Chapter 1196 The Sharpened Blade
Meeting Yuwen Ye's gloomy and sharp gaze, Shang Shoufei broke out in a cold sweat, but he still maintained his composure on the surface, even though his hand on the hilt of his sword was trembling uncontrollably. He said, "Since Your Highness the Prince of Qin insists on asking, then this humble general will tell you."
"..."
"His Highness Prince Qi has already set off for Chang'an."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall frowned.
In fact, since none of Qi Wang's men had shown up all day until Shang Shoufei arrived, everyone had already had a vague suspicion of this. So when Shang Shoufei said it, it didn't surprise them too much.
However, there was still a strange feeling in everyone's hearts.
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, in particular, exchanged a glance, their eyes also filled with unease.
Was Yuwen Cheng's departure really that simple?
If that were truly all there was to it, he wouldn't have bothered sending Shang Shoufei over so openly. This didn't seem like he was coming to inform him; rather, it looked like he was coming to—provoke him. But what kind of provocation was it, simply returning to Chang'an ahead of schedule?
Just as everyone was puzzled, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside.
Yuwen Ye immediately looked up at the outside of the hall and saw several familiar figures rushing towards him in the dark night. It turned out to be Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao, each leading several guards.
Shouldn't they be in the military camp outside the city, enjoying themselves with their soldiers?
Upon seeing them, everyone in the hall was slightly surprised, but Shang Shoufei's lips curled into a cold smile as he watched the two enter the hall as if he were watching a good show. When the two saw Shang Shoufei there, their already tense expressions became even more gloomy, but they still bowed and greeted Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi in accordance with etiquette: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qin, greetings, Your Highness Princess."
Yuwen Ye raised his hand: "Why are you here? What happened in the army?"
Mu Xian raised his head, his gloomy gaze scraping at Shang Shoufei like a knife, before turning to Yuwen Ye and saying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, just now Prince Qi came to the army and took Xiao Yuansui away."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked.
Did Yuwen Cheng take Xiao Yuansui away?
In other words, this was his goal from the very beginning: to take advantage of Yuwen Ye's banquet in the city to reward meritorious officials, to go to the army to take Xiao Yuansui away, and then immediately set off back to Chang'an, catching them off guard!
Shen Tu Tai slammed his hand on the table and stood up angrily, saying, "How dare he!"
The loud "bang" startled Shang Shoufei, who took two steps back. But to save face, he still stubbornly said, "General Shentu, His Highness Prince Qi is still the Grand Commander of the Army. Do you still want to interfere with his work?"
Shen Tu Tai was furious and wished he could immediately jump over the table, grab this incompetent man, and tear him in two. But just as he clenched his fists, Yuwen Ye's voice rang out calmly.
"Shen Tu Tai, sit down."
Shen Tu Tai glanced at him, then, helpless, could only sit back down angrily.
After his initial shock, Yuwen Ye quickly regained his composure, but his gaze was much colder than before. When he looked at Shang Shoufei, his gaze was like a chilling sword that pierced through the other man's body in an instant. Shang Shoufei felt a chill seep into his bones and trembled involuntarily.
Yuwen Ye said, "So, the Prince of Qi has already left with his men?"
Shang Shoufei took a deep breath: "Yes."
"..."
"Your Highness, please do not be angry. The reason why the Prince of Qi left without saying goodbye is simply because he misses His Majesty the Emperor too much and wants to return to him as soon as possible to report everything here, so that he can have a hearty father-son reunion. This humble general was sent by the Prince of Qi to inform you."
"..."
"Now that His Highness the King of Qin is aware, I shall take my leave."
After saying this, he gave a perfunctory bow and turned to leave. But just as he reached the door, Yuwen Ye's cold voice rang out again: "Stop."
Although he was displeased, Shang Shoufei involuntarily stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned to look at Yuwen Ye: "Does the King of Qin have any further instructions?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Your current task is to immediately catch up with your King Qi's army, is that right?"
Shang Shoufei raised his head: "That's right."
"In that case, then you can pass on a message to him for me."
"Your Highness, please speak."
"..." Yuwen Ye lowered his eyes and pondered for a long time, then looked up at him and said calmly, "Tell him that what he brought back is a sword that has already been sharpened. In Chang'an now, no one can withstand its edge, and no one can serve as its sheath. Tell him to take care of himself."
Shang Shoufei was slightly taken aback, but immediately said disdainfully, "This humble general understands, and will convey these words to His Highness Prince Qi without missing a single one."
After saying that, he turned and left.
As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became somewhat chaotic. Everyone wanted to say something, but they looked at each other and couldn't speak for a moment. Finally, Shi Yutao spoke first, saying to Mu Xian, whom he didn't know well, with a reproachful tone, "How could you let someone take him away like that?"
Mu Xian was somewhat unconvinced upon hearing this and coldly said, "If you're so capable, go and stop him."
You think I wouldn't dare?
"you--"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Cheng Qiao immediately stepped in to mediate. He advised Mu Xian for a few words and then turned to Shi Yutao and said, "General Shi, it is true that you stopped Prince Qi in the treasury, but some things are not as simple as you think."
Before Shi Yutao could say anything more, Yuwen Ye said, "The Prince of Qi is the Grand General of the Henan Army. If he wants to enter the military camp or take someone with him, they can't stop him."
Then he looked at Shi Yutao and said, "I was going to tell you this in a few days, but it's good to say it now. You did a great service to me by stopping Prince Qi from entering the treasury and fighting him, but you must not act so rashly again when you return to Chang'an. He is, after all, a prince. If you really hurt him, I can protect you outside, but no one can protect you in front of the emperor."
Shi Yutao lowered his head angrily.
Yuwen Ye looked up at Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao again: "Did he take anyone else with him?"
Mu shook his head: "No."
Yuwen Ye pondered for a while, then said, "Okay, I understand."
Pei Xingyuan asked, "Your Highness, should we send someone to pursue them immediately?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at him and shook his head, saying, "No need. Since he dared to send people to provoke us, we won't be able to catch up even if we chase after them. Besides, we're setting off back to Chang'an tomorrow, so we'll only be one day later than them. It's fine."
"..."
Everyone remained silent.
Although it was only a day later, the fact that Yuwen Cheng took Xiao Yuansui away was definitely not just a matter of being a day late.
In terms of military merit, Xiao Yuansui was second only to Liang Shide among enemy generals, and capturing him and presenting him to the emperor would be the greatest achievement. In terms of ability, Xiao Yuansui was both a scholar and a warrior, and his intelligence was exceptional. With his assistance, one could be even more powerful.
But Yuwen Cheng just took him away like that...
Everyone was worried, but Yuwen Ye clearly didn't intend to waste any more time on this matter. Seeing that everyone looked worried and was troubled by the matter, he smiled faintly and said, "That's fine. There are no outsiders here tonight. Everyone here is one of us, so we can drink to our hearts' content."
After saying that, he waved his hand outside and said, "Bring the wine!"
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