Chapter 583 Belief and Disbelief
In the midst of a jubilant atmosphere, Shang Ruyi was about to go up and say something to Su Qinglan when, before she got close, she felt a figure rush out of the crowd like a calf and crash into her arms.
"Ouch!"
She was knocked back several steps and barely managed to regain her balance. Looking down, she saw a round, bald head lift up from his chest and grin at her, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Sister Ruyi!"
"Good boy!?"
Shang Ruyi was both surprised and delighted. The person who rushed into her arms was none other than Shan Tong, whom she had not seen for a long time.
After returning to Daxing City from Fufeng, they had few opportunities to meet. In addition, with the plague spreading and Daxing City under lockdown, Yuwen Ye directly ordered the closure of the military camps to prevent the army from contracting the disease. The two sides had not had any contact for more than half a month.
I never expected him to show up today.
Although somewhat surprised, seeing the child still filled Shang Ruyi with joy. She reached out and touched Shan Tong'er's cheeks, which had lost a lot of weight. Fortunately, they still felt plump and soft. Then she smiled and asked, "Why are you here?"
Shan Tong'er blinked and looked at her: "Sister Ruyi, don't you miss me?"
"certainly."
"I missed you so much, so I came all the way here to see you."
"Really?"
Just as Shang Ruyi was feeling sweet inside from these words, a somewhat cold voice came from ahead, saying, "You'd better make yourself clear. If you only came to the city because you miss the young mistress, then I won't take you to a restaurant for dinner."
That familiar voice is—
When Shang Ruyi looked up, she was met with an excessively thin face that always looked tired, even with a hint of illness in its weariness. Who else could it be but Nie Chong? He was dressed in a blue cloth robe, his hands and feet neatly bound, and he was dressed smartly. However, the bluish-gray under his eyes looked a few shades darker than before.
He looked more haggard.
Although there was no epidemic spreading in the army and he was not sick, he looked even weaker than those who had contracted the plague. If Shang Ruyi hadn't been so familiar with his appearance, she would have definitely dragged the medical officers in front of her to take his pulse.
Shang Ruyi immediately smiled and said, "Nie Chong, you've come too."
Nie Chong bowed to her and said, "Young Madam, this child said that he hasn't had enough to eat while being locked up in the military camp these past few days. Today, when he heard that Daxing City was going to open its gates, he insisted that I take him with me—"
"Oh dear, Brother Nie!"
Shan Tong'er hurriedly interrupted him, her eyes red with anxiety, and said, "I want to eat meat, but I also miss Sister Ruyi! Who said that eating meat means I can't think of her?"
After saying that, he turned to Shang Ruyi and said earnestly, "I miss you too, Sister Ruyi, you have to believe me."
Nie Chong simply shook his head.
Shang Ruyi laughed at his antics and guessed that the boy had been confined in the military camp these days. Although the food in the army was not bad, he probably couldn't get fresh fruits and vegetables and must be craving them. So when he heard that Daxing City was going to open its gates today, he couldn't wait to ask Nie Chong to take him into the city for a big meal. But she didn't point it out and just smiled and said, "Of course I believe you."
Shan Tong'er squinted her eyes happily, thought for a moment, and then asked, "By the way, Sister Ruyi, we haven't been to the city these days, but we've heard people around us say that it seems like the weather is going to change or something? Some people also say that you're going to do something big, what exactly is it—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shang Ruyi's expression changed, and she reached out and touched his lips.
Shan Tong'er immediately shut his mouth.
Meeting his wide-eyed gaze, Shang Ruyi glanced around. Fortunately, the people around her were only focused on the patients leaving Chang Le Fang and not many people noticed them. She then whispered, "These are things you shouldn't say carelessly."
When the girl touched her lips, Shan Tong'er could only mumble, "I, I didn't..."
Shang Ruyi said, "These kinds of things shouldn't be spread around in the army."
Seeing her solemn expression, Shan Tong'er seemed to sense something, and she kept her mouth shut even tighter, nodding earnestly.
Shang Ruyi then looked up at Nie Chong. Shan Tong'er was young, so some people might not avoid talking to him and could hear his "nonsense." But Nie Chong, with his super hearing, couldn't avoid people even if they wanted to, and he probably heard even more.
