Is Chapter 479 really tonight?

For a moment, although the rain was still falling outside, the room became quiet.

Shang Ruyi even held her breath.

Xue Xian's grain supplies were burned?!

These past few days they have been putting in a lot of effort to find his supplies, and even more so to burn them, forcing him to take the initiative and win the final victory in this war, but they have not been able to do so.

Unexpectedly, his supplies were burned in one night!

But--

Before the joy of her wish being fulfilled could even spread, it was suppressed by another sudden surge of unease. Shang Ruyi immediately turned her head to look at Yuwen Ye, whose hands were placed on the table, his large fingers straining slightly until the knuckles turned white and made a faint cracking sound, yet he remained silent. His brows were already furrowed.

This is indeed a good thing, but it may not be a good thing if it happens at this moment.

Shang Ruyi asked, "Who set the fire? The villagers?"

Mu Xian shook his head and said, "After the fire last night, Xue Xian immediately led his men over. Fearing that we would alert them, our men retreated and we were unable to investigate further. But according to the information they sent back, it shouldn't have been burned by the villagers."

"Why?"

“All the villagers were subdued. Even if some of them managed to escape, there were only two or three of them. They were all ordinary people, so it was impossible for them to set fire so easily. Moreover, the fire burned all the grain and fodder that Xue Xian had stored there.”

"..."

"This kind of drive is not something ordinary people can have."

Hearing this, Shang Ruyi also fell silent.

This doesn't seem like something an ordinary person would do; it would be—

After thinking for a while, Shang Ruyi asked again, "Then, what is the current situation in Xue Xian's army?"

Mu Xian said, "People's hearts are in great turmoil."

"..."

"They have come from afar, so food supplies are of paramount importance. Moreover, after losing that battle, their morale is low, and they haven't had time to rebuild their troops' spirits in the past few days. Their food supplies have been burned to ashes. Even if there is any food left in the army, it will not last more than two days."

"..."

"I've heard that deserters have already started to appear."

"oh……"

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi said nothing more, but turned to look at Yuwen Ye. He had a deep look in his eyes, as if he had been deep in thought. Finally, he raised his head and asked, "Where are Shan Tong'er and Nie Chong?"

Mu Xian said, "These past two days, they have been training troops in the army without slacking off for a moment."

Yuwen Ye nodded and said, "Tell them that the entire army is on high alert and no one is allowed to remove their armor."

"yes!"

Mu responded and immediately got up and walked outside.

Watching his figure disappear outside the door, Shang Ruyi frowned and looked at Yuwen Ye. She thought he would think about it for a while or say something, but he picked up the empty bowl on the table and handed it to her: "Give me another bowl of porridge."

"...?"

Shang Ruyi was taken aback.

But seeing his calm demeanor, it didn't seem like he was joking. Shang Ruyi silently took the bowl and ladled out a large bowl of porridge for him. After handing it to him, she also added some vegetables to his plate. Yuwen Ye finished eating quietly, put down his chopsticks, and got up to walk back to the inner room.

Shang Ruyi followed him in, only to see Yuwen Ye walk directly to the bedside and sit down.

Then, he began to untie his clothes.

Shang Ruyi said, "What are you doing—"

Yuwen Ye said, "I need to sleep for a while. Don't let anyone disturb me. Lunch is as usual, but remember to have them prepare some oily and greasy food."

"..."

Shang Ruyi vaguely sensed something, but without asking any questions, she simply nodded, took the outer garment he had taken off, and hung it on the clothes rack by the bed. After Yuwen Ye lay down, she personally lowered the bed curtains for him, straightened them, and then turned and left the inner room.

And so, Yuwen Ye slept for half a day.

At noon, the kitchen delivered a large table of food as she requested. Although it wasn't too oily or greasy, there was still fish and meat, considering Yuwen Ye's not fully recovered body. After getting up, Yuwen Ye sat down with great satisfaction, ate two bowls of rice, and ate almost half of the meat and vegetables.

After eating, he walked under the eaves for a while, then went back to his room to sleep.

