Chapter 714 Impurity
Green Silk's face immediately darkened.
The "lewdness" Yu Mingyue spoke of matched what Yuwen Qian had just said, and it also stung her heart—her life experiences over the past half-life. Before following Xiao Yuansui, she had been a famous dancer in both capitals; however, being with Xiao Yuansui was not smooth sailing. After Zuo Gong's rebellion failed, she was captured by Wang Shaoji and forced into a relationship with him; and before the Jiangdu Palace Coup, she had several encounters with Wang Shaoqiu in order to obtain the secrets of their rebellion...
Others may not know, but she knows very well that although many people treat her as an honored guest, they only see her as a plaything.
Now, her experiences are being used as weapons to attack her.
She was Yu Mingyue, who was also a woman.
Green Silk gritted her teeth secretly. Although her face still wore her usual charming smile, at this moment, the smile was somewhat forced and even a little stiff.
She laughed and said, "You mean, I'm a lewd person?"
Yu Mingyue's eyes flickered, and she naturally saw through the other party's disheveled state at this moment. So she smiled faintly and said, "What I mean is - a Buddhist heart is pure and tranquil, and even more so, it abhors lust and evil. If you consider yourself a lustful person, then you will understand what I mean by this."
"..."
Green Silk's face darkened again.
Indeed, Yu Mingyue didn't explicitly say anything to her; she had taken the blame for her own words.
Seeing Green Silk's face grow paler and paler, this woman, who could smile even in front of her enemies, seemed to have had her heart pierced by Yu Mingyue's words, leaving her speechless and unable to defend herself. Yuwen Qian frowned slightly, looked down at Yu Mingyue, and was about to say something when a cold voice suddenly rang out from the side—
"The Buddha's mind is pure and tranquil, and he abhors lust and debauchery, but he also said not to have a discriminating mind."
These words startled everyone present.
Yuwen Qian immediately turned his head and saw Shang Ruyi slowly walking in from the garden gate under the pale moonlight. Her expression was aloof, and her eyes were cold but revealed a clear anger and sharpness. In just a few steps, she walked to Lüxiao's side.
I turned to the side and stood beside her.
It was as if he were in opposition to the other two people present.
Yu Mingyue's face also darkened, as if she hadn't expected Shang Ruyi to step forward at this time, and was even more displeased with her appearance, coldly saying, "What do you mean by this?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Lord Yu, shall I still be the Princess Consort of Qin?"
"..."
Yu Mingyue's face darkened again.
Although she quickly adapted to being "superior" upon arriving here, she hadn't fully adapted to having someone above her. Even though she could previously suppress Shang Ruyi simply with her presence or even her aura, now the other party had clearly adapted to all of this as well, and with just one identity, she had to bow her head.
Yu Mingyue gritted her teeth and could only bow to Shang Ruyi: "Your Highness."
Shang Ruyi said, "No need for formalities."
Yu Mingyue looked up at her again and said, "I wonder what the Princess meant by what she just said?"
Shang Ruyi laughed and said, "So, Lord Yu isn't well-versed in Buddhist principles either."
"..."
"Actually, discrimination is not some profound Buddhist principle; it can be explained in layman's terms. The common saying is—'Don't look down on others.'"
"you--!"
Yu Mingyue was incredibly intelligent; in fact, even without being particularly clever, she knew without thinking that the other party was insulting her.
Even Yuwen Qian glanced at Shang Ruyi with some surprise.
He seemed surprised that Shang Ruyi, who was always measured in her actions and could even stand shoulder to shoulder with men on the battlefield, burning tens of thousands of soldiers in Longxi with a single arrow and being regarded as a "female demon" by some busybodies in the army, could still remain calm and composed when facing them in daily life, would reveal such obvious sharpness.
No, it's no longer a witty remark.
Instead, it turned into hostility, or even deliberate harassment and provocation.
In fact, Shang Ruyi understood what she was doing at this moment. The two sides were already in a life-or-death situation. She was usually polite because the other side hadn't harmed her vitals; people like them maintained their dignity even in death. But this time, Yu Mingyue's instigation of discord between her and Yuwen Ye, and her attempt to harm Shen Wuzheng, had touched a raw nerve!
She couldn't let it go easily. Even if she couldn't get her money back, she had to get some verbal advantage first!
Just like back then, when she snatched those memories from Yu Mingyue!
Seeing Yu Mingyue's annoyed expression, but before she could speak, Shang Ruyi continued, "As the saying goes, it can be a bit unpleasant to say, but there's also a nicer way to put it—"
As she spoke, she turned to look at Green Silk beside her, whose face was pale, and said softly, "Heaven and earth are ruthless; she has very few choices."
"...!"
Green Silk trembled and looked up at Shang Ruyi.
