Chapter 568 The victor is king, the loser is an outlaw
Yu Mingyue was incredibly intelligent and immediately understood that his words were ostensibly advice but actually meant to belittle her. Her face darkened, and when she looked at Shen Wuzheng again, there was no trace of fear in her eyes.
She sneered, "The winner is king, the loser is a bandit."
"..."
"I'll leave the word 'take care' to you all."
This statement was a clear provocation to them. Although they had long known that this "Guest of the Moon" had plotted against them more than once, and that Yuwen Ye had even almost died at her hands, this was the first time they had encountered such a provocation except on the battlefield.
Moreover, it came from a woman.
Even though in this world, women are no longer confined to their boudoirs, and can speak freely in the court and even fight on the battlefield, it is the first time I have ever seen a woman who can put down such bold words in front of three scions of noble families.
All three men were shocked by something they had never experienced before.
After a long while, Shen Wuzheng smiled meaningfully and said, "It seems you want to beat me in more than just the poetry competition."
Yu Mingyue smiled faintly: "I never intended to win against you and all of you just in terms of poetry."
"..."
"What belongs to us, I will take back one by one!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions on their faces darkened once again.
Yuwen Ye, in particular, had a cold glint in his deep eyes as he stared intently at the other person: "The 'you all' you're referring to, are you and who else?"
Just then, a gentle breeze suddenly blew by.
Although the wind often blew along this narrow path, and the curtains of the carriage had been swaying non-stop ever since Yu Mingyue got off, this breeze was different from before. It seemed to carry a familiar scent, bringing an indescribable sense of tranquility.
Even, in a daze, one can smell a faint sandalwood scent in the wind.
As the wind brushed against their cheeks and ears, everyone seemed unconsciously soothed by its tranquility, their breathing and minds calming down involuntarily.
Even Yu Mingyue, whose body was covered in sharp thorns, had all shed them at this moment.
She immediately turned around.
A tall, slender figure, as graceful as a white cloud, slowly walked towards them. His familiar, incomparably handsome face wore an unchanging smile, but upon seeing the situation they were facing, a moment of stunned silence appeared on his face.
Yu Mingyue's eyes lit up and she immediately said, "Hexin, you're here!"
He Xin was the courtesy name of Yuwen Qian.
This soft exclamation, along with her voice, abruptly cleared the stagnation in Yuwen Qian's eyes, and he finally stopped beside her.
As a result, the few people on this narrow street were lined up on both sides. Although they were just standing still, there was a vague feeling that they were confronting each other.
Shen Wuzheng's eyes immediately darkened.
At this moment, however, no one spoke, as if opening their mouths would open some floodgate and unleash an unexpected and terrifying beast.
Suddenly, the entire street fell into an unspeakable silence, even the wind that Yuwen Qian had just brought stopped.
But in the end, he was the one who spoke first.
He glanced at Yu Mingyue beside him, then looked up at the opposite side and said softly, "You two have already met..."
"..."
Although he was speaking to them, for some reason, Shang Ruyi had the illusion that he was looking at her and that he was speaking to her.
It must be an illusion...
Because Yuwen Ye immediately said, "It seems that you and this Miss Yu are old acquaintances."
Yuwen Qian's eyes flickered for a moment before he looked at him, then glanced down at Yu Mingyue. Her gaze, which had been cold and sharp just moments before, had now softened completely, softening into gentle warmth. She no longer possessed the previous sharpness and murderous intent. Yuwen Qian paused for a moment, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "I suppose so."
"It is,"
Yuwen Ye looked at him: "Then—"
But before he could finish speaking, a line of neatly arranged soldiers suddenly appeared in front of them and walked towards them. The leader was a familiar figure who, when he reached them, respectfully bowed and said, "Young Master, Second Young Master, Young Madam."
"Uncle Xue?"
What brings you here?
The newcomer was none other than Xue Daotong, Yuwen Yuan's personal attendant!
He seemed to have come prepared, standing right in the middle of the confrontation between the two sides. He looked at Yuwen Ye, then at Yuwen Qian, and then his gaze fell on Yu Mingyue, who was standing next to Yuwen Qian.
He smiled and said, "This must be the kind person who gave away medicine at Yanzuofang."
Yu Mingyue was clearly familiar with him, and bowed respectfully, saying, "I am Yu Mingyue."
"Yu—"
Although Xue Daotong was just a servant, he was, after all, a servant of Yuwen Yuan. He was very knowledgeable and his temperament was several times more composed than that of ordinary people. When he heard this surname, a glint flashed in his eyes, but he still smiled without changing his expression and said, "So you are Miss Yu."
He bowed respectfully and said, "Please, eldest son, second son, young mistress, and this Miss Yu, come to the palace together."
Yuwen Qian frowned slightly: "Uncle Xue, you mean—"
Xue Daotong smiled and said, "The Duke wants to see you."
