Chapter 289 Perhaps, there is still love.
Leaning down to her, she was faced with a face so beautiful it was almost sharp. She was dressed like everyone else in a black-collared brown coat, except for a thick cloak that billowed in the wind, causing her black hair, which was tied back, to fly wildly, adding a touch of fierceness to her beauty.
She stared at Shang Ruyi, her deep and sharp eyes wide open, as if she couldn't believe her own eyes.
After a long pause, she said in a deep voice, "Shang Ruyi?"
Shang Ruyi, who had been looking up at her, finally believed her eyes when she heard that familiar voice calling her name.
Shang Ruyi whispered, "Lei...Yu..."
The person leading a team of nearly a thousand people in front of her, hurrying through the wind and snow, was none other than Lei Yu, the eldest daughter of the Lei family. Just a few months ago, she had followed her father, Lei Yi, to Hebei to quell a rebellion, but ultimately betrayed the court and joined Liang Shide!
Shang Ruyi felt a chill run through her body, and the howling north wind felt like knives scraping across her face, but she couldn't even feel the pain anymore.
The two of them stared at each other silently for a long time.
Lei Yu's expression changed several times, but she didn't say anything more. Instead, she waved her hand, and the people behind her immediately ordered the surrounding troops to stand by. She dismounted and walked up to Shang Ruyi, frowning as she asked, "You, how did you get here?"
Shang Ruyi looked at her and said in a hoarse voice, "How did you end up here?"
"..."
"..."
The two fell silent again.
After a long while, Lei Yu spoke first, saying, "Liang Shide's troops are attacking—no, they must have already taken Dongdu. I was ordered to lead my men here to block the Dongdu's reinforcements."
Shang Ruyi's voice became even hoarser: "Ask for help?"
"yes."
"Who else can we turn to for help in Dongdu...?"
Hearing this, Lei Yu frowned slightly, but quickly said, "The emperor's departure from Luoyang means abandoning the entire north. The surrounding people already knew this would happen, and from a purely pragmatic standpoint, they are unlikely to send reinforcements. After all—"
She paused for a moment as she said this.
But Shang Ruyi continued softly, "After all, the troops we have are what we rely on to survive in this chaotic world."
Lei Yu's eyes flickered slightly.
She probably didn't expect that Shang Ruyi would remember those words, and even say them at this moment, yet she didn't know whose heart she had hurt. But she still nodded and said, "However, even so, we can't generalize from one instance."
"..."
"After all, besides interests and survival, there are also loyalty, filial piety, righteousness, and..."
"what else?"
Lei Yu remained silent for a while before saying, "Perhaps, there is still affection."
"……Affection?"
"Yes, these are things that can make people give up their interests, give up their survival, and even risk their lives."
Shang Ruyi looked at her beautiful and resolute face. Although it was frozen stiff and almost expressionless in the wind and snow, she could still discern a faint sadness. She just didn't know if this sadness was for herself or for something else.
Shang Ruyi simply nodded and said softly, "You're right."
She thought for a moment, then suddenly added, "But you said that Liang Shide's men have already taken over the Eastern Capital?"
Lei Yu nodded.
Shang Ruyi frowned: "What makes you so sure? Even if you and Lei are familiar with the city's defenses, the city is so fortified. Even if there aren't many troops left to guard it, it shouldn't have been taken over by Liang Shide in such a short time."
Lei Yu looked at her, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
She said, "There is an inside man in the city."
"What?!"
Shang Ruyi was shocked, then lowered her head and thought for a moment, suddenly realizing something: "Yes, it was you who sent people into the city beforehand—"
Lei Yu said, "We did send people into the city in advance, but they weren't our people."
Who is that?
“Wanggang Village, Xiao Yuansui’s people.”
"...!"
Shang Ruyi gasped.
Xiao Yuansui, it's that person again, it's that name again!
He was indeed no simple character.
Only then did she understand why, even though the common people in the city had gradually left Luoyang when Hebei fell and the emperor decided to move south and abandon the eastern capital, so many people inexplicably entered the eastern capital, and they all looked to be strong and healthy men.
It turns out, it was Wanggangzhai, Xiao Yuansui's men!
