Chapter 811 Who benefits from speaking first?
Just as they stepped out of the Dong residence, Shen Wuzheng immediately turned to Shang Ruyi and asked, "Are you alright?"
Seeing his somewhat nervous expression, Shang Ruyi's furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and she released her hand that had been protecting her stomach. She quickly smiled and reassured him, "Brother, don't worry, I was just putting on an act."
"..."
Looking at her smiling face and then at her belly, Shen Wuzheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Xingyuan, who was standing to the side, sneered: "I could tell that he was faking it, but you actually believed it. Brother Fuming, you are too slow to understand."
Despite his mockery, Shen Wuzheng remained unperturbed. He glanced at Shang Ruyi to confirm that she wasn't hiding anything and that there was truly nothing wrong before letting out a long sigh of relief. Seeing Shen Wuzheng's unusually "oblivious" demeanor, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but smile. She knew perfectly well how perceptive Shen Wuzheng was; he should have seen through her little trick immediately. But perhaps it was precisely because it was her—her concern clouded his judgment—that even if he could see through it, he couldn't rest easy.
So she gently reassured him, "Brother, don't worry. If it's really not a good idea, Fengchen won't just let me leave like this."
Shen Wuzheng looked up at Yuwen Ye. He did indeed seem to have everything under control, and even so, he didn't loosen his grip on Shang Ruyi's hand at all. Looking at Shang Ruyi again, Shen Wuzheng sighed softly in his heart, and only then did he feel completely relieved. He said softly, "It's alright, that's good."
Pei Xingyuan stood to the side and laughed, but after laughing, his expression gradually became serious. He sighed and said, "I thought the matter of the Duke of Shenwu was troublesome enough, but I didn't expect that the Prince of Qi would suddenly return."
At this point, everyone's breathing became heavy.
Pei Xingyuan grew up with Yuwen Ye and was naturally familiar with the Yuwen family's affairs. Shang Ruyi had also witnessed this over the years. Although Shen Wuzheng didn't know much about the Yuwen family's past affairs, with his keen insight, he had long since noticed that the relationship between Yuwen Ye and Yuwen Cheng, who were brothers from the same mother, was not harmonious but rather very bad.
Yuwen Cheng's return this time will definitely cause even more trouble for the already complicated situation.
Shang Ruyi looked at Yuwen Ye: "His injuries are really—"
Before they could finish speaking, they heard hurried footsteps coming from not far ahead. Looking up, they saw Mu Xian, whose face was solemn and anxious. He was holding a letter in his hand. He hurried over, bowed to them, and then presented the letter with both hands, saying, "Your Highness, this is a letter from Yan Buhuai sent by someone with utmost urgency."
Everyone was taken aback. They had been worried about this matter, but unexpectedly, Yan Buhuai's letter arrived.
It seems that Yuwen Cheng failed to enter Xingluo Granary and immediately turned back to Chang'an City. Yan Buhuai must have been worried that something might have happened, so he immediately sent a letter back to explain the situation, which is why they arrived one after the other.
Yuwen Ye immediately took the letter, opened it, and after reading it in a few seconds, his brows furrowed.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "The third brother's injury was indeed caused by him."
"It really is him!?"
"After Shentu Tai captured Song and Xu prefectures, Liang Shide sent men several times to try and enter Xingluo Granary, but they were all stopped. Yan Buhuai was worried that they would concentrate their forces to attack the granary city, so he sent men to patrol day and night, ready to fight at any time. Just then, someone actually tried to climb the mountain to attack the city and break into Xingluo Granary. Naturally, he immediately sent men to fire arrows as a warning, but unexpectedly—"
"Attack the city from the mountain?"
Upon hearing these four words, Shang Ruyi's eyes immediately sharpened: "Just now, the Prince of Qi said that he only—wanted to enter."
Yuwen Ye sneered. Actually, they didn't even need Yan Buhuai's letter. Just from what they'd heard from Yuwen Cheng, they knew which parts to believe and which to disbelieve. No matter how bold Yan Buhuai was, he wouldn't dare attack Prince Qi without reason. Therefore, it was clearly Yuwen Cheng who had played tricks with his words. If he insisted that he only wanted to go up the mountain and that Yan Buhuai had struck first, then Yan Buhuai's guilt would be sealed!
Yuwen Ye added, "Yan Buhuai realized something was wrong, and after the King of Qi's unsuccessful attack, he didn't linger and left immediately. Fearing that he would return to Chang'an to make trouble, he immediately sent me a letter."
Yuwen Cheng's return couldn't possibly be solely for the purpose of mourning Dong Bizheng; he didn't have that deep a relationship with the Duke of Shenwu.
Moreover, someone as vindictive as him shouldn't suffer such an injury in vain.
Shen Wuzheng frowned and thought for a moment, then immediately said, "Given Prince Qi's impulsive nature, he must have already learned about the Duke's matter. As soon as he returned to Chang'an, he came here to cause trouble for you, Your Highness, without having had a chance to go to the palace to complain to His Majesty."
