SMMW | Chapter 29

〖※ Obtained grain and provisions x15,

※ Obtained various military supplies, morale +50〗

[Ahhhhhhhhhhh it’s sister-in-law]

[Sister-in-law ahhhhhhhhhhh my one and only sister-in-law wuwuwuwu]

[The real sister-in-law has arrived, everyone else step aside!]

[kswl I can’t take it anymore]

[If they don’t get married, this is going to be very hard to wrap up]

[Wuwuwu I’m crying]

[In this world only sister-in-law is good, a streamer without sister-in-law is like a blade of grass]

[The official wife’s status has finally been made clear]

[Sister-in-law, from today on, I will not allow anyone to defy you, hurt you, or betray you]

[99, no more needs to be said]

[Look at Bro Sweet Potato’s eyes, it’s obvious he’s already fallen for him]

[Yeah yeah yeah, he’s not even looking at the comments section, he’s only staring at sister-in-law]

[Wuwuwu they’re running toward each other from both sides]

[…Can’t they just be brothers who’d die for each other?]

[? Straight bro, I order you to go tie rebar at a construction site]

Of course, Song Hao saw none of these bullet comments. In his eyes, there was only Wen Qing, bedraggled all over and bringing thirty carts of life-saving supplies.

The moment Song Hao saw Wen Qing from the city wall, he knew this round was steady. His savior had arrived.

The current Song Hao was no longer the breakdown monkey or the down-and-out pauper he had been before. His brows were gentle, the corners of his lips carried a smile, and he looked at Wen Qing with the focused gaze of someone looking at an immortal descending from the heavens.

[Streamer, you love him too, don’t you]

[That look is definitely love. I’ve shipped CPs for years, how could I not know]

[He’s actually pretty handsome when he stops clowning around]

[I’m about to become a face fan]

[His stinginess sealed away his looks]

[And that damned spreadsheet, the second he opens Office he becomes instantly hateable]

On the game screen, the soldiers helped unload the carts, while Wen Qing came into the command tent to explain the situation.

〖Wen Qing: There are thirty carts in total. The follow-up supply convoy from the capital will also come. Xin’an is still in the capital continuing to gather supplies, and if necessary, he will send another shipment. This is the secret letter Mu Ziyi asked me to deliver to you. Deputy General Chen has no problems, he is just somewhat rigid. Miss Lou of the Yanshan Sect is highly skilled. She resolved many dangers on the road here. If you lack capable generals, you can try letting her take the field. But ask for her consent in advance. General Huang Zhan is her father’s sworn elder brother…〗

The dialogue box showed the text line by line. Song Hao had never seen an NPC with so much to say before. One dialogue box filled after another, as if it would never end.

But his attention was not really on the information. He was more focused on the grime on Wen Qing’s face. He seemed to have grown much thinner. Not only was his complexion pale, there was also mud and rainwater all over him, along with many small wounds. It was hard to imagine that this was the same Wen Qing who, even when sick, had still fussed over cleanliness and made him change clothes three or four times.

He must have suffered a lot.

Thinking this, Song Hao reached out to wipe away the rainwater on his face, but what his fingers touched was not Wen Qing, but the smooth, cold computer screen.

This was only a game.

Song Hao let out a self-mocking laugh, laughing at himself for empathizing with a character again. Then, somewhat melancholy, he picked up the mouse and tried to touch Wen Qing’s face.

On the game screen, a hand wiped away the rainwater from Wen Qing’s face.

Sure enough, this kind of operation was possible.

Song Hao’s mood improved a little. He kept wiping left and right, never noticing the smile on his own lips, and never noticing that while he was wiping, Wen Qing’s dialogue box had stopped.

Inside the dialogue box, no new text appeared anymore. On the game screen, there was only one stunned face, and one hand carefully wiping it clean.

