Chapter 855: Confused
"Because I've forgotten what happened before."
"ah!"
Shang Ruyi was startled.
But she didn't ask why; instead, she tightened her grip on Yuwen Ye's waist.
Yuwen Ye once said that he was only four or five years old when this happened. At such a young age, he was so frightened, so it's no wonder he forgot that terrifying experience. Yuwen Qian was the one who saved him from a hellish situation, so it's no wonder he wanted to see his older brother again.
She asked, "Then he—"
Yuwen Ye said, "My father couldn't persuade me otherwise. He was also worried about me, who had just recovered from a serious illness and escaped death, so he insisted on bringing me back from Dayan Temple."
"..."
"But the moment I saw him, I remembered everything."
"..."
"And he, the way he looked at me, I think he understood that I hadn't forgotten everything that had happened before."
Shang Ruyi frowned and asked, "And then?"
"later,"
Yuwen Ye's voice was a bit hoarse as he said, "Life goes on like this, but things can never go back to the way they were before between him and me."
"..."
"And he went to the temple more and more often. Even when his father was angry and locked him up, he would find a way to go. His father really couldn't control him. One day, his father suddenly came to me and asked me what exactly happened by the lake that day."
Shang Ruyi's heart suddenly skipped a beat: "Does Father know something?"
Yuwen Ye's breathing became heavy, and he did not answer her question.
Shang Ruyi then asked, "So, how did you answer Father?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I said, I don't remember."
Shang Ruyi abruptly lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes gleaming in the darkness of the night. She said in a deep voice, "Why did you say that?"
Yuwen Ye's breathing became heavy again, but he still did not answer her question.
Shang Ruyi looked into his eyes, which still shone with a sharp, restrained light even in the darkness. After thinking for a while, she didn't press him further, but instead asked, "Then, what did Father say?"
"I remember he looked at me for a long time, sighed, and then didn't ask anything more."
"..."
"Later, I heard that he agreed to let his older brother go on to cultivate himself."
"..."
"And it was around that time that my eldest brother changed his name to what it is now. His former name was 'Sheng'."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
I see.
Even though Yuwen Qian was already away cultivating when she married into the Yuwen family, this situation still surprised her greatly. Given Yuwen Yuan's temperament, the Yuwen family's status in the court, and Yuwen Qian's status as the heir of the Duke, no matter what, Yuwen Yuan would never allow his eldest son to cultivate.
However, if he knows something or is worried about something, then this outcome is not impossible.
Yuwen Qian changed his name. The character "Qian" was very inappropriate for a young master from a noble family, and it might even affect others' judgment of Yuwen Yuan's character as a father. However, he still agreed, which shows that he was very clear-headed.
No wonder Dong Bizheng advised Yuwen Qian in that way before.
Regardless of whether it was a case of brothers fighting each other or fratricide, for Dong Bizheng, this was something Yuwen Qian should do. From Yuwen Qian's own perspective, now that Yuwen Ye was vying with him for the position of crown prince, they had reached a point of irreconcilable enmity, even causing his uncle to lose his life. He would probably understand better the advice Dong Bizheng had given him back then.
What he believes he did wrong may not have been wrong in his eyes.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath. Only at this moment did she realize that since Yuwen Ye had started talking to her about the water calamity, they had almost forgotten to breathe. Now that they had finally caught their breath, she felt a heavy weight in her heart and a rumbling sound seemed to be constantly booming in her mind, making her feel shaky.
She said, "He—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "Alright."
"Um?"
"It's almost dawn. If you don't sleep soon, how can you stay healthy?"
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment before realizing that they had been talking for so long that it was already past midnight, and if they didn't go to sleep soon, it would really be dawn. No wonder she felt a heavy weight in her heart; it wasn't just the shock from the past, but also the exhaustion from a busy day without a moment's rest.
Thinking about it, a wave of weariness washed over her, and she couldn't help but yawn.
Yuwen Ye chuckled softly, hugged her tighter again, and said gently, "We can talk about it tomorrow. I have something to discuss with your brother in the palace. If you stay up late, you won't be energetic tomorrow."
Upon hearing that Shen Wuzheng was going to enter the palace, Shang Ruyi immediately became happy again, hurriedly agreed, and closed her eyes.
Weariness quickly overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, but just as Shang Ruyi was about to lose consciousness and fall asleep, she suddenly remembered that her brother's behavior today seemed a bit strange, especially after they arrived at the Crown Prince's residence. And when they left the Crown Prince's residence, he seemed to have spoken to Yuwen Ye alone.
What are they saying...?
