Chapter 182 She had her pulse points firmly under control
In this situation, the only answer is "yes," regardless of whether you are willing or not.
However, Shang Ruyi's mind was suddenly in chaos, and she was not quite sure what kind of mess she was in.
I thought she would blame me for what happened between the emperor and me, but she didn't; Princess Xinyue, her beloved daughter, couldn't be with Yuwen Ye because of me, but she didn't show any hostility... These things are enough to make people puzzled.
Now, Empress Jiang is even taking the initiative to curry favor with the Duke, expressing her willingness to get closer to him?
Empress Jiang...why did you do this?
Just as Shang Ruyi was completely confused, Yuwen Ye behind her suddenly asked, "Father, when did this happen?"
Yuwen Yuan glanced at him, his expression showing impatience, but still coldly replied, "While His Majesty keeps you here to speak, I will leave Ganyang Palace first. Outside the palace, the Empress's eunuch will come to deliver a message."
After saying that, he turned to Shang Ruyi and asked, "Are you willing?"
After thinking for a long time, Shang Ruyi cautiously said, "Since it is Her Majesty the Empress's order, Ruyi is willing. However, it also depends on Father's opinion."
Yuwen Yuan looked at her for a while, thought for a moment, and said, "Since Your Majesty has spoken, then you may go."
"yes."
"However, once you enter the palace, you must not speak recklessly and must be cautious in everything you do."
"Ruyi understands."
Yuwen Yuan then waved for them to leave, and the two left the study and closed the door.
By this time, it was already dark outside. The lanterns under the eaves were lit, but the light was not strong. Shang Ruyi turned around and saw that Yuwen Ye's tall figure appeared even taller and stronger in the light, as if he had cast a deeper shadow, enveloping her.
Because of the backlighting, she couldn't see the expression on his face.
She could only sense a dark, unfathomable light flickering in his cold, stern eyes as he stared intently at her: "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"say what?"
"Speak, about you and the Empress—"
"Me and the Empress? We're nothing to each other."
Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised. Why did he ask about this? The Empress had only met her once and hadn't said much. So she said softly, "Back then, you only asked about... His Majesty's affairs."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye seemed to choke.
After a long pause, he gave a stiff "hmm" and turned to walk away. Shang Ruyi felt that he seemed a little angry, but not at her; it was as if he was angry at himself. She didn't understand why, but she quickly followed him anyway.
A short while later, the two returned to their room.
As night fell, Wo Xue and the others lit the candlesticks in the room. The orange candlelight cast a warm, hazy glow over the entire room, instantly soothing even the most agitated emotions. Yuwen Ye's cold demeanor also gradually softened at this moment.
He walked to the low table and sat down.
Shang Ruyi walked over and asked softly, "Would you like something else to eat?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head: "No need."
Shang Ruyi didn't really have much of an appetite, so she waved for Wo Xue to leave, then walked over and sat down opposite him, asking softly, "When I went over just now, I thought I heard Father saying—what is it that you two can't agree on?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her.
Shang Ruyi continued, "Yes, is it about mobilizing troops?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye paused for a moment, then said, "You, don't keep asking about those fighting and killing things."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback.
The next moment, she realized that ordinary women, especially married women, should indeed do some housework every day, such as knitting and spinning. Fighting and killing seem to be men's business. Even if he has a friend like Lei Yu, it doesn't mean that he wants the women around him to be like that.
Just like—Princess New Moon.
Yuwen Ye probably preferred women who were sweet and charming like that.
Therefore, he probably didn't really enjoy his constant concern for the frontline battles, or even his personal engagement with the Turkic soldiers at Yanmen City.
...
However, I don't necessarily have to act the way he likes.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi said softly, "I'm just worried about you. This battle won't be easy. If you don't have enough troops, it will be troublesome."
"..."
Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while, his gaze conflicted and complicated. After a long while, he slowly said, "Father plans to give me 10,000 soldiers."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up: "This, is that enough...?"
The imperial court only gave him 20,000 men, but Yuwen Yuan gave him 10,000. Although he might not have an absolute advantage in numbers, Yuwen Yuan's troops were brave and skilled in battle, and 10,000 men were equivalent to 30,000. As for Wang Gang's army, although it had a large number of men, they were recruited from various refugees and bandits, and they did not have specialized training. Their combat strength was definitely not comparable to that of the Duke's troops.
However, she was still a novice and dared not speak definitively, so she could only look at Yuwen Ye with an inquiring gaze.
Thirty thousand soldiers, isn't that enough?
Yuwen Ye glanced at her, seemingly finding her appearance somewhat amusing. He couldn't help but purse his lips, but his face remained serious. After a long silence, he finally said, "I don't want it."
"What? Why don't you want it?"
"I thought about it again, and the imperial court's 20,000 troops are enough."
"...!?"
Shang Ruyi was dumbfounded.
She quickly moved closer to him, grabbed his arm, and squeezed it tightly, saying, "How can you do this? Second brother, don't be foolish."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye's heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't because of the words she uttered that were enough to enrage her, but rather—the slender, slightly cool fingers gripping her wrist.
Although she wasn't very strong, for some reason, Yuwen Ye felt as if she had gripped his pulse points.
For a moment, breathing became difficult.
Shang Ruyi continued earnestly, "Didn't you just say that you still needed to mobilize some troops? Why did you refuse the money Father gave it to you? Second brother, you can't act impulsively at a time like this. You have to think about your future."
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly: "In your eyes, am I just such an incomprehensible person?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and realized that she had just spoken without thinking.
He hurriedly replied, "No."
"That,"
At this point, Yuwen Ye's voice inexplicably lowered, and his eyes flickered as he stared at her: "What kind of person am I?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi was at a loss for words.
Only then did she realize that she was still tightly gripping his wrist with one hand. Although they weren't physically touching, her actions were rather excessive.
She hurriedly pulled her hand back.
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye's gaze became even more focused than before, staring intently at her: "Speak."
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