Chapter 369 Water benefits all things without contention
He drew his sword... and committed suicide...
Shang Ruyi slowly, even feeling weak in the limbs, sat back down, her mind in turmoil.
Empress Jiang... committed suicide after learning of Chu Yang's death?
She had never really understood Empress Jiang's feelings for Chu Yang. After all, she was in an awkward position, and Empress Jiang had always been kind and gentle to her, even treating her with genuine affection. She couldn't figure out what kind of feelings this gentle and kind empress truly harbored towards her.
However, upon hearing this news, she suddenly understood.
It turns out that even such a gentle woman, who seemed indifferent to everything, harbored such intense emotions within her heart.
She, it turns out, loved Chu Yang.
She loved him so much that upon learning of his death, she would immediately follow him in death, even if it meant a tragic end!
Shang Ruyi slowly raised her head and looked at Yuwen Ye—how did he feel facing Empress Jiang like this?
Clearly, she didn't understand.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye's eyes were filled with complex emotions. The only clear thing was his unconcealed grief, but she couldn't understand what else he was thinking.
She simply understood why Shen Wuzheng had suddenly become so eager to inquire about Empress Jiang's current situation when he mentioned Daxing City.
Perhaps he understood.
He understood how much the woman in his heart loved her husband, and he knew that if she learned of Chu Yang's death, she would end her own life in such a tragic way.
Shang Ruyi said with a bitter expression, "She—"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her and said, "I'm telling you this news in advance so you can prepare yourself. You were the one who stayed with him until the very end in Jiangdu Palace. Perhaps after returning to Daxing City, many people will come to ask you for an answer, but the only one you will have to face is probably her."
As he spoke, he gave Shang Ruyi another deep look: "You can't bear to lie to her, can you?"
Shang Ruyi asked, "How do you want me to deal with her?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I hope your answer will ease her pain."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I understand."
As she spoke, she glanced at Yuwen Ye again and said, "You seem to have never asked me about what happened in Jiangdu Palace. Are you unconcerned about this matter, or are you unconcerned about the people involved?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes twitched slightly, and he looked down at her.
Their eyes met, and Shang Ruyi immediately felt the deep power in his gaze, as if it could draw her soul in at any moment. Yuwen Ye said, "Are you ready to talk about this now?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Although she didn't mention Jiangdu Palace in those words, she seemed to suddenly fall back into the nightmare of that sea of blood. That night, the pain that was almost deeply etched into her soul awakened once again in her heart and body.
Her heart was in so much pain that it started racing.
Looking into her broken eyes, Yuwen Ye seemed to have already found the answer. He sighed softly and said, "So, I won't ask anymore."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was still unable to speak, only breathing slightly.
Seeing the cold sweat beading on her nose and forehead, Yuwen Ye sighed deeply and said, "Get some rest. We're leaving early tomorrow morning."
After struggling for a long time, Shang Ruyi finally gave a soft "hmm".
The night passed in this silent stillness, where the two seemed to be entangled in thought.
They got up very early the next morning.
As dawn broke, Tushe'er and the others had already packed all their belongings. Yuwen Ye left behind ten carts of grain and a team of men as instructed, to be responsible for distributing rice on the last day. He also settled accounts with the abbot of the temple in advance for the firewood, rice, and silver used in the past few days.
He was generous and naturally gave a lot. The abbot did not refuse and accepted it, saying only, "This humble monk has nothing of value. I can only pray that the second young master and the young mistress will have a smooth future and a bright future."
Yuwen Ye said, "Thank you."
At this moment, Shan Tong'er slowly walked up to the abbot and knelt down, saying, "Master."
The old monk looked at him with his cloudy eyes, and finally a trace of reluctance appeared, even glistening with a tear. He said, "Are you going with them?"
"yes."
The old monk sighed, "I knew it; the Buddhist order couldn't keep you here."
Shan Tong pouted and muttered, "The Buddhist temple can't support me."
Everyone was initially saddened by the thought of parting, but upon hearing these words, they couldn't help but laugh again. Even the old abbot laughed, but his laughter was tinged with bitterness. He said, "Yes, the Buddhist order can't support you; you can only rely on your own strength. But remember—when you have more than enough behind you, don't hesitate to give up; when you have no way forward, don't turn back. In all things, don't rush or go too far."
The virtuous boy said, "I understand."
The old monk reached out and touched the top of his head again, then finally closed his eyes with a heavy heart, turned around and said, "Let's go."
