Chapter 656 Yuwen Ye's Woman!
Darkness fell quickly. By the time they crossed the Cangtou River that lay before them, the sun had already set, and the entire grassland was suddenly shrouded in the gloom of night.
But soon, countless lights appeared ahead.
Thousands upon thousands of bonfires instantly illuminated a vast expanse of grassland. In the distance, many figures could be seen moving about. As they drew closer, the people noticed their arrival, and a group of soldiers immediately came forward to meet them, leading Ashina Zhuxie's army to the other side. Ashina Zhuxie himself, along with Shang Ruyi and several trusted soldiers, rode directly into the light.
The river they had just crossed was called the Cangtou River, and the vast, flat grassland in front of them was the Cangtou River Valley. Because it was backed by mountains and faced the river, with abundant water and grass, it was suitable for a large army to encamp here, so the Western Turks' temporary headquarters were stationed here.
It wasn't until she got closer that Shang Ruyi could see the entirety of the tent.
The Western Turks built waist-high barriers with large stones on both sides of the valley. Inside their encampment, a huge straight road served as the central axis, with countless tents scattered across the wide grasslands on both sides. It was already dark, and a campfire was burning in front of each tent, its flickering light illuminating most of the sky. The two mountains directly in front of them, which had already blended into the night, must be the Dragon and Tiger Mountains that her father had once told her about. At the foot of the mountains, a high platform was built with huge stones, and on the platform, a royal tent as huge as a palace stood imposingly, like a king looking down on his subjects, exuding an aura of majesty and ferocity.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but hold her breath.
Her childhood memories of traveling through the Turkic Khaganate were very distant; for a long time, she had almost forgotten this experience. However, when the biting cold wind cut across her cheeks, the rich, inescapable scent of earth and grass in the wind instantly drew her back into that vast sea of memories.
She vaguely remembered that she was barely taller than her father's thigh back then, yet she stumbled and fell behind him. Her father didn't find her troublesome, letting her follow him like a little tail, moving back and forth between the tents. So, she watched her father speak Turkic languages one moment, Chinese the next, sometimes cheerful and smiling, sometimes stern and stern, moving among different people.
At that time, I had no idea what he was doing.
"Father……"
She couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Just then, a roar suddenly came from ahead!
In the stillness of the night, even though countless Western Turkic soldiers were housed in the densely packed tents around them, everyone remained quiet and made no noise. But this roar was like a bolt from the blue, instantly waking everyone in the entire tent.
The people around them also showed expressions of shock and looked up.
Shang Ruyi immediately came to her senses and looked ahead. The roar sounded like a person was yelling, and the direction from which the sound came seemed to be the tent on the high platform.
Whose voice is that?
Just as Shang Ruyi was wondering, a whisper came from the side.
Turning his head, he saw Ashina Zhuxie whisper a few words to his trusted lieutenant named Baqi, who had been following him closely. The lieutenant obeyed, immediately dismounted, and ran forward.
His direction seemed to be towards a large tent, slightly smaller than the royal tent, located to the side of the high platform.
That place is—
As Shang Ruyi gazed into the distance, a group of people approached on the wide, straight road ahead.
It was a group of Western Turkic soldiers, all dressed in leather armor, tall and imposing. The two soldiers at the front held torches high, their flames illuminating the one at the very front of the group.
Shang Ruyi took a closer look and saw that the man was probably in his thirties, with a thin build. Even though he was wearing a thick long coat, he was still much narrower than the soldiers next to him. His face was pointed, and his small, round eyes gleamed with a cunning light. Coupled with the two comical mustaches on his lips, he looked like a clever rat.
The man stepped forward, smiled, and bowed to Ashina Zhuxie: "Prince."
"Lord An Yi."
Ashina Zhuxie looked at him and smiled, "I didn't expect it would be you who came to greet me personally."
An Yi?
Shi Shuanyi was a favored minister of the Western Turkic Shali Khan.
