Chapter 816 In the past, it was my own fault.
Upon hearing what Yuwen Yuan said, a look of bewilderment appeared on Yuwen Qian's face. It was as if all the events that had happened over the years suddenly flooded his mind in an instant, leaving him somewhat at a loss.
After a long silence with a blank look in his eyes, he finally said softly, "Because... Uncle."
Yuwen Yuan frowned: "The Duke of Shenwu?"
"yes."
Why?
"My uncle, like my father, has been urging me to get married, have children, and establish myself over the years, but I have always put it off,"
As he spoke, he slowly raised his head, the lights of the room reflecting in his almost transparent eyes. Such eyes could not normally hide any emotions, and at this moment, they could indeed not hide anything.
Because in those transparent eyes, there was only boundless coldness and indifference.
He said, "In the past, it was my own fault."
Yuwen Yuan frowned.
Shang Ruyi's heart pounded even harder than before, and she subconsciously gripped Yuwen Ye's hand tightly with her other hand.
Yuwen Qian continued, "Just now, at my uncle's mourning hall, I recalled his voice and smile, as well as his advice and painstaking efforts over the years. It is likely that my uncle regretted this until his death. Thinking of this, I am filled with remorse."
"..."
"Your Majesty,"
As he spoke, he raised his head to look at Yuwen Yuan and solemnly said, "I finally understand the principle of 'the son wishes to care for his parents, but they are no longer there,' and I do not wish to cause Father Emperor any more trouble or sorrow. Therefore, I earnestly request Father Emperor to grant me a marriage. Firstly, my uncle's spirit is not far away and should understand my arrangements, thus putting my mind at ease; secondly, as the Crown Prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty, my early marriage will also put Father Emperor at ease."
Hearing these words, Yuwen Yuan's tightly furrowed brows did not relax, but he nodded slightly: "It is good that you can think this way."
But he still looked at Yuwen Qian with a solemn expression: "However, the Duke of Shenwu has just passed away."
"..."
“You requested to wear mourning clothes for him because he is your uncle, and because you two have always had a deep relationship, so I agreed to it. But it is inappropriate for you to ask me to bestow a marriage upon you at this time.”
Yuwen Qian said, "Your subject understands."
"..."
"But as I said, I did this so that my uncle could leave in peace. What others think or how they see it is not important."
"..."
"I believe that my uncle's spirit is not far away and can better understand my feelings."
At this point, there was indeed no reason to refuse his request.
The fact that his eldest son had left home to cultivate himself was a source of great anxiety for Yuwen Yuan, but due to certain special circumstances, he could not persuade him to return. Later, the marriage he had arranged for him was disrupted by Shang Ruyi's broken engagement and remarriage. Now, Yuwen Ye is about to have an heir, but as his elder brother, he still has not even settled down in marriage, which often keeps Yuwen Yuan awake at night.
Therefore, the fact that he took the initiative to bring up his marriage was something Yuwen Yuan had longed for in the past.
But--
Yuwen Yuan took a deep breath, staring intently at Yuwen Qian, and said, word by word, "Do you really want to marry Yu Mingyue?"
Yuwen Qian also took a deep breath, but compared to Yuwen Yuan's unwavering resolve, even with the greatest grief and the longest-awaited fulfillment, he still had to ask for an answer amidst hesitation and confusion. This breath of his seemed to be an unbearable weight of hesitation, confusion, grief, and pain, as if he had finally let go of something. In the brief silence, there was even a sense of suffocation.
He said, "Yes."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan fell silent.
The entire Liangyi Hall fell silent.
The only one who seemed relatively at ease was Yuwen Cheng, who sat next to Yuwen Qian. He opened his eyes wide, looked at his elder brother beside him, and then at his father, who had a solemn expression. He frowned, seemingly understanding but not quite. But when he met the complicated look in his second brother Yuwen Ye's eyes, his expression turned cold, as if he was somewhat impatient, waiting for his father to make the final decision.
For him, who his two older brothers married and divorced was none of his business. All he cared about was who made him happy and who made him unhappy.
Right now, what makes him unhappy is his second brother, Yuwen Ye, and his sister-in-law, Shang Ruyi.
These two people never made things easy for him from the beginning. From childhood to adulthood, Yuwen Ye treated him very harshly, and even the slightest mistake would bring him punishment and beatings. As for this second sister-in-law, Yuwen Cheng disliked her even more. Despite marrying into the Yuwen family in such a shameful way, she still pretended to be a mother to him and disciplined him. Fortunately, Yuwen Cheng also found a way to deal with her, but now he couldn't do so because of her big belly.
As for the deceased Duke Shenwu, Yuwen Cheng actually had no feelings for him, but because of the Crown Prince, the two had some dealings. He wouldn't shed a tear at his death, but he was happy to see some bloodshed and turmoil caused by his death.
