Chapter 266 Afraid of water? Or uncomfortable?
Now that he was back, Shang Ruyi immediately got up, first helping him tidy his clothes, and then had the servants quickly bring over dinner. Only then did the two of them sit down at the low table to eat. Ever since Yuwen Yuan sent people to take Yuwen Cheng away, only the two of them remained at home. They no longer ate in the dining hall, but only in their room. Although it wasn't very proper, it was certainly much more comfortable.
While eating, Shang Ruyi asked, "Did the Ministry of War summon you today?"
"Um."
"What's wrong?"
"It's still about the battle of Xingluocang before, there are still some things to be handed over. However, the people guarding the city will be the same few thousand people who were brought there before, and there will be no change."
At this point, Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered slightly.
But Shang Ruyi asked with some concern, "Didn't you explain everything clearly at the Dali Temple before? Why are you asking again this time?"
Yuwen Ye looked up at her and asked, "Why do you think that is?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi fell silent.
Her thoughts drifted away, but not far; instead, they drifted back to the last night, to the topic the two of them had discussed before she fell asleep.
She suddenly asked, "What are the imperial court's plans regarding military action in Hebei?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I assumed you had forgotten about this."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly shook her head. How could she forget this? Ever since Yuwen Ye told her that the Lei family father and daughter had rebelled, she had a vague feeling that even if this matter did not fall on the Yuwen family now, in the end, the Yuwen family would probably have to be involved.
As expected, Yuwen Ye said, "Hebei is now like an impenetrable wall. A direct attack would be almost impossible, so the court plans to divide into two routes."
Which two routes?
"The road is against the Turks,"
Yuwen Ye tapped the table and said, "Although we suffered a loss at Yanmen Pass, the internal strife is not yet over, and the court cannot launch a large-scale military campaign against the Turks. However, Father has been fighting them in Shanxi. As long as he puts in some effort, the pressure on Hebei will be much less."
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
Therefore, we still have to rely on Duke Sheng.
But last time, the court had already reduced the number of troops it had sent to him. Now, was he supposed to use his own troops to confront the Turks?
However, since Yuwen Yuan has made such a sacrifice, he must have already prepared for the consequences, or rather, has a plan to deal with them. What truly worries them now is—
Shang Ruyi said softly, "The other route, is it to attack Wanggang Village?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his eyes, as if he were quite satisfied, and nodded.
Shang Ruyi continued, "The Ministry of War summoned you for questioning to find out that after the last battle at Xingluocang, you and Wang Gang's army could no longer have any connection, so—"
Yuwen Ye raised his eyebrows slightly.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously held her breath, staring intently into his eyes: "Could it be you?"
Yuwen Ye looked up at her: "Do you want it to be me?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi hesitated for a moment, and after a long while, murmured, "I...I don't know."
As the Grand General who assists the state, it is his duty to lead troops to quell rebellions; however, the last time he attacked Xingluo Granary, he was attacked from the outside by Xiao Yuansui, from the inside by Wang Shaoji, and even from above by a huge dark force. Despite such a multi-pronged attack, he was still able to win a great victory. The right time, the right place, the right people, and even luck are not enough to explain all of this. It can only be said that Yuwen Ye has strength that is beyond anyone she knows.
But if it happens again, who can guarantee that he will come back unscathed?
Moreover, if he leads his troops into battle, then she will be left alone in her empty room? Shang Ruyi was reluctant to admit these four words, but in her heart, this "affectation" did indeed arise.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "The imperial court thinks the same way."
"Um?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Yuwen Ye said, "The imperial court doesn't know whether or not they should send me."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Do you want to go?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her, and to her surprise, nodded: "I want to go."
"You want to go?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him with some surprise, but the next moment, Yuwen Ye slowly said, "However, I want to go, but not to fight the people of Wanggang Village—now is not the time for me to fight them."
Shang Ruyi stared at him with wide eyes in surprise.
He wants to go, but he doesn't want to fight the people of Wanggangzhai. So what does he want to do there?
She didn't ask, and Yuwen Ye clearly didn't intend to say anything more. The two of them quieted down again and silently finished their dinner. After the servants came to clear away the dishes, Yuwen Ye turned his head and saw a box placed on the side of the room, and asked, "What's that?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Didn't you say you were going to pay respects to your mother? I went out today to buy the things we need."
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly: "Why did you have to go out and run around at just the right time?"
"..."
Mentioning this, Shang Ruyi felt a little guilty and said softly, "I was thinking that it would be more filial of me to personally prepare things for Mother's use; besides, so many people in the family have passed away, and there are no extra hands."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her and sighed softly.
