Chapter 1099 Earrings
The tent was pulled open by a rough, large hand, and a soldier walked in.
Shang Ruyi asked, "What is it?"
The soldier walked up to her, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Highness, these are the things you lost. The General ordered me to bring them to you."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hands in front of Shang Ruyi. Shang Ruyi frowned slightly and looked down. In his rough palms was an earring.
Upon seeing that it was an earring, and hearing that he said Xiao Yuansui had asked him to bring it, Shang Ruyi immediately thought that it must be the pair that had been prepared for her along with her clothes when she took a bath. They probably realized they hadn't taken it when they were packing up, so they brought it over. But upon closer inspection, her heart skipped a beat.
The man had only one earring, and it was pure gold, unlike the pearl earring he had just worn.
Moreover, some of them looked familiar.
Shang Ruyi reached out and picked it up, examining it closely as her breathing gradually became heavy.
She recognized it as the earring she had accidentally lost along the way when she moved from Taiyuan to Luoyang with Yuwen Ye.
Now, thinking back, she remembered that the earring was lost when they encountered Xiao Yuansui, who was being chased by Wang Shaoji and was hiding under their carriage. It seemed that the earring had fallen into the carriage at that time and was picked up by Xiao Yuansui who was hiding under the carriage.
I never expected him to keep it...
At this moment, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but be moved. She reached out and gently picked up the earring. It had been lost for four or five years, but it was still brand new and shiny, as if it had been touched countless times to achieve its luster.
Looking at the somewhat dazzling golden light, Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "I understand. You may leave."
The soldier saluted, turned, and left.
After he left, the entire tent became so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Shang Ruyi looked at the golden earring, its light almost blinding, and then at the crumpled ball of paper she had made. Her heart felt as if it had been crumpled as well.
After a long silence, she finally stood up as if she had made up her mind and walked out of the blood-soaked tent.
Outside, it was pitch black.
The night wind in the wilderness was colder than elsewhere, even biting. Shang Ruyi shivered slightly. Looking around, she saw several campfires burning brightly in the distance, their flames outlining the general shape of the camp. She immediately recognized the largest and brightest tent.
As she walked along, several patrolling soldiers passed by, but none of them stopped or questioned her.
She walked unimpeded to the front of the main tent. The two soldiers guarding outside showed no surprise at seeing her, as if they had known she would come. Before she could speak, one of them immediately turned and went inside to report, then turned back and said, "Your Highness, the General is waiting for you inside."
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly and nodded gently: "Thank you."
Then, she went into the large tent.
Compared to the strong smell of blood she had just smelled in the green silk tent, the smell in this large tent was surprisingly refreshing. However, it was just a slightly damp and cold feeling. Shang Ruyi walked from one cold place to another, but for some reason, she broke out in a cold sweat, which immediately soaked her clothes and made them sticky.
She endured the discomfort, and when she looked up, she met a pair of eyes that were sharp yet contained a hint of a smile.
So that's what his eyes look like.
Things she had never understood before seemed to become clear at this moment. Even the fact that Xiao Yuansui sat calmly behind his desk, but his hand on the desk unconsciously tightened slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged out, all fell into Shang Ruyi's eyes. She sighed softly in her heart.
Xiao Yuansui said, "You've arrived."
Shang Ruyi glanced back briefly; the two soldiers guarding outside had already closed the tent flap. When she turned to look at Xiao Yuansui, her gaze gradually calmed: "The General knew I was coming."
Xiao Yuansui smiled and said, "I just hope you will come, so I am waiting for you here, but I really can't be sure if you will come or not."
"..."
"After all, I've never been able to figure you out."
Shang Ruyi said, "Oh?"
Seeing her raise her eyebrows slightly, as if she didn't believe him, Xiao Yuansui slowly stood up, walked around the table towards her, and said, "When I thought you were a gentle and quiet lady from a noble family, you were bold and daring; when I thought you would enjoy peace under the protection of the Yuwen family, you didn't hesitate to personally enter the tiger's den; when I thought you would definitely die in Jiangdu Palace, you survived against all odds."
"..."
“I know everything you’ve been through over the years, but every single one of them has been unexpected.”
"..."
"So, I can't guess what you'll do."
"..."
"I just hope you'll come tonight."
"..."
Shang Ruyi watched him quietly for a while, then said, "I'm here. Now guess what I'm going to say to you."
Xiao Yuansui looked at her silently for a while, then shook his head: "I can't guess."
Shang Ruyi suddenly chuckled softly, slowly raised her right hand, her fingertips twirling the swaying, shimmering golden earring, and said, "You've kept this for so long, and now you've had it delivered to me at this hour tonight. What do you want me to say to you?"
Xiao Yuansui's gaze immediately focused on the earring.
Shang Ruyi had always felt that although this person was handsome, his face paled in comparison to his eyes. Xiao Yuansui had eyes that were too shrewd and too outstanding. Even when he was fleeing, his face was dark, his hair and beard were a mess, and he looked like a wild man, she could still spot those bright eyes at a glance. But now, those eyes were looking at the earring in her hand, and they were even brighter than usual.
Perhaps, eyes full of hope are always the most beautiful eyes in the world.
Xiao Yuansui's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and then he said, "Actually, I took this for a selfish reason back then."
"oh?"
“I had nothing of value and was hiding under your carriage when this earring happened to fall through a gap in the carriage floor. I picked it up, originally intending to sell it for a few dollars if things got really bad, to live as long as I could.”
"That--"
"But I never sold it."
"..."
"It's because of the bag of dry food you gave me later."
"..."
"It's also because of you."
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