It is said that Ashina Shali listened to him without question, not only because he was eloquent, treacherous, and good at flattery, but also because of his father, Shi Shu Huxi, who served two generations of Turkic Khans and constantly sowed discord between the Turks and the Daye Dynasty. Several times, war nearly broke out on the border because of him. Later, Shang Ruohong conspired with Princess Qiancheng to get rid of him, and with a series of subsequent schemes, they successfully split the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates.
The appearance of Shi Shu'an was like a sudden gust of wind, blowing away some of the dust that had settled in Shang Ruyi's memory.
She recalled that when she traveled with her father to the Turkic Khaganate, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates had already split, so she had never met this Shi Shu An Yi. However, she had heard his name countless times in the conversations between her father and Princess Qiancheng and others.
This name is often associated with the phrase "a major threat".
Looking back now, Ashina Shali's surprise attack on Chuyang in Yanmen County, his collusion with Liang Shide, and his later conspiracy with Wang Shao and his brothers to take Taiyuan City—all these events were likely orchestrated by Shi Shu Anyi.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi's mood became heavy.
At this moment, Shi Shuanyi's smiling voice rang in his ears again, saying, "The prince has returned from his distant expedition, and as his subject, it is only natural that I should come to welcome him."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Ashina Zhuxie nodded, then looked up at the enormous royal tent in the distance and said, "By the way, what was that just now—"
Shi Shuanyi also turned his head to take a look.
Then, smiling, he said, "Has the prince forgotten that ever since the Khan was injured in Yanmen County, his injured eye has ached every time the weather gets cold? This year, the pain is even worse than in previous years."
"..."
"so,"
As he spoke, he slowly shifted his cold gaze to Shang Ruyi beside Ashina Zhuxie, his tone laced with ruthlessness: "The Khan will remember even more who injured him!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's breathing became heavy.
Ashina Shali's injured eye was the same one that Yuwen Ye shot at back in Yanmen County?
That roar just now was Ashina Shali's angry shout because of the pain in his eye.
So, when he said that, and then looked at himself, what did he mean?
At this moment, Ashina Zhuxie also turned to look at Shang Ruyi, a thoughtful expression on his face. The next moment, Shi Shuanyi sneered and said, "Prince, you should hurry in and pay your respects to the Khan. The Khan has been waiting for you to return and give an explanation after the fall of Taiyuan."
Upon hearing this, the guards panicked and looked at Ashina Zhuxie, saying, "Prince."
Ashina Zhuxie was actually the calmest one.
He raised his hand to stop them from speaking, and said with a smile, "Perfect timing, I also have something I want to report to Father Khan."
After saying that, he dismounted.
As soon as he dismounted, Shang Ruyi naturally followed. Looking at her agile figure, a cold glint flashed in Shi Shuanyi's small eyes. He then stepped aside, raised his hand, and said, "Please, both of you."
He hadn't said a word to Shang Ruyi from beginning to end, but now he referred to them as "the two of you," which shows that in his eyes, Ashina Zhuxie and Shang Ruyi were similar in some ways—because it was Shang Ruyi's husband, Yuwen Ye, who shot Ashina Shali in the eye in Yanmen County; and Ashina Zhuxie failed to defend Taiyuan City from Yuwen Ye, so neither of them would have a good outcome when they faced Ashina Shali.
Seeing his sneer, Ashina Zhuxie remained calm and led Shang Ruyi and several other soldiers forward.
With the two soldiers holding torches high, they walked quickly along the straight road, which was almost as wide as Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an. The countless tiny crescent-shaped depressions on the ground showed that this was probably where the Turkic soldiers usually practiced riding.
After walking for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they finally reached the high platform.
The sentry posts here were even more heavily guarded than on the straight road we had just passed, with guards every three or five steps. Each soldier held a torch high, illuminating the huge royal tent brightly.
As soon as they approached, another low growl came from inside the royal tent—
"ah!"
This time, I could hear it much more clearly.
The low growl, mixed with intense pain, shook the entire royal tent, causing the torches in the soldiers' hands to flicker.
Although she had prepared herself mentally, Shang Ruyi still couldn't help but feel nervous at this moment.
My palms were covered in cold sweat.
