Chapter 580 Thoughts
The vendor was about to answer when he was interrupted by the sound of horses' hooves. Looking up, he saw a magnificent carriage stop in front of his stall. A slender, fair hand lifted the embroidered curtain, revealing a bright and beautiful face behind it.
"Crane Heart".
Upon hearing the voice, the handsome young man paused, instinctively putting the wooden comb back.
Then, slowly turn around.
Inside the carriage sat a young lady who was clearly from a prestigious family and of great wealth and status. She seemed to have come specifically to find him, and upon seeing him, she breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What are you doing here?"
The handsome young man smiled slightly: "I'm just here for a stroll."
"visit?"
The young lady slightly raised her willow-leaf eyebrows, her figure flashed behind the window, and the next moment she stepped down from the carriage. She was indeed a lady of noble birth, adorned in silk and jewels, her magnificent appearance making the entire street shimmer. Coupled with her beautiful face and an air of domineering arrogance, the vendors who had been trying to solicit business upon seeing this distinguished guest suddenly fell silent, unable to utter a single word.
The young lady slowly walked to the stall, looked down at it, and smiled, "What's interesting to look around here?"
The handsome young man simply smiled and said, "Take a look."
"……Um."
Hearing his words, the young lady lowered her head and looked at the jewels and jade rings on the stall, but there was no look of amazement or joy in her eyes. In fact, she was not as happy as she had been when she lifted the curtain and saw this noble young man when the carriage stopped.
The vendor didn't dare say anything more, just stared at her expectantly.
The young lady's fair, jade-like fingertips reached for a gold hairpin, but she didn't pick it up. She merely brushed it aside and then reached for a jade bracelet on the other side. The warm, smooth jade and her fair, snow-white skin complemented each other, but she didn't linger there. It wasn't until her fingertips reached for a jade ring on the other side.
She picked it up and rubbed it between her fingers.
Upon seeing her expression, the vendor hurriedly said, "Miss, do you like this? This jade ring isn't expensive, only two qian of silver. If you like it, Miss—"
The young nobleman smiled and said, "If you like this, I'll give it to you."
After saying that, he reached into his pocket to take out money.
The vendor was naturally overjoyed and wanted to flatter her a few more times, but then he noticed a strange glint in the young woman's bright eyes, and she said in a deep voice, "Do you know what this thing is called where we're from?"
"have no idea."
"It's called a 'ring'."
"oh."
Do you know what it means when a man gives a woman a 'ring' in our area?
"..."
The young nobleman stopped what he was doing, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he glanced at her.
The young lady was also looking at him, her eyes gleaming even more intensely than his.
She seemed to have prepared an answer, and judging from her solemn expression at this moment, she had prepared more than just an answer; she was just waiting for the other party to ask questions—or to ask her for more.
However, the young nobleman did not ask any questions.
He simply lowered his head, took out a money pouch from his pocket, took out two qian of silver from the pouch and handed it to the vendor, then smiled and said, "Let's go."
"..."
The young lady looked at him for a while, a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. She simply put the jade ring on a ribbon hanging from her waist, then turned around and told the carriage to go back. She then walked forward with the noble young man.
Soon, the two figures disappeared ahead.
The vendor was left staring blankly as the two seemingly perfect people gradually disappeared into the distance, still somewhat bewildered for a long time. From the conversation between the young master and young lady, he had vaguely sensed that they were both extremely wealthy and noble, especially the young master, whose status was probably even more exorbitant.
Strangely, such wealthy young men and women should be shopping at large stores, so why would they come to my stall?
Speaking of which, what that young master was actually looking at just now was—
The vendor reached out and picked up the most inconspicuous wooden comb from his stall. It was the only comb that the young nobleman had ever looked at, and the look in his eyes wasn't one of liking, but rather one of cherishing it. If he hadn't never used such a simple thing before and was just looking at it out of curiosity, he probably had something on his mind that he couldn't tell.
But I wonder what worries someone like him could possibly have?
Such an important person should be worried about important matters, right?
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Just as the vendor was filled with doubt and couldn't figure it out, the enviable young nobleman and lady had already walked out of the long street, where the market was much more lively. After walking for a while, the two entered a restaurant.
The waiter greeted the two warmly and led them upstairs to a quiet private room.
Soon, the tea was ready.
Yuwen Qian only spoke calmly after the waiter had received his tip, thanked him profusely, and left. Before leaving, he even lowered the beaded curtain at the entrance of the private room. The curtain swayed slightly, and the crackling sound it made only made the private room and the almost empty second floor seem even more silent.
His voice was like a sound seeping out from the silence, making one feel even calmer.
