Chapter 1199 Couple Settling Petty Accounts
The next day, they set off back to Chang'an.
For Shang Ruyi, the short two weeks she spent in Luoyang were not enough to put her mind at ease in this ancient capital. Whether it was because she hadn't had a chance to properly explore her old residence, or because she hadn't gotten to know the officials' wives and daughters well, or because a vegetarian meal wasn't enough to express their gratitude to the thirteen martial monks, or because of the Ziwei Palace, which held so many memories...
There are many things left unsaid.
But thinking that Yuwen Cheng had already taken Xiao Yuansui away, and wondering what kind of storms awaited them in Chang'an, they still embarked on their journey home.
They all thought that Yuwen Ye would definitely catch up with Yuwen Cheng day and night, or at least return to Chang'an as soon as possible to prevent Yuwen Cheng from talking nonsense in front of the emperor. But to everyone's surprise, Yuwen Ye not only did not rush to catch up, but instead stopped along the way. He would stop in almost every prefecture and county he passed through to listen to the government and ask questions. He would take action on problems that local officials could not solve, and even wiped out two mountain bandit groups. This earned him praise from the people who were living in fear of the bandits.
As a result, the journey that should have taken just over half a month was stretched to more than two months by him.
By the time I returned to Chang'an, the New Year had already passed.
At first, those around her had some complaints. Even Shen Tu Tai came to see Shang Ruyi twice, wanting to ask the Princess Consort of Qin to persuade the Prince of Qin to return to the capital as soon as possible. However, Shang Ruyi smiled and advised him not to be too nervous. As time went on, everyone realized what was going on.
Yuwen Ye is consolidating his territory and winning over the hearts of the people.
Initially, Yuwen Yuan appointed him as the Grand Chancellor of the Shaanxi East Circuit in order to send him on the expedition. The Shaanxi East Circuit included Henan, Hebei, Shandong and other places. However, at that time, the entire Henan was occupied by Liang Shide, the Hebei region was also governed by its own people, and Shandong was even more so. Almost no land in the entire Shaanxi East Circuit belonged to the Great Sheng Dynasty.
The title bestowed upon him by Yuwen Yuan was merely an empty honor of commanding troops.
But now Yuwen Ye has not only captured Luoyang, but also, because Xiao Yuansui swept through Hebei and Shandong, he has already eliminated the various forces there. In fact, the entire Central Plains region is now under Yuwen Ye's jurisdiction.
Now, by doing this, he is not only trying to win over these places, but also to win over the hearts and minds of the people here.
In this way, even if Yuwen Yuan were to reclaim the position of Grand Chancellor of the Shaanxi East Circuit in the future, he would not be able to regain his influence here.
Or rather, there are things that he will take if others refuse to give them to him.
Realizing this, everyone stopped urging him and instead wholeheartedly followed him to spread education in the prefectures and counties along the way. As they traveled, the fame of the Prince of Qin and his wife spread far and wide, and they quickly replaced Liang Shide and others in the Central Plains.
As he walked further, several official documents arrived from Chang'an, urging Yuwen Ye to return to the capital to report on his duties. It wasn't until he passed Tongguan that Yuwen Ye quickened his pace.
Finally, on a snowy day, they returned to Chang'an.
"Put the curtain down,"
Sitting in the carriage, Shang Ruyi lifted the curtain and looked out at the snow-covered landscape. Mountains, cities, forests, and land all became embellishments in the snowy scenery. The majestic Chang'an City, which was getting closer and closer, showed an invisible sense of majesty in the cold wind, making people feel awe. Then, Yuwen Ye's voice rang in her ears.
He sat down beside her and said softly, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Shang Ruyi also felt her fingers, which were holding the curtain, turn icy red in no time, so she obediently lowered the curtain, but still shivered. Yuwen Ye smiled and shook his head, taking her hand in his warm palm to warm it.
Listening to the monotonous clattering sound of wheels rolling over ruts, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but yawn.
Yuwen Ye smiled and looked at her: "Tired?"
Shang Ruyi immediately shook her head.
As she shook her head, she yawned and laughed. To wake herself up, she lifted a corner of the curtain with her other hand to look outside. To be honest, she was very familiar with the scenery along the way, but this was the first time she had led such a large group of people on the road. The more than 100,000 people stretched for more than ten miles, like a long snake slowly moving forward on the snow-white land, leaving a long trail.
The cavalry, led by Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao, still guarded the carriage. Although they were not wearing heavy armor, they were still very imposing.
Shang Ruyi sighed deeply: "Alas..."
Having been married for many years, Yuwen Ye could easily hear the helplessness and trouble in her sigh. Thinking that they were about to enter the city and face far more dangers than the open battles on the battlefield, he held her hand tightly and said softly, "Don't worry too much. Yan Jie has taken Xiao Yuansui away, but for me, there is no dead end in this world."
Shang Ruyi lowered the curtain and turned to look at him: "I want to discuss something with you."
"What's up?"
“Give me another three hundred men as compensation.”
"What?"
Yuwen Ye had initially thought Shang Ruyi was worried about Xiao Yuansui, but to his surprise, she asked him for three hundred men. Upon hearing the word "compensation," Yuwen Ye was even somewhat taken aback: "Me? Compensate you?"
Shang Ruyi said in a serious tone, "My three hundred heavy cavalrymen were almost completely wiped out in Huyang Valley, so of course you have to compensate me."
Yuwen Ye finally came to his senses, feeling both annoyed and amused: "It was Father Emperor who ordered you to send troops to Xia Prefecture, and it was you who went to Huyang Valley to intercept Shi Yuxin. Even if there is to be compensation, it should be done by going back to Father Emperor. Why are you coming to me?"
Shang Ruyi said, "My father sent me to Xia Prefecture to relieve the crisis. He will naturally reward me according to my military merits. We'll talk about that when we get back. But I fought the battle at Huyang Valley for you. We lost three hundred elite soldiers. If I don't ask you for compensation, who will I ask for compensation from?"
"..."
"Besides, what I need are heavy cavalry, which Father Emperor doesn't have."
"..."
"I don't care, you owe me three hundred people. Not a single one can be missing."
Yuwen Ye was speechless at her "fallacies" and said irritably, "You have quite the nerve, asking for another three hundred men right off the bat. Do you know how difficult it is to train heavy cavalry?"
Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow: "Of course I know."
Yuwen Ye used the money he got from her to train those three thousand cavalrymen, how could she not know?
When this was mentioned, Yuwen Ye had nothing to say. As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding." He originally thought that by taking Shang Ruyi's dowry and training this batch of soldiers, and by helping her train those three hundred men, he could at least even things out. However, he did not expect that almost all three hundred men were wiped out in Huyang Valley, and in the end, he was the one who had to fill this hole.
He gritted his teeth, and finally could only sigh helplessly, "Fine."
Shang Ruyi immediately smiled.
Just as the couple was settling their accounts, the carriage swayed and suddenly stopped.
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