Chapter 326 Slaughtering the entire city of Songzhou!
The shopkeeper, who was standing nearby, was still somewhat bewildered. Hearing the noise outside subside, he also felt something was off. He walked over to the door, lifted the curtain, and looked outside. He was immediately startled and gasped, "Oh dear!"
Everyone hurriedly asked him what was wrong. The shopkeeper's face turned pale, and he turned around and said, "Why are there so many soldiers outside?"
In an instant, Yuwen Ye's gaze sharpened.
He thought for a moment, then gently placed Shang Ruyi in the chair, as if he were putting down a precious treasure. After putting her down, he even carefully tucked the slightly loose corner of her clothes back under her.
Then, looking into Shang Ruyi's eyes, he calmly said, "Rest for a while."
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, but simply lowered her eyelids slightly.
Yuwen Ye stood up and told Tushe'er to come and stand guard by Shang Ruyi's side. He then said to Mu Xian and the other two attendants who were standing beside him, "Stay here and don't go anywhere. No matter what happens outside, you are not allowed to leave her side."
Both attendants immediately agreed, but Mu Xian said with some worry, "Young Master—"
Yuwen Ye gave him a cold look.
Mu Xian immediately dared not say anything more, and could only shut his mouth and retreat to Shang Ruyi's side.
Yuwen Ye then slowly walked over, said a few words to the shopkeeper, and then reached out and slowly lifted the curtain.
Although she had remained silent, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but look up. She saw that the lobby outside the clinic, which had been full of people getting their prescriptions and medicines, was now empty. Outside the main gate, a large group of soldiers, all in full armor and armed with swords, had surrounded the small clinic.
Her heart skipped a beat.
But immediately, Yuwen Ye walked over and pulled the curtain down, covering himself completely.
He slowly walked into the main hall. The air was still filled with the strong smell of medicine unique to the clinic, but it couldn't conceal the dangerous aura emanating from the surrounding swords and spears. He coldly surveyed the scene. Although the soldiers were armed, Yuwen Ye's reputation preceded him, and they had long heard of his military exploits and martial arts skills. Even though he came out alone, unarmed, his superior and domineering presence still made them feel somewhat suffocated.
Even as Yuwen Ye was about to step out the door, several people at the front of the line took two steps back.
Yuwen Ye said coldly, "The leader, come out."
At this moment, a middle-aged man in his thirties walked out from the crowd. He was also wearing armor, but his thin frame could not bear the weight of the armor. He walked slowly and staggered. When he stood at the front of the line, he did not look imposing at all, but rather somewhat comical.
This is clearly a civil official.
However, the fierce and solemn expression on his face was quite striking.
He walked over, bowed to Yuwen Ye, and said with a solemn expression, "Prefect Fan Chengen of Songzhou greets the Grand General."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.
Although he had been in officialdom for less than a year and didn't interact much with officials, especially civil officials, he had heard of this man's reputation. Fan Chengen had previously served as the Imperial Censor in the court. Later, he offended the emperor several times by speaking out against him and was sent to Songzhou. However, because of his integrity and meritorious service, he had a good reputation and was promoted to the position of prefect. As for him, although he had repeatedly petitioned the emperor to stop the conquest of Liaodong and the construction of the Great Wall, which made the emperor very disgusted with him, he remained loyal to the court and the emperor.
Upon seeing him at this moment, Yuwen Ye's heart stirred slightly.
But he remained calm and said, "This general has not revealed his identity. How did you, Prefect, know that I was here?"
Fan Chengen said, "The General is a man of extraordinary talent and talent, a dragon among men. It's impossible for such a person not to attract attention when he enters the city."
"oh?"
Yuwen Ye said, "It seems I underestimated you, sir."
"I wouldn't dare."
"So, Lord Fan has led his troops here, swords drawn, perhaps he has something to discuss with this general?"
"The General is a vital national asset. Even if I, Fan, were to have the greatest courage, I would not dare to point a weapon at you, General."
"What important business brings you here, Lord Fan?"
At this point, Fan Chengen's face darkened, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, turned to the inner chamber door behind Yuwen Ye, which was completely hidden by him. He said in a deep voice, "I have come to arrest the notorious regicide criminal—Shang Ruyi!"
"...!"
Although separated by Yuwen Ye's tall figure and the tightly closed curtains, his voice still resounded like a thunderclap in the inner room.
The shopkeeper and the elderly man seeking medical treatment were both terrified and turned pale.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi almost suffocated.
King murder!
These two words were like a knife, stabbing her heart once again, causing her so much pain that she could barely breathe.
Unexpectedly, the news of Wang Shao and his proclamation spread throughout the world so quickly. They had been traveling day and night these past few days, hoping to return to the Duke of Sheng's side before this news arrived, but they were still a step too late.
