Chapter 851 I will be completely ruined!
The wedding banquet didn't end too late. After 9 PM, the guests, still tipsy and in high spirits, left the Crown Prince's residence and went home, each carrying their own thoughts and feelings.
The King of Qin and his queen were the first to leave.
It wasn't just because of his status that His Highness Prince Qin couldn't stay at the Crown Prince's residence to drink and make merry with everyone; it was also because halfway through the drinking session, the young prince suddenly started crying. Everyone treated this beloved eldest grandson of the emperor with even more deference than Prince Qi. Even those who were somewhat drunk dared not force him to stay any longer and all bid farewell to Prince Qin and Princess Qin.
Shen Wuzheng stayed behind because Pei Xingyuan and several other officials were drinking and he was afraid that Pei Xingyuan would cause trouble, so he stayed to take care of him.
But when he was seeing off the King of Qin, he whispered something in Yuwen Ye's ear.
Soon, these words disappeared into the night along with the King of Qin's carriage.
Although it was completely dark, the carriage was not moving very fast, and the carriage was swaying slightly. This allowed Yuanzi, who was being held in Shang Ruyi's arms, to sleep relatively soundly. She was blowing bubbles with her little mouth pouting, and her peaceful and cute appearance eased the anxiety that had lasted all night.
Shang Ruyi smiled and lowered her head, gently pressing her cheek against her son's chubby cheek.
Then she raised her head and looked at Yuwen Ye.
His face was flushed; he had just drunk quite a bit, but Shang Ruyi knew he wasn't drunk. In fact, he was very sober, as could be sensed from the even, long breaths that had been ringing in her ears since he got into the carriage.
However, he kept his eyes closed, and if it weren't for his clear breathing, he would have looked as if he were asleep.
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, then glanced at him again.
Finally, on the third glance, Yuwen Ye slowly opened one eye and looked down at her: "What do you want to ask me?"
Shang Ruyi's breathing tightened subconsciously. She almost opened her mouth impatiently, but her lips moved but she couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Everything that happened tonight, every action, every word, and even every breath of Yuwen Qian shocked and surprised her. It was as if she had suddenly entered a demon realm and everything had been turned upside down.
After struggling for a long time, she finally whispered, "What exactly does the Crown Prince want to do?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he slowly widened his eyes, looked at her for a while, and then suddenly asked, seemingly out of the blue, "Do you think the Crown Prince likes you?"
"No,"
Almost instinctively, Shang Ruyi immediately shook her head. After shaking her head, she thought for a moment and said seriously, "But he... he has always made me feel that he likes me."
"...!"
After she finished speaking, she saw a glint of light flash in Yuwen Ye's eyes, a joy that was both delightful and appreciative. But he didn't let this emotion last long. He pursed his lips and said, "You do have self-awareness."
The phrase "self-awareness" made Shang Ruyi realize something while affirming herself.
She said, "So he—"
Yuwen Ye said, "Yes, he just wants you to feel that he likes you."
"Why?"
"Why,"
Yuwen Ye repeated the three words, then looked up and thought for a moment before saying, "Because in this world, there are too many ordinary women who are almost powerless against a man's advances, especially those of a man like him."
Shang Ruyi frowned, but couldn't refute those words.
Actually, from another perspective, given her looks and status, she believed that if she were to show affection to an ordinary man, he would have almost no resistance. But—
She asked, "So what?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Your relationship with him was destined to be hostile even before you met, wasn't it?"
Shang Ruyi nodded.
This point is self-evident; even Yuwen Qian himself said that in the eyes of the world, it was Shang Ruyi who abandoned him, Yuwen Qian. No matter what her reasons or hardships were, the one who was hurt was the innocent young master Yuwen. Shang Ruyi could not refute this.
Yuwen Ye looked down at her again, a half-smile on his face, and said, "But after he came back and met you, he's been very good to you, even—very gentle, right?"
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
That is also a fact.
In fact, she thought more than Yuwen Ye did. She had imagined being blamed, provoked, and hostile by Yuwen Qian, and even—like tonight—being threatened with death.
