Chapter 525 Strategic Planning, Decisive Victory from Afar

At this moment, tears of regret and resentment filled her eyes, and through her blurry vision, she saw that familiar figure slowly approaching, until he stood in front of her and looked down at her.

Through the blurred vision, the only thing clear was the pity in Yuwen Ye's eyes.

Even though he had never had romantic feelings for this princess, it was not an exaggeration for him to say that he regarded her as a younger sister. Seeing this lovely little princess, who had grown up with him since childhood, standing in the court, desperately trying to grasp something, only to be abandoned by everyone, the panic and despair seemed to seep into his heart through her painful eyes.

He rarely experienced sibling affection at home, but he did experience it in the strictly hierarchical imperial palace. Such a lovely little girl followed behind him, calling him "brother, brother." Although she couldn't warm his heart, she certainly warmed his childhood.

However, some things are destined to remain only in that era.

Looking at Chu Ruoyan's tear-streaked face, Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and finally said, "Take His Majesty and go back."

"..."

"I will send people to guard Dayan Temple closely and protect the Empress Dowager's safety."

"..."

"We'll discuss everything after this matter is resolved—"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand.

The two eunuchs who were standing to the side immediately stepped forward, as did the pale-faced and unresponsive Eunuch Cao. Although they were terrified, they knew what responsibility they had to bear, so they escorted the young emperor and the princess away from the Taiji Hall.

However, Chu Ruoyan remained motionless.

She looked at Yuwen Ye and suddenly asked, "Second Brother, will you... will you come to see me?"

Yuwen Ye frowned slightly.

Chu Ruoyan smiled, as if she had let go of everything, and said softly, "It's okay if you don't come."

"..."

"If you don't come, I won't wait anymore."

"..."

Yuwen Ye frowned even more deeply, thought for a moment, and said, "I will come."

As he uttered those words, he subconsciously looked up and glanced at Shang Ruyi not far away, only to see her silently turn her face to the side, as if she couldn't bear to look, or more like she didn't want to hear it.

Upon hearing his reply, Chu Ruoyan showed neither joy nor disappointment. She simply smiled at Yuwen Ye with tears in her eyes, the glistening tears adding a touch of heartbreak to her smile.

She said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

After saying that, he lowered his head, protecting Chu Chengfei, who was already unable to speak, in his arms, and left Taiji Hall step by step with difficulty.

With that, this matter is temporarily settled.

Yuwen Ye slowly turned around to face the crowd in the hall. Normally, seeing Princess Chu Ruoyan showing him such affection would definitely cause some ripples, and might even lead to some trouble. But at this moment, the crowd might be surprised or taken aback, but it no longer caused any ripples.

When the power of the royal family was about to be replaced, even the marriage of that golden-bred princess became unimportant.

The world of power is cold and cruel.

Yuwen Yuan also silently witnessed this scene. When he met his son's complicated gaze, his own eyes became even more profound. However, he did not dwell on these thoughts. Instead, he took a deep breath and immediately turned around. When he looked at the ministers in the court again, the aura he exuded and the attitude of the people in response were completely different.

Almost everyone in front of him kept quiet and composed.

Yuwen Yuan then said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, this calamity is extraordinary; it is a critical moment for the survival of the dynasty. I hope you will all remain steadfast in your duties and work together to overcome this difficult time. Once this matter is resolved—"

Everyone watched him, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Clearly, the "matter" Yuwen Yuan was referring to was not only the current plague, but also the matter tied to it—the emperor's abdication and the prime minister's ascension to the throne. Once the plague was over, the emperor could abdicate legitimately, and he could rightfully ascend the throne.

By that time—

Just as everyone held their breath and stared intently, Yuwen Yuan said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, each of you will receive a reward."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

"yes!"

"Thank you, Grand Chancellor."

"We will certainly follow the Grand Chancellor's lead."

Some of those who said these things had long been secretly in cahoots with the Duke's mansion, sharing both prosperity and adversity; others were pragmatic, understanding that power is no match for others, and thus decided to go with the flow; still others were genuinely dissatisfied with the chaos the Daye Dynasty had caused over the years, and even more so with the incompetence of the young Emperor Chu Chengfei, hoping that the new ruler would bring tangible benefits to the people.

Ji Hong is the last type.

However, he was completely different from the previous types of people. Although he succeeded, he felt no joy, only a bitter feeling welled up in his heart. Seeing the jubilation of the people around him, he felt even more uncomfortable. He silently turned around and walked out of the main hall.

