Chapter 1234 Releasing the Tiger Back to the Mountain
When the name of the Prince of Qi was mentioned, Yuwen Ye's gaze deepened.
"Yan Jie..."
Shang Ruyi said, "From his performance in the Battle of Luoyang, you should be able to see that his opposition to you has nothing to do with the Crown Prince or even Han Yuhui. In this world, some people are born loyal and righteous, while others are born rebellious."
"..."
Unfortunately, the King of Qi was the latter.
Yuwen Ye moved slightly, but did not get up or leave Shang Ruyi.
Shang Ruyi knew that it was his words that made him uncomfortable. After all, Yuwen Cheng was his brother, and his own brother from the same mother. To say that Yuwen Cheng was born rebellious was like saying that the official's wife gave birth to a bad seed.
Although these words are harsh, they are also an indisputable fact.
In fact, Yuwen Ye realized this even earlier than Shang Ruyi, so he carefully taught Yuwen Cheng when he was young—but because he often accompanied Yuwen Yuan on expeditions, such opportunities were few; when he saw his true nature after he grew older, he used many ruthless methods, such as the time when he almost killed him outside Tinghe Tower, all in an attempt to turn his younger brother back from the wrong path.
Now it seems all that effort and thought was wasted.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Do you think Yan Jie will be an obstacle to this matter?"
Shang Ruyi gently shook her head: "He will always be a knife pressed against your heart."
"..."
"With him around, even if we go to Luoyang, there will be no peace."
Yuwen Ye slowly frowned, his already deep eyes turning dark and lifeless at that moment.
The next day was overcast. Thick, dark clouds hung over Chang'an like a giant black hand. There was not a breath of wind in the city, and the green leaves on the treetops seemed to have frozen, presenting a lifeless silence that made people feel inexplicably suffocated.
Meanwhile, the two people sitting in the main hall of the Crown Prince's residence also had gloomy expressions.
A maidservant cautiously entered to serve tea to the guest: "Your Highness, please have some tea."
Yuwen Cheng waved his hand impatiently. The maid glanced back at the Crown Princess sitting opposite him. Yu Mingyue's face showed a suppressed anger, and she also waved her hand. The maid retreated as if she had been granted a pardon.
Yuwen Cheng didn't drink the tea, but simply asked, "Sister-in-law, where is my brother?"
Yu Mingyue said, "He's in his place—he'll be out in a bit."
Yuwen Cheng frowned impatiently before picking up the teacup and taking a sip. The taste was bland, something he wasn't used to, so he listlessly put the cup back. Speaking of his elder brother and sister-in-law, even from his perspective, which wasn't particularly interested in romance, they were almost completely mismatched except for their family backgrounds. After all, his brother had devoted the first half of his life to Buddhism, even practicing it himself. He simply couldn't understand how his brother could bring back such a woman and marry her.
If at the beginning, this eldest daughter of the Yu family had some actions that earned her favor, now it seems that apart from her background, she is almost just an ordinary person.
The only thing that made Yuwen Cheng feel the two were a good match was their taste in tea.
However, this does not mean that the two share the same interests. It's just that Yuwen Qian prefers plain tea, while Yu Mingyue doesn't like tea with other ingredients added.
The tea wasn't to his liking, and he had nothing to say to Yu Mingyue. Just as Yuwen Cheng was getting impatient, footsteps finally came from outside the hall. Yuwen Cheng immediately looked up and saw Yuwen Qian's handsome and elegant figure slowly walking in.
At home, he no longer needed to dress formally, only in a white robe. Although it was more luxurious than when he was a wandering monk, it also restored some of his former tranquility and peace.
Moreover, as soon as he entered the lobby, a faint fragrance wafted out from his sleeves.
Yuwen Cheng gave a light hum, then stood up and bowed to him.
Yuwen Qian raised his hand to indicate that there was no need for formalities, then sat down in his seat. After only glancing at the two men's solemn and slightly anxious expressions, he asked, "Third brother, is there something you need?"
"What's up?"
Yuwen Cheng was somewhat annoyed, and his voice couldn't help but be a little sharp as soon as he opened his mouth: "The things outside are about to be exposed, and you, my royal brother, are still leisurely chanting your Amitabha Buddha?"
Yuwen Qian lowered his eyes and did not respond to his words. Instead, he waited for the maid to come in again and serve him tea. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then said slowly, "I did not chant Buddhist scriptures."
Yuwen Cheng frowned: "You weren't chanting Buddhist prayers? Then what's with the sandalwood scent all over you?"
Yuwen Qian said, "I did not chant Buddhist scriptures."
Yu Mingyue, who was standing to the side, hadn't said a word, but when she heard him repeat twice that he hadn't been chanting Buddhist prayers, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Yuwen Cheng frowned, but did not dwell on the matter any further. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, I don't care whether you've been chanting Buddhist scriptures or not. Father Emperor wants to send Second Brother to the Eastern Capital and give him Luoyang and several surrounding cities. You didn't know that, did you?"
Yuwen Qian's long eyelashes trembled slightly.
