Chapter 469 The other side didn't win, they didn't lose.
Shang Ruyi was startled and subconsciously asked, "Why?"
After asking those three words, she immediately bit her lip, as if regretting her slip of the tongue. After all, the fact that Yuwen Qian could leave this place and was no longer urging Yuwen Ye to leave Fufeng was something she couldn't ask for more at this moment, so asking for the reason would be superfluous.
only--
Looking at Yuwen Qian's smiling, curved eyes, Shang Ruyi felt even more doubts rising in her heart.
Why?
Yuwen Qian smiled faintly and said, "Sister-in-law, have you forgotten why I came here?"
"...?"
"The court sent me here to hold Ma Xu accountable for his previous defeat. Although I haven't had time to do this before, bringing him back to Daxing and interrogating him will surely bring the truth to light."
"..."
"My purpose in coming here is to help Fengchen with his illness."
As he spoke, he raised his head again and looked ahead: "Now that Fengchen has been treated, I no longer need to worry."
"..."
"Tell me, should I leave?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi looked at him with a solemn expression, speechless for a moment.
From the moment Yuwen Qian arrived—no, from the moment he appeared before her—she became extremely wary of him. Perhaps it wasn't out of hostility, but because of their awkward social positions, Shang Ruyi couldn't calmly respond to every word he said, every smile he gave, or even every glance he gave her.
Especially this time, his actions of stopping Yuwen Ye from sending troops to Fufeng, and even when the battle was halfway through, his arrival to urge her to take Yuwen Ye away from Fufeng, made her extremely nervous.
But now, what he's saying has absolutely nothing to do with Fufeng's victory.
He really was just an official carrying out imperial orders, and an older brother concerned about his younger brother's illness...
Was his purpose for this trip really that simple...?
Is that really the case?
If she could, Shang Ruyi would really like to believe in such brotherly affection. However, she couldn't help but think about it—if that's really the case, then what was the purpose of the person who came from Daxing City to meet Song Yu in private before the fire, and the "eldest son" that Nie Chong heard in their conversation?
And why was he able to "appear" at every crucial point, even before Song Yu confessed?
After a long silence, she said softly, "Yes."
After saying that, she looked up at Yuwen Qian and said in a complicated tone, "Thank you, elder brother."
Her words of thanks sounded not only superfluous but also somewhat strange at that moment, but Yuwen Qian seemed completely oblivious, simply smiling faintly before turning and continuing to walk forward.
Shang Ruyi followed behind him, watching his back, her doubts growing ever deeper.
A short while later, the two returned to their room.
Sure enough, Xue Daotong had already arrived here with his men. Indeed, after receiving Yuwen Qian's letter, Yuwen Yuan was extremely worried and immediately ordered him to set off for Fufeng to handle the situation here. Upon hearing of his arrival, Mu Xian, Tu She'er, and the others also came here and told him about the events of the past few days.
After hearing everyone talk about how Shang Ruyi mobilized the troops of Fufeng to win the battle against Xue Xian, and how she arranged for people to buy medicinal materials in advance so that Yuwen Ye could get the right medicine, his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
When he turned to look at Shang Ruyi, a hint of appreciation appeared on his face.
He said, "As expected, the young mistress is both wise and brave."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Uncle Xue, I dare not accept such praise."
"What are you saying about daring or not daring to accept it?"
Xue Daotong sighed softly, "The Duke often praises the young mistress as a daughter of a military family, saying that it is the young master's good fortune to have you as his daughter-in-law. Now it seems that the Duke was right about you."
"..."
"With the young mistress here, the second young master has nothing to worry about."
His words, though meant as praise, sent a slight shiver down Shang Ruyi's spine.
Because Xue Daotong referred to him as "Young Master".
Neither the eldest son nor the second son—this somewhat ambiguous title was clearly deliberately omitted by him. It's conceivable that Yuwen Yuan uttered these words before he broke off his engagement and remarried.
She kept her head down and didn't say a word.
I could also feel that the people around me seemed to pause for a second when they heard those words.
