exposed her. “Sister Hai Lanzhu, you still dare say that? Didn’t you miss husband just as much? I don’t know who it was, hugging the blanket in her dreams and calling out young master’s name.”

“Oh my—so you little minx are asking for it!” Hai Lanzhu blushed deeply, grabbing Yulong to tickle her. In an instant, the three women were in a playful tangle.

At first Yue Yang watched with a grin, but soon the three women stirred him up beyond endurance. He grabbed all three and pushed them onto the large bed. The four of them immediately rolled together.

Before long, the three women lay beneath Yue Yang, their voices soft and lingering. Linglong was gentle, Hai Lanzhu mature; their plump bodies became the best remedy for his travel-worn fatigue. Having gone nearly a year without seeing him, the three were inseparably clingy. The battle lasted until deep into the night, with the Linglong sisters succumbing to exhaustion first.

“Husband… give it… to me,” Hai Lanzhu begged breathlessly, wrapping her legs around his waist with the last of her strength. “I… still want to bear a child for you… ah…”

When Yue Yang finally gave himself to Hai Lanzhu, this lively, open-hearted woman—also the strongest of the three—at last fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, when the sun was already high, Yue Yang finally woke up. The Linglong sisters, sleeping on the inner side of the bed, had been utterly exhausted the night before and now lay entwined like twin lotus blossoms, sleeping soundly. On the other side, Hai Lanzhu opened her eyes as Yue Yang stirred, gently turning over to nestle into his arms.

“Is husband still troubled by Ying’er’s matter?” Hai Lanzhu’s voice sounded by his ear. As expected of the perceptive Hai Lanzhu, she quickly guessed his thoughts.

“Yes,” Yue Yang sighed softly. “I originally thought finding her a good family to marry into would be enough. Who would’ve thought she’d set her heart on Wu Chengfeng? If I don’t fulfill her wish, she’ll probably resent me for the rest of her life.”

“Then just fulfill it,” Hai Lanzhu said nonchalantly. “Wu Chengfeng is fairly reliable, and more importantly, he hasn’t taken a wife yet. Now that he’s become a guerrilla general, marrying Ying’er to him wouldn’t be beneath her at all. Don’t you think?”

Yue Yang pondered for a moment before nodding. “Mm… you make sense. I was thinking the same. In a few days I’ll write to Liaodong and have him come see me. If there are no issues, I’ll let him formally propose. Hmph… that brat’s really lucked out.”

At the thought of his gentle, obedient little sister getting married, Yue Yang felt an indescribable reluctance, as if a treasured possession in his heart were about to be handed over to someone else.

Hai Lanzhu chuckled softly, burrowing her pretty face deeper into his embrace without saying anything. After a moment of silence, she asked quietly, “Husband, how long will you be staying this time?”

Yue Yang thought for a bit. “At least a month or so. I’ll leave after the New Year. It’s just… once I leave, everything here will be on your shoulders.”

Hai Lanzhu was already twenty-seven—at the most beautiful stage of a woman’s life, and the time she most needed her husband’s companionship. Yet Yue Yang was away year-round, while she stayed behind to care for elders, look after his sister and children, and oversee the vast affairs of Shanxi on his behalf. The thought filled Yue Yang’s eyes with guilt.

Hai Lanzhu sensed it immediately. Smiling warmly, she said, “Husband, don’t be so sentimental. You are meant to accomplish great things. You’ve just married the princess, and His Majesty favors you greatly—this is precisely the time to do great deeds. How could you retreat to Shanxi and live comfortably as a rich man? Go and do what you must. Leave the household matters to me. I promise nothing will be neglected.”