[…What is he doing]

[Ah… this is a little too real, honestly]

[…This isn’t some kind of 3D romance interaction game, is it]

[It is, but this is a male-oriented harem game, not a game where men join the harem]

[Holy shit, this is shippable, I’m shipping them]

[Streamer, can you stop moving your hand around and hurry up and read the intel]

[Get losttttt, he brought all this grain from far away, what’s wrong with wiping his face?]

[Bro I’m begging you, stop messing around, you positioned Wen Qing as a loyal minister, not an empress!]

[Damn, now they’re even more shippable]

[I told you, following a straight guy means there’ll be food to eat]

[Is this right? This isn’t right. This game is not supposed to be played like this]

[This is exactly how to play it! He should just be good to sister-in-law!]

[Historically weren’t there rulers and ministers who slept foot-to-foot? They’re not even sleeping together yet]

[AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH]

[Listen, that’s the sound of someone’s defenses breaking~]

On the game screen, no new text still appeared. It was only when Song Hao felt he had wiped him clean and stopped that Wen Qing suddenly threw his arms around him. At the current angle, all that could be seen was the back of Wen Qing’s head.

Song Hao tried clicking with the mouse, and that hand started stroking Wen Qing’s hair.

[This is way too ambiguous, honestly]

[Congrats congrats [rose x52]]

[Let us congratulate this newlywed couple [fireworks x5]]

[Today is a good day, perfect for a wedding [fireworks x7]]

[999999999 [fireworks x9]]

[Straight bro, even if you don’t have fireworks, at least send some free flowers!]

[Damn, who are you looking down on! [fireworks x1]]

[Thanks for the wedding gift, one groomsman, please come right in~]

[Hahahahahahahahaha [rose x19]]

[We from the bride’s side won’t lose face! [sports car x1]]

[Hahahahaha did you guys see it, someone reported the devs for deliberately giving Bro Sweet Potato cheats, and the devs said he hasn’t spent a single cent, there’s no cheat at all]

[My bro’s reputation really is something [thumbs up]]

[Official response: we didn’t receive any money, and without money we’re not doing favors]

[There are imitators too, trying male-male routes, but their reputation got too bad and they couldn’t even take the exams hahahahahahahaha]

[Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha]

[Because the character models and names are randomized, everyone’s game is different, so people are all guessing sister-in-law belongs to the civil official route]

[Then the one we watched wasn’t that. Another guy copied Bro Sweet Potato and tried a male-male route too, but the character he picked was a completely straight military general. The NPC just stabbed him directly, physique dropped to 0, hahahahahaha]

[Formal notice to the commenter above, our Bro Sweet Potato did not deliberately do a male-male route. He and sister-in-law are in a free and loving relationship, please be informed]

[Hahahahahahaha randomized NPCs are killing me, my sister-in-law is the one and only!]

[There was another streamer who deliberately flirted with a civil official, and the loyalty value kept dropping like crazy. The civil official defected to the Eldest Prince’s camp, hahaha]

Only after quite a while did Wen Qing continue explaining the intelligence. The dialogue box ended, and Song Hao received a new item.

〖※ Obtained Mu Ziyi’s secret letter〗

Song Hao opened his inventory. “Let’s take a look at Mu Ziyi’s secret letter.”

There were very few things in the inventory, only one secret letter and one jade pendant.

The jade pendant had only just been delivered by a small soldier. Where had the small soldier gotten it? From Wen Qing.

How did Wen Qing have the jade pendant? Good question.

[Wait a second, why is the jade pendant with Wen Qing]

[A love token given to sister-in-law~]

[I’ve been in the stream the whole time, how do I not remember that part, when did he give it to him?]

[Yeah, right, I don’t remember either]

[Streamer hurry up and confess]

[Did you secretly play the game behind our backs?]

[Wow, I never thought of that angle, this is so shippable so shippable]

[No, I’m not one of your people!]

[Stop struggling, we’re all family here]

[At this point, anyone still refusing to acknowledge sister-in-law’s status should just leave]

[I’m not leaving, I’m staying to watch. I want to see him become emperor, I want to see him clear the game, I want to see him marry eight wives!]