However, at this moment, no one would comfort her. Ashina Zhuxie simply glanced down at her and said, "Go in."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and followed him forward. The guards standing at the door saw them coming and pushed open the heavy tent door for them. Immediately, a wave of heat and blinding light rushed onto their faces.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously narrowed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she had already stepped through the gate. The royal tent was indeed enormous; stepping inside felt like entering a palace, and it was over ten zhang wide. On both sides of the tent, there were several low tables, and the men sitting behind the tables with their various expressions were clearly subjects of the Western Turks. At this moment, when they saw Ashina Zhuxie leading Shang Ruyi in, their gazes became strange.
Then, they all turned to look at the front of the main tent.
Shang Ruyi also looked up at the table directly above, where a huge table, wide enough for one person, was placed. Behind the table sat a burly man. Just by looking at his clothes and headdress, Shang Ruyi recognized him almost immediately—this was the Western Turkic Khan.
Ashina Shali!
Previously in Yanmen County, at the critical moment of life and death, she only saw the figure of this person in the midst of thousands of troops from afar, and did not see his face clearly. She could not see him now either, because Ashina Shali was frowning deeply, pressing his left eye socket with one hand, and the veins on his forehead and the back of his hand were bulging, as if he was enduring a lot of pain.
That was the eye that Yuwen Ye shot at!?
Another gust of cold wind blew against Shang Ruyi's back. She subconsciously turned around and saw Shi Shuanyi walk in and close the tent door. Only when the last gust of wind blew against Shang Ruyi's back did she realize that she was covered in cold sweat and her clothes were soaked.
After closing the door, Shi Shuanyi glanced at her, then sneered and walked forward.
Only after walking to the center of the large tent did Shi Shuan Yi bow to Ashina Shali and say, "Khan, the prince has returned."
"..."
However, Ashina Shali did not immediately raise his head.
He was in excruciating pain, clutching his left eye tightly with one hand as if he wanted to crush it to pieces. His low, labored breathing, emanating from his clenched teeth, created a tense and suffocating atmosphere throughout the tent.
Just then, a soft voice rang out—
"Khan, Prince Zhu Xie has returned."
Upon hearing the voice, Shang Ruyi felt an even greater chill on her already damp and cold body. She immediately looked in the direction from which the voice came and saw a graceful woman standing behind Ashina Shali.
The woman was nearly forty years old. Although she was not young, her skin was rough and her face had some wrinkles, but she was full of the charm of a mature woman. At this moment, she bent her soft waist slightly and whispered a few words in Ashina Shali's ear. Ashina Shali immediately seemed to have been given eye drops and stopped the pain. She lowered the hand that was tightly clasped in her eye socket and looked up at them.
That cold gaze, like a knife, pierced through Shang Ruyi's body.
At this moment, the urgency of being pursued by thousands of troops in Yanmen County, the excruciating pain of being hit by a whistling arrow as if his whole body was being torn apart, and the suffocation of being stared at by those wolf-like eyes—all those memories came back to life in an instant.
Shang Ruyi held her breath, her hands, covered in cold sweat, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.
Only then did she realize that the eye socket that Ashina Shali had been tightly clenching was actually empty!
In other words, Yuwen Ye's arrow not only hit his eye, but also blinded him. That's why Ashina Shali has only had one eye all these years!
Although he only had one eye, his gaze was still sharp, his cold, knife-like eyes fixed on his eldest son. Ashina Zhuxie immediately knelt down and said, "Father Khan."
Ashina Shali said in a deep voice, "You failed to defend Taiyuan."
"……yes."
"Do you know how serious this crime is?"
"..."
"Do you know how important Taiyuan is to us Turks?!"
Ashina Shali knelt on the ground, his head bowed deeply, without uttering a single word.
The people sitting behind the tables on both sides, along with the woman standing behind Ashina Shali, all had a faint but irrepressible smile of excitement on their faces.
But the next moment, Ashina Shali said, "But you brought back this woman—Yuwen Ye's woman!"
"..."
"This is a great achievement!"
Upon hearing this, everyone around, including the woman, was startled again.
Ashina Zhuxie raised his head, about to say something, but before he could speak, he saw Nashali Khan raise his hand, point at Shang Ruyi and say, "Men, drag him out and kill him!"
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