Although she still didn't understand why Shang Ruyi would step forward to help her at this time, even at the cost of offending the Prince of Han and Yu Mingyue, who was almost one with the Prince of Han, her words were like a warm current, instantly warming her heart, which had been cold and numb over the years.
Meeting her gaze, Shang Ruyi didn't say anything, only pursed her lips and gave a reassuring smile.
But Yu Mingyue's face darkened.
Shang Ruyi was already giving her a headache, but this time, Lüxiao, who offered advice to Yuwen Qian, also displeased her. The sight of these two women standing side by side, confronting her, was even more irritating. She sneered and said sarcastically, "Can't handle it, so you've gone after one man after another?"
As she spoke, she looked at Green Silk and asked, "Aren't you worried about getting dirty?"
"..."
"I heard that although Miss Green Silk came back with us this time, she is still thinking of going to find your former master. But if he knew that you have served so many people, he would have long been—impure! Would he still take you in?"
"..."
"I'm afraid he'd find you dirty too."
Upon hearing this, Green Silk's face turned pale once again.
She wasn't the type to just cry and feel wronged when others bullied her. However, the Yu Mingyue in front of her was clearly different from those women in the past who were jealous of her charm and ability to easily please men. Every word she spoke struck the most vulnerable spot in Lüxiao's heart.
As a dancer, she was used to going from one man to another, even being sold back and forth, and she didn't care.
I have long ago entrusted my withered body to the floating duckweed, letting the red flowers and beautiful faces drift away.
However, once Xiao Yuansui entered her heart, everything changed.
Even after all she had been through, even after all she had suffered, she still wanted to go back, to return to that man's side, even though she was already broken and battered.
But Yu Mingyue's words were like a merciless hand, tearing apart her most vulnerable side and exposing it to the public in a bloody mess.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
But there was nothing they could do.
She was indeed filthy. Even if she plotted to kill Wang Shaoji, how would Xiao Yuansui view her and treat her if she returned to his side?
She never thought about it, because she dared not think about it.
Seeing that Lüxiao was heartbroken and in unbearable pain, Shang Ruyi frowned even more deeply.
She said coldly, "Unclean? How can a perfectly good person be unclean?"
Yu Mingyue sneered, "She's been with so many men—are you still going to say she's clean? Even if she was clean before, she's not clean now."
Shang Ruyi raised her eyebrows slightly.
She was different from Lüxiao. Lüxiao was born with a seductive nature, and with the forced training and habits of a dancer, even without intention, every move she made was full of alluring charm. But Shang Ruyi was born with a dignified appearance. Even though she had some girlish naivety in the past, after getting married and experiencing so much, her naivety faded away. Except in front of Yuwen Ye, she was more like the dignified and solemn Princess Qin.
So when she made that expression, it immediately carried a sense of condescending scrutiny and displeasure.
She said coldly, "You were clean before, but after being touched by those men, you became unclean. So according to you, it should be those men who are unclean."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue was taken aback.
Before she could react, Shang Ruyi continued, "If you can't tolerate 'impure' people, then you should go and punish them. Wang Shaoji is dead, but Wang Shaoqiu is still alive."
"..."
"Lord Yu, since the Emperor has ordered you to accompany him on this expedition, why don't you do your part as well?"
Yu Mingyue's eyes flickered, and for the first time, a look of confusion and even helplessness appeared in her sharp and bright eyes. She stammered and couldn't speak, especially when she heard Shang Ruyi's last sentence, she was speechless.
Just then, another cold voice came from the side—
"Is someone going to continue pursuing Wang Shaoqiu?"
Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi, though cold and stern, couldn't help but show a hint of joy on her face. She quickly turned her head, and Yuwen Qian and the others also turned their heads. They saw Yuwen Ye slowly walking over from the other side.
Under the moonlight, his expression was cold and stern. Although his handsome face showed no joy or anger, it exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect without being provoked.
Yu Mingyue bit her lower lip.
She already knew, of course, that her plan had worked, but it had also been completely thwarted. Yuwen Ye's act of rescuing Shang Ruyi from the Western Turks, despite past grievances, meant that the Prince of Qin and the Princess of Qin would henceforth be without any animosity and would be of one mind. But compared to him, she—
This made her feel a little short of breath.
Yuwen Ye slowly walked up to them, cupped his hands in a salute to Yuwen Qian, and asked, "Second brother, where did you just go?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I sent people to track Wang Shaoqiu before, and now they have returned to report."
"Oh? He is—"
"He is now heading towards Luoyang."
"..."
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Green Silk's eyes.
Everyone quieted down.
This was not unexpected. Wang Shaoqiu didn't have many places to go now. Liang Shide in Luoyang was indeed his last chance. If he didn't find a foothold, he was afraid that the few men he had left would soon be scattered.
Yuwen Ye turned his head and looked coldly at Yu Mingyue: "Lord Yu, are you going to pursue Wang Shaoqiu?"
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