Chapter 1272 Three Cups of Wine
The second day of the seventh lunar month was the day when the King of Qin was ordered to relocate to Luoyang.
After several days of heavy rain, the entire city of Chang'an was soaked and almost moldy. Finally, on this day, a clear morning and dry wind arrived, making everyone feel much better.
But when the sun pierced through the clouds and shone down, sweeping away the chill and dampness left over from the previous rainy day, the air quickly became scorching hot.
The city gate was also crowded with people.
Almost everyone in Chang'an had come here, so much so that the streets and alleys in both wards were packed with people. The imperial court also dispatched a lot of soldiers to maintain order and keep the crowds of onlookers on both sides of the avenue. Everyone craned their necks, and some even climbed onto the pavilions and rooftops in the wards. All eyes were fixed on the long Zhuque Avenue.
Soon after, heavy yet orderly footsteps could be heard.
The previously noisy crowd fell silent instantly. In the vast city of Chang'an, with its tens of thousands of people, even the sound of breathing became inaudible. Only when the grand, luxurious golden carriage slowly approached Mingde Gate, its dazzling golden light reflecting off the sun and piercing their eyes, did the people kneel down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The golden carriage continued its journey slowly toward the city gate. The Imperial Guards naturally flanked the emperor's carriage, while the large contingent of the Prince of Qin's men followed behind them.
This caused a subtle unease among the crowd.
Some people couldn't help but raise their heads to look at His Highness the King of Qin at the front of the procession. His face was as handsome as jade, and his expression was cold and stern. Even though he was only wearing ordinary clothes, he exuded a powerful and valiant aura that made people dare not look him in the eye. He rode a snow-white, strong and powerful Akhal-Teke horse, which made him seem like he was standing on a cloud, looking down on all living beings.
The people bowed their heads even lower, submitting to him at his feet, and chanted, "Your Highness, Prince Qin! Your Highness, Prince Qin..."
Some elderly people said tremblingly, "His Highness the Prince of Qin is gone. Who can protect the Great Sheng Dynasty and protect us ordinary people?"
"Yes, His Highness is gone. Who will our Great Sheng rely on now?"
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
This feeling of unease and reverence spread rapidly throughout Chang'an City like ripples caused by a boulder thrown into a calm lake. Yuwen Ye remained silent, his eyelids lowered, one hand on the reins and the other on his knee, as he quietly rode forward. Shen Tu Tai and Shen Wu Zheng rode alongside him, listening to the shouts around them. They exchanged a glance and remained silent.
Often, people need to not only be good at doing things, but also know how to let others know that they have done things.
Yuwen Ye had already made significant contributions in the major battles fought by Yuwen Yuan after his ascension to the throne—Fufeng, Taiyuan, and Luoyang. In addition, Shang Ruyi ran schools in the countryside, not only teaching orthodox classics and books but also consciously instilling the principles of benevolent rule in his classes. He also spent a lot of time promoting the Qin King's military achievements. These illustrious military exploits became good material for storytellers, so much so that eight or nine out of ten storytellers in the city's teahouses and taverns could tell stories of the Battle of Fufeng, where "arrows pierced the clouds and gilded the ground, and a decisive battle plunged the nine provinces into ruin," or the Qin King's solo charge against the Western Turks, or the three thousand iron cavalrymen defeating a hundred thousand troops at Hulao Pass.
To the common people, this Prince Qin was not only a prince of the imperial family and the Prince of Qin of the Great Sheng Dynasty, but also a divine general sent by heaven to defeat the enemy.
Now that he's gone, how can everyone not be panicked?
These flustered emotions and reluctant words gradually reached the golden carriage, whose doors were tightly closed and whose curtains were drawn low. Just as the carriage was about to approach the Mingde Gate ahead, a soft cough suddenly sounded inside the carriage.
The eunuch Yu, who was following closely beside the carriage, immediately asked, "What are Your Majesty's orders?"
Before the car door opened, a deep voice said, "Tell all these people to get out of here."
After observing the behavior of the people around him, Eunuch Yu immediately understood. He responded and went to deliver the message. Soon after, the Zuo Xiaowei Army rode up and pushed the already crowded people, who were huddled on both sides of the road, back more than ten feet. The market on both sides was so crowded that it was almost impossible to breathe.
The carriage finally drove out of Mingde Gate and stopped in front of the city gate.
Supported by Eunuch Yu and others, Yuwen Yuan slowly stepped down from the golden carriage. As soon as he stood still, Yuwen Ye dismounted and walked up, followed by Shen Tu Tai, Shen Wu Zheng, and others. They all lowered their heads and looked extremely obedient, like prisoners stretching their necks to wait for the executioner's blade, awaiting his orders.
Yuwen Ye stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Father..."
Yuwen Yuan turned to look at him, but perhaps because the sun had already risen and its light was dazzling, he felt as if his son was surrounded by sunlight, which was dazzling.
He subconsciously squinted his eyes.
