Chapter 254 Only Fairness, No Emotion

Yuwen Ye was slightly taken aback. He looked up at her and saw that Shang Ruyi's clear black and white eyes had a sharp gaze that seemed to see right through him.

He immediately understood.

She had already told him her little finger's secret, so whether it was fair or in exchange, she also needed to know one of his little secrets. As she had just said, she was someone who didn't like to be taken advantage of, and this was merely the beginning of their mutual understanding. Moreover—

Tonight, she will give herself to him.

If that's the case, how could we be completely unaware of his innermost thoughts?

Yuwen Ye didn't speak immediately, but silently looked at her for a while before saying, "Hmm."

Shang Ruyi involuntarily took a deep breath and became nervous.

Compared to the astonishing secret she still hides, Yuwen Ye is not someone who can be seen through at a glance. In addition, given their previous relationship, he remains like a block of ice, refusing to melt no matter how close one gets, and unwilling to let anyone see what is hidden deep within his heart.

Now, he has finally melted a little.

After thinking for a while, Shang Ruyi finally said, "The one who agreed to your marriage before we were betrothed was Princess Xinyue."

Her question wasn't even a question.

Yuwen Ye's gaze remained unwavering as he nodded slightly: "It's her."

Shang Ruyi asked, "Why won't you marry her?"

"...!"

This time, a flicker appeared in Yuwen Ye's eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "How did you know?"

Shang Ruyi said, "Before, I always thought it was because I broke off the engagement and decided to remarry you that I hindered your marriage with Princess Xinyue. I also always thought that you—"

Seemingly sensing that she was still holding back, Yuwen Ye let out a deep breath and said frankly, "I only regard her as a younger sister."

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.

really.

Although she first encountered the two of them meeting at Tinghe Tower, at that time Princess Xinyue was crying her eyes out, and Yuwen Ye almost attacked her when he discovered she was eavesdropping, leading her to believe that the two lovers were confessing their feelings to each other there; later, when Yuwen Ye toured the northern frontier, Princess Xinyue kept Yuwen Ye by her side and they went their separate ways. The hardships they experienced during this time made her feel even more bitter about their relationship.

However, the more time passed, the more she felt something was wrong.

Because all the emotional release was done by Princess Xinyue. She was in tears in front of Yuwen Ye, and she asked Yuwen Ye to stay by her side. She searched everywhere for a good solution for Yuwen Ye, but what about Yuwen Ye?

He said he was not interested in romantic relationships.

He said that from childhood to adulthood, he only had one thought in his mind: to achieve great things.

He said he didn't understand what love was, let alone the feeling of being infatuated and losing oneself for someone...

This is definitely not the kind of person who is in love with Princess Crescent Moon.

Moreover, they had gone through the Battle of Xingluocang together. His anger towards her, his passion for her, and even the kiss that almost stole her heartbeat and breath that night—she understood that he had feelings for her.

This kind of thoughtfulness is completely different from his feelings for Princess Crescent Moon.

Shang Ruyi took another deep breath and said, "So, you only see her as a younger sister, and there's no romantic feeling between you... Is that why you don't marry her?"

"..."

Yuwen Ye remained silent for a while.

He said, "I suppose so."

Shang Ruyi's heart sank again—was it considered...?

Could there be another reason?

Just as she looked at him with some doubt, Yuwen Ye also looked at her, a dangerous glint flashing in his cold eyes. At that moment, Shang Ruyi suddenly understood!

Because of Chu Yang!

To be precise, it's because of the imperial court!

On the night before his departure, Yuwen Yuan summoned the two of them to his study to discuss important matters for the future. Any one of his words, if it reached the emperor's ears, would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family. These thoughts could not have come to him in the last two days, or even after Yuwen Ye's incident.

Furthermore, Chu Yang's long-standing wariness of the Yuwen family and his hostility towards Yuwen Yuan could, conversely, prove that the Yuwen family may have always been...

Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi's heart began to pound.

So, is this the reason why Yuwen Ye did not marry Princess Xinyue?

She subconsciously looked up to say something, but Yuwen Ye quickly glanced outside, and Shang Ruyi immediately stopped him—although they were in a private room and there were hardly any guests on the second floor, some things couldn't be said as casually as the playful remarks they had just made.

Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then finally whispered, "Is it so that you won't be won over?"

Upon closer examination, it's unlikely that the marriage between Yuwen Ye and Princess Xinyue was proposed by the Yuwen family; it must have been initiated by someone from the royal family. Especially since Princess Xinyue was so infatuated with him, it's highly probable that she took the initiative to propose marriage. And since the emperor loved his daughter so much, he naturally couldn't prevent her from marrying the person she loved.

Moreover, from a public perspective, the princess's marriage to the second son of the Yuwen family is also a way to win over the Yuwen family.

At that time, everything the Yuwen family does will be even more at the mercy of the imperial court.

But Yuwen Ye was clearly not someone who could be controlled.

Sure enough, after she asked that question, Yuwen Ye's expression turned cold for a moment, then slowly calmed down, and he softly said, "Hmm."

Shang Ruyi finally understood.

She said softly, "So, after you came to my uncle's house to arrange my marriage, just two days later, news spread in the court that His Majesty the Emperor wanted to kill the Duke of Sheng. Was it actually because of this incident?"

Yuwen Ye nodded: "Mm."

"So, you married me not because you were unwilling, but because you were going with the flow?"

"Um."

"so--"

At this point, her voice suddenly became a little hoarse.

Seemingly sensing her grievances, Yuwen Ye tightened his grip on her hand, almost completely enveloping her small hand in his palm. Yet, Shang Ruyi's eyes still reddened, and she glared at him, saying, "Then why did you treat me like that? Even if you didn't like me back then, you still needed me. It made me feel like I ruined your relationship, preventing you two lovers from being together..."

Yuwen Ye held her hand, remained silent for a while, and said, "But back then, I really didn't like you."

"..."

"I treat people I don't like with only fairness, not with affection."

Her initial grievances suddenly made her heart pound uncontrollably when she heard those words. When she looked at him again, her eyes, still a little red, seemed even brighter.

Shang Ruyi asked, "And now?"

Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while and said, "You will understand what it means to be unfair to people in the future."