They made contact with Liang Shide's men. Since they were going to attack Luoyang, they wanted to achieve the greatest results with the least sacrifice. The best way was to send troops into the Eastern Capital in advance to lie in wait. Once the emperor left and Liang Shide's army arrived, these men would immediately greet them in the city. Taking the Eastern Capital would then be a piece of cake.
Shang Ruyi gave a bitter smile.
She had previously confidently assured Tushe'er and the others that the Eastern Capital was well-fortified, with ample provisions, and that Liang Shide's forces were nothing but a rabble, unqualified to take the capital. Now—
A biting wind swirled a snowball the size of an egg and slapped it onto her face with a soft thud.
It was as if he had been hit hard.
Shang Ruyi's face was both painful and cold, but at this moment she couldn't care less about those things. She only felt unease and even a sense of foreboding welling up in her heart, almost suffocating her.
Then, she heard Lei Yu's voice again, as if it were coming from a very far place—
"Shang Ruyi, what are you doing here?"
"..."
"Where's Feng Chen? Isn't he with you?"
"..."
"Why aren't you in the Eastern Capital?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi raised her somewhat numb face to look at her, paused for a moment, and then slowly said, "He... he was ordered to attack Wanggang Village."
"oh?"
Lei Yu raised an eyebrow, a strange expression appearing on his face.
He immediately asked again, "Then you—"
Shang Ruyi said, "His Majesty is heading south to Jiangdu Palace and intends to take me and all of us with him. I didn't want to go, so I secretly ran away."
"oh……"
Lei Yu nodded gently, then seemed to recall what had happened in Yanmen County. Looking at Shang Ruyi's pale face and panicked eyes, she said calmly, "You did the right thing. If you really followed him south, who knows what kind of situation you would have faced."
Shang Ruyi said, "Staying in the Eastern Capital may not be a good thing either."
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Lei Yu's eyes. She said, "Are you trying to say that if you stay in Dongdu, you will become a victim of the blade tonight?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Swords and blades have no eyes."
"..."
Lei Yu stared at her in silence for a while, then suddenly gave a sarcastic smile and said, "You don't need to belittle yourself. No matter how badly things turn out in Dongdu tonight, even if the Ziwei Palace is torn down, no one will touch a single blade of grass in your Yuwen family."
"...!?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback. When she looked up at her again, she suddenly realized something. She felt that her words just now seemed too sharp. She and Lei Yu really shouldn't have ended up like this.
So she said softly, "I know you've always been kind to us—"
Lei Yu said, "It's not just us."
"Um?"
Shang Ruyi was startled again and looked up at her—what did she mean?
Lei Yu looked down at her, a complex light flashing in his eyes, and said, "Before we set out, I made a request to them that no matter what, the army must not harass your family after entering Dongdu City. Originally, this was meant for the group that had infiltrated Dongdu, but their message came first while ours was being sent."
"..."
"They demanded that after Liang Shide's army entered the Eastern Capital, they could do whatever they wanted, but they could not touch the Yuwen family."
"..."
"In particular, we must not touch Madam Yuwen."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi froze, momentarily unable to react.
The people of Wanggangzhai advised Liang Shide not to alarm the Yuwen family, and especially not to harm themselves.
Although her limbs were numb with cold, her mind was working very fast. She almost immediately realized that the only person she could be related to in Wanggang Village was Xiao Yuansui. At least when she entered Xingluocang alone, he was very polite to her and never harmed her from beginning to end.
Did he give these instructions?
Lei Yu said, "It seems that your relationship with Wanggangzhai is extraordinary."
Shang Ruyi still couldn't speak.
Lei Yu looked at her, his gaze growing increasingly serious. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said softly, "Shang Ruyi, you—"
Before she could finish speaking, they both seemed to sense something and turned to look ahead, while the people behind them also became alert.
In the vast darkness of night and the snowstorm, it seemed as if someone was rushing towards them again.
Lei Yu was much more vigilant than the others. He immediately raised his hand, and everyone behind him became alert. Some even drew their swords, their pale, cold light piercing the eyes in the darkness.
But at this moment, Jiang Kesheng spoke first: "They seem to be one of ours!"
"...!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's face immediately lit up with joy. She hurriedly turned around and went to greet them. Sure enough, she saw a group of people galloping out of the wind and snow. Reflecting the surrounding firelight, she recognized at a glance that the one leading the way was Mu Xian!
They're here!
