Chapter 698 The Mutiny is the Key!
After hearing Shang Ruyi's words, Yuwen Ye quickly fell silent.
Indeed, Shang Ruyi's concerns were not without merit.
As everyone knows, the rule of royal succession has always been that the eldest son of the legitimate wife inherits the throne. Therefore, Shang Ruyi instinctively felt that the person who would become the crown prince, stage a coup, and be killed in her nightmare was Yuwen Yuan's eldest son, her elder brother, Yuwen Qian, with whom she had agreed to marry. So, although her refusal to marry and remarry was selfish, it was also understandable.
However, rules are rigid, but people are flexible.
Moreover, Yuwen Ye knew very well that if people only wanted ordinary things, following the rules would suffice. But if people wanted extraordinary things, such as the position of crown prince that they were discussing at the moment, then following the rules would be far from enough.
What they're going to do is break the rules.
Even though Yuwen Ye had only recently become a prince and been enfeoffed as the Prince of Qin, countless facts throughout history had already proven this point. As for Shang Ruyi, she hadn't initially harbored any ill intentions, but along the way, she had witnessed and heard countless things. Moreover, perhaps some event involving the Western Turks had led her to a realization, which was why she brought this matter up now.
That's why this question came about.
Although he remained silent, a bright light kept flashing in Yuwen Ye's eyes, as if his mind and thoughts were constantly racing. After only a moment, when he looked at Shang Ruyi again, his eyes had calmed down.
He said, "All that you know was taken from Yu Mingyue."
"yes."
"Then, after you take it, will Yu Mingyue still know?"
"...?"
Shang Ruyi suddenly opened her eyes wide.
This was something she had never thought of before—yes, once she had taken something, the original owner would naturally no longer possess it.
Could it be that Yu Mingyue was unaware of all this?
That's why she was so eager to encourage Yuwen Qian to vie for the position of crown prince.
Upon thinking this, Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up. She stared wide-eyed at Yuwen Ye and said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, doesn't that just prove that the position of Crown Prince is in danger? She didn't know, so she—"
Yuwen Ye shook his head again and said, "Not necessarily."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback: "Why?"
Yuwen Ye paused to think, but this time, he didn't seem to be pondering how to explain, rather than finding a solution. After a moment, he said, "For example, right now, I suddenly don't know that you are my wife. In other words, I've lost the memory of you being my wife. What do you think I would do?"
Shang Ruyi frowned, thought calmly for a while, and said, "You, with your temper, will definitely be very wary of me."
"right."
“But if I tell you my identity, you will doubt me and distance yourself from me.”
"Then what?"
"Then, since none of the people around you have lost this memory, they will tell you that I am the Princess Consort of Qin; when we return to Chang'an, the people around Father Emperor will also tell you this. Even if you lose your memory, it doesn't matter, because it is already a fact, and as a fact, there will be countless pieces of evidence to corroborate it."
"..."
"In fact, as you spend more time with me, you'll definitely realize that I know you very well and I know a lot about you that only married couples would know."
Yuwen Ye nodded: "That's right, it's only human nature."
"Then this—"
"So, if we apply this to Yu Mingyue, even if you really took away this part of her life—call it a memory or a perception—she still has her own thoughts. Wouldn't she try to fill in the gaps in her life?"
"..."
"You only took the part about the mutiny and the killing, but she might still remember the time when the crown prince was appointed."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
Indeed, on this point, he knew nothing except that the Crown Prince would stage a coup, be killed, and implicate everyone around him. Logically speaking, an event should have a cause and effect, but it seems that he only took the effect, while the cause remained entirely on Yu Mingyue.
This person isn't stupid; given the cause, how could she not deduce the effect?
Moreover, what she had stolen was far more ambiguous than how Yuwen Yuan became the Gaozu Emperor. She even suspected that she hadn't actually stolen it completely, but had merely shared this knowledge with Yu Mingyue.
In that case—
Yuwen Ye said, "Yu Mingyue must know what kind of ending awaits the person who becomes the crown prince, but she still wants to assist her elder brother in ascending to the position of crown prince."
"..."
“But I can tell that she has no ill intentions towards my older brother.”
"..."
"Then there's only one possibility."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Crown Prince, that's not the point. The coup is!"
Yuwen Ye said, "That's right!"
The campfire in front of him emitted a warm, orange-red light, but this light, when reflected on his face, could not suppress his cold and resolute expression, especially the sharp light emanating from his eyes, which seemed to pierce through everything.
