Chapter 488 The state may rise and fall, but the common people only suffer.
Brothers fighting amongst themselves!
Upon hearing those four words, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
But her face remained impassive. She took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress the unusual throbbing in her heart. Just then, Shen Tu Tai suddenly said, "If the Second Young Master were in such a situation, what choice would he make?"
"...!"
At this moment, Shang Ruyi couldn't breathe.
She glanced at Yuwen Ye in a flustered manner, only to see him staring intently at the campfire before him. Even though his face was bathed in the warm orange light, his expression remained cold and exuded a chilling calmness.
He remained silent for a long while, then said calmly, "As I just said, some things are unsolvable."
After saying that, he stopped talking and silently lowered his eyes.
His words were not an answer, but those around him seemed to sense something after hearing them, especially Shang Ruyi, whose gaze deepened at that moment.
Just then, the kind boy suddenly cried out, "Oh no, it's going to burn!"
Before anyone could react, he hurriedly took the roasted meat off the grill over the campfire, wincing in pain from the burn. Only then did the people around him realize what was happening and quickly brought over bowls and plates to put it on. Shan Tong'er then pinched his ears and jumped up and down, panting, "Luckily I was watching, otherwise it would have fallen into the fire!"
Everyone was initially a little lost in thought because of Yuwen Ye's words, but at this moment, they were all amused by his appearance.
Even Yuwen Ye couldn't help but laugh.
He said, "Why are you in such a hurry? What if you get burned? Besides, there's plenty of meat here. Even if one piece is burnt, there are other pieces."
Shan Tong shook his head seriously: "No, I can't stand seeing food wasted, it will give me a stomachache."
This remark caused everyone to burst into laughter again.
At this moment, a few soldiers walked back and whispered something to Mu Xian. Mu Xian frowned, then turned to Tu She'er, who was still by the campfire with a pot on the other side, and said a few words to him. Tu She'er also frowned.
Shang Ruyi asked with a look of surprise, "What happened?"
Mu Xian hurriedly walked over and said to her and Yuwen Ye, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, I just sent people to search the nearby villages to see if they could find some fresh fruits and vegetables, but to my surprise, there was no one left in the nearby villages."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi was stunned: "Nobody's here?"
Mu Xian nodded and said, "They found a village, but when they went in, they found it was pitch black with no lights at all. They searched for a long time and found only some empty houses, but no one."
Shang Ruyi asked, somewhat puzzled, "How could this be?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and asked, "Is it a village that was abandoned due to war?"
He also remembered that when he was chasing the rebels from Longmen to Taiyuan, many villages along the way were almost empty. In this chaotic era, it was pitiful, but not uncommon.
Mu Xian said, "Because everyone left, we couldn't find out why. However, the houses didn't look too dilapidated, so they shouldn't have been abandoned for too long. Perhaps it really was because of Xue Xian—"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned.
At this moment, she also thought of the desolate scenes she saw on the roadside when she was on her way to Taiyuan to get married. Even in a prosperous city like Dongdu, there were so many deserted villages around it, let alone here. Besides, a few days ago, Xue Xian besieged Fufeng and killed 80,000 soldiers. I'm afraid that these people were worried that he would continue to advance eastward and had already fled for their lives, leaving behind this empty village.
She sighed softly and said, "Even the nation has its rise and fall, but the common people only suffer."
These words, though spoken softly, struck a heavy blow to the hearts of those around them.
For a moment, everyone fell silent, temporarily putting aside what had just happened. After a while, Tushe'er and Woxue brought them the food they had prepared. Yuwen Ye held a bowl of steaming rice, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly said, "If those in power could keep the people in mind, then the people would have less to worry about."
"..."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi's mood became even heavier than before.
She thought of the previous person in power.
That man, who seemed like a banished immortal, was indeed high above, untouched by the dust of the world, his eyes always fixed on the future; but precisely because of this, he could not see his feet, nor the people struggling to survive at his feet. Thus, despite his lofty aspirations, he took one wrong step after another, ultimately meeting a tragic end.
And the next one to rise to power—
Just thinking about it made her feel a little more relaxed, but within that relaxation lingered an indescribable sense of tension deep within her heart.
No one said anything more, just silently ate their meals. By the time they finished dinner, it was completely dark, and everyone quickly went to rest. Since the journey was only two days long, they hadn't brought tents. They simply spread out waterproof felt mats on the ground and lay down hastily, fully clothed. Shang Ruyi rarely slept like this under the open sky, but she didn't complain. On the contrary, the chirping of insects in the surrounding grass actually helped her fall asleep.