The next moment, he heard the person next to him say with a smile, "Uncle Xue, you've had a hard time coming here this time. It's my fault for not finding out beforehand before sending the letter back, which made Father worry. Since everything is alright, let's set off back immediately and tell Father about the situation here as soon as possible, so that he won't worry anymore."
Xue Daotong said, "That's natural."
He nodded, then his face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "I just didn't expect that the Second Young Master would encounter so many troubles on this expedition. Not only did he fall ill, but someone even tried to assassinate him. What gave Song Yu the audacity to plot against the Grand General of the Imperial Court? This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"
The expressions on everyone's faces were somewhat complicated.
Although Yuwen Qian expressed his intention to depart as soon as possible, Xue Daotong, as a confidant of the Duke and having come from afar, could not possibly turn back immediately upon arrival. Yin Changyue and Dai Junliang still had to host a banquet to entertain this envoy. Moreover, when Yuwen Qian came three days ago, a banquet was not held due to the fire, so this time, it could be considered both a welcome and a farewell.
However, Shang Ruyi did not attend the banquet.
Firstly, Yuwen Ye's condition had just begun to improve, and she still needed to stay by his side; secondly, as a woman without her husband by her side, it was naturally inappropriate for her to participate in the men's drinking parties.
So they stayed.
After working for almost a day and a night, Shang Ruyi finally had time to take a bath, washing away the blood and dirt. Returning to her room, she heard Tushe'er's voice again—
“I already said I’ll do these things.”
When Shang Ruyi went inside, she saw Tu She'er and Wo Xue fighting over the clothes she had just changed out of, intending to wash them. Tu She'er snatched the copper basin away and said almost rudely, "You, you go to sleep!"
Although Wo Xue was quite skilled, she was in the wrong because of what had happened before, so she inevitably felt a little weak in front of Tu She'er.
At this moment, he was stunned by the reprimand.
Just as the atmosphere was getting a little awkward, Shang Ruyi slowly walked into the room. Looking at Tu She'er's stiff face and then at Wo Xue, she smiled and said, "You haven't slept a wink these past few days. She'er wants you to rest. Just listen to her."
"..."
Wo Xue stared at her with wide eyes, then looked at Tu She'er, who turned her neck to the side.
After a long pause, Wo Xue said softly, "Yes."
After saying that, he lowered his head, turned around, and walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, Shang Ruyi smiled, then turned back to look at Tu She'er, whose face was still stiff, and said with a smile, "You too, can't you say things properly?"
"snort!"
Tushe'er still looked disdainful, but when she turned to look at Shang Ruyi, her eyes softened, and she said, "I heard from Mu Xian and the others that you have really suffered these days, and you almost lost your life."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened.
Shang Ruyi knew that she had to get through this girl's visit, so she smiled and said, "What life isn't tough? Especially being a general's wife."
Tushe'er muttered, "But the other generals' wives don't have to work so hard. They all eat and drink well and wear gold and silver."
"..."
"Unlike Miss, who not only went to war with everyone, but also went into battle herself."
Seeing her indignant expression, Shang Ruyi's smile deepened, and she said, "They don't do it because they don't want to."
"..."
"But I think so."
Tusheer looked at her, taken aback, and said, "Miss..."
Shang Ruyi smiled and didn't say much. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "She'er, have you sent all the medicines you bought to Daxing City?"
Tushe'er immediately replied, "Yes, Jiang Kesheng and the others delivered the medicine into the city. I didn't go into the city; I just followed your instructions, Miss, took some of each medicine, wrapped them up, and came directly to Fufeng."
"Did you notice anything unusual along the way?"
"Something is wrong?"
Tushe'er was taken aback: "What's wrong?"
Looking into her completely ignorant eyes, Shang Ruyi fell silent for a moment. Tu She'er, however, thought for a moment and said, "Is Miss worried that the medicine might cause some trouble?"
"I can't really explain it, but I just feel like this matter isn't going to end so easily."
"This matter?"
Tu She'er was taken aback again. After thinking for a moment, she turned back to look at Yuwen Ye on the bed and said softly, "Miss, are you referring to the matter of the young master's illness?"
Shang Ruyi didn't speak immediately, but pondered for a while before nodding gently.
