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

Chapter 75: Take Advantage Of His Drunkenness And Act Quickly.

“Did you know that the Duke of Yan is looking for a candidate to marry off your little Gongzi to?”

Gu Heyan’s eyes trembled abruptly, and he remained dumbfounded for a long while. But then, Gu Heyan slowly lowered his head and said: “Hmm….”

“What do you mean by ‘Hmm’?!” Pei Hantang exasperatedly laughed. “Did you know or did you not know?”

Instead of replying, Gu Heyan rebutted: “What difference does it make to know or not?”

Pei Hantang slammed the table: “If you knew, then why didn’t you propose marriage? If you didn’t know, well, now you do! So go to the Duke of Yan and propose! Wait, I get it ….. Do you think it’s inappropriate for a man to propose marriage to another man? But the late Emperor was open-minded, having arranged marriages between Princes and male descendants of noble families when he was alive. Although such marriages are rare today, they aren’t forbidden. So, just go and propose marriage!”

Gu Heyan remained completely silent, and simply shook his head.

“Why are you shaking your head?!” Pei Hantang exclaimed, obviously frustrated. “Don’t you like him then?”

Gu Heyan whispered: “It’s getting late. Go home and rest.”

Pei Hantang was so angry that his eyes rolled back and he even had to suppress the urge to cough up blood.

However, Pei Hantang knew Gu Heyan better than anyone else. He knew that Gu Heyan must have his own reasons for acting so evasively.

Pei Hantang deeply inhaled and exhaled, stood up, and left the room.

Not long after, however, Pei Hantang returned to the room.

Then, with a thud, three jars of wine were placed on the low table.

Pei Hantang said firmly: “If you get drunk, you can relieve all your worries. Do you want to drink?”

Gu Heyan was silent for a moment, but then nodded: “I’ll drink.”

“Alright, then I’ll accompany you tonight, even if it costs me my life.” Pei Hantang sat down and opened the clay seal of the wine jar. At that instant, the intoxicating fragrance of wine filled the air.

Pei Hantang’s original intention was to engage in a quick and sincere conversation under the moonlight, while drinking a few cups of wine. However, Pei Hantang didn’t expect that as soon as he broke the clay seal, Gu Heyan would pick up the jar of wine and start pouring for himself. With his head down, Gu Heyan drank cup after cup, swiftly and anxiously.

In the blink of an eye, the first jar of wine was emptied and the sadness, that lay hidden at the depths of Gu Heyan’s eyes, gradually intensified to the point of being exposed.

“Hey…. You really….” Pei Hantang shook his head.

Gu Heyan remained completely silent. He took the second jar of wine, and without uttering a single word, continued to drink.

Pei Hantang: “Slow down, can’t you drink slower?”

In the Rong Yan Army barracks, Gu Heyan would strictly adhere to military rules and never once crossed any boundaries. For years, he rarely drank any alcohol, but now, as he drank so much at once, a hint of drunkenness flashed in his eyes.

Pei Hantang could perceive that Gu Heyan was feeling distressed, but he simply couldn’t understand why. Just why would Gu Heyan not fight for what he clearly longed for? Pei Hantang asked: “I just don’t understand. Are you really going to stand by, and watch Mu Zhiming marry someone else?”

Gu Heyan wiped the trace of wine from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand, and muttered with downcast eyes: “I may not stay here for long, probably just for a couple of months. I know there’s a calamity written in my destiny, on the battlefield, where swords and arrows have no eyes. While I know I could dodge that arrow, who knows if I will be able to dodge the countless arrows that will come after me next?”

“Gu Yuyi, what are you talking about?” Pei Hantang didn’t quite clearly hear him, so he simply continued to persuade him: “If you like Mu Zhiming so much, you have to let him know.”

Gu Heyan shook his head and said: “There’s no need. Since our feelings aren’t mutual, my declaration of love would only add to his troubles.”

Pei Hantang: “But what if both your feelings are mutual?”

Gu Heyan: “It’s impossible. He already has someone he loves.”

Pei Hantang asked in astonishment: “What?! Mu Zhiming has someone he loves? How do you know?”

Gu Heyan lowered his gaze and replied weakly: “I just know.”

‘Whether it was the way his face lit up at the mere sight of King Su in my past life, or the way he whispered his name in the camp tent, or even the lingering thoughts that persisted even when he was drunk…..’

