Chapter 487 Some things are unsolvable.
Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi was completely awake.
Yuwen Ye —
But, very early in the morning!
She still felt weak and powerless from last night's drunkenness. Even if she hadn't, she would normally be completely unable to resist this man. But even so, she turned her head away from his burning lips and whispered, "No, I can't!"
Upon hearing just those two words, the person on top of him began to breathe even more heavily.
Ignoring Shang Ruyi's attempts to dodge, he lowered his head, grabbed her chin, and was about to kiss her again. But Shang Ruyi didn't dare give him another chance. Taking advantage of the moment he released one of her hands, she immediately reached out and blocked his and her lips.
A pair of pitiful eyes stared at the eyes so close to hers, eyes red with anxiety: "It's already dawn!"
"..."
Today, they are going back to Daxing, and everyone outside is busy preparing for it.
If they both still—
How can we set off then?
Besides, everyone is awake. If someone hears the noise inside the house, how is she supposed to survive?
Seeing Shang Ruyi's embarrassed and anxious expression, Yuwen Ye understood, but his breath grew even hotter—especially when he thought of the drunken state he saw when he came back last night. He was aroused, but she fell asleep as soon as she lay down. He finally got through the night and woke up early, only to find her in that state again.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, bent down, and kissed her forcefully.
This time, Shang Ruyi no longer resisted and obediently let him take what he wanted. After a long time, her lips were almost swollen and numb before he finally let her go.
Shang Ruyi's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were moist as she looked at the person on top of her. But then she saw Yuwen Ye suddenly turn over and sit on the edge of the bed, his back muscles tense, his whole body stiff as a steel plate, and then he let out a few heavy breaths.
The intense heat in the air seemed to have subsided somewhat.
After a while, he turned around and stared at Shang Ruyi with a fierce look: "From now on, you are not allowed to get drunk again."
"……ah?"
"And you are absolutely forbidden from getting drunk in front of others!"
"..."
Shang Ruyi was still a little confused, wondering why she had suddenly been given such a "ban". Did she get drunk last night and cause him some trouble? But she didn't dare to ask any more questions and just nodded obediently.
Yuwen Ye then gave a soft hum and turned his head away.
Before long, the people outside heard the noise from inside the house. Tushe'er and Woxue quickly came in to help the two of them get up, wash, and dress. After they ate something casually, the team outside was ready to depart.
So they led their men outside.
Dai Junliang and other officials naturally came to see him off, and the people of Fufeng also lined the road to bid him farewell. Some were even reluctant to part and shed tears. Yuwen Ye simply waved slightly to the people, which drew cheers from the crowd. He didn't say much, but after mounting his horse, he thought for a moment, then lowered his head and glanced at Dai Junliang, who had come to see him off.
Dai Junliang seemed to sense something as well, and stepped forward a few steps: "General."
Yuwen Ye said, "After Xue Xian's death, Longxi will be free from major disasters, and Fufeng should be able to enjoy a period of peace. However, this place is still the gateway between Daxing and the west, so I hope that you will take good care of it, Lord Dai."
Dai Junliang immediately replied, "This humble official will certainly do his duty faithfully and live up to the General's merits in this battle."
After saying that, he thought for a moment, then looked at Yuwen Ye solemnly and said, "We also wish the Second Young Master all the best in the future, peace without war, and victory in every battle."
Hearing these words, Shang Ruyi, who was riding on horseback beside him, felt a slight stirring in her heart.
Dai Junliang was the garrison commander of Fufeng. To him, Yuwen Ye was merely a general dispatched by the imperial court. Therefore, it was perfectly fine for him to address Yuwen Ye as "General" in his first sentence. However, his second sentence addressed Yuwen Ye as "Second Young Master," and his words of blessing seemed much more intimate.
It seems that what I said that day was not wrong.
Although he was just a garrison commander in Fufeng, Dai Junliang was not only good at fighting. He had clearly seen the changes in the political landscape of Daxing City and the court, and through this battle, he also saw the undercurrents between the two Yuwen brothers.
Therefore, his use of the title "Second Young Master" clearly indicated his attitude.
Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had also understood.