However, from their brief, insignificant encounter in Yanyue City, to their meeting at Dayan Temple, and then to their solitary time together at Yuwen Mansion in Dongdu that night, Yuwen Qian not only treated her with a calm and gentle demeanor, but his words, eyes, and actions also carried an unspeakable ambiguity.
This is what Shang Ruyi has always understood: he wants himself to feel that he likes himself.
but why?
She looked up at Yuwen Ye: "What is his purpose in doing this?"
Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and said, "If an ordinary woman does something wrong and knows she will be blamed, she will be very nervous and fearful. But just when she is full of fear and wariness, she is suddenly treated gently—and the person who treats her gently is a man from a prestigious family who has devoted himself to cultivation and is now back in the mortal world, still with the same appearance and character as him."
He paused for a moment, then looked at Shang Ruyi again. Although there was still a smile in his eyes, it had grown much colder.
He asked, "What kind of feelings do you think this woman would have?"
Shang Ruyi felt a chill run down her spine from the coldness in his eyes, and suddenly felt a chill in her hands and feet. She said, "I will... I will be unaware of what's going on, I will fall for it!"
She herself came from a prestigious family and had the elegant and handsome Shen Wuzheng by her side since childhood. When she got married, she met the handsome and dignified Yuwen Ye. Later, she met Chu Yang, who was as handsome as an immortal. Apart from these people, even if we only talk about Pei Xingyuan, Xiao Yuansui, Hua Ziying, and even Wang Shao and Wang Shaoqiu, whom she hated to the extreme, they were all exceptionally handsome.
Even having seen such "worldly things," it is undeniable that Yuwen Qian's handsomeness is rare in the world.
Back in Yanyue City, even though Yuwen Qian was masked, she was still captivated and deeply impressed by his refined and elegant demeanor. Their later meeting at Dayan Temple, in retrospect, seemed more like a premeditated and stunning entrance. Every movement, every breath, and even every word of that verse was filled with a fatal allure.
Given his unusual background and gentle demeanor, it would be incredibly easy for a woman to fall in love with him.
Shang Ruyi felt a chill seeping into her heart.
"What if I really...?"
Yuwen Ye's eyes gradually turned cold, his calm demeanor tinged with a hint of sternness. He said, "When he returned, he helped Father Emperor take Chang'an without bloodshed. At that time, he had already met Yu Mingyue, so he must have known that Father Emperor would one day seize power and become emperor. He and I would be the crown prince and princes, respectively. And you would be my queen consort."
"yes."
"If a princess falls in love with the crown prince... what do you think will happen?"
"..."
The chill seeping from her heart gradually permeated her limbs and body. Shang Ruyi felt icy cold all over, as if her blood was about to freeze. When she spoke, her throat tightened, and she squeezed out a hoarse voice: "I'm... finished."
If she was truly the "ordinary woman" Yuwen Ye described, if she truly believed Yuwen Qian liked her, if she was truly attracted to Yuwen Qian, if she had truly fallen into that gentle trap...
The two of them hooked up.
Princess Qin of the Great Sheng Dynasty, and the Crown Prince, were having an affair...
The mere thought of this outcome sent shivers down her spine.
But Yuwen Ye looked at her more calmly, and when he spoke, his voice was even colder: "It's not you who's finished, it's me."
"..."
“I told you from the beginning that the only way for me to compete for the position of Crown Prince is through military merit. If my wife and the Crown Prince—or even if he is not the Crown Prince—are to have an affair with another man, it would be enough to make me lose face and cause my prestige in the army to plummet.”
"..."
“But he is the crown prince. No matter how angry Father Emperor is, he can’t do anything to him. But for the sake of face, even if you are the daughter of an old friend, Father Emperor will not keep you.”
"..."
"With the hatred of having my wife stolen and the hatred of having my wife killed, how could I possibly be trusted by my father again? He would not dare to let me lead troops, fearing that I would be detrimental to the Crown Prince."
"..."
"In this way, not only will I be unable to compete for the position of Crown Prince, but I will also be a pathetic King of Qin."
"..."
"It's easier and more thorough to defeat me than to do so in the court or on the battlefield."
"..."
"I will be completely ruined!"
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi felt as if her blood had frozen solid.
