Chapter 376 Enlightenment
"Young Master..."
When Mu Xian uttered those three words, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a blinding light before her eyes, almost causing her to faint.
She quickly reached out to support herself, lowered her head, and took a few deep breaths before she could barely steady herself.
When I looked up again, I realized that the sun had risen.
The dazzling light pierced through everyone's eyes, dispelling the deep darkness and unease of the night, but conveying an even more complex emotion to her and their hearts.
Shang Ruyi's heart pounded like thunder.
Eldest son, Yuwen Qian!
Wait, why is someone who looks like him wearing a white monk's robe?
A white monk's robe?!
At this moment, Shang Ruyi felt her mind was in complete chaos, as if countless disordered thoughts had turned into a tidal wave and surged up, almost engulfing her.
But Yuwen Ye, who was sitting next to her, was so quiet that you couldn't even hear him breathing.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his face showing no change in expression. After a long silence, he slowly raised his eyes to look at Mu Xian's uneasy face and said, "I understand. You may leave."
"……yes."
Mu Xian gave a careful bow and then turned and left.
Although he left, the two remaining people did not say anything immediately. Instead, an unusual atmosphere of silence enveloped them, and the tense atmosphere made them not only afraid to speak, but even their breathing and heartbeats seemed to become cautious.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ruyi finally mustered her courage and turned to Yuwen Ye: "You—"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her.
With just one glance, the words I wanted to say vanished from my lips.
Shang Ruyi felt a lump in her throat, her whole being a jumbled mess, but at this moment, Yuwen Ye's eyes were even colder and clearer than before.
He said, "Are you trying to ask me about my brother?"
"..."
What do you want to ask?
"..."
Shang Ruyi struggled for a long time. Although she had many unanswered questions about this person before she got married, even now that Yuwen Ye had spoken up, she still didn't know what to ask to clarify everything.
After a long pause, she finally asked, "What's the matter with the monk's robe?"
"..."
"Your brother—"
Yuwen Ye said, "He practices Buddhism."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Practicing Buddhism?
Was Yuwen Qian a Buddhist?
She then remembered that although there were many praises in the rumors about Yuwen Qian both inside and outside the court, including among aristocratic families, there was also the fact that this person had stayed away from the court and officialdom for some special reasons, that he came from a prestigious family but had no military achievements, and that he had not even lived at home for several years.
The reason for that was special was that he was a Buddhist.
But speaking of which, he is so young, and has a background, looks, and abilities that almost every young master from a prominent family envies, why does he want to practice Buddhism?
She looked up at Yuwen Ye: "Why does he want to practice Buddhism? Why does his family never mention it?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Of course my father doesn't like him practicing Buddhism, so the family never mentions it. It's a taboo for him."
"So, did he become a monk?"
“He hasn’t been ordained yet. His adherence to the precepts and his practice of Buddhism are already the limit of my father’s tolerance. My father will not allow him to actually be ordained as a monk.”
"..."
“Over the years, he has spent most of his time traveling and rarely comes home.”
Shang Ruyi gasped.
She then remembered that when Guan Yunmu passed away, she overheard Yuwen Ye asking Aunt Hui about Yuwen Qian's whereabouts. Aunt Hui said that he had gained some enlightenment and gone on a journey. Later, when they stayed at Banyan Temple, Yuwen Ye talked about Yuwen Qian with the monks in the temple. The monks also mentioned that Yuwen Qian had stayed at the temple.
Enlightenment, wandering, staying overnight in temples...
These words seem strange when used to describe an ordinary person, especially the heir of a duke's mansion, but they are not strange when applied to a wandering monk or a hermit.
But he just happens to be the eldest son of the Duke's mansion.
In an instant, Shang Ruyi's thoughts drifted far away.
"what's on your mind?"
Suddenly hearing Yuwen Ye's voice, Shang Ruyi was startled and turned to look at him, her expression becoming even more solemn. After a long silence, she said softly, "I... I didn't expect to encounter news about him so soon."
The atmosphere between the two became somewhat tense.
Yes, about him.
Even Chu Yang and Empress Jiang were not as shocked as the appearance of this "him".
Because of "him" existence, it's not just about emotional entanglements; more importantly, their marriage is built on Yuwen Qian's back, and it can even be said that his shadow will forever loom over their hearts.
Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while and said in a deep voice, "He is my elder brother. You two will meet sooner or later."
"..."
