Chapter 651 Understanding Leads to Knowing How to Hurt
Just as blood mist rose on the battlefield, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, and blood stained the entire grassland, in the quiet room of the Qixian County government office on the other side, a similar stench of blood permeated the air.
But it was on Shang Ruyi's tongue.
The room door was tightly closed, and the windows were also sealed. In the dim light, Shang Ruyi sat blankly against the edge of the bed, looking like a puppet whose soul had been taken away. Her face was pale and bloodless, and she was numb and without any feeling.
The only sensation she felt was a warm, metallic taste of blood on the tip of her tongue, which spread from the tip of her tongue, filling her entire mouth and gradually enveloping her whole being.
It was her blood.
Because she was in so much pain, yet refused to utter a single groan, she bit the tip of her tongue.
And that pain—
Thinking of this, she slowly raised her right hand. On her slender, snow-white wrist, several bruises were clearly visible. Even now, her wrist bones still lingered with a dull pain as if they were about to shatter.
The one who left these finger marks was Yuwen Ye.
Just now, after hearing Shang Ruyi say those resolute words, he suddenly grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her in front of him. In an instant, his bloodshot eyes stared intently at her, a fierce expression he had never shown even on the most dangerous battlefields, when facing the bravest warriors, in life-or-death situations.
He was like a ferocious beast, ready to tear her to pieces and devour her at any moment!
Shang Ruyi did not back down, even though his slender wrist was almost broken. She had no doubt that he would crush her bones with one hand. After all, just the day before, he had smashed the neck of a Western Turkic warrior who was about to attack her right in front of her. So, perhaps at this moment, what he wanted to crush more was her throat.
But she didn't say a word, just stared at him, her face equally pale, her eyes equally bloodshot.
She is not afraid.
It's not because she's not afraid of pain, death, or fear.
It was simply because she was in so much pain.
The loss of her loved ones, especially her dearest brother, was already unbearable, but what tormented her even more was the person who caused her to lose her brother—
It's him!
This fact was like a knife, stabbing into her heart and constantly churning within her.
The two stared at each other, as if in a standoff, a battle that was bloodless yet deeply painful, a struggle that cut to the bone.
Shang Ruyi's slender wrist was tightly gripped by his large hand, and a sharp pain, as if her wrist bones were about to shatter, came from her. She was in so much pain that tears were about to fall, but she gritted her teeth and even bit her tongue until it bled, refusing to make a sound. She just stared intently into his eyes.
She looked as if she was waiting for her own bones to shatter, and also waiting for some kind of bond between them to completely break.
But then, Yuwen Ye suddenly released her!
His eyes were still bloodshot, and his face was still pale, but he looked as if all his anger had been suddenly drained away, and there was not a trace of fire in his body—in fact, for a moment, he seemed to have no life left, as if he had been utterly defeated in a battle, and even his broad shoulders slumped down.
He glanced at her blankly, then suddenly turned and walked out.
At that moment, Shang Ruyi was also somewhat bewildered, only watching as he forcefully slammed the door shut in front of her until she heard the sound of the lock being locked outside, at which point she realized something was wrong.
He locked the door.
And so he locked me up.
She didn't know why Yuwen Ye would do this—those words were enough to enrage him. Even if he didn't attack her, given Yuwen Ye's proud personality, he shouldn't have let someone who had humiliated him off so easily.
But Yuwen Ye left without saying a word to her. It wasn't until she saw his hurried, fleeing figure through the crack in the door and bump into Wo Xue at the courtyard gate that she heard him order in a low, hoarse voice: "Stay here and guard her. Don't let her out."
Wo Xue dared not say more and could only agree.
Then, the whole world seemed to fall silent. Time passed silently, and Shang Ruyi didn't know how much time had passed. She could only tell from the gradually brightening and dimming light and shadow outside the window that it was almost dusk.
She reached out again, her slender fingertips trembling as she touched the finger marks on her wrist.
