Chapter 660 Warm and Gentle
Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie glanced at them again before silently looking away.
The people around him fell silent and looked at him. At that moment, the torch in the hand of the soldier next to him flickered, and the bright light illuminated the exhaustion on his face.
It also illuminated a long, blood-red whip mark below his right ear.
Everyone was immediately shocked: "A prince!?"
"..."
Ashina Zhuxie silently raised his hand, stopping them from speaking.
Just now in the royal tent, Ashina Shali questioned him about the reasons for the fall of Taiyuan, and even angrily wanted to punish him. Ashina Zhuxie tried his best to argue that the situation in Taiyuan was complicated and he would not go into details. However, before his troops arrived, the enemy was already waiting to ambush him in Shouyang. Obviously, someone had leaked his troop movements, and it was very likely that it was one of their own!
Upon hearing this, Ashina Shali flew into a rage. With the encouragement of Lady Jiayuan and the ministers, Ashina Shali, in a fit of fury, picked up the whip beside him and lashed it out.
The whip struck him right next to his cheek, extending from his ear all the way down to his neck.
He did not dodge, but took the whip head-on, and then reported the news he had learned during his expedition—Yuwen Yuan had already established a kingdom and proclaimed himself emperor in Guanzhong. Because when he was in Qixian, he clearly heard those people calling Shang Ruyi "Princess Consort of Qin." Thus, the matter became clear.
Seeing his eyes bloodshot with pain, yet his expression remained unchanged as he calmly uttered those words, Ashina Shali seemed to sense something as well.
In the end, he suppressed his anger, saying he would remember it later, and then let him leave the royal tent.
Facing the pitch-black night sky and the vast grassland stretching out before him like an endless expanse of night sky, with countless tents dotted with flickering campfires, Ashina Zhuxie took a deep breath and said, "It's alright, let's go and rest."
Everyone nodded silently.
Only Zhenzhen turned her head and glanced at Lei Yu and Shang Ruyi, who were standing not far away and had clearly seen him come out. Both of them had complicated emotions on their faces, and whispered, "Prince, what should we do with that prisoner?"
"..."
Ashina Zhuxie didn't say anything, but slowly walked over.
There were no soldiers guarding this platform, so the light was much dimmer. As he approached, the two of them felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. Lei Yu almost instinctively reached out and blocked Shang Ruyi behind him.
Then, looking at Ashina Zhuxie with wary eyes, he asked, "What are you going to do to her?"
Ashina Zhuxie calmly looked at her for a while, then at Shang Ruyi, who was frowning and seemed to be scrutinizing him in the night.
Then he said, "She will stay by your side."
"..."
"The Khan will not punish her for the time being, so she can move freely these days; but you must also know that this is the Western Turkic Khaganate, and if she does anything disobedient, the Khan will not let her off easily."
Lei Yu took a deep breath and said, "I know."
"good."
Ashina Zhuxie nodded, glanced at her again, and then turned and left.
Lei Yu didn't speak, but frowned and looked at him with a gaze that was not only wary but also full of hostility. Only when Ashina Zhuxie's figure disappeared into the dark night did she let out a heavy breath and turn to Shang Ruyi and say, "Let's go."
"good."
Shang Ruyi followed her down the platform. After walking a few steps, they arrived at the entrance of Lei Yu's tent. Only then did Shang Ruyi realize that this tent was very close to the royal tent, even closer than Ashina Zhuxie's tent.
Moreover, Ashina Zhuxie had just ordered someone to leave first, which seemed to be the place he came from.
Lei Yu lifted the curtain himself and welcomed her inside.
Upon entering the tent, a wave of warm air carrying a faint, sweet fragrance immediately enveloped them. Looking closer, the tent was tall and spacious, comparable to the dwellings they had lived in during their time in the Central Plains. The tent was furnished according to the customs of the Central Plains. A tall wooden screen in the center divided the tent into inner and outer chambers. Although the inner chamber was not immediately visible, it likely contained bedding, washing and grooming utensils. The outer chamber had a thick felt mat on the floor, upon which sat a low table. On either side of the table, close to the tent walls, were two cabinets. Several braziers were placed in front of the table and around the tent's perimeter; no wonder they felt a wave of heat hit their faces upon entering.
After entering the tent, Lei Yu took off her thick coat.
