Chapter 679 Eyes

For the previous two days, Shang Ruyi had been staying with Lei Yu. Now that Prince Yiasu had returned, the couple would naturally stay together, so someone immediately arranged for Shang Ruyi to stay in another tent. Lei Yu was worried that the people here would be hostile to her, so he specially arranged for her to stay in a place not far from her.

Even so, she kept Shang Ruyi in her tent. Firstly, so the two could talk for a while, and secondly, so that when Yiasu returned, he could get to know Shang Ruyi better. After all, one was her good friend and the other was her husband, and she hoped they could leave a good impression on each other. In particular, Shang Ruyi couldn't stay on the grassland forever, and she always hoped that Yiasu could find a way to send Shang Ruyi back to the Central Plains.

Just as the two were whispering to each other, Iasu returned.

When this little prince, who was as bright as a little sun, lifted the curtain and walked in, his brows were furrowed and his face was full of worry. It was unclear what great trouble he had encountered. When Shang Ruyi looked up, she inexplicably felt that there seemed to be a pair of ears drooping down on his head.

However, as soon as Iasu entered the tent and saw Lei Yu, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Ayu!"

Shang Ruyi hurriedly stood up from the low table and bowed to him. Prince Yiasu also stepped forward with a smile, nodded to her, and said, "Are you still catching up? Did I disturb you? Perhaps I should go out and wander around some more."

He said that, but his eyes lingered on his wife, unwilling to leave her for even a moment. He also sounded extremely aggrieved when he spoke. Lei Yu said irritably, "What's so interesting about going out?"

"Then, shall I stay?"

Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "I'll go instead."

After saying that, he prepared to leave.

Although she said that, she was actually quite worried. It wasn't that she wanted to disturb the couple's reunion, but she was concerned about what Ashina Shali was planning to do by summoning the two princes and several other ministers to the royal tent. Was it to launch a military campaign against the south?

Now that she has seen Iasu return, she can't help but want to get to the bottom of things.

Sure enough, Lei Yu also said, "Don't rush off."

Shang Ruyi understood what she meant, and could only "shamelessly" return to her side. Lei Yu whispered, "I still have to explain your matter to him."

After saying that, he turned to look at Iasu: "Why did you look so worried just now? Did something happen at the royal tent?"

"Well--"

Iasu's worries were immediately exposed, and his face became even more distressed.

Lei Yu said, "Speak."

Iasu thought for a moment, then finally sighed and said, "Alright, I'll tell you then, since you'll find out soon enough anyway."

As he spoke, he looked at Lei Yu: "Father Khan, we must march south to wage war."

"..."

Lei Yu and Shang Ruyi immediately exchanged a glance.

The ominous premonition turned into reality, causing Shang Ruyi's heart to sink and leaving her speechless. Only Lei Yu frowned and said, "Khan, are you still going to attack Taiyuan?"

Iasu shook his head.

"...!"

For a moment, both women held their breath.

Shang Ruyi almost couldn't help but ask, but she held back in the end. A wave of unease washed over her, pounding against her chest and making her heart pound heavily. Lei Yu's expression grew even more serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Not Taiyuan? Where is the Khan going to attack?"

Iasu said, "Daxing. That is—"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Shang Ruyi, whose face suddenly turned pale, as if all the color had been drained from her. Her eyes trembled, and she murmured in a hoarse voice, "Chang'an."

"..."

"Shali Khan, is he going to attack Chang'an?"

Iasu nodded.

The most unsettling nightmare, or rather, the thing we least want to happen, is about to become a reality and happen right before our eyes.

Ashina Shali was indeed unwilling to admit defeat easily. The loss of Taiyuan only fueled his anger. This time, however, he did not dwell on places like Taiyuan. Instead, he decided to directly attack the capital of the newly established Great Sheng Dynasty!

If the war were to spread directly to Chang'an, it would be a tremendous blow to the Great Sheng Dynasty and its people.

Moreover, my uncle and aunt...

My loved ones are all there!

Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi's heart burned with anxiety, and she clenched her fists involuntarily, her nails digging deep into her palms. On the other side, Lei Yu was also shocked by the news, but she was somewhat prepared. Moreover, unlike Shang Ruyi, she was worried about the big picture rather than a specific person, so she was not as distressed.

She looked at Iasu: "Then why did you look so pale just now—"

Iasu glanced at Lei Yu, his face not only grim but also troubled, and said, "My father Khan wants me to lead the troops into battle."

"What!?"

Lei Yu immediately widened her eyes.

She hadn't been married to the grasslands for long, but she could see clearly that Iasu had always been pampered and raised by Shali Khan and Lady Jiayuan. Although he was a Turkic prince, he lived a carefree life and sometimes even had the innocence of a child. He had hardly participated in any battles, had never been injured, and had never experienced the trials of swords, blood, and fire.

Why are they suddenly sending him to war this time?

Moreover, it was such an important battle!

Lei Yu instinctively said, "This is too dangerous!"

This is too dangerous for both Chang'an and her husband!

Iasu hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Therefore, Father Khan ordered that my elder brother hand over his heavy cavalry to me for command."

"ah?!"

One shocking piece of news after another came crashing down like boulders, leaving the two women in the tent astonished. However, compared to the previous two, this news was less worrying, and Lei Yu even breathed a sigh of relief amidst her shock.

The handing over the heavy cavalry to Iasu was unexpected, but it was good news nonetheless.

After all, any expedition carries a certain degree of danger, and the presence of heavy cavalry can at least guarantee Iasu's safety.

But the troops were sent to Chang'an...

Thinking of this, Lei Yu felt conflicted again. She glanced at Shang Ruyi's heavy and worried expression, then looked at Yiasu and said softly, "Does this battle really have to be fought?"

Iasu blinked. "I know what you're worried about. Actually, I don't want to fight either. And—"

"And what?"

Iasu said softly, "I think my brother is unwilling to hand over the heavy cavalry."

Upon hearing this, Lei Yu's heart skipped a beat again. Shang Ruyi on the other side also immediately noticed something and looked up at him. Iasu continued, "After Father Khan brought this up, my brother has been silent. I also spoke to Father Khan, after all, the heavy cavalry are my brother's maternal clan—in short, if we make him hand them over, he will definitely feel bad."

Lei Yu immediately said, "If he doesn't hand it over, will the Khan appoint him?"

"Of course not,"

Iasu shook his head: "Mother, and Lord Shi Shuanyi, they all tried to persuade my brother, but he wouldn't budge. Later, he angered Father Khan, who was about to have him dragged away and whipped. Fortunately, the other officials stopped him, and I also pleaded for my brother, so Father Khan let him go."

"..."

"However, Father Khan also said that he has to pay whether he wants to or not, because this time when the Taiyuan army was defeated, General Pasha and the others were whipped, but he was not. However, he returned without achieving anything, which is a crime. Therefore, he will not be allowed to go to Chang'an this time. But the heavy cavalry cannot be idle."

"..."

"Then, my brother said that he would have a day to think about it—in fact, it was also a time to prepare."

"..."

"Tomorrow, he will hand over the heavy cavalry to me."

Shang Ruyi and Lei Yu exchanged another glance, their complex expressions revealing a hint of clarity.

Yiasu said that Lady Jiayuan and Shi Shuanyi and others were trying to persuade Ashina Zhuxie. But this persuasion was probably not just persuasion. In fact, after witnessing the final stage of the Daye Dynasty and the court struggle in which Chu Chengfei was forced to abdicate, Shang Ruyi could imagine what a tense scene must have been in the Western Turkic royal tent just now.

But Ashina Zhuxie resigned himself to his fate?

Tomorrow, he will hand over to Iasu the only thing his mother's clan left him—the heavily armored cavalry that could determine his status on the grasslands and even preserve his princely position.

Suddenly, a vague, indescribable thought popped into Shang Ruyi's mind.

Looking at Yiasu's worried expression, Shang Ruyi felt a pang of sympathy. For someone of his temperament, facing such a struggle, especially between blood relatives, and with her caught up in it, must be incredibly difficult.

