Chapter 1010 Entering a Treasure Mountain and Returning Empty-Handed
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief.
She was somewhat relieved that she had volunteered to go to Xia Prefecture this time. If she hadn't devised a plan to lure Ashina Zhuxie to Sui Prefecture, and if he had really been persuaded by Wang Shaoqiu to lead troops to aid Luoyang, Yuwen Ye would have faced a lot of pressure, and the outcome would have been very uncertain.
Seeing the hint of a smile on her lips, Green Silk said, "Are you feeling fortunate?"
Shang Ruyi looked up at her and said, "Ah."
"Are you congratulating yourself on luring them all here, so that your Prince Qin is safe in Luoyang?"
"……Um."
"But you should know that you are also bringing danger upon yourself."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "To say that he is definitely safe in Luoyang is not necessarily true. There is no absolute safety on the battlefield, but I am indeed fortunate that I, as his wife, can help him, and as the Princess Consort of Qin, can contribute my modest efforts to the country. It has not been in vain that I have enjoyed a life of luxury and servants all these years."
"..."
"As for danger, I knew before I set off that this trip would be extremely perilous. Now it seems that there is just one more Wang Shaoqiu."
As she spoke, Shang Ruyi turned to look at Lüxiao and asked, "Are you afraid of him?"
Green Silk's face darkened: "Why would I be afraid of him?"
"..."
"I just don't like this person's eyes."
"Eye?"
"His eyes seem to pierce through people, just like they did back in Jiangdu."
"oh?"
Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow slightly—she didn't think there was anything wrong with Wang Shaoqiu's eyes, at most the cunning glint was unsettling. But Lüxiao's feeling wasn't strange either. She was stunningly beautiful, and most men, and even many women, couldn't take their eyes off her. Come to think of it, she should have long been used to being scrutinized, hunted, and even offended by all sorts of gazes, and had always been calm about it. So why was she so concerned about Wang Shaoqiu's gaze?
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, what are they after? They would never dare to do anything to you."
Green Silk remained noncommittal, only saying, "Oh."
But she still didn't seem reassured. After thinking for a while, she said, "From the beginning, you planned to use Zuo Gong's suspected tomb as bait to lure them here, right? Now they've come, but there's only this one group of people. The crisis in Xia Prefecture hasn't been resolved yet, but they've already met with us. If we don't get what they want, do you think that Zhu Xie Khan will let you off easily?"
After saying that, she looked around again. The more than twenty guards accompanying Shang Ruyi had been assigned and were doing their own work in an orderly manner, but everyone had a solemn expression on their face, and a tense atmosphere enveloped the wilderness.
Green Silk said, "If he wants to make a move, the people you brought won't be able to resist at all."
"..."
What are you going to give him?
Shang Ruyi glanced around but didn't respond. She simply said, "Let's get some rest. Now that they're here, I'm afraid we won't have a peaceful time starting tomorrow."
Seeing that she didn't intend to say anything more, Lüxiao could only return to her tent with her doubts.
Just as Shang Ruyi said, even that night, listening to the howling wind in the wilderness outside and the distant howling of wolves in the valley, Lüxiao hardly slept all night. She stared with her empty eyes as the dark tent ceiling was gradually illuminated by the morning light. Then the wind subsided, and people began to walk and talk again.
After she got dressed, she washed up quickly using some things from the tent. When she went out, she saw that Shang Ruyi and Lei Yu were already sitting on the open ground in front of her. Wo Xue handed the freshly cooked porridge to Shang Ruyi and then turned around to serve a bowl to Lei Yu.
The two were drinking porridge when Shang Ruyi turned around and saw Lüxiao walking over. She said, "You're up."
"yes."
Green Silk nodded, then glanced at Lei Yu. Although she found it strange that Lei Yu, who was clearly from the Turkic side, was having breakfast with Shang Ruyi, she didn't say anything since the two of them seemed so close. Shang Ruyi then said, "I was worried you weren't sleeping well, so I told them not to wake you. The porridge is ready, have a bowl."
Green Silk nodded again: "Okay."
So, Wo Xue also brought her a bowl of porridge.
Green Silk sat down next to Shang Ruyi, drinking her porridge while glancing at the camp next to them. The Turks had gotten up earlier than them and had hunted a wolf in the valley ahead, roasting it over a fire. The campfire roared, and the bloody meat sizzled and dripped with oil, the aroma of meat wafting in the wind. Although it made some people drool, Lei Yu's face remained unmoved, and he focused intently on drinking the porridge in his bowl.
A moment later, a Turkic soldier crossed the invisible boundary between the two camps. The guards on this side immediately watched him nervously, only to see him walk straight to Lei Yu's side and offer him a bowl of roasted meat that was oozing with oil: "Khatun, this is what the Khan ordered to be sent to you."
