Chapter 338 Waiting for a result
Yuwen Ye said, "In chaotic times, it's not just about surviving for someone like my elder brother."
Shen Wuzheng said, "Yes."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Shang Ruyi's still somewhat pale face, which still showed signs of illness, and his eyes became more solemn. Then he said to Yuwen Ye, "Surviving is just a prerequisite. I not only want to survive, but there are also many things I want to do. One of them is—I want the people around me to live better lives and not be harmed."
Yuwen Ye looked at him for a long while, then said, "You will."
At least, his actions—arriving alone at Wanggang Village so as not to meet the Duke of Sheng empty-handed, and killing two people without bloodshed—are a testament to his character.
The two of them were having a somewhat superfluous, even inexplicable, conversation, while Shang Ruyi sat quietly to the side, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Just now, Yuwen Ye had said, "Treasures move people's hearts, and people's greed is insatiable." These ten short words had so clearly and chillingly captured the cruel and cold-blooded infighting.
These two men in front of me—both understand human nature.
She was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then, two people have already died, what are you still doing here, brother?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "I'm waiting for another outcome."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback again: "What's the result?"
Yuwen Ye, standing to the side, said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the two maps that Li Wenyang obtained are not the complete picture. He has no way of finding the so-called Zuo Gong's suspected tomb with those two maps, right?"
Shen Wuzheng nodded.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and immediately understood: "He originally thought that getting the two maps would allow him to find the treasure of Zuo Gong's suspected tomb, but things didn't go as planned. But by this time, he had already killed his own brother, so what's next—"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Wanggang Village has its own rules. If brothers kill each other, it is considered treason and will be severely punished. Therefore, after Li Wenyang killed Wu Gan and his men, he only had two choices. One was to leave Wanggang Village and go into hiding."
"..."
"However, he was all alone with only two useless maps, so he had nowhere to go. Moreover, he had to face the pursuit of Wanggang Village, and other forces might also come to besiege him once they knew that he had the map of Zuo Gong's suspected tomb. His chances of surviving were slim."
"..."
"There is another option—"
Yuwen Ye said, "Return to Wanggang Village, present the map to Wang Quyi, and atone for your crime with this merit."
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "You said before that Wang Quyi is a very greedy person. If there is such a possibility of discovering a huge treasure, even the lives of his brothers are not that important to him."
Yuwen Ye nodded.
Shen Wuzheng looked at the two of them, his eyes flashing: "So, you came here also hoping to take advantage of him?"
"Not only him, but also Xiao Yuansui,"
Yuwen Ye said, "Brother, you didn't use anything else to incite them to kill each other, but instead used the map of Zuo Gong's suspected tomb. You must have thought of this long ago."
"..."
"If Wang Quyi is truly interested in the treasures that might be hidden in Zuo Gong's suspected tomb, but those two maps aren't enough to completely locate the treasure, then he will definitely suspect Xiao Yuansui, who used to follow Zuo Heng. Moreover, now that Xiao Yuansui and Liang Shide have joined forces to take Luoyang, they are about to break free from Wanggangzhai's control, and may even grow stronger and pose a threat to them. He must keep an eye on Xiao Yuansui."
"..."
"This final bolt of lightning will inevitably fall on Xiao Yuansui, no matter what."
Shen Wuzheng nodded, tacitly agreeing.
Yuwen Ye said, "So, the result of waiting here is—"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Li Wenyang has been in the mountains for more than an hour. By now, the goods should have been delivered to Wang Quyi."
"..."
"If Wang Quyi upholds justice, then in a little while, the sound of the Soul-Severing Drum should be heard in the mountains. That is the drum that Wanggang Village uses to execute traitors. If not, then Wang Quyi has coveted the treasures in Zuo Gong's Suspected Tomb. He will immediately send someone down the mountain to the Eastern Capital to bring Xiao Yuansui back and inquire about the whereabouts of Zuo Gong's Suspected Tomb."
"..."
"What I'm waiting for is either the sound of drums or the sound of horses' hooves."
As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them fell silent.
A gust of wind, carrying a hint of menace, blew past their ears, but after the wind passed, the surroundings remained as quiet as ever.
Perhaps there's still some entanglement within Wanggangzhai.
Shen Wuzheng smiled and said, "It seems that we need to be patient to get the result we want."
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the pavilion. Turning around, they saw Tu She'er holding several packets of pastries. These were the packets she had bought after they had tea at the tea stall earlier. She had originally planned to save them for Shang Ruyi, but seeing that they had been talking in the pavilion for a while, she brought the pastries over.
She said, "Miss, young master, son-in-law, please have something to eat."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful."
Tushe'er said, "This servant is worried about your health, Miss—"
Before she could finish speaking, Shang Ruyi frowned at her, and Tu She'er immediately shut her mouth. Shen Wuzheng, who was standing to the side, glanced at them but didn't say anything more.
An unusual tranquility permeated the air.
Tushe'er walked over and put down the pastries, then said to Shen Wuzheng, "Young Master, you're finally back! I'm so happy to see you. Master and Madam—"
Shen Wuzheng said gently, "Don't worry, everything is fine. Have you been serving Ruyi well?"
Tushe'er's tongue trembled: "I—"
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "She'er has always been very dedicated, brother, you can rest assured."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "You may leave."
Tushe'er didn't dare to say anything more and immediately turned and left.
Watching her retreating figure, Shang Ruyi's expression turned slightly uneasy. Although she knew that she couldn't hide from Shen Wuzheng what she had done or even what she had experienced, she was willing to let him grieve for her a little longer.
At least for now, they still have some things to do that require their best effort.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi thought of something else, so she looked up at Shen Wuzheng and asked, "By the way, brother, do you really have a map of Zuo Gong's suspected tomb?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "That was just something I drew casually."
"ah!"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, but then she saw Shen Wuzheng looking at her and smiling, "If I really had it, then I wouldn't have gone to see Duke Sheng empty-handed. Why would I need to take on Wanggang Village by myself?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi suddenly realized what was going on and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
Shen Wuzheng laughed and said, "Silly girl."
Yuwen Ye's eyes darkened slightly, and he suddenly said, "There's a noise!"
Shang Ruyi and Shen Wuzheng immediately looked up at the mountain.
Was it the sound of drums or horses' hooves?
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