Chapter 381 I'll Go
Although both of them had doubts, it wasn't appropriate to ask them immediately.
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment, then turned to Shen Shiyan and bowed, saying, "Uncle, please don't say that. If it weren't for Brother Shen's plan, we wouldn't have been able to bring back thousands of men from Wanggang Village, let alone let Wanggang Village collapse almost overnight. Brother Shen's wisdom is truly admirable."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, both Yuwen Yuan and Shen Shiyan were startled.
Yuwen Yuan hurriedly asked, "What happened? Tell me quickly."
Yuwen Ye then recounted the events at Wanggang Village. Shen Shiyan listened with amazement, while Madam Yu said with heartache, "You guys are being too reckless! How many of you are there? How dare you provoke Wanggang Village like that? What if they all attack at once? Will you even be able to come back?"
Shen Wuzheng reached out and gently stroked her arm to comfort her.
Yuwen Yuan remained relatively calm, glancing at Yuwen Ye and then at Shen Wuzheng before saying, "So, what did you bring back this time—"
Yuwen Ye said, "Nearly two thousand people."
"..."
"Fearing that entering the city would disturb the people, they were temporarily left outside the city; and the rest of Wanggang Village's forces also dispersed, leaving only Xiao Yuansui and two other leaders who have not yet shown themselves, greatly reducing their strength."
"good."
Yuwen Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "I didn't expect that you two could bring back so many troops from Wanggang Village without losing a single soldier, and even weaken their power. This is for the future—"
He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I'm afraid Liang Shide will also have a headache."
After saying that, he smiled and looked at Shen Wuzheng, saying, "Young Master Shen is indeed extraordinary."
Shen Wuzheng said, "Thank you for the compliment, Uncle. However, this time Brother Yuwen contributed more. I only used my words."
Yuwen Yuan waved his hand and laughed, "Don't say that. I know his limitations."
Shen Wuzheng frowned slightly, no longer daring to respond. At this moment, Shen Shiyan stood up from his seat and said, "Alright, it's getting late. We're relieved to see Ruyi back safely, and we shouldn't disturb your reunion with your son, Brother Yuwen. Let's take our leave now."
Although Yu was somewhat reluctant, she knew that they should leave.
Only Shen Wuzheng showed a hint of hesitation on his face.
However, neither they could stay any longer, both emotionally and logically. Seeing that Shen Shiyan had come over and was about to lead them away, he could only bow to the host and bid farewell. Yuwen Yuan did not insist that they stay, but personally escorted them to the door and watched the family leave before returning to the reception hall.
When he sat down again, his expression had changed.
A heavy aura emanating from him instantly filled the entire reception hall, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously tensed up.
In truth, she understood that after what happened at Jiangdu Palace, returning to Daxing City and facing Yuwen Yuan would not only be a pleasant reunion; what she would face was only the beginning.
Sure enough, when Yuwen Yuan looked at her again, his eyes were more serious. He said, "Ruyi, your trip to Jiangdu this time was unexpected. It's also Ye'er's fault for not making full preparations, which led you to be in danger. However, this accident was too big."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "It's Ruyi's fault."
Yuwen Yuan waved his hand and said, "Now, I don't want to ask whose fault it is. I want an answer from you."
"..."
"How exactly did the late Emperor die?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this question, Shang Ruyi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and her face immediately turned pale.
I didn't expect him to be so direct.
However, it shouldn't have been unexpected that although Yuwen Yuan was a deep thinker, this matter was of great importance and could not tolerate too much beating around the bush. He needed the most direct answer so that he could make the most prudent preparations.
But--
Just as Shang Ruyi hesitated and had not yet spoken, Yuwen Ye suddenly said, "Father, let's not talk about this for now."
"Not going to talk?"
Yuwen Yuan frowned as he looked at him, then suddenly seemed to realize something: "What, even you don't know the answer?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye remained silent, which was an admission of agreement.
Yuwen Yuan was also somewhat incredulous, his brows furrowing even more: "But you should know that now, everyone in the world wants to ask her for this answer."
"..."
"So, who will give the world an explanation?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I'll do it."
"...!?"
Shang Ruyi was startled and stared at him with wide eyes.
But Yuwen Ye remained expressionless, even his eyes were calm and still, as if what he had just said was nothing more than the most ordinary sentence.
Shang Ruyi felt as if something had forcefully struck her chest, causing her heartbeat to become unsteady.
She quickly lowered her head.
Yuwen Yuan was somewhat surprised to hear those two words. He looked at his son, who never spoke recklessly—if he said he could handle it, he definitely could. However, this was a major event that ordinary people could not even imagine. Even he, who now supported the new emperor and held great power, could not guarantee that he could get through this crisis.
