Chapter 570 A Dilemma

At this moment, even though he tried his best to suppress the excitement in his heart, Yu Dingxing's voice trembled slightly when he spoke. He said in a deep voice, "My daughter is not yet betrothed."

"……oh."

Yuwen Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

The atmosphere inside Chengqing Hall suddenly became tense.

Although no one said anything, and it wasn't a matter of life or death, everyone seemed to hold their breath at that moment, and all their eyes were fixed intently on Yuwen Yuan, as if they were all focused on what he was about to say next.

But at that moment, Yuwen Yuan stopped.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the entrance of the main hall. Everyone was stunned and followed his gaze, only to find that there were hurried footsteps outside, which stopped at the entrance of the main hall.

Yuwen Yuan asked, "Who is it?"

Upon seeing this, Yu Mingyue immediately frowned. Even the usually composed Yu Dingxing's expression changed slightly at this moment, but he didn't say anything and just looked towards the main entrance with the middleman.

A familiar figure walked in from outside and bowed to Yuwen Yuan.

"Greetings, Grand Chancellor."

The visitor was none other than Lin Shi'an, the Imperial Physician.

Upon seeing him arrive, Yu Dingxing's expression darkened again. Although they had gone to Mingde Gate together today and should have returned together to report the results, Yu Dingxing and Yu Mingyue had anticipated that some long-hidden matters would eventually be revealed today, and might even involve some private matters between the two families. Therefore, he deliberately left Lin Shi'an at Mingde Gate to handle the remaining affairs, so as not to have an "outsider" present and make some things difficult to discuss openly.

Unexpectedly, just as Yuwen Yuan brought up Yu Mingyue's marriage, which finally suited his wishes, Lin Shi'an arrived at this moment.

The arrival of such an "outsider" caused a stir in the emotions of everyone in Chengqing Hall.

The only one whose expression remained unchanged was Yuwen Yuan.

He immediately said, "The Imperial Physician has returned. Is there something wrong at Mingde Gate?"

Lin Shi'an hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Grand Chancellor, it seems there's been another dispute at Chang Le Fang regarding the medicine. I'm worried it might escalate, so I've come to report."

Upon hearing his words, the atmosphere in Chengqing Hall changed once again.

A mixture of joy and anger, even bewilderment, flickered across everyone's faces. After a long silence, Yuwen Yuan finally spoke: "Changlefang, could it be you—"

Yuwen Ye immediately stepped forward and said softly, "Reporting to Father, I have already addressed this matter today. Because Pei Xingyuan has run out of medicine, Chang Le Fang is temporarily out of medicine to distribute to patients. Therefore, today, we can only temporarily distribute some medicine to relieve cold symptoms."

"..."

"It seems that some patients discovered that the herbal medicine was different from the previous days, so they caused trouble."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's eyes flickered slightly.

But he didn't say much, only sighed and said, "In that case, you should explain it clearly to the people."

Yuwen Ye said, "Yes, I will go and handle things immediately after this matter is settled."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Ruyi stepped forward again and said softly, "Father, Ruyi has a favor to ask."

"oh?"

Yuwen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at her: "What do you want?"

Shang Ruyi turned around and smiled at Yu Mingyue, who was standing to the side with a slightly changed expression, and said, "Ruyi would like to ask Miss Yu to sell some of the medicinal herbs she has to us."

"..."

Yu Mingyue's expression had already darkened slightly because Lin Shi'an's sudden arrival had interrupted Yuwen Yuan and Yu Dingxing's conversation. Now, upon hearing her speak, her eyes became even more sinister.

However, her expression remained relatively calm, and when she looked up to meet Shang Ruyi's smiling eyes, a smile even appeared on her face: "Young Madam, do you want to ask me to buy medicine?"

"Yes, judging from what Miss Yu just said, you are hoarding medicinal herbs for the sake of the people and the imperial court."

"..."

"Although Father—the Duke—divided and governed Daxing City, it was only to allow my husband and elder brother to devote themselves to their work, not to separate Daxing City. Whether it is the East City or the West City, the people in it are all citizens of the court. Whether it is Changle Ward or Yanzuo Ward, the patients in it are also subjects of the dynasty."

"..."

"Now, with Miss Yu's help, my elder brother's Yanzuofang has taken the lead in controlling the plague. I also hope that Miss Yu can have pity on the patients in Changlefang and give them a chance to live."

"..."

Her words were extremely earnest; to most people, they sounded like a complete surrender and plea.

Even Yuwen Yuan nodded repeatedly in approval of his daughter-in-law, who was so understanding and righteous.

Only Yu Mingyue, though still smiling, was suffering greatly inside.

It should be noted that the matter Lin Shi'an reported was originally a good thing for her, especially since Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye were both present. This greatly offended Yuwen Ye, making him feel ashamed in front of Yuwen Yuan.

