Chapter 704 Head-to-Head!
Yuwen Qian said, "It is to congratulate you all on your safe return."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at the throng of people ahead. Although he had not entered this city gate since the capture of Taiyuan, he had been stationed here for many years with his father, who had served as the Pacification Commissioner of Shanxi. He was already familiar with every blade of grass, every tree, and even every brick and tile.
At this moment, countless torches were raised high on and off the city walls, and one could clearly see many crisscrossing dents on the city walls and gates, marks left by swords and axes after a great battle; even at the foot of the city walls, there was some dark brown mud that smelled faintly of fish, the dried bloodstains that had not been completely cleaned.
That bloody battle that night, though fought in vain, is still vivid in my memory.
The mere mention of the word "peace" feels ironic.
But there was no sarcasm on his face, because the eyes that were staring at him, illuminated by the firelight, appeared even more transparent, almost transparent enough to see right through, yet revealing no hidden meaning. Yuwen Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you, elder brother."
Yuwen Qian shook his head.
He said, "But Fengchen, you shouldn't have left without a word, and you shouldn't have left without telling me at all. You were going to the Turks, and you were going to save your younger brother and sister-in-law."
"..."
"If you had said so earlier, I—"
Yuwen Ye interrupted him, saying calmly, "It's alright, this is a matter between Ruyi and me, it shouldn't trouble you, elder brother."
"..."
Yuwen Qian's bluish-gray, almost transparent eyes dimmed slightly at that moment.
After a long silence, he seemed to smile again, but at that moment a gust of wind blew, dimming the surrounding firelight and causing his smile to dim slightly.
He said, "Yes."
As they were talking, Shen Wuzheng silently walked up.
According to custom, when two princes meet and talk, no one else has a chance to interrupt or disturb them. However, ever since he saw Yuwen Ye leading his troops back from afar, and then saw the slender and delicate figure he had been longing for beside him, even with his strong will, he could no longer suppress his emotions.
He walked to Shang Ruyi's side, and before he could speak, Shang Ruyi looked at him with red eyes and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Brother..."
Shen Wuzheng's lips parted, as if he wanted to say something.
But I couldn't bring myself to say it.
It wasn't that he didn't want to reprimand Shang Ruyi. In recent days, he had thought countless times that if Shang Ruyi could come back, he would definitely give her a good scolding, let her know the danger, let her know how foolish her actions were, and let her never dare to do it again.
However, when he met his younger sister's red eyes and aggrieved expression, his heart softened unreasonably.
He couldn't even utter a harsh word.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and after struggling for a while, he finally managed to utter a completely unprepared question: "Are you hurt?"
Shang Ruyi immediately shook her head.
Shen Wuzheng raised his hand, as if he wanted to pull her over and take a good look at her, but he reluctantly put his hand back halfway. Looking at Shang Ruyi's tearful yet smiling face, he sighed and said, "It's good that you're not injured."
"..."
"From now on, we don't need to do this anymore."
Shang Ruyi nodded vigorously.
At this moment, Mu Xian and Nie Chong and the others also came forward. Although they were mindful of their status and dared not get too close, they still surrounded the group.
The atmosphere seemed to become more lively.
Yuwen Qian turned his head slightly, as if to take another look at Shang Ruyi, but Yuwen Ye's burning gaze was not only fixed on him, but also seemed to control the movement of his eyes. In the end, he could only look at his cold and stern-faced younger brother and said, "No matter what, it is a good thing that you have returned safely."
"..."
"A letter has also arrived from Father, which I have been keeping under wraps. Tonight, I can send the completed victory report back to Chang'an. When the army returns in triumph, Father will naturally reward those who have contributed. Fengchen, you—"
Yuwen Ye calmly said, "It's still you, my royal brother, who finished things right from the beginning."
Upon hearing this, it felt as if a cold wind had blown through me.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
As everyone's expressions varied but no one spoke, a clear and melodious voice chuckled, "Your Highness Prince Qin speaks well."
"..."
The voice, though clear and melodious, sounded strangely jarring at this moment. Yuwen Ye's gaze darkened slightly, but his face remained expressionless, merely raising his eyelids coldly. Shang Ruyi, who had been standing beside him, only interacting with Shen Wuzheng and barely speaking, turned around, her previously pale face instantly becoming solemn and stern.
Looking up, I saw Yu Mingyue's face, which looked even more radiant in the firelight.
She stepped forward and said with a smile, "In this battle, thanks to His Highness the Prince of Han's skillful handling of the situation, we were able to preserve our capital. Now, everything in the city is under His Highness the Prince of Han's rule. The people are loyal and live in peace. With His Highness the Prince of Qin's safe return, we can finally return to our capital in triumph."
