Chapter 340 Are you angry?
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
But she didn't say anything. She simply raised her head and looked at the two characters "Wanggang" on the stone tablet outside the pavilion, which looked as if they were stained with blood by the setting sun.
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuzheng said, "You don't even know about the new emperor's ascension to the throne, which shows how treacherous the journey was and how poor the news was. I had to ask around to find out about this. But as for the empress, there's really nothing more to say."
After saying that, he looked at Yuwen Ye and said, "The Second Young Master seems to care a lot about the Empress."
"..."
Yuwen Ye looked up at him, then immediately looked at Shang Ruyi beside him.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Shen Wuzheng's gaze deepened, and his tone became more serious: "Why?"
But this time, before Yuwen Ye could speak, Shang Ruyi whispered, "Brother, you probably don't know, but the Empress watched him grow up, and she's also very good to me."
"...?"
Shen Wuzheng turned to look at her with some surprise, and after a long while, said, "Is that so?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Why would I lie to you?"
"..."
"Therefore, whether as a subject or a junior, it is his duty to care for the Empress."
Although her words relieved the awkward situation, Yuwen Ye's gaze towards her became even more shadowy than before.
Shen Wuzheng's gaze gradually softened.
He said, "Since the Second Young Master is worried about the Empress's safety, we can speed up our training and return to Daxing City after this matter is over, and then we will know the Empress's situation."
Yuwen Ye simply nodded: "Mm."
Shang Ruyi then smiled and said, "Alright, it's getting late, let's hurry up and find a place to stay."
After saying that, the three of them went down the earthen slope together.
Shen Wuzheng went to the other side of the woods and retrieved his horse, which was tied up there. Shang Ruyi slowly walked to the carriage. Just as she brushed past Yuwen Ye and was about to board the carriage, Yuwen Ye suddenly whispered in her ear, "I'm worried she might—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shang Ruyi immediately interrupted him: "It's alright."
"...?"
Yuwen Ye frowned as he looked at her, only to see Shang Ruyi calmly say, "No need to explain."
"As one wishes."
"Let's go first, or we won't be able to find a place to stay if we wait any longer."
After saying that, she got into the carriage on her own.
Although the two had traveled together in a carriage, since Shen Wuzheng had also arrived, Yuwen Ye rode a separate horse alongside him. The group then joined the troops that had been left behind and traveled eastward for a while before finally entering Yanyue City as the sun was setting.
This is the closest city to Wanggangzhai.
Although the world was embroiled in constant warfare, and many cities had fallen in the flames of war, Yanyue City remained prosperous as ever. This was not due to the effectiveness of its officials and soldiers, but rather because the city boasted dozens of temples of varying sizes and a large number of monks, making it a veritable Buddhist center. Despite the constant killings by rebel forces in various regions, they still showed some restraint towards the monks. No matter how fierce the battles outside, this place always enjoyed peace and tranquility.
Therefore, many people passing through this war-torn region choose to stay here.
After they entered the city, it was completely dark, and all the lights in the city had been extinguished early, making it almost pitch black. They walked for a while with torches and finally found a temple to stay in. After a brief conversation with the abbot, several monks led them to the monks' quarters at the back of the temple to stay.
Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye were naturally arranged to share a room.
The monk who brought them there placed a basin of hot water and some utensils on the ground, and then said, "Please rest early, you two. This humble monk will take his leave."
After saying that, he left the dormitory.
The room fell silent immediately.
Shang Ruyi stood in the center of the room and subconsciously glanced back. She saw Yuwen Ye standing at the door, closing the door with both hands, and then slowly turning around to look at her.
The air suddenly became somewhat strange.
In fact, even though they hadn't spent much time alone together along the way, things had been relatively peaceful, especially after their trip to Songzhou, where their conversations and interactions were quite ordinary. But at this moment, when their eyes met, an inexplicable tension spread between them.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously looked away.
She wanted to go inside, but found that the room was very simple. Apart from two futons in the outer room for people to rest and kneel, there was only a bed inside.
Moreover, the room was far too small. Yuwen Ye's tall figure standing at the doorway seemed to fill half of the room, and his aura permeated the entire room, giving Shang Ruyi the illusion that there was nowhere to escape.
Could it be that they are going to sleep in the same bed tonight?
Just thinking about it made her feel like she was being pricked by needles.