[Poor thing]

[He’s still believing the streamer is straight, I’m crying to death]

“I’m reading the secret letter.” The comments section was noisy as ever. Song Hao gave a heads-up, opened the secret letter briskly, and forced the plot onward.

〖1. Deputy General Xue, third-rate in martial skill, is a collateral relative of Minister Xue of the Ministry of Personnel. Minister Xue is the Empress’s elder brother and the Second Prince’s maternal uncle. Be wary of this man.

Deputy General Chen, taciturn, rigid, stubborn, unaffiliated, average in martial skill, usable in a pinch.

Huang Zhan, former Great General, fond of drink, prone to losing control when drunk, removed from office due to slander. (One version says his merit overshadowed the lord, and the Emperor simply took the opportunity to demote him.)

Lou Xiaoyu, daughter of the Yanshan Sect leader. Huang Zhan and her father are old friends. The Yanshan Sect has been struggling to survive and can no longer make ends meet, so they now make a living through escort work. This woman is straightforward and upright, highly skilled in martial arts, and can be used.

Rumors of Longyang.

There were once widespread rumors in the capital that you and Wen Qing shared a Longyang relationship. The message was spread among the scholars by hidden agents of the Eldest Prince.

It was later blocked by Lord Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue, and the rumor was changed to “you are pestering Wen Qing,” in order to preserve Wen Qing’s reputation.

From multiple clues, there is reason to infer that Lord Jiang is Wen Qing’s biological father. This man is cold-hearted and ungrateful, and treats power as dearer than life.

The Eldest Prince has always had a reputation for talent. You placed first in all three examinations and outshone him, so he became jealous and secretly instructed the Ministry of Revenue to delay the release of grain and provisions. Lord Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue curries favor on all sides, and on top of that, the Longyang rumor incident offended the Eldest Prince, so he naturally agreed.

This batch of grain and provisions was gathered for you by Wen Qing with his own private funds. He bore the pressure of all opposition and ran himself ragged for it. This shows that his feelings run very deep. The Longyang rumor is true after all, hahaha.〗

After reading the secret letter, Song Hao said with feeling, “The intelligence network really is useful. So it turns out both of those guys were trying to screw me over. Good thing Wen Qing made it here, or I really would’ve been game over.”

“My bro is seriously great. How about he be emperor instead, and I’ll just be the general.”

[AHHHHHHHHHHH I’m going to fight you!]

[AHHHHHHHHHHH so sweet!]

[Not marrying a wife! Not becoming emperor! What exactly are you trying to do!]

[The emperor and his general remove their battle robes, while in the warm hibiscus curtains they spend the spring night together~]

[Have you been playing so long your mind’s gone fuzzy? Do some eye exercises]

[This cup called love, once you drink it you’ll get drunk too]

[I’m done, you should just marry Wen Qing and make him empress, don’t give away the throne]

[When people said tear off the roof, straight bro compromised by opening a window]

Song Hao tried to save face. “I was just saying it casually. It’s not like the throne can be given away anyway.”

[If you could give it away, then you would???]

[The sweetness level is off the charts, everyone]

[Say you’ll be emperor. Say it! Put it in writing!]

[Total emotional collapse hahaha]

[Bro Sweet Potato is so entertaining hahahaha]

Song Hao pretended to be dead, acting like he couldn’t see the comments section, and pushed his character over to inspect Lou Xiaoyu’s attributes.

〖Lou Xiaoyu: Martial skill 82, physique 65〗

“That high? Then we can drop that saintly idiot!”

Song Hao found Lou Xiaoyu and invited her to join the battlefield.

〖Lou Xiaoyu: I can fight. Ten thousand qian per deployment.

Your options are: Agree / Bargain.〗

“So expensive? Of course I’m bargaining. But does bargaining even work? I literally don’t have a cent right now.”

〖Bargain.

