Chapter 1001 Nobody in the Country
"Shang Ruyi?!"
Wang Shaoqiu's face immediately darkened, and a murderous intent that was neither concealed nor needed to be concealed flashed in his eyes.
A moment later, the murderous intent transformed into a cold smile on his lips. Wang Shaoqiu said coldly, "Yuwen Yuan actually sent a woman to lead troops to aid Xia Prefecture. Is it possible that they have no one else in the country?"
"..."
"I wonder how many people this 'heroine' has brought to their deaths."
Ashina Zhuxie said, "Less than a hundred people."
"oh……?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Shaoqiu's expression changed slightly. He understood that the Great Sheng Dynasty had sent a woman like the Princess Qin with a small entourage of less than a hundred people, clearly indicating that they were not there to aid Xia Prefecture.
So, what is she here for?
Was he using his silver tongue to persuade the Western Turkic Khan, or did he have other motives?
Just as Wang Shaoqiu was deep in thought, Ashina Zhuxie glanced at the few lines of text on the urgent report again, then looked up at him and said, "Although she has fewer than a hundred people with her, she has brought someone with her, who is also an old friend of yours."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"Her surname is Lü and her given name is Xiao; she is quite a beauty. I suppose you haven't forgotten her yet."
"...!"
Wang Shaoqiu's cold gaze seemed to boil over in that instant, his eyes even turning red, as if he couldn't believe his ears. Yet, he gripped those two words tightly, as if his very soul had been seized by something, murmuring, "Green... silk..."
Ashina Zhuxie quietly looked at Wang Shaoqiu.
From the moment this special envoy from Luoyang entered the tent and spoke so much until now, although the two had exchanged words several times, this was the first time he had sensed any emotional fluctuation in Wang Shaoqiu, which surprised him somewhat.
After all, he knew of the beauty, Lüxiao, because she had accompanied Wang Shaoji to negotiate with the Western Turks.
The fact that a woman who originally belonged to his brother could cause Wang Shaoqiu such heartbreak with just her name suggests that his attitude or feelings towards this woman were not ordinary.
But Wang Shaoqiu quickly calmed down, though he was still somewhat dazed, and his voice trembled involuntarily as he spoke: "She, she's still alive..."
Ashina Zhuxie said, "Does she deserve to die?"
Wang Shaoqiu took a deep breath and said, "Back then, it was she who betrayed us, which allowed Yuwen Ye and Yuwen Qian to join forces and conquer Taiyuan."
Then he looked at Ashina Zhuxie: "The Khan has not forgotten the loss of Taiyuan, has he?"
He referred to the loss of Taiyuan, not its shame, naturally out of consideration for the Western Turkic Khan's reputation. After all, because the Khan was ambushed in Shouyang and then bypassed Taiyuan to return to the Turkic territory, Taiyuan fell into the hands of the Great Sheng without any support. Recalling this past event, Ashina Zhuxie showed little emotion, only saying, "So it was because of her."
Wang Shaoqiu glanced at him and tentatively asked, "Khan, don't you want revenge?"
Ashina Zhuxie raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at him with a half-smile: "It seems you'd rather."
Wang Shaoqiu sighed deeply and said, "Losing Taiyuan is indeed a great loss for me. Originally, my brothers and I could have relied on this place to make a comeback. If we could have really held Taiyuan, the Khan wouldn't have had to send troops south from so far away, would he?"
"..."
"Moreover, isn't the Khan at all worried that the Princess Consort of Qin from the Great Sheng Dynasty suddenly left Chang'an? What is she planning to do?"
Ashina Zhuxie frowned but remained silent.
Logically speaking, a woman leading a force of less than a hundred people shouldn't be able to affect the overall situation. However, this woman is Shang Ruyi. She is not only the Princess Consort of Qin in the Great Sheng Dynasty, but also someone as shrewd as Yuwen Yuan. It's impossible that he would let a woman lead troops out of Guanzhong without ulterior motives. More importantly, Ashina Zhuxie is well aware of Shang Ruyi's importance to Lei Yu.
He had said before that even though he wanted Lei Yu to become a completely Turkic woman, he still didn't have anyone throw away the furniture and utensils in her tent that only Han people would use, because if he did, Lei Yu might stop smiling.
In fact, over the past year, Lei Yuxiao has only smiled a handful of times.
But when she was with Shang Ruyi, she became lively, as if she had returned to the time when she first entered the grasslands, a fleeting glimpse that was unforgettable, a moment that Ashina Zhuxie could not forget these days.
Moreover, Wang Shaoqiu was not wrong.
The loss of Taiyuan was indeed a major blow to the Western Turks. With this place as a base, they could have launched more precise and faster attacks on the Central Plains. Moreover, Shang Ruyi was too clever and shrewd. Even if she was alone without any soldiers, they could not be careless.
Moreover, Yuwen Ye was willing to risk his life for her.
If we can really capture her, wouldn't that mean we'll control the lifeline of the most powerful force in the Great Sheng Dynasty?
Thinking of this, Ashina Zhuye raised his head and said to the soldier who came to report the news: "Pass down the order to let the spies continue to investigate Shang Ruyi's whereabouts, pay attention to what they say and do, and I want to know all their movements."
"yes."
The soldier accepted the order, turned around, and walked away.
The generals exchanged bewildered glances, and a sense of unease began to creep in. Geli immediately stepped forward: "Khan, are we really not going to Xia Prefecture?"
Ashina Zhuxie said calmly, "Xia Prefecture has been besieged by our people for several days and has reached a dead end. Even if we don't launch a strong attack, the people inside won't be able to hold it."
"..."
"Besides, I don't want someone to attack us from behind while we're attacking Xiazhou with all our might."
"Is the Khan worried about the Qin Princess of Sheng Kingdom? Didn't he only bring fewer than a hundred men?"
"Do you really believe that the emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty would allow his daughter-in-law to lead only this small force eastward out of Tongguan?"
"..."
Everyone was taken aback and fell silent, feeling a mixture of doubt and resentment, yet unable to articulate their thoughts.
Even if Shang Ruyi did bring a large army, what could a woman possibly do? This wise Western Turkic Khan seems overly concerned with a woman; could it be for the sake of the Khatun again?
Just as everyone was filled with indignation, Ashina Zhuxie turned to look at Wang Shaoqiu, who was standing to the side with a complicated expression, and said, "It seems that the special envoy also wants to meet her."
Whether the "she" he referred to was Shang Ruyi or the people Shang Ruyi brought, Wang Shaoqiu did not delve into it. He simply said respectfully, "Lord Liang asked me to come and ask the Khan for help, but the Khan refused to send troops. I have failed in my mission and have no face to see Lord Liang."
Ashina Zhuxie said, "So, you plan to stay here until I, the Khan, agree to your request?"
Wang Shaoqiu said, "I hope the Khan will grant my request."
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