Now, the Yuwen family is so quiet that they don't speak, and the entire mansion is silent.
He said, "It will be fine in a few days."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, but didn't ask why she would feel better in a few days, or how long it would take. Instead, Yuwen Ye asked, "How is your health?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "It's nothing."
Yuwen Ye said, "Then, let's go to Banyan Temple tomorrow."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
The next day, the two packed some things. Shang Ruyi only took Tu She'er, while Yuwen Ye took Mu Xian and two attendants. The group left the Yuwen family early in the morning by carriage.
However, they were stopped when they tried to leave the city gate.
Upon seeing the Yuwen family, the soldiers guarding the city hurriedly reported to their superiors. Soon after, the deputy general guarding the city came over personally and respectfully bowed to Yuwen Ye, who was sitting in the carriage: "General."
Although he was blocked in the middle of the road, and passersby all turned to look at him, Yuwen Ye was not angry at all. He lifted a corner of the curtain, looked at the other party, and calmly said, "What is the meaning of your blocking me?"
The lieutenant said with a forced smile, "General, please don't be offended. May I ask why you and your family have left the city today?"
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly: "Does this general need to explain himself to you when he goes out of the city on business?"
The adjutant still smiled obsequiously: "Of course not, it's just that—the General is an important minister of the court, and I naturally need to find out where you are."
Yuwen Ye chuckled.
Sitting next to him, Shang Ruyi frowned and leaned out, saying, "We're going out of the city to Banyan Temple to pay respects to our family members. Do we have to explain this to you? Since when did the court start meddling in the family affairs of its officials?"
The lieutenant was taken aback. Looking at the people accompanying the carriage, they certainly didn't seem to be moving as a family. He then bowed and apologized, "I'm sorry, I was impetuous."
After saying that, he immediately stepped aside to let them pass.
The carriage slowly drove through the city gate and went quite a distance. When Shang Ruyi looked back, she could still see the soldiers guarding the city staring at their carriage, seemingly still talking to each other.
She sat back in the car, thought for a moment, and turned to look at Yuwen Ye: "We—"
Yuwen Ye calmly replied, "It's nothing."
Those two words seemed to acknowledge all her doubts and soothe all her worries. She thought for a moment, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions. On the contrary, Yuwen Ye beside her had a sharp glint in his half-closed eyes.
The carriage swayed and rattled for another hour before finally arriving at the foot of the mountain, across the river from Banyan Temple, around noon.
Because today wasn't the first or fifteenth of the lunar month, there weren't many people going to the temple. Mu Xian had even arranged for someone to hire a boat in advance. When they arrived, the boatman was already waiting at the ferry. Yuwen Ye helped her onto the boat, and as soon as they were seated, the boatman used a bamboo pole to leave the ferry and swayed leisurely towards the other side.
The bamboo pole fell into the water, stirring up tiny splashes; with each push and pull, countless ripples were created.
Before long, the boat reached the middle of the river.
Yuwen Ye was looking at the scenery outside when he suddenly felt that it was unusually quiet around him. He looked down and saw Shang Ruyi leaning close to him, her hands on her knees, her fingers clenched tightly around him.
Her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Yuwen Ye couldn't help but frown slightly.
He seemed to remember that the last time they escorted a coffin across the river, she was also unusually quiet. However, at that time, because it was a funeral procession, everyone was quiet and in low spirits, so her silence did not stand out.
This time, however, he clearly sensed that Shang Ruyi was not silent.
Instead, they remained silent out of nervousness.
He looked down at her and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak. After a long while, she slowly looked up at him, her lips twitched twice, and she said softly, "No, it's nothing."
Yuwen Ye frowned.
How could everything be alright in this state?
He couldn't help but reach out and gently wipe the sweat from her forehead, asking, "Are you afraid of water? Or are you feeling unwell?"
He had heard that some people get dizzy when they are on a boat, and in severe cases they may even vomit and faint. He wondered if Shang Ruyi was like that, so he said softly, "Tell me if you feel unwell."
"..."
Meeting his gentle expression, Shang Ruyi felt as if a gentle hand had lightly stroked the string that had been taut in her heart, and she miraculously relaxed a little.
Although, they didn't relax too much.
She gritted her teeth and remained silent for a long time, then shook her head and slowly leaned her head into his arms.
Although she was covered in cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably, she could lean on his chest and absorb his familiar body temperature and scent, which seemed to be able to rescue her from that nightmarish shadow.
Although he couldn't understand why she was acting this way, he felt that the person in his arms seemed to be unusually and completely devoted to him, and Yuwen Ye was momentarily lost in thought.
After a while, he gently reached out and hugged her tightly.
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