Chapter 205 A knife, a person, a stalk of wheat
By the time they returned to the Yuwen residence, it was already late.
When Shang Ruyi stepped down from the carriage, she was still a little stiff and numb. She staggered and almost fell, but fortunately, Tu She'er and Wo Xue, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, rushed over to support her. Tu She'er asked anxiously, "Miss, you're finally back. Are you alright?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her, shook her head without saying a word, and when she looked back, the driver had already driven away.
On the long street, only the distant sounds of horses' hooves and wheels remained, along with the biting wind mixed with snowflakes that lashed at her face, making her limbs icy cold and her thoughts stagnate.
Tushe'er sensed something strange, then looked at Shang Ruyi and said, "Miss, why do you look so pale?"
Shang Ruyi looked back at her again, then at Wo Xue, and forced a smile: "I'm fine. Is everything alright at home?"
"It's okay,"
Tushe'er said, "But Miss, you've been gone for a whole day. We were all so worried, afraid—"
She paused again at this point.
Shang Ruyi knew that everyone was worried about her last visit to the palace, and she figured they must have been on tenterhooks all day. So she offered a few words of comfort and led them through the gate.
As she reached the central courtyard, she suddenly remembered something, stopped, and asked, "Where is my third brother?"
Wo Xue hurriedly replied, "The Third Young Master has already returned from school and is in his room."
When did you get back?
"As usual, Shen Zheng is back."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "I'll go and see him."
So she went up the long corridor and walked eastward. Right next to the east courtyard where Guan Yunmu had previously lived was Yuwen Cheng's residence. This courtyard was relatively small, and the rooms were not large either. The furnishings inside were not very exquisite or luxurious, because the Duke of Sheng taught his children to be diligent and thrifty, and therefore did not allow his children to live a life of extravagance and debauchery.
However, after Yuwen Yuan and Yuwen Ye left Dongdu, Yuwen Cheng immediately had his bed and pillows replaced with high ones and soft ones. The heater in the room was also doubled. Now, when you push the door open, the room is warm and cozy. There are a few plates of snacks on the table, but they are not touched. Yuwen Cheng is lying on the bed with one leg crossed, fiddling with a dagger in his hand.
Seeing this, Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
As the second sister-in-law, and having only been married for a short time, she couldn't discipline Yuwen Cheng as strictly as her father-in-law did in his daily life. So she could only turn a blind eye to some of his actions. But she couldn't ignore his improper posture.
So he said, "Third brother, don't play with the knife in bed."
Yuwen Cheng turned around and saw it was her. He pouted and said disdainfully, "Second sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about this."
Shang Ruyi walked over and gently reached out to help him up. Her attitude, neither too soft nor too hard, indicated that he had to get up. She then said gently, "I'm doing this for your own good, in case you hurt yourself."
Yuwen Cheng had no choice but to let out a soft snort, sheath the dagger, and toss it aside.
Shang Ruyi then stopped trying to pull him away.
Yuwen Cheng lay lazily on the bed with his hands behind his head and said, "Second sister-in-law, you've been too nosy these days. You're checking my studies and asking about my books. My father never interfered with me like this when he was alive."
Shang Ruyi said, "When Father left, he specifically told me to keep a close eye on your studies. Don't blame your sister-in-law for being nagging, but studying more will do you good."
"What good is studying?"
"..."
"In this world, might makes right. No matter how much you study, you'll just be a useless bookworm."
Yuwen Cheng grew increasingly unhappy as he spoke, rolled his eyes at her, and said, "When my elder brother was alive, he wouldn't have managed me like this."
"..."
Upon hearing him mention Yuwen Qian, Shang Ruyi immediately felt breathless.
Recently, whenever she tries to discipline Yuwen Cheng, the boy mentions his elder brother in front of her, and Shang Ruyi is rendered speechless by his words.
After all, her awkward relationship with Yuwen Qian, even if they never met, was like an invisible knife stuck in her heart.
Hearing him say this again, Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said gently, "Third brother, not teaching the people to fight is tantamount to abandoning them."
"..."
"Making you study is a requirement for you, and it's for your own good."
Yuwen Cheng glanced at her sideways: "So you mean my older brother is the one who harmed me?"
"..."
At this point, Shang Ruyi was completely speechless.
She could only sigh and change the subject: "By the way, what did you do today?"
Yuwen Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, then he immediately snorted coldly and said, "What else can you do besides study?"
"You didn't go anywhere else?"
Where can I go?
At this point, he suddenly sat up again and said to Shang Ruyi, "Second sister-in-law, I'd like to go out and fight with my second brother. He's in Xingluocang now, and he must be fighting the rebels fiercely!"
