Chapter 141 Trapped in a City of Sorrow
If my previous guess was correct, Yuwen Ye's last marriage was arranged with Princess Xinyue, who is the eldest daughter of the Empress in front of me. So now, in the eyes of this Empress, am I not a sinner who ruined my daughter's happiness?
What's more, there was the act of the emperor carrying her back to the government office.
But she showed no anger whatsoever.
If there was truly no anger, why bring up Yuwen Ye at this time?
Shang Ruyi's mind was in turmoil. After hesitating for a long time, she cautiously spoke, saying, "Marriage is not always as one wishes..."
This time, Empress Jiang covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
She said, "Indeed, chatting with you is a very interesting thing."
Shang Ruyi lowered her head and said softly, "It is my honor to be able to comfort Her Majesty the Empress at such a time."
Empress Jiang said, "Now that this matter has come to fruition—if it really can be accomplished, then I should get closer to Young Madam Yuwen."
Mentioning this immediately made Shang Ruyi nervous again.
She asked cautiously, "This humble woman dares to ask Your Majesty, how is the war outside? Have any reinforcements arrived?"
Upon hearing this, Empress Jiang's eyes immediately dimmed.
She seemed reluctant to bring up these things, but she was still willing to respond to Shang Ruyi's words, and sighed, "The reinforcements have not yet arrived."
"So we are now—"
"I am trapped in a city of sorrow."
The phrase "confined in a city of sorrow" perfectly describes Shang Ruyi's heart, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "Then, don't the generals around His Majesty have any ideas?"
Empress Jiang raised her eyebrows slightly, her gaze towards her carrying a hint of scrutiny and amusement, and said, "I only saw the bravery of Young Madam Yuwen in shooting down Turkic soldiers outside the city, but I did not know that Young Madam Yuwen also had a passion for the battle on the front lines."
Shang Ruyi forced a smile and said, "It is a matter of life and death. Even as a humble woman, I want to share the burden for the Emperor and the Empress."
Empress Jiang smiled and said, "You probably shouldn't ask me that."
"..."
"I came out to see you because I didn't want to hear about all the fighting and killing they were talking about."
"……oh."
"but,"
Empress Jiang said, "Before I left, I seemed to hear General Wang speaking to the Emperor."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly looked up at her—Wang Shaoji?
This person, who usually only knows how to embezzle and break the law, and has done all sorts of evil deeds, what good plan could he possibly have at this time?
Empress Jiang said, “From what I understand him, there is not much grain left in Yanmen City, but the Emperor has brought a lot of troops. In just a few days, all the grain will be used up, and then we will really be trapped here.”
"..."
"Therefore, he wants to take advantage of the fact that there are still provisions and fine horses in the city to find an opportunity to open the city gates, and have the elite of the Imperial Guards protect the Emperor as he breaks through the encirclement. As long as they can break through the Turkic army's heavy siege of Yanmen City, then—"
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi almost jumped out of bed. Fortunately, the injury on her back stopped her from moving, but she still hurriedly said, "This, this is absolutely not allowed!"
Empress Jiang was also surprised by her strong reaction and looked at her in astonishment: "What's wrong?"
Shang Ruyi probably realized that she was too excited, so she quickly calmed herself down and said in a calm tone, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, General Wang's plan is absolutely unacceptable."
"oh?"
Empress Jiang asked, "Why?"
Shang Ruyi thought about her words again, and then spoke very cautiously: "Although we are trapped in Yanmen City and are in a state of distress, and although there is not much food in the city, which can only supply us for a few days, the soldiers of our Daye Dynasty are best at defending cities."
Empress Jiang said, "Is that so?"
Shang Ruyi said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, it's not just our Daye Dynasty. Since ancient times, the Central Plains dynasties have mostly adopted a defensive posture in their confrontation with the northern barbarians. We have the Great Wall, we have cities, and even as long as there is a wall, we can stop the invasion of the grassland cavalry."
Empress Jiang thought for a moment and said, "That seems to make sense."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "If we follow General Wang's plan, then we are giving up our strengths."
"However, General Wang also said that staying here would only lead to being trapped in a hopeless situation, so it would be better to take a gamble."
"A gamble should only be taken if there is a chance of winning; General Wang proposed that the Imperial Guards escort the Emperor out of the encirclement. In this situation, the Emperor's life should not be risked unless there is a chance of winning of more than 70%."
"..."
"Moreover, as I just said, our strength lies in defending cities, while the strength of the Turkic soldiers lies in cavalry charges, doesn't it?"
"..."
"Our strengths are used to compensate for our weaknesses, and the result is self-evident."
Empress Jiang looked at her, her eyes showing even more surprise, and said, "What Young Madam Yuwen said does have something in common with the advice that the garrison commander of Yanmen City gave to His Majesty."
"Really? Then, will His Majesty accept advice?"
"Young Madam,"
Empress Jiang smiled faintly and said, "Whether Your Majesty accepts advice is Your Majesty's business. As a subject, I really shouldn't try to pry into Your Majesty's thoughts."
Shang Ruyi was startled and realized that she had said something too outrageous in her haste. She quickly said, "This humble woman has overstepped her bounds. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Empress Jiang said, "Actually, what you all say makes sense—it's just that His Majesty has never been a big listener, and even if he does listen, he doesn't take it to heart."
"..."
"So, the key is, who can get His Majesty to listen to him?"
Shang Ruyi's expression hardened slightly.
The Empress's words were loaded with meaning.
She cautiously looked up at the other woman, only to see Empress Jiang simply smile calmly, stand up, and say softly, "Take good care of your injuries. I'll be leaving now."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness."
Just as she reached the door, before Shang Ruyi could even breathe a sigh of relief, Empress Jiang suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at her with a smile, saying, "Young Madam Yuwen, since you've already asked whether reinforcements have arrived, why don't you ask whether the troop behind us has arrived?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi's breathing became heavy.
Then she met those smiling, bright eyes, which were looking at her gently, but there seemed to be a hint of scrutiny in that gentleness.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously held her breath.
After much deliberation and careful consideration of her words, she forced a smile and said softly, "If that force can come, it will certainly be a great help. However, they also need to protect Her Highness the Princess. War is dangerous, and swords have no eyes. Her Highness is of noble birth and must not be harmed."
"..."
"So it's best if you don't come."
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