Chapter 659 You Know Me Is Enough
As soon as she shed a tear, Lei Yu's tears welled up as well, flickering in the light of the nearby torch. Her voice, moist and salty with tears, said, "That's what I should be asking you."
"..."
"You, shouldn't you have already returned to Daxing City? Why have you been captured and brought here again?"
Hearing her mention Daxing City, Shang Ruyi snapped out of her daze.
Lei Yu's understanding of her situation was probably limited to the fact that Yuwen Ye rescued her from Jiangdu Palace and then took her all the way north to avoid Liang Shide's sphere of influence and return to Daxing City. They probably didn't know what happened in the Guanzhong region after that. They didn't know that Daxing City had long been renamed Chang'an, and they didn't know that Yuwen Yuan had already ascended the throne and become emperor.
And she and Yuwen Ye were no longer the same as before.
Thinking about it this way, she felt that things had changed and people were no longer the same, and a more bitter feeling welled up in her heart, and tears fell like beads from a broken string. Lei Yu also panicked a little and hurriedly reached out to wipe her tears. Her palms were wet, so she took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and in just a moment, even the handkerchief was wet.
Lei Yu asked anxiously, "What happened? I just heard that you were brought back by Ashina Zhuxie, and it gave me a huge fright."
"..."
"Was it Feng Chen who captured Taiyuan?"
"..."
"Even so, why were you arrested when you acted alone? What about Feng Chen?"
"he,"
Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth, barely managing to stop her tears, and looked up at Lei Yu, smiling faintly, "He's in Taiyuan."
So she told Lei Yu, in fits and starts, what had happened since they parted: the Jiangdu Palace Coup, the burning of Wanggang Village, the Battle of Fufeng, and the plague.
Of course, there's also Yuwen Yuan's ascension to the throne and the Battle of Taiyuan.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she erased the memory of her mutual understanding and appreciation with Chu Yang.
He didn't even mention the conflict between himself and Yuwen Ye.
Between her and Yuwen Ye, whether it was love or hate, gratitude or resentment, it was their own business. She didn't want to tell others, nor did she want to use these loves, hates, and grudges to affect other people.
Upon hearing about the changes that had occurred after their separation, Lei Yu couldn't help but gasp.
After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, "As expected, Uncle Yuwen—"
She paused for a moment, realizing she should change her words.
However, because they had been separated for so long, even though they knew they should change their address, they didn't know how to do it. Shang Ruyi took over and said softly, "Yes, on the sixth day of the month, Father Emperor ascended the throne in the palace in Chang'an City—formerly Daxing City—and changed the country's name to 'Sheng'."
“Sheng…”
Lei Yu repeated the name of the country, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his eye, and said, "The 'Sheng' in 'Duke of Sheng'."
"..."
"As expected, as expected..."
She seemed somewhat moved, her earlier surprise quickly replaced by a composed smile of "I knew it," and said, "Father said long ago that the Duke of Sheng has lofty ambitions and would not remain subservient to anyone for long. Now it seems he was right."
"..."
"Unfortunately—"
Unfortunately—
Even without any further explanation, those three words conveyed a great deal of helplessness. Moreover, her words just now were almost identical to Pei Xingyuan's original intentions, as if they all knew that Yuwen Yuan would eventually seize power and take his place, and even held onto that hope.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Pei Xingyuan and his group were finally able to see the clouds part and the moon shine through.
However, because Lei Yu and her father surrendered to Liang Shide, they can only be enemies of the Dasheng Dynasty from afar. Furthermore, she has married into the Western Turkic Khaganate, adding another layer of "hostile" identity to her.
Indeed, it's a pity...
Seeing her sentimental expression, Shang Ruyi immediately thought of Pei Xingyuan's distraught state when Lei Yu's marriage was mentioned, and how he eventually became drunk and out of control. She wanted to tell her, but when the words reached her lips, she couldn't utter a single one.
Although she and Yuwen Ye had already broken off their relationship.
However, Yuwen Ye's words were not entirely wrong.
If Lei Yu can't fall in love with Xing Yuan, and if Xing Yuan can't understand his own feelings, then even if they are brought together, they won't be happy.
Moreover, Lei Yu is now married.
What would be the point of her telling her about Pei Xingyuan's unrequited love?
But what's even more heartbreaking is that...
So she gently pursed her lips.
Although she quieted down, Lei Yu's gaze flickered as he looked at her.
She wasn't stupid. Shang Ruyi had just mentioned so many important things, but she hadn't mentioned anything about her relationship with Yuwen Ye. And this time, she was captured because Shang Ruyi's brother had met with disaster at Changchun Palace. She actually rushed out of Qixian County alone to go back, completely disregarding the war in Taiyuan and her own safety. Although Shang Ruyi was a sentimental person, she was never such a rash and reckless person.
