Chapter 1190 There is no seal left to seal.
Shen Wuzheng said helplessly, "Who insulted you?"
Pei Xingyuan didn't even look at him, but only said to Shang Ruyi: "Your Highness, you must make the decision for me."
Shang Ruyi dared not comment on their affair, and only smiled and tried to smooth things over: "When did Young Master Pei arrive? I just sent someone to deliver a message to the Emperor."
Pei Xingyuan turned back and glared at Shen Wuzheng before saying to Shang Ruyi, "I came back with the messenger. Tonight, His Highness is hosting a banquet for meritorious officials at the Prince's residence, so I definitely need to come early to reserve a seat in case some people get ahead of me—Your Highness, you can't be biased towards those in power. I've made a great contribution this time, going through fire and water; who could have worked harder than me?"
Shang Ruyi almost laughed so hard she fell over, and even Wo Xue, who had been quietly serving her, couldn't help but purse her lips.
Shen Wuzheng was completely helpless against him and could only shake his head.
After laughing, Shang Ruyi remembered two other people and asked, "By the way, didn't Jiang Yan and Miss Liang come with you?"
Pei Xingyuan's expression turned serious when this was mentioned. After a moment of silence, he said, "I wonder if the two of them will come."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's smile vanished, and her expression turned serious.
The conversation they had at the Emperor's residence that night clearly revealed their respective attitudes. Pei Xingyuan could not possibly abandon his family and friends; he would definitely return to Chang'an to resume his position as Vice Minister of Revenue. As for Liang Youying and Jiang Yan, they either continued to stand firmly against the court, in which case the two sides were destined to never come together, or they submitted to the court and became Yuwen Ye's own people.
Only in this way can Pei Xingyuan fulfill his promise and take her home.
Yuwen Ye did not ask them to express their opinions immediately, but instead asked them to think it over carefully. They had been thinking about it for more than half a month. Tonight, he was holding a banquet here for the heroes of the battle of Luoyang. He would set off for Chang'an early tomorrow morning, giving the two of them one last chance.
Whether they're one of us or not, we'll see if they come tonight.
Shen Wuzheng looked down at him: "Are you afraid she won't go back with you?"
Pei Xingyuan looked uneasy, but still stubbornly replied, "Who's afraid?"
As he spoke, the darkness between his brows deepened. Seeing this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but comfort him: "Don't worry, Young Master Pei. Although I said those things that day, Miss Liang is not a fool."
Shen Wuzheng glanced at him again and said slowly, "Besides, for no other reason than that Jiang Yan wants her to go back."
Pei Xingyuan immediately looked up at him: "Why?"
Shen Wuzheng shook his head and said, "Jiang Yu is still imprisoned in Chang'an. How could he abandon his own father? From what you just said, this person is not stupid. He should have seen through Xing Yuan's purpose a long time ago, but he never said it outright. Instead, he went with the flow and made this happen. Wasn't it all to gain this great achievement and then go to Chang'an to exchange it for his father's freedom?"
Pei Xingyuan suddenly realized: "Oh, right..."
Shang Ruyi also came to her senses. Indeed, when she met with them at the official's house that night, the first thing Jiang Xing asked about was his father's safety. He had clearly been keeping this matter in mind.
He then let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Shen Wuzheng with a smile: "Brother, you're so insightful. None of us thought of that."
Shen Wuzheng gave Shen Wuzheng a disappointed look and shook his head.
Pei Xingyuan couldn't keep up his stubbornness anymore. He just chuckled twice, looked down at the cup in his hand, which was already empty, and immediately turned to Wo Xue and said, "Miss Wo Xue, please make another cup of tea for Lord Shen."
Wo Xue smiled and left.
With Pei Xingyuan there, the atmosphere unconsciously became more relaxed. Even when talking about what had happened during their separation, the hardships didn't seem so bitter anymore. In fact, some things, once spoken by Pei Xingyuan, even turned bitterness into sweetness.
After a while, someone came to report that His Highness the Prince of Qin was about to return.
Pei Xingyuan hadn't seen Yuwen Ye for the past few days, so he came early today to discuss some things with him. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up and glanced back at Shen Wuzheng, who said, "You go ahead, I have a few words to say to the Princess."
Pei Xingyuan then left.
After he left, Shen Wuzheng sighed helplessly, but Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "With Young Master Pei around, there are no hard days in this world."
Shen Wuzheng was silent for a while, then said, "But he must have been suffering these past few days."
Shang Ruyi glanced at him.
Shen Wuzheng did not continue the topic, but looked at Shang Ruyi again, his eyes more serious than before, and said, "When I entered the city, I heard that the Prince of Qin burned down the treasury?"
Shang Ruyi hesitated for a moment, then said, "It wasn't burned, but rather—"
She was also somewhat at a loss for words, and besides, Shen Wuzheng was a smart man; how could he not guess the reason for the fire in the treasury? Sure enough, Shen Wuzheng said, "We're preparing to return to Chang'an tomorrow. Does Your Highness know that this time, the situation is quite different from before?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Of course I know."
Ordinary people who made such a great contribution would only wait to be promoted and make a fortune, but Yuwen Ye was already a prince, and also held the positions of Grand Chancellor of Shaanxi East Circuit, Governor of Yongzhou, General of the Heavenly Strategy, Grand Chancellor... and some other miscellaneous official positions that she couldn't even remember. In addition, with his group of military meritorious subordinates and the reliance of some ministers in the court, Yuwen Ye almost directly controlled half of the court's military and political power.
In this situation, he had reached a point where there was no more room for him to be sealed off.
What was the result of dynasties throughout history when there were no more titles to be bestowed?
Moreover, this time he devised a plan to open the Luoyang Treasury, which meant he wanted to actually take over the property, thus overstepping the bounds of imperial authority.
Shen Wuzheng remained silent for a while. Shang Ruyi could tell that he wasn't speechless, but rather he was considering his words. After a long period of deliberation, he finally said, "The King of Qin wants a lot."
Shang Ruyi smiled.
It's better to say this rather than that—Yuwen Ye has great ambitions.
In the past, she would have been terrified, but after all these years of experience, and considering that she had offended the Crown Prince and the Emperor, Shang Ruyi didn't think there was any way to back down now, or that the two sides could "make peace."
Shang Ruyi said, "Rather than saying the arrow is on the bowstring, it's more accurate to say that when the enemy advances, we retreat, and when the enemy retreats, we advance."
In other words, this is a battle that has already begun.
She looked at Shen Wuzheng: "Brother, you'll always be with me, right?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Of course."
He said this without any hesitation, without any guarantee or emotion, as if it were a matter of course.
Shang Ruyi smiled at him.
Just then, a tall figure walked to the doorway and looked at the two people inside: "What are you talking about?"
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