Just then, the sound of a lock being opened came from outside the door.
Shang Ruyi immediately looked up, and with a creak, the door that had been closed for most of the day was finally pushed open. A faint ray of light slowly stretched across the floor, and then a familiar shadow was cast on the ground.
"princess……?"
That cautious voice belonged to Wo Xue.
She slowly walked in, and as soon as she looked up, she saw Shang Ruyi sitting by the bed, with tear stains still wet on her pale face. Instantly, a deep pity welled up in her eyes. She hurriedly put the things she was holding on the table and then walked to the bedside: "Your Highness, are you... are you feeling any better?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, but lowered her hand, and her soft sleeves fell down, immediately covering the bruises on her wrists.
It was only for a moment, but Wo Xue still saw it.
When she spoke again, her voice was somewhat hoarse: "Your Highness..."
Shang Ruyi looked at her: "Why are you here?"
"This servant has brought you your dinner, Your Highness. You haven't eaten all day."
"oh."
Shang Ruyi's somewhat blank eyes moved slightly, as if she had finally come back to life at this moment.
Yes, she had been in this room for most of the day and hadn't eaten anything. However, because her whole body was numb with pain, she couldn't even feel hunger.
She looked up again and met Wo Xue's concerned gaze. She gently comforted her, "Your Highness, I know you must be very upset and unable to eat, but please eat something, okay?"
"..."
"This is a vegetarian meal that I specially had prepared."
"..."
"Your Highness, even if you want to be angry or sad, you need the strength to do so—Your Highness?"
Just as Wo Xue was racking her brains trying to figure out what to say to persuade Shang Ruyi to eat something, she saw Shang Ruyi slowly get up from the bed.
However, perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, her legs were a little numb, and her body swayed slightly.
Wo Xue gasped in fright and hurriedly reached out to help her. Shang Ruyi also reached out to support her wrist, and after she regained her balance, she raised her head and slowly walked to the low table in the center of the room, and then slowly sat down.
Then he said, "Let's set the table."
"ah?"
Wo Xue was stunned.
Before coming in to deliver the meal, she had prepared for a long time. Although she hadn't been by Shang Ruyi's side since childhood like Tu She'er and didn't know how good Shen Wuzheng was to her, she knew to some extent how important Shen Wuzheng, or rather the Shen family, was to this Qin Princess who was already loyal and righteous. Therefore, she understood even more how much of a blow Shen Wuzheng's death was to her.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had such a falling out with Yuwen Ye.
Therefore, before pushing open the door and walking in, she had already thought of many comforting words for Shang Ruyi, even if Shang Ruyi refused to eat properly, drink a sip of soup, or even a sip of water, it would still be good.
But unexpectedly—
Seeing that she still seemed a little dazed, Shang Ruyi calmly said, "Weren't you going to let me eat? Why isn't it laid out yet?"
"Ah? Ah, yes!"
Wo Xue was completely stunned at this point, but she still immediately reached out and opened the food box, taking out the food inside.
As she said, the food she prepared was all vegetarian, not too oily, which was just right for people who were feeling down and had little appetite after a great tragedy.
Shang Ruyi also picked up her chopsticks and slowly started eating.
Wo Xue stood to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.
She could tell that Shang Ruyi had no appetite. She would chew her food for a long time before swallowing it with her head down. She was obviously forcing herself to eat. But no matter what, it was good that she was eating.
The room remained quiet, save for the sound of Shang Ruyi eating.
After an unknown amount of time, seeing that Shang Ruyi had eaten only half a bowl of rice with a few side dishes, she had reached her limit. Wo Xue immediately brewed a cup of tea and brought it to Shang Ruyi's side.
"Your Highness, please have some tea."
Shang Ruyi didn't reach for the cup of tea. Instead, she lowered her head, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and then said in a low voice, "Where is he?"
"...!"
Upon hearing those two words, Wo Xue's heart trembled once again.