However, he remained calm and simply nodded slightly. Then he straightened up, and after Dai Junliang took two steps back, Yuwen Ye raised his hand and waved it forcefully. The huge team then marched forward in a grand manner, and soon left Fufeng, heading towards Daxing City.
It was already September, and the weather had cooled down a bit.
Because of their victory and the prospect of receiving rewards upon their return, the soldiers were in high spirits. They had covered most of the distance in a single day, and that night they set up camp on a grassy, open area near a forest to rest for the night before heading back to Daxing the next day.
After everyone had started a fire and finished cooking, Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and then said to Yuwen Ye, "Remember to have someone remind the people below not to fetch water from the river."
Because of Yuwen Ye's illness, Shang Ruyi was still wary of the Xiaolin River. Before setting off, she had someone fetch enough water from the upper reaches of the river for the next two days. On the return trip, she deliberately chose a route that was some distance from the riverbank, for fear that someone might touch the river water.
Seeing her cautious manner, Yuwen Ye couldn't help but laugh.
He said, "Didn't I already have someone burn down that mound of Jingguan? Besides, with such heavy rain a few days ago, even if the river was really polluted by that mound of Jingguan, it should be fine by now."
Shang Ruyi said, "One should always be wary of others. The same applies to illness."
Yuwen Ye smiled and shook his head.
Although he felt that Shang Ruyi was being a bit too cautious, he still followed her advice and had Mu Xian and others reiterate to various parts of the army that they were not allowed to fetch water from the nearby river. After all, the army he brought back consisted of 100,000 men, and once they returned to the court and received their official appointments, they would become his future Tian Ce Army. He did not want any epidemic to spread in the army before that.
Soon, campfires flickered all around, and the aroma of food began to waft out, with roasted meat sizzling and glistening with oil.
While others might be fine with the smell, Shan Tong'er couldn't stop drooling.
Seeing his eyes glued to the sizzling meat on the fire, even Yuwen Ye couldn't help but purse his lips. Shang Ruyi laughed and waved her hand in front of his eyes, saying, "If you keep looking, your eyeballs will fall out."
"Huh?"
Shan Tong'er suddenly came to her senses and smiled shyly: "Sister Ruyi."
Shang Ruyi laughed and said, "Didn't you eat lunch? How come you're still so hungry?"
Shan Tong muttered, "There are only dry biscuits for lunch, no meat."
Everyone laughed upon hearing this.
As they were talking, a gust of wind suddenly blew, making the campfire shake and smoke hit Shan Tong'er's face, making him cough. But he didn't care about the smoke on his face, he was only focused on the meat on the rack. He hurriedly reached out to block the wind, but he couldn't block it at all.
Just then, a tall figure walked over and sat down abruptly in the upwind position.
The flames immediately reignited.
Shan Tong was overjoyed. He looked up and immediately smiled, his eyes crinkling, "Seventh Brother!"
The person sitting there like a mountain, completely blocking out the wind, was none other than Shen Tu Tai. He smiled and bowed respectfully to Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, then chuckled, "Ninth Brother, you're not a vegetarian anymore?"
Shan Tong'er hurriedly waved his hand, "I don't want to eat anymore, I don't want to eat anymore."
"Why?"
"If we continue to eat vegetarian food, we won't be able to beat Xue Xian."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai immediately threw his head back and let out a thunderous, deafening laugh.
Although his laughter was so loud it hurt people's ears, laughter is laughter, and something joyful can always bring joy to others, so Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh too.
Speaking of which, the first time she met this person in Yanyue City was also at night, under the moonlight. She only felt that this person looked like a tiger and spoke like thunder. In addition, with his reputation, she couldn't help but have the impression that "this person must be difficult to get along with". However, after spending half a month with him, she found that this person was actually very kind and cheerful. He often made the little boy Shan Tong'er happy. He was even easier to get along with than Nie Chong, who had followed him before and was not stern.
Shang Ruyi smiled and then glanced at Yuwen Ye beside her.
Although he pursed his lips, he didn't smile much. Shang Ruyi also noticed that he had become less talkative on the way from Fufeng to Daxing. Several times, while riding on horseback, he seemed to be deep in thought.
