Chapter 341 I will take you away without hesitation!
The footsteps were light and orderly, stopping at the door. Then, through the door, Chen Wuzheng's gentle voice rang out: "Ruyi."
Upon hearing his voice, Shang Ruyi was overjoyed.
She was about to reply when Yuwen Ye, who was pressed close to her with a gloomy look in his eyes, darkened his face and said, "Brother, it's getting late, we should get ready to rest."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi immediately became anxious and frowned as she looked at him.
The person outside did not leave immediately upon hearing this, but remained silent for a moment before saying, "But I just heard Ruyi's voice. She's not asleep yet, is she?"
Yuwen Ye frowned, about to say something more, but Shang Ruyi didn't give him the chance and immediately said, "Brother, I haven't gone to sleep yet."
After saying that, she pushed him away.
Yuwen Ye staggered back two steps after being pushed by her. When he looked up again, Shang Ruyi had already turned around and opened the door.
Shen Wuzheng stood outside the door. At this moment, the moon was high in the sky, and the bright moonlight shone on his fair face. Compared to his calm and reserved demeanor during the day, he exuded an unusual gentleness. Especially when he saw Shang Ruyi, his eyes seemed to light up.
However, when he looked up at Yuwen Ye behind Shang Ruyi again, a shadow crossed his eyes.
He clearly heard that the two people's voices came from the doorway, which was just a door away—people who want to rest wouldn't stand at the door.
Moreover, there seemed to be an unusual atmosphere between the two people in the room.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi seemed to sense something as well. She subconsciously reached out to smooth out her clothes, which had been somewhat disheveled during their earlier struggle, and then forced a smile, saying, "Brother, you were looking for me?"
Shen Wuzheng looked at Yuwen Ye, then at Shang Ruyi, and said with a smile, "I have something I want to say to you."
At this moment, it is something you can't ask for but can't have.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Okay, we—"
She turned her head to the side, and although she could only see Yuwen Ye's figure behind her out of the corner of her eye, she could feel the oppressive aura emanating from him that made it hard to breathe. She immediately said, "Let's go outside to talk. It's a bit stuffy in this room."
So she turned around and said, "I'm going out for a walk with my brother. You—you should rest first."
After saying that, he turned around and walked out as if fleeing.
Because the temple was small, after leaving their quarters and walking a short distance, they arrived at the front courtyard. At that time, the monks were having their evening prayers in the main hall of the temple. They could hear the sound of them chanting Buddhist scriptures in the quiet night, and the sandalwood incense in the air made the night even more peaceful.
Only then did Shang Ruyi breathe a sigh of relief.
Turning around, she saw Shen Wuzheng still quietly following behind her, his gentle gaze always following her back. Being looked at by such a gaze was like being gently brushed by a pair of hands, which even lessened the pain in her heart and body.
Just as Shang Ruyi was about to say something, she heard the monks chanting sutras in the main hall. Fearing that she might disturb them, Shen Wuzheng seemed to have the same concern. So the two of them turned around at the same time and walked along the corridor toward the side hall.
As she walked, she whispered, "Brother, what did you come to see me about?"
Shen Wuzheng walked beside her: "How are you doing?"
This was a gentle question, one that a brother and sister should ask after being separated for so long. But for some reason, when she heard him ask this, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
She subconsciously lowered her head, avoiding Shen Wuzheng's gaze.
"I--"
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Wuzheng added, "It's easy for you to hide it from me. After all, we've been separated for so long, and I can't fully understand what happened to you. Even if I did understand what happened to you, I still wouldn't know how you feel. I just hope that my little sister is truly doing well. If she's not, at least don't deceive me, her older brother."
"..."
After hearing his words, the words I was about to say remained unsaid.
Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and when she tried to speak again, her voice was almost choked with emotion. She whispered, "Brother, don't say that."
Seeing that she still refused to confess, Shen Wuzheng sighed softly and then said, "I already know about the Duke of Sheng's support for the new emperor, so how could I not know about the retired emperor in Jiangdu Palace whom he remotely respects?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched, and her feigned calm expression shattered instantly.
