Chapter 608 Some things are beyond your control
As the four of them stood by the misty, shimmering pond, gazing at the solemn Lin Yuan Pavilion standing in the distance, the people on the pavilion were also watching them amidst this picturesque scenery.
Her once clear eyes seemed to be misty with tears, and her gaze became somewhat ethereal.
"Hexin, what are you looking at?"
A melodious female voice sounded behind him. Yuwen Qian remained motionless, gazing quietly into the distance until Yu Mingyue, who had just been appointed as the head of the Jixian Hall, slowly walked forward and stopped half a step behind him. She then saw the blurry figures by the Tianshui Pool.
A cold glint flashed in those sharp, bright eyes.
She said, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Prince of Qin, the Princess of Qin, Pei Xingyuan who has just taken office as the head of the Ministry of Revenue, and—"
As she said this, the cold light in her eyes intensified.
At this moment, the person in front of her slowly turned around. His jade-colored brocade robe with white crane and dark cloud patterns made him look tall and handsome. Because he was standing by the window on the third floor, the wind that blew in from time to time filled his wide sleeves. As his clothes fluttered, his figure remained as upright as bamboo, giving him a sense of being peerless and soaring into the clouds.
However, those clear and bright eyes seemed to be tinged with the mist from the mountain pond, revealing a hint of confusion.
This person was none other than Yuwen Qian, the Prince of Han.
As he listened to Yu Mingyue's words, he sensed that she was saying more than she was saying, so he smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Yu Mingyue looked at him and asked, "What are you hesitating about?"
"..."
Upon hearing Yu Mingyue's words, a trace of bewilderment flickered in Yuwen Qian's clear eyes.
He said, "I didn't hesitate."
Yu Mingyue said, "Since you didn't hesitate, why didn't you submit the memorial recommending Shen Wuzheng?"
"..."
"Fortunately, my father also wrote a memorial and sent it to His Majesty, which made His Majesty make a decision."
"..."
"Otherwise, if someone like him were to become the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Yuwen Ye would be even more powerful. When he accumulates military merits and becomes extremely accomplished, it will be even more difficult for us to confront him."
Yuwen Qian was silent for a moment, then said, "I have no intention of facing my second brother."
Yu Mingyue's already sharp eyes, made even more striking by her overly beautiful appearance, flashed with an even sharper gaze. She stared intently at Yuwen Qian and said in a deep voice, "Your second brother is not only going after you, he has already made a move against you."
"..."
"Otherwise, today, people inside and outside the palace would be bowing to the Crown Prince, not the King of Han, when they see you."
"..."
"Hexin, why won't you believe me?"
Yuwen Qian's eyes flickered slightly before he said, "If I really didn't trust you, I wouldn't have given up my cultivation, returned to my father's side, and contacted your father to take Chang'an without bloodshed."
Hearing him say that, Yu Mingyue's tone became even more urgent: "Then what are you doing right now?"
Yuwen Qian was silent for a while, then said, "I just don't want anything unexpected to happen in the Battle of Taiyuan."
"..."
"If there really is a battle in Taiyuan."
"..."
"If anything goes wrong, it will affect the place where Father Emperor rose to power, and it will also put Yan Jie in danger."
Yu Mingyue immediately said, "I told you long ago that there would be a great battle in Taiyuan, but you will win in the end. Also, your third brother Yuwen Cheng will not be in danger at this time."
"..."
"The only danger for you two brothers comes from the one brother who will truly face you!"
Although her voice wasn't loud, the place she was in was, after all, the third floor of the Lin Yuan Pavilion, which was as spacious as a palace. As soon as she spoke, her words caused a series of echoes. In an instant, countless voices, some loud and some soft, some high and some low, kept repeating her last sentence, almost surrounding the two of them, making it somewhat suffocating.
Yuwen Qian really did stop breathing.
But his face didn't show much fear or unease, only a deeper solemnity. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse: "But you also have times when you miscalculate, don't you?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue's expression changed.
Yuwen Qian took a deep breath and said calmly, "You once said that as long as Father ascends the throne, he will appoint me as Crown Prince, but now, I am just a Prince of Han."
"..."
Yu Mingyue's expression was rather unpleasant. After a long while, she said softly, "So, you still don't believe me?"
Yuwen Qian gently shook his head: "It's not that I don't believe you."
"..."
"I was just thinking—maybe the world you know is also starting to change."
"...!?"
Yu Mingyue suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at him in astonishment: "What do you mean?"
"..."