The closer he got to Daxing City, the more solemn his expression became.
At this moment, Shan Tong'er said again, "Seventh Brother, you're really amazing. I wanted to work with Second Brother Yuwen to take down Xue Xian, but we failed. But as soon as you arrived, the two of you subdued him. By the way, where have you been these days?"
Shen Tu Tai looked up at Yuwen Ye, who was sitting opposite him, his cold eyes appearing even more profound in the flickering firelight. He smiled and said, "After you left, we stayed in Yanyue City for a while longer."
"Why?"
"We want to see what happens after Wanggangzhai?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of confusion appeared in Shantong'er's large eyes, but within that confusion lingered a touch of sadness. He asked softly, "Then, what happened to the village afterward?"
"After that, most of the people in the village dispersed."
"..."
"Xiao Yuansui took the rest of the people who were still willing to follow him and went to Luoyang, leaving only a small number of people to guard the place. But without a leader, there was not much food left—Wanggang Village had actually fallen apart."
When he said the last two words, his deep and loud voice became low and finally turned into a sigh.
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but sigh softly.
Speaking of which, Wanggangzhai was once a rebel force that gave the imperial court a lot of headaches. They even occupied Xingluocang and their momentum was so great that they threatened the Eastern Capital. But unexpectedly, in less than a year, they ended up in their current state.
What made her feel even more complicated was that this disintegration was not in Wang Quyi's hands, but in Xiao Yuansui's hands.
To be honest, he was a man of outstanding talent and decisiveness, but he failed to lead Wanggangzhai to prosperity. Instead, he caused this once powerful military stronghold to fall apart in his hands. Even though they were once enemies, it is still a pity.
Shang Ruyi murmured, "How could it have been ruined by him?"
Although the surroundings were noisy, everyone around the campfire had good hearing and was close by, so they all heard it. Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai immediately smiled: "Could it be that it wasn't because the Second Young Master intervened?"
A glint of light flashed in Yuwen Ye's eyes.
Shang Ruyi also subconsciously looked at him.
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a long time, then picked up a piece of dry wood and poked the fire, making it burn brighter. The flames reflected in his eyes, as if something was boiling there too, but when he spoke, his voice was as calm as if it had been frozen: "The fate of Wanggang Village has little to do with me."
"...!?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at him in astonishment.
Not only the people gathered around the campfire, but also Mu Xianchengqiao and some other soldiers nearby looked surprised upon hearing this.
Wasn't Wanggang Village torn apart by his attack alone with a single sword?
Why did he say that it had little to do with him?
Facing the puzzled looks of the crowd, Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Wanggang Village did indeed begin to collapse after my attack, but my attack was not the reason for its collapse."
"..."
"In other words, even if I don't fight, or if I'm not the one who fights, Wanggangzhai will eventually fall apart."
"..."
"Or rather, if it weren't for the incident that happened in Wanggangzhai first, I wouldn't have gone to Wanggangzhai with a knife at that time."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened even more.
Shen Tu Tai frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "You mean, Xiao Yuan Sui killed the leader?"
Yuwen Ye nodded calmly.
He said, “Wang Quyi is not as talented as Xiao Yuansui, nor as wise as Xiao Yuansui. In many ways, he is inferior to Xiao Yuansui. But he did the right thing and only made one mistake—taking in Xiao Yuansui.”
"..."
"It was this incident that destined Wanggang Village to fall apart after Xiao Yuansui killed him."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai and Shan Tong'er subconsciously exchanged a glance.
They all nodded silently.
In fact, they may not agree with Wang Quyi's actions on many issues, but his loyalty is indeed the reason why Wanggangzhai was able to gather these people together; and Xiao Yuansui was taken in by him when he was in his most desperate situation, but in the end, he repaid kindness with enmity.
This one incident alone was hard for everyone in Wanggangzhai to accept.
Yuwen Ye continued, “In this world, there are some things that are unsolvable—if you don’t do them, you will die; if you do them, you will be utterly defeated in your beliefs and despised by the world.”
"..."
"For example, brothers fighting each other."
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