YA Ch65: Taken After Whom
The barrage of comments paused for a moment, and then was instantly filled with laughter, almost causing a glitch.
[So vigorous at such an old age, hahahaha!]
[Lu Yu is barely thirty, yet his own son praises him for being vigorous at such an old age, hahahaha……]
[An old horse still aspires to travel a thousand miles; old but vigorous, Han Di Ba Yu!]
[ Eunuch Han Di Ba Yu, your son said that, come back and update three thousand words daily!]
Lu Yu was greatly affected, turning to Ming Yan to complain: “You handle your third son; he said I’m vigorous at such an old age.”
Ming Yan was sitting and drawing at a stone table, and upon hearing this, stifled a laugh: “In ancient times, people aged thirty-six already had a beard and were considered old. You’re still up here in the tree with birds pairing up; it’s a miracle I haven’t criticized you for being old yet.” He then turned and added a set of whiskers to the little fellow stuck to Lu Yu’s back.
Originally looking as graceful as a young man, Uncle Hua suddenly became an elderly man with a long beard.
Lu Yu touched the whiskers: “This looks so old.”
Ming Yan drew a mirror for him to see, laughing: “This is the aura of a celestial being.” This guy always pretended to be a mystic, and the whiskers suited him quite well.
Lu Yu looked at himself in the mirror, now twenty years older, and then at Ming Yan in the simulated world, looking as if he had icy skin and jade bones. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he leaned in with a lewd tone, saying: “Hey, whose little beauty is this? Let this old man have a taste.”
Ming Yan quickly covered his mouth: “Don’t talk nonsense, or the livestream will get banned.”
Lu Yu rubbed his face against Ming Yan’s palm with the furry whiskers.
While they were messing around, Ming Yan noticed Shen Ying approaching and quickly used an eraser to wipe away the whiskers on Lu Yu’s face. Uncle Hua was back to being graceful, vigorous, and youthful.
Ming Yan stood up to greet him: “Zixia, here to find Wenyuan? He is over there.”
Shen Ying, dressed in a blue scholar’s robe, cupped his hands and said: “Will Mr. Mo Tai be going with us this time?”
Ming Yan nodded: “Of course, he will.”
They had to follow Hua Wenyuan and observe the main character’s condition to make adjustments.
Lu Yu sensed something was off and quickly added: “I’m going because A-Yan is going. As husband and wife, we shouldn’t be apart for more than three days; otherwise, we’ll grow distant.”
Ming Yan glared at him: “Stop talking nonsense.”
Shen Ying’s peach blossom eyes curved in a smile: “The bond between the two of you is enviable. I had planned to ask Mr. Mo Tai to stay and help with mundane matters, so as not to disturb you.”
After saying that, he prepared to leave.
Ming Yan frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed and smiled as he called out to Shen Ying: “Zixia, I had someone… buy some spring clothes and send them to your place.”
Last week, viewers had rewarded the show and requested more beautiful clothes for Shen Ying. The art team, like Lao Yang, suddenly had a burst of energy and worked overtime to prepare several sets.
[Does President Ming want to say that the art team drew some new skins for you, hahahaha!]
[With Shen Ying’s intelligence, he’ll definitely think too much after hearing this, unlike our Xiao Yuan, who is easier to fool.]
[Shen Ying will probably guess that this place is actually the underworld, and the paper is the clothing.]
[Then it’s useless unless Han Di Ba Yu works through the night to rewrite this story into a ghost and fairy tale.]
Fortunately, Ming Yan didn’t say this out loud, and Lu Yu escaped a calamity without knowing it. The audience was very satisfied with the efficiency of Chenyu Technology and began to reward enthusiastically, asking Ming Yan to get some outfits for himself as well. These two had only played a dress-up game in the first two episodes and hadn’t changed clothes much afterward.
Shen Ying was somewhat surprised and paused for a moment before saying: “Thank you, Mr. I indeed did not bring spring clothes.”
He was originally heading to the capital for the imperial examination. On the way, he encountered disaster victims blocking the road. Taking the opportunity, he ran away with his book box, leaving his large luggage in the carriage. After being robbed by thieves, he could no longer contact his family, and naturally, he didn’t have much of his usual clothing.
Shen Ying cupped his hands and bowed again, then turned and left.
