Chapter 491 Non-Contending and Contending
Shen Wuzheng remained calm and composed, seemingly having already accepted his near defeat. He simply smiled faintly as he looked at his younger sister.
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh in her heart.
She understood where her brother had lost. This poem, with its magnificent momentum, magnanimous spirit, and rich allusions, was indeed superior to Shen Wuzheng's.
At the same time, he understood why his brother said that he had lost fair and square.
Although the poem is well-written, it seems somewhat out of place in this poetry competition held to commemorate the victory in Fufeng. This is because almost not a single word in the poem describes the battle of Fufeng. Upon closer reading, it seems more like a poet's own lament, which is then forcibly applied to the battle of Fufeng.
Like a pair of exquisite silk shoes slipped on a pair of large feet.
Some of them don't fit quite right.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi felt the same way as Shen Wuzheng: she admired the literary talent but was not entirely convinced that the poem had won first place. When she looked up at Yuwen Ye again, she saw that he had slightly furrowed his brows and there was a hint of gloom in his eyes.
This silence lasted for far too long.
After a long while, Pei Xingyuan was the first to break down. He laughed and said, "I know what you're all thinking, but it's hard to say. Let me say it."
"..."
"This poem is good, but it doesn't describe the Battle of Fufeng. I didn't see either you, Fengchen, or Ruyi in this poem. This poem winning the championship has overshadowed the Battle of Fufeng. In the future, when people mention this poem, they will only think that the poem is good, but they will not remember Fufeng, let alone the two of you."
"..."
"Therefore, I like this poem, but I don't like it winning the competition."
At this moment, Shen Wuzheng seemed to have finally reached his limit and said with a wry smile, "Alright, just say less."
Yuwen Ye smiled faintly, but his expression turned somewhat solemn afterward.
He thought for a moment and said, "Who is that Guanghan Guest? Brother Fuming, have you seen him?"
Shen Wuzheng shook his head and said, "That person never showed up in the end. Even now, although the poem has spread throughout Daxing City, no one knows the author's true identity."
"..."
Yuwen Ye frowned again.
However, he didn't dwell on the matter anymore—after all, it was all over, and there was no point in arguing about it now. The four chatted for a few more minutes, and as the sun began to set in the west, Yuwen Ye said, "It's getting late, let's head back to the city. My men need a little more time to settle in."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingyuan and Shen Wuzheng both looked up at the long line stretching out behind him, seemingly endless.
Pei Xingyuan said, "Feng Chen, you're amazing! So many people!"
Shen Wuzheng, standing to the side, glanced at him. He clearly knew that Yuwen Ye had led 50,000 troops out of Daxing this time, but the number of troops he brought back was far more than 50,000. It was obvious that he had made some gains in the battle of Fufeng. However, he didn't say much, but just nodded and said, "Let's go."
So, the group left the pavilion, mounted their horses, and Yuwen Ye once again led the troops behind him into Daxing City.
The news of the victory in the Battle of Fufeng had reached Daxing half a month ago. Not only were the officials in the court overjoyed, but the people in the city were also excited. After all, everyone knew that Xue Xian's ultimate goal in advancing eastward was Daxing. Killing him in Fufeng was equivalent to saving the people of Daxing from a disaster. Therefore, even though more than half a month had passed, the people in the city still came out to line the streets to welcome the return of the Grand General of the State.
Yuwen Ye rode his horse and led his troops along Zhuque Avenue. The people on both sides of the street cheered and jumped for joy, their voices shaking the heavens. Many people stopped the troops and stuffed food into their hands. Some young women and wives living in the buildings along the street even threw flowers on their heads.
Shang Ruyi rode behind Yuwen Ye on horseback, momentarily stunned by the enthusiasm of the people.
This wasn't the first time she had seen victorious soldiers greeted with such jubilation by the people; however, in the past she had always stood on the sidelines watching this scene. But now, she was in the midst of the cheering crowd, feeling their enthusiasm.
Just as she was feeling somewhat flattered, someone in the crowd noticed her and immediately expressed their confusion—
"Why are there women in the army? And riding horses?"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, fearing that others might have something on their minds about this team. But immediately, someone next to the person who had raised the question said, "That one, doesn't she look like the general's wife? She's on this campaign with the army."
"I've heard that this lady is incredibly brave and invincible."
"Yes, I heard in the battle reports that the biggest battle against Xue Xian this time was fought by her, and she killed more than 80,000 enemy soldiers."
"A woman, this amazing?"
"In our Great Ye Dynasty, which woman isn't formidable!"
"...!"
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi was shocked!
The battle report included himself?!
She looked up at Yuwen Ye, who was riding ahead on horseback. His back was as broad and solid as ever, giving her a sense of security at first glance.