During this time, Shang Ruyi didn't say much, just stayed by his side. After he fell asleep, she closed the door and sat quietly under the eaves, watching the rain dripping down the eaves—at first it was a stream of water, then fine raindrops, and after a while, crystal clear water droplets fell one by one, creating a series of soft murmurs on the bluestone slab.

The continuous sound made Shang Ruyi's mood even heavier.

"Miss."

Just as she was frowning and remaining silent, she heard Tushe'er's voice beside her. Turning her head, she saw Tushe'er holding a plate of pastries and placing it beside her, saying softly, "Miss, please have some pastries."

Shang Ruyi said calmly, "I'm not hungry."

Tushe'er immediately said, "I don't believe it. At noon, Miss was only busy serving food to the young master and didn't eat much herself."

"..."

"The son-in-law is the same; he only cares about eating himself and doesn't care whether the young lady is full or not."

"..."

"Even if he's a patient, at least—"

Seeing her pouting and somewhat dissatisfied expression, Shang Ruyi shook her head helplessly and said, "Silly girl, if he were still worried about what I've eaten at this time, then I would be the one to worry."

"..."

Tushe'er blinked.

She didn't quite understand what Shang Ruyi meant, but seeing that she still looked worried, she asked softly, "Then what are you worried about now, Miss?"

Shang Ruyi was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "I'm just wondering who set that fire."

"..."

"Why, of all times, did you have to release it at this time?"

Tushe'er thought for a moment and said, "Although we don't know who did it, hasn't the young master always wanted to find Xue Xian's granary and set it on fire? Now that someone has done it for us, it's saved us some trouble."

"It's not that simple,"

Shang Ruyi shook her head, then glanced at the room with its doors and windows tightly shut. Yuwen Ye was still asleep. She subconsciously lowered her voice even further, saying, "Setting fire to Xue Xian's military rations at this time would force Xue Xian to fight Fufeng. This was indeed our plan, but Feng Chen's illness has only just begun to heal, and his strength hasn't fully recovered. If we were to fight him now—"

Upon hearing this, Tushe'er's expression changed.

She frowned and muttered, "No, it looks like it helped, but it actually made things worse."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat—had she done more harm than good?

That's true.

No one would burn Xue Xian's grain supplies at this time without a reason. Since they took the risk to do so, they must be cooperating with the situation in Fufeng. However, the act of burning the grain supplies at this crucial moment is neither helping nor harming. It is a very subtle behavior.

Who on earth would do such a thing?

A face of unparalleled handsomeness, yet with a serene and detached smile, involuntarily appeared in Shang Ruyi's mind. His grayish-blue, almost translucent eyes always held a gentle smile, making it impossible to discern their depth or reality.

Yuwen Qian...

Could it be him?

With just that thought, Shang Ruyi immediately dismissed the idea—he had already left Fufeng, and moreover, he had almost made it clear that he would not covet the victory in the battle of Fufeng, nor would he participate in the subsequent battles. Given his character and temperament, he wouldn't go back on his word.

Then, who else could it be?

Who would stir up trouble at this time and do something that "makes things worse"?

Seeing Shang Ruyi's brows furrowing deeper and deeper, Tu She'er was also troubled. But after all, she was just a lowly maid, and her thoughts could never outweigh Shang Ruyi's joys and sorrows. So she comforted her, saying, "Miss, don't worry. Although I don't know who is pulling strings behind the scenes, I know that the young master will definitely win!"

Shang Ruyi glanced at her, wondering where her confidence came from, and simply smiled helplessly, "You know that already?"

"certainly!"

Tusheer said in a serious tone, "This time, our son-in-law encountered so many life-threatening things on his expedition, but he survived them all without any serious danger. Especially his illness, which would have killed an ordinary person long ago, but our son-in-law not only held on until I brought him the medicine, but he was also able to move freely again in just two days. It's as if even Heaven is protecting our son-in-law!"

"..."

"Since even Heaven is protecting us, then what is Xue Xian?"

Although she was feeling a bit annoyed, seeing her so confident and seemingly in complete control, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh: "Really?"

At this moment, Wo Xue also came over with a cup of hot tea and presented it to Shang Ruyi, saying softly, "Sister She'er is right. Heaven is on the side of the Second Young Master and the Young Madam. The Young Madam doesn't need to worry."

