Chapter 1210 Fear, but not daring
Fighting for power in the emperor's hands...
Even if you don't say these words aloud, just thinking about them is a heinous crime.
As Shang Ruyi spoke, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. She instinctively flinched, but still tried her best to control her emotions, staring intently into Yuwen Ye's cold and stern eyes.
His eyes remained completely devoid of emotion, but a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth after hearing her words.
He said, "Hmm."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, almost making her chest ache.
She put down her chopsticks and rubbed her palms together, feeling the cold sweat inside. Although it was a result she had expected, she was still shocked and frightened when she heard Yuwen Ye's response.
It seems that after Yuwen Qian became the crown prince, Yuwen Ye's attention was no longer on his elder brother. On the surface, it appeared that he was competing with Yuwen Qian for the position of crown prince, but in reality, he wanted the imperial power.
Imperial power was not in the hands of the crown prince, but in the hands of the emperor.
Therefore, when he realized that Yuwen Yuan would not depose Yuwen Qian and make him the crown prince, everything he did was no longer aimed at the crown prince, but at his father, the emperor.
Shang Ruyi clenched her fists and lowered her voice, saying, "That's Father Emperor."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you afraid?"
Shang Ruyi wanted to nod, but was reluctant to give up. After hesitating for a long time, she said, "I'm afraid, but not that I dare not."
Upon hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared in Yuwen Ye's eyes. He knew that Shang Ruyi was like him; neither of them was perfect, possessing the flaws of ordinary people, but also having the courage and boldness that ordinary people lacked. They dared to think about things that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of, and even after overcoming fear, they dared to overcome difficulties and obstacles to achieve them.
Looking at his smile, Shang Ruyi said softly, "Are you really going to do this?"
Yuwen Ye pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "This time, I captured eight capital cities, fought a decisive battle with Xiao Yuansui at Hulao Pass, and took Luoyang City without shedding a drop of blood. It may seem like just a matter of a few words, but you understand, you have experienced it yourself. You know how much blood and sweat I shed, and what dangers I faced. Every one of my soldiers risked their lives to follow me into battle."
"..."
“But as long as Father doesn’t acknowledge it, Yan Jie’s merits are greater than mine.”
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's brows immediately furrowed.
Yuwen Ye's eyes were cold and sharp, like a sword that refused to be sheathed: "As long as people still judge me, I will not get complete fairness. No matter how hard I try to compete for the position of Crown Prince, the outcome will still be judged by my father."
"..."
"But if I were to fight for the throne... the outcome would be a win or a loss, and no one would need to judge it."
"..."
Looking into his cold yet burning gaze, Shang Ruyi's heart pounded—this look was familiar to her; it was the look in Yuwen Ye's eyes when he was determined to have something. After a long silence, she finally nodded and said, "I understand."
After saying that, he added, "I will go with you."
Seeing the fine sweat on her forehead, and the unusually firm look in her eyes despite her fear, just as she said—fearful, but not afraid—Yuwen Ye smiled and gently placed his hand on the back of her hand.
In the quiet of the night, some things surge silently.
On the other side of the imperial city, in the Crown Prince's residence, the equally tranquil night carried an even more suffocating heaviness. Especially as she approached the three secluded and rarely visited rooms at the deepest part of the residence, Yu Mingyue's steps gradually became heavy. When she reached the door, she stopped and began to breathe slightly.
Bingbing, the palace maid beside her, looked at her pale face with some alarm: "Crown Princess, are you feeling unwell?"
"..."
Yu Mingyue didn't speak, but her face looked rather pale in the moonlight.
She rarely came here because this was where Yuwen Qian cultivated. He disliked being disturbed, but since the death of the Duke of Shenwu, he had stopped cultivating and rarely came here anymore. The faint sandalwood fragrance that had gathered here had also faded with time and could no longer be smelled.
But now, she can smell it again.
The cold air was once again filled with that sandalwood scent that made her feel a little dizzy.
Yu Mingyue had never understood why people sought Buddha and practiced cultivation. After arriving at this place, she understood even less, because Yuwen Qian had clearly returned to the Yuwen family and become the crown prince, second only to the emperor. People in this world only sought after him, so why would he need to seek Buddha?
Or perhaps he just wants some... peace and quiet?
She found the thought absurd and even disgusting, so she frowned and waved her hand, saying, "I'm fine, you don't need to make a fuss about it."
Upon hearing this, Bingbing could only step aside.
She heard about the great victory that His Highness Prince Qin and Princess Qin had achieved upon their return to court, especially the Princess Qin's prominent presence at the court assembly. Upon hearing this news, the Crown Princess was furious. When a maidservant accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt while serving tea, she was angrily scolded and dragged away to be beaten with twenty strokes of the cane. As the Crown Princess's personal maidservant, Bingbing had to be even more careful.