‘I’ve known it all along.’

After emptying the second jar of wine, Gu Heyan reached out to grab the third.

“All right, all right.” Pei Hantang said, finally giving up on trying to stop him. “But, even if he doesn’t like you, even if he really has someone he loves, his marriage hasn’t been decided yet. All things considered, what’s wrong with proposing to him? Oh, don’t tell me that you… Gu Yuyi, couldn’t possibly be that your pride doesn’t let you handle rejection, right?”

Gu Heyan shook his head.

""

Pei Hantang: “Then, what exactly are you afraid of?”

Gu Heyan: “I’m afraid, afraid that he’ll hate me.”

Pei Hantang: “……”

After nearly drinking three jugs of wine, Gu Heyan was already partially drunk. Still holding the jar of wine in his hand, Gu Heyan whispered: “In fact…. him calling me ‘Heyan’ is enough for me…. in this life…..”

Pei Hantang remained silent upon hearing the phrase ‘I’m afraid he will hate me’. After hearing Gu Heyan’s words, Pei Hantang took a deep breath and made up his mind. Pei Hantang then adjusted the expression on his face, and pretended to casually say: “You know what? After careful consideration, I don’t think I should have tried to advise you. That Mu Zhiming isn’t even worthy of someone like you proposing marriage to him.”

Gu Heyan immediately raised his head, and frowned at Pei Hantang.

“The son of the Duke of Yan is nothing, but a spoiled dandy. All he knows to do is bask in the glory of the Duke of Yan.” Pei Hantang persisted even under Gu Heyan’s piercing murderous gaze. “But you! You are the renowned Grand General Yulin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Rong Yan Army! Propose marriage? To him? Is he even worthy!?”

Gu Heyan: “……”

Not long after, Pei Hantang rushed out of the wing room, and on his way, he ran into Wen Zhongcheng. Pei Hantang grabbed Wen Zhongcheng by the shoulders and began to spit out many words in an urgent manner, only to later add: “Quick, hurry up, get going and take care of it at once!!”

Wen Zhongcheng, upon hearing all that, became so shocked he found himself at a loss for words. Still feeling rather dumbfounded, Wen Zhongcheng asked: “Isn’t this a little bit inappropriate?”

Pei Hantang: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s inappropriate or not, forget it! Anyway, it was your Young Master who ordered it. I’m simply the messenger, and I just told you every word that came out of his mouth without omitting a single one. Hurry up, as long as your Young Master is drunk, his mind remains unclear. Go now! By the time he sobers up, it will be too late for him to do anything!”

—

The next day, the weather awoke clear and pleasant, with a gentle breeze passing around.

As it was his day of rest, Mu Zhiming didn’t go to the Imperial Court. After breakfast, he sat in the pavilion in the bamboo forest to reflect.

‘In my past life, after the case of King Xian’s betrayal was solved, Fu Yi immediately married the daughter of the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards Army. The Imperial Army possesses the largest number of elite troops in the Capital, and seizing control of the Imperial Army means controlling the livelihood of the Capital. Fu Yi’s ambition was already evident with that move.’

‘However, if I could thwart that alliance by marriage, I could tear Fu Yi’s wings off.’

Once Mu Zhiming had reached a final decision, he got up and walked back to his wing room. When he arrived, he asked Caiwei: “Are my parents in the Residence? I have something to ask them.”

“They’re here.” Caiwei nodded.

“Good.” Mu Zhiming stood up and prepared to go towards the Side Hall.

However, Caiwei suddenly remembered something and hurried to stop Mu Zhiming: “Young Master, I almost forgot.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Caiwei pondered over her words for a moment before finally speaking waveringly: “Earlier this morning, something was delivered to the Residence. This was supposed to have been sent to the Main Hall, then delivered to the Master and Madam, but I stopped it because…. it’s not appropriate….. It is too informal. If the Master were to see it, I’m afraid he would misunderstand it and become extremely displeased. So I thought it would be better to give it to you first.”

Mu Zhiming was puzzled. ‘What could be so inappropriate for the ever-efficient Caiwei to hesitate so much when speaking?’

Mu Zhiming asked: “Where was it sent from?”

""

“Young Master, it was sent from….. General Yulin’s Residence.”