Chapter 270 Do you take me for a beast?

When they arrived at the Banyan Temple dining hall, some people had already finished their breakfast and left. There weren't many people inside at the moment. After they sat down, Tushe'er immediately brought out some vegetarian food, which consisted of just a few steamed buns, a few bowls of thin porridge, and some boiled vegetables.

Everyone then sat down and began to eat.

While engrossed in her food, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but glance up at Yuwen Ye sitting opposite her.

He was still handsome and energetic, but he was completely different from the man he had been in the room. He seemed like a different person, and he was talking to the monk next to him in a serious tone.

Looking at his polite demeanor now, who would have thought that last night he was like a ferocious beast that had been starving for a long time? No matter how much she begged for mercy, cried out, or even broke down emotionally under him several times, he never let her go.

For a moment, she even felt that she might die in this solemn Buddhist temple because of this blasphemous pleasure.

Just then, Yuwen Ye turned to look at her, and their eyes met. Shang Ruyi blushed again and quickly lowered her head.

A faint smile appeared on Yuwen Ye's lips.

After finishing their breakfast, they went back to their room to pack up and prepare to leave. Just before leaving, Shang Ruyi inadvertently saw Yuwen Ye give the monk some more money.

As she descended the mountain, she walked up to Yuwen Ye and asked softly, "Why did you give them money?"

Yuwen Ye glanced down at her, a smile playing on his lips.

"Compensation."

"Compensation? Compensation for what? Did we break anything of theirs?"

"It wasn't damaged, it just soiled the bedding."

"bedding?"

Shang Ruyi suddenly realized what was happening, her face flushed red with embarrassment, she glared at him and then fell silent.

Before long, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. The boat from yesterday was already waiting for them at the ferry. Yuwen Ye stepped forward, but did not board the boat immediately. Instead, he turned around and extended his hand to Shang Ruyi.

Shang Ruyi blushed a little, but still obediently reached out to hold his hand and followed him onto the boat.

Once everyone was seated on the boat, the boatman used a bamboo pole to push against a stone pier, and the boat swayed gently away from the shore, heading towards the opposite bank.

Although she had been in a good mood, once she sat on the boat, Shang Ruyi's breathing became tense again. Especially when she felt a cold, damp wind blowing by, which almost penetrated her bones, she couldn't help but shudder and her face turned pale.

Just then, a hand reached out and gently embraced her.

Shang Ruyi looked up and met those gentle eyes. Yuwen Ye was looking down at her—it seemed that his gaze had been fixed on her ever since they boarded the ship. At this moment, he said softly, "If you're scared, close your eyes. I'm here for you."

Anyway, I'm here.

These four words seemed to instantly dispel the chill that seemed to come from nowhere. Shang Ruyi stared at him, momentarily lost in thought.

After a long pause, she nodded and closed her eyes.

The moment she closed her eyes, that familiar panic almost immediately followed her. But this time, there was a powerful presence beside her. His breath, even his aura, though invisible, seemed to truly envelop her, preventing her from falling into the boundless darkness.

Shang Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile slowly appeared on her face.

After a long and tiring journey, they finally returned to Dongdu in the afternoon.

However, when they entered the city, they found that there were a lot of people leaving the city. They were stuck outside the city for almost half an hour. Finally, the soldiers guarding the city discovered that it was the general's carriage, and they cleared the road to let them into the city first.

I got home after 1 p.m.

Everyone was busy again. Fortunately, Wo Xue and Chang Wan were at home and had already arranged everything in the room. The two of them washed up and returned to the room. Lunch was delivered from the kitchen, which was a sumptuous feast.

Shang Ruyi sat down and looked at the food, then laughed and said, "You ate such a light meal this morning, but you've prepared such a sumptuous lunch."

Yuwen Ye said, "I'll make it up to you."

He could tell that she was a woman who enjoyed rich and flavorful food. He had indeed put her through a period of vegetarianism from yesterday to today, which was also difficult for him. So, he naturally wanted to make up for the blandness of the past half-day.

So the two of them happily finished their lunch.

After they finished eating, Wo Xue and the others immediately came in to clean up the dishes. Tu She'er then brought over some hot tea. Shang Ruyi had just taken a sip when she felt drowsy and couldn't help but yawn.

Yuwen Ye looked at her with a smile and said, "Didn't you sleep well last night? Take a nap at noon."

Shang Ruyi's face turned red again.

Others may not know, but she certainly knows why she didn't sleep well. However, the "culprit" just looked at her with a smile, as if watching a show. She couldn't speak, and only mumbled that she drank two sips of tea before preparing to go to bed.

Tushe'er was the last to leave the room, and then he closed the door.

As soon as she turned around, she saw Wo Xue approaching with a grin and asking, "Sister She'er, what happened at Banyan Temple yesterday?"

Tushe'er said, "What's wrong? Nothing's wrong."

