Chapter 530 This person is your "opponent".
Just as Shang Ruyi and Pei Xingyuan both looked at him, almost holding their breath, it was as if they were helping the thousands of patients trapped in Chang Le Fang, helplessly waiting for their fate to be decided, waiting for his judgment.
But Yuwen Ye fell silent.
He didn't say anything, but quietly picked up his bowl and began to drink the porridge.
"Sigh, you—"
Pei Xingyuan was somewhat surprised and was about to say something when Shang Ruyi stopped him. He looked at Shang Ruyi's expression, then at Yuwen Ye's slightly furrowed brows, and suddenly seemed to understand something. He stopped talking and quietly picked up his bowl.
Breakfast ended silently.
Finally, Yuwen Ye put down his bowl of porridge, wiped his mouth, and looked up at Pei Xingyuan, asking, "Do you have enough people in your household?"
Pei Xingyuan nodded.
Yuwen Ye said, "Then, please get me those medicinal herbs that Ruyi mentioned can be used temporarily."
"...!"
Pei Xingyuan's eyes widened further, and after a long pause, he stammered, "You, you really—"
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Let's save them first."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingyuan almost instinctively gasped, while Shang Ruyi's face almost instinctively showed a smile, but then a deeper worry appeared between her brows.
She whispered, "Feng Chen, are you really going to do this?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her and said calmly, "When you said that, didn't you think I would make this choice?"
"I……"
"If you thought I wouldn't choose, you wouldn't have said so in the first place."
"..."
"Since you've said it, and I've made my choice, let's not be coy and get the important stuff done first."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi gave him a complicated look, but ultimately smiled happily—indeed, just as Yuwen Ye said, she only revealed this method because she knew he would choose it. However, although she was happy that Yuwen Ye had chosen it, she couldn't help but feel worried.
After all, it might be related to the position of crown prince!
Moreover, as the second son, Yuwen Ye has been supporting the Yuwen family in place of the eldest son for many years, making countless military achievements and even single-handedly eliminating the great threat of Wanggang Village. He is aiming for that position, and it would be a great pity if he gave up now, thus ruining the entire effort for the mountain.
Sure enough, Pei Xingyuan couldn't help but ask, "Fengchen, have you thought this through? This concerns your future prospects. Don't try to act like a saint."
Yuwen Ye gave him a cold look: "I don't act like a hero when I'm fighting, why are you pretending to be a saint now?"
"Are you really going to make this choice? Do you know the consequences?"
"Of course I know."
"and you--"
"Alright,"
Yuwen Ye said somewhat impatiently, "I know what you're worried about. My choice will indeed save more people, but I'm considering more than just saving lives."
The two of them stared at him with wide eyes.
Yuwen Ye said, "The whole matter of controlling the plague was Father's way of establishing his prestige in the final step, while dividing Daxing City into east and west was to allow my elder brother and me to establish our own prestige. Many positions, even if given by the higher-ups, cannot be held securely if the people below do not have enough support."
"..."
"Moreover, all the patients this time are from Daxing City."
"..."
"The people in Daxing City are different from the people in other places. Even if 80,000 people died in the battle of Fufeng, it is just a number to the court; but the life and death of the people in Daxing City will be vividly reflected in their eyes, and will directly affect how the court, officials, and public opinion view us."
"..."
"So, whether for the sake of the people or for my own sake—I must save more people!"
Pei Xingyuan suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is..."
Shang Ruyi nodded as well.
Yuwen Ye had indeed hit the nail on the head. This time, the epidemic was being controlled within the city, meaning that for every person who died in Chang Le Fang and Yan Zuo Fang, their body would be carried out and displayed for all to see. How many corpses could the city's inhabitants bear to watch as they were carried out and burned?
What was burned was not just corpses, but the hearts and minds of the people.
The will of the people is something that seems intangible but is of great importance. Therefore, even though Yuwen Yuan already holds great power and is only one step away from that position, he still needs to use this epidemic control to ensure that he can take that step steadily. The position of Crown Prince is the foundation of the country, and it is difficult to sit firmly without the support of the people and public opinion.
After nodding in agreement, Pei Xingyuan sighed softly and said with a smile, "Even so, I'm still a little unwilling."
"..."
"It's as if I've given up something."
Yuwen Ye glanced at him but didn't say anything.
In truth, he knew all along, but at this moment, he simply had to make a choice.
Just as the three of them were feeling somewhat down, they heard footsteps outside. Looking up, they saw Chang Wan standing at the door, saying softly, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, Young Master Shen has come to visit."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi looked up with delight, and Pei Xingyuan's eyes lit up instantly. He turned to look at Yuwen Ye, whose expression had also brightened, and laughed, "Hehe, someone who can think of a solution has arrived!"
