Chapter 1046 Each Doing Their Best, Each Shining Bright
"What?!"
Mu Xian was taken aback and subconsciously turned to look at Yuwen Ye, only to find that Yuwen Ye's whole demeanor had darkened.
Then, everything went black.
The pitch blackness, so dark that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face, stunned Mu Xian. After a moment, he realized that the candlelight inside the tent had gone out just a moment ago. He hurriedly went to the door and shouted outside, "Quickly, someone, light the lamps!"
Soon, a soldier rushed in and replaced the candle in the candlestick.
The candlelight slowly ignited, illuminating the tent again. Mu Xian turned around and saw Yuwen Ye sitting motionless behind the table, his face showing no unusual expression. He seemed calm, but the thought that he had remained calm ever since hearing the news made Mu Xian feel uneasy.
The soldier seemed to sense the suffocating pressure inside the tent as well. He quickly replaced the candle and left. Only after leaving the tent did he breathe a sigh of relief. He looked down at the short candle he had just replaced and muttered, "Strange, this candle wasn't even finished burning. How did it go out so quickly?"
He shook his head in confusion and walked away.
The other two people in the tent still dared not utter a sound, especially the soldier who had reported the news. At this moment, he even regretted saying those words. Before he left, Shen Tu Tai had repeatedly told him to tell the King of Qin about this matter, and had also given him some extra reward money. Now he understood that the heavy bag of reward money was not for the hardship of his half-day journey.
He lowered his head, trying to shrink his body as much as possible so that no one would notice his presence.
Just then, Yuwen Ye let out a deep breath.
Although it was just a single breath and the sound wasn't loud, the tent was only so big, and it was very quiet outside, so even the slightest sound could be heard clearly. Mu Xian even had the illusion that he heard a tiger's low growl before it became angry.
He said cautiously, "Your Highness..."
Yuwen Ye placed both hands on the table, pressing them against the map, and said expressionlessly, "Did the Emperor order her to go?"
The soldier shrugged and said softly, "I don't know."
Seeing that even the bright firelight couldn't illuminate Yuwen Ye's face, and that he seemed to emanate a tangible black aura of malevolence, the soldier thought for a moment before adding, "But, according to people from Chang'an, it was the Princess herself who volunteered..."
The soldier was already trembling with fear, and when he said the last few words, he suddenly saw Mu Xian glare at him, and immediately shut his mouth.
However, there's no need to say more now.
They didn't dare to breathe loudly anymore. The invisible yet powerful pressure within the tent made their breathing and heartbeats slow down. Just when Mu Xian thought Yuwen Ye was about to lose his temper, Yuwen Ye suddenly spoke. His voice sounded calm, but it still seemed to contain an invisible pressure: "How is the war in Xia Prefecture?"
The soldier glanced at Mu Xian and said softly, "When I set off, General Shentu had already sent men to Xia Prefecture to scout out the situation, but—"
In other words, the outcome is unknown.
Mu Xian's brows furrowed into a knot.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "I understand. You may leave."
The soldier dared not linger, saluted, and immediately withdrew from the tent. Only Mu Xian remained standing inside, cautiously observing Yuwen Ye's gloomy face. After a long while, he whispered, "Your Highness, should we send troops to Xia Prefecture... to investigate the situation?"
His words were clearly a test.
Sending troops cannot be merely a test; and a test does not necessarily require sending troops.
He understood perfectly well that even if Yuwen Ye didn't fly into a rage, he was probably burning with anger inside—the Princess Consort of Qin was indeed too…unexpected this time. Xia Prefecture was on the border of the Eastern Turks, and the conflict with the Western Turks required Yuwen Yuan to ask for help, which showed that the scale of the war was not small, and the flames of war might even spread to the Great Sheng Dynasty. For such an important war, the Princess Consort of Qin actually went there in person.
A woman.
And she is the Princess Consort of Qin!
Even though his past experiences had already made him aware of Shang Ruyi's extraordinary shrewdness, insight, and methods, the matter was still of great importance, and the Princess Consort of Qin had indeed gone too far this time.
I'm afraid they'll have to send troops over to be on the safe side.
But just as he was thinking this, he heard Yuwen Ye's indifferent voice say, "No need."
"ah?"
Upon hearing those two words unexpectedly, Mu Xian was stunned, staring at him with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe his ears. Yuwen Ye gave him a cold look and said, "I said, no need."
"Your Highness, what if... what if the Princess Consort is in danger?"
"What if? Is this 'what if' there's a danger?"
Mu Xian wore a bitter expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The King of Qin was indeed angry, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered with such words. But no matter how angry he was, the matter still had to be done, and the safety of the Queen Consort still had to be guaranteed. This was not something that could be resolved by anger or sulking.
So he cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness knows that such a matter is bound to be dangerous. Then I request permission to lead a team of one hundred men to Xia Prefecture immediately to meet the Princess."
Yuwen Ye glanced at him: "I said, it's not necessary."
"Your Highness!"
Mu stepped forward, as if to say something, but Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Do you think I'm angry, so I won't let you go?"
Mu Xian swallowed back what he was about to say.
Yuwen Ye then asked, "Do you still think I'm being stubborn?"
"..."
These words made Mu Xian feel that it was even more difficult to withstand than the blow that Yuwen Ye had struck him down during their usual training.
Who would dare to take it?
Just as he remained silent, Yuwen Ye coldly said, "We are sending troops to attack Luoyang, not to relieve the crisis in Xiazhou. Any war that has nothing to do with Luoyang is none of our business. Therefore, I will not allow you to take people out."
"Your Highness—"
“Besides,” Yuwen Ye slowly stood up and walked to the tent entrance. Outside, the night was dark, like thick ink, making his already deep eyes even darker. He said, “Once you lead troops and go into battle, you have to take responsibility. Since she dared to speak up, she has to face the dangers she should face and solve the difficulties she should solve.”
"..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xian slowly lowered his head.
Indeed, he was a bit too hasty just now, just like when Yuwen Ye was too angry upon hearing the news. But after calming down and thinking about it, since Yuwen Yuan dared to send Princess Qin, and since Princess Qin dared to go, then they were both taking responsibility.
Everyone has their own responsibilities, and everyone should do their best and shine in their own way.
Mu Xian said, "Yes."
After saying that, he prepared to leave, but stopped at the door and said softly, "Your Highness, are you really not worried at all?"
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