Chapter 1191 Removing Armor
Upon hearing the voice, the two looked up at the same time and saw Yuwen Ye walking in from outside.
Even after opening the city gates and allowing the people to travel freely, he did not relax his vigilance. In fact, he was even more cautious than before. Every day before dawn, he would go out to patrol the city fully armed with his trusted guards and return late at night. In addition, Shang Ruyi had been tidying up at the Prince's residence these days, so the two of them had hardly seen each other when they were awake.
Seeing him return at this time, she was quite happy: "Your Highness Feng."
Shen Wuzheng immediately stood up and respectfully bowed to Yuwen Ye, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qin."
Yuwen Ye strode in, his steps heavy due to his gleaming armor. His imposing aura instantly filled the room, making it almost suffocating. He glanced at them and said, "I just heard you and Shentu Tai arrived. Where is he?"
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "I have arranged for General Shentu to take a bath and rest."
"oh."
Yuwen Ye nodded, then turned to look at Shen Wuzheng: "And you?"
Shen Wuzheng met Yuwen Ye's eyes with a gaze that seemed to see through everything, and smiled faintly: "Your Majesty, I will go now."
After saying this, he bowed to the two of them and then turned and left.
Yuwen Ye watched his back until it disappeared into the distance before turning around and sitting down in front of the bed. Shang Ruyi was too lazy to say that it was a bit inappropriate for him to urge someone to take a bath as soon as he arrived. She simply brought him a cup of tea and said, "Get some tea. Your lips are almost cracked."
Without saying a word, Yuwen Ye took the cup of tea and drank it down in two gulps.
After finishing his drink, he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him: "Your Highness, didn't you hear me?"
Yuwen Ye frowned: "Am I the kind of person who eavesdrops?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "No."
Seeing that Yuwen Ye's brows were furrowing more and more, as if he was about to get angry, Shang Ruyi took the cup from his hand and put it aside, saying calmly, "We were just talking about how the situation might be different this time when we go back. My brother reminded me to be careful."
Yuwen Ye's brows finally relaxed a little.
But she still whispered, "Does he need to remind me..."
Shang Ruyi was too lazy to care about the underlying hostility and antagonism between them; as long as they were both decisive when it came to serious matters, that was enough. She walked back and said, "My brother is just concerned about me. By the way, Young Master Pei also came by earlier, saying he wanted to discuss something with you. Did you run into him?"
Yuwen Ye said, "We met. We met as soon as we entered."
As she spoke, she rubbed her temples and said, "It's so noisy it's giving me a headache."
Shang Ruyi smiled and asked, "What did he say?"
"What else can I say? It's all about Liang Youying! He told me to think of another way, or to promise Liang Youying and Jiang Yan some official positions. What nonsense! Do you think I can promise those kinds of positions right now?"
"Young Master Pei is grasping at straws in his desperation. After all, if Liang Youying doesn't go back with him this time, then he—"
For some reason, Shang Ruyi suddenly thought of Lei Yu.
Recalling that bright and beautiful face that was gradually consumed by bitterness, hatred, and helplessness, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. If she had taken one more step back then, would things have been different?
However, the past cannot be retrieved.
She sighed and then said, "No matter what, you're brothers, so please try to think of a way to help him."
"..."
"He's much more reliable than your own brothers."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Yuwen Ye chuckled, but there was no smile in his eyes; instead, his gaze dimmed slightly. He said, "In any case, official positions cannot be promised lightly. Moreover, I cannot keep someone who would abandon their principles for high office and wealth by my side. If Liang Youying cannot understand this herself, then she is not on the same path. Even if we force ourselves to stay together, we will eventually part ways."
Shang Ruyi nodded slightly: "That's true."
Yuwen Ye continued, "But if they come tonight, then they're one of us. You're right, I never mistreat my own people."
Shang Ruyi's pupils also deepened.
After saying this, Yuwen Ye let out a long sigh of relief, then stood up and opened his arms to Shang Ruyi.
Shang Ruyi was taken aback for a moment: "Huh?"
Yuwen Ye smiled and looked at her: "You can't even remove your armor."
"Huh? Ah..."
Shang Ruyi then came to his senses and asked her to help him remove his armor.
So she hurriedly walked up to him, reached out and gently touched the cold, hard armor, and Shang Ruyi couldn't help but sigh softly.
He wore this set of gleaming armor for a long time, never taking it off except when bathing and changing, not even when he came back to sleep. Shang Ruyi knew that a general not removing his armor meant there was still danger around, and he needed to be vigilant at all times. At the same time, it was also a way to deter those around him. If anyone dared to harbor any disloyalty and cross the line under his jurisdiction, he could immediately make sure they were reduced to dust!
