Chapter 733 The Sacrifice of the Princess Consort of Qin
Everyone remained silent. Yu Mingyue was so nervous that she could hardly breathe, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, glistening under the lamplight.
At this moment, she seemed to be awaiting her fate's verdict.
Although she had known her fate for a long time and had struggled with it for several years.
Just then, the sound of Eunuch Yu pouring wine stopped, followed by the rustling of clothes being rubbed together. Yuwen Yuan reached for his wine cup, and his deep, resonant voice slowly filled the hall—
"Fengchen, may you have what you desire."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue's heart sank!
She didn't immediately raise her head. Instead, as if she couldn't believe her ears, she remained sitting there stiffly and motionless, not even shifting her gaze. Yet, a series of suppressed gasps rang out around her, and countless surprised, regretful, and somewhat gloating glances were cast at her.
But at the front of the main hall, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi stood up immediately without any hesitation: "Father!"
Looking at this "ideal couple," although he had some dissatisfaction with his previous ascension to the throne, Yuwen Yuan said, "You have worked hard in this battle."
Yuwen Ye calmly replied, "It is my duty, and I dare not complain."
Yuwen Yuan didn't say anything, but looked at him intently.
This son had almost never left his side since he was a child, so he had witnessed every bit of his growth and changes. Even so, his second son's strength far exceeded his expectations.
However, he was the emperor.
No matter how powerful or how many military achievements his son has, he can and must suppress him. Otherwise, not only will Yuwen Qian's position as crown prince be unstable, but his own position as emperor may also be in jeopardy.
Thinking of this, he took another deep breath and continued, "Although it was your duty, you did contribute after all."
"..."
"And a Ruyi,"
At this point, he looked at Shang Ruyi beside Yuwen Ye, his gaze softening slightly: "You must have suffered a lot this time too."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Your subject should share the burden for Father Emperor. Moreover, the return of the land of the dragon's rise to our Great Sheng is the will of Heaven. Your subject is merely following the trend and has not suffered any hardship."
Yuwen Yuan immediately laughed.
This daughter-in-law is so pleasant to talk to. She's not as blunt as Yuwen Ye, nor as rude as Yuwen Cheng who makes me angry with just a few words, and she's not like Yuwen Qian who always holds back in his words and actions, making him unpredictable. Shang Ruyi truly lives up to her reputation as the daughter of my old friend; her demeanor and manners are superb, even…
He couldn't help but think that being merely a Qin princess was a waste of his talents.
However, this thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.
The next moment, his youngest son, who always angered him, spoke up again. He sat to Yuwen Qian's right and, disregarding the fact that his father was still talking with his second brother and sister-in-law, began to pour himself a drink. When he heard Shang Ruyi say that she hadn't suffered, he suddenly sneered and said loudly, "Second sister-in-law, you're too modest."
Shang Ruyi frowned and turned to look at him.
Yuwen Ye's expression also darkened.
Yuwen Yuan remained expressionless, but slowly put down his wine cup and said, "What did you say?"
Yuwen Cheng stood up and said loudly, "Father, I'm speaking up for my second sister-in-law. Don't believe her when she says she didn't suffer. I heard from the wounded soldiers who came back from the front that in order to take Qi County without bloodshed, my second brother disguised himself and my second sister-in-law and entered Qi County, which had already surrendered to the Western Turks. There were enemy troops there, and there was also a special envoy from the Western Turks."
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Shang Ruyi and said, "He died a worthy death."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart sank.
Yuwen Qian suddenly said, "Third brother."
Yuwen Cheng probably hadn't expected that the first person to interrupt him would be none other than his elder brother. He paused for a moment, then turned to see Yuwen Qian looking at him with a slightly somber expression, saying, "Regarding the war in Taiyuan, I've already submitted a memorial to Father Emperor. You don't need to—"
"Wait a moment,"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Yuan spoke up, waving his hand and saying, "Let him continue."
Yuwen Qian sighed and could only shut up.
Yuwen Yuan asked, "What did you mean when you said that the Western Turkic envoy in Qi County died a worthy death?"
Yuwen Cheng smiled slyly and continued, "It seems that my eldest brother—no, my crown prince brother—didn't credit my second sister-in-law for this merit. Doesn't that mean she did all the work for nothing? I heard that my second sister-in-law went to see that Western Turkic envoy alone, and completely bewitched him, so much so that he didn't even realize she had a sword to his throat. And then—"
As he spoke, he reached out and made a throat-cutting gesture.
Shang Ruyi's face also darkened completely.
To ensure that news of their capture of Qixian was not leaked, she devised a "honey trap," performing a dance while simultaneously killing the Western Turkic envoy. Although this incident did not leak out before the Battle of Taiyuan, it was hard to say what would have happened afterward.
After all, there were not only musicians playing music and dancers performing in the hall, but also some local celebrities who had come to drink with the Western Turkic envoy in order to curry favor with him. There are no secrets in this world, let alone such an important matter.
Unexpectedly, this gust of wind ended up reaching Yuwen Cheng's ear.
Now, he has embellished the story and presented it to the emperor and his ministers, claiming that she, the Princess Consort of Qin, actually performed a dance for the Western Turkic envoy. Moreover, he emphasized the words "alone," the implication of which was self-evident. Many officials in the Hundred Blessings Hall showed surprised expressions, and some even looked at Yuwen Ye with sneers, their eyes lewd and their expressions disdainful.
At this moment, Yuwen Yuan's expression also changed slightly.
He glanced at Shang Ruyi, then at Yuwen Ye, his expression grave and complex, and said in a deep voice, "Feng Chen, is this true?"
Compared to Shang Ruyi's gloomy expression and the various gazes of those around her, Yuwen Ye was even calmer than before. He raised his head to look at Yuwen Yuan, but before he could speak, Yuwen Cheng opposite him laughed and said, "So, Father, you didn't know?"
Then he immediately turned to Yuwen Qian and said, "Brother Crown Prince, it turns out you didn't report Second Sister-in-law's achievements to the court. How can this be?"
"..."
"Second sister-in-law has made a great sacrifice this time."
Just then, a cool voice said, "The sacrifice of the Qin Princess doesn't end there. In this battle, she not only danced for the Western Turkic envoy, I heard she also—"
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