As she pondered this, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Unfortunately, she didn't sleep well.
After telling Yuwen Ye about her strange experience on the way back from the Turkic Khaganate, she rarely had those strange dreams anymore. But this night, although it didn't last long, she still fell into an unusually long, strange, and dark dream.
In that dream, she felt constantly threatened, with a sense of urgency that seemed to hang in the balance between life and death. But what she saw was no longer the mansion she knew so well in her dream, nor the hellish place of swords and shadows. Instead, she saw a wide and long road that looked very flat. But on both sides of the road, and in front of it, there was only pitch blackness, not a single ray of light.
In the darkness, shadowy figures swayed, as if someone were hiding there, and a sense of danger kept creeping in.
Shang Ruyi jolted awake and sat bolt upright in bed!
"Hmm!"
The sudden movement startled Tushe'er, who had just approached the bedside as if to wake her. She stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed at Shang Ruyi: "Your Highness..."
The familiar voice that suddenly rang in my ears instantly dispelled the unease in my dream.
Shang Ruyi turned her head, covered in sweat, and saw Tu She'er's terrified yet concerned eyes. That look finally soothed the lingering fear from the dream in her mind. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You, how could you—?"
Tusheer said softly, "It's too late, so I came to check on things."
Then, she cautiously asked, "Your Highness, did you have a nightmare?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent.
To be honest, it wasn't exactly a nightmare. Compared to the bloody and gory scenes of the past, last night's dream was like she had just walked into a dark place. However, the feeling of fear and oppression was more terrifying than ever before.
After a moment of silence, Shang Ruyi ignored the question, glanced to the side, and immediately frowned.
The bed beside me is now empty.
Upon seeing this, Tushe'er immediately said, "His Highness Prince Qin is up early."
"Going to practice swordsmanship again?"
"No, I heard there was something going on at the military camp, so he went to check it out. He said he would be back later. If Lord Shen arrives, please let the Princess see him first."
Upon hearing that Shen Wuzheng was going to the palace, Shang Ruyi immediately snapped out of her daze, hurriedly threw off the covers and got out of bed: "Help me wash and dress."
"yes."
They moved quickly and finished washing up in no time. Shang Ruyi saw that it was too late to have breakfast, so she just had some tea and snacks brought over. When Shen Wuzheng arrived, they could eat and drink together, which would count as having breakfast. Sure enough, someone came to report that Lord Shen was requesting an audience.
Shang Ruyi immediately had someone welcome him in, and said happily, "Brother!"
Shen Wuzheng was also all smiles, but he still bowed to her first before sitting down. Looking at Shang Ruyi's face, he immediately asked with concern, "Why are your eyes so red? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Shang Ruyi subconsciously touched the corner of her eye, recalling that she had seen her eyes bloodshot when she was doing her makeup in front of the mirror just now. She had talked with Yuwen Ye until dawn last night, so it was no wonder her eyes were red. So she chuckled and said, "There were a lot of things to do last night."
Shen Wuzheng immediately asked, "What happened while you were at the Crown Prince's residence?"
He was so certain that he didn't even ask, "Has something happened?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, sighed softly, and then told Shen Wuzheng everything that had happened yesterday, including the stories Yuwen Ye had told her about the past.
The entire Qianqiu Palace was so quiet that there wasn't even a breeze.
After saying her last words, Shang Ruyi looked at the wisp of smoke rising from the incense burner on the table. Finally, with a silent sigh, it bent slightly before dissipating and disappearing into the air without a trace.
Behind the smoke was Shen Wuzheng's solemn gaze.
He remained silent for a long time before saying, "So that's why Yuwen Sheng changed his name to Yuwen Qian."
Shang Ruyi's eyes widened slightly: "Brother, do you know the Crown Prince's real name?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her, then lowered his eyelids and said calmly, "When I learned that he was engaged to you, I naturally wanted to find out about him. But there are too many mysteries surrounding him—and it was only today that I finally understood them."
I see.
Thinking of how much her brother had done for her, Shang Ruyi's heart, which had been chilled by the past, warmed up, and she smiled and said, "I know my brother is good to me."
Shen Wuzheng smiled and glanced at her. Although the smile seemed somewhat forced, it was still gentle.
Shang Ruyi continued, "Unfortunately, not every brother in the world is like you."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuzheng's eyes turned cold.
After a long silence, he said, "He's done enough as the elder brother."
"..."
"But he failed to do his job well."
"Um?"
These somewhat cryptic words greatly surprised Shang Ruyi. She looked at Shen Wuzheng with a puzzled expression: "Brother, what do you mean by that?"
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