Yuwen Ye nodded.
Shen Wuzheng said, "Therefore, this time is usable!"
"..."
"And it has to be fast!"
Hearing this, Yuwen Ye looked up at him again, only to see Shen Wuzheng looking at the brightly lit Duke's mansion not far behind him, and said, "Prince Qi should have already told the Crown Prince the truth by now, and His Highness the Crown Prince—although affected by the death of the Duke, I can tell from his character that he is not someone who will only wallow in grief."
"..."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Crown Prince will either send Prince Qi back to the palace immediately, or he will go with Prince Qi to report this matter to His Majesty."
"..."
"Your Highness should return to the palace immediately. At this time, whoever speaks first will have the advantage."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye immediately turned around and saw a commotion inside the Dong residence, as if someone was calling for the preparation of carriages and horses.
Yuwen Ye immediately said, "Get in the carriage, we're going back to the palace right away."
As they spoke, they immediately returned to the carriage. Yuwen Ye first helped Shang Ruyi into the carriage, and just as he was about to get on himself, Shang Ruyi reached out and stopped him, saying, "At this time, it's faster to ride a horse. You go first."
Yuwen Ye was taken aback: "Then you—"
Shang Ruyi said, "With such a big belly, if the carriage goes too fast and is too bumpy, it will make me sick."
"..."
"So, ride back to the palace and explain things to your father first."
Shen Wuzheng, standing to the side, nodded slightly upon hearing this: "Ruyi is right. Your Highness, you should return to the palace first. At this time, speaking first will definitely be useful. Protecting Xingluo Granary is the most important thing."
This time, Yuwen Ye reacted quickly. He immediately turned around, took a horse's reins from the guard who had followed him, swiftly leaped onto the horse, and then turned back to instruct Mu Xian: "You all stay here and escort the Princess back to the palace. If anything goes wrong—"
Mu Xian immediately replied, "I understand."
Yuwen Ye nodded, glanced at Shang Ruyi, then immediately turned his horse around and galloped away like an arrow.
Soon, his figure disappeared into the night.
Shang Ruyi sat in the carriage, awkwardly moving to the edge of the bed. She watched as the dark night at the end of the long street completely swallowed up Yuwen Ye's figure before letting out a deep breath. She then turned to Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan and said, "Brother, Lord Pei, you should go back first. If there is any news here, I will have Feng Chen send you a message immediately."
Pei Xingyuan didn't waste any time, only saying, "Then, Your Highness, please be careful on your journey."
Shang Ruyi nodded, and Pei Xingyuan turned and walked back to his carriage.
Shen Wuzheng did not leave immediately. He remained standing beside Shang Ruyi's carriage, watching Shang Ruyi wave goodbye to him and then lower the curtain to prepare to go back. There seemed to be a trace of worry in his eyes, and even the wrinkles between his brows were deeper than before.
He suddenly said, "As you wish."
"Um?"
Upon hearing his voice, Shang Ruyi hurriedly lifted the curtain again, met Shen Wuzheng's deep eyes, and whispered, "Brother, what do you want to say?"
Shen Wuzheng looked into her clear and bright eyes, which shone with an unusual light even in the darkness of the night. They were not only captivating, but also evoked a sense of closeness and warmth from the bottom of his heart. So many times, he had wanted to help his little sister stay away from danger and darkness, but the truth was that he could not take her away. And she was never afraid of danger or darkness.
Shen Wuzheng took a deep breath and then said, "From now on, try to stay away from the Crown Prince."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback.
That sounds rather strange.
Although Shen Wuzheng cared for her meticulously, even in the smallest details, it felt strange that he was admonishing her to stay away from the Crown Prince, as if she were of questionable character. Moreover, she knew better than anyone that Yuwen Qian was their adversary. Even now, Yuwen Ye hadn't clearly explained to her whether Yuwen Qian was a "good person" or what he meant by "inner demons." From the very beginning, Shang Ruyi had never included him in her camp.
Of course, she would never get close to him, and she had never made a mistake in this matter over the years.
Why would Shen Wuzheng give himself such advice?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown slightly and said softly, "Brother, why are you telling me this? I, I have no relationship with the Crown Prince."
Shen Wuzheng immediately shook his head: "I wasn't talking about your character."
As he spoke, he looked back again. At this moment, the noise inside the Dong residence seemed to have subsided somewhat, but there were still figures moving around inside, as if some people had already left, obviously preparing to return to the palace.
He said, "I don't know what kind of person the Crown Prince was in the past, but he is now—"
"now?"
Upon hearing those two words, and recalling the sight of Yuwen Qian dressed in black at the mourning hall, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat: "Brother, do you feel that the Crown Prince is different from before?"
Shen Wuzheng thought for a moment and said, "Although we have dealt with him in the past, we have never faced him head-on. We have never truly experienced the Crown Prince's thoughts and methods. In other words, we have never understood him."
"..."
"He knows us well, but we know nothing about him."
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