Chapter 873 Cijian
As Yuwen Ye walked forward, he said, "Do you remember the eight passes and cities near Luoyang that I mentioned to you?"
Shang Ruyi said irritably, "How could I not remember? Yuanzi was sleeping soundly, and you had to go and poke him here and there. Luckily, he was sleeping soundly."
Yuwen Ye smiled, then quickly suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Yan Jie is a person who doesn't have a long-term vision when it comes to judging people and doing things, and he rarely has a big-picture perspective. He does whatever he feels like doing and almost never has any overall plans."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned.
She had noticed this flaw early on, of course. Although it was a flaw, it didn't have much of an impact on ordinary days, but once on the battlefield, a small flaw could lead to big problems.
Yuwen Ye continued, "For him, attacking Luoyang is simply attacking Luoyang. He just needs to get there as quickly and directly as possible, and the Jianhe River route is the most direct and fastest route for him right now."
Shang Ruyi frowned and said, "Therefore, he will not spend time bypassing Mangshan and attacking Hulao Pass, but will instead take Luoyang directly through the Jianhe River."
"yes."
"However, if I remember correctly, Yique Pass is not far from there, and there are 30,000 troops stationed there."
Yuwen Ye looked at her with a smile: "You have a good memory."
Shang Ruyi said, "You only told me a few days ago, how could I forget?"
As she spoke, the gloom between her brows deepened, and she said, "So, my third brother's army was marching to break through Cijian directly and then attack Luoyang. But he didn't consider that Liang Shide had troops stationed in all eight passes and cities, and Cijian already had troops. He might not be able to pass through this place so smoothly."
Yuwen Ye nodded and continued, "That's why I just said that Cijian is very important to him."
"..."
"Because the longer he stays in this place, the more disadvantageous it will be for him."
Shang Ruyi said, "If that's the case, then what about my third brother—"
Yuwen Ye added, "However, things on the battlefield can change in an instant, and things may not turn out as I predicted. If he can achieve something remarkable, then I will have misjudged him."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi simply shook her head slightly.
Yuwen Cheng's decision to completely disregard Liang Shide's garrison at the eight passes of Luoyang and instead directly attack Luoyang via the Jianhe River shows that his chances of winning this battle are slim. Although things on the battlefield can change in an instant, the fundamental principles remain the same, and it is impossible for a blind cat to stumble upon a dead mouse so easily.
She murmured, "I just hope that my brother and Shen Tu Tai won't get hurt or implicated in anything."
After saying that, the two returned to the Thousand Autumns Palace.
From that day on, just as Yuwen Ye had said, the two of them were on high alert. Yuwen Ye did not go to the military camp every day anymore, but it seemed that he had already finished dealing with the things he needed to do in the past few days. After that day, he sat in the Ministry of Personnel to do his work. There were no major events. After handling the usual government affairs, he would send a message to Tangquan Palace every two days.
In the blink of an eye, three messages had been sent.
With the emperor gone, the palace was naturally peaceful and quiet. Even some of the palace maids and eunuchs started to slack off. Shang Ruyi didn't cause any trouble, only saying a few words when she happened to be there. Most of the time, she stayed in Qianqiu Palace to take care of Yuanzi.
The only difference from before is Jin Yu Yuan.
Previously, because of Jiang Chongen's matter, Yuwen Ye asked her to remind Chu Ruoyan to stay in Jinyuyuan for a while longer and not wander around, so as not to run into the emperor and anger him. Now that Yuwen Yuan has visited Tangquan Palace, it has given Chu Ruoyan a chance to catch her breath. Although she was not in high spirits and did not seem to cherish this opportunity to go out and have some fresh air, Shang Ruyi was worried that she would get sick from being confined for half a year. So she would visit her in Jinyuyuan every few days. In return, Chu Ruoyan would also come to Qianqiu Palace from time to time to keep her company and talk.
That day, Chu Ruoyan came again.
As soon as she entered Qianqiu Palace, Shang Ruyi personally came out to greet her. Seeing some fine white powder scattered on her removed cloak, she paused, then exclaimed, "This is—"
Chu Ruoyan looked up at her and smiled, "Sister doesn't know yet, it's snowing outside."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi did not welcome her inside. Instead, she went out and stood at the entrance of the main hall. Sure enough, countless crystal-clear fine powders were scattered in the gray sky. They were swept up by the wind and turned into a snow mist, dancing in the air in the empty courtyard outside the Qianqiu Hall, as if a pair of invisible hands were waving a huge, semi-transparent veil in the air.
It's a unique kind of beautiful scenery.
Shang Ruyi was so engrossed in watching that she didn't notice the wind direction had changed. Just as she was watching, a gust of wind suddenly swept snow onto her face.
Shang Ruyi shivered from the cold: "Ugh!"
Tushe'er and the others hurriedly helped her back to the main hall, where a heater had already been lit. The sudden change in temperature caused Shang Ruyi to sneeze a few times. Tushe'er scolded her, "Your Highness doesn't take care of yourself. Look, you've caught a cold."
Shang Ruyi pinched her nose in frustration, glared at her, and thought to herself, "Why are you nagging when someone's around?" Tu She'er then pouted and stepped aside.
Chu Ruoyan said, "It is my fault."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "What does it have to do with you? I've just been feeling a bit dizzy and lightheaded these past few days. It's winter, and I always feel cold."
Chu Ruoyan nodded, then turned to look outside and murmured, "It's snowing here, the snow must be even heavier over at Tangquan Palace."
Shang Ruyi said, "Really?"
Chu Ruoyan nodded and said, "When I was little, I went there with my father a few times. It's surrounded by mountains, and it's colder than in the city. The snow is also heavier there, but the scenery is beautiful. If Your Highness and my sister have the opportunity in the future, you might as well go and take a look."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "There will always be a chance."
As they spoke, Changwan and Woxue brought over tea and snacks. Shang Ruyi took a sip of the hot tea, and perhaps because she had just drunk some cold air, her throat felt a little itchy. She suppressed the urge to cough, then suddenly remembered something and said, "If it's snowing heavily at Tangquan Palace, then those hot springs—"
Chu Ruoyan said, "Snowfall won't affect those hot springs. On the contrary, soaking in the spring water when it snows is the most comfortable."
"Yeah?"
"yes,"
Chu Ruoyan's smile was slightly dazed, as if she were recalling her childhood experiences. But this time, she didn't linger in that dream for long and quickly came to her senses. When she looked at Shang Ruyi again, her eyes were much calmer, and she said, "But—"
"Just what?"
"It's much colder at Tangquan Palace than in the city. Although the hot springs are warm, people who are weak or frail might not be able to withstand soaking in them every day."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com