Chapter 727 Everyone Has Their Own Fate
Shen Wuzheng paused for a moment, then said, "I can take her back."
Shang Ruyi immediately showed a delighted expression, but after thinking for a moment, she worried about whether Shen Shiyan could accept it, so she said, "Should I send someone to talk to my uncle and aunt?"
Shen Wuzheng shook his head and said, "I can still make that decision."
After saying that, he turned around, and Green Silk, with her swaying waist and alluring figure, walked up to him and looked at him with a smile. Shen Wuzheng said, "These days, I'm afraid Miss Green Silk will have to suffer."
"I'm not wronged,"
Green Silk smiled and said, "I'm afraid this will tarnish Young Master Chen's reputation."
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her silently, without saying anything more.
Seeing that Shen Tu Tai had left with Shan Tong'er and the others, and that the Ministry of War's troops had also been led away, the hustle and bustle in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate receded like the tide. Yuwen Ye then specially arranged a carriage to take Shen Wuzheng and Lüxiao back to the Shen residence. After settling everything, he prepared to take Shang Ruyi to the palace.
Just as they were about to turn around and enter the palace gate, they noticed that Yuwen Qian, who was walking to the side, had stopped.
The two of them turned around instinctively.
Eunuch Yu walked up to Yu Mingyue, bowed to her, and said respectfully, "Lord Yu, you are among those invited to the celebration banquet at Baifu Palace tonight. His Majesty has instructed that you rest well after returning home, and that someone from the palace will come to your residence to fetch you to the palace at dusk."
"oh!"
Yu Mingyue's eyes lit up immediately.
She immediately looked up at Yuwen Qian, her eyes filled with joy. Yuwen Qian looked at her, his expression complicated for a moment, but after a brief silence, he nodded gently to her.
Yu Mingyue immediately said to Eunuch Yu, "Thank you, sir. I will attend the banquet on time."
Only then did Eunuch Yu smile and turn to leave.
At this moment, the carriage from the Yu family arrived, and Yu Mingyue boarded it and sped away. Watching the carriage gradually disappear at the end of Zhuque Street, Yuwen Qian remained silent for a long time. Finally, as if he had sighed softly, he turned around and continued walking into the palace.
Yuwen Ye, along with Shang Ruyi and the rest of the group, continued on their way.
As they walked, Yuwen Ye said, "It seems that good things are about to happen, elder brother."
Yuwen Qian walked forward silently for a while, as if he had finally come to his senses. He turned his head to look at Yuwen Ye, and then at Shang Ruyi beside him. His eyes were so complicated that it seemed as if a thousand thoughts were tangled within them.
After a long while, he spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse, and said in a low voice, "You have all the blessings and wisdom in the world, and you and your lover can become immortals."
"..."
"Second brother, what you have gained is no less than what I have gained today."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly glancing at Shang Ruyi beside him, but she seemed lost in thought and didn't notice. So he said, "Brother, I've heard that Buddhism speaks of karma."
Yuwen Qian seemed somewhat surprised, staring at him with wide eyes.
Yuwen Ye said, "Everyone has their own destiny. What you have gained may be something that others can only dream of. Why compare yourself to others?"
"..."
Yuwen Qian probably didn't expect that his brother, who was invincible on the battlefield, would be so quick-witted when it came to words. However, he didn't seem to have the mind to say anything more, and only forced a smile before turning around and continuing to walk forward.
Although Chengqian Hall and Qianqiu Hall are located in the same place, the two groups of people unanimously took two different paths.
Shang Ruyi followed silently beside Yuwen Ye without saying a word until they passed through Suzhang Gate. When the surroundings were quiet and Wo Xue was walking behind with several palace maids carrying luggage, she turned her head and gave Yuwen Ye a deep look.
Yuwen Ye didn't even look at her, only saying, "Why are you looking at me again?"
"Um?"
"You've looked at me several times along the way."
"..."
"What, don't you recognize me?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "I really don't recognize you anymore. If I hadn't been following you all this way, I would have thought that you had been possessed by someone else."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye immediately turned and glared at her: "You have no tact!"
Shang Ruyi pursed her lips and looked around. Fortunately, there was no one around, and Wo Xue and the others hadn't heard the conversation. So she shrank her neck and laughed.
She and Yuwen Ye had already made things clear, and because she had been outside the palace for a while, she had become somewhat presumptuous; but she still had to be careful about such things, after all, the royal family had its own dignity, if word got out that the Princess Qin had been "resurrected" or something like that, it would easily tarnish her reputation and could even bring disaster upon her.
Yuwen Ye said, "Be careful from now on!"
"Okay."