Yuwen Qian did not answer her immediately, but silently lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes covering his clear pupils like the wings of a resting bird, also concealing his complex thoughts at this moment. After a while, he raised his head to look at Yu Mingyue, and smiled faintly, "I, I don't understand what I'm thinking either."
"..."
"However, some things are indeed beyond your control, that's a fact."
"..."
"And I cannot risk my third brother's safety."
Although Yu Mingyue was also somewhat confused by his words, she immediately understood what he meant: "You, want to participate in the Battle of Taiyuan?"
Yuwen Qian said, "I have said before that the safety of my brothers is my bottom line."
Yu Mingyue frowned deeply.
However, it wasn't a look of disgust. On the contrary, during their time together, she noticed that this man, who was originally peaceful and unassuming, occasionally exuded a kind of aura that was even more domineering than a god of death. Although his overly complex nature sometimes hindered her, it also fascinated her.
She looked at Yuwen Qian, thought for a while, and then said, "Since that's the case, then you should listen to me even more in this matter."
As she spoke, Yu Mingyue slowly turned her head and looked through the tall window, which resembled a large door, at the opposite side of the misty mountain pond, where the elegant figure of a scholar walking along the Thousand Steps Corridor stood.
"..."
Yuwen Qian did not say anything immediately.
Because he used to stay up late reading Buddhist scriptures by lamplight during his past spiritual practice, his eyesight was not as good as his second brother's. Although he was good at riding and archery, his eyesight was poor. But even so, he could clearly see the slender figure next to the figure in the Thousand-Step Corridor that made Yu Mingyue's eyes burn with fire.
After a long pause, he asked, "Why?"
Yu Mingyue said, "As I just said, the danger to you two brothers only comes from the brother who will truly confront you, and the one who advises him the most in these matters is Shen Wuzheng!"
"..."
"Otherwise, who do you think was the reason we were almost defeated in this fight against the plague, and who even pulled me out from behind the scenes?"
"..."
"Moreover, his methods are by no means limited to this!"
At this point, she seemed worried that Yuwen Qian might still have some good intentions or hesitate. She turned to look into his clear eyes and saw a hint of tenderness in them. She then looked behind him and around them. This spacious pavilion had long since been empty of calligraphy and paintings because of the relocation of the capital in the past. Only some ordinary items remained on the first and second floors.
She said, "This place will become the place where your second brother hangs portraits of meritorious officials; it will be called the Lingyan Pavilion!"
"..."
"And the first among the meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion is none other than Shen Wuzheng!"
"...!"
Yuwen Qian's brow twitched slightly.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "But this place is called Lin Yuan—"
He didn't finish his sentence, partly because he was hesitant, and partly because he seemed to have sensed something. Just as Yu Mingyue noticed his pause and knew that he was thinking about something, she was about to speak when a voice came from below the pavilion.
They both fell silent for a moment, calming their emotions and breathing, and looked down at the window.
Several eunuchs carrying a huge plaque slowly walked to the entrance of Lin Yuan Pavilion. However, the palace maids and eunuchs accompanying the two men were guarding the entrance, preventing them from entering. The eunuchs kept smiling and bowing, seemingly busy with something, but the gatekeepers refused to let them in.
A cold smile appeared in Yu Mingyue's eyes.
She turned to Yuwen Qian, who seemed lost in thought, and said, "Let's go down and take a look."
"..."
Yuwen Qian glanced at her, said nothing, and turned to walk downstairs. Yu Mingyue followed behind him, and the two of them went down to the first floor in no time.
As soon as they stepped down the steps, they heard the palace maids at the door say, "His Highness Prince Han and Lord Yu are enjoying the scenery up there. What kind of behavior is it for you to be making such a racket down here? You've disturbed their enjoyment, and you'll be in for a world of trouble!"
The eunuchs who carried the items all looked distressed. One of them, the leader, said with a forced smile, "Gentlemen, we dare not disturb His Highness the Prince of Han's enjoyment. However, His Majesty has decreed that this plaque must be replaced today—this violates his taboo, and we dare not be negligent."
As they were talking, Yuwen Qian slowly walked over.
As soon as the two palace maids saw them arrive, they hurriedly turned around and bowed, and the eunuchs also quickly knelt down and kowtowed.
Yuwen Qian walked to the door, calmly raised his hand to signal them to stand up, and then said, "Did Father send you here to change the plaque?"
The young eunuch hurriedly replied, "Yes."
"Change what?"
"That's it."
With a wave of his hand, the young eunuch had several other eunuchs behind him hurriedly carry the plaque up.
Yuwen Qian looked up and saw that the large plaque bore several powerful characters, the very handwriting of his father, Yuwen Yuan.
Lingyan Pavilion!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com