At this point, it's best not to cause him any more trouble.

So she said softly to Lei Yu, "Let's talk about my matter later. You two, you discuss your matters first. I'll go back now."

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

As soon as the tent flap closed, Iasu's gentle voice rang out from inside: "Ayu..."

Shang Ruyi smiled faintly, but when she turned her head again to look at the spacious tent in front of her and the boundless grassland outside the tent, her expression became serious and tense.

Especially the heavy footsteps carried by a gust of cold wind blowing in our faces.

As soon as Shang Ruyi looked up, she saw a familiar, tall figure walk out of the royal tent on the high platform. He was burly, but his shoulders were taut like a bow stretched to its limit. His face was even more gloomy than the sky at that moment.

It is Ashina Zhuxie.

The eldest prince of the Western Turks.

He walked down step by step, followed by several ministers, all with solemn expressions, whispering among themselves, clearly discussing countermeasures. However, Prince Zhu Xie remained silent until he reached his own tent, at which point he almost subconsciously glanced up at the tent in front of him.

Then, I saw Shang Ruyi.

The moment their eyes met, Shang Ruyi saw his sinister and cold gaze.

"...!"

Something inside my body twitched.

The next moment, Ashina Zhuxie lowered his head, as if nothing had happened and he hadn't seen anything. He lifted the curtain and walked into his tent. When the other ministers were about to follow him in, they seemed to be stopped by him. They froze there, looked at each other for a while, and could only shake their heads and sigh with doubt before leaving his tent.

The curtains fell, leaving only silence.

Shang Ruyi, whose body was also somewhat tense and stiff, stood quietly in place, motionless. After a long time, she slowly lowered her head and looked at her hand and the tip of her little finger that had long since lost all feeling.

The spot that just twitched was right there.

The moment she met Ashina Zhuxie's gaze, a long-forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced in her mind as her little finger, which had long since lost all feeling, twitched.

Speaking of which, her little finger has been covered in scars since she was a child. She had been injured once before it was broken in a fight with those beggars.

She vaguely remembered that when she was young, traveling with her father through the Turkic Khaganate, she had witnessed people on the grasslands hunting a falcon. In an attempt to capture the ferocious creature alive, a skilled archer from the Eastern Turkic Khaganate fired an arrow, wounding the falcon's wing. The falcon, larger than a person, fell to the ground with a scream. Even with an arrow embedded in its wing, dripping with blood, the falcon struggled relentlessly, extending its talons and even its sharp beak to peck at anyone who approached.

Finally, they could only cover it with a large net to prevent it from hurting anyone anymore.

Seeing the eagle firmly pinned to the ground, Shang Ruyi mustered her courage and went over to touch it.

Unexpectedly, just as the adults gently lifted a corner of the net to catch the eagle's wing, the eagle suddenly opened its beak and pecked Shang Ruyi's little finger, causing it to bleed profusely and cry out in pain.

Her father immediately turned back and hugged her, comforting her.

But the falcon took advantage of that moment to break free from the net, pecked at several people, and finally, despite being injured and bleeding, flapped its wings and took to the air again, desperately flying away.

Shang Ruyi clearly remembered that the eagle's eyes were exactly the same as Ashina Zhuxie's when it was caught in the net and pecked at her!

Is it just an illusion?

However, looking at the quiet tent after the tent flap closed, as if her heart had become frozen and cold, Shang Ruyi couldn't tell if she had just seen things wrong. She only felt that the faint thoughts in her heart tremble once again.

She turned her head thoughtfully and walked step by step toward the small tent that the maids had prepared for her.

Although the distance wasn't far, she walked very slowly, glancing around as she went. The nobles who had gone to the royal tent had already emerged; some were chatting in small groups, while others left with worried expressions. Looking further ahead, the densely packed tents were filled with Turkic soldiers, some cooking, some training on horseback—just like usual.

The more Shang Ruyi looked, the heavier the vague doubt in her heart became.

Something's not right.