After a long pause, she said in a hoarse voice, "Brother, you already know..."
Shen Wuzheng nodded heavily.
Shang Ruyi gave a bitter laugh, feeling her eyes burning. She lowered her head, enduring the indescribable pain and bitterness in her heart for a long time before slowly raising her head, her moist eyes looking at Shen Wuzheng, and whispered, "Brother, are you asking me if I really—killed the emperor?"
"..."
Shen Wuzheng paused for a moment, then shook his head: "I won't ask."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback: "Why?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "I know my little sister better than anyone else. Just now, when this matter was mentioned, I could see that you were sad, not afraid. So why would you do it?"
Shang Ruyi felt a warmth in her heart: "Brother..."
Shen Wuzheng lowered his head to her and said in a deep voice, "I just want to know why you got involved with the emperor."
At this point, Shen Wuzheng's gaze deepened as he stared intently at Shang Ruyi's flickering eyes. He said in a deep voice, "I know very well that you had no dealings with anyone in the palace before you got married. Why is it that after only a year or two of marriage into the Yuwen family, you became so close to the Emperor and the Empress? You even went to Jiangdu Palace, encountered those things, and got caught up in the 'regicide' predicament?"
"..."
"What exactly is the Emperor's feeling towards you—"
The more he asked, the more erratic Shang Ruyi's breathing became.
She bit her lower lip, knowing she couldn't hide it from him, and since the person in front of her was her brother, she shouldn't hide it from him either. So, she told Shen Wuzheng everything, from how Chu Yang stopped her on her way to her wedding and demanded good fortune, to how Wo Xue, who was hiding by her side, suddenly attacked and kidnapped her to Jiangdu.
Shen Wuzheng frowned as he listened.
After a long silence, he finally said, "Why would he suddenly stop you on your way to your wedding for no reason?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi lowered her head.
Just now, she had intentionally or unintentionally concealed the matter of Empress Jiang and Yuwen Ye, and naturally did not mention Princess Xinyue, so it seemed so strange and even abrupt that Chu Yang would suddenly appear on her wedding road—or even appear in her life.
After a long silence, he said with a wry smile, "Perhaps he's too lonely."
Shen Wuzheng frowned: "Lonely?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Perhaps in the eyes of the world, he is indeed a—"
At this point, she hesitated for a moment. Although she already knew in her heart how people would evaluate Chu Yang now and even in the future—that he could not avoid being called a "tyrant" or a "fool"—she could not bear to associate herself with such a title with that lonely man.
So she cut off that sentence and continued, "But to me, he seems more like a person who is so lonely he's about to go crazy."
"..."
"He desperately wanted to find someone who understood him, which is why he went to such lengths."
At this moment, she also thought of the time in Nuanwu when she saw that celestial-like man excitedly pouring out his great ambitions to her with red eyes. His vision was so far-reaching, his steps so firm. He was intelligent and proud, a child favored and pampered by heaven. Originally, he should have been a great emperor.
However, his gaze was only fixed on the distance, oblivious to the ants-like people struggling to survive beneath his feet; his steps were so firm, yet they shattered the nation and its people, and even more so, his own life.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
Seeing the undisguised sorrow in her eyes, Shen Wuzheng frowned even more deeply. After a long silence, he suddenly said, "Your feelings for him—"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Although he considers me a confidant, I know that with my limited knowledge, I am not qualified to be a true confidant."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Wuzheng immediately said, "You're not allowed to talk about yourself like that!"
Shang Ruyi stopped and looked up at him.
Shen Wuzheng stopped and turned to face her, gently tucking a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the night wind behind her ear, and said, "My little sister, you deserve the best scenery in the world."
Seeing how protective he was of her, forbidding her from even uttering a self-deprecating remark, Shang Ru couldn't help but smile. The feeling of being cared for warmed her heart. She continued walking, saying as she went, "Actually, I just—I just couldn't bear to see him so lonely."
"..."