So he said, "You—"
Nie Chong seemed to understand her meaning immediately and said in a low voice, "Young Madam, please rest assured. These words were only mentioned a few days ago when some people were spreading the news of the appearance of a comet. Later, the army explicitly forbade it, especially Brother Shen, who repeatedly emphasized this, so no one said it anymore."
Shen Tu Tai, who had served in the army before, understood these principles better than the Wang Gangzhai troops and the surrendered soldiers from Longxi when he rejoined Yuwen Ye's command.
Shang Ruyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But she was still worried, so she said to Shan Tong'er, "You are still young, so even if you hear something, don't say it carelessly, or you'll easily get into trouble. Today—it's already late, so I won't say much more. Since you've come to the city to eat meat, hurry up and go, or it will be too late to leave the city."
The kind boy said, "I understand."
Shang Ruyi raised his head again, about to ask Nie Chong to take him there, but saw Nie Chong turn his head slightly to the side, his eyes flickering, as if he was staring at the crowd on Zhuque Street in a daze.
However, to be precise, he was probably listening to something.
However, with the city gates open, many people were coming and going today, and hundreds or even thousands of people were gathered at the entrance of Chang Le Fang, cheering and jumping for joy. In such a noisy crowd, even someone with his keen hearing probably couldn't hear anything clearly.
Sure enough, after listening for a while, Nie Chong frowned slightly again.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Nie Chong, what are you listening to?"
Nie Chong snapped out of his daze and immediately turned to look at Shang Ruyi. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, but he only lowered his head and said, "No, it's nothing."
After saying that, he murmured, "Perhaps I misheard..."
Shang Ruyi wanted to ask more, but it was already getting late. If they delayed any longer, not only would it be impossible for the two of them to go to dinner, but Yuwen Ye was also waiting for her to go to Dayan Temple together, and it might be impossible for them to go today. So she just smiled and said, "Then, you two should go quickly. After the plague is completely eradicated today, many people in the city will be going out to restaurants to celebrate. If you go too late, there might not even be any tables left."
"yes."
Nie Chong agreed and was about to leave with Shan Tong'er, but just as they were about to go, Shang Ruyi called them back, took out a money pouch from her bosom, took out a silver ingot and handed it to Nie Chong: "Take this."
Nie Chong quickly said, "Young Madam, no need, we have our own pay."
Shang Ruyi smiled and stuffed the silver into his hand, saying, "Take it. It's a rare trip to the city, so have something good to eat. Also, don't just leave it to him—you two eat it, and when you're done, take some back for Shen Tu Tai and the others."
"..."
"Only when we share the good times will we have someone to share the bad times."
Although she is still uncertain about some things, judging from the ominous premonition about the Taiyuan incident, the battle of Taiyuan is probably unavoidable. If the war falls on their heads, this group of people will also have to go out of Tongguan to fight a bloody battle.
Nie Chong glanced at Shang Ruyi, seemingly understanding what was going on, and stopped refusing, putting away the silver and saying, "Thank you, young mistress."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Go quickly."
So the two of them turned and left. Even after they had gone far away, they could still see Shan Tong'er turning back to wave at her, before hopping and skipping away like a carefree little donkey.
Shang Ruyi smiled and shook her head. When she turned around, she saw that Su Qinglan had already seen her and was slowly walking forward.
"Young Madam."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Lord Su."
Su Qinglan looked at Shang Ruyi with her gentle, spring-like eyes. After a moment of silence, she said, "This time, I must thank the Second Young Master and the Young Madam. Otherwise, I don't know what would have become of the people in Chang Le Fang."
Shang Ruyi smiled calmly and said, "It is thanks to you physicians, especially you, Lord Su. If it weren't for your insistence on treating those seriously ill elderly people, they probably wouldn't have had the chance to leave Chang Le Fang today. So, it is Feng Chen and I who should thank you."
Su Qinglan gently shook her head.
The tenderness in her eyes, like spring water, rippled slightly, as if her heart was surging. When she looked at Shang Ruyi again, her eyes held an indescribable sadness, and she said softly, "These past two days, I... I've been thinking about what has happened these past few days..."