He said, "A mutiny is the key!"
"...!"
At that moment, Shang Ruyi suddenly gasped.
She suddenly realized that during her few days in the Western Turkic Khaganate, which could barely be considered a "journey," she had gained almost nothing except for catching up with Lei Yu.
There was only one thing she saw: Ashina Zhuxie's predicament in the Western Turkic Khaganate.
At that time, she felt that Ashina Zhuxie's situation was very similar to Yuwen Ye's. Although she did not want him to win, she also secretly thought that if he could win, wouldn't Yuwen Ye also have the possibility of getting out of his predicament and winning?
Now he says the focus is on a military coup.
An invisible, icy needle pierced deep into Shang Ruyi's heart, as if confirming something.
She said in a hoarse voice, "So, we need to—"
Before she could finish speaking, her voice was already so low and hoarse that it was barely audible, and she couldn't bring herself to say the words "mutiny."
Yuwen Ye's face appeared even colder under the warm firelight.
He pondered for a long time before saying, "Actually, what you've said, including Yu Mingyue's appearance and her so-called 'prophetic' abilities, won't affect me at all."
"..."
"I have always decided what I want to do."
"..."
"As for the situation I am facing, not to mention the people I am currently surrounded by, these people not only share my honor and disgrace, but also my life and death—for example, your brother."
Shang Ruyi's breathing became heavy.
Yes, if it weren't for helping Yuwen Ye, no one would have lit that fire in Changchun Palace.
And then there's Shen Tu Tai and Shan Tong'er, who led the surrendered soldiers all the way to the Turkic camp; Nie Chong, who braved countless dangers to infiltrate Taiyuan; and Mu Xian, Cheng Qiao, and so many others...
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but clench the hairpin in her hand.
Yuwen Ye continued, “If I were to fall, or even just take a step back, it would mean utter ruin for me and all of them. Not to mention my current situation, which is in such a chaotic world, I am already mired in a quagmire and unable to extricate myself. But from childhood to adulthood, I have always had this thought in my heart: to make great achievements and leave my name in history.”
"..."
"How could I possibly give up such an opportunity?"
"..."
"Having come this far, how could I possibly back down now?"
"..."
"You said that from the things you took from Yu Mingyue, you learned that the Crown Prince would stage a coup and be killed, and that Yu Mingyue obviously knew all this, yet she still assisted my brother in vying for the position of Crown Prince and went against us all the way. She knew all this, yet she still did it, probably because she believed she had the ability to change everything."
At this point, he chuckled and said, "To be honest, this aspect has really impressed me. Only someone with such a mindset can stand on the opposite side of us."
"..."
"If she has it, why shouldn't I?"
Then, he looked down at Shang Ruyi and asked, "You don't have any?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, but beneath her tightly furrowed brows, her clear eyes shone with a light even more intense than the flames themselves as she stared at them.
Although Yuwen Ye's words were like knives, each one cutting to the bone, they also seemed to sever the invisible shackles that had bound her heart ever since she was resurrected, freeing her from them.
She felt an immense sense of joy in her chest.
Isn't that right?
Even if Yu Mingyue has the so-called ability to "predict the future", even if she is scheming and ruthless, so what? She has been careful and cunning all the way, setting traps at every turn, but haven't they made it through step by step?
Therefore, it seems that the outcome of the events surrounding the Crown Prince's death, the coup, and his assassination remains uncertain.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said, "I understand."
Despite her words, there was a hint of tenderness in her heart, in addition to her firmness. She paused for a moment, then looked up at Yuwen Ye and said, "But no matter what, I don't want you and my brother to go down that path."
"..."
"Because if that happens—"
"I see,"
Yuwen Ye picked up where she left off, the sharpness in his eyes gradually fading. Though there was no softness in his gaze, a particularly complex and solemn emotion settled in. He said in a deep voice, "No matter what, I don't want to go that far."
"..."
“I think that even if my elder brother knew something from Yu Mingyue, his actions these days still reflect that.”
"..."
"Although……"
At this point, he seemed to have a sudden thought and stopped.
Although she didn't know what he originally wanted to say, Shang Ruyi's heart softened suddenly—she remembered the sachet Yuwen Qian had given them before they set off for Fufeng; and the veil that Yuwen Ye had brought after he fell ill with the plague, which could protect him from the disease.
He argued, but he did not fight.
Such an action seems to be a fitting tribute to the brotherly affection that Yuwen Ye had always held for him.
But where will this brotherhood ultimately lead?
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