Shen Wuzheng's face was somber, and he remained silent.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Even if he wanted a confidante, he shouldn't have let someone kidnap you and put you in such danger. You must understand, his departure from Luoyang, including his actions at Jiangdu Palace, meant not only abandoning his empire but also disregarding his own life. His life was one thing, but you were almost dragged down with him—"
At this point, a clear look of anger appeared on his usually calm face for the first time.
Even with the best self-cultivation and years of training, he couldn't remain calm and collected at this moment.
After all, the woman in front of him was Shang Ruyi, his little sister whom he had always cherished and was unwilling to let anyone hurt or even lay a finger on.
Even though Shang Ruyi had just concealed all the suffering and pain she had endured in her words, how could someone as perceptive as him not know that pain was inevitable on this journey, and that it might even be a matter of life and death!
The thought of what Shang Ruyi might have encountered at Jiangdu Palace made him unable to suppress his anger.
Seeing her brother like this, Shang Ruyi felt a pang of pain in her heart, torn apart by memories, but she immediately said, "Brother, everything is in the past. Being able to leave Jiangdu Palace safely and reunite with you is like the clouds parting and the moon shining through."
"..."
"Right now, it's more important to consider the bigger picture."
"..."
"If we can really take Wanggangzhai, it will be a good thing for us in the future."
She spoke so casually, and even smiled at Shen Wuzheng.
However, the more relaxed her smile was at this moment, the deeper the unconcealed pain in Shen Wuzheng's eyes became. Even Shang Ruyi could clearly feel that he seemed to have been suppressing some kind of emotion since the moment they met.
She asked softly, "Brother, what's wrong?"
Shen Wuzheng looked at her silently, and when he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse. He said, "Important matters are of course important to consider, but in my heart, your peace and happiness are just as important. What's the point of important matters going smoothly if you're not doing well?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi felt a strange unease.
She forced a smile and said, "Brother, I'm doing very well."
"Aren't you going to tell the truth?"
Shen Wuzheng looked at her, his eyes deep, and finally said, "If you were really doing well, why would you have miscarried!"
"...!"
At that moment, Shang Ruyi felt a jolt in her heart, as if she had been hit hard by something.
Her face turned pale instantly, and she blurted out, "How...how did you know?"
Shen Wuzheng looked at her, then looked down at her hands hanging by her sides, clenched into fists, her fingers white with effort, and said in a deep voice, "If my little sister could tell me herself, it would be better than me diagnosing it myself."
"..."
"At least, this means I'm someone you can rely on, little sister."
Shang Ruyi stiffened, immediately recalling their meeting at the pavilion earlier that day. When he took her hand, he held her wrist through his sleeve, and she had felt his fingers stiffen slightly then, but she had thought it was just unconscious. It turned out—
Shen Wuzheng said with a somber tone, "But clearly, I am not a good enough older brother to make my little sister completely rely on me."
"elder brother--"
Shang Ruyi felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart and whispered, "I didn't."
"..."
"I just don't want my brother to worry about me."
Shen Wuzheng said, "If you don't tell me and let me figure it out myself, it will only make me more worried."
He stepped forward, looked down into Shang Ruyi's somewhat broken eyes, and said softly, "Why is this happening? What exactly did you go through?"
Shang Ruyi turned her head to avoid her brother's gaze, but even if she avoided his gaze, she could not escape the pain that left her powerless. At this moment, she was already numb with pain.
What did she go through?
She couldn't help but recall that sunny afternoon at the Shen residence, when she first saw that spirited and incredibly handsome young man standing at her door, all the way to just now, and the angry look on his face.
Along the way, she experienced too many life-or-death situations, even war, killing, and narrowly escaping death. But in the end, she only experienced her own unrequited love and unrequited affection, which ultimately left her with a body full of wounds and no words to express her feelings.
After a long silence, she gave a bitter smile.
Seeing her bitter smile, Shen Wuzheng's eyes deepened. He said in a deep voice, "Ruyi, I didn't have time to come back when you got married before, so there were many things I didn't have time to say, but it's not too late to say them now."
"What?"
"No matter what the world does, your happiness is the most important thing."
"..."
"If you need to leave someone or any place, I will take you with me without hesitation!"
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