Chapter 620 You're Not the Only One Who Can Protect Your Family
Just then, Yuwen Ye's finger suddenly paused, then abruptly slashed to the left from Fukouxing, his fingertip landing firmly on Yicheng.
He raised his head and said to Yuwen Qian, "Brother, I choose this place."
"...!?"
This stunned everyone in the council chamber.
No one expected that at the last moment, he would change his mind. His attention was just on the eastern front, but he suddenly chose the western front.
Even the usually calm and composed Yuwen Qian couldn't help but furrow his brow at this moment.
He looked into Yuwen Ye's flickering yet solemn eyes, then at the worrying Yicheng marked on the map, and remained silent for a long while before saying, "Second brother, have you decided?"
Yuwen Ye said, "That's right."
"..."
Yuwen Qian looked at him for a while, then chuckled and said, "I thought that, given my second brother's personality, he would definitely choose the eastern front."
Yuwen Ye said, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. I chose the western front not because I wanted to avoid the difficult task."
Yuwen Qian laughed and said, "I don't think so either."
Yuwen Ye nodded, then stepped forward, looking at the several fortresses on the eastern front, especially Jingxing Pass near Jinzhong, and said in a deep voice, "Besides Yanmen County, I have actually fought against the Turks several times when I followed my father in the Longmen campaign. They are familiar with my fighting style. In ordinary battles, I can still put up a fight, but this time the safety of Taiyuan is at stake, and I cannot take this risk."
"I see."
"In addition, the troops I brought with me on this expedition were mostly light cavalry, which can move flexibly in the mountains and reach Yicheng as quickly as possible to rescue my third brother."
As he spoke, he glanced again at the western line on the map that represented Yuwen Cheng's predicament in the canyon, then turned to look at the snowflakes still fluttering wildly outside the council hall, illuminated by the firelight.
He said in a deep voice, "Third brother, I'm afraid we can only hold on for the next two days."
"...!?"
Yuwen Qian's eyes darkened.
Although Yuwen Cheng was surrounded by Wang Shaoji's forces, and even the troops sent by Chu Zhengfei to meet him were defeated and forced to retreat, he indeed could not hold out for long. So why would Yuwen Ye say so clearly that he could only hold out for two more days?
What is the reason?
However, he didn't ask any more questions. After pondering for a while, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a more solemn expression. He said to Yuwen Ye, "In that case, I will entrust the western front—the safety of my third brother—to my second brother."
Yuwen Ye said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty!"
After they finished speaking, they both nodded. When they turned around, they met the various expressions of the people in the lobby, especially those standing behind them.
Especially Yu Mingyue and Shang Ruyi.
Yu Mingyue frowned slightly, seemingly surprised by Yuwen Ye's choice. But upon closer inspection, although her bright face was illuminated by the lamplight, it showed no trace of joy or anger.
After exchanging glances with Yuwen Qian, her gaze returned to Shang Ruyi, who was sitting opposite her.
Only at this moment did a faint smile appear on her lips.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's mind was already somewhat confused.
Yuwen Ye—chosen the western front?
She couldn't say she fully understood this man. It was as if he would inexplicably lash out at her with a hostility that was neither hostility nor not hostility, yet seemed like an unquenchable anger that always left her somewhat bewildered. And at this moment, his choice surprised her even more.
Although everyone knows that Yuwen Ye is an ambitious person who desires power and status, otherwise, he would not have insisted on the position of Crown Prince in exchange for Yuwen Yuan's request. He would not have taken that step if Yuwen Yuan had not given it to him. In the end, he did take that step at the most crucial moment, thus salvaging an opportunity to compete for the position of Crown Prince.
However, the current situation is somewhat too simplistic.
Simply put, it's as if the other party set a trap and lured them into it.
On the surface, choosing the western route does seem much easier, but this "ease" is obvious to everyone. If Yuwen Qian wanted to seize the position of crown prince, he shouldn't have let Yuwen Ye choose first.
Moreover, this "ease" could very well be a scheme orchestrated to impress them.
After all, when they passed through Tongguan, they found the gunpowder and saltpeter that Yu Mingyue had piled up in the valley to murder Yuwen Ye. However, when they asked Chu Zhengfei if anyone had transported the gunpowder and saltpeter out of the pass, he denied it without hesitation.
Clearly, he was concealing Yu Mingyue's existence at that time, and their meeting just now explains everything.
If that's the case, how much of the information he provided is true and how much is false?
But at this moment, she couldn't say anything. She could only watch as Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye whispered a few more words, obviously arranging the deployment of troops for tomorrow. Afterwards, seeing that it was getting late, Chu Zhengfei invited everyone to have dinner in the dining hall before resting.