Then he said with a wry smile, "I used to be someone who wasn't afraid of the cold, but when I got to the grasslands, I realized what real cold is like."
"..."
"Therefore, I have the most braziers in the entire tent."
"..."
“Your body is probably not as strong as mine. If you feel cold, tell me and I will have someone bring more.”
Shang Ruyi shook her head.
Actually, when she woke up, she was already so cold that her whole body was stiff, as if the blood in her body had half-frozen. When she was so cold, she no longer felt the discomfort of the cold. But when she was warmed up, she regained her senses and began to shiver uncontrollably. When Lei Yu led her by the hand to sit down in front of the bed in the inner room, her face was already flushed with a sickly red.
Lei Yu sensed something was wrong, reached out and touched it, and it was indeed scalding hot.
She said, "You have a fever!"
Shang Ruyi looked up at her with bright, but lifeless eyes: "Hmm?"
Soon, after being pushed down onto the bed by Lei Yu, she fell into a deep sleep due to a fever. In her hazy state, Shang Ruyi heard Lei Yu's frightened and worried voice calling for a doctor while constantly whispering comforting words in her ear.
The doctor arrived quickly, and after examination, it turned out that the condition was not serious.
In fact, even though she was burning with pain all over her body and her mind was clouded, Shang Ruyi vaguely understood that she couldn't have avoided this illness. After all, ever since she heard about Shen Wuzheng's misfortune, it felt like a piece of her heart had been ripped out. After leaving the city, being captured, and traveling north, the journey was arduous. Although Ashina Zhuxie was relatively polite to her, he didn't bother to provide her with any warm clothes. As a result, she had been resisting the harsh cold of the grassland with a numbness in her heart. With such internal and external troubles, it was only now that she fell ill that she had reached her physical limit.
Fortunately, she was in good health.
In a daze, Shang Ruyi was spoon-fed bitter medicine, one spoonful at a time. She groaned in discomfort, but hearing the soft words of comfort in her ear, she obediently swallowed it. That evening, a pair of warm and gentle arms embraced her. The unwavering yet poignant presence enveloped her, gradually dispelling the bitterness and cold within her.
Shang Ruyi finally fell asleep peacefully.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she was awakened by a series of crackling sounds. When she opened her eyes, she was met with a familiar yet haggard face right in front of her.
It is Lei Yu.
She slept beside her, lying under the covers, her hands tightly embracing Shang Ruyi. It was the gentle scent emanating from her that dispelled the chill from her body.
Shang Ruyi immediately smiled with gratitude.
But the next moment, she saw that Lei Yu's brows were unconsciously furrowed, as if he was worried about her even in his dreams, or as if he was disturbed by the noisy noise.
Shang Ruyi then realized that it was raining outside.
When I was a child, I also experienced rainy days when I traveled to the Turkic Khaganate. The rain on the grasslands is different from the rain in the Central Plains. No matter how heavy the rain is in the Central Plains, it is gentle, like a chant between pavilions and towers, or a roar that shakes the heavens and the earth. But the rain on the grasslands is like countless arrows falling from the sky, densely shooting through the sky and landing on the ground. Each drop of rain leaves a crater, and when it hits your body, it is like an ice sword piercing your skin, leaving you nowhere to escape.
The rain lasted for an unknown period of time, but it was quite loud, and the chilly scent of the rain even seeped into the tent.
Unable to stop the noise, Shang Ruyi could only look at Lei Yu with concern. Sure enough, Lei Yu was disturbed by the noise and couldn't wake up. Her eyebrows were furrowed, forming several deep creases between them.
Unconsciously, Shang Ruyi reached out, wanting to cover Lei Yu's ears with both hands to prevent her from being disturbed again, but as soon as she reached out, she saw Lei Yu open her eyes.
Shang Ruyi immediately withdrew her hand: "Did I wake you up?"
"...!"
Lei Yu's eyes, initially shocked, immediately brightened with delight as she looked at Shang Ruyi, who had regained her composure upon waking. She asked, "Are you alright?"
As he spoke, he reached out and touched her forehead.
The temperature felt in my palm was indeed no different from usual.
She immediately beamed, clapped her hands vigorously, and exclaimed joyfully, "You're really alright! That's wonderful, that's wonderful!"