"I just didn't expect—"
He seemed unable to finish his sentence, but Shang Ruyi glanced at his eyes, which rarely showed a hint of hesitation amidst his cold demeanor, and seemed to understand his feelings.
She said softly, "You didn't expect him to go back to Father's side, did you?"
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a long time, but then acquiesced.
If Yuwen Qian had continued to wander around as before, rarely returning to the Yuwen family, then he would not have had many opportunities to meet Shang Ruyi, and there would not have been any awkward moments. But now that he has returned to the Yuwen family, and in a position of having made great contributions and being fully involved in the affairs of the Yuwen family, it is clear that he will no longer wander around aimlessly as before.
His state has changed from "becoming a monk" or "leaving the world" to "entering the world".
Therefore, the issue between them is not whether they meet or not, but whether they will be spending a long time together in the future.
At this moment, Tushe'er saw that the two had gotten up, so she brought them hot water, towels, and salt, and helped them wash up. Then she went to tend the campfire and cook porridge. The people around also got up and started making breakfast. Smoke rose from the chimneys all around, and the air was filled with the aroma of food and the noise of people around them. All of this belonged to the hustle and bustle of this mortal world.
Amidst the commotion, Shang Ruyi's mind became clearer.
She then asked, "Then why does your brother practice Buddhism? Did he have an affinity for Buddhism from a young age?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I suppose so."
"Does it count?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him: "What do you mean?"
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and said, "As far as I can remember, when I was a child, about four or five years old, I suddenly fell seriously ill, and medicine was ineffective. I almost died. At that time, my father and mother took the family to Dayan Temple to pray for me. Not long after we returned, I recovered."
"..."
"However, after recovering from his illness, I did not see my elder brother at home. When I asked, I learned that when he went to Dayan Temple with our father and mother, he listened to the Zen master preaching there and was so absorbed that he refused to come back."
"..."
"Later, although his father still forcibly brought him back, it seemed that his heart remained there."
"..."
"After that, he often went to the temple to stay and listen to the monks preach. He also began to chant sutras and practice Buddhism. Gradually, he grew up and his father could no longer control him. He also began to travel away from home and has rarely returned over the years."
At this point, Yuwen Ye sighed softly and said, "Actually, before the incident in Daxing City, almost everyone thought he had dedicated his life to Buddhism and might even seek an opportunity to become a monk in the future. I never expected—"
Although he didn't say what came next, Shang Ruyi understood perfectly.
No one expected that someone who had been practicing Buddhism for so many years and never even went home would not only suddenly enter the world but also suddenly return home.
That's really a strange thing.
Judging from Yuwen Qian's previous behavior and actions, he was a person who was indifferent to everything, wandered the world, and relied on heaven and earth. That's why he was all alone and didn't care about fame and fortune even though he was born into a wealthy family. But this time, he suddenly got involved in the Duke of Sheng's great cause, and even took Daxing City alone without bloodshed, and opened the city gates to welcome Yuwen Yuan into the city.
This is an unparalleled feat.
It's also more like—he returned to his father's side as compensation for his years of not fulfilling his filial duties as a son and not contributing to the family.
But this seems contradictory when viewed from different perspectives.
Why did he suddenly change like this?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi looked up at Yuwen Ye: "Do you know why someone who has been focusing on cultivation would suddenly come back?"
Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered again.
For some reason, Shang Ruyi felt that there seemed to be a certain clarity in his flickering eyes.
After a long pause, he said, "Perhaps he has—become enlightened."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Enlightenment?
This is what Aunt Hui said before.
However, after enlightenment, why did he not delve deeper into Buddhism, but instead began to engage in worldly affairs and returned to his family?
All of this was incomprehensible to her, but Shang Ruyi also understood that she hadn't even met Yuwen Qian yet, so naturally she couldn't understand his actions.
only--
She looked at Yuwen Ye and asked, "Then, do you think the figure Mu Xian saw could be him?"
"...!"
Upon hearing this question, Yuwen Ye's eyes suddenly widened.
It felt as if his heart had also been deeply shaken.
Shang Ruyi's heart tightened subconsciously.
But the next moment, Yuwen Ye regained his indifferent expression. He looked down at Shang Ruyi, then looked up at the sun that had already risen high in the sky. The sunlight illuminated his face, making every contour so clear, but it could not illuminate the deep emotions hidden in his deep eyes.
After a long pause, he said, "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't."
"..."
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
Of course, there are only these two possibilities.
However, if not, then everything is fine.
if--
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