Chapter 722 Shackles
Shen Wuzheng said, "This person is nothing to fear."
"..."
Shang Ruyi widened her eyes slightly.
Although she wasn't afraid of Yu Mingyue, and in fact, after returning from the Western Turks, she had just confronted Yu Mingyue in the garden and completely shaken off the fear of being resurrected, this person still possessed the ability to "foresee the future" and knew many things that they did not.
Perhaps she has other tricks up her sleeve, like she did during the Battle of Fufeng, to set traps for them or even harm them.
Why did Shen Wuzheng say that there was nothing to fear?
Seeing Shang Ruyi's somewhat solemn expression, Shen Wuzheng smiled and said, "I know you must be thinking about the Battle of Fufeng. She bought up all the medicinal herbs in Guanzhong in advance, almost putting Yuwen Ye to death."
Shang Ruyi nodded, still feeling a lingering fear, and said, "That time, we won by sheer luck."
Shen Wuzheng gently shook his head.
"Um?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, not understanding what he meant. Shen Wuzheng did not explain his actions either, but slowly said, "Have you ever thought that the reason she went to such lengths in the battle of Fufeng, even going so far as to buy up all the medicinal herbs in Guanzhong, was entirely to take Yuwen Ye's life? In other words, Yuwen Ye is her biggest obstacle."
"..."
"In other words, he is also the Crown Prince's biggest obstacle!"
Shang Ruyi's heartbeat quickened. Shen Wuzheng looked at her, his shrewd eyes shining brightly, and said, "And you just told me that the Crown Prince's final downfall may be related to a coup."
Shang Ruyi nodded gently: "Yes."
Shen Wuzheng said, "Then, this mutiny—"
Although Wo Xue was guarding the door, making it impossible for anyone else to overhear, Shen Wuzheng still cautiously lowered the last few words to the lowest level, making them almost inaudible.
Even though she couldn't hear it, Shang Ruyi understood.
Her breathing was labored, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse from excessive tension, and her words were barely audible only when the two of them were facing each other: "Perhaps, it's also related to Feng Chen?"
After a long silence, Shen Wuzheng nodded and said, "Perhaps."
"..."
"In other words, judging from Yu Mingyue's behavior and what she knows, the final victor is the King of Qin."
Shang Ruyi gasped.
She had actually considered this possibility. In fact, from the moment Yuwen Qian returned to the Duke's mansion to the appearance of Yu Mingyue, the open and covert struggles between the two brothers all pointed to this possibility.
So--
Shen Wuzheng added, "But that doesn't mean we can just sit back and reap the benefits."
"..."
"Take the Fufeng incident for example. If you hadn't discovered their actions and made preparations beforehand, it's hard to say what the outcome would have been."
"..."
"So, in the end, it all comes down to four words: human effort is the key."
"..."
"If Yu Mingyue knew the outcome of the matter but still insisted on doing these things, it could be said that she was going against the will of heaven, or it could be said that she believed in these four words."
At this point, Shen Wuzheng chuckled and said, "This is probably the only extraordinary thing about her."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi nodded slightly.
It is up to human effort to achieve anything, and even going against the will of heaven sounds heroic, but when it comes to actually doing it, not everyone has the courage or the determination to do so.
Daring to fight against fate is never an easy thing.
Yu Mingyue's humiliation of Lüxiao had even made Shang Ruyi somewhat disgusted with her, but she was not entirely without merit. At least in terms of character, she had qualities that others could not match.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi also understood why Shen Wuzheng shook his head when she said that their victory in the Battle of Fufeng was by chance—it was not by chance, but because she had not made any mistakes in any step from observing her surroundings to thinking about the other party's actions to starting preparations.
It's not about winning by luck, but about human effort that leads to a complete victory!
Shen Wuzheng continued, "Since we say that everything depends on human effort, then in the end, it all comes down to individual ability."
As he spoke, he looked at Shang Ruyi: "Do you remember what Yuwen Ye said about her?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "He has knowledge, but no wisdom."
"good,"
Shen Wuzheng nodded and said, "From our interactions these past few days to her actions this time, not a single word of Yuwen Ye's assessment is unfounded."
