Chapter 229 Shang Ruyi, don't push your luck!
Meanwhile, at Luokou Ferry, where snow was falling heavily, the soldiers waiting for the emperor's orders, though not on missions to go out to war, still carried out their daily drills and patrols without fail.
Several young soldiers couldn't help but complain: "There are clearly no battles to fight, so why are we still being made to train? We're just freezing for nothing."
The older men coldly replied, "What do you know?"
"If it weren't for our diligent training these past few days, do you think we would have returned alive from Wanggang Village so easily? Have you all forgotten what kind of den of dragons and tigers that is?"
"General Yuwen is strict in disciplining his troops, which is for our own good. You shouldn't be ungrateful."
"Exactly! Which general could lead from the front like him? This time he was injured, almost losing his arm, yet he still managed to hang down a cliff with one hand. Who in the court has such courage?!"
...
Upon hearing this, the young soldiers recalled their experiences over the past few days and were convinced, no longer complaining.
The older soldier sighed again, "In this world, to be able to serve a wise ruler is a blessing earned over many lifetimes. I was hoping that I could serve General Yuwen again in the future..."
They walked away slowly, talking as they went.
Inside the tent, Shang Ruyi also fell silent.
Actually, her injury had healed quite well. As long as she didn't move or exert herself, her shoulder would feel numb and wouldn't hurt anymore. But for some reason, after hearing what the soldiers said, especially hearing that Yuwen Ye had managed to dangle down a cliff with one hand after his shoulder was pierced by a dead branch in order to sneak into Xingluocang City, she felt a tearing pain in her shoulder again.
The pain even shot straight into my heart.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously pressed her hand to her chest, barely managing to suppress the violent heartbeat caused by an inexplicable dull pain. But the next moment, the tent flap was opened, and when she looked up, her heartbeat went out of control again.
The one who walked in was Yuwen Ye.
His face was cold and expressionless, holding a bowl in his hand. His expression seemed to still carry the chill of the outside weather, stiff and unable to recover.
He slowly walked to the bedside and looked down at Shang Ruyi.
His expression remained stern, but when he spoke, his voice softened almost imperceptibly.
He said, "Let's eat."
Shang Ruyi stared blankly at him, unable to see his expression clearly, yet she inexplicably felt that his expression must be gentle. But the gentler he seemed, the more intense the indescribable bitterness in her heart surged up, almost bursting forth from her eyes.
She quickly lowered her head.
But this action seemed to have angered Yuwen Ye. This was the first time he had given in—if it could be considered giving in, it was because when he brought over the bowl of porridge that he had personally prepared, he found that Shang Ruyi was still sitting on the bed, even her posture and the way her long hair hung down were the same as when he left. She hadn't moved for so long, and when he spoke first, she didn't even respond.
What is she thinking?
Yuwen Ye frowned: "What, you did something wrong, and you want me to apologize to you?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi kept her head down and remained silent.
But the surging feeling in her heart kept expanding, so much so that her chest ached. Finally, hot tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the bed and the back of her hand.
Yuwen Ye froze instantly.
She cried again!
Just like the time he brought her home from the Ziwei Palace, she remained silent and kept shedding tears. She didn't even show any signs of grievance or complaint, yet inexplicably, all the hard defenses in his heart vanished at that moment, leaving him incredibly soft.
He really softened.
Yuwen Ye gripped the bowl tightly in his hand, struggled for a long time, then slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned closer to look at her red eyes and nose, and hesitated before saying, "Alright, I—"
Shang Ruyi looked up at him.
Yuwen Ye gritted his teeth and finally said, "I won't apologize to you, but I... I shouldn't have said that to you just now."
"..."
"It wouldn't have been right to leave you alone in Xingluo Warehouse without showing up to tell you, making you worry and be afraid—"
"..."
The more she spoke, the more tears she shed, even overflowing in front of him. Yuwen Ye felt as if something was pressing down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He couldn't help but feel annoyed—this little woman, without saying a word, made him submit with just a few tears, and that wasn't enough. What would happen in the future!
So he gritted his teeth and said, "Shang Ruyi, don't push your luck!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback by his rebuke.
When she looked up, she met Yuwen Ye's face, which was no longer calm and composed, but rather somewhat embarrassed and angry.
Seeing his angry expression, Shang Ruyi suddenly realized that her tears were falling for no reason. She quickly raised her hand and wiped away her tears while sobbing.
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye calmed down.
Thinking about it, I realized I had acted somewhat inexplicably just now. In his eyes, tears were always a symbol of weakness. Even if a young woman had her vulnerabilities and grievances, it didn't warrant pushing her luck. Why did I feel that kind of threatened anger just now?
Thinking about this, he felt somewhat lost.
What's wrong with me?
He was speechless, and Shang Ruyi was at a loss. For a moment, the two of them faced each other in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ruyi finally whispered, "I... I didn't..."
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye felt that he had been a bit too emotional just now, so he could only let it go and softened his voice, saying, "Alright, have some porridge. You've been worried these past two days, so you probably haven't been eating well, but there's nothing better here."
"..."
"Wait, wait until we break camp and return to the city, I'll take you to Tinghe Tower, have something good to eat, and help you recover, okay?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi stared at him with wide eyes, her face full of surprise.
It wasn't that I was surprised by his gentleness towards me, but rather that his gentleness was so concrete.
Does this mean that he's no longer just putting on a show of marital bliss in front of others, as he used to? Does he really intend to treat her well once they get back?
Shang Ruyi's heart was pounding, but when she finally spoke, she only managed a soft "Mmm".
Yuwen Ye immediately placed the bowl in front of her. The rich aroma of rice wafted over, giving Shang Ruyi a distinct feeling of hunger. She then realized that her last meal was a day ago, and after all this time, she hadn't felt it until now. But the aroma of the rice soup suddenly made her feel weak.
Her body went limp, and she leaned against Yuwen Ye.
Yuwen Ye didn't dodge. Instead, he looked down at her pale lips and the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and his tone became gentler, as if he were coaxing her: "Come on, have some."
After saying that, he picked up a spoon, scooped up a little porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to her lips.
Shang Ruyi obediently opened her mouth.
When she started eating, she realized that the spoon was a bit big. With just the first spoonful, soup dripped onto the corners of her mouth. Before Shang Ruyi could wipe it off, the second spoonful came. She could only obediently open her mouth and drink the porridge and vegetables he fed her, spoonful after spoonful.
The two of them snuggled together like that, one feeding the other.
In no time, most of the bowl of porridge was gone.
There was a lot of porridge on the corner of her mouth, and it looked like it was about to drip down. Yuwen Ye frowned, subconsciously reached out and pinched her chin, gently wiping her lips with his thumb, and also wiping away the porridge on the corner of her mouth.
But even after wiping it away, his hand did not leave her lips.
Although her lips were somewhat pale, they were soft and delicate. When he stroked them with his large fingers, they felt like a flower petal held between his fingertips. His lips parted slightly, revealing a small, bright red tongue that flashed by.
Suddenly, Yuwen Ye felt a tightening in his lower abdomen, and his breathing became hot.
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