Clearly, something must have happened between her and Yuwen Ye to drive her to such a dead end.
So she said, "Therefore, Ruyi, you are now the Princess Consort of Qin in the Great Sheng Dynasty."
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her, then lowered her head again: "Mm."
Lei Yu looked at her quietly for a while, sighed softly, and said, "Now that you are the Princess Consort of Qin, you should be even more careful not to disregard your own safety."
"..."
Do you remember what I said to you?
"..."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, but then she immediately remembered.
That was the last thing Lei Yu said to Shang Ruyi before he left for Hebei to suppress the rebels, as he accompanied his father, Lei Yi, on a mission ordered by imperial decree. For a long time afterward, those words remained in Shang Ruyi's heart, echoing in her ears like a thunderclap.
In such chaotic times, the few soldiers we have are what we rely on for survival.
Even after so much time has passed, looking back, this statement is still true.
This time, regardless of whether she was impulsive or not, she rushed out of Qixian alone without any men, and this was the result she got. Even now, standing on the high platform in the cold wind, Shang Ruyi, who is gradually calming down, understands that even if she hadn't encountered Ashina Zhuxie when she left the city, and hadn't been captured by the guards of Qixian, would she really have been able to reach Changchun Palace alone on such a long journey in such a chaotic world?
It was my fault; I was too impulsive.
However, under those circumstances, she couldn't be rational; she simply couldn't.
Sensing that Shang Ruyi's eyes were dim, as if a thousand emotions were surging in her dark eyes, yet she couldn't utter a single word, Lei Yu remained silent for a while before softly asking, "You and Feng Chen, has something happened between you two?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi's expression darkened further.
Seeing her like this, Lei Yu understood a little better. She sighed inwardly and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then I won't ask."
"..."
"Don't worry, even though you've been captured and brought to the Turks, as long as I'm here, I'll protect you."
"..."
"We'll talk about the future later."
"..."
Her words were simple and calm, but the emotions they contained and the firmness with which she spoke them made Shang Ruyi feel a pang of sadness, and hot tears welled up, instantly reddening her eyes.
In fact, for a fleeting moment, the instant she was captured, she considered ending it all to avoid further torture and abuse, and to escape the hardships of life.
However, when she heard that the one who captured her was Prince Zhu Xie of the Western Turks, Lei Yu immediately came to mind.
The thought of wanting to meet Lei Yu flashed through her mind, but it kept her going.
Now—the loss of her brother has plunged her into despair, and even now, the pain remains excruciating.
However, there are still beautiful feelings and wonderful people waiting for her on the road of life, and her initial persistence was not in vain.
Thinking of this, she grasped Lei Yu's hand with tears in her eyes: "Okay!"
After choking back tears, she whispered, "Thank you..."
"Do you still need to say all this to me?"
Lei Yu glared at her with a hint of reproach. Shang Ruyi hurriedly shook her head, unsure how to explain, but then Lei Yu smiled and said, "It's good that you know me."
"..."
"To be honest, since I married into the Turkic family, I haven't seen a single familiar face. Sometimes, I feel like I'm not living in the human world anymore."
"..."
"I'm so glad to see you this time—even though I didn't want you to come."
Her words were somewhat incoherent, but Shang Ruyi still understood them. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Alright. Just like you said, I'll stay here for one day and keep you company for one day."
"..."
"We'll talk about the future later."
"Um."
Lei Yu smiled happily at her.
At that moment, the tightly closed tent door was finally pushed open in front of the king's tent, which was not far from them.
A tall figure slowly walked out; it was Ashina Zhuxie, the eldest prince of the Western Turks, who had just been kept in the tent by Ashina Shali to question him about the war in Taiyuan.
A faint trace of fatigue remained on his face.
Upon seeing him emerge, his personal guards, who had been waiting anxiously at the entrance of the royal tent without daring to breathe, along with his trusted maid Zhenzhen, immediately rushed forward, chattering amongst themselves while keeping their voices low as they asked, "Prince, are you alright? Has the Khan blamed you?"
"..."
Ashina Zhuxie shook his head slightly.
He seemed genuinely tired, or perhaps not in the mood to speak, but he still raised his head. Turning his head, he saw Shang Ruyi and Lei Yu standing not far below the royal tent. At that moment, Lei Yu was holding Shang Ruyi's hand tightly, and the two smiled at each other.
Ashina Zhuxie's brow twitched slightly.
Those around him noticed something and turned to look at the two smiling faces. Zhenzhen was very surprised and whispered, "This little princess has been married to the grassland for so long, and she usually hides in her own tent. You won't see her for ten days or half a month. When she does see someone, she never smiles. Today is the first time I've seen her smile."
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