The Rebirth Of The General Who Always Sees Himself As A Replacement

Chapter 51: You Like Him.

Pei Hantang ‘tsk-ed’ and said: “I saw you! A while ago, when I was talking to Lord Mu, your eyes were fixed on him.”

Gu Heyan: “……”

Pei Hantang: “Besides, knowing your temperament, you are not the type to meddle in other people’s business. So why have you dragged me here to enthusiastically ask me about something that doesn’t concern you? Just answer whether my guess is true or not. If you don’t want to talk, just nod your head and let me know. Don’t worry, I’ll never say anything about it. It’s just that, as your Sworn Brother, I have to know what to expect.”

Gu Heyan was silent for a long while, but he then nodded his head with certainty.

Pei Hantang detailedly shouted out loud: “Holy fuck! You really like him?!!!”

Gu Heyan hurriedly covered Pei Hantang’s mouth.

Pei Hantang: “…..Mm-hmm….”

Gu Heyan released Pei Hantang’s mouth and waved his hand with cold indifference.

“Alright.” Pei Hantang felt as if his soul had traveled to the Ninth Heaven, witnessing the great changes in the mountains, rivers, and seas. Pei Hantang even started babbling nonsense: “You motherfucker! I really didn’t fucking expect it! I just spoke casually, but I can’t believe that I’m actually fucking right!”

“What did he say to you just now?” Gu Heyan asked again.

Pei Hantang grabbed Gu Heyan by the shoulders and told Gu Heyan everything that Mu Zhiming had just told him not long ago.

“A case about a corpse with whip marks and bruises?” Gu Heyan frowned. “The case of a maid, or a brothel woman, who died in the home of a High-Ranking Official?”

“I’m as surprised as you are. I didn’t expect that Mu-gongzi would be interested in these kinds of crimes.” Pei Hantang said. “He even described them with such detail! As if he was sure these things would happen. If you think about it, it’s kind of weird and scary, hiss.” Pei Hantang rubbed his arms.

Gu Heyan: “…..”

Pei Hantang continued: “On the other hand, you really like him….huh? Hey! Don’t go! Weren’t you going to send me off? Gu Yuyi! Sigh, this boy is so ruthless. As soon as his question was answered, he turned around and left.”

—

When Gu Heyan came back to the Main Hall, Wen Heyin had already left. Mu Zhiming was sitting alone on the Taishi chair, slowly sipping tea from a celadon cup. When he heard the sound of someone coming in, Mu Zhiming raised his head to meet Gu Heyan’s eyes.

Both of them were speechless. After all, the conversation they had before being interrupted wasn’t so pleasant, and neither of them wanted to speak of it again. Therefore, they didn’t know what to talk about.

The silence was only interrupted when the Military Physician, Xia Tianwu, walked in through the door and bowed: “General, it’s time to change the bandages on your arm.”

After hearing this, Mu Zhiming stood up and said: “Since the General’s injuries haven’t healed yet, I can’t bother him too much. I will come to visit another day.”

Gu Heyan: “….Hmm.”

After they both saluted each other and said their goodbyes, Mu Zhiming left the Gu Residence in his carriage. Inside the carriage, Mu Zhiming took a long sigh, and leaned his head against the window frame. Then, he opened his eyes and stared at the passing scenery outside while in a daze.

Mu Zhiming didn’t actually blame Gu Heyan for questioning him whether he had come to see him because of King Xian or King Su.

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After all, Mu Zhiming had been deeply involved in the treacherous party rivalry this lifetime, and he can no longer break free from it.

“If I were like in my previous life….” Mu Zhiming murmured to himself. “As an idle man who stayed far away from the Capital’s affairs, could I get closer to him…..?”

“Young Master, what are you muttering about?” Wen Heyin asked. “Why do I feel that even though you came here with great enthusiasm, now that you have to go back, you look pretty depressed?”

Mu Zhiming smiled at Wen Heyin and didn’t reply.

“Young Master,” Wen Heying hesitated. But then he managed to say: “I have always had this strange feeling that you are tired all the time….”

“Maybe it’s because I got up a little bit earlier than usual today.” Mu Zhiming pinched his brow.

“No, I don’t mean just today.” Wen Heyin said. “I mean these past two or three years.”

Mu Zhiming was so stunned to hear this, he even looked sideways at Wen Heyin.

Wen Heyin added: “It seems like you’re always afraid of something. Every once in a while, you would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, startled. Last night, in fact, you suddenly woke up and started frantically writing. When you finally went to bed, I read what it was about. What do you mean by a marriage contract that can ally someone with the Imperial Army? What do you mean by a battle in the White City? What do you mean that by ‘using your tongue like a spear, and your lips like a sword1’, you will protect the Country and prevent ‘him’ from dying in the battlefield? What do you mean by being falsely accused of a crime, that you should make sure, as soon as possible, to send your Father and Mother out of the Capital with the excuse that they must recover from an illness? What do you mean by the phrase you had repeated over and over again, ‘the world is becoming turbulent, and the situation in the Imperial City is rapidly changing’?”

Mu Zhiming helplessly said: “Haven’t I burned all those papers? How could you still read them? Anyway, no matter what you saw then, you can’t tell others about it.”

Wen Heyin: “Young Master, in the end, you….”

Mu Zhiming interrupted Wen Heyin with a smile: “Don’t ask. It’s too hard for me to explain.”

Wen Heyin: “Oh….alright.”

Mu Zhiming: “Don’t say anything.”

Wen Heyin: “Don’t worry, Young Master, you can rest assured I won’t.”

Soon, the carriage passed over the bluestone slabs of the Mu Residence. As soon as Mu Zhiming got off the carriage, a boy immediately stepped forward to inform him: “Young Master, you have finally returned! His Royal Highness King Su is waiting for you! He has refused to leave even if you’re not home, so he has been waiting in the Main Hall for a long time. Hurry, go and take a look!”