Lou Xiaoyu: No bargaining. Ten thousand, period.〗

“…”

“Then what the hell is the point of this option?! I don’t have any money, ahhhhh!”

[What goes around comes around]

[Serves you right for haggling bit by bit when you sold her those medicinal herbs before]

[If you want to top up, you need at least 13, because the first recharge is 3 yuan for 3000, after that it’s 5 yuan for 3000]

[Impossible, this streamer is not spending a single cent!]

[Better go ask sister-in-law. He won’t mind taking a few more bites of soft rice]

Song Hao knew Lou Xiaoyu had to join the battlefield, because the enemies were obviously getting stronger and stronger. By the later stages, he was losing more often than winning, and Deputy General Chen simply could not win.

But where was he supposed to get 10,000 from?

Borrow it.

〖Xuanyuan Hao: Wen Qing, I’ll leave this jade pendant with you as collateral. Can you lend me 10,000 qian?

Wen Qing: ?

Wen Qing: No need for collateral. I’ll just give it to you directly.

※ Obtained money +10000〗

[Sister-in-law is so generous!]

[Why are you using the jade pendant as collateral???]

[What else was he supposed to use, the secret letter saying the two of them are in a Longyang relationship? What kind of secret would that be!]

[Being able to make sister-in-law lose his heart and soul over you counts as a skill too]

[“With one sentence, I made a man spend 10,000 on me”]

“Why is he like this again?”

Wen Qing had changed clothes and was curled up on the bed in the command tent. He still looked unwell… but he was perfectly willing to lend the money.

He had no sense of caution at all. How could he be this foolish?

Song Hao started getting strangely angry again, and then stubbornly insisted on leaving the jade pendant with him as collateral. Relying on his 55 physique, he forcefully hung the jade pendant around Wen Qing’s neck.

〖Xuanyuan Hao: Keep it. I’ll redeem it once I have the money.

Wen Qing: …All right.〗

[All bark and no bite]

[Heh, I won’t say anything about the streamer’s mindset. Do you really think you’ll ever have money?]

[Permanent 0 balance]

[If you want to give it to him, just say it]

[Heeheeheeheeheehee]

Feeling that he had at least balanced things a little, Song Hao was full of confidence. As expected, over the next few days the enemy’s combat strength became visibly stronger and stronger.

Day eighteen, defeat.

Day nineteen, Song Hao went out personally, victory, but that used up all his own deployment chances, leaving only Lou Xiaoyu and that saintly idiot below.

Day twenty, defeat.

Day twenty-one, defeat.

Day twenty-two, Lou Xiaoyu deployed, victory.

At last, the number of victories accumulated to ten. Datan requested surrender and offered gold and silver, cattle and horses, grain and provisions, plus a princess.

[Princess!!!]

[You have to take her!]

[Gege gege gege gege I’m begging you, agree! Pick agree!]

[And she’s a blonde beauty]

[She’s so pretty]

〖Refuse〗

“What do I want a princess for? She’d mess up my legitimate bloodline. Tell Datan to exchange for more gold and silver instead. This prince still has debts to pay.”

〖The Third Prince sternly refused the marriage alliance princess, and with all the gold and silver offered in Datan’s submission, led the army back to the capital in triumph.

The borderlands were pacified, and the common people cheered. The Emperor was overjoyed and bestowed ten chests of gold and silver.

※ Money +50000, Prestige +30

After returning victorious, the soldiers all praised the Third Prince for his exceptional martial prowess and skillful military command.

※ Obtained faction: army〗

Song Hao now had two faction lines, martial skill above 80, and prestige at 46. As long as prestige rose above 50, he would meet the requirements to become Crown Prince.

“Easy. I’ve got money now, so I’ll just go to the food shop and top myself up!”

Gold-thread rolls cost 300 a serving and added 1 prestige and 1 intellect. Song Hao directly bought five servings. His current attributes became Prestige 51, Intellect 12.

He also bought one Strength Pill for 1000 qian, which added 10 physique.