Now, Shang Ruyi is a serious criminal whom everyone wants to kill!
Just then, Tushe'er immediately bent down and wrapped her arms tightly around Shang Ruyi. With a solemn expression, she said softly, "Miss, don't listen, and we shouldn't pay any attention to it either."
"..."
Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth and remained silent.
But she knew in her heart that ignoring it and not paying attention to it wouldn't solve the problem.
In order to avoid attracting attention, Yuwen Ye only brought a few people into the city. But now, the governor of Songzhou has brought a large force. No matter what, this matter is unlikely to end well today.
She instinctively tried to get up, but the softness all over her body prevented her from moving at all.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye outside coldly asked, "What makes you say such a thing, Lord Fan?"
Fan Chengen gritted his teeth, his gaunt face filled with resentment and heaviness, and said, "General, do you still want to hide it? News has come from Jiangdu that His Majesty has passed away, and the one who murdered the emperor is none other than Shang Ruyi!"
Yuwen Ye said, "This is a frame-up. My wife did not do such a thing."
Fan Chengen's hatred intensified as he said, "General, the whole world knows that Shang Ruyi murdered the emperor. Why should you pretend to be calm?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I remain calm because my wife did not commit regicide. Also, the name Shang Ruyi is my wife's given name. Please, Lord Fan, do not address my wife by her given name again!"
"..."
His words surprised Fan Chengen.
The act of regicide is something that will cause rivers of blood to flow, but Yuwen Ye is so calm, and even cares about how others address his wife by her name. Could there really be a hidden story?
No matter what, such a serious matter cannot be easily overlooked, even if the suspect is involved.
Thinking of this, Fan Chengen said, "Very well, Your Majesty. In any case, Your Majesty is involved in the heinous crime of regicide. I absolutely cannot tolerate such a person coming and leaving without permission. I will arrest her, bring her to justice, investigate the matter thoroughly, and give an explanation to the world, and even more so to His Majesty."
Yuwen Ye said, "No."
Why?
"My wife is seriously ill and frail, and cannot withstand imprisonment."
"General!"
Fan Chengen's expression was solemn, especially towards Yuwen Ye, whose seemingly polite but actually aggressive attitude made him furious. He said sternly, "Killing the emperor is an unforgivable crime, and the perpetrator's entire family can be executed! If the general can be sensible, please hand over the criminal, and I will not get involved any further."
Execute his entire family.
These three words once again weighed heavily on Shang Ruyi's heart.
At this moment, she couldn't calm down no matter what she did. Biting her lower lip, she finally managed to sit up slowly.
Tushe'er was so shocked that she hurriedly tried to stop her, but she heard Shang Ruyi grab her wrist and say in a deep voice, "No matter what, this matter cannot implicate my entire family, whether it is the Yuwen family or my uncle's family."
"Miss……"
"Help me out."
Just as she was struggling to get up, Mu Xian walked over and said in a deep voice, "Young Madam, don't be impulsive."
Shang Ruyi frowned at him: "Mr. Mu, if you don't hand me over, you will all be implicated."
Mu Xian said, "Young Madam, if I hand you over—I am no longer the Second Young Master."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
At the same time, Yuwen Ye's deep voice came from outside the door. He calmly said, "So, Lord Fan believes that if I don't hand over my wife, you're willing to exterminate my entire family and slaughter the innocent?"
Fan Chengen was pushed to the limit by his cold attitude. He was not a cruel and bloodthirsty person, but at this point he could not care about anything else and could only grit his teeth and say, "That's right!"
"..."
Yuwen Ye narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at him.
His arrogant demeanor further enraged the other party. Just as Fan Chengen could no longer restrain himself and was about to wave his hand to order the soldiers behind him to charge forward, he suddenly sighed and said, "Since that's the case, then I don't need to feel too innocent for the people of Songzhou City."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Fan Chengen's raised hand immediately froze.
He stared blankly at Yuwen Ye: "What...do you mean?"
Yuwen Ye calmly said, "I, Yuwen Ye, don't have any great abilities, but as a man, I know that I must protect my wife, even if it means death."
"..."
"However, at this moment I have neither an army by my side nor any weapons at my disposal. Facing the troops you, Lord Fan, have brought, even if I wanted to fight, I could not defeat more than a few. Therefore, today, my wife and I are likely doomed to die."
"..."
"Fortunately, I had made some preparations in advance."
Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Fan Chengen grew increasingly uneasy and asked, "What preparations?"
Yuwen Ye looked at him and said calmly, "Before entering Songzhou, I sent a message to my father, telling him that if I died here, I would be killed by the people of this place. I asked him to send troops to avenge me and slaughter the entire city of Songzhou!"
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