Although she was already extremely familiar with that figure, Shang Ruyi's heart still raced a little when she looked at it again.
Just then, Yuwen Ye turned around: "Ruyi—"
Shang Ruyi immediately snapped out of her daze: "What's wrong?"
"The road will split up soon. You take Tushe'er and the others back to the manor first."
"OK."
After saying that, Shang Ruyi said softly, "Come back soon."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her, said nothing, and still had a faint smile in the corner of his eye, but quickly turned his head away. A little while later, when they reached the fork in the road ahead, Shang Ruyi led Tushe'er and Woxue, along with Mu Xian and a group of men to escort them back to the mansion, while Yuwen Ye led the main group of men to continue towards the Ministry of War.
Only after watching his figure disappear at the end of the long street did Shang Ruyi turn around and lead the group to the other side.
About half an hour later, they returned to the Yuwen residence.
At this time, the sun was setting in the west. Although the scorching heat of before had subsided, the golden rays of the setting sun bathed the road in its light, making it appear like a golden avenue, exuding a sense of solemnity. However, when Shang Ruyi led her entourage to the Duke's mansion, they found it deserted. Not only was there no one there to greet them, but even the gates were tightly shut!
Shang Ruyi sat on her horse, looking at the tightly closed gate, her brows furrowed slightly.
Tushe'er said, "What's going on? Miss is back, but no one has come to pick her up."
Mu Xian frowned, but he immediately said, "Please wait a moment, Madam. I will go knock on the door right away."
After saying that, he dismounted and went up to knock on the door. However, after knocking several times, no one from the gatehouse answered. You see, for a family like the Duke's mansion, the gatehouse could never be empty, otherwise it would be too impolite to refuse entry to someone who came.
Just as Mu was about to pound on the door, there was a creak, and the door finally opened from the inside.
A familiar, slender figure peeked out and immediately broke into a smile.
"Young Madam!"
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a sage.
She immediately came out to greet him happily, and walked to the foot of Shang Ruyi's horse, saying, "Young Madam, you're finally back!"
Shang Ruyi nodded, then looked inside the gate and said, "Why hasn't anyone answered the door all this time?"
Upon hearing this, Chang Wan's face showed a hint of resentment, but before she could speak, a familiar, cheerful voice came from inside the door: "Ah, the young mistress is back."
Shang Ruyi looked up and saw that Aunt Hui had come out to greet her with several people.
However, she did not descend the steps, but stood at the doorway, smiling as she said, "Welcome, young mistress."
Seeing this, Shang Ruyi smiled calmly, but did not dismount. She simply nodded and said, "Aunt Hui has been taking care of the household chores at home all this time. She must be very tired."
Aunt Hui was slightly taken aback.
Although Shang Ruyi was all smiles, she was still on horseback and talking to her even after they arrived at her doorstep. This was rather impolite and surprised her. But Aunt Hui still smiled and said, "Not at all, not at all. It must have been hard for you, young mistress, to accompany the second young master on his campaign."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Yes."
He continued speaking without dismounting.
Aunt Hui's brow twitched slightly, and the maids standing behind her exchanged hesitant glances. Aunt Hui thought for a moment, then looked behind Shang Ruyi again: "The Second Young Master—"
Shang Ruyi said, "He went to the Ministry of War to report on his duties first, and asked me to come back first."
As he spoke, he glanced up at the door behind Aunt Hui and then laughed, "Luckily I came back first, otherwise, it would have been a laughing stock if a victorious general like him couldn't get into his own home. People would say that Aunt Hui works hard taking care of the household chores, but those who don't know the situation would think that Aunt Hui wouldn't let the general in!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Hui's expression changed slightly.
Looking at Shang Ruyi, who was still riding on horseback, she was still the same person, but she had completely lost the intelligent yet unambitious demeanor she had when she first married into the Yuwen family.
On the contrary, even with a smile on his face, one can sense a kind of inherent rigidity.
The people behind her were already somewhat uneasy and preparing to take a step forward. Aunt Hui let out a deep breath, finally stepped down the steps, bowed to Shang Ruyi, and said, "How dare I, how dare I."
"..."
"I was thinking that since the Second Young Master had returned victorious, the house should be cleaned up before we could welcome him. So, I led the whole household to clean up, but I didn't expect to hear the Young Madam knocking on the door."
"So that's how it is."
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly, dismounted from her horse, and bowed to the elder: "Aunt Hui, you've worked hard."
Aunt Hui bowed slightly in return and said, "Please come in, young mistress. The rooms have already been cleaned for the second young master and young mistress."
Shang Ruyi nodded, and was about to step into the Yuwen residence, but then stopped, turned to look at Aunt Hui and asked, "Where are Father and Eldest Brother?"
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