Anyway, his stats were good enough and he had plenty of money, so Song Hao went straight to Wen Qing’s house. The first thing he did was pay back the debt, money -10000. Then he shoved a Strength Pill into Wen Qing’s hand too.

〖Xuanyuan Hao: Try this.

Wen Qing: …Thank you.〗

Song Hao sounded smug. “See that? I’m a man with principles. Letting him supplement himself a little, just treat it like interest. Though I can’t pay him back for the grain and provisions he bought for me out of his own pocket. Let’s just count that as him buying original shares in me, the future emperor.”

It was a big black pill, and it didn’t look very appetizing. Wen Qing accepted it and set it aside, clearly not planning to eat it.

How could that do? That thing cost 1000!

Song Hao complained to the comments section, “He’s just picky. Before, with roast duck, he also wouldn’t eat it and said he’d leave it for later.”

[Oh, so that’s why you later bought Buddha Jumps Over the Wall]

[It’s 10 physique. If he won’t eat it, then you eat it!]

[Before, I didn’t say anything when the two of you ate roast duck together, but why are you giving him extra special treatment now? He’s a civil official, what does he need physique for?]

[Replying to the person above, how would you split one pill? Feed it mouth to mouth?]

[Hahahahahaha I’m shipping them now]

Song Hao did not care. Song Hao force-fed him.

He clicked the Strength Pill and brought it up to Wen Qing’s mouth. Wen Qing looked rather troubled. The two stayed at a standstill for quite a while before he finally ate it.

Chew chew chew, chew chew chew

Song Hao just sat there watching him finish it.

Song Hao opened Wen Qing’s attributes. Sure enough, his physique had gone from 36 to 46. Looking at that value, Song Hao felt deeply gratified. He had raised it bit by bit with his own hands.

Song Hao left, perfectly satisfied.

[Huh? He left? He’s not taking the jade pendant back?]

[Shh, look at you, acting like you’re the only one with a mouth]

[Shh, look at you, acting like you’re the only one with a keyboard]

[Shh, look at you, acting like you’re the only one who can type]

[Shh, look at you, acting like you’re the only one who knows pinyin]

〖The Emperor decrees:

Among all the princes, the Third Prince Xuanyuan Hao is accomplished in both letters and arms, with a striking bearing and extraordinary presence, and is fit to inherit the ancestral temple.

We bestow upon Hao the heir’s seal and regalia and establish him as Crown Prince. He is to take his rightful place in the Eastern Palace, to secure the line for ten thousand years and bind the hearts of all under heaven.

※ Congratulations on becoming Crown Prince. Please choose a Crown Princess.

(Selection requirement: already have wives or concubines, or a character with favorability above 100.)〗

〖Candidates: 〗

“Huh? Did it freeze?” Song Hao shook the mouse.

[How can it show anyone when there’s nobody]

[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]

[I’m laughing so hard I’m dying]

[There, see? You were told to romance someone and you refused, are you happy now?]

[Blank. It’s like seeing the system itself fall silent]

Song Hao refreshed it again. Still nothing. Nobody to choose from. Blank.

He could not continue the plot either. He had to choose one, but there were no options at all.

“What now?”

[You’re asking me? [smile]]

[Who the hell plays a harem game and gets stuck because he has no wives or concubines!]

[The devs racked their brains and still never imagined they’d stop you at this exact step]

[…This isn’t even a paywall]

[Load a save? Hurry up and marry one]

[There are only two save points. One is after refusing the princess and asking for money, the other is after getting the 50,000 reward and saving in case it got lost. There’s no time at all]

[I seriously have no energy left to fight with you]

[He got through all the hard parts and it ends here?]

[What about sister-in-law, marrying sister-in-law is fine too]

[Sister-in-law is a man, and his favorability is capped at 99]

Song Hao also felt it was absurd to get stuck here of all places. Unwilling to accept it, he quit and restarted, but there was still no one.

He refreshed again, and still nothing.