What more could Yue Yang say to such a virtuous wife? He could only hold tightly the soft, fair body in his arms, expressing his affection through action. Soon, the room once again filled with intoxicating sounds…

Yue Yang stayed in Hunyuan Prefecture until the following year. Only after the Lantern Festival, near February, did he finally lead his men away from Shanxi, bidding farewell to the reluctant Hai Lanzhu and the Linglong sisters, and head toward Shandong. During this time, through his diligent “efforts,” Hai Lanzhu and Yuling both announced joyful news—they were pregnant. Hearing this, Yue Yang was so delighted he almost didn’t want to leave. It was only after Hai Lanzhu urged him to put the greater cause first that he reluctantly set off.

Composing himself, Yue Yang once again traveled toward Shandong. On the third day of the second lunar month, his party arrived in Jinan Prefecture. Ke Zhennan, Ma Ke, Lu Zhili, Liu Zeqing, and others were already waiting ten li outside the city. Of course, they weren’t there to welcome Yue Yang, but to receive Princess Zhu Meichuo. After all, the princess represented the imperial family’s dignity, and none dared to slight her.

After resting in Jinan for over half a month, Yue Yang spent his mornings handling the backlog of official documents and his afternoons accompanying Zhu Meichuo. The little princess was only thirteen and newly married; she clung to him constantly, and Yue Yang naturally devoted more time to her.

That day, Yue Yang was teaching Zhu Meichuo Arabic numerals and double-entry bookkeeping when someone reported that Wu Chengfeng had come to seek an audience.

“Oh? That fellow’s finally here?” Yue Yang was momentarily distracted, then remembered his purpose after Zhu Meichuo poked him in the waist. Snorting lightly, he said, “Have him wait in the front hall. I’ll go over shortly.”

“Yes.”

After the palace maid left, Yue Yang sat back down. Seeing her husband absent-minded, Zhu Meichuo smiled. “Does husband harbor prejudice against General Wu? Otherwise, why treat him so coolly?”

Yue Yang shook his head. “Not prejudice. Ying’er is at an age to marry. I was just thinking—it’s already spring. Perhaps it’s time to give the troops stationed in Liaodong something to do.”

Zhu Meichuo’s eyes lit up. “Oh… does husband intend to move against the Tartars in Shengjing?”

No wonder she was excited. Though young, she had grown up watching her father worry endlessly over the Tartars. Now that her husband had driven them into a great defeat, if he could eliminate this scourge once and for all, it would be a tremendous boon for the Ming.

Smiling, Yue Yang pulled the adorable girl into his arms and kissed her cheek lightly. “This can’t be rushed. I still need to consult with the generals in Liaodong and draw up a detailed plan. Only then can we act—otherwise, a defeat would be disastrous.”

Zhu Meichuo widened her big, lovely eyes and said with certainty, “Husband would lose a battle? Impossible!”

Since marrying Yue Yang, Zhu Meichuo had devoted her entire heart to him. With her childlike mindset, she believed her husband was the greatest prince consort in all of Ming—peerless both on the battlefield and in governance. How could he possibly lose?

Seeing the admiration in his young wife’s eyes, Yue Yang’s vanity swelled a little. Laughing, he pinched her tender cheek and strode out, leaving behind the pouting, foot-stomping girl like a delicate jade figurine.

Arriving at the front hall, Yue Yang saw Wu Chengfeng seated and drinking tea. Hearing the steady footsteps, Wu Chengfeng hurriedly set down his cup, stood, bowed deeply, and proclaimed loudly, “This subordinate Wu Chengfeng greets the Marquis. May the Marquis enjoy peace and prosperity!”

Yue Yang didn’t respond immediately. He stood there silently, staring at Wu Chengfeng for several minutes, until cold sweat beaded on Wu’s forehead. Only then did Yue Yang say calmly, “You may rise… General Wu, please sit.”

After sitting, Wu Chengfeng no longer had his former fearless air. Like a mouse before a cat, he sat stiffly, not daring to speak.

After a long silence, Yue Yang sighed. “What I can’t figure out is how Ying’er came to fancy a fellow like you. As her elder brother, I truly don’t understand.”

With a thud, Wu Chengfeng knelt. “Marquis, I know my humble origins make me unworthy of Miss Yue. I swear that between Miss Yue and me there has been nothing improper. Please see clearly!”

