Chapter 532 In the Name of Mistake
Shang Ruyi was momentarily confused.
It should be noted that although the Duke of Shenwu was Yuwen Qian's maternal uncle, and he had left Aunt Hui in the Yuwen family, who occasionally stirred up some trouble, he himself was very restrained. Since Shang Ruyi married into the Yuwen family, she had hardly seen this person outside of important court affairs.
Especially now—Yuwen Yuan is just one step away from that position. Even if they know they will be anxious and work hard, it's only reasonable that Dong Bizheng shouldn't be visiting at this time.
Unexpectedly, he came to the Yuwen family at this time.
Moreover, it was Aunt Hui who sent someone to invite them.
Could it be that something happened to Yuwen Qian? And thinking about it this way, it must be something big, something very big, for Dong Bizheng to personally take charge.
Has something happened at Yanzuofang?
Shang Ruyi was both curious and concerned, wishing she could go over and find out more, but she was still clear-headed and knew what the Duke's mansion was currently facing, as well as the situation between her side and Yuwen Qian's side. No matter how curious she was, she couldn't go over and pry into other people's "family affairs".
So she could only suppress her curiosity and say, "Okay, I understand. Now you can get back to work."
Tu She'er had originally intended to tell her this as big news, but to her surprise, Shang Ruyi reacted indifferently. She was also a little discouraged and could only pout and mutter as she sat down to continue sewing the veil. Chang Wan, who was standing to the side, looked at her dejected appearance and laughed until her eyes crinkled.
Before long, the sun set.
Shang Ruyi originally thought that Yuwen Qian had already returned to the manor, and Yuwen Ye should be here soon as well. However, to her surprise, Yuwen Ye was still nowhere to be seen. Tu She'er and the others had been doing needlework all day and their eyes were sore, so she told them to go down and eat. She then instructed the kitchen to keep the food warm, planning to eat together when Yuwen Ye returned.
She made two more veils by herself. When she looked up again, it was already dark. Shang Ruyi twisted her sore neck, put down her needlework, and decided to go out for a walk to stretch her muscles and also to check if Yuwen Ye had returned by the gate.
After leaving the courtyard, she didn't take the straight path but instead took a detour, walking out along the garden trail. The Duke's mansion usually had lanterns lit throughout the area at night, illuminating the entire residence. But now, apart from the main gate and the residences of a few masters, the lanterns had been removed, making the mansion appear much darker. However, Shang Ruyi understood that this was intentional on Yuwen Yuan's part; after all, they were now at the final step towards imperial power, and it was even more important to act discreetly.
Shang Ruyi walked through a dark path lined with green bamboo on both sides, and ahead was the brightly lit gate.
Just as she was about to walk out of that path, she suddenly saw two figures emerge from the mansion and slowly walk to the main gate. Under the lamplight, she could immediately see the faces of the two people.
Shang Ruyi immediately stopped in her tracks.
That was—Yuwen Qian, and Dong Bizheng!
Although it wasn't unusual for her, as the daughter-in-law of the Duke's mansion, to be here, and she should greet her elder brother and relatives, she figured they wouldn't care about her greetings in the current situation. So, Shang Ruyi took two steps back, completely concealing herself in the thick shadow cast by the bamboo, and turned to leave.
But as soon as he turned around, Dong Bizheng's deep, somewhat gloomy voice came from behind him—
"Sheng'er, you need to wake up."
Sheng'er?
Shang Ruyi was greatly surprised and subconsciously stopped in her tracks—who was this unfamiliar address referring to?
She turned around and looked at Dong Bizheng, who was standing at the gate. The lanterns above illuminated his face, making every subtle expression of gloom and even every wrinkle that hid countless emotions clear. He looked at Yuwen Qian with a gloomy expression and eyes full of concern. At that moment, Yuwen Qian, who was standing in front of him, trembled slightly in his usually calm, bluish-gray eyes, revealing a hint of pain.
After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly and said, "Uncle, I haven't used this name for a long time."
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Sheng'er...is that Yuwen Qian's former name?
Dong Bizheng's expression darkened further. Looking at his nephew, who spoke so calmly as if he weren't talking about his own name or affairs, he sighed and said, "Silly child, back then—when others said you were wrong, did you really believe you were wrong?"
"..."
"Using the excuse of being wrong?"
Yuwen Qian paused for a moment before raising his head again. His handsome face was calm, but the smile was as calm as a mask. He said, "Uncle, as I said, I haven't been called that name for a long time; I've long forgotten the past."
Dong Bizheng frowned slightly, his expression darkening further.