This meant that the "generous reward" Yuwen Yuan had mentioned would ultimately fall on Yuwen Qian.

Unexpectedly, Lin Shi'an arrived just as Yuwen Yuan and Yu Dingxing were discussing her marriage. This "outsider" interrupted the conversation, and judging from Yuwen Yuan's expression, it seemed he had no intention of continuing the topic.

That was bad enough, but when the topic of the shortage of medicines in Chang Le Fang came up at this moment, Shang Ruyi actually asked her to buy medicine directly. Moreover, she used all the words she had just said that were righteous and had won Yuwen Yuan's favor to suppress her, leaving her no room to refuse!

Yu Mingyue's breathing became heavier.

Looking at Yuwen Yuan again, he saw him smiling at him. Although the smile was kind, there seemed to be a glint of scrutiny in his refined and sharp tiger eyes.

It seems they are watching how they will handle the situation.

You won't give it to me?

That would be a slap in the face to his own words, "to relieve the worries of the court and the Grand Chancellor!"

Give?

That's all I can give.

But she was not willing to give up!

Despite having the upper hand, they were overturned by a single sentence.

Yu Mingyue then realized that when facing these people face-to-face, she couldn't be as confident as she had been when plotting behind the scenes. Although the few memories Shang Ruyi had taken from her weren't enough for her to understand all the future events and situations, but—

Shang Ruyi is a smart person.

This is undeniable!

Even when at a disadvantage, she can quickly change her mindset, fight for survival, and tear a piece of flesh from her enemy in the instant she falls into the abyss.

This is exactly the same as when she fought to the death with him.

Recalling her past experiences, even though so much time had passed, and even though she had clearly left Shang Ruyi with terrible memories and painful aftereffects as if her soul had been ripped out, Yu Mingyue herself was not without any impact. When she saw Shang Ruyi, the pressure emanating from her soul still made her tremble.

This woman has an incredibly strong will.

No wonder she is known as the greatest virtuous empress of all time!

but--

It's all up to human effort!

Now that I know everything about the situation and the circumstances, and understand the nature and weaknesses of almost everyone here, I have no reason to lose!

Thinking of this, Yu Mingyue took another deep breath, and when she looked up at Shang Ruyi again, she still smiled and said, "Young Madam, you flatter me."

"..."

"The people are like water, and the court is like a boat. The lives of the people are the foundation for the continuation of the court, and cannot be measured by buying and selling."

"...!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye turned to look at her with some surprise.

Shang Ruyi twitched her lips slightly and smiled, "After all, Miss Yu spent real money to buy up all these medicinal herbs in Guanzhong. She didn't charge a penny for administering the medicine at Yanzuofang, which is already a great deed for her. If we were to force her to administer the medicine at Changlefang and make her lose everything, that would be our fault."

Yu Mingyue smiled and said, "I have already said that human life cannot be bought or sold."

"..."

"Since the Second Young Master and Young Mistress need these medicines, I will give them to them as a gift."

"only--"

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Shang Ruyi: "Since I'm offering this as a gift—"

Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "I understand."

The two women, as delicate as flowers and as soft as jade, smiled gently. To outsiders, it seemed like a contest of beauty and charm. But those standing around couldn't help but sigh inwardly. With just a few words, they had decided the lives of hundreds and thousands of people in the city.

Yuwen Yuan seemed somewhat moved as well. Looking at the two women, he sighed softly after a long while and said, "Alright."

Both of them immediately turned to look at him, and even Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye looked at their father. Yuwen Yuan nodded slightly and said, "With people like you who are dedicated to the court and do their best for the people, how can we worry about the world being in turmoil or major events being uncertain?"

The group immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Grand Chancellor."

After speaking, Yu Dingxing raised his head again, his eyes still flickering as he looked at Yuwen Yuan, as if he was still expecting something. But Yuwen Yuan looked up and glanced outside again, saying, "Alright, it's getting late. Ye'er, you should hurry to Chang Le Fang and appease the people. Remember not to let them cause any more trouble."

"yes."

Yuwen Ye bowed respectfully, glanced at Shang Ruyi, and then the two prepared to leave.

Then Yuwen Yuan said, "You may all leave as well."

"this--"

Yu Dingxing seemed to want to say something more, but Yuwen Yuan had already smiled and said, "Lord Yu, you and I are both veteran officials in the court. When faced with important matters, you should know what is important and what is urgent."

Upon hearing this, Yu Dingxing understood.

There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but he still smiled calmly and said, "That's natural."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and then turned and left Chengqing Hall with everyone.

Just as they stepped out of the Chengqing Palace gate, the gloomy sky outside made everyone's vision suddenly darken. Yuwen Ye, with his sharp eyes, suddenly saw Yuwen Qian beside him give Lin Shi'an a slight nod without making a sound.

In an instant, his gaze deepened.