Chapter 507 Past Events

When Yuwen Ye returned to his room, it was already dark.

As he pushed open the door and entered the room, he smelled a faint, warm fragrance. He was familiar with this scent; it was the unique smell of Shang Ruyi after her bath. Turning his head, he saw her sitting in front of the dressing table, but not doing her makeup. Instead, she was organizing the jewelry box, which contained the jewelry that Guan Yunmu had given her before.

On the other side, there was a book, which seemed to have been put down after only reading two pages.

Yuwen Ye slowly walked in.

Upon hearing his footsteps, Shang Ruyi hurriedly put away the box, got up, and walked to him. Yuwen Ye glanced at the jewelry box, then at the books on the other side, and said, "Why are you packing these things so late at night?"

Shang Ruyi also looked back and smiled, "I was reading a book just now, but I couldn't concentrate. Then I remembered that I haven't worn these pieces of jewelry that Mother gave me in a long time, so I should clean them out."

"..."

"Maybe we'll need it in a couple of days."

Yuwen Ye glanced at her, then at the hairpins and jewelry that were so familiar to him. A faint bitterness that had been suppressed in his heart welled up again.

Shang Ruyi looked at him and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I've already eaten some."

"Then, I'll have someone prepare hot water for you to take a bath, and then you should get some rest."

"Um."

So Shang Ruyi instructed Changwan and the others to prepare hot water. Yuwen Ye took off an outer garment and casually tossed it onto a stool. Just then, he looked down and saw the book Shang Ruyi had placed on the table—it was "Admonitions for Women"—no wonder he couldn't concentrate on reading it.

Soon, the bathing supplies were prepared, and he took a thorough bath before returning to bed to rest.

The room was so quiet that only the flickering candlelight beside the bed could be heard.

But upon closer listening, they realized it was each other's breathing.

Yuwen Ye looked down at Shang Ruyi, who was leaning against him. She had been out running around for most of the day, but there was no sign of fatigue on her face, only a quiet and heartbreakingly wooden expression.

Yuwen Ye gently wrapped one arm around her slender waist: "Still not going to ask?"

"Um?"

Although her expression was blank, Shang Ruyi reacted quickly. She looked up at him from his arms and shook her head again. She knew that Yuwen Ye was referring to what Yuwen Yuan had talked about with him at the teahouse all afternoon, but she really didn't intend to ask.

Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while and said, "You said during the day that people only ask questions in two situations: when they don't know the answer."

"Um."

"When is the second option?"

"The second type—"

Shang Ruyi lowered her eyelashes, her eyes shimmering slightly in the dim light, and said softly, "It's when you already know the other person's answer, and that answer is the answer you want."

"..."

"Asking it makes me happy."

Yuwen Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he looked down at her: "So, you didn't ask during the day because you already knew what your aunt told me; and now you're not asking because you've already guessed what Father will say to me, but you don't want to hear it from me, is that right?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi subconsciously buried her face in his chest, and after a long while, she finally let out a muffled "Mmm".

Such behavior from a husband and wife would normally ignite a passionate frenzy; however, today, both of them carried a chill, a chill that permeated their entire bodies after forcing themselves to calm down. Yuwen Ye only gently stroked her back, without making any further moves.

Indeed, how could she not know?

If she really didn't know anything, why would she suddenly start tidying up the jewelry that Guan Yunmu had given her late at night?

Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and suddenly said, "Do you know why Father drank so much Jiu Yun Chun on our wedding night?"

Shang Ruyi's breathing became heavy again.

In fact, from the time Shen Shiyan's incident occurred until now, almost every word Yuwen Ye and Yuwen Yuan have said has been expected, or at least reasonable.

However, she did not expect that Yuwen Ye would suddenly bring this up at this time.

That seems like it was almost thirty years ago.

She gently shook her head, then looked up at Yuwen Ye. In the dim light, his cold eyes were illuminated by the last candlelight in the room, which made them seem somewhat hot. Before Shang Ruyi could ask any more questions, he said, "Actually, he hadn't drunk any alcohol before that."

"..."

"I don't drink alcohol either."

"..."

"Because I heard that his grandparents were very strict people. They forced him to study and practice martial arts from a young age and did not allow him to have any other hobbies. He didn't even have any favorite foods."

"..."

"That's why he was able to lead troops when he was only fifteen years old."

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.

Yuwen Yuan was already able to lead troops at the age of fifteen!

Speaking of which, Yuwen Ye followed Yuwen Yuan into battle in his early years. At the age of nineteen, he was appointed as the Grand General of the State. Now he has been promoted to the position of General of the Heavenly Strategy. Everyone thought he was a genius, but unexpectedly, he was still inferior to his father.

