Chapter 861 Prayer
The moment her gaze fell upon them, she was met with a pair of translucent eyes, seemingly sculpted from ice, looking coldly at her.
The coldness in his eyes was like a sudden gust of cold wind, chilling one to the bone.
Shang Ruyi clenched her hands in her sleeves, unable to suppress the slight tremor in her heart. The next moment, she saw Yuwen Qian's lips purse slightly, revealing a faint, kind, even gentle smile.
It was almost identical to his past self.
However, Shang Ruyi understood that he knew he had just seen the coldness in his eyes, and he didn't mind letting people see him put away the coldness in his eyes and return to his original self.
Then, he smiled and slowly walked over with Yu Mingyue in his hand: "Second brother, Ruyi."
Even her tone of voice was almost the same as before. If it weren't for her personal experience by the lake at the Prince's Mansion that night, Shang Ruyi would have even wondered if she was hallucinating.
She took a deep breath and bowed her head in greeting.
Yuwen Ye's cold voice, which made no attempt to hide his emotions, rang in his ears: "Royal brother, royal sister-in-law, you've come too."
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but furrow her brow.
At this moment, she actually admired Yuwen Ye somewhat—if any other woman had married Yuwen Qian and become their sister-in-law, even if the two sides had already started fighting and were irreconcilable, she could have maintained her dignity and even acted like a good sister-in-law. However, it was Yu Mingyue who not only secretly harmed them and opposed them from the beginning, but also made Shang Ruyi despise her because of some of her actions and thoughts.
The reason she bowed her head was that she couldn't bring herself to call out "Imperial Sister-in-law" for a moment.
As for Yuwen Ye, she knew his temperament best. He was a decisive person on the battlefield. She thought he would be more willful, but to her surprise, he called out "Imperial Sister-in-law" without any hesitation. Although his tone was cold, he was very dignified.
It seems that the refinement of a young master from a prominent family is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.
With him in the lead, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, put on a big smile, and raised her head to say, "Royal brother, royal sister-in-law."
When he looked up, he met Yu Mingyue's gaze, which was filled with contempt and sneer.
However, her coldness was superficial, and it wasn't as intense as it used to be. Just her presence, or even just her back view, could terrify Shang Ruyi. She only felt a cold wind blow by, but because Yuwen Ye was beside her, and because she was dressed warmly enough today, she didn't feel too cold.
Then he smiled again.
Yuwen Qian said, "Of course we must come to see our third brother off on his expedition. We only hope—" As he spoke, he looked up ahead again. Under the somewhat hazy sky, the army had already marched along the long road stretching into the distance and disappeared from sight. He smiled and said, "We hope they can return safely."
As he spoke, he looked away, only to find Yuwen Ye staring intently at him.
He chuckled and asked, "What are you looking at, Second Brother?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye said, "I'm looking at my elder brother."
Yuwen Qian laughed and said, "Why are you looking at me? Is there something different about me today compared to usual?"
Yuwen Ye looked at him for a while longer, then shook his head: "No."
Yuwen Qian raised an eyebrow slightly, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Brother, you're newly married, haven't you changed at all?"
"Yes, I also find it strange,"
Yuwen Ye looked at him and said softly, "I never thought that after my brother got married, he would also enter the mortal world. He went from being a monk to being involved in worldly affairs. It is completely different from the past, yet there is no change at all."
Yuwen Qian's eyes sharpened.
Yuwen Ye, however, seemed to say nothing. He glanced back at the gray sky outside the city, where even the dust kicked up by the passing army had slowly settled. He said, "Third brother is blessed with good fortune; he will naturally return safely."
He said this as if he were continuing what Yuwen Qian had just said, as if this part in the middle had never happened.
Yuwen Qian looked at him coldly.
Yuwen Ye then added, "But—"
He changed the subject, but then stopped. Yu Mingyue, who was standing beside him, immediately asked, "But what?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her but didn't speak, while Shang Ruyi picked up where he left off, smiling as she said, "However, whether we can return victorious is another matter entirely."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Qian and Yu Mingyue's expressions changed. Yu Mingyue immediately sneered, "Princess Qin's words seem to suggest that Prince Qi cannot win this battle."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "Did he win?"
Yu Mingyue's words were meant to be critical, and she had prepared a response to Shang Ruyi's sharp words as she spoke, as well as some traps for Shang Ruyi to fall into—after all, making unwarranted comments on matters of state and military affairs and disrupting the morale of the army is a serious crime, if not a capital offense. Yuwen Yuan already disliked Yuwen Ye, and this matter could be a big or small one, and could be used as an excuse to make trouble.
Unexpectedly, Shang Ruyi's words were not sharp at all. Instead, she followed up with a question, catching Yu Mingyue off guard. She was startled and froze in place.
Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh."
Yu Mingyue's face immediately darkened.
Of course she knew that Shang Ruyi had already guessed her background, and Yuwen Ye and the others naturally knew as well. They not only knew her background, but also that she knew some things. And what she just said was clearly a probing question.
Moreover, judging from Shang Ruyi's expression, she had clearly already figured it out.
Yu Mingyue's face turned ashen, but she didn't know what to say. Yuwen Qian, who was standing to the side, glanced at them quietly and then said, "It's going to rain soon, Mingyue, let's go."
Yu Mingyue let out a deep breath before turning around and following him down the city wall.
Shang Ruyi immediately turned to look at Yuwen Ye. Their eyes met, silently but clearly conveying one thing—they indeed could not win.
Just now, Shang Ruyi suddenly attacked Yu Mingyue. When people are caught off guard, they act on instinct. Yu Mingyue is also quite resolute and did not immediately deny it, but her expression made things clear.
Yuwen Cheng cannot win this battle!
If Yuwen Yuan wanted to continue his eastward advance, he would have to choose another general to command the army, and he didn't have many options left.
Just as the two were looking at each other, and even a little smug, Yu Mingyue, who had already reached the edge of the city wall, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Shang Ruyi, and said with a smile: "The world is unpredictable. Whether I win or lose is not something a woman like me can say for sure. I only 'hope' that the Prince of Qi can return safely."
Shang Ruyi didn't understand what she meant, but she smiled and said, "That's what I hope for too."
Yu Mingyue continued with a smile, "But as for the others, I can't 'hope' for them."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's face immediately darkened.
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