Although this meal was not as grand as a banquet in the palace, it was still quite sumptuous.
At this moment, no one was in the mood to savor the fine wines and delicacies. Only the table reserved for Shan Tong'er and his group was devoured by him in a whirlwind. The rest of the group simply ate some food and then left the table.
Then, they all went back to their rooms to rest.
However, when Shang Ruyi finished bathing and returned to her room, she found that Yuwen Ye was not there. Upon asking, she learned that he had gone to the military camp again.
It seems they've gone to discuss tomorrow's troop deployment with Shen Tu Tai and the others.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but sigh. She silently sat down on the bed. Although she was still warm from her bath and there was a heater by the bed, she felt an indescribable chill emanating from her heart.
Will Yuwen Ye stay at the military camp tonight?
Will he come back?
They haven't spoken a word these past few days.
When resting at night, since the whole army was moving together, it was impossible to be as close and intimate as before, let alone get any closer.
She wasn't the type to be unable to live without a man, but in the current situation, the two of them were not only distant and didn't speak to each other, but their hearts were also far apart... This still made her a little sad.
Thinking this, Shang Ruyi lay down alone, and after a while, she pulled the blanket up and covered herself with it.
Then, she curled up silently in the blankets.
Outside, the wind and snow were still raging. The howling wind blew through the big trees in the yard, and the swaying shadows of the trees were reflected on the window, as if the whole world was about to be turned upside down. In this somewhat shaky and bumpy ride, Shang Ruyi slowly closed her eyes.
Half-asleep, half-awake, it was already late at night.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a familiar sound of footsteps in the wind, walking into the room step by step and then approaching the bedside.
Although she wasn't fully awake, Shang Ruyi instinctively sensed that it was Yuwen Ye.
He's back.
Although he had returned, he did not go to bed immediately. He still carried some chill from the snow outside and stood quietly by the bed. Just as the chill seemed to be melted away by the warmth of the room, which carried her scent, he suddenly turned around and walked out again.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi immediately came to her senses.
She hurriedly propped herself up, ignoring the blankets slipping off her body, her clothes coming undone, and her delicate skin shimmering like pearls in the dim light.
Where are you going?
After saying this, Shang Ruyi's face felt hot.
Fortunately, the room was dimly lit at this time, and Yuwen Ye had already moved some distance from the bed, so he couldn't see the almost embarrassed expression on her face.
However, the sudden silence in the room made her feel somewhat awkward.
After a long silence, Yuwen Ye asked, "What is it?"
Whether it was her own imagination or the fact that the darkness of the night could cause some distortion in one's hearing, Shang Ruyi felt that Yuwen Ye seemed to be struggling to pronounce those two very simple words.
It even seemed to tremble slightly.
It seems like they're anticipating something.
But what could he possibly hope for? Besides, what I really wanted to tell him was—
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Why did you choose the western front today?"
"..."
Suddenly, she felt the tall figure in front of her tremble again, as if struck by something invisible, and her whole body swayed. But upon closer inspection, she felt that Yuwen Ye's body was still and not swaying; on the contrary, it was somewhat stiff.
He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was no longer as strained as before, and even trembled slightly, but instead, it carried a hint of a smile.
But that smile was also cold.
He said, "You, you want to tell me this?"
Shang Ruyi blinked – what else?
Right now, their most pressing matter is the deployment of troops. Although Yuwen Ye has already chosen the western front and it is indeed impossible to change it, she cannot avoid feeling anxious. Especially when she recalls the way Yu Mingyue and Chu Zhengfei met during the day, she becomes increasingly worried that there might be some conspiracy involved.
So Shang Ruyi said earnestly, "Before the expedition, Father Emperor made it very clear that whoever captures Taiyuan first will be victorious, and only the victor will be able to obtain the position of Crown Prince."
"..."
“Yu Mingyue is focused on this; she wouldn’t really hand over such a simple route to us.”
"..."
"There's likely a deeper conspiracy behind this, and we—"
She paused abruptly at this point.
Because she saw Yuwen Ye slowly walk to the bedside, look down at her, and his cold gaze was even colder than the chaotic cold wind and the snowflakes flying in the cold wind. Just one glance from him was like being doused with icy water from head to toe.
Shang Ruyi suddenly shivered and stopped talking.
Yuwen Ye's eyes were cold and sharp, especially when he lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes looked as if they were covered with frost, making his gaze even colder, and his voice was devoid of any warmth: "Have you forgotten that I told you a long time ago that no matter what happens, the eldest brother will always put the safety of the third brother first?"
"..."
"Me too."
As he spoke, he looked down at Shang Ruyi, his eyes flashing with a chilling coldness beneath his calm and stern demeanor. He said indifferently, "In this world, you are not the only one who will protect your family."
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