After saying that, he completely disregarded the two masters and beckoned to Chang Wan: "Bring the person in quickly."
Yuwen Ye glared at him somewhat irritably, and could only nod to Chang Wan. Chang Wan hurriedly turned around and went out, and soon brought in a graceful figure, who was none other than Shen Wuzheng, whom Pei Xingyuan had been unable to summon before.
Upon seeing him, Pei Xingyuan immediately stood up and went over to him, grinning as he put his arm around his shoulder: "Hey, didn't you say you weren't coming? Why did you come anyway?"
Shen Wuzheng expressionlessly pushed him away, then cupped his hands in greeting to Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye. Shang Ruyi happily said, "Brother, you've come!"
"Um."
"My uncle—"
"I stayed home with him until he took his medicine today before coming over. Don't worry, his injuries will heal with some rest."
"That's good, that's good!"
Shang Ruyi was overjoyed, especially seeing that her cousin, who had managed to control yesterday's court struggle without ever showing himself, felt a sense of security. Yuwen Ye, though his expression was indifferent, still gave a proper bow and said, "Brother Fuming, please sit down."
Shen Wuzheng sat down calmly.
Seeing that he was ignoring him, Pei Xingyuan became annoyed. He deliberately walked around the table again to sit down next to him, and squeezed him in, saying, "You, I called you and you didn't come, I came and you followed me, and now you ignore me. Are you doing this on purpose?"
"..."
Shen Wuzheng glanced at him helplessly, then looked at Shang Ruyi's smiling face before letting out a deep breath and saying, "I was just thinking that even if I didn't come, you would definitely come and disturb them, preventing them from resting."
Pei Xingyuan immediately laughed and said, "I didn't. When I arrived, everyone was already up."
"..."
"Now is the crucial time. They don't have the mind to slack off. There are more than two thousand patients outside waiting for them to save their lives."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuzheng's expression hardened. He didn't bother to say anything more to him and immediately looked up at Yuwen Ye: "So many?"
Yuwen Ye said, "This is only the number reported last night in Chang Le Fang. If the disease breaks out again in other wards of the West City, the number will probably be more than this."
Shen Wuzheng asked, "Do you have enough medicine on hand?"
He was quite clear-headed and immediately asked about the most important thing. Shang Ruyi then told him about the medicines they had stockpiled, the results they had just calculated, the origin of the plague, and the previous looting of medicinal herbs in Daxing City. As Shen Wuzheng listened, his expression became solemn, and a dark cloud gradually settled between his brows.
Finally, Pei Xingyuan said, "Feng Chen is going to use the idea your sister came up with, and he even asked me to buy medicine, which is no problem. I'm just unwilling to accept it. If we just leave it like this, it's like giving up completely. What if someone else actually succeeds? We might gain people's hearts, but we'll lose them—that would be a pity."
"..."
Shen Wuzheng didn't speak, but only looked up at Yuwen Ye.
After a long silence, he suddenly said, "You just calculated the dosage of the medicine you had?"
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "It's settled."
Shen Wuzheng asked, "Then, have you considered the amount of medicine the other side has?"
"...!?"
Upon hearing this, the three people present were immediately taken aback.
Pei Xingyuan was the slowest to react, but he was the first to speak. He widened his eyes, pointed to the door, and although there was nothing outside, everyone knew he meant someone who wasn't there. Then he lowered his voice and said, "You mean, that person?"
Shen Wuzheng shook his head: "I'm talking about the person who scavenged medicinal herbs in Daxing City beforehand."
"..."
"This person is your 'other party'."
Everyone was taken aback again.
This time it was Shang Ruyi who spoke up. She said in a low voice, "But, brother, what I've always suspected is—"
Shen Wuzheng gently shook his head and said, "From what you have told me about your experiences so far, this matter should still be unrelated to him—not that it has nothing to do with him at all, but it should not be his doing."
"..."
"To be precise, it's more like someone did it for him."
Shang Ruyi's breathing suddenly became heavy!
Yes, ever since she was in Fufeng, she had sensed that behind Yuwen Qian, there was someone who knew more than she did. Every step they took seemed to be based on what that person knew, so every step was difficult and they almost died!
But she could never find that person, and only saw Yuwen Qian appear by her side. He was shrouded in so many mysteries, and there were things she couldn't tell others about what she knew. As a result, she always regarded Yuwen Qian as an enemy—even though she felt guilty, even though she knew that she had wronged him first, he was still an enemy!
But Shen Wuzheng's words made her suddenly realize something.
Indeed, Yuwen Qian did not do it, but it was to his advantage. The only conclusion is that this person is helping Yuwen Qian!
Who is this person?!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com