Tusher clenched his fist: "We've got this in the bag!"

Shang Ruyi was completely amused by the two of them and couldn't help but laugh and say, "When did you two become so close? You're like storytellers, singing and dancing together."

The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

Because of the two girls' banter, Shang Ruyi's mood wasn't so low, and in fact, a faint, inexplicable belief did emerge in her heart—

Yuwen Ye, you won't lose, will you?

No...

Although she knew less than the person who had been hiding behind the fog and stirring up trouble in Fufeng these days, the only thing she could rely on for her future was Yuwen Yuan. But she wasn't entirely sure what would become of his sons.

But Yuwen Ye won't lose... right?

If even he perishes here, and she vaguely knows Yuwen Qian's future, then after this beautiful land has passed through Yuwen Yuan's hands, to whom will it ultimately be handed over?

Is it Yuwen Cheng?

The thought of that child who once inhumanely beat an old beggar on the streets of Luoyang and took pleasure in it sent a chill down Shang Ruyi's spine. If that was really the case, then where did the word "prosperous age" come from?

Even someone as brilliant as Chu Yang couldn't do it, let alone Yuwen Cheng.

Thinking about it this way, she felt more certain and calmed down. So she waited silently for half a day, and the pattering rain outside gradually subsided. Finally, as dusk approached, the heavy rain that had lasted for three days stopped.

As soon as the rain stopped, Shang Ruyi heard a noise coming from inside the room.

She hurriedly got up, pushed open the door and went in. Sure enough, she saw that Yuwen Ye had woken up and was sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, with his hands supporting him on his sides. Although he was in a calm and resting posture, he was full of energy that was ready to be unleashed. Moreover, there was no trace of confusion or relaxation on his face when he woke up after a long sleep. On the contrary, he was full of energy, especially his eyes, which were sharp and focused. When he looked up at Shang Ruyi who had entered the inner room, he almost instantly captivated her soul.

Shang Ruyi felt her heart beating a little erratically.

She suppressed the pounding in her heart and slowly stepped forward: "You—"

Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye said, "You've come at the right time. Bring me the Mingguang Iron Armor."

"...!"

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart sank again.

But she didn't ask any more questions.

The heavy, gleaming armor had already been cleaned and delivered to her room by her orders. Upon hearing Yuwen Ye's words, she immediately took it over herself. Yuwen Ye had already gotten out of bed and was standing in the center of the room with his arms outstretched. She then helped him put on the armor piece by piece.

The gleaming iron armor, crafted from fine iron, weighed dozens of kilograms. As each piece of armor was put on, Shang Ruyi clearly felt Yuwen Ye's breathing become heavy.

But he did not back down; instead, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

As she finally tightened her belt, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and looked up at him. The torment of his serious illness these days had indeed made him lose some weight, and his expression could not hide a trace of haggardness. But all of this could not diminish the bravery emanating from him. Wearing the armor, he was more like a sword that was about to be drawn at any time, its sharpness gradually revealed, dazzling people's eyes!

Perhaps it was because his comatose and weak state these days had been so worrying that it was deeply etched into her mind, so much so that when she saw this majestic and extraordinary man in front of her, Shang Ruyi even felt a little like she was in another world.

She whispered, "You—"

Yuwen Ye looked down at her, his eyes flickering slightly: "What?"

Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before finally swallowing those inappropriate words. She just frowned and looked at him, saying, "Is it really tonight?"

Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and said, "Not bad."

"Won't he wait another two days?"

"Won't."

"Why?"

Yuwen Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing in them: "Xue Xian should already realize that another group of people has joined the battle in Fufeng."

"..."

“Since those people were able to burn his supplies, his retreat route back to Longxi has been blocked. If he doesn’t take advantage of the fact that he still has enough men and horses to fight back now, once his food supplies are completely exhausted—not to mention whether he can still fight Fufeng, his own survival will become a big problem.”

"...!"

Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Just then, a series of hurried, familiar footsteps sounded outside. It was Mu Xian rushing in. He stood at the door and called out urgently, "General!"

Yuwen Ye raised his head: "How is it?"

Mu Xiandao said, "The Longxi Army has begun to move!"