Chapter 803 Lust at First Sight

"What’s wrong with you?"

Yuwen Ye had been holding Shang Ruyi's hand, but at this moment he suddenly felt her hand turn icy cold, especially her fingertips, as if all the blood had been drained from them. He immediately tightened his grip on her hand and frowned: "What are you thinking about?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi's lips also turned somewhat pale, and she twitched slightly twice, saying, "It's also my fault, it's my fault."

"Um?"

"I also bear responsibility."

So, she took a deep breath and slowly told Yuwen Ye about it, her tone filled with self-reproach. Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed deeper as he listened, his expression even more unpleasant than before. After hearing the last word, he suddenly asked, "Why did you go to see him again?"

Shang Ruyi blinked and said, "That was all in the past. Besides, anyone can go to Thousand Steps Corridor. So what if we run into other people?"

"..."

"Besides, it's not like I'm going to meet him. You reminded me to walk around the Thousand Steps Corridor every day, and it just so happens that he was there discussing matters with the Duke of Shenwu. Since we've already bumped into each other, how could I not say a few perfunctory words?"

"..."

"It's all my fault, why did I say those polite things?"

Yuwen Ye let out a deep breath and said, "Since you know it's just polite talk, what does it have to do with you? Don't take everything upon yourself. What does it matter to you what happens on the battlefield?"

"..."

"Afterwards, I asked the people around my father. He only ordered the General of the Left Valiant Guard to lead his troops across the river, and to scout the area first. He didn't order him to attack as soon as he arrived. So, the one who started the war was Yu Dingxing himself, and the one who boarded the boat without permission was Dong Bizheng. They were the ones who made the mistakes, not me."

Then, glaring at Shang Ruyi, he said, "It's not you either!"

Although he glared at her, his almost domineering and decisive manner completely dispelled the unease in Shang Ruyi's heart. Shang Ruyi felt relieved and took a deep breath, nodding and saying, "I understand."

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Actually, I'm not really feeling guilty."

"Um?"

"I saw what the Crown Prince looked like when he entered the city gate..."

As she spoke, those blood-red eyes flashed before Shang Ruyi's eyes again. Even though she had prepared herself somewhat, she couldn't help but shudder and whispered, "I think he will hate you, he will hate me, and he will—"

Yuwen Ye looked at her calmly, showing no emotional fluctuation at all because of her words; even his eyes and expression remained indifferent.

Shang Ruyi asked, "What's wrong?"

Yuwen Ye said, "Do you think there's any difference between us whether you said those words or not?"

"..."

"Or do you think he harbors no resentment towards me?"

Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then said softly, "No, it's not that. I know that after the matter of bestowing the title of Prince of Han, our two sides had actually—"

Yuwen Ye's eye twitched slightly again.

Although he didn't say anything, and even his slight twitch was extremely subtle, Shang Ruyi still sensed something. She stopped and looked at him, especially at his increasingly cold and stern eyes, and asked in confusion, "No?"

Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while, then suddenly said, "I know you've always liked looking at good-looking people."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi's face flushed, and her originally cold fingertips warmed up as well. Of course, she knew what Yuwen Ye meant. She had fallen in love with him at first sight and changed her mind to marry him in that instant, thus changing the course of her life. How could one discern a person's character and personality at first glance? It was nothing more than lust at first sight.

Everyone has a love for beauty, and that's not wrong.

Still feeling a little embarrassed by what he said, she angrily pulled her hand away from his and said reproachfully, "Why are you saying this at a time like this?"

Yuwen Ye pursed his lips and said, "I just want to tell you that you should change this habit after you married me."

"..."

"This is also the worst thing a woman can do when choosing a husband."

"What's the meaning?"

"When you see a man who is good-looking and comes from a good family, and if he is also wearing all white, you think he must be a kind and upright person."

At this point, he sneered again and said, "You'll probably automatically add some qualities that women like, such as kindness, erudition, gentleness, and affection—basically anything good. That way, it won't matter what he does, because he already has this good impression in his mind, and even if he does something bad, it will automatically erase it from his memory."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned, almost instinctively about to retort.

But before she could speak, she stopped herself.

While it's unknown whether other women would act similarly when choosing a husband, Yuwen Ye's words were certainly piercing to her heart—she had indeed fallen in love with Yuwen Ye at first sight because of his unparalleled handsomeness, and hadn't even had time to figure out if his character and conduct were compatible with hers before rashly agreeing to the marriage; and later, she had indeed suffered because of Yuwen Ye's feelings for Empress Dowager Jiang. If he hadn't changed, and if she hadn't persevered, it's hard to say whether she would regret her choice now.

Even though she knew that Chu Yang, who was as handsome as an immortal, was not a good emperor, she still reserved a peaceful space in her heart for him.

As for Yuwen Qian...

Looking back now, it seems that on the streets of Yanyue City, from the first moment she saw that elegant and graceful figure, she did have a very good impression of him. Later, when they met at Dayan Temple, even though she instinctively hated this fiancé she had "abandoned" and instinctively opposed this "political enemy" of her husband, she still didn't think of him as particularly hateful or despicable. She even intuitively felt that he had nothing to do with those conspiracies and treachery.

Yuwen Ye's words truly struck a chord with her.

but--

Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then looked at Yuwen Ye and said, "So, he's not a good person who is upright and honest?"

To be honest, although they often talked about the Crown Prince, how to deal with him, how to compete with him for military power, and for a position in the court, it seemed to be the first time that they clearly discussed Yuwen Qian in terms of whether he was good or bad.

Upon hearing her question, Yuwen Ye's expression turned serious.

He suddenly said, "Do you remember what that old monk Xinzheng recited as we left the mountain after the Dharma assembly at Dayan Temple?"