Chapter 711 It's time to talk about what's between us.
Yuwen Ye's eyes dimmed slightly, and he said, "So, you went with her?"
Shang Ruyi nodded silently.
She could tell that Yuwen Ye was still somewhat dissatisfied, and even angry that she had acted on her own and risked her life alone. But at this moment, she didn't want to explain further, nor did she want him to know that, in fact, at that time, even Lüxiao had reminded her that it would be best to bring some more men with her.
In recent days, after Wang Shaoji's troops were blocked in Shouyang and Taiyuan fell, morale was low and discipline was nonexistent. Soldiers deserted every day. In the past half month, the more than 100,000 troops had been reduced to less than 80,000. That's why Lüxiao was able to take advantage of the opportunity when Wang Shaoji asked them to stay at Shuishen Mountain while she led a group of troops to rescue Wang Shaoqiu, and secretly escaped the group and detoured to Taiyuan. But even though there were only tens of thousands of troops, Shang Ruyi only wanted to go alone?
Isn't this like a lamb being led to the slaughter?
Unexpectedly, Shang Ruyi led her along another small path. Because Wang Shaoji and the others had been pursued by Yuwen Ye and his men, they were slower and arrived at the foot of the Water God Mountain later than them. At that time, Shang Ruyi had already found the withered reeds and was lying in ambush inside, waiting for the final blow.
But unexpectedly—
At the same time she fired her arrow, Yuwen Qian also fired his arrow, which struck Wang Shaoqiu's horse, causing him to stagger. Meanwhile, Shang Ruyi's arrow missed its mark and struck Wang Shaoji squarely.
In that instant, Shang Ruyi felt a sharp pain in her heart.
This caused her immense pain, making it almost impossible for her to shoot a second arrow. Green Silk, who was beside her, gritted her teeth and her eyes turned red. When she saw Wang Shao being dragged by his own brother as a shield, and finally falling into the river in a sorry state, being trampled by the fleeing people, she said fiercely, "This is the punishment he deserves!"
Wang Shaoji's retribution has finally come to an end.
Unfortunately, Wang Shaoqiu, whom she truly wanted to kill, still managed to escape.
Hearing what Shang Ruyi said, Yuwen Ye's face showed a touch of emotion. He took a deep breath, as if recalling something, and said, "So it was she who delivered the letter to Cheng Qiao that night in Jiangdu. I never imagined that she had been devoted to Wang Shaoji all these years, yet remained steadfast in her devotion."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
That night, the person who discussed important matters with Cheng Qiao at his home was Yuwen Ye, who was also aware of the existence of this mysterious person.
Moreover, this person had also participated in the battle of Xingluocang, which could be considered as giving him a hand.
He said, "She is quite an extraordinary woman."
Shang Ruyi looked up at Yuwen Ye in the mirror, only to see him sigh softly, seemingly lamenting the suffering Lüxiao had endured over the years, and said gently, "Now that she's on our side, I hope you—"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her and nodded, saying, "I understand."
"..."
"No matter what, she is just a weak woman. Even if she comes back like this, I will not let anyone mistreat her. Besides, she has done so much for us."
Shang Ruyi said softly, "That's not all."
"Um?"
Yuwen Ye was taken aback, staring at her with wide eyes: "What else?"
Shang Ruyi said, "She said she also gave her elder brother a set of military uniforms."
"Military uniform? What does that mean? And when did this happen?"
"It was when we passed Tongguan and the roads diverged to the east and west. From what she said, she originally thought we would take the eastern route, so she sent that set of military uniforms over to remind us to disguise ourselves as Wang Shaoji's men and lure the Western Turkic reinforcements into fighting each other. But after sending it over, she found out that it was my elder brother who took the eastern route."
"..."
"However, I heard that my elder brother did indeed use this strategy. He blocked Ashina Zhuxie's troops in Shouyang, making them fight each other with Wang Shaoji's troops. He then appeared after both sides had suffered heavy casualties."
"..."
"Therefore, Ashina Zhuxie could no longer fight and had to leave Taiyuan; and Wang Shaoji also did not participate in the Battle of Taiyuan because of the loss of his troops."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "So that's how it is."
"..."
"She is indeed an extraordinary woman."
This was the second time he had used the phrase "extraordinary woman" to describe Lüxiao, and Shang Ruyi had the same thought the moment she saw Lüxiao again. No one could have imagined that such a captivating and alluring woman, capable of stirring a man's heart with just a glance, could possess such a resolute heart. Even after being pursued, captured, and manipulated by Wang Shaoji for so long, she remained true to her original intentions, always finding ways to remind them to deal with Wang Shaoji at the most crucial moments.
Although she was physically weak and could only rely on external forces each time, even when she had to use Shang Ruyi to kill Wang Shaoji, she always succeeded. Moreover, she was always cautious and never gave up.
If a woman like this doesn't deserve those three words, then who does?
Shang Ruyi slowly turned around to face Yuwen Ye and said softly, "If possible, I hope that in the future, at least for this period of time, we can give her some protection."
"..."
"As for where she will go in the future..."
Yuwen Ye slowly leaned down, looking her straight in the eye, and said, "You mean—Xiao Yuansui?"
Shang Ruyi nodded.
She said, "I walked with her all night, and later we talked for a while at the foot of Water God Mountain. I could tell that she did so much for Xiao Yuansui. Back then, the Xiao family was suspected largely because of Wang Shaoji—it was he who sowed discord and caused the Xiao family to fall out of favor, which ultimately led Xiao Yuansui down the path of rebellion. She has always hated Wang Shaoji, and now, her long-cherished wish has been fulfilled."
"..."
"I think in the end, she probably still wants to go back to Xiao Yuansui's side."
Yuwen Ye frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "But now we don't know if Xiao Yuansui is in Luoyang or somewhere else. She's just a weak woman—"
Shang Ruyi said, "I know, so I also tried to persuade her. She promised me that she wouldn't leave until she understood everything. So, I want to protect her during this time."
"..."
"It can also be considered as repaying her for her previous kindness."
Yuwen Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "I can agree to that."
Shang Ruyi immediately smiled and said, "Thank you."
She smiled, a genuine, radiant smile, but Yuwen Ye's face remained devoid of any smile. His cold, serious eyes gazed intently at her as he said, "So, you've finished telling me about her?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi paused, as if sensing something. Her long eyelashes trembled, and she lowered her eyes. "Yes, I'm done."
"Well then, let's talk about what's between us."
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