Shang Ruyi smiled happily and stepped forward, calling out loudly, "Mr. Mu!"
Mu Xian and the others were probably surprised to see so many people here, but when they saw Shang Ruyi, they were somewhat relieved. They hurriedly spurred their horses and galloped over. When they reached Shang Ruyi, they immediately dismounted and said, "Young Madam—Miss Lei?"
Lei Yu looked at him and silently nodded.
Mu Xian's expression changed drastically. He glanced at the people following behind her and immediately understood what was going on. After a moment of silence, he could only nod in acknowledgment and say nothing more.
In just a short while, the people following closely behind him rushed up one after another.
Although the meeting between the two sides carried a certain amount of inexplicable hostility, the leaders did not speak or make a move, so the people below, though tense, suppressed their emotions, creating a tense atmosphere in the wind and snow.
However, at this moment, even the tense atmosphere could not affect Shang Ruyi.
She said happily, "You've finally arrived. I was worried that something might have happened to you in Dongdu."
Mu Xian glanced at Lei Yu, his expression complex, and said, "Dongdu—something has indeed happened. The people of Wanggang Village colluded with Liang Shide's army from the inside, and now, Dongdu has fallen into Liang Shide's hands, and the garrison has already..."
He couldn't say anything more.
Lei Yu's face also revealed a complex expression, as if she was happy, but also conflicted.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank even further.
Although Lei Yu had just told her everything, she still felt a pang of sadness upon hearing the news from Mu Xian. What made her even more uneasy was that the Eastern Capital had fallen so quickly. What about Princess Xinyue and Empress Jiang?
More importantly—
She looked up at Mu Xian, then looked around, but couldn't find Yuwen Ye anywhere!
Where are the others?
Seemingly knowing who she was looking for, Mu Xian's eyes flickered for a moment. Shang Ruyi immediately frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Where is Feng Chen?"
"..."
Where are the others?
Mu Xian didn't speak immediately, but subconsciously turned around and glanced back.
Shang Ruyi's heart leaped with joy again, and she hurriedly looked up at the snowstorm. Mu Xian led a large group of men, and besides the group following closely behind him, there was another large group of men behind them. They pressed down on them like a dark cloud in the snowstorm, which made Lei Yu's men even more uneasy.
But the next moment, everyone fell silent.
Amidst the wind and snow, a rider, protected by the crowd, galloped over. The slender and graceful figure on horseback gradually became clearer in their eyes. As they drew closer, they could clearly see that it was a beautiful young woman wearing a red cloak. Although she looked flustered, she was stunningly beautiful.
Her appearance was like a delicate little flower suddenly blooming in a raging storm, making one's heart skip a beat.
Shang Ruyi's eyes widened suddenly.
That was none other than Princess Chu Ruoyan of the Crescent Moon!
She clearly hadn't expected to see so many people here. Trembling, she looked around at everyone, but the moment she saw Shang Ruyi, she immediately cried out as if she had found a savior: "Young Madam!"
"male--"
The words "Your Highness" were almost out of her mouth, but a flash of inspiration struck Shang Ruyi, and she immediately changed her words: "You, have arrived."
Lei Yu, who was standing next to her, visibly stammered.
However, she didn't say anything, and even turned her head slightly to signal the people behind her not to make any rash moves. When those people saw that it was such a charming and beautiful woman, their murderous aura subsided.
Closely following Princess Xinyue was a rider, one of Mu Xian's men, carrying an eight- or nine-year-old child in his arms; this was none other than Prince Zhao, Chu Chengfei.
He was clearly terrified along the way, and even now he is still pale and unable to utter a single word.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi had already realized what was happening.
Yuwen Ye led Mu Xian and the others back from Xingluocang. The timing should have coincided with Liang Shide's attack on Luoyang. They met up with the princess and the Prince of Zhao and took them on their journey.
But--
She looked around again and saw more and more people arriving, but there were still no familiar figures in the crowd. Instead, Mu Xian's expression became more complicated and strange, as if he was hiding something, or as if he was afraid that she would ask him something.
Shang Ruyi felt short of breath and her heart was pounding heavily.
She asked, "Where is he?"
"..."
"Speak quickly!"
After struggling for a long time, Mu Xian finally whispered in a voice barely audible, "The Second Young Master... he went to chase after the Empress..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com