He had just taken a step when he heard someone whisper behind him, "Lord Ji, please wait."

Ji Hong stopped and slowly turned around, only to see Shang Ruyi walking up to him and bowing respectfully. Ji Hong gave a wry smile and said, "I dare not accept such praise."

At this moment, Shang Ruyi didn't have time to delve into whether his words of "I dare not accept such praise" referred to her current status or whether he had already foreseen her possible future status. She simply said softly, "Lord Ji... thank you, Lord Ji."

Ji Hong still replied, "I dare not accept such praise."

Looking at his bitter eyes, Shang Ruyi remained silent for a moment before saying, "I have two things to say to Lord Ji—I know that what you just said may have been more painful for you than for the Princess who heard it, but you did not do it for your own selfish reasons, but for the public good, for the suffering people under the Daye Dynasty who are now living in dire straits. I want to tell you that you will not regret it."

"...!"

These words touched Ji Hong slightly.

He opened his eyes wide, his cloudy eyes staring at Shang Ruyi for a moment before finally saying, "With these words from you, young mistress, I am at ease. What is your second sentence?"

Shang Ruyi said, "Actually, I wanted to ask Lord Ji."

"Oh? What are you asking me?"

"Why are you so certain, Lord Ji, that disaster will truly befall us today?"

Shang Ruyi made this bet only because she had barely pieced together some cause and effect. Even now, with the plague already appearing and spreading throughout the city, she was still not sure if what she had pieced together was true. But Ji Hong just now, with a real and firm belief that disaster would occur today, forced the princess to abdicate.

Why is he so sure?

Ji Hong's expression had already relaxed a bit because of her "guarantee" just now, and when the matter was brought up again, a faint smile appeared on his face. He looked at Shang Ruyi and said calmly, "What, does the young mistress believe it herself, but not this old man?"

"No, of course not."

Shang Ruyi hurriedly explained, "I... I just feel that, given Lord Ji's temperament... even if Lord Ji understands the principle of putting the people first, it would still be difficult for you to say those words; Lord Ji himself is also in great pain."

"..."

"What helped you overcome that pain?"

"..."

"And what is it that has made you change your mind?"

Hearing this, Ji Hong was somewhat moved again, and when he looked at Shang Ruyi again, his eyes held a deeper meaning. After pondering for a long time, he finally sighed softly and said calmly, "You have a cousin, right?"

"...?!"

Shang Ruyi was taken aback.

Just then, a somewhat cold and hard voice suddenly sounded behind her: "You mean—Shen Wuzheng?"

Shang Ruyi hurriedly turned around and saw Yuwen Ye. He had already walked up behind her at some point, and upon hearing the words "cousin," a shadow crossed his brow.

Before Shang Ruyi could say anything, Ji Hong nodded and said, "Mm."

Yuwen Ye said, "What does it have to do with him?"

"He has a teacher, you know that, right?"

"You mean, Li Tong?"

"good."

Seeing Ji Hong nod with a smile, Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed even more.

Li Tong was the great Confucian scholar from Hedong, known as the "Guiguzi of our time." Shen Wuzheng became his disciple and studied diligently, not returning home for several years. Yuwen Ye only learned this later. Because he was studying under Li Tong, Shen Wuzheng was unaware of Shang Ruyi's marriage. When he returned, his cousin had already become Yuwen's daughter-in-law, and he blamed his parents.

Mentioning this, Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed even deeper.

At this moment, Shang Ruyi immediately interjected, "What does it have to do with him?"

Ji Hong said, “He and I are old friends. Just last night, your cousin came to visit as a disciple of an old friend, and showed me a letter he had just received from his teacher. The letter contained the results of Li Tong's divination and astrology. He showed me the letter, and then said a lot more…”

At this point, Ji Hong sighed and said, "It was he who convinced me."

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.

It was actually... Shen Wuzheng!

That day, when he and Yuwen Ye returned to the Shen family, it was he who subtly reminded them that no matter what the situation in the court was like, they should focus on the disaster foreshadowed by the appearance of the comet; it was also he who gave the words "turn crisis into opportunity" that made him think of using the disaster as bait to induce Chu Ruoyan to make this big gamble with him when he was being pressured by the Eldest Princess yesterday.

He himself went to Ji Hong's house to persuade him, thus completing the step of forcing Ji Hong to resign.

Although Shen Wuzheng did not appear in the Taiji Hall at today's court assembly, there was no doubt that the entire assembly was being conducted under his invisible manipulation.

This is probably what the ancients meant by "strategizing within the command tent and winning battles a thousand miles away."