"...!"
“My second brother has always been victorious in battle. He will surely win a great victory in this campaign against Wang Gang’s army.”
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart sank again.
The news she heard at Tinghe Tower, especially Chu Yang's last words before leaving, had always filled her with dread. Now, hearing Yuwen Cheng say things like "victorious in every battle" and "great victory" made her shudder even more.
Yuwen Cheng was still excitedly saying, "If I could go to the army and make a name for myself, then—"
Shang Ruyi immediately interrupted him: "Third brother, it's not time for you to make a name for yourself yet."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng deflated again, immediately slumped back onto the bed, and said lazily, "Forget it, there's no point in talking to you. If we can't fight, then we won't fight. I'm going to sleep."
After saying that, he pulled the blanket over his head and ignored Shang Ruyi.
Seeing the child's arrogant and rude behavior, Shang Ruyi had no choice but to sigh and gently pull the blanket down a little to prevent him from suffocating. Seeing that he still kept his eyes closed and ignored her, she could only turn around and leave.
As she left his room, she told the servants outside, "Keep a close eye on the Third Young Master every day and don't let him run around."
The servant immediately replied, "Yes."
Shang Ruyi then left.
As soon as she left, Yuwen Cheng immediately opened his eyes in the room. His eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, revealed a cold and cunning light that was not in keeping with his age. He sneered, turned over, and went back to sleep.
Shang Ruyi quickly returned to her room.
Although she had returned to her room and it was freezing cold outside, she didn't take a bath or change her clothes. Instead, she sat down at the table and stared blankly at the flickering candlelight.
The dazed look in his eyes, reflected in the flickering candlelight, made him even more restless.
On the way back, her mind was tangled with various emotions, and she couldn't calm down. Only now, alone, did she finally have time to recall the information she had gained that day, but this information filled her with immense fear.
Defeat in all three battles...
No matter how calmly she argued with Chu Yang today, this result truly shocked her.
Even if she didn't know Yuwen Ye's strength before, after the battle of Yanmen County, no one would doubt it anymore. Even if his troops were insufficient this time, even if Xingluocang was easy to defend and difficult to attack, or even if there were other reasons, he still shouldn't have achieved such a result today!
Losing all three battles is really hard to accept!
Was his defeat truly due to being no match for the enemy, or was there another reason?
How will he fight the next battle? Will he suffer another defeat?
If he really loses again, will his future, the future of the Yuwen family—will there be any future at all?
It's no longer a guess that Chu Yang harbors murderous intent towards him; in fact, it's safe to say that the Yuwen family is on the verge of disaster. This sudden promotion of Yuwen Ye to Grand General of the State, ordering him to lead troops into battle, is less a matter of being appointed in a time of crisis and more a deliberate act of elevating him to a higher position.
His expedition was like being roasted on a fire!
Now, Chu Yang has achieved the result he desired. If Yuwen Ye were to fail again, just once—
The Yuwen family is about to fall!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt her heart pounding, a feeling that made her chest vibrate as if the earth was shaking. She even felt that the place where she was sitting was swaying, and perhaps the next moment, the ground she was standing on would shatter, and she would fall into the abyss!
No, absolutely not!
Just as she reached out to cover her chest, struggling to suppress the fear that threatened to drag her soul into the abyss, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside. Then, Tushe'er called out urgently from the doorway, "Miss!"
Her voice sounded somewhat uneasy.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then said, "Come in."
Tushe'er immediately pushed open the door and came in, walking to her side with a nervous expression. Shang Ruyi rarely saw her like this and thought something had happened in the manor, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
Tusher walked up to her and whispered, "Just now, someone asked the doorman to give you a letter."
"Belief? What belief?"
Tushe'er hurriedly handed her a letter. Shang Ruyi took it and saw that the letter looked very ordinary, with no words on the envelope.
She frowned and asked, "Who delivered it?"
Tushe'er said, "I asked as well, but the gatekeeper said that the person refused to give his name and was wearing a veil, so we couldn't see his face at all. He just repeatedly told me that this letter must be delivered to the young mistress of the Yuwen family in person. He was probably afraid of being delayed, so he gave the gatekeeper a large ingot of silver, which was five taels. The gatekeeper didn't dare to be negligent, so he asked me to deliver it."
"oh?"
"Miss, please take a look, lest something have happened."
Shang Ruyi found it strange and hurriedly opened the envelope, took out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and was shocked.
The letter contained not a single word, but a drawing—
A knife, a person, and a stalk of wheat.
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