Seeing Bingbing so cautiously, like a rabbit pinned under a tiger's claws, Yu Mingyue felt a little calmer from the sense of control that allowed her to manipulate the lives of many people. She then sneered, "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."
Bingbing awkwardly smiled and took another step forward, but Yu Mingyue said coldly, "Alright, you can just wait outside."
After saying that, he pushed open the door and entered the elegant room.
Compared to the faint sandalwood scent in the cold wind outside, the sandalwood scent inside the house was so strong it felt like a heavy punch to the face. Yu Mingyue choked and frowned. As she walked further in, she saw the eerie Buddhist shrine shrouded in smoke, and the slender yet handsome figure kneeling before it, as thin as a willow branch.
Yuwen Qian had changed out of his court robes and was now wearing only a gray-blue robe. Instead of kneeling on the prayer mat to chant Buddhist prayers, he was sitting on the mat, his semi-transparent eyes seemingly veiled by mist, and he was quietly looking at the Buddha statue.
That look in his eyes seemed to be sizing him up.
It's also like he's thinking.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Yu Mingyue entered the room and walked to his side. It was only after Yu Mingyue stopped and looked at him for a long time that she finally asked, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"
"..."
No one answered her, which didn't surprise Yu Mingyue. Every time she came here to find him, Yuwen Qian rarely responded to her.
Then he asked, "The officials outside have been waiting all night, but His Highness hasn't shown up at all?"
"..."
"They returned to the capital in triumph, and the Emperor rewarded Shang Ruyi handsomely and allowed the Prince of Qin to establish his own government. The people's hearts were already unsettled. If Your Highness does not give them a solution, are you going to push them all to Yuwen Ye's side?"
"..."
"Your Highness!"
Seeing that he seemed not to have heard her at all, Yu Mingyue took a few steps to stand behind him and asked, "What are you thinking?"
This time, Yuwen Qian finally agreed to her request—
“I was thinking,”
Those eyes, which appeared even more transparent and clear in the smoke, finally slowly turned to her. But even as he looked at her, Yuwen Qian's gaze did not change at all; it was as if he came from the smoke and then went back into the smoke.
This feeling of being ignored made Yu Mingyue inexplicably angry.
Yuwen Qian said calmly, "I've been thinking about what I was asking for when I knelt before the Buddha in the past."
Yu Mingyue frowned: "Your Highness, you should have no desires, nor should you seek Buddha."
"oh?"
“You were born the heir of a duke’s family, above all others; later you became the Prince of Han, and now you are the Crown Prince, second only to the emperor. You have almost everything in the world in your hands, so why are you still clinging to Buddhism?”
As she spoke, Yu Mingyue gave the Buddhist shrine another chilling look: "What can it give you?"
"..."
This time, it was Yuwen Qian who quieted down. He lowered his eyes and remained silent, as if deep in thought.
After thinking for a long time, he replied, "Perhaps it can give me the answer."
"Answer? What kind of answer do you want?"
Yuwen Qian glanced at her indifferently, then turned to look at the Buddhist shrine and murmured, "Only after attaining true dragonhood do I realize that all my previous efforts were in vain."
Yu Mingyue frowned even more. She could remember some wonderful verses from the books she had read, which made her a talented woman admired in this world. Even the emperor was amazed by the words she recited, but he could not understand what Yuwen Qian was saying. He could only barely grasp the words "true dragon".
So he said, “You are only one step away from becoming a true dragon. Now someone is blocking your way. You shouldn’t just sit here guarding your Buddha.”
Yuwen Qian was not angry. Instead, he slowly stood up from the futon and walked slowly to her. He looked at Yu Mingyue, who was clearly out of breath. Ever since she heard that Yuwen Ye had actually captured Xiao Yuansui's 100,000-strong army at Hulao Pass with only 3,000 soldiers, she had been like this. Rather than being shocked, she was more furious.
Yuwen Qian said, "You once said that you knew everything that would happen between us."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue avoided eye contact and lowered her head.
This is also why she has been somewhat out of breath – she does know everything that will happen between them. After all, that turmoil shocked history, and even illiterate people who have never been to school can know a thing or two about it.
Besides, she is literate and has studied.
But even though she did read books, she didn't read those books. In the end, she wasn't interested in those serious, dry history books.
Her eyes darted away as she whispered, "I—the book doesn't say that much."
"You mean, history books?"
"Um."
Do you enjoy reading history books?
"I—" Yu Mingyue instinctively tried to be defiant, but when she met those clear, light eyes, she suddenly felt a little powerless and finally let out a long breath: "I don't like it."
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