Therefore, even Shang Ruyi has been living cautiously these days.
And now, he's finally willing to lay down his arms.
Over the years since she married Yuwen Ye, Shang Ruyi had become very familiar with wearing this set of Mingguang armor. She could easily untie the intricate straps and buckles, but now she was doing it very slowly. As she removed each piece of armor from Yuwen Ye's body, she could even hear the sound of his bones gradually relaxing.
He was very tired and exhausted these days.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "So, Luoyang is completely at peace."
"Um,"
Another shoulder pad was removed from his body. Yuwen Ye shrugged, the bones there making a cracking sound, his muscles stiff as if they weren't his own flesh and blood. He couldn't help but reach out and punch himself hard a few times: "There have always been some unruly people in the city, but they haven't been able to cause any real trouble. Now that Xiao Yuansui has been brought here, it's a good lesson for them."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Liang Shide's forces had already been largely wiped out. The remnants of Wanggang Village left behind by Xiao Yuansui in the city were either followed by Jiang Yan and Liang Youying, or scattered throughout the city. Yuwen Ye had been patrolling tirelessly these past few days to guard against these remaining forces. Now, Xiao Yuansui and Hua Ziying had been captured and brought here by Shen Tu Tai, to show these people that their path had come to an end.
Finally, the last piece of armor was removed.
If it were an ordinary person, even an ordinary military officer, wearing such armor for so long would probably have broken them. Even he, after removing his armor, let out a long sigh of relief. Shang Ruyi immediately told Wo Xue to go and prepare things for bathing, and then said, "Don't just rush others, you should go and take a bath too."
Yuwen Ye glared at her.
Immediately, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
Before long, the bathing supplies were prepared. Yuwen Ye went over and thoroughly washed himself. When he returned, it was already dark outside. Under Wo Xue's direction, the servants in the mansion hung lanterns under the eaves of various buildings. This Duke's mansion, which had been silent and even stained with blood and abandoned since Liang Shide occupied Luoyang, was finally reborn at this moment. The entire mansion was brightly lit, shining in the night. The carved beams and painted rafters, the winding corridors, the bustling crowds, and the magnificent splendor made it seem like a celestial palace peeking out from the clouds, inspiring endless imagination.
Yuwen Ye walked back under the bright light, and for a moment he was also dazzled.
He seemed to have returned to his childhood, when he used to run and play with his older brother and later his younger brother in the long corridor. The quiet courtyard was always bustling with activity because of them.
Unfortunately, those days will never come back.
When they returned to their room, Shang Ruyi was already dressed neatly. Since it wasn't a banquet in the palace, but rather a celebration party for their own people, she wasn't wearing a formal dress, but rather a gorgeous and beautiful long gown, with exquisite makeup, looking dignified and beautiful.
Then, she walked up to Yuwen Ye with a set of clothes in her hands: "Change into these quickly."
Yuwen Ye looked down and asked, "New?"
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Yes, after entering the city, I had someone find the best tailors in the city. However, they didn't dare to open for business until a couple of days ago. I paid double the price to have them make it in time. Try it on quickly and see if it fits—if it doesn't fit, there's no time to alter it now."
Yuwen Ye laughed and said, "Why didn't you let me try it on earlier? If it didn't fit, we could have altered it."
Shang Ruyi looked at him seriously: "Then there will be no surprise."
Yuwen Ye laughed.
As the second son of the Duke's mansion, he never considered a new piece of clothing to be a "surprise".
Although he is indeed very happy now.
As they spoke, Shang Ruyi had already unfolded the clothes for him to wear. It was a long robe of indigo soft satin with dark cloud patterns. The soft, draping fabric clung to his tall and slender body, and a jade-colored belt with gold trim was tightly tied around his waist, making him appear as a wasp waist and a slender back, with a dashing figure. The fierce and brave nature of a military general was instantly replaced by a dashing and romantic air, making him look like a handsome young gentleman in a turbid world.
Since he went to war, Shang Ruyi had hardly seen him outside of his armor. Now, seeing his elegant appearance, she couldn't help but smile and secretly sigh that she had made a good choice back then.
Meeting her smiling eyes, Yuwen Ye couldn't help but smile too: "What are you laughing at?"
Shang Ruyi immediately replied, "No, it's nothing."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her but didn't expose her. However, when the two looked at each other, their eyes were full of sweetness. Even they themselves felt that it was a little too sweet. They were clearly parents of a child who was already half a grown up, but at this moment they were acting like children.
Fortunately, Yuwen Ye quickly composed himself, especially after hearing footsteps outside inviting him to come, and asked, "Are you ready too?"
Shang Ruyi suppressed her smile and adopted the dignified demeanor of a Qin princess: "Mm."
So the two of them pushed open the door and strode out.
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