The kind boy bowed deeply to him three more times before slowly getting up and leaving.
So, bathed in the morning light, the group left the temple and the City of Crescent Moon.
Their original force, plus the two thousand men led by Da Bo, made for a formidable contingent. Shang Ruyi sat in the carriage as before, accompanied by Yuwen Ye. They originally wanted to invite Shen Wuzheng to get in as well, but he refused, riding his horse alongside the carriage.
The procession moved forward quietly, the carriage swaying incessantly on the wide official road. Yuwen Ye had been resting with his eyes closed, but then he heard a soft murmur mixed in with the sound of the wheels clattering. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shang Ruyi silently reciting something.
So he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Shang Ruyi looked up at him and said softly, "Tell me, what is the situation in that village now?"
Yuwen Ye chuckled wryly and said, "You're still thinking about that?"
Shang Ruyi said, "I still feel a little uneasy about leaving like this."
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and said, "Shen Tu Tai came last night, which proves that he has already left Wanggang Village. Moreover, he is different from Shan Tong'er. Shan Tong'er was just a figurehead in Wanggang Village, and because he was young, he was unable to cultivate his own power. But Shen Tu Tai came from the military. He must have his own men in Wanggang Village. Those who came to join us today are probably only a part of them."
"..."
"In other words, when he leaves, he will take at least a large number of people with him."
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but count on her fingers, saying, "So now, Wanggang Village still has—"
Yuwen Ye said, "Wang Quyi and Wang Quren were both killed by Xiao Yuansui. Li Wenyang was killed by Wang Quyi, Wu Gan was killed by Li Wenyang, Shan Tong'er has joined us, and Shen Tu Tai has also left Wanggang Village."
"..."
"Now, all that's left there is Xiao Yuansui, and the fourth and fifth leaders who haven't shown up yet."
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but sigh softly and said, "We stayed here for less than ten days and wiped out half of their elite troops."
"..."
Yuwen Ye was silent for a while, then said, "If it weren't for your brother, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart stirred slightly.
She lifted a corner of the curtain again and looked at Shen Wuzheng riding outside on horseback. Just as Yuwen Ye said, it all started with his map of Zuo Gong's suspected tomb. It was also because of his design that Wu Gan and Li Wenyang killed each other. From this point on, Wanggang Village gradually headed towards this end. But he seemed so indifferent, as if what he did was just an ordinary thing.
Yuwen Ye glanced at the person riding on horseback outside and said, "He reminds me of a saying."
"What?"
"The highest good is like water, which benefits all things without striving."
At this point, he smiled faintly and said, "This name suits him perfectly."
Shang Ruyi smiled, her eyes full of tenderness, and said, "Actually, my brother isn't completely indifferent to challenges."
"oh?"
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow and looked at her, only to see Shang Ruyi say, "Brother, you fight so fiercely over my affairs."
"..."
“I remember when I first came to my uncle’s house as a child, some young masters and ladies from wealthy families would come to visit. They would often laugh at me, saying that I was destined to be a maid and that I had even brought death to my parents. At that time, my brother not only argued with them, but also fought with them. He could take on several of them at once and was not at a disadvantage.”
"..."
“After a few fights, those people stopped coming to our house and stopped playing with my brother. But my brother didn’t mind at all. He even said that if those people continued to speak coldly to me, he would go to their house and beat them up.”
At this point, Shang Ruyi looked up at him and smiled, "You wouldn't have guessed, would you?"
Yuwen Ye was somewhat surprised.
Looking again at the figure outside the carriage, his face seemed to have a more complicated expression. After a long silence, he said, "You have a good older brother."
"..."
For some reason, Shang Ruyi felt that his words seemed to have a deeper meaning.
Come to think of it, didn't he also have an older brother?
Yuwen Qian...
The thought of this person added an indescribable heaviness to Shang Ruyi's heart. In fact, even if this person did not appear, his name and figure weighed on her heart like a mountain, blocking her path. He was an insurmountable and treacherous peak.
But now, she has no way to avoid it.
The thought of returning to Daxing City and facing him made Shang Ruyi nervous again. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "By the way, last night you said that a lot of things happened in Daxing City, but you would talk about them later. What exactly happened?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered again.
Seeing his solemn expression, Shang Ruyi seemed to sense something and whispered, "Is it related to your older brother?"
"..."
Just then, the carriage suddenly swayed and came to a stop.
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