She said, "I now understand the origin of his illness. I just don't understand why anyone would know in advance that he would contract this disease."
"..."
"Just like a real...prophet."
"Foresight?"
Tushe'er was most afraid of ghosts and spirits. Upon hearing this, his eyes widened, and he involuntarily lowered his voice: "Who, who can predict the future?"
"..."
A cold glint flashed in Shang Ruyi's eyes.
Predicting the future—
These four words are just a vague statement; to be precise, they mean—more than she knows.
Someone knew more than she did. This matter was like a needle, always stuck in her heart. So these days she kept quiet, but also proceeded cautiously, trying to get that name out of Song Yu's mouth. But she didn't expect that, by such a coincidence, Song Yu died before he could speak.
As for Ma Xu, although he survived, he was clearly a useless pawn.
Therefore, their trip to Fufeng was not only a confrontation with Xue Xian, but also a battle against another person.
This battle began with the opponent searching for medicinal herbs in Daxing City and various prefectures and counties, and the war in Fufeng. It ended today with Yuwen Ye narrowly defeating Xue Xian and obtaining the right medicine.
The other side didn't win, but they didn't lose.
Shang Ruyi vaguely sensed that the person was still hiding behind layers of mist and did not intend to show himself easily. However, this person was ready to reach out from the mist at any time, and when his hand reached out to them again, it might be the time when she and Yuwen Ye would face the desperate situation they had been in these past few days once again.
She must find this person as soon as possible!
However, it's best not to let too many people know about these things, especially Tushe'er. Although she is loyal, she is too timid and can't keep secrets. If we tell her, she might be scared out of her wits, or even think of me as a mentally unstable person who has been sick.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi just smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing, maybe I'm just overthinking."
Tushe'er then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Miss, don't say such frightening things."
"..."
"When I came here today, I was so scared that my soul almost flew away just from hearing that Miss was almost burned to death. If anything else happens to Miss, I really won't be able to live."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Alright, don't worry."
Tushe'er then stood up, picked up the copper basin, and prepared to go out to wash clothes. At this moment, Shang Ruyi suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Hey—"
Tushe'er turned to look at her: "What's wrong, Miss?"
Shang Ruyi herself was also taken aback, not knowing what the slight hesitation that had suddenly flashed through her mind was, and after thinking about it again, she couldn't remember it at all.
After a moment, he gently shook his head and said, "It's nothing."
Tushe'er looked at her with a puzzled expression, then turned and left without saying anything more.
After she left, Shang Ruyi herself felt puzzled. She sighed and slowly walked to the bedside to sit down. She looked down at Yuwen Ye's face, which was still pale, but the bluish-gray color between his eyebrows had faded a lot. She could even feel that his breathing was much smoother and not as hot as before.
Without realizing it, a smile appeared on my face.
It was only at this moment that she realized that this was a rare moment of peace after all these days.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt weak all over, and as soon as she realized it, that weakness and fragility surged up like a tide, almost engulfing her whole body. She knew all too well that not only had Wo Xue not closed her eyes these past few days, but she had also hardly slept a good night's sleep. Even when she was asleep, she was on guard against open and hidden attacks, or even merciless fire and water, that might appear from nowhere in her dreams.
At this point, I truly realized that I was just too tired.
Thinking of this, she bent down, lay on the bed, and after a while, slowly curled up in Yuwen Ye's arms.
Last night's decisiveness and fortitude, her fierce determination to not yield to the remnants of the defeated army and even her desire to wipe them out, her sharp and shrewd dealings with Song Yu, and her cautious and suspicious behavior towards Yuwen Qian—all these good and bad emotions that had left her exhausted—had vanished completely at this moment.
All that remains is a pang of sorrow in my heart.
She gently buried her face in his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall powerfully, and a surge of hot, wetness welled up inside her, overflowing her eyes and soaking his clothes.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "You, wake up soon."
The room remained unusually quiet, and with the sound of even breathing around her, Shang Ruyi slowly closed her eyes.
Just then, it seemed as if someone rushed in, pushed open the door, but then quietly withdrew.
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