Yes, even though Yuwen Yuan was a kind and amiable elder from the moment the marriage was arranged, she knew in her heart that this Duke of Sheng, who had the feat of "shaking the Dragon Gate with his divine bow and building a mound of corpses," could not possibly have only a kind face.

Only those who went into battle at the age of fifteen, fought like hungry wolves against the enemy, and made countless military achievements could make even the emperor wary.

She said softly, "Then—"

Yuwen Ye said, "However, when he was fifteen years old, his grandfather died in a war, and his grandmother fell ill with depression and passed away not long after."

"..."

"At that time, he was only fifteen years old."

Shang Ruyi's breathing became increasingly heavy.

Perhaps others cannot understand, but she is the one who understands that helplessness and pain the most. After all, she was the same. Before she even had a chance to understand, she lost her family and was kicked out of her home. If it weren't for her uncle and aunt taking her in, she wouldn't even dare to imagine where she would be now.

And Yuwen Yuan—

Yuwen Ye said, "Although he went through the same things as you, your circumstances are very different."

"Why?"

“You wandered for a while and suffered a lot. Fortunately, Uncle Shen and the others took you in, and finally... you had someone to rely on.”

"Um."

"But the troops left by his grandfather may have been his support, but possessing such a treasure is a crime, especially at his age and in such circumstances. He was not yet able to support such a large family and responsibility, so those troops became the object of others' covetousness."

"..."

Yes, that was thirty years ago. The Daye Dynasty had not yet been established, and the world was in chaos, with war raging everywhere. Yuwen Ye's grandfather was a pillar of the state in the previous dynasty. He later followed Emperor Wen, Chu Yin, to conquer this land and establish the foundation of the Daye Dynasty. Naturally, he had his own private army, which was their only support in the chaotic world.

However, once the old Duke died, these troops became easy prey for others.

Shang Ruyi spoke, her voice trembling slightly, "Back then, there must have been many, many people... oppressing him, right?"

Yuwen Ye was silent for a while, then said in a hoarse voice, "Actually, Father rarely talked about what happened back then. He probably didn't want to recall it himself. We only learned about it from Pei Shibo and the others' casual conversation after drinking. I heard that he struggled to hold on for two years, but the Yuwen family inevitably declined at that time."

"..."

"In short, he had a very tough time back then."

Shang Ruyi pursed her lips and remained silent.

In fact, just thinking about it makes it clear that Yuwen Yuan's childhood experiences could not possibly be encompassed by the single word "bitter".

Fortunately, it's all over now.

Just the experience—

Just as Shang Ruyi was racking her brains but couldn't depict the unimaginable hardships of those years, Yuwen Ye suddenly spoke again. This time, however, as if infected by some emotion, his voice, though hoarse, suddenly took on a gentle tone: "However, Mother has always been by his side."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi's breath hitched.

Mother, Guan Yunmu?

She actually knew Yuwen Yuan when he was so young and stayed by his side?

Could it be that—

At this moment, Yuwen Ye lowered his head slightly, looked at Shang Ruyi's sparkling eyes, and nodded gently: "Mother and he are engaged."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi gasped.

It turns out that Guan Yunmu and Yuwen Yuan were also engaged—which explains why they met at such a young age; moreover, if Guan Yunmu stayed by his side during his most difficult years, then their feelings for each other must have been very deep.

She was such a cold and aloof person, yet she was devoted to her husband wholeheartedly, willing to suffer injustice or even risk her life to stay by his side.

Shang Ruyi's heart began to pound heavily.

But when she came to her senses, she realized that the heavy heartbeat wasn't just hers, but also that of the chest pressed against hers. Yuwen Ye's heartbeat was also so heavy that it seemed like it was about to burst out of his chest at any moment. But at this moment, his face slowly darkened, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said, "But, Mother can't help him."

"..."

This sentence was left unsaid.

There's no need to finish speaking.

Although Guan Yunmu came from an official family, she couldn't help the young man who, despite holding the title of Duke of Sheng, was coveted by wolves and tigers in those turbulent times. Nor could the civil official family behind her.

Shang Ruyi opened her mouth as if to say something, but her voice was so low and hoarse that it was barely a whisper. Yet Yuwen Ye still understood her. He knew what she wanted to ask even before she spoke.

He said, "At that time, the only person who could help my father was the Duke of Shenwu, Dong Yan."

"..."

"The reason he was willing to lend a helping hand was for his daughter."