After a long while, he sighed again and said in a deep voice, "Alright, if you don't mention it, your uncle won't either. But you should take to heart what your uncle told you today."
"..."
"Although I know it's a bit early to bring this up now, it's not too early either."
"..."
"Your marriage, that one—"
"uncle."
This time, Yuwen Qian interrupted him directly. Dong Bizheng was slightly surprised, but he met Yuwen Qian's calm, smiling eyes and saw him say solemnly, "This matter is indeed a bit premature."
Dong Bizheng's brows furrowed instantly as he stared intently at his nephew, a hint of anger and fear in his eyes. He asked, "You, you really haven't let go?"
Although Yuwen Qian did not interrupt him, Dong Bizheng seemed hesitant to speak further, fearing that his words might become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even without uttering them, the tone of his voice revealed his turbulent and somewhat panicked state of mind.
Yuwen Qian, however, remained calm and said, "Uncle, it's getting late, Father will be back soon."
"..."
"At this time, I believe he still hopes that his uncle can stay at home and take care of himself."
Upon hearing this, Dong Bizheng knew he couldn't linger any longer. Although Yuwen Ye had received much assistance from him in the court in the past, the situation was different now. Even if they were truly relatives, if Yuwen Yuan really took that step, he could no longer rely on their status as relatives to do anything out of line.
So, he could only sigh deeply and say, "Okay, I'm leaving."
After saying that, he turned around and walked out the door in a huff.
Yuwen Qian stood there, staring out the door until the sound of the carriage outside the gate faded into the distance. Only then did he seem to sigh, his broad yet thin shoulders drooping slightly.
Then, he turned around, as if to walk back.
However, he turned around, but only halfway, and stopped when he saw the bamboo path that stretched into the dark depths to his side.
Those clear, gentle eyes gazed into the depths of the path.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi, who was stopped in the middle of the road, was almost suffocating!
Yuwen Qian, this is—
She instinctively took a step back, then another, and in a panic, she tried to turn and leave, but her feet felt incredibly heavy, and she almost fell. Suddenly, the person behind her said, "Be careful not to fall!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's breath caught in her throat.
He saw it!
He already knew!
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's steps became heavy, her body stiffened, and she didn't even know whether to turn back or continue leaving. Just as she was struggling with this internal conflict, the steady footsteps behind her drew closer step by step.
Finally, it stopped behind her.
At this moment, there were no other choices. Shang Ruyi could only take a deep breath and slowly turn around. In the dim bamboo forest, only the light from the lantern at the gate not far away illuminated their faces. She saw that Yuwen Qian's expression was peaceful, and his clear eyes even held the same gentleness as always. He looked at her and said softly, "It's dark. When you come out, sister-in-law, you should have someone accompany you and light a lantern."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was filled with shame and could only lower her head and stammer, "Thank you for reminding me, elder brother."
Actually, she didn't intend to eavesdrop; in fact, she even wanted to avoid him when she saw him. She was just startled by the "Sheng'er" Dong Bizheng mentioned and forgot to leave for a moment. But she did "eavesdrop," which, in Yuwen Qian's eyes, made her look like a scheming woman who was just listening in on things.
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth, raised her head to look at Yuwen Qian, and whispered, "I, I actually—"
Yuwen Qian looked up at her back and then smiled gently, "Sister-in-law, you don't usually take this road. Is it because your second brother hasn't returned yet, so you came here to wait for him?"
Shang Ruyi said softly, "...Yes."
Yuwen Qian nodded: "The situation at Chang Le Fang is rather special, so I imagine Second Brother will be busy for a while longer."
"...?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi disregarded her shame and the shock she had just experienced, and immediately looked at Yuwen Qian with surprise: "Is the situation special?"
Yuwen Qian said, "Well, the patients from outside the city that Yanzuofang takes in are almost all from several villages and towns near Daxing City. They know each other and help each other out when needed. However, the people taken in by Changlefang are more complicated. There is a group of people from a more distant place."
"..."
"Later, rumors circulated that the epidemic was brought by those people."
"..."
"These patients were already frustrated, and when they heard this, they started arguing with those outsiders. Some people from Chang Le Fang even got into a fight and injured a few people. Although they were later subdued by my second brother's men, these people had already started to form gangs, especially when distributing medicine, they would obstruct these people from queuing and prevent them from drinking the medicine."
"..."
"I suppose my second brother is still not home so late because he's dealing with these things."
"..."
"Sister-in-law, you should be more understanding."
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's mind started to wander again.
She nodded, then asked cautiously, as if casually, "Well, Chang Le Fang has already started distributing herbal medicine, does Yan Zuo Fang have any—?"
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