At that moment, everything from the past flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. Each scene was like a knife cutting a gash into her body, a pain that wasn't fatal but was dense and relentless, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. She suddenly looked up at Yuwen Ye and said, word by word, "His target, from beginning to end, has always been you!"
Yuwen Ye said, "Yes."
At this point, he took another deep breath and said, "He has been very cautious with you, and he probably already knew about you before he met you at Daiyan Temple."
"What's the meaning?"
“He probably knew that you were not the kind of ‘ordinary woman’ who could be attracted by just a little bit of gentleness and kindness. So, during the Battle of Fufeng, he deliberately gave you those two sachets to make you feel that he cared about you.”
"..."
“At that time, we didn’t understand his intentions, but now that we know Yu Mingyue’s background and role, his actions are not so complicated.”
"..."
"He knew I would fall ill, so the sachet was meaningless."
Shang Ruyi clenched her fists tightly. Although her fingers were ice-cold and she felt no pain even though her nails were digging into her palms, she was more lucid than ever before: "But if he really liked me as much as he said, he should have warned me not to go when he knew there would be a plague in Fufeng, or even stopped me."
"yes."
“He came to Fufeng to help me through this difficult time, just so that I would understand his kindness and want to get along with him again.”
"right."
At this point, everything seemed to have come to light, even to the point of being glaringly obvious. Shang Ruyi suddenly chuckled softly, and when she looked at Yuwen Ye again, she said seriously, "I have never been deceived by him."
Yuwen Ye looked at her calmly and said, "As I just said, if you were—an ordinary woman."
"..."
"But how could my women, Yuwen Ye's women, be ordinary?"
Shang Ruyi chuckled softly again.
Speaking of which, loving and being loved are things that cannot be seen or touched, and are even somewhat mysterious. However, only the person who loves and is loved can feel this mystery. As for Yuwen Qian... apart from his handsome appearance, elegant demeanor, and ambiguous attitude, he did not make her feel liked.
Moreover, although she lost both her parents at a young age and suffered for a few days, she was well loved from childhood to adulthood thanks to the meticulous care of her uncle and aunt, the doting protection of her cousin Shen Wuzheng, and the affection of Yuwen Ye.
Therefore, a rich girl like her isn't someone who can be easily captivated by a man just by snapping his fingers.
Moreover, love is invisible and intangible, but some things are clearly laid out on the table—during the Battle of Taiyuan, she was kidnapped by Ashina Zhuxie. Yuwen Ye was willing to disregard his position as crown prince and not even enter Taiyuan City, but immediately led his troops deep into the heart of the Turkic territory, risking his life to rescue her. Yet, Yuwen Qian did not send out a single soldier from beginning to end.
What kind of liking is this?
Yuwen Ye continued, "But he still put in some effort, knowing what would move you, and he probably even knew about your relationship with Chu Yang..."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback: "You mean, before Yanyue City, he had seen me, and he had even seen me with—"
Yuwen Ye said, "I'm just guessing."
Shang Ruyi frowned but didn't speak. There was no point in dwelling on these things now. Even if Yuwen Qian had really seen her before in Yanyue City, he was just a more cunning and scheming person.
It was also he who was determined to deal with Yuwen Ye, and even wanted to destroy his evidence.
Therefore, his strange emotions by the lake at the Crown Prince's residence tonight were because he had not fallen into the Crown Prince's trap and had not been used by the Crown Prince to easily eliminate Yuwen Ye, who posed the greatest threat to him—his own cause had caused the Crown Prince's effect!
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and looked up at Yuwen Ye: "Just who is he?!"
"..."
"If he really was like that, and was determined to get rid of you, why were you so—" when you met at Daigan Temple, and he so "respectful" towards you.
Yuwen Ye's pupils seemed to be startled.
After a long silence, he said calmly, "He and I are brothers, aren't we?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him: "Isn't that right?"
This time, Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Of course. You didn't see wrong."
"..."
"He and I were indeed once very close, like brothers."
Shang Ruyi's brows furrowed into a knot, and the word "once" was like a slit in the fog before her eyes, allowing a glimmer of light to shine through and illuminate the truth right before her.
She asked, "What happened between you two?"
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