Just as she was tilting her head back, her vision blurred as she gazed at the dazzling Milky Way above, almost falling asleep, a light suddenly flashed before her eyes, like a shooting star flashing through her mind.
"……Um?"
Shang Ruyi suddenly opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling.
Countless brilliant stars still twinkled in the dark sky, and the light from just now seemed to be just my imagination, leaving not a trace in the starry sky.
But a strange question remained in her mind—
Were those villagers really forced to flee because of the war?
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In any case, the night passed quietly.
The next morning, they got up early to pack up their tents. After a simple breakfast, they continued eastward along the main road. At noon, when the sun was high in the sky, they finally saw the outline of the huge city of Daxing on the distant horizon.
Upon seeing the silhouette of the city gate in the distance, Shang Ruyi felt a surge of relief mixed with a hint of unease.
Before she could say anything, a cheer erupted behind her—
"Wow, we're back!"
Looking back, it was Shan Tong'er, who was waving at the majestic city tower ahead with a big smile. Beside him, Shen Tu Tai, who was several times larger than Shan Tong'er, also smiled, but a look of bewilderment appeared on his fierce face.
Shang Ruyi recalled that he must have served in Daxing City in the past.
He couldn't stand his boss's misbehavior, so he accidentally killed him and became an outlaw. He never expected to come full circle and end up back in the same place. Anyone would feel absurd and helpless.
But isn't life just absurd yet helpless like this?
Thinking this, Shang Ruyi sighed again.
Immediately, Yuwen Ye's voice rang out beside him: "Why are you sighing?"
Shang Ruyi turned to look at him and smiled, "Who sighed? I just breathed a sigh of relief."
"Relieved? Relieved of what?"
"Have you forgotten what Father told me before we went to war this time?"
"...?"
Yuwen Ye was taken aback, clearly not remembering. Shang Ruyi immediately laughed and said, "The day before we left, Father said he was entrusting Fufeng to you, but you to me."
"..."
"Now, we can both be considered to have returned in triumph."
"..."
"At least I haven't broken my promise to my father."
She spoke happily, her face beaming in the sunlight, her smile radiant. But as Yuwen Ye looked at her, a faint shadow of gloom suddenly flashed across his eyes.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, you are still the Duke of Sheng's good daughter-in-law."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and looked at him.
Why did Yuwen Ye's words sound so lukewarm?
Just as she turned to look at Yuwen Ye with some surprise, trying to discern something from his expressionless face, she saw that Yuwen Ye, who had been expressionless, suddenly frowned, stretched his neck, and looked ahead, as if he were intently gazing into the distance at something.
Shang Ruyi asked instinctively, "What's wrong?"
Yuwen Ye asked, "Who's that up ahead?"
"Well?"
Shang Ruyi followed his gaze and looked ahead. She saw that the road under her feet was no longer obstructed by the surrounding woods and vegetation, and stretched straight towards the city of Daxing, which lay like a giant reclining lion on the horizon. However, just before the city gate, a pavilion by the roadside caused the straight road to bend slightly.
And in that bend, two figures stood.
Although they were far away, even from a distance, one could sense their handsome and upright bearing. Moreover, their figures seemed to be gazing into the distance, as if they were looking at them.
Could it be that someone is there to meet them?
Although news of their return from Fufeng should have already reached Daxing City, the imperial court's reception should have only occurred after they entered the city gates, and there were only two people standing there, seemingly to welcome a single individual.
They instinctively spurred their horses to quicken their pace, and in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they were getting closer and closer. Looking at the two figures who seemed to be impatiently taking a few steps forward, Shang Ruyi suddenly opened her eyes wide and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye frowned.
At this moment, he also vaguely recognized that the tall and upright figure standing on the left, whose silhouette in the sunlight exuded a refined air, seemed to be Shang Ruyi's cousin, Shen Wuzheng!
He hadn't deliberately gone to war before, nor had he notified him. Moreover, Shen Wuzheng had no official position and was unlikely to have come to Fufeng with him.
They never expected that he would come to wait for them outside the city as soon as they returned.
Upon seeing his figure, even just from afar, Shang Ruyi was overjoyed and exclaimed, "That's wonderful! I never expected my brother to come back to pick me up."
Yuwen Ye gave a faint "uh".
But the next moment, his brows furrowed even more.
Because he saw the same tall and upright figure standing next to Shen Wuzheng, whose silhouette appeared familiar in the sunlight.
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