Lu Yu watched his departing figure and whispered: “He’s testing us. He hasn’t heard of Hua Wenyuan’s uncle and aunt from his previous life, so he’s worried.”
Ming Yan exchanged a glance with him, understanding that this was the result of Lao Yang’s hard work over the weekend, and Shen Ying’s initiative had increased. However, this couldn’t be said in the livestream, so they both pretended nothing had happened and went about their preparations for the expedition.
Meanwhile, in the capital, at the palace examination site.
The Emperor looked at the hundred or so candidates seated in the grand hall, glancing back and forth for a long time. The youngest among them looked to be nearly thirty years old. He then asked the chief examiner: “I’ve heard that there’s a prodigy from Chu Ping who passed the exam at sixteen. Which one of them here is he? If his essay ranks in the top three, he can be appointed as the top scholar.”
The country was in a state of turmoil and needed some good news. A seventeen-year-old top scholar would be quite a notable piece of news.
The chief examiner shook his long white beard, kneeling with a mournful expression: “Your Majesty, Chu Ping’s sixteen-year-old scholar Shen Ying encountered disaster victims on the road to the exam, and his carriage was robbed and lost. He has yet to be found and is likely to have met with misfortune.”
The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then sighed: “What a pity.”
The grand hall was filled with sorrowful clouds, while the barrage was lively.
[Didn’t expect that; I’ve been robbed!]
[Whoever wants to be the top scholar of a fallen country can do so; Shen Zixia won’t do it anyway.]
[It’s actually quite a pity; he should have become a top scholar first and then been robbed; it would have been more impressive.]
[Impressive name, but the sound of a hundred people from the Shen family losing their heads would be even louder.]
The Shen family was a scholarly family and a prominent local clan, with several members serving as officials in the court. Shen Ying’s association with the rebels must not be leaked.
The preparations for the battlefield were not complicated; it was just a matter of dealing with a few bandits in a nearby county. These soldiers had been trained for half a year, and everything was in order, so there was no need for extra concern. However, Hua Wenyuan’s uncle was full of energy today, enthusiastically giving him lectures on various topics such as ideological work and economic livelihood, making General Hua’s head spin.
Finally, it was time to set out. Hua Wenyuan mounted his horse, waved his hand, and shouted “Depart,” leading the way and distancing himself from his uncle’s little lectures.
Lu Yu, covered in dust from both himself and his horse, spat and said: “This kid really doesn’t like studying, doesn’t know who he takes after.”
He then looked at Ming Yan, riding alongside him.
Ming Yan had learned horse riding as a child and had a particularly good riding posture. For the expedition, he had changed into a set of powerful armor, with a wide waistband accentuating his graceful waistline, making Lu Yu unable to take his eyes off him.
Ming Yan raised an eyebrow: “Don’t look at me; we’re from the same university; let’s not point fingers.”
Lu Yu was momentarily stunned before realizing that Ming Yan was responding to his earlier comment. He grinned and said: “I’m not blaming you; you’re only responsible for his looks.”
The barrage was speechless:
[You two wake up; that’s a cyborg child, not yours!]
[Hahahaha, President Ming is so seriously shirking responsibility.]
Lu Yu was also charmed by Ming Yan’s response, urging his horse closer and whispering: “Hehe, have you noticed? You’ve already tacitly admitted that the child is ours.”
Ming Yan ignored him, raised his hand, and turned the jade-colored brush he was holding, transforming Lu Yu’s tall horse into a short-legged donkey.
Lu Yu: “???”
The upright Mr. Mo Tai, gracefully riding away. The long-eared donkey wobbled along, getting slower and slower, and was soon left far behind, about to be overtaken by the infantry trailing behind.
Lu Yu tugged at the donkey’s ears, unable to change its appearance, so he quickly typed on the donkey’s back:
[The donkey of General Hua, “the racing red hare,”1“赛赤兔” (sài chì tù) refers to a “racing Red Hare.” The Red Hare (赤兔) is a famous and legendary horse in Chinese folklore and history, particularly associated with the historical figure Guan Yu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a divine steed, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day.]
As he hit send, the racing red hare donkey seemed to have drunk diesel, and “ah, uh, ah, uh” it raced after Ming Yan at full speed.
Footnotes:
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