After a long silence, he said, "Ye'er, you need to understand that this matter cannot be resolved by one person speaking up or remaining silent."
"..."
"If we are not careful, not to mention your and Ruyi's lives and fortunes, we cannot afford to lose the entire Yuwen family."
"I see."
"Then why don't you—"
Yuwen Yuan seemed somewhat angry and couldn't say anything more, but seeing Yuwen Ye's solemn expression and his lack of any sign of wavering, the father could only sigh and say, "Alright."
"..."
It seems that this matter has simply passed.
Shang Ruyi stood there, not daring to look up into Yuwen Ye's eyes, feeling her heart pounding violently, almost bursting out of her chest.
She clenched her hands tightly, trying to calm herself down.
Yuwen Yuan was still somewhat uneasy, and seeing that they were about to say something, Yuwen Ye suddenly interrupted him, saying, "Father, where is my eldest brother?"
"...!"
The atmosphere changed again the moment Yuwen Qian was mentioned.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously raised her head and saw that the solemn expression on Yuwen Yuan's face seemed to have been half blown away by an invisible breeze, and a hint of pleasure was revealed in his bright tiger eyes.
It was a kind of joy that came from the bottom of one's heart.
However, his face remained calm and composed.
Yuwen Ye silently observed everything, only saying, "I just realized that my third brother was left in Taiyuan by Father. Why isn't my eldest brother at home either?"
Yu Wenyuan said: "He is at Dayan Temple."
"Oiwa Temple?"
"He will personally preside over tomorrow's Dharma assembly."
"...!?"
Yuwen Qian is personally presiding over this Dharma assembly?!
Upon hearing this news, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance, both revealing an undisguised shock in their eyes.
However, neither of them said much.
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment, then asked, "Why is this Dharma assembly being held all of a sudden?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's expression darkened.
He said, "A few days ago, some news came from Jiangdu Palace that the court was in turmoil and the people were unsettled. I thought that we needed to do something to appease the people and show the court's attitude. Therefore, I asked Dayan Temple to hold this Dharma assembly."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi murmured, "So that's how it is."
When they first heard that Dayan Temple was going to hold this Dharma assembly, they knew that the so-called propagation of Buddhism was just a pretext, and the real purpose was naturally for the late Emperor Chu Yang; but if they delved deeper, the man was already dead, and he could not see what was going on.
What you can truly see are the living people.
Therefore, the true purpose of this ceremony was not to worship the late emperor, but to appease the people and stabilize the new dynasty.
Yuwen Yuan added, "All officials of the fourth rank and above, as well as their wives, must attend tomorrow's Dharma assembly."
"..."
"Previously, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed favors upon all officials and granted a general amnesty. Ruyi was also granted the title of a second-rank noblewoman, so tomorrow—"
As he spoke, he looked up at Shang Ruyi and said, "I thought you wouldn't be back so soon, but I didn't expect you to arrive today. So tomorrow's Dharma assembly—"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Father, we rushed back for this Dharma assembly. Ruyi will go."
The vertical lines between Yuwen Yuan's eyebrows had become even deeper.
He pondered for a while and said, "Then you should be prepared. Tomorrow, all the officials will gather. Although it is a Buddhist ceremony, it is hard to guarantee that someone will ask you questions."
Shang Ruyi replied, "Yes."
Yuwen Yuan looked at them and sighed again.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye said, "Father, we will handle these matters, so don't worry too much. It's getting late, Father, you should rest early."
Speaking of this, Yuwen Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, you all traveled day and night to get back, you must be tired. Go and rest early, you have to get up early tomorrow."
"Yes, son takes his leave."
After saying that, Yuwen Ye left the reception hall with Shang Ruyi.
Even as they walked into the night, Shang Ruyi's heartbeat had not yet returned to normal, and the hand that Yuwen Ye was holding was trembling involuntarily. The two walked a long way until they reached a long corridor, where Yuwen Ye stopped and turned to look at her.
Fortunately, it was already late, and the distant lights were not enough to illuminate Shang Ruyi's burning face.
But the darkness of night could not conceal her constantly darting gaze.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Are you alright?"
"..."
After struggling for a long time, Shang Ruyi managed to squeeze out a weak voice from her throat: "No, it's nothing..."
Yuwen Ye said, "Father doesn't know what happened, he also—"
"I see,"
Only then did Shang Ruyi manage to find her voice again. Although her voice still trembled slightly when she spoke, she said, "Father wants this answer. It is his duty and human nature."
"..."
Ultimately, it was my fault.
Yuwen Ye frowned: "Don't say that."
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