"Nothing wrong? Why do I feel like the Second Young Master and the Young Madam are closer than before?"

"Is there?"

"Why not?"

Wo Xue smiled and said, "They rarely take a nap together. Even when the Second Young Master is at home, he is always busy with his own things."

"oh……?"

Tushe'er thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

Moreover, yesterday at Banyan Temple, a very quiet place, they all slept exceptionally well, listening to the chirping of insects and birds on the mountain, and were in particularly good spirits today; but for some reason, Shang Ruyi kept yawning, and when she went down the mountain today, she stumbled and fell. Yuwen Ye tried to help her, but she refused, and it took a long time to get down the mountain.

They did seem a bit different from usual.

But—Tusheer couldn't help but wonder, how different could they be? Aren't they just a loving young couple?

So he waved his hand and said, "Don't ask any more questions, just go do your own thing."

Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of him, Wo Xue just pouted and obediently went to do her work. Tu She'er glanced back at the closed door, smiled for some reason, and then turned and left.

Inside the room, however, there was a sense of tranquility and peace.

Shang Ruyi was lying in bed, feeling a little sleepy, when she suddenly heard a very soft rustling sound. When she opened her eyes, she saw Yuwen Ye standing by the bed, taking off his outer clothes and sitting down.

Her heart skipped a beat: "Hmm?"

Yuwen Ye looked down at her and smiled, saying, "What, do you want me to sleep over there?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi's face flushed again.

From yesterday to today, she has blushed countless times. At this moment, she couldn't utter a single word, but silently stepped back a little, making room for herself on the bed.

Yuwen Ye smiled and lay down, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

His embrace was firm and warm, always giving people a sense of reassurance, even complete peace of mind. As soon as Shang Ruyi leaned in, she immediately felt a wave of relaxation throughout her body. However, the hand around her waist was a little hot, and the feeling of its iron grip made her a little uneasy. After thinking for a moment, she raised her head in his arms and whispered, "Just sleeping."

"..."

Yuwen Ye looked down at her, and after a long while, said irritably, "Do you take me for a beast?"

Shang Ruyi smiled and buried her face in his chest.

Yuwen Ye reached out and patted her waist hard, then gently stroked it twice, as if to soothe her. But as he stroked her slender waist and felt the faint fragrance emanating from the soft, spring-like body in his arms, he did feel a restless flutter in his heart.

Last night, because they were in a temple, they felt a mixture of rational restraint and guilt for violating moral principles. This intertwined emotions made their union both joyful and repressed, as if something was missing.

But we really can't continue like this.

This young woman is truly exhausted.

So he took another deep breath, suppressing the inappropriate throbbing in his body, and gently stroked her back, preparing to keep her company and help her get a good night's sleep.

Just then, he felt the little head in his arms lift up. He looked down at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shang Ruyi asked, "When are you leaving?"

"..."

Yuwen Ye was slightly taken aback, but then immediately understood, and said with a smile, "You found out again?"

Shang Ruyi said, "Mu Xian isn't here today. You must have sent him back yesterday. You wouldn't have sent him back if it wasn't something important."

"..."

"I just saw that there are a few more people in the manor; they are your personal guards."

"..."

"Is the imperial court ordering you to send troops?"

Yuwen Ye nodded: "The Ministry of War's documents have arrived. The troops are ready and are outside the city; they will depart tomorrow."

Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide, thought for a moment, and then said, "Why don't I let you go and muster the troops this time?"

The last time we went to attack Xingluocang, Mingming still made him go to the Ministry of War to recruit soldiers himself.

A cold glint flashed in Yuwen Ye's eyes: "Tell me why."

Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown.

Over the years, due to the uprisings in various places, the imperial court has sent many troops to quell the rebellions. However, while it is necessary to quell the rebellions, it is also afraid that the generals leading the troops will become too powerful. Therefore, the generals will almost never lead the same troops for a long time. Instead, they will be replaced after each use to keep them unfamiliar with each other and avoid collusion in rebellion.

Therefore, when Yuwen Ye captured Xingluocang last time, those troops had just become somewhat familiar with him when they were immediately left to guard the city. He could not call them up again, so he had to find other troops to go to Hebei this time.

However, it's really going too far to not even let him personally select the troops.

Shang Ruyi said softly, "You're not familiar with the troops, and you're attacking Wanggang Village—can you really win like this?"

Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while and said, "Have you forgotten what I told you?"

"..."

"I've said it before, now is not the time for me to fight Wang Gangjun to the death."

"...?"

Shang Ruyi was taken aback.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside again, and Tushe'er said anxiously at the door, "Young master, young lady, that Eunuch Lu is here again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuwen Ye immediately sat up in bed.

Shang Ruyi was also taken aback—Eunuch Lu was the eunuch who served Empress Jiang.

She quickly asked, "Did he come to see me?"