As a military general, he was destined to be loyal to the monarch and serve the country worthily. However, the monarch and country had ruined lives and forced the people to leave home and wander about. These repeatedly shook his original intention of dedicating himself to the service of the country.
Nevertheless, he was also the defender of his country. Protecting the peace and security of the Great Jing was his mission.
Moreover…
A moment later, he whispered, “But they haven’t done that yet.”
Even he himself heard the hesitation and wavering in his tone.
He looked towards Huo Wujiu, and a touch of unease surfaced in his eyes.
However, Huo Wujiu stared at him silently for a moment, then the corner of his lips curled up as he laughed rather breezily.
“That’s true,” he seconded. “In that case, there is no reason for me to push you any further.”
Lou Yue didn’t expect Huo Wujiu to be so agreeable and let him off so easily.
He couldn’t resist speaking up, “But you…”
“There’s always a way.” Huo Wujiu cut him off, “By all means, eat meat and drink today, General. I will accompany you and not go home until we’re drunk, how about it?”
Indeed, Lou Yue returned home drunk that day.
Huo Wujiu’s soldiers did their job well and managed everything in the restaurant. Besides, Lou Yue initially went to find wine to drink by himself, so their meeting was strictly hidden without the least bit of news leaking out about it.
After Lou Yue returned home, he fell into a despondent mood.
“Good boy… Tingzhang has raised a good child, ah!” he continuously babbled, but his voice was choked with tears. “It’s just that I, Lou, have let him down, let Tingzhang down, and let his son down!”
Tingzhang was the name of Huo Wujiu’s father.
Lou Wanjun was directing the maids to take care of him. She knew that her father couldn’t hold his wine, but even if his alcohol tolerance was low, he was much more drunk today, so much so that he kept reeling.
When she heard his prattle, she couldn’t help but feel amused. She asked, “Who are you letting down?”
Lou Yue shook his head and kept his mouth shut for a long time.
Lou Wanjun burst out laughing, twisted a handkerchief and wiped his face clean.
All of sudden, Lou Yue spoke again.
“But, he is indeed a good boy.” He looked at Lou Wanjun and said, “If I can entrust you to him, I will be relieved.”
Lou Wanjun was at a loss for words.
However, she didn’t take Lou Yue’s words to heart. From the moment she had reached adulthood, her father hated marriage even more than a lady raised in the boudoir did. Whenever he spotted a man with pleasing features, who was a bit literate, and who was not missing an arm or a leg, he would consider these the standards of his son-in-law, and because of his lenient standards, the result was usually fifty-fifty.
Hence, so many years down the line, the number of families he affianced her to was enough to form an advance army.
Lou Wanjun chortled and dropped the handkerchief in the basin.
“Sure enough, you’re drunk, that’s why you’ve started to go around finding your son-in-laws again.” After saying that, she turned around and looked at the soldier, Su Rili, who was waiting by Lou Yue’s side and raised an eyebrow at him.
“You let the General drink too much outside again. You’re in need of a person, right?”
The soldier wished he could express his suffering. He shrank his neck and forced a smile.
Huo Wujiu was not drunk today.
He could smell the stench of alcohol on him and was thus not fit to go out. When they returned, he asked Wei Kai to visit the main house to see if Jiang Suizhou had time to meet him.
It was already nighttime. Before long, Jiang Suizhou arrived with Wei Kai.
When he came, Huo Wujiu was sitting at the table, flipping through the books on the table in boredom.
After drinking some wine, his mood was more or less bare, and his impatience with the book was greater than ever.
He rocked back and forth slowly while sitting in his wheelchair, flipped a page and mused about it. Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, he placed the book down and glanced up.
“You’re here.”
Jiang Suizhou sniffed the smell of wine.
“You went to see Lou Yue today and drank?” He sat down on the couch next to him and asked.
Huo Wujiu nodded and moved toward Jiang Suizhou with his wheelchair controlled by one hand. Immediately after, he felt that it was a bit in the way, so with a single leg, he forced the wheelchair to a halt. He stood up, walked to Jiang Suizhou’s side, and sat down quite naturally.
“I didn’t drink much,” he said, “That old man is getting older, and his alcohol intake is worse than in previous years. He drank only a little, but he was almost carried back home.”
Although there was no expression on his face, there was an inexplicable shadow of joy between his eyebrows. It was a far cry from that unfathomable cold and solemn appearance he showed Pang Shao.
Jiang Suizhou quickly asked, “So it’s done?”
Huo Wujiu shook his head.
“He’s stubborn as ever,” he remarked formally, “No matter how I persuaded him, he’s just unwilling.”
Jiang Suizhou immediately felt anxious.
Putting his sentiments aside, he knew how important Lou Yue was to Huo Wujiu. In Huo Wujiu’s plan, Lou Yue’s army played a vital role. It could be said that without Lou Yue’s soldiers, it would be absolutely impossible to realize his strategy.
“Then what should we do?” His anxiety compounded when he saw Huo Wujiu’s frown.
It was just that Huo Wujiu stared at him for a spell and grinned.
His brows stretched, and with a joy that could not be ignored, he raised his hand and stroked his back a couple of times, as if pacifying a kitten.
“Don’t fret,” he comforted, “You’re here, aren’t you? He’s being stubborn now, only because he’s not yet been pushed to the brink by Pang Shao. But as you well know, there are already hints of it, and more so sooner or later.”
His expression drastically changed. Jiang Suizhou immediately realized that Huo Wujiu was teasing him just now.
…What a meanie.
He gave him such a false alarm. In a disapproving tone, he chided, “Were you scaring me?”
He chided softly. Despite his scowl, he didn’t look the least bit fierce. His featherlight reproach felt as sweet as honey to Huo Wujiu. He discovered that even if the man in front of him scowled, he still looked captivating and entirely cute.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the soft pillow behind his head. He undoubtedly was the image of a mountain bandit chief with a mighty horse and a golden sword, but he seemed fond of tricking people.
“Not at all,” he denied loudly. His eyes were clear when he looked at Jiang Suizhou and said with a blithe smile.
“I’ve just had too much to drink.”
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