"..."
"What she has is knowledge of the outcome, not talent."
"..."
"In other words, if the situation changes even slightly and is contrary to what she knows, she has almost no way to deal with it."
"..."
"Moreover, her current situation has given her knowledge the ability to 'predict the future,' which may be considered a gift of fate. However, if this gift is not commensurate with her abilities, it will become a burden, or even a disaster."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi stared at him in surprise, her face full of confusion.
How could the benefits of "foresight" become a source of trouble?
If she could know everything about the future right now, wouldn't it be better to at least find a way to break the trap that Yu Mingyue set for them?
Seeing her puzzled look, Shen Wuzheng smiled slightly and asked, "Let's take Lord Wu'an as an example."
"How so?"
"For example, right now, if you were really transported back to the eve of the Battle of Changping, would you be confident enough to lead the Zhao army to victory at Changping?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi shook her head instinctively.
Although I had learned about the causes and effects of the Battle of Changping long ago from my studies and from my father’s stories about military strategy and tactics since I was a child, I was already quite familiar with it.
But, sending her to fight against Lord Wu'an...?
Shang Ruyi said with a wry smile, "Brother, you've really insulted Lord Wu'an."
Shen Wuzheng laughed. He almost instinctively reached out to ruffle his little sister's hair, but before he could lift his hand, he remembered their identities. Sitting opposite him, the one smiling sweetly was Shang Ruyi, but she was also the Princess Consort of Qin.
She was no longer the little sister he could be as affectionate with as before.
He sighed inwardly, but his face remained calm. He simply smiled and said, "Then, what if it was Yuwen Ye who went back to the past?"
"he?"
If it were Yuwen Ye—even if it involved her husband—there was no need to belittle herself. Shang Ruyi thought about it seriously for a while, and then said softly, "Perhaps we can fight."
"What if he didn't know the outcome and simply became a military general of the Zhao state?"
"We can still fight."
Shen Wuzheng smiled and said, "That's right."
"..."
“You understand that even if you know what will happen, you are not capable enough to match Lord Wu’an in terms of ability; but Yuwen Ye’s ability to command troops,” he said, letting out a deep breath, clearly still somewhat dissatisfied with Yuwen Ye, but to be honest, he still said, “is indeed extraordinary. That’s why you feel that there is room for a fight.”
"..."
"As long as the order of the world is not reversed, a person's talent and what he gets will always be commensurate."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi nodded gently.
That's the truth.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "And what about the burdens and troubles you just mentioned—"
Shen Wuzheng said, “Before I graduated, my teacher gave us fellow disciples a question. He said that a deity transformed into a human and went to the mortal world to play. He saw an honest farmer being bullied by the people around him. The deity took pity on him, turned stones into gold, gave the man a box of gold, and then returned to heaven.”
Shang Ruyi asked in confusion, "What kind of question is this?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Our teacher asked us to continue this story. Tell us what kind of scene the immortals will see when they descend to earth again a year later to visit the farmer."
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is clearly just making people dream."
Shen Wuzheng smiled and said, "Not bad."
"..."
"So, my fellow apprentices wrote down things they never dared to dream of in their daily lives. They wrote about tall buildings, beautiful wives and concubines, luxury cars and horses, and a large number of servants. Some even thought that this peasant had already recruited soldiers and horses and become the ruler of the region."
The more he said that, the more uneasy Shang Ruyi felt.
These ideas are certainly good, and they also depict a variety of wonderful lives. However, Li Tong was a great Confucian scholar from Hedong, known as the Guiguzi of his time. When he gave his students a topic, did he just want them to dream?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi looked at Shen Wuzheng and asked, "Brother, how did you write the sequel?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her and smiled, “What I wrote was that this farmer’s gold was stolen in half not long after he hid the rest; but later, he was also cheated out of it. When the gods came again, they saw that he was still the same as before, not exactly destitute, but just able to make a living by farming and barely getting by.”
"..."
Shang Ruyi fell silent.
After a long pause, she said, "Because this person, in essence, has not changed."
Shen Wuzheng nodded and said, "That's right."
"..."