Her words made it sound as if the events in Taiyuan had nothing to do with Yuwen Ye.
The reason they did not return to the capital was simply to wait for Yuwen Ye.
In fact, back when they were still on the grasslands, after explaining everything to Yuwen Ye, she already knew that this battle had been fought in vain, and she had been prepared for it. However, when she actually heard it coming from her own mouth, and remembered the things she had said to Yuwen Ye that caused misunderstandings between the two, and how she herself had almost died from the exhaustion caused by this series of events, the fear and trembling that Shang Ruyi would feel whenever she saw her in the Turks was completely burned away by the anger that had risen in her heart.
When he looked at her again, his gaze was undisguised, sharp as a knife.
When Yu Mingyue met her sharp gaze, she seemed to sense something and frowned.
Or rather, it's not a feeling.
From the moment Yuwen Ye disappeared with his men at the end of the Battle of Taiyuan, from the long "wait" these past few days, to the moment she saw the two of them riding side by side, even though they didn't have any further intimate gestures, she could tell at a glance that the two of them had resolved all misunderstandings and were of one mind.
In other words, the trap he had set, though successful, had also been completely ruined.
I felt a little regretful.
At the same time, she was also glad that she had used it at the right time—she just didn’t expect Yuwen Ye to have such a temperament. He was such a proud person, even arrogant, yet he could actually swallow this insult.
Is it really possible?
Thinking of this, she gave Yuwen Ye another deep look.
Just then, Shang Ruyi suddenly took a step towards her, and the two were now face to face, as if in a standoff. She coldly said, "It's a good thing that the people's hearts are with us and they are living in peace. However, taking Taiyuan cannot mean only caring about the people and their hearts. In this battle, how many did we capture? How many did we lose? Do you have the numbers?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue was somewhat bewildered and stood frozen in place.
Shang Ruyi looked at her, her gaze not aggressive, but the firelight made it appear even more intense and sharp. She curled her lips into a smile and said clearly, "Perhaps Lord Yu doesn't know, but while it's important for the general to lead the expedition, reclaim lost territory, and pacify the people, the overall coordination of troop strength is equally crucial—"
"..."
"For example, this time, the King of Qin blocked the city from the outside and captured more than 10,000 surrendered Turkic soldiers. I wonder how many surrendered soldiers the troops who stormed into the city captured? And how many enemy soldiers did they kill?"
"..."
"Furthermore, the King of Qin dispatched an inside agent to infiltrate the city and coordinate with the attacking forces to achieve victory in one fell swoop. Now, how many casualties did this force suffer, and have they been properly taken care of?"
"..."
"Also, the troops from Qi County participated in this attack on Taiyuan. How many casualties did they suffer? Should we add more manpower to the defense of Qi County?"
"..."
"Furthermore, besides those captured and killed, who else in the enemy army is still lingering outside? Could they pose another threat to Taiyuan?"
This series of questions was like a series of firecrackers exploding one after another. Although they were not deafening, they still left people speechless. In particular, although Yu Mingyue seemed to be in control of the whole play, she had not paid attention to these details at all. Or rather, in terms of military affairs, apart from what she knew in advance, she really did not have the ability in this area.
He was rendered speechless by Shang Ruyi's question.
Seeing the somewhat bewildered look on her face for the first time, Shang Ruyi smiled faintly at her: "So, Lord Yu didn't know."
"..."
"Since we don't know, let's have those who do speak first."
"..."
"After all, the important things come first."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue's face immediately darkened.
Even though she knew very little about what Shang Ruyi had just said, she could still understand the last few sentences perfectly. Shang Ruyi was clearly mocking her, and was even using Yuwen Ye's merit of sending an inside agent to infiltrate the city and turning the Qixian garrison commander to compete with their merit of breaking through Taiyuan and taking this city!
Yu Mingyue's face immediately darkened: "You—"
"Master Yu."
Just as the two were locked in a fierce argument, a gentle voice broke in, like a refreshing breeze that dispelled their sharp clash.
It was Yuwen Qian. After calling out to Yu Mingyue, he hesitated, then remained silent for a moment before slowly turning his head. His translucent, bluish-gray eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Shang Ruyi.
He said, "Sister-in-law..."
Shang Ruyi looked at him: "Brother, what advice do you have for me?"
Yuwen Qian was silent for a moment, his eyes still flickering, as if he was carefully examining her. Although Shang Ruyi felt that he wouldn't care about her injury like Shen Wuzheng did, his gaze gave her that illusion.
This illusion also made her feel somewhat...uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to say something, a piercing gong suddenly rang out from the city tower above them!
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