What made her even more upset was that even when she looked away, she could still feel the gaze of another person in the room looking at her, a gentle gaze tinged with an indescribable heat, and this feeling was so familiar.
The last time the two of them faced each other in their temple cell...
She wanted to forget, but some memories were like needles stuck in her heart, taking root and causing her constant pain.
She felt uneasy, especially with this person beside her, so she said softly, "I want to go for a walk. You, you should rest first."
After saying that, she walked past him and prepared to open the door and go out.
Just as her hand touched the door, another hand suddenly reached out, grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and slammed her against the door. Shang Ruyi frowned, about to struggle, but was firmly held down by a hot body pressed against her.
He looked up and met Yuwen Ye's deep black eyes.
He stood in front of her, his hands tightly gripping her arms, as if he were holding her between his body and the door, making her unable to move.
Shang Ruyi's heart was racing, but her face remained expressionless as she calmly asked, "What are you doing?"
Yuwen Ye's eyes were cold and stern, but deep within his pupils seemed to burn a flame.
He said, "Are you angry?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi found it somewhat amusing.
But immediately, she realized that even the emotion she found funny was somewhat funny. So she sighed, looked at him, and said, "I didn't."
Yuwen Ye said, "If you put it that way, then it is true."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was momentarily speechless. Admittedly, although Yuwen Ye wasn't a talkative person, it didn't mean he was incapable of eloquence. On the contrary, if he wanted to, his words could be sharper than his sword. Moreover, if he couldn't win an argument, he could simply resort to violence, just like their current situation—no matter what she did, she couldn't gain the upper hand against him.
So she sighed and said weakly, "Yuwen Ye, whether I'm happy or angry is my own business."
Yuwen Ye looked into her eyes: "So, you're angry."
"..."
"Is it because I mentioned the Empress?"
"...!"
This time, Shang Ruyi couldn't control herself.
Her brow furrowed, as if she had been stabbed in the heart again.
This time, her subtle change was clearly captured by his eyes, which were so close at hand. Yuwen Ye's face showed a knowing expression. He raised an eyebrow and slowly said, "Indeed."
"..."
Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip, feeling ashamed of herself again, but she immediately took a deep breath, raised her head to face him, and said calmly, "I just don't want my brother to worry about me."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye frowned: "What?"
Shang Ruyi said, "You should be able to tell that my brother is a very perceptive person. He is not only good at the important things that you men are good at, but also at the small things. From childhood to adulthood, he has been the person who cares about me the most. If I am unhappy, even if I haven't realized it myself, he will know before I do."
Yuwen Ye remained silent, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
He said, "So, you spoke up for me in front of him and even helped me 'cover up' because you were afraid he would find out?"
Shang Ruyi sighed and said, "I guess so."
"Does it count?"
Yuwen Ye narrowed his eyes slightly: "What do you mean?"
Shang Ruyi gave a bitter smile and said, "When my uncle and the others were exiled, I asked you to send someone to help me rescue them. I made that condition: I will not stop you from meeting your sweetheart. Not only will I not stop you, I can also help you cover it up."
"..."
"But at that time, I mistook someone for someone else."
"..."
Speaking of this, she still finds it somewhat ridiculous, and she actually laughs. But once she laughs, she doesn't dare to face Yuwen Ye anymore, and simply buries her face deeply.
Her eyes were burning hot, as if something was about to fall.
After struggling for a while, she finally calmed herself down and continued, "But no matter what, my promise still stands. Besides, this time, you went south to Jiangdu Palace to save my life, which was a greater sacrifice than when you sent people with me to save my uncle and aunt before. I, I will—"
"May your business be as you wish!"
Yuwen Ye interrupted her, speaking each word almost through gritted teeth.
These words, spoken through gritted teeth, startled Shang Ruyi. She subconsciously looked up and noticed that the cold, stern eyes so close to her seemed to be red.
He's angry...?
Looking back, although there had been many emotions between them, she seemed to have never seen him angry. The only time she felt that he was angry was the last time when she offered to cover for him and Princess Xinyue in exchange for him sending people to help her rescue the Shen couple.
But this time—
She felt the body pressed tightly against hers was burning hot, as if a flame was burning inside him, threatening to consume his reason, and it seemed that the fire was about to spread to her as well.
Shang Ruyi suddenly panicked and instinctively struggled: "You—"
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.
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