Chapter 807 The Unfamiliar Yuwen Qian!
Upon hearing this voice, a cold wind seemed to suddenly blow through the once noisy and lively mourning hall. It was not only piercing but also heart-wrenching. Shang Ruyi almost instinctively shivered and quickly turned her head away.
Just then, a breeze carrying the chill of early autumn lifted a funeral banner in the center of the mourning hall.
Although only a few spirit banners separated the hall, and the hall itself was brightly lit, strangely, the inner chamber was completely dark, almost pitch black. From within that heavy, inky darkness, a figure, seemingly formed from the endless night, slowly emerged. The moment he reached out and lifted the spirit banner, Shang Ruyi even had the fleeting thought that this person was dressed in black, which allowed him to blend so seamlessly into the darkness.
However, when he came out, he was dressed in pure white.
It's Yuwen Qian!
He was still wearing the same mourning clothes he had worn when he carried the coffin into the city. Coupled with his thin, listless, and pale face, even the hand he reached out to lift the funeral banner was bloodless. He was as pale as a ghost.
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Why did I think he was wearing black for that brief moment?
Yes, it's just an illusion.
Regardless of whether it was a misperception or not, what mattered at this moment wasn't the color of his clothes. Upon seeing him emerge from behind the mourning hall, Yuwen Ye's face remained impassive, but his eyes trembled slightly. However, he composed himself and stepped forward to pay his respects: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"..."
Yuwen Qian didn't speak, but slowly raised his eyes to look at him.
As she looked up, those clear, beautiful eyes were even more clearly revealed under the lamplight. When she met those eyes, Shang Ruyi's heart sank again—those eyes had lost the bloodshot red they had when they looked at her in the city. Although they were no longer as clear and bright as before, they were somewhat cloudy, as if ice had frozen deep within their pupils. Neither the bright lights nor the noisy atmosphere, nor even tender emotions, seemed to be able to enter those eyes anymore.
But those eyes were calm.
It was after the ice had frozen over that the boundless tranquility stretched out before it.
He looked at Yuwen Ye, then suddenly curled his lips into a faint smile that seemed to vanish in an instant, and said, "Second brother, you've come."
"...!"
Seeing him like this, both Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan showed a hint of surprise in their eyes. They looked at each other but neither of them spoke. They simply held their breath and lowered their heads even further.
Yuwen Ye met his bone-chilling gaze. After a long silence, he calmly said, "Yes."
Yuwen Qian said, "I thought you wouldn't come, Second Brother."
"Your Majesty, you have misjudged me."
"oh?"
“No matter what, the Duke is an elder, how could I, your younger brother, not come to pay my respects in person?”
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi felt as if the chanting and prayers in the mourning hall had become quieter, and the guests outside had also subconsciously fallen silent.
Regardless of outside speculation, Shang Ruyi felt somewhat uneasy upon seeing this scene. She truly hadn't expected Yuwen Ye to come and pay respects to Dong Bizheng without batting an eye. After all, this man had died at her hands. Even if it was an accidental killing, he was still the one who killed him. Even if everyone in the world could only speculate and not be certain, he knew the truth in his heart.
But he showed no fear or hesitation, and instead stood before Yuwen Qian and spoke eloquently.
Such a mindset is indeed not something that ordinary people can possess.
However, Shang Ruyi also understood that it was not only because Yuwen Ye came from a military background and was used to the killing on the battlefield from a young age, but also because he was very clear that the relationship between him and the Crown Prince, and between his people and the Crown Prince's people, was bound to be a life-or-death struggle.
Moreover, along the way, Shang Ruyi also came to understand one thing—
One Jiang Chongen is not needed for two county lords to cross the river.
Dong Bizheng had previously told the Crown Prince that he wanted to go to the battlefield again, so this time he followed Yu Dingxing onto the boat to cross the river not to see the scenery or watch the excitement, but to take action and make merit. On the other side of the river, there was not only Jiang Chongen, but also Fan Chengen. They took action without even asking any questions, and what they wanted was probably more than just killing Jiang Chongen, the traitor.
After all, Fan Chengen was a crucial factor in who would eventually capture Luoyang, the eastern capital!
At this point, everyone's life or death is only a matter of self-interest, not right or wrong.
Upon hearing Yuwen Ye's words, Yuwen Qian seemed completely unsurprised by his "shamelessness." His eyes, already filled with icy coldness and devoid of any light, calmly gazed at Yuwen Ye. After a long while, the corners of his mouth curled up again: "Well said."
Another gust of wind blew by, causing the spirit banner behind Yuwen Qian to sway slightly, as if countless ghosts were wandering around.
Yuwen Ye glanced behind him; the inner hall, separated only by a few spirit banners, remained dark and gloomy, with only the tall coffin faintly visible, almost blending into the darkness. Yuwen Ye asked, "What were you doing inside, Your Majesty?"
Yuwen Qian turned his head to look at it, and at that moment his eyes finally flickered with a hint of something.
He said, "I'm listening to my uncle."
"..."
“My uncle once told me many things, but I didn’t listen to them. Instead, I believed some things I shouldn’t have believed, which led me to make a big mistake!”
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart sank.
Yuwen Qian said in a deep voice, "So, I want to hear more, to hear what he has to say to me now. I will listen to everything he says and obey him."
Then he turned to look at Yuwen Ye and said, "Tell me, should I do this or not?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye looked at him quietly. His already cold and stern eyes met the icy gaze of the man before him, like a clash of icy blades. Though not intense, a chilling fear that penetrated to the bone was palpable.
Even Shen Wuzheng slowly frowned.
After a long silence, Yuwen Ye said calmly, "This is not something I can decide for my elder brother."
"..."
"In fact, Your Majesty has always been very clear about what you want to do, and no one else can control you."
"..."
“What Your Majesty follows is never the words or advice of others, but your own heart.”
Yuwen Qian slightly raised his chin, half-closed his eyes and looked at him. For the first time, his handsome face showed such an almost arrogant and cold expression. At this moment, Shang Ruyi seemed to no longer recognize him.
This seems to be a completely unfamiliar Yuwen Qian!
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