Chapter 227 Why are you wasting your breath talking to her!
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at him.
Thinking back, when I saw him at the entrance of the Xingluocang warehouse, his body and hands were covered in abrasions, especially a large patch of dried blood on his shoulder, which was obviously left by a serious injury.
She immediately said, "His shoulder—"
Mu nodded and said, "I was pierced in the shoulder by a dry branch."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi gasped.
Mu Xian looked at her shoulder, which was still wrapped in thick bandages, and said with a wry smile, "Young Master and Young Mistress are truly a couple; even their injuries are in the same place."
"..."
"At that time, everyone was extremely worried, fearing that the young master would not survive."
"..."
“But not only did the young master survive, he also endured serious injuries to infiltrate Xingluo Warehouse and fight those people again… Young Madam, I’m not biased towards the young master, but this time, you really took too much risks. If something had really happened, it could have been fatal.”
"..."
Hearing these words, Shang Ruyi finally came to her senses.
She gradually calmed down, thought for a while longer, and still said with some indignation, "But I... I did it to save him—"
Mu Xian said, "Yes, that's what makes you even angrier, young master."
"What?"
Shang Ruyi was puzzled, but before she could ask again, Yuwen Ye's angry voice suddenly rang out from outside the tent: "Why are you wasting your breath talking to her? Come out!"
The two people in the tent were startled. They never expected that he hadn't gone far and had even overheard their conversation. Mu Xian didn't dare to say anything more, but he gave Shang Ruyi a wink and hurriedly turned around and went out.
Shang Ruyi was left there alone, momentarily stunned.
So, while she was risking her life, Yuwen Ye almost lost his life for her sake.
So what do they mean by doing this?
Can this be counted as a transaction?
She felt her mind was in complete chaos, and she couldn't even tell whether she was happy, aggrieved, or some other emotion that was slowly swelling in her chest, making her feel somewhat uncontrollable.
Just as Shang Ruyi was feeling lost and unable to discern the direction, a rider broke through the wind and snow and rushed into the Eastern Capital City.
It was Yuwen Ye who arranged for him to go and report the battle results.
The man held aloft a bamboo tube sealed with sealing wax, galloping at full speed while shouting, "Great victory at Xingluocang! Great victory for the General of the State! Xingluocang has been recaptured!"
The snow was raging, and there weren't many pedestrians on the streets; most people were staying at home. But upon hearing this sound, everyone opened their doors and windows and came out. Many people shouted, "Really? Xingluo Granary has really been brought back?"
The rider did not stop to answer, but continued galloping forward.
The remaining civilians erupted in commotion, with many exclaiming joyfully, "Who would have thought that we'd brought back such a huge granary in less than half a month!"
"The Grand General who assists the state is truly a remarkable person!"
"Of course, that's the second young master of the Yuwen family. The Duke of Sheng is a formidable fighter; like father, like son!"
The crowd grew increasingly excited as they talked, and even the falling snowflakes seemed to flutter in the air due to their high spirits. This excitement followed the messenger who reported the victory all the way into Ziwei City, and the news reached the Emperor in the main hall.
Chu Yang unfolded it and saw that a joyful smile immediately appeared on that elegant and handsome face, as white as jade.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He said "good" three times, then snapped the report shut and nodded, saying, "Unexpectedly, the Grand General of the State led his troops on this expedition and won a great victory in less than half a month, recapturing Xingluo Granary."
The officials standing on both the civil and military sides below showed various expressions upon hearing this.
Several of them immediately stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"With the Emperor's divine grace and protection, the Grand General who assists the nation is invincible and unstoppable. This is truly a blessing for our dynasty, and a cause for celebration."
"Your Majesty, the General and his soldiers should be richly rewarded!"
Chu Yang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, his face beaming with joy. But just then, a sharp voice suddenly rang out in the court, instantly silencing all the joyful sounds—
"Recapturing Xingluo Granary may be a great joy, but to say that the Grand General is invincible would be an exaggeration."
Upon hearing this voice, everyone fell silent and turned to see Wang Shaoji, the Right Guard General, slowly walking to the center of the hall. He said to Chu Yang, "Your Majesty, Yuwen Ye suffered three defeats in three battles, losing many soldiers and generals. The situation in Xingluo Granary is still unclear. Why did a victory report suddenly arrive today? Is this true or false? I'm afraid Your Majesty should carefully discern the truth and not fall into a treacherous trap."
Chu Yang's expression slowly darkened.
At this moment, an official stepped forward from the other side of the ranks. It was Mao Xiaoyi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. He said solemnly, "General Wang, even we civil officials know that subduing the enemy without fighting is the best strategy, but it cannot be forced. In any war, losses of soldiers and officers are inevitable. As long as we can achieve victory and recover lost territory for the court, it is a merit. Although the Grand General of the State lost a few battles before, he recaptured Xingluo Granary, which is an unparalleled achievement for the court. Why is such a real merit described as a 'treacherous scheme' in your mouth? Isn't this chilling the hearts of the soldiers on the front lines?"
As soon as he said this, everyone around him nodded in agreement.
Wang Shaoji sneered, "Lord Mao only knows one side of the story and not the other."