[Stop making things hard for the system]

[The highest favorability among the female characters is only 10, there’s no way to bend the rules]

[Male-male won’t work for being Crown Prince]

[Isn’t Wen Qing actually a woman in disguise?]

[Collapse on the spot, heart calm as still water]

Song Hao, poor and stubborn.

By the tenth click, the system seemed thoroughly annoyed. At last, the page changed and spat out a single option.

〖Candidates: Wen Qing 99…〗

“?”

[?]

[??]

[??????????]

[??]

[???????]

“This…” Song Hao’s brain crashed. He could not judge what exactly was happening here. Meanwhile, the faster minds in the comments section had already reacted, and the viewers who seized the initiative began wildly taking control of the situation.

[That one, exactly that one!!!]

[Pick him!!!]

[This is the moment I’ve been waiting for!!!]

[Hurry and pick him, it might be a bug, it could disappear in a second!!!]

[Bro Sweet Potato what are you hesitating for!!!]

[No way, that’s a man]

[What’s wrong with a man? A man can still be a wife!!!]

[Huh???]

[A male wife is still a wife, pick him for me!!!]

[Streamer what are you doing, did you freeze? Want me to remote into your desktop!!!]

[This is ridiculous, you people need to stop messing around]

[Get lost get lost get lost, say one more useless word and I’ll slap your big mouth across the internet!!!]

[Anyone who doesn’t support sister-in-law becoming Crown Princess gets the death penalty!!!]

[Hurry up and pick Wen Qing, don’t fail to appreciate a good thing!!!]

[Bro Sweet Potato, stop spacing out!!!]

“Huh? Did this happen in your games too? Men can be selected too?” Song Hao sounded a little dazed even as he spoke.

[Yeah yeah yeah, everyone gets that, hurry and pick]

[? What kind of nonsense are you people even saying]

[Marrying a man as your wife is totally normal]

[Society is more open-minded now]

[Yep yep, Dynasty is actually a diverse romance game]

Song Hao stared at the two words on the screen for a long time, not daring to make a move. Then he looked more carefully and noticed that behind Wen Qing’s value there were three tiny black dots, like an ellipsis.

Song Hao moved the mouse over the number, and Wen Qing’s full status panel appeared.

〖Wen Qing: Favorability 999〗

“Nine hundred ninety… nine?” Song Hao’s eyes widened as he stared at that number in disbelief.

For the comments section, it was like a thunderbolt crashing into the sea and kicking up ten thousand layers of waves.

[999! [heart x999]]

[The chosen wife! [sports car x1]]

[He loves you! He loves you so much! [fireworks x19]]

[My heart, somebody save me [rose x520]]

[You still won’t marry him??? [villa x1]]

[Even big spenders have a hard time grinding favorability to 999, okay [lollipop x99]]

[Love, this is love [heart x99]]

[Sister-in-law saved you once again, what are you still hesitating for! [sports car x1]]

[Every critical moment has sister-in-law there, so it turns out he’s loved you to the bone all along [rose x99]]

[I’m healed, I forgive this world now [fireworks x52]]

Urged on by the comments section, Song Hao moved the mouse beside Wen Qing’s name. Just before clicking, he jerked it away again. “What if he doesn’t want to? 999 could also maybe be… friendship, right?”

[Whose friendship reaches 999]

[Zou Hui’s friendship is at -30]

[999 means he’d be willing to marry you ten times]

[The system cap is 999. My sister-in-law’s feelings might be even deeper than that]

[Stop lying to yourself, this is love!]

[After you click it, a proposal scene will trigger and ask whether he agrees, so just pick him!!!]

Song Hao took a deep breath.

There was no helping it. If he wanted to keep playing, this was the only option.

Anyway, in a moment the game would still ask whether Wen Qing agreed. If he did not agree, then Song Hao would just stop playing, right.

Song Hao moved the mouse to the option and clicked confirm.

〖Your choice is: Wen Qing〗