The steam rising from the teacup seemed to veil his eyes with a thin layer of mist, obscuring his inner thoughts. He slowly placed the teacup back on the table, thought for a moment, and then said, "That's fine too."
"That's fine?"
"Yes, that's fine too."
Yuwen Qian said, "Luoyang was originally conquered by him—you all fought together. And Father Emperor appointed him as the Grand Chancellor of Shaanxi East Circuit. With his arrangements there, we can hardly interfere with the affairs of Luoyang. If he really goes there, it will just be giving back what already belongs to him. And he will no longer interfere with the affairs of Chang'an."
As he spoke, he looked up at Yuwen Cheng and Yu Mingyue: "This is a peaceful arrangement for us as well."
Yu Mingyue frowned and remained silent, but Yuwen Cheng couldn't hold back any longer. He suddenly jumped up from his seat, paced back and forth in the hall a few times with his hands behind his back, and then walked up to Yuwen Qian, looking down at him: "Brother, have you gotten confused from chanting scriptures?"
Yu Mingyue immediately said, "Your Highness Prince Qi!"
Yuwen Cheng didn't turn to look at her, but stared intently at Yuwen Qian's translucent, seemingly calm eyes, and said in a deep voice, "You think Father Emperor just sent him to Luoyang alone? No, Father Emperor sent him with everyone from the Qin Prince's Mansion, and even more so, he could choose ministers from the court, as well as other soldiers, to go with him! Sending him to Luoyang like this is nothing short of letting a tiger return to the mountains!"
"..."
"Do you think a small place like Luoyang can satisfy him?"
"..."
"Do you think that after he has built up his power base in Luoyang, he won't want to set foot in Guanzhong again?"
"..."
"Do you really think he can tolerate you ascending to the throne?"
This last sentence was practically tearing apart the Crown Prince and the dignity of the imperial power. Even the usually composed Yuwen Qian couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly. He looked up to meet his third brother's eyes, but instead of looking directly into them, he looked at Yuwen Cheng's missing eyebrow—a not-so-deep scar that gave his eyebrow a sharp, knife-like notch, making his entire face appear sharp and menacing. When he glared at someone, his eyes even looked ferocious and terrifying.
Yuwen Qian calmly said, "Whether he can tolerate it or not is not up to him. All of this was arranged by Father."
Yuwen Cheng sneered: "How many of Father's arrangements have he already trampled and crushed? Do you really believe that Father's arrangements can suppress him? If that were the case, how dare he set fire to the Luoyang Treasury right under my nose? And how dare he cause such a big incident after Father explicitly ordered Shen Tu Tai and Pei Xingyuan to go to Luoyang?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Qian's eyelashes trembled slightly again.
He looked up again to meet Yuwen Cheng's sharp gaze and said, "The melee between the Thousand Bull Guards and the Valiant Guards only happened yesterday. We only learned about this last night. How did you know that Father Emperor wanted to send Feng Chen to Luoyang?"
"...!"
Upon hearing his question, Yuwen Cheng's eyes flickered, and he turned his head away to avoid his gaze.
Yu Mingyue, standing to the side, also glanced at Yuwen Cheng with a hint of doubt and confusion—even they didn't know this news, yet Yuwen Cheng already knew; his information network was indeed impressive.
But now is not the time to worry about that.
Yu Mingyue also stood up and walked to Yuwen Qian, saying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the most important thing now is how to deal with the matter of the Prince of Qin going to Luoyang."
Yuwen Qian glanced at her indifferently, then lowered his head: "What do you want?"
Yuwen Cheng said, "It's not about what we want, but as the Crown Prince, you have to plan for your future!"
"Third brother,"
Yu Mingyue pressed down his restless hand, then turned to look at Yuwen Qian and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, what the Prince of Qi said is not without reason. If the Prince of Qin really goes to Luoyang, that is the most prosperous and wealthy place in the world. How much effort did Chu Yang put into building that place? If he really becomes king there, will you still be able to sit securely in Guanzhong in the future?"
Yuwen Qian said, "So you mean—"
Yu Mingyue's eyes darkened: "We can't let him leave Chang'an!"
Yuwen Qian thought for a while and said, "This matter was decided by Father. He wanted to separate my second brother from us to avoid a terrible outcome from fighting. So it is almost impossible to ask Father to retract his order."
Yuwen Cheng said coldly, "Who said we were going to start with Father Emperor?"
Yuwen Qian frowned slightly and looked at him: "Could it be that you still intend to harm Feng Chen?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue turned to look at Yuwen Cheng, a gleam of joy in her eyes—she had always believed that targeting Yuwen Ye was the most direct approach; after all, once he was gone, all threats would be eliminated. However, Yuwen Qian had consistently refused to heed her plan, causing Fufeng, Taiyuan, and Luoyang to miss too many such opportunities.
If Yuwen Cheng were willing to do that now, that would be wonderful!
Yuwen Cheng gave a cold smile: "I have my own plans, and I hope that my elder brother and sister-in-law will follow my instructions."
Yu Mingyue was about to respond, but then stopped and glanced at Yuwen Qian. Yuwen Qian silently looked at his third brother, and after a while, he sighed softly, a faint smile flashing in his eyes: "Alright."
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