Lei Yu said, "I don't want to eat."
After saying that, he glanced around again and then said, "Put it down."
The soldier placed the bowl aside, saluted again, and then turned and went back.
Lei Yu looked up at Shang Ruyi and said, "If you don't want to eat it, then give it to your subordinates."
Shang Ruyi smiled, knowing this was Ashina Zhuxie's way of "it would be impolite not to reciprocate," and had Woxue take the food down to the servants. The guards, of course, didn't stand on ceremony and ate heartily. Shang Ruyi then asked, "Are you still the same as before?"
She was referring to her lifestyle, because during her last visit to the Turkic camp, she discovered that under Iasu's pampering and care, Lei Yu was living a life almost identical to that in the Central Plains. Even when she wanted to add pepper to her mutton soup, Iasu would stop passing Hu merchants on the grasslands to buy it for her.
Lei Yu paused for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement.
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "That's good."
Speaking of which, from the first time I met Lei Yu, she didn't give the impression of being a gentle and kind woman, nor was she the kind of virtuous wife and loving mother that most people would imagine. Yet, she was the one who enjoyed the most care from her husband, and even in places she didn't know, there were people who were still deeply in love with her.
Things in this world are simply inexplicable.
Green Silk, who was standing to the side, did not speak, but looked at Lei Yu with her exceptionally sharp eyes, and occasionally glanced at the situation in the Turkic camp.
Before long, everyone had finished their breakfast.
Wo Xue took the used dishes and bowls to wash. On the Turkic camp side, the campfire was extinguished, and thick smoke was swept across their camp by a gust of wind. Shang Ruyi had just coughed twice when she turned her head and saw Ashina Zhuxie's tall figure cross the invisible boundary in the middle and walk into their camp.
The guards around him immediately tensed up, each staring intently at him.
However, as he walked over, he went straight to Lei Yu and said in a deep, gentle voice, "Go back now."
Lei Yu looked up at him.
Ashina Zhuxie said, "I agreed to let you come over for breakfast, but you still have to go back to your own place."
"..."
"Besides, they have their own things to do, so let's not bother them."
Upon hearing the last few words, Lei Yu's eyes flickered, and after glancing at Shang Ruyi, she slowly stood up with a complicated expression.
Just then, Shang Ruyi smiled and looked at Ashina Zhuxie, saying, "The Khan seems to know that I have come to this place to do something."
Ashina Zhuye looked down at her and said, "Didn't you say last night that the war in Xia Prefecture was raging and that I came here because I was in a good mood? The war in Luoyang is raging, yet you came here. If you didn't have something to do, was that also out of a good mood?"
Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised, not because he knew that Shang Ruyi "had something to do," but because he was surprised that the Turkic Khan's tongue was so sharp.
How come we didn't notice this before?
She thought for a moment, forced a smile, and was about to say something when Ashina Zhuxie said calmly, "Now that Tianding Mountain is right in front of us, I'll get straight to the point. Shang Ruyi, you don't have many followers on this trip. If you intend to conceal your whereabouts, my men may not be able to find you."
"..."
"Even if my men discover your whereabouts, if you intend to conceal it, my men may not know what you are doing in Suizhou."
"..."
"The reason I abandoned the fierce battle in Xiazhou today is because of the news you released."
"..."
"In other words, the suspected tomb of Zuo Gong!"
Upon hearing these four words, Shang Ruyi was not entirely surprised, but her heart still pounded. Green Silk, who was standing next to her, and Lei Yu, who was standing next to Ashina Zhuxie, both showed surprise and even some fear on their beautiful faces.
None of them expected that Ashina Zhuxie, who had remained silent when they met him last night, would speak so frankly at this moment, leaving no room for negotiation.
Shang Ruyi said, "The Khan is quite a straightforward person."
Ashina Zhuxie sneered, "If you want to play any tricks or schemes with me, I'm happy to oblige. But this time, I'm not in the mood."
"..."
"So, since you lured us here with the 'Zuo Gong's Suspicious Tomb,' you'd better be able to produce something from it. Otherwise—"
Shang Ruyi said, "Otherwise, what?"
Ashina Zhuxie said, "This Khan will not return empty-handed from a mountain of treasures. If I cannot find what I want, then taking some people back with me would not be a bad compensation."
"..."
"After all, this isn't your first time visiting the Turkic Khaganate."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding guards sensed danger and immediately stepped forward, staring at them nervously.
Shang Ruyi raised her hand, stopping them from taking any action.
Although Ashina Zhuxie arrived at their camp alone, he remained unmoved, calmly staring into Shang Ruyi's equally calm eyes, and said, "Or perhaps, with the fierce battle raging in Luoyang, I wonder if His Highness the Prince of Qin of the Great Sheng Dynasty would like to see his Princess Qin on the battlefield."
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