Mao Xiaoyi said, "Oh? Then what does General Wang know that we don't?"
Wang Shaoji glanced at him but turned away, then turned to Chu Yang and said loudly, "Your Majesty, just before going to court, I received news from the Imperial Guards at the front—Yuwen Ye has betrayed the country and defected to the enemy, and has even killed Kou Yunliang, the supervisor personally appointed by the Emperor; now, he is leading the remaining ten thousand troops to defend Xingluo Granary, and his whereabouts are unknown!"
Upon hearing this, the entire court fell silent.
Chu Yang's expression also changed: "What did you say?"
Wang Shaoji said, "Yuwen Ye, you've rebelled!"
These words were like a huge stone thrown into a pond, immediately causing an uproar in the entire court. The civil and military officials on both sides began to argue loudly. Some said that Yuwen Ye should be punished immediately, some said that the situation should be investigated, some even directly petitioned the emperor to exterminate the entire Sheng family, and some immediately guaranteed with their heads and the lives of their entire families that the Yuwen family would never rebel against the court.
In an instant, the entire court was thrown into chaos.
Chu Yang's expression kept changing, sometimes panicking, sometimes gloomy. When he looked at the people arguing below, his face turned ashen and his eyes even turned red.
Wang Shaoji stepped forward again and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Yuwen Ye has long harbored rebellious intentions, and this time, with his rebellion, he must not be allowed to live!"
At the same time, another person stepped out from the other side of the court officials' procession.
This man was probably in his thirties, with a handsome appearance and a calm demeanor; he was none other than Guan Ao, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. He said solemnly, “Your Majesty, I believe it is too early to say whether it is a merit or a demerit. A hasty decision may lead to oversights.”
As soon as Wang Shaoji saw him step forward, he immediately sneered, "The official is the nephew of the Duke of Sheng and a relative of Yuwen Ye. If you say this, it is naturally because of the protection of relatives and friends. Your Majesty, you cannot easily believe his words."
Guan Ao didn't even look at him, and said, "Your Majesty, everything I have said is for Your Majesty's benefit."
"oh?"
Chu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "What are your considerations, Minister Guan?"
Guan Ao said, “It is a fact that Yuwen Ye won a great victory, and it is also a fact that he executed the supervising officer. However, the situation at the front is constantly changing. There must be a reason for this merit and demerit. If we punish the meritorious general without asking the reason, it will hurt the morale of the soldiers at the front and will be detrimental to the people’s morale. It would be better to recall the Assistant General and ask him the reason before determining his merit and demerit.”
Wang Shaoji sneered, "Yuwen Ye has soldiers in his hands and grain in his granaries. Summoning him back would only be inviting back a disaster!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yang frowned again.
Some of the officials also showed uneasy expressions—after all, killing an official personally appointed by the emperor was tantamount to treason. Since Yuwen Ye dared to do so, he was disregarding the emperor's orders. What wouldn't such a person dare to do? Moreover, he now had more than 10,000 troops under his command, as well as the Duke of Sheng's own troops, and had even captured the entire Xingluo Granary. If he really wanted to cause trouble, he might be summoned back, and even the Eastern Capital might not be able to be saved.
Upon this thought, a group of officials immediately pleaded, "Your Majesty, please reconsider."
"Yuwen Ye's movements are unclear, so we must be on guard."
"This matter requires careful consideration."
Seeing that the people around him were starting to rebel, Guan Ao's expression grew increasingly serious. However, he did not immediately refute them. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the front of the line, where a familiar, tall figure stood.
It was none other than the Duke of Shenwu—Dong Bizheng.
He was the elder brother of Lady Dong, the first wife of the Duke of Sheng. At this moment, the Duke frowned, as if he was struggling with some problem, but he did not speak.
This makes Guan'ao appear even more isolated and helpless amidst a chorus of opposition.
Wang Shaoji coldly added, "The Imperial Guards who returned also said that the Grand General of the State took his wife with him on this expedition. The fact that the general brought his female relatives on the expedition suggests he was already on guard against the court."
Chu Yang's brows furrowed immediately: "What?"
Upon hearing this, even Guan Ao's expression changed.
Everyone knows that when a general goes to war, there cannot be any female relatives in the army. This is not only because of concerns about disrupting morale and delaying the battle, but more importantly, when a general goes to war, leading troops and supplies, he is a threat to the enemy and also to the imperial court. If the soldiers at the front develop rebellious intentions, then the imperial army will become a sharp sword aimed at the imperial court.
Therefore, it was an unwritten rule that female relatives of soldiers had to remain in the city when they went to war.
Unexpectedly, this time, Yuwen Ye actually took his wife with him on the expedition!
Regardless of the outcome, his actions were seen by those in the imperial court as a harbinger of rebellion!
Wang Shaoji loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I request that you immediately dispatch troops to besiege Xingluo Granary and kill Yuwen Ye!"
At this moment, Guan Ao also became anxious and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
Chu Yang remained silent, coldly watching them. His slender phoenix eyes were slightly closed, revealing a chilling expression that inspired fear. Everyone held their breath, seemingly awaiting his final pronouncement.
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