Fortunately, at this moment, as arranged beforehand, Eunuch Yu came forward carrying a tray with three cups of wine placed steadily on it.
Yuwen Ye said, "This is—"
Yuwen Yuan said, "My son, these three cups of wine are a parting gift from your father to you."
Upon hearing the words "Son" and "Father," Yuwen Ye's cheeks twitched slightly, perhaps from the dazzling sunlight. His eyes reddened slightly: "Your subject accepts."
As he spoke, Yuwen Yuan picked up the first cup of wine and handed it to him, saying, "Your mission to Luoyang carries a heavy responsibility. The importance of Luoyang is immense; it cannot be defended by anyone but a capable person, nor can it be governed by anyone but a hero. I am sending you there with high hopes in mind. I expect you to prioritize the nation's well-being, guard the Eastern Capital, pacify the people, and solidify the foundation of our Great Sheng Dynasty."
Without hesitation, Yuwen Ye accepted the wine cup, saying, "Your subject will certainly not fail Your Majesty's expectations."
After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.
Yuwen Yuan nodded, picked up the second cup of wine and handed it to him, saying, "Luoyang is a place of constant warfare. Although the Eastern Capital has been recovered, the Central Plains are not yet settled. I still place my hopes on you, hoping that you will recover the Central Plains and win the hearts of the people."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai and Shen Wu Zheng, who were standing next to Yuwen Ye and had deliberately taken a few steps back, lowered their heads but frowned in unison.
But the two of them didn't say much, only glancing at Yuwen Ye in the sunlight. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering his cold and deep eyes, making it impossible to see any emotional fluctuation in him. After listening to Yuwen Yuan's words, he calmly accepted the second cup of wine: "Your subject will obey your decree."
After saying that, he drank the glass of wine.
Yuwen Yuan sighed softly, almost imperceptibly, then turned and picked up the third cup of wine, presenting it to Yuwen Ye, saying, "This third cup is for you, Father. Although you have traveled far to the Eastern Capital and I am in Chang'an, my heart is with you. With this cup of wine, I pray for your safety and well-being, and I further hope that you brothers will be of one mind and one heart, so that my Great Prosperity may last for ten thousand generations!"
After saying that, he slammed the wine glass down in front of him.
However, Yuwen Ye did not accept the cup as quickly as he had accepted the previous two. Instead, he paused for a moment, looked up at Yuwen Yuan's deep eyes, then lowered his eyes and pondered for a while before accepting the cup and drinking it all in one gulp without saying a word.
After finishing his drink, he said, "Father, take care. Your son is leaving now."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards his horse.
At this moment, the one leading the horse was not his personal guard, but Shang Ruyi.
Actually, she had already led her horse up, but when she heard Yuwen Yuan's second sentence, she subconsciously frowned, but didn't say anything. She just stood quietly to the side until Yuwen Ye finished drinking the three cups of wine. Only then did she lead her horse up, and Yuwen Ye walked to her side, took the reins from her hand, and held her hand tightly.
I could feel that his palm was a little hot, but his fingers were unexpectedly trembling slightly.
His hands were always steady, which was an important reason why he was invincible on the battlefield—he was never afraid, never hesitant, and never wavered.
But at this moment, it seemed as if he was experiencing all these emotions for the first time.
He looked down at Shang Ruyi and said heavily, "I'm leaving."
Shang Ruyi smiled and let him squeeze her hand tightly. If he squeezed any harder, he would almost break her hand bones. But she still smiled calmly and said, "Be careful on the road."
"..."
"We'll see each other again once things are settled."
Yuwen Ye nodded, but still wouldn't let go of her hand, and said in a deep voice, "You, be careful in everything."
Shang Ruyi smiled and looked at him: "Don't worry."
Then, Yuwen Ye released her hand and, without the slightest hesitation, mounted his horse, his movements as agile as a leopard. Following his movement, his generals also mounted their horses, ready to depart. Yuwen Ye then swung his long arm—
"Set off!"
The next moment, his entire entourage followed him, leaving Chang'an City in a grand procession!
Shang Ruyi stood at the city gate, watching the large group of people leave. The dust raised quickly formed a hazy curtain in the sunlight, obscuring the receding figures in front of her. She hurriedly turned around and entered the city gate. Under the gaze of everyone, she quickly ran up the city wall and, just like when she saw him off to war, watched his back from afar.
"princess,"
As the large group of people finally disappeared into the sunlight, becoming a black dot on the horizon that would never move again, Wo Xue, who was beside her, finally said softly, "We should go back too... If His Highness doesn't see you, he will cry again."
Shang Ruyi felt as if her soul had gone with the departing procession, and it wasn't until she heard Wo Xue's last words that she suddenly snapped back to reality.
Turning around again, she saw that Yuwen Yuan had also come up to the city wall at some point and was standing next to her.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly took a step back: "Your subject has been ungrateful, please forgive me, Father Emperor."
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