"..."
The long street fell completely silent. Yuwen Ye, Shen Wuzheng, and Pei Xingyuan exchanged glances, and then looked at Shang Ruyi. Their eyes all seemed a little somber.
Their earlier assumptions proved correct.
Yuwen Yuan wasn't completely unaware of what had happened between them, nor was he truly senile. He simply wanted these young people to carry out their tasks, and success was the outcome he desired. But regardless of success or failure, the overall situation had to remain under his control.
So now that everything is out in the open, he's about to make his move.
Upon hearing Xue Daotong's words, Yuwen Qian and Yu Mingyue exchanged a glance. Although the latter was somewhat surprised, she didn't seem too taken aback, as if she had been prepared for it. She even nodded to Xue Daotong with a hint of composure: "I would be honored to accept your offer."
Only Yuwen Qian had a faint hesitation in his eyes, as if he was still struggling.
However, Xue Daotong had already raised his hand and said, "Please."
At his signal, the group stopped talking and turned to leave. Only Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan remained standing. Xue Daotong smiled at them and said, "Young masters, the Duke knows that you have worked hard to control this plague. However, I have family matters to discuss today, so I will not see you for the time being. Please go back and rest."
"..."
"Young Master Pei, regarding your injury—the Duke has already dispatched a physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau to your residence, and he will be able to treat you later."
He said this to urge the two of them to go home and to tell them that Yuwen Yuan only had family matters to attend to today.
It has nothing to do with them.
Shen Wuzheng glanced at Shang Ruyi, smiled faintly, and bowed, saying, "On behalf of Xingyuan, I thank the Duke for his generous gift."
Xue Daotong also cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left.
After watching them walk away, Pei Xingyuan slowly walked to Shen Wuzheng's side and said softly, "You were right after all. The Duke is not senile. Our every move is indeed under his control."
A cold glint flashed in Shen Wuzheng's eyes.
In that instant, although those involved might not have felt it, an outsider could have seen it clearly: Yuwen Qian and Yu Mingyue, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, along with him and Pei Xingyuan, were the two forces that had been locked in a fierce battle within Daxing City.
Perhaps, they will be the two sides that continue to fight in the imperial court in the future.
And Sheng Guogong's decision to have Xue Daotong come over, gather the people from both sides together, and then leave together, is that also some kind of implication?
But that's not the most important thing.
The most important person today was the one who had just appeared before them—
"Yu, Ming, Yue!"
Shen Wuzheng involuntarily murmured the name, "Guanghan Ke," who had repeatedly thwarted them, nearly cost Yuwen Ye his life, and outmaneuvered him in several schemes. It turned out to be the Yu family's eldest daughter, who had never appeared before.
Such a young woman.
Unbelievable...
Upon hearing these three words, Pei Xingyuan's eyes deepened. He said, "Before, we always doubted how Yuwen Qian could take over Daxing City in one fell swoop, given that he hadn't been home for so many years and had no connections or power in the court."
"..."
"Now I know, there's someone else's daughter with him."
"..."
"With Miss Yu's help, taking over Daxing City will be a piece of cake, won't it?"
"..."
Shen Wuzheng paused for a moment, then said, "That's not necessarily true."
"Huh?" Pei Xingyuan was taken aback, turned his head and looked at him with wide eyes: "You, what do you mean by that?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Although we didn't hear much of what Ruyi said to that Miss Yu just now, think about it, Yu Dingxing has never publicly revealed this young lady's identity until now. Obviously, he has never thought of acknowledging her in the past ten years. Since that's the case, even if Yu Mingyue has made a connection between him and Young Master Yuwen, it won't be so easy to persuade Yu Dingxing."
"..."
"That concerns the entire city of Daxing, the capital of the Daye Dynasty!"
"..."
“Since Yu Dingxing has no feelings for this daughter, it would be easy for him to turn against her and kill one of the people she brought to persuade him to surrender.”
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingyuan's eyes widened. After thinking for a moment, he said softly, "That's true."
Shen Wuzheng took a deep breath and said, "Like father, like son."
"..."
"Young Master Yuwen is able to achieve this—he has his own extraordinary abilities."
"..."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't be in such a predicament."
Pei Xingyuan nodded slightly.
But then he immediately remembered something and turned to look at Shen Wuzheng: "By the way, what exactly did your sister say to that Yu Mingyue just now?"
"..."
"She told us to come back later so as not to alert them, but she herself blocked us here. Isn't she afraid of alerting them?"
"..."
"besides,"
At this point, Pei Xingyuan's eyes revealed a strange seriousness: "Wu Zheng, don't you feel that there seems to be some kind of inexplicable connection between Ruyi and that Miss Yu?"
"...!"
Upon hearing his words, Shen Wuzheng remained silent.
But in those clear, cold eyes, there was a subtle undercurrent surging within.
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