Chapter 1299 The source is turbid and the flow is muddy; the upper part is biased and the lower part is in conflict!
Instantly, blood flowed down between Shang Ruyi's fair fingers.
Yuwen Ye's face darkened: "Ruyi, let go!"
A sharp pain shot through her fingers and palm. Shang Ruyi instinctively bit her lip, but instead of letting go as he had said, she gripped the gleaming sword even tighter, letting the sharp blade cut through her palm and fingers. Drops of blood flowed down her fingers and dripped into the Liangyi Hall.
Blood, in the end, still stained this place.
Yuwen Yuan frowned—he wasn't unfamiliar with bloodshed; he had seen far more and far more brutal scenes than those inside and outside Xuanwu Gate. But now, facing Shang Ruyi's blood, he felt an indescribable heartache.
He also said, "Let go."
Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth: "Father, he is your only son."
"..."
"Father, your legacy must be passed down, and the Great Sheng Dynasty must last for thousands of generations. Do you really not care about this at all?"
Yuwen Yuan's eyes reddened again.
This time, however, it wasn't anger or pain, but rather a surge of sorrow that brought tears to his eyes. Yet, as the emperor, he still managed to control his emotions, even though tears were already welling up in his eyes, obscuring the expressions on Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi's faces.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Should my Great Sheng Dynasty be passed on to someone who murdered his brothers?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Who forced him to kill his brothers!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately felt another sharp pain in her palm. Yuwen Yuan's hand trembled violently, and the sword blade sliced across her hand once more.
Yuwen Ye's eyes also reddened: "Ruyi, let go!"
But Shang Ruyi didn't even look at him, only gripped the sword in her hand tighter, and looked at Yuwen Yuan, saying, "Who forced him?"
"..."
"His Majesty just said that a wife should respect her husband and be harmonious with her relatives, and be a good friend to her uncles and cousins. What about a father?"
"..."
"When sons quarrel, it is a sign of family discord; when the source is turbid and the stream is muddy, it is a sign of superiors favoring inferiors!"
"..."
"Father, is everything you've done fair to him?"
These words struck him like thunderbolts. Yuwen Yuan instinctively took a step back, his hand trembled, and the long sword slipped from his grasp, crashing to the ground with a clatter.
Yuwen Ye rushed forward and held Shang Ruyi's hands. He saw several deep cuts on her palms and fingers, the flesh torn open, almost revealing the bone underneath. He gritted his teeth in heartache and looked up at Shang Ruyi intently: "You—"
After the initial pain subsided, my palms are now gradually becoming numb, and the pain has actually lessened.
Shang Ruyi was still covered in sweat. She looked at Yuwen Ye's red eyes and gently shook her head.
"I'm fine."
Yuwen Ye was speechless. His calm and indifferent heart, which could remain calm in the face of the bloodshed and corpses on the battlefield, was now in pain and panic. But he could only endure it. He held Shang Ruyi's hands tightly, wanting to tighten his grip but afraid that it would cause her more pain. His fingers were almost in spasms.
He held Shang Ruyi's hand, trembling, and after a long while finally said in a deep voice, "Father, is it all my fault?"
"..."
This single sentence nearly crushed Yuwen Yuan.
He staggered back several steps until he collapsed in front of his desk. In the dim, flickering light, his aged face was filled with pain and helplessness, and it looked as if tears were streaming down his face.
After a long silence, he said, "Fengchen, what can I do?"
"..."
"Does the Emperor not know that you have devoted yourself to the cause, that you have made great contributions? Does the Emperor not know that you conquered half of the Great Sheng Dynasty?"
"..."
"But--"
"But,"
Although he stopped there, and although those two words seemed to say nothing, they were like a sharp knife piercing Yuwen Ye's heart. His eyes, looking at Yuwen Yuan, flickered with pain: "But, elder brother is elder brother, and I am who I am, right?"
"..."
"My father knew it was unfair to me, but he still wanted to give the position of crown prince to my elder brother."
"..."
"Just because he's the eldest son? The legitimate eldest son?"
Yuwen Yuan was speechless, but his silence had already acknowledged everything.
Yuwen Ye's gaze gradually turned cold. He glanced down at the wound on Shang Ruyi's hand again, then completely enveloped her hand in his own palm. The blood also stained his hand, and the stench of blood seemed to envelop him instantly. He took Shang Ruyi's hand and slowly stood up, saying, "Since that's the case, then please, Father, continue in this course of action."
"..."
"Now, I am your eldest son."
"you--"
Yuwen Yuan looked at him with red eyes, but even if he wanted to say something, he couldn't open his mouth at this moment.
Looking over Yuwen Ye's shoulder, he saw flames flickering and figures moving outside the gate of the Liangyi Hall. A burly figure, as big as a small mountain, slowly walked to the entrance of the hall, almost blocking the door again.
Compared to Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, he was covered in far more blood, with blood still dripping from his beard and hair. Even standing motionless at the doorway, the wind blowing from behind him filled the Liangyi Hall, carrying with it the stench of blood that made everyone inside tremble.
Especially Yuwen Yuan.
He knew he hadn't misheard. The seemingly chaotic gust of wind he'd just heard was from Yuwen Ye's men. These soldiers, who were supposed to go to Luoyang with him, had all returned and were now surrounding his Liangyi Palace.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and stared at Yuwen Ye: "After killing your brothers, are you going to kill your father and the emperor?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye's shoulder twitched.
He didn't speak immediately. Instead, he held Shang Ruyi's hands in one hand and put his arm around her shoulder with the other. The two of them slowly turned around and walked towards the gate. Only then did he say in a deep voice, "Your subject could have chosen not to do this."
"..."
“If Father Emperor were to treat me fairly, if Father Emperor’s handling of the matter were not biased, I would not have had to fight for it, nor would I have ended up like this with my elder brother and Yan Jie.”
"..."
"Therefore, what happens after today is up to Father Emperor to decide."
As they spoke, they reached the door. Shen Tu Tai frowned as soon as he saw Shang Ruyi's hand, and turned to the people behind him, ordering, "Immediately have someone fetch medicine to treat the princess!"
Yuwen Ye looked at him: "Here—"
Shen Tu Tai said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. This place will be guarded by this humble general."
Yuwen Ye said nothing and silently escorted Shang Ruyi away. Right behind them, Shen Tu Tai raised his hand, and the doors of the Liangyi Hall slowly closed.
Inside the main hall, only a pair of old, desolate eyes remained, streaked with tears.
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