After all, there is turmoil only when there are storms, and it is through turmoil that people can benefit.
Thinking of this, Yuwen Cheng deliberately chuckled and said, "Father, haven't you always been worried about my elder brother's marriage? Now that he wants to marry the eldest daughter of the Yu family, that's a good thing. Why can't Father grant my elder brother's wish, just as he did for my second brother and sister-in-law?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell into a suffocating silence.
Yuwen Yuan's brows were furrowed in worry, but Yuwen Cheng raised his head and said to Yuwen Ye, who was sitting opposite them with a cold expression, "Second brother, say something too."
"..."
"Don't you want to see your elder brother marry the woman he loves, just like you and your second sister-in-law, living in harmony and mutual affection?"
Yuwen Ye slowly raised his head, but instead of looking at his third brother who had a mocking expression as if waiting to see a good show, he looked at the Crown Prince in the brightly lit hall, whose eyes and expression were so dark that they were almost indistinguishable. Even though his eyes were sharp, he could not see Yuwen Qian's expression at this moment.
Yuwen Yuan asked, "Feng Chen, what do you want to say?"
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your subject has nothing to say. Your Majesty's marriage is something for Your Majesty to consider carefully. As your brother, I can only offer my blessings."
Yuwen Qian lowered his eyelids slightly.
Yuwen Yuan didn't speak, but glanced at Shang Ruyi beside him.
Although the marriage did cause some trouble, it did not prevent him from liking this daughter of an old friend. Nor did it prevent her from helping the Yuwen family in many ways after marrying into the family. Whether it was Xingluocang, Wanggangzhai, or the battle of Fufeng, she made contributions despite being a woman. Her existence even made up for Yuwen Yuan's regret of not having a daughter and not being able to raise a daughter of a military family. Therefore, he was willing to listen to the opinions of this calm, reserved, and intelligent daughter-in-law on many matters of the family and even some matters of the court.
But what's happening right now—
Although he could see that his usually calm and composed second daughter-in-law was pale and bewildered, seemingly at a loss about the matter.
Even panic.
After all, she had almost married Yuwen Qian, a past that existed no matter how much they tried to cover it up or keep quiet about it.
Although Yuwen Yuan was a brave and skilled warrior, it did not prevent him from being meticulous and discreet, able to perceive the subtle thoughts of those around him, especially his own son.
Yuwen Qian has always refused to marry. Even though he and Yu Mingyue are so close, their relationship goes beyond that of ordinary men and women, and their families are practically one, he still refuses to discuss marriage. Even if it's not entirely because of Shang Ruyi, it's probably related to her to some extent.
But today—
Yuwen Yuan sighed inwardly.
Hearing his sigh, Shang Ruyi's palms broke out in a cold sweat, almost soaking both of their hands. She knew very well that things had already reached a point where they couldn't be undone. The Yu family father and daughter had attacked her at Dayan Temple, angering Yuwen Ye. Even though Empress Dowager Jiang had seen through Yuwen Ye's intentions and had given him a warning, and even though she herself had tried to dissuade him, Yuwen Ye still attacked at Longmen Ferry, resulting in the death of one of the two dukes and injury to another. This had thoroughly enraged Yuwen Qian.
These two brothers have finally met their match!
In retrospect, there may have been many twists and turns in how this matter came to be, but the outcome seems to have been predetermined. All the twists and turns were just a matter of moving one step faster or one step slower towards this result.
Of course, not only Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye could think of these things, but even Yuwen Yuan, sitting solemnly in the main hall, had thought of them, which is why he asked repeatedly. And these questions were tantamount to obstruction.
But all of that was to no avail.
Yuwen Yuan slowly withdrew his solemn gaze from Shang Ruyi, and looked at Yuwen Qian, his eyes filled with an even deeper gloom than before. He remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Three days from now, I will issue an edict to bestow a marriage upon you and the eldest daughter of the Yu family. After the funeral of the Duke of Shenwu is over, I will officiate the wedding for the two of you."
Yuwen Qian immediately stood up and bowed deeply to him: "Thank you, Father Emperor, for granting my request!"
Yuwen Yuan looked at him and said, "You can go back on your word at any time during these three days. As long as you speak up, I will rescind my order. Your marriage can be discussed again later."
"..."
Yuwen Qian looked up at him and said in a low voice, "Yes."
Although he had finally resolved the biggest worry weighing on his mind, Yuwen Yuan felt no joy whatsoever. On the contrary, an unease even heavier than the death of Dong Bizheng weighed on his heart. He looked at his crown prince and said in a deep voice, "Qian'er, you just said that you made a mistake in the past."
"yes."
"I hope this decision isn't one of your own making a mistake."
Yuwen Qian looked up at him and said, "Your subject will never regret it."
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