"..."
“I think the Second Young Master and the Young Madam were originally unable to save so many people because you didn’t have enough medicine.”
"..."
“In this situation, if you abandon some people, you might be able to eradicate the plague in Chang Le Fang sooner.”
"..."
"But you don't."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and when she spoke again, her voice trembled and choked with emotion, saying, "You, you, didn't."
"..."
Looking at her, Shang Ruyi suddenly understood.
The "you" she referred to seemed to mean not only herself and Yuwen Ye.
There should also be Pei Xingyuan, who was chosen by Shen Wuzheng from the start to do that shameless thing because he was "shameless," and was misunderstood, despised, and even cursed by everyone for several days; although after a few days the misunderstanding was cleared up, everyone understood his predicament, and his reputation was cleared, but—
Those few days that passed were the same as those few days that were late.
Now, it seems it really is too late. Shang Ruyi had a thousand words to say to her, but at this moment, she couldn't utter a single word.
After a long silence, she smiled and said softly, "Then—is there anything you want to say to me, or to us?"
"..."
Su Qinglan looked up at her and remained silent for a long time.
Then he said, "Please, young mistress, on my behalf and on behalf of everyone here, thank Young Master Pei. Thank him."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and smiled, "I will."
Upon hearing her words, Su Qinglan lowered her head and said nothing more. She simply bowed to Shang Ruyi and then turned to leave.
Her slender back view bore a striking resemblance to Pei Xingyuan's seemingly carefree yet somewhat lonely departure from Chang Le Fang. Looking at this figure, Shang Ruyi could only sigh deeply.
Outside Chang Le Fang, facing that bright, arrogant face, the smile in Yuwen Ye's eyes vanished completely, leaving only a cold stern expression as he asked, "What do you want to say to me?"
Yu Mingyue smiled at him and said, "Does the Second Young Master know that I came to see you?"
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Your carriage has followed us all the way; moreover, if you are looking for my wife, you don't need to do it today, nor do you need to be in front of me. You should have other opportunities to meet and say things that you won't let outsiders know."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue's eyes flickered suddenly.
After a long silence, she laughed again and said, "Second Young Master is indeed perceptive."
"..."
"It seems that the Second Young Master has also realized that there is some relationship between me and the Young Madam."
"..."
"Then, Second Young Master, do you know what exactly is the relationship between us?"
Yuwen Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.
But his face remained expressionless, cold and indifferent as always: "Yu Mingyue, putting aside the poem by 'Guanghan Guest,' just consider the stone you had someone throw away in that valley back then. Between you and me, we have long been irreconcilable enemies."
"..."
"So if you want to sow discord, you can be more direct and say it out loud: whether you believe it or not is up to me."
Yu Mingyue's face stiffened for a moment, then she immediately smiled and said, "Second Young Master is indeed extraordinary."
"..."
"However, the reason why I am at odds with the Second Young Master is not because of that poem or that boulder, but because of the plague in Fufeng and the medicine I bought up."
Yuwen Ye's face darkened, his cold eyes fixed on her like knives.
Although Yu Mingyue was resolute and knew what she should do and what she needed to do, she still couldn't help but feel fear when faced with such a gaze, and her eyes instinctively looked away.
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly: "So—"
"so,"
Yu Mingyue took another deep breath, and when she looked up at him again, although her smile was a little stiff, she still managed to say every word she needed to: "Second Young Master, and those people behind you should have already guessed that I have the ability to 'predict the future'."
Yuwen Ye looked at her: "So what?"
Yu Mingyue finally found a moment to breathe. She took a deep breath, and a mysterious smile reappeared on her face. She said, "So, Second Young Master, don't you understand what the relationship between me and the Young Madam is?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye's breath hitched.
Before he could react, Yu Mingyue laughed and said, "Young Madam, you've 'snatched' a lot of information from me."
Yuwen Ye frowned, a look of shock finally appearing on his face: "What did you say?"
Yu Mingyue smiled and said, "Second Young Master, don't you believe me?"
"..."
“If the young mistress hadn’t received those messages from me, why would she have gone against her father’s last wishes and the wishes of all her elders to change her ways—”
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