“Hmph.” Yue Yang snorted. “I know this already. Otherwise, if you had dared wrong my sister, how could I spare you?”

“Thank you for the Marquis’s great mercy!” Wu Chengfeng kowtowed repeatedly.

“Enough—get up. I don’t like grovelers.” Yue Yang waved him up, then said reluctantly, “Fine, you’ve got it easy. Do this: go back and prepare a betrothal gift. Have a matchmaker deliver it to the Marquis’s residence in Hunyuan Prefecture. I’ll inform the old matron and my wife, and we’ll settle the marriage. If I tried to break you apart, I’d only end up with complaints for nothing. I won’t play the villain who beats apart a pair of mandarin ducks. Understood?”

Wu Chengfeng had long known how difficult it would be to marry into the Yue family. The gulf between a fourth-rank guerrilla general and a super-ranked Marquis was nearly insurmountable. He had never dared hope.

Thus, when Yue Yang summoned him from Liaodong, Wu Chengfeng thought he was being called to account. Prepared for punishment, he came obediently. Never had he imagined such a reversal.

Staring at Yue Yang in disbelief, he asked, trembling, “Is what the Marquis says… truly true?”

“Nonsense!” Yue Yang laughed and scolded. “Do you think I have nothing better to do than toy with you? Of course it’s true. I’ve never cared much for family status. Who told my sister to take a liking to you? But I’ll say this first—Ying’er is gentle and virtuous. If you dare mistreat her after marriage, I will never forgive you!”

Wu Chengfeng’s heart nearly leapt from his chest. He kowtowed again and again. “Marquis, please rest assured. I will never fail Miss Yue. If I wrong her in the slightest, may heaven strike me down!”

“Enough. Get up.”

After giving his future brother-in-law a proper warning, Yue Yang waved him up. Once Wu Chengfeng sat again, Yue Yang’s expression softened. “Chengfeng, what insights have you gained from guarding Liaodong these days?”

Wu Chengfeng started to rise but was stopped by Yue Yang. “We’re becoming family. No need to be so formal—sit and speak.”

“Yes… thank you, Marquis.” Still not fully used to the shift in status, Wu Chengfeng spoke carefully. “During my half year in Liaodong, I found the people fierce and the population sparse. When I first arrived, the Tartars beyond the passes were quite rampant, often raiding our borders and abducting civilians. So General Yue and others sent out cavalry and scouts to counter-raid them. We called it… ‘harvesting the grass.’”

He glanced at Yue Yang, slightly embarrassed. Though euphemistic, it was essentially a scorched-earth tactic. Seeing no change in Yue Yang’s expression, he continued.

“After half a year of fighting, the hatred between us deepened. The Tartars have been cowed by our blows and have come out less and less. They seem truly frightened.”

Yue Yang nodded noncommittally. “Do you think the time is ripe to retake Shengjing?”

“Retake Shengjing?” Wu Chengfeng was stunned, then ecstatic. “Marquis, you intend to recover Shengjing?”

“Exactly.”

“Wonderful!” Wu Chengfeng said excitedly. “Though there are still over a hundred thousand Tartars around Shengjing, they’ve been unable to plunder Ming lands for over a year. Trade routes beyond the passes are also controlled by our Xuan-Da Army. Their days are hard. If the Marquis dispatches another fifty thousand troops to join the fifty thousand in Liaodong, with our combat strength, we can surely retake Shengjing!”

Yue Yang closed his eyes, tapping the tea table lightly. After a moment, he said, “Go back and first send people to propose at the Marquis’s residence in Hunyuan. Then confer with Shunbao, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, and the others to draft a plan—troop numbers, supplies, ammunition, and the time required to take Shengjing. Present it to me. Understood?”

“Yes—this subordinate obeys!”

After concluding official matters, Yue Yang kept Wu Chengfeng for lunch, then sent him back to Liaodong.