"What do you want from me?"
Sitting opposite him, one hand unconsciously stroking the jade ring that had just been hung at his waist, was none other than Yu Mingyue, the eldest daughter of the Yu family who had suddenly appeared and was being praised and discussed by countless people in the court, but who had also aroused suspicion among many others.
Hearing Yuwen Qian's voice, she raised her head.
Those eyes, which were naturally domineering and wouldn't soften even when facing Yu Dingxing, only revealed a completely undisguised tenderness when facing Yuwen Qian. She smiled gently and said, "It's nothing."
"That--"
"I just feel like you've been preoccupied lately."
"..."
"So, I came to find you."
"..."
Yuwen Qian was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly, but a hint of bewilderment was clearly visible in that smile. He said, "What worries could I possibly have?"
Yu Mingyue stared at him intently for a long time before suddenly saying, "You've been observing Shang Ruyi all along, haven't you?"
"...!"
Yuwen Qian's aura deepened.
But he remained expressionless, only glancing at the other person once. Yu Mingyue seemed to have noticed the change in his aura, her brows furrowing slightly as she said, "I know you've been bothered by this."
"..."
"So, on her way to her wedding, you secretly went to see her."
"..."
“But at that time, Chu Yang—” Before she could finish her sentence, Yuwen Qian gave her another deep look. Yu Mingyue took a deep breath and could only change her words: “The late emperor, at that time, the late emperor was also with her, so your whereabouts were not discovered; but because the late emperor was there, you were also unable to see her.”
"..."
"Later, after you took Daxing City, you went to Yanyue City, also to see her."
"..."
"In this battle of Fufeng, you even took advantage of the Ministry of War's decree to personally go to Fufeng and defend the city with her."
As she spoke, Yuwen Qian remained silent, staring quietly at the cups on the table. The tea swayed slightly, and the shimmering water reflected in his eyes, which seemed calm, yet also seemed to hold a hidden undercurrent.
He said, "Do you think I have feelings for her?"
"..."
Yu Mingyue stared at him quietly for a long time.
From the very first time they met—or rather, it wasn't even a meeting, but rather she touched another person's gentle yet lonely soul from the depths of her soul—in just an instant, she knew he was the one. Although she later experienced confusion of the soul, bewilderment of the spirit, and physical pain, she remained steadfast in her belief in him.
Until everything returned to normal, she fully realized what a vast and chaotic historical torrent she had been caught in.
However, she still believed in him.
However, to recognize something does not mean to understand it clearly.
Even though she knows many things that will happen in this world and has seen through the fates of so many people around her, she cannot see through the human heart. Even God cannot see through a heart that is so clever yet full of wounds.
So when she heard his question, Yu Mingyue felt a shiver run down her spine, and her fingertips, which were caressing the warm and delicate jade, trembled slightly.
She held her breath and looked up into his clear eyes: "I think you shouldn't—wouldn't—have feelings for someone who 'betrayed' you."
"..."
Yuwen Qian paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course."
As he spoke, he looked at Yu Mingyue again, a gentle light flickering in her clear eyes. But because of this flickering light, that gentle light seemed somewhat uncertain. He said softly, "You told me this from the very beginning—and the facts that followed proved what you said."
"..."
"Of course I won't forget."
"..."
"She, Shang Ruyi, has betrayed me, Yuwen Qian."
Yu Mingyue seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but her expression did not relax in the slightest as she stared at Yuwen Qian and asked, "If that's the case, then why are you so concerned about her?"
Yuwen Qian said, "I just feel that she..."
"What?"
"Before, I thought she was a treacherous and opportunistic person who would betray her principles for personal gain—but these days, I've heard that she risked her life in Yanmen County, was brave and fearless in Xingluo Granary, and even protected the late emperor until the very last moment; after returning, she also wholeheartedly assisted her second brother, and in Fufeng, she even wanted to live and die with him..."
As he spoke, his gentle voice gradually became hoarse, as if his heart was also being tormented. He said with a somber tone, "So, I think, perhaps her choice wasn't wrong."
"..."
The only mistake was—
Yu Mingyue's brows furrowed immediately.
She said in a deep voice, "You're speaking up for her? She betrayed you, yet you're speaking up for her?"
Yuwen Qian remained silent for a long time. When he looked up at her again, his gaze softened, and a faint, seemingly relieved smile appeared on his lips. He said, "I'm not speaking up for her."
"..."
"I just feel that maybe you—"
Yu Mingyue suddenly sneered, "You think she's right just because you see her loyalty to Yuwen Ye?"
"..."
"Do you think her feelings for Yuwen Ye are genuine?"
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