The two took two more steps forward, and Yuwen Ye turned to look at her again, asking, "You just said—you don't recognize me anymore, what do you mean?"
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Don't you not believe in gods and Buddhas?"
"Um."
"Then how do you know about Buddhist teachings, such as everyone having their own destiny?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I overheard Shan Tong'er say a few words on the road a few days ago, and I remembered them."
"oh?"
Shang Ruyi widened her eyes slightly—although Shan Tong'er may have been a monk for many years, he was clearly not a highly accomplished monk. Even now, his mind was only on eating and helping those close to him. However, even if he did not understand some simple Buddhist principles, he had heard them so many times that he could naturally say some of them.
For example, the law of cause and effect.
But why would Yuwen Ye consciously remember this?
Seeing the deeper confusion in Shang Ruyi's eyes, Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "I just think that life is both helpless and interesting."
"How so?"
“I don’t believe in gods or Buddhas, but my wife, you have had such an experience; I once thought that the most perfect woman in my heart was Empress Dowager Jiang, but now, it’s you I can’t live without…”
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
When she looked up at Yuwen Ye again, he seemed to realize that he had spoken too bluntly, and he coughed lightly, covering his mouth with an unnatural expression. Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "And then?"
Seeing her smug look, Yuwen Ye became a little angry and said, "What are you so happy about? What I mean is, you can be quite annoying sometimes."
"Mmm. And then?"
"..."
Seeing her increasingly smug look, Yuwen Ye glared at her again, but after glaring, he couldn't help but laugh. After a while, he said, "I was in Taiyuan before, and I overheard Yu Mingyue cursing someone, calling them a diode."
"Second, a diode?"
This unfamiliar term greatly surprised Shang Ruyi: "What is it?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Who knows? But judging from her tone, it seems she's referring to someone who doesn't know how to be flexible."
Shang Ruyi frowned and said, "Isn't it just 'stubbornness'? Why are you talking about diodes?"
Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "Yes, that's just being stubborn. Once you've set your mind on a idea, you don't care about anything else and you're obsessed with it until you die. You could say it's about staying true to your original intention, but if that obsession is wrong, then it's wrong until you die, and it's a ridiculously wrong one at that."
"..."
"Later, I realized that in one's life, it's impossible to follow only one path to the end."
"..."
"Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, seemingly wanting to poke Shang Ruyi's forehead, but he hesitated because there were people behind him. He still snorted and said, "You, if you don't know how to be flexible, don't assume that everyone else does."
Shang Ruyi pouted: "Who said I don't understand?"
The two walked along, talking as they went, passing the Hundred Blessings Palace, where a banquet was to be prepared for that evening. Sure enough, they saw many palace servants bustling about, cleaning the entire hall until it was spotless, and lanterns hanging everywhere inside and out, promising a brightly lit spectacle that night. Shang Ruyi understood without a doubt why Yuwen Yuan had specifically instructed Eunuch Yu to speak to Yu Mingyue and to send a carriage from the palace to fetch her.
However, this was something they had known for a long time and did not affect the confrontation between the two sides.
So, without even stopping to look around, the two of them turned right along the path and gradually approached the Hundred Blessings Gate. Shang Ruyi then asked, "So, do you believe in gods and Buddhas now?"
Yuwen Ye gazed ahead and said calmly, "I still only trust myself."
"..."
"But I will listen to the reasoning of those who believe in gods and Buddhas."
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is even more effective than believing in gods and Buddhas."
Yuwen Ye smiled and glanced at her. Just as the two of them smiled at each other and passed through the tall Hundred Blessings Gate, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a faint fragrance on the wind blowing in their faces, and a look of joy mixed with a little resentment came toward them.
As if she understood something, she looked up and saw a familiar, slender figure standing at the entrance of Jinyuyuan, eagerly waiting.
Seeing them felt like all the longing and anticipation of these past few days had finally been answered.
A joyful smile immediately appeared on her pretty face.
Yes, Chu Ruoyan.
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched involuntarily. She suddenly realized that on her way back, she had only prepared to deal with the emperor's reprimands, the officials' disloyalty, and the situation in Chang'an and the changes in the court. She had not thought at all to prepare to deal with Chu Ruoyan.
And Chu Ruoyan appeared so impatiently and unexpectedly.
At this moment, she stood at the entrance of Jinyu Garden. She was already a slender and graceful beauty, but her figure had become much thinner than before they left, and even her chin had become pointed. No one knew how long she had been waiting and hoping there these days. When she suddenly saw Yuwen Ye appear, all the resentment in her eyes disappeared, and the tears that welled up were filled with joy, brimming in her eyes as she looked at him happily.
Yuwen Ye's steps seemed to falter.
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