Looking at the dark circles and bloodshot eyes in hers, Shang Ruyi said guiltily, "I said yesterday that I came here to keep you company, but instead you've been the one taking care of me. I really—"
Lei Yu immediately interrupted her: "Don't talk nonsense."
Shang Ruyi smiled.
Lei Yu asked happily, "Are you feeling any better now? Does your body still hurt? Is there anything else that's bothering you? Would you like something to eat?"
Shang Ruyi still smiled and shook her head.
But there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.
When I first met Lei Yu, I only knew that she was a strong woman who spoke and acted without holding back. But after getting to know her better, I realized that she was gentle at heart, just not good at expressing herself. But no matter what, as a daughter of a military family who had spent her life in the army, she always lacked some of the thoughtfulness and consideration of a woman.
But right now, the questions she asks are incredibly thoughtful.
It's clear how lonely she's been these past few days, and how happy she was, amidst her unease, upon seeing my arrival.
Seeing Shang Ruyi's red eyes and silent demeanor, Lei Yu became even more worried and hurriedly reached out to support her again: "Then, what do you want?"
Shang Ruyi looked up at her and said softly, "Why don't you lie down with me for a while longer, and we can talk?"
"..."
"I was so weak last night that I fell ill. Actually, there are a lot of things I want to ask you."
Hearing her say that, Lei Yu breathed a sigh of relief and readily lay down again, even tucking Shang Ruyi's blanket in tightly, before asking, "What do you want to ask me?"
Shang Ruyi looked at her for a while.
When they first met yesterday, she was so happy that she only noticed today that Lei Yu's jet-black hair was styled into a bun. Although it wasn't as elaborate as the buns of other women from the Central Plains, it was still clear that it was the hairstyle of a married woman.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "I heard before that you married Ashina Yiasu, the little prince of the Western Turks."
Upon hearing this, Lei Yu lowered his eyes.
After a long pause, he softly replied, "Mm."
Then she looked up at Shang Ruyi and said softly, "You all know?"
Although she spoke simply, Shang Ruyi knew who she was referring to with "you all," so she nodded and said, "Yes, Yu—Fengchen knows. Xingyuan knows too."
Lei Yu was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "They must be angry with me."
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "How could that be?"
"..."
"Of course, it also depends on you."
"Look at myself? What are you looking at?"
"It depends on how well you're doing in the Western Turkic Khaganate. If you're not doing well, of course they'll be angry."
"..."
"Me too."
Hearing this, Lei Yu's eyes reddened even more, but as if ashamed that her thoughts at this moment had been seen through, she quickly lowered her head. After a long while, she swallowed the almost overwhelming heat and then said, "I'm doing well."
Shang Ruyi asked, "That little prince, is he—good to you?"
Upon hearing the name Iasu, a complex emotion flickered in Lei Yu's eyes. After a long silence, he finally said in a heavy tone, "Okay."
After saying that, as if afraid that Shang Ruyi wouldn't believe him, he added, "Very good."
Hearing her say that, even though it was just two words, Shang Ruyi finally relaxed a little.
She said, "That's good, that's good..."
That way, even if she has the chance to go back someday, she can give Pei Xingyuan an explanation.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "Are the other people here good to you?"
Hearing this, Lei Yu smiled, then sighed and said, "Actually, I didn't really care about these things, but the people here are still very polite to me. Although Shali Khan is very fierce, he doesn't pay much attention to me. The person I interact with the most is Lady Jiayuan."
"Lady Jia Yuan?"
Shang Ruyi immediately remembered the mature and charming woman behind Ashina Shali yesterday and said, "Is that the one from yesterday?"
Lei Yu nodded and said, "Yes. She is Iasu's mother."
"..."
"Because of her birth, she could not be made a Khatun, but the Khan loved her very much, and because he loved her, he also loved Iasu very much."
"..."
"With Iasu protecting me, my life in the Turkic Khaganate, though I wasn't used to it, was very good."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
In fact, she could somewhat see the influence that Lady Jiayuan had on Ashina Shali in the royal tent yesterday, as well as the unspoken understanding between her and those ministers. No wonder Lei Yu was able to take her away from the royal tent using the identity of an old friend. It wasn't because of that identity, nor because of Lei Yu.
It is Iasu behind Lei Yu.
Since Ashina Shali favored Iasu, some things might become clearer.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi suddenly looked up and around: "By the way, where is that Prince Iasu?"
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