"A person's gains are commensurate with their talents. In other words, what you can get is what you deserve. In a different world or at a different time, if you do not improve yourself, relying solely on a little bit of foresight or unexpected gifts will be of no use and will certainly not change your destiny."
"..."
"The same applies to conflict with others. Even if you know in advance that someone will use this method to harm you this time, and you manage to avoid it, if you don't have the ability to fight back, can you avoid it next time?"
"..."
Ultimately, ability is the foundation of everything.
"..."
"So don't talk about 'predicting the future'. Even if a person were to live again, without making progress, they wouldn't have a different life."
Shang Ruyi felt as if she had been enlightened, and her heart was filled with joy.
She sighed and said, "So, Mr. Li's question is actually meant to tell you, my brother, and your fellow disciples, that the most important thing is to improve yourselves in the present moment. Don't pin your hopes on vague and unrealistic imaginations, such as starting over, being reborn, or even the next life."
"good,"
Shen Wuzheng nodded and said, "After answering that question, the teacher said I was ready to graduate. That's why I came back. Only—"
At this point, his expression darkened.
Unfortunately, even though he returned, he couldn't make it back before Shang Ruyi's marriage was arranged.
But saying all this now is meaningless. Looking at the tacit understanding and sweetness between Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye, he could only put his mind at ease and then said, "Now it seems that the question is just right for today."
"..."
"Moreover, my sequel to the topic the teacher gave me was about a farmer who could barely make ends meet. The teacher said that I still had a shred of compassion. But in fact, whether it was me, the teacher, or you, we should all understand that 'a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.' If an ordinary robber really went to steal his gold, he would not leave anyone alive."
"..."
"That's just gold."
That's just gold.
This statement clearly wasn't referring to gold, but rather to their current predicament—
Shen Wuzheng continued, "The struggle for the crown prince's position and the battle for imperial power are the most dangerous in every dynasty. Yu Mingyue has the ability to stir up trouble, but once she loses her protection, she will have nothing left and will only bring trouble upon herself."
"shelter,"
Shang Ruyi said, "Brother, are you talking about the Prince of Han?"
Shen Wuzheng's expression gradually became serious. He sighed and said, "I don't know how Yu Mingyue persuaded the Prince of Han, who has been traveling outside for many years and has a heart for Buddhism, to return to this mortal world of right and wrong. However, judging from this battle of Shouyang, Yuwen Qian's ability is somewhat beyond my expectations."
Shang Ruyi frowned.
She replied heavily, "Yes."
She never imagined that such a handsome man, so elegant and graceful, who had shed his monk's robes at Dayan Temple and recited "It turns out that heaven and earth are but mayflies," would now be able to fight on the battlefield, not only defeating Ashina Zhuxie and Wang Shaoji at the same time, but also capturing Taiyuan City. Although there were reasons for this, such as her being trapped in the Western Turks, which forced Yuwen Ye to give up, and the guidance from the military uniform set of Green Silk, Yuwen Qian's ability to understand and deploy troops was already evident.
It could even be said that it is extraordinary.
Yuwen Ye's previous statement that he "mistakenly wore a monk's robe as a battle robe" is just as true as his assessment of Yu Mingyue as knowing but not wise. Not a single word of it is untrue.
Shang Ruyi said, "Therefore, the King of Han will be appointed as the Crown Prince."
After pondering for a moment, Shen Wuzheng said, "In the previous investiture, the Prince of Qin did indeed trick His Majesty the Emperor. However, the young emperor only has one chance to abdicate, and Princess Xinyue is powerless to do so. In this battle of Taiyuan, the Prince of Han has made a truly indispensable contribution and captured Taiyuan City. I think that once the defenses in Taiyuan are in place, they should soon set off to return to Chang'an."
"..."
"At that time, it will be imperative to appoint a crown prince."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Then, do we still have a chance?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her again, his lips slightly pursed, and said, "Didn't I just say that things are up to us?"
"..."
"Moreover,"
At this point, his eyes flickered slightly, and he said, word by word, "Although the position of Crown Prince is a reward, at this time, I'm afraid it will become a shackle for Yuwen Qian."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com