Chapter 812 Father and Son Face Each Other
Just as Shen Wuzheng was speaking those words to Shang Ruyi with great concern, Yuwen Ye had already spurred his horse and galloped away, not only breaking the tranquility of the dark Vermilion Bird Avenue, but also shattering the deathly silence that seemed to have solidified in the palace with his hurried footsteps.
Upon hearing the news, Eunuch Yu, who was guarding outside the Liangyi Hall, hurriedly came forward and saw Yuwen Ye's tall figure walking out of the night.
He hurriedly said, "Your Highness? What's wrong—"
Yuwen Ye asked, "Has Father Emperor gone to sleep?"
"Um—, is there anything you need, Your Highness? His Majesty is already resting, so it's not good to disturb him. Whatever it is, let's talk about it tomorrow."
"I have urgent business to report to my father."
"But--"
Yu Gonggong looked at him hesitantly, just as he was in a dilemma, a deep, hoarse voice came from the tightly closed door behind him. In the pitch-black night, it carried a chilling coldness and a heavy weight, making both of them gasp for breath and their heartbeats.
"Yu Mingli, let the King of Qin in."
Yuwen Ye's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked up. The doors and windows of the Liangyi Palace were tightly closed, and he could not see what was happening inside. Although the voice sounded hoarse, it was clear that the person was very awake and had not been disturbed.
Grandpa Yu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stepped forward to push the door open a little.
"Your Highness, please."
Yuwen Ye nodded, pushed open the door, and went inside.
As soon as Yuwen Ye stepped into the Liangyi Hall, his breathing became heavy again.
The Liangyi Hall is the largest palace in the entire palace besides the main hall. As the emperor's bedroom, it is not decorated with any extravagance except for its magnificent scale, so it inevitably appears somewhat empty. Even during the day, it feels excessively tall and spacious. But at this moment, the entire hall is almost pitch black, and the surrounding walls and beams cannot be seen at all, giving people the illusion of being in endless darkness.
Fortunately, it wasn't completely dark here; there was still a candlelight ahead.
Yuwen Yuan sat at the very front of the main hall, with only a small candlestick on the table. The faint light illuminated only the small area in front of him, as if in this pitch-black night, only that little light could guide people.
Yuwen Ye slowly took one step forward, then another, each step seemingly treading on a void that would collapse at any moment, yet he walked on with unwavering determination.
Finally, she stood before Yuwen Yuan.
He bowed and kowtowed: "Your son pays respects to Your Majesty."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan's usually bright and piercing tiger eyes were now fixed on a candle flame that was trembling slightly as someone approached. Although he was looking at the firelight, his eyes were dimmer than ever before, even somewhat lifeless. Only when he heard Yuwen Ye's voice ring out in front of him did he slowly turn his eyes to look at him.
"You've come."
"yes."
"Where do you come from?"
"Your son went to the Duke's residence to offer condolences and has just returned."
"You're going to offer condolences to the Duke of Shenwu?"
"yes."
Only then did Yuwen Yuan's eyes finally move, but his pupils, reflecting the firelight, revealed a hint of coldness. He looked his son up and down and then asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Although the Battle of Longmendu was not a formal war, the Duke still died for the Emperor's cause, to quell the rebellion, and to capture the rebels alive."
"..."
"This sentiment and aspiration can be felt by Heaven and Earth."
Yuwen Yuan's eyes flickered again, and he said, "Is that what you think?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Your subject also thinks that although the Duke is dead, his will is not extinguished. As a junior, your subject should inherit his will and fight for the Emperor's great cause, devoting himself to the cause until his dying breath."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan didn't speak again. After a long silence and gazing at him, he slowly closed his eyes. When he turned to look at the lonely candlelight in front of him, there was even a trace of bewilderment in his eyes for the first time.
He said, "You came here tonight just to tell me this?"
"not only."
What else do you want to say?
"Your subject just saw your third brother at the Duke's residence."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan frowned and immediately turned to look at him, his expression somewhat surprised: "Yan Jie? Why is he back?"
Yuwen Ye said, "It seems that it was not the Emperor's decree that summoned him back."
Yuwen Yuan said, "I did not give him such an order."
"oh……"
At this point, Yuwen Ye nodded slightly and fell silent. Yuwen Yuan, however, seemed to sense something, frowning as he looked at him and asked, "Why did he come back?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Your subject only met with my third brother briefly at the Duke's residence and did not have a chance to talk in detail. However, since my third brother went to the Duke's residence before paying respects to Father Emperor after returning to Chang'an, it seems that he must have known about the Duke of Shenwu and came back to offer his condolences."
His words, though seemingly casual, explained why Yuwen Cheng had not been summoned back to the capital, but also brought to light the fact that Yuwen Cheng had not been summoned back and had been moving around the city without even paying his respects to the emperor.
