Chapter 123 I'm not at ease with the Turks.
Feeling that sharp gaze tracing her body inch by inch, as if trying to see a hole through her, Shang Ruyi tried her best to control her breathing, but her body still stiffened little by little under that gaze.
Her hand instinctively gripped the corner of the blanket.
She bit her lower lip tightly with her teeth.
But why is the person behind him still standing there?
Moreover, Yuwen Ye's breathing was heavy, and it seemed to reveal a hint of anger. Could it be that something unpleasant happened during his meeting with Princess Xinyue tonight?
But even if they have a disagreement, what does it have to do with me?
Why is he staring at me like that when he comes back? Is he going to cause me trouble?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt a surge of anger rising in her heart for no reason. She then made up her mind that she had done the best she could as his nominal wife—if he wanted to meet someone, she would provide the opportunity and take the initiative to withdraw so as not to disturb them. She even helped him cover it up in front of his family.
Now that things have come to this point, if he's still not satisfied, I can't just let him take advantage of me.
She tensed her whole body, like a cat with its back arched, ready to pounce and scratch the person the moment they made a move.
But just as her heart was about to leap out of her chest, she heard the person behind her let out a long breath. The voice sounded somewhat helpless and powerless. Then, the person turned around and slowly walked to the other side of the room.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank again.
Yuwen Ye has left?
So, he just stood by the bed and glanced at me; he wasn't trying to cause me any trouble.
But why is he staring at me like this when he's perfectly fine?
Shang Ruyi was completely bewildered, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back, she found it somewhat amusing that she had acted as if she were facing a formidable enemy. The two of them were originally in a cooperative relationship, so she didn't need to constantly put up her defenses and be so tense with Yuwen Ye.
As for those jumbled questions that had just been churning in her mind—Shang Ruyi smiled to herself, feeling more and more that there was no need for such thoughts.
She slowly closed her eyes, ready to drift off to sleep peacefully.
However, she wondered if it was just her imagination, but even though that person had left, it seemed as if his gaze lingered on her all night.
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The next day, everything was as usual.
The two got up early, dressed and washed up, all in a very peaceful manner, but remained silent until they sat down for breakfast. At that moment, Yuwen Ye asked, "Where is the letter I left on the table?"
Shang Ruyi said, "I had someone send them away yesterday, along with those pastries."
At this point, she continued, "Yesterday, Aunt Hui came to talk to me about the household's need to purchase charcoal for winter. Since my parents aren't home this year, we decided to order 20% less than in previous years. I think that's a good idea. What do you think?"
"There's also the study room for my third brother. Father had already reserved one before he passed away. Aunt Hui has already had someone prepare his tuition fees. In a couple of days, the two of us will take him there together."
"And also..."
She spoke methodically about several matters in the manor, all of which she had dealt with after returning yesterday.
After saying this, she looked up at Yuwen Ye again, only to find that he was still staring at her with that sharp gaze that seemed to be able to see a hole through her, just like the feeling she had last night.
She was still somewhat dazed when she heard Yuwen Ye say in a deep voice, "Why didn't you wait for me to come back?"
"ah?"
"I said, why didn't you wait for me to come back before you did all these things?"
Shang Ruyi hesitated for a moment before saying, "I thought you wouldn't come back last night."
"..."
Yuwen Ye's face immediately darkened.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then smiled and added, "However, these are things that I, as the daughter-in-law of the Duke, should do. I just thought that I was young and ignorant, so I wanted to discuss it with you."
The Duke's daughter-in-law...
These four words seemed to touch something deep within Yuwen Ye's heart. He stared intently at Shang Ruyi for a long while before coldly saying, "You certainly know your place very well."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback when she heard this, but then immediately smiled.
She was clear about this from the moment she got married—no, from the moment she decided to marry—that she was not going to be someone's wife or even lover, but the daughter-in-law of Duke Sheng, Yuwen Yuan. There may have been times when she was a little out of it, but now that her uncle and aunt were in trouble and her closest relatives were in dire straits, she had no room for being out of it.
She said softly, "Don't worry, I will try my best to handle these things even when you're not home."
After saying that, he lowered his head and took a sip of porridge, then remembered something and asked, "By the way, why did Luoyang suddenly go into martial law? Did you find out?"
Yuwen Ye reached out and held the bowl, his fingers gripping it with unusual force, almost crushing it. Hearing this, he glared at her again, then let out a long breath and said coldly, "His Majesty the Emperor is preparing to tour the northern frontier."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately frowned.
On one hand, they had to attack Liaodong, and on the other hand, they had to tour the northern frontier?
This emperor is too unconventional, too—
She couldn't bring herself to say anything more treasonous, but her long-standing discontent with the court had filled her chest. She put down her chopsticks and said in a deep voice, "Has the court ever considered how the common people are supposed to survive?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye's face darkened, and he said, "How dare you!"
Shang Ruyi looked up at him and knew she had touched a nerve. After all, on their first day of marriage, she had talked to him about her views on the court, which caused Yuwen Ye to turn on her and leave her on the spot.
Looking back now, it's clear that what he wanted to protect was not just the dignity of the imperial court.
Perhaps, Princess Crescent Moon is also included...
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and said, "I misspoke."
After saying that, he obediently picked up his bowl and chopsticks again, but his chest still felt tight, and he couldn't eat a single grain of rice.
Just then, Yuwen Ye slowly put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Have your men prepare these next two days."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him: "What are you preparing?"
"Get ready to pack your luggage."
"We need to pack again? Didn't we just get back to Luoyang?"
Yuwen Ye said, "We were originally meant to keep Liaoxi and Liaodong under control. This time, the Emperor will definitely want to keep all of us under his control before he can feel at ease."
Shang Ruyi sighed.
Yuwen Ye added, "In any case, be prepared. If we really are going to accompany you, then everyone would better be on high alert."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him: "What do you mean?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a long time before saying, "I am not at ease with the Turks."
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