Chapter 1183 Come Home With Me...

Upon hearing this, the first person to show a shocked expression was not Liang Youying, nor Pei Xingyuan, but Shang Ruyi, who had been quiet all along.

She stared at Yuwen Ye with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe her ears, but the latter remained calm, showing no change in expression, nor any shame for "betraying" his friend.

No way.

How could that be?

Given Yuwen Ye's personality, he would never betray his friends. Besides, given the current situation, it wouldn't be impossible for him to take responsibility.

Why should everything be blamed on Pei Xingyuan?

Shang Ruyi instinctively wanted to say something, but after a moment's thought, she kept quiet.

At the same time, Liang Youying finally confirmed in shock that she had not misheard. Shang Ruyi clearly heard her breath catch in her throat, and her already somewhat dim eyes were like the last flickering candle in the wind, suddenly going out, as if her soul had fallen into an abyss.

Shang Ruyi couldn't help but turn her head and glance at Yuwen Ye.

Then, she glanced at Pei Xingyuan again.

When Pei Xingyuan heard Yuwen Ye's words, his eyes flickered violently, as if he was also startled. However, he did not say anything immediately. His bright eyes only rolled around, and he calmed down almost instantly. He still did not speak, but just quietly looked at Yuwen Ye.

It was as if they were waiting for something.

"so--"

Liang Youying's dark eyes stared down, as if she couldn't see anything at all. Her pale lips parted as if she wanted to say something.

She seemed too weak to say anything more.

Yuwen Ye took a leisurely sip of tea and calmly continued, "However, Miss Liang, I still want to remind you that you can think of Xingyuan and me as very clever, but you don't need to think of us as too clever."

"..."

"After all, no one knew that someone would attempt an assassination at Tangquan Palace that night, and no one knew that Xingyuan would be arrested."

"..."

"Even your two attempts to break the prisoner were unexpected."

"..."

"To say that we were thinking of using your background to take over Luoyang back then would be to overestimate our abilities."

Liang Youying's stiff body trembled slightly, as if she had come to her senses, while Jiang Yan frowned and said, "You just said that you only sent someone to remind Young Master Pei because you knew that we came from Wanggang Village, so that he would not be deceived."

Yuwen Ye said, "That's right."

Shang Ruyi turned to look at Pei Xingyuan again. Although he hadn't said a word, his expression was quite rich. At this moment, he even showed a pitiful, and even somewhat aggrieved, look, pouting and nodding.

Unfortunately, no one was watching him.

Yuwen Ye glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, shook his head with a look of disappointment, and then said, "But then again, it doesn't seem entirely true that I said it wasn't me who wanted to take advantage of your background, but him."

Pei Xingyuan's eyes widened immediately.

Liang Youying frowned: "Why?"

Yuwen Ye said, "Because after you rescued him, I already expected that he would persuade you to deal with Liang Shide and take Luoyang."

"..."

"Liang Shide and Xiao Yuansui have joined forces, and there are many former Wanggangzhai troops in the city. If you want to take this place, as long as you act properly and the time is right, it will be much easier than if we launch a strong attack."

"..."

"Therefore, I am more confident than anyone else in attacking Luoyang this time."

Mentioning this, Liang Youying's face darkened again. Recalling everything she had seen at the altar today, although Shang Ruyi had arrived with several thousand iron-framed cavalry, and they did look very imposing, anyone with eyes could see that it was not a battle formation. No matter how powerful the Princess Consort of Qin was, going into battle in ordinary clothes would almost be suicide.

Furthermore, the fact that Yuwen Ye led the main force to first capture Huian Gate, then enter the city and exit through Shangdong Gate to control Liang Shide's subjects reveals his plan.

He truly placed all his hopes on Pei Xingyuan and them.

At that moment, she took a deep breath and finally turned to look at Pei Xingyuan as if she had made up her mind. Her eyes were filled with indescribable complexity and entanglement, as well as a trace of despair and helplessness: "So, you really have been using me all along?"

Pei Xingyuan was startled and was about to say something when Yuwen Ye's cold voice rang out again—

"He can only use you."

Liang Youying frowned and looked at him: "What do you mean?"

Yuwen Ye said, "Because he couldn't do what Liang Shide did, abandoning his own family."

"...!"

These words were like a heavy hammer blow to Liang Youying's heart. Her heartbeat and breathing stopped for a moment, and she froze on the spot.

After saying that most important sentence, Yuwen Ye didn't seem to intend to say anything more. He slowly picked up the teacup, gently blew on it twice, took a sip, and then another sip, immersing himself completely in the fragrant tea.

This clearly gave Pei Xingyuan a chance to speak.

Pei Xingyuan had been silent for a long time, and was almost unable to hold back any longer. At this moment, he finally had a chance to speak, and his voice was so urgent that it was almost distorted. He said, "The King of Qin is right, that's exactly what I think. You rescued me, which saved me from immediate trouble, but my family and friends are all in Chang'an, and they will definitely be implicated by me. If the case against me is not resolved, they will not have peace of mind."

"..."

“But now that things have come to this, even if I explain that the person I met in Feishuang Palace that night was one of the Prince of Qin’s men, it wouldn’t be enough to convince anyone. Besides, the Emperor will definitely be suspicious of your identities as well.”

"..."

"The only way is to perform meritorious service. The truth may not be clear, but merit can."

"..."

"Only in this way can you rightfully return to Chang'an, and then, come with me, come home with me..."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Liang Youying's dark eyes trembled slightly, but she did not show any shyness on her face. Instead, after a long silence, she asked coldly, "But when I told you about my background, you did not tell me that you already knew all about it."

Pei Xingyuan's face also showed an unusual seriousness. He said, "If I had told you back then that I already knew about your background, wouldn't you have doubted me?"

"..."

"If you doubt me, would you still have come with me to Luoyang and accomplished all of this?"

Liang Youying frowned but didn't say anything.

The answer is obvious.

This seems to be a dead end, blocked at both ends; no matter which way you go, it's the wrong way.