Yuwen Yuan frowned again.
He said in a deep voice, "In that case, you should bring him back as well."
Yuwen Ye said, "My third brother just arrived at the Duke's residence to offer condolences, and he also has something to say to my elder brother. I thought that my elder brother has always been a good man and would surely bring my third brother back to pay respects to Father Emperor after finding out everything, so I did not interfere in this matter."
"So you came here so late at night just to tell me this?"
"Your subject has another matter to report."
"Oh? What is it?"
Yuwen Ye raised his head, looked intently at Yuwen Yuan, and calmly said, "Your subject wishes to request Your Majesty to send additional personnel to Xingluo Granary."
"Xingluocang?"
These three words made Yuwen Yuan's expression stiffen again. Although he had been immersed in grief for the past two days, at his age, what he feared most was loss, especially the departure of familiar people around him. The Duke of Shenwu, Dong Bizheng, was the person who gave him the greatest help when he and his family were in dire straits. Although such help was conditional on a marriage that he was not entirely willing to accept at the time, the Dong family did become his strongest support after that. Even when Chu Yang suspected him and tried to kill him several times, Dong Bizheng never backed down.
That "transaction" had long since transformed into an inseparable bond of kinship through his and Mrs. Dong's mutual support, the birth of their eldest son, and their shared experiences of overcoming difficulties over the years.
But just as he inherited the throne and was about to fulfill their youthful wish to unify the world and bring peace to the four seas, Dong Bizheng died.
And it was this kind of death.
He not only found it hard to believe, but also hard to accept. For the past two days, he had not attended court or seen his ministers, and had even stayed indoors, keeping watch over this dim lamp, as if trying to find some comfort in this loneliness, but he could find nothing. The emptiness in his heart grew larger and larger, and within that emptiness, an indescribable fear was gradually growing, as if the surrounding darkness was about to devour the little light in front of him, almost swallowing him whole.
However, Yuwen Yuan is, after all, Yuwen Yuan.
Upon hearing about the battle at the front, he immediately snapped out of his daze, and a glint of light flashed in his tired, bloodshot eyes.
He asked, "Xingluocang, what happened?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Ever since Shentu Tai captured Song and Xu prefectures, Liang Shide has obviously learned of our plan to send troops to Luoyang. Therefore, he has been constantly sending troops to harass us these days, trying to capture Xingluo Cang City. Yan Buhuai has been under great pressure these days. In order to avoid any mishaps, he has sent people to block the entire mountain road. Once anyone goes up the mountain, if they do not have the decree and military order of our Great Sheng Dynasty, he will immediately fire arrows as a warning. If they do not retreat, he will take immediate action."
"..."
Even so, Liang Shide did not give him much of a chance to catch his breath.
"..."
“Yan Buhuai has been guarding there for a long time. Although Xingluo Cang City is easy to defend and difficult to attack, if it is attacked for a long time without reinforcements, the morale of the people in the city will inevitably waver.”
"..."
Although he spoke quite a bit, when Yuwen Yuan heard one of his sentences, the light in his eyes intensified, and he suddenly looked up at him. Even though he was prepared, being stared at by that tiger-like eye with its restrained sharpness, as if it could see through his flesh and bones, Yuwen Ye still felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.
He knelt on the ground, silently clenching his fists behind his sleeves.
Yuwen Yuan said, "You just said that Yan Buhuai would stop anyone who went up the mountain."
"yes."
"So, besides Liang Shide's army, who else has he stopped?"
"...!"
Yuwen Ye's breath hitched.
It seems that even with such grief, and no matter how many words he tries to cover it up, it won't stop Yuwen Yuan from easily finding out the truth he wants. Yuwen Ye's clenched fists were already sweating, and for the first time, he felt that his fists were not so tight anymore.
After taking a deep breath, he finally said, "And, third brother."
Yuwen Yuan's eyes flashed: "Prince Qi?"
"yes."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan didn't speak again. Instead, he took a deep breath and suddenly said to the dark hall, "Light the lamps!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than footsteps sounded outside. Eunuch Yu led a group of palace maids in hurriedly. Their figures swayed in the dim light, and candles were lit one by one as they moved. In no time, the entire Liangyi Hall was brightly lit.
There was no longer any room for concealment between Yuwen Ye, who was kneeling in the center of the hall, and Yuwen Yuan, who was sitting in the hall looking at him.
Yuwen Yuan slowly stood up and walked step by step to Yuwen Ye. His clothes were naturally incensed after being washed, but at this moment, a martial aura belonging to him overwhelmed the incense, like an invisible iron cage, and suddenly enveloped Yuwen Ye.
He kept his head down, only hearing Yuwen Yuan's cold voice from above—
"Is this why you came to see me so late at night?"
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