Of course, she knew who Shang Ruyi meant by "him"—Yuwen Ye. But at this moment, Shang Ruyi was even unwilling to call him by his name anymore; her cold and distant attitude was chilling.
Wo Xue took a deep breath and said, "His Highness Prince Qin... he's gone."
"You went to Taiyuan?"
"yes."
How long after you left?
"Soon after that."
Shortly after Shang Ruyi uttered the words "separation" to him, his face turned pale, and he left like a helpless wandering soul. He then led his troops away, and Wo Xue went to the county government office to see him off. Although he was wearing bright armor, and the troops behind him were heavily armed with banners fluttering, still looking as cold and powerful as ever, for some reason, Wo Xue seemed to see a hint of brokenness in his eyes, which were filled with a layer of frost.
Before leaving, he only said one sentence to Wo Xue—
"Take good care of her."
Then, he led his team away without looking back.
From Qixian to Taiyuan, if cavalry were to travel at full speed, it would take less than a day. Perhaps by this time, they would already be approaching Taiyuan City. However, according to Yuwen Ye's previous plan, he would not attack the city immediately. Instead, he would wait until the time agreed upon with Nie Chong and others who had successfully infiltrated Taiyuan City, and wait until the city's defenses were at their weakest before having Nie Chong and his men open the city gates. Then, they would launch a coordinated attack from within and without to storm Taiyuan City.
So what they need to do now is wait for the right opportunity in a place where they can remain undetected.
Shang Ruyi was silent for a moment, then nodded gently: "Mm."
After saying these words, Wo Xue didn't dare to delay and reached out to clear the dishes.
But just as she reached out her hand, Shang Ruyi suddenly raised her head. Her eyes, which had been calm and still, now flickered slightly as she looked at her: "Wo Xue."
"Your Highness, what are your orders?"
"I need your help."
"...!"
At that moment, Wo Xue's heart almost jumped out of her chest.
Her hand trembled, and she immediately knocked over a bowl on the table. The bowl shattered on the ground with a loud crash, and the sound made Wo Xue shudder. She quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me!"
"..."
Shang Ruyi slowly lowered her head to look at her, her eyes flickering, her voice hoarse, and said, "What, you're not willing to help me?"
"..."
"Are you just going to stand by and watch me be locked up here?"
"..."
"And my brother died where I cannot see him."
"princess!"
These words actually hurt Shang Ruyi herself, but Wo Xue still felt a tearing pain in her chest. She immediately raised her head and looked at Shang Ruyi's red eyes—her calmness was just a result of suppressing the grief in her heart. But as soon as she opened her mouth, as soon as she mentioned Shen Wuzheng's death, it would cause her unbearable pain.
And this pain also spread to Wo Xue.
She choked back tears and said, "Your Highness, please don't say that. It's not that I'm unwilling."
"..."
"This servant is simply—powerless to help."
"..."
"Although His Highness the Prince of Qin has left, he has left quite a few people in the county government office. He specifically instructed them to take good care of the Princess Consort, but not to disturb her. So these people are outside, but the Princess Consort can't see them."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's eyes flickered again, and some things seemed to be about to burst out of her eyes.
But she gritted her teeth and swallowed it down.
Then he chuckled softly.
Yuwen Ye understands her—precisely because he understands her, he knows how to hurt her.
Of course, she was the same.
Seeing Shang Ruyi's tearful, seemingly sorrowful smile, Wo Xue felt both bitterness and pain in her heart. She lowered her head in shame and whispered, "Although I have some skills, I have no chance of defeating these people."
"..."
"so--"
Hearing her say that, although her heart had been torn apart by that invisible knife and was in unbearable pain, Shang Ruyi still showed a trace of relief and a faint smile. She said, "Okay, your words are enough."
"..."
"However, I need your help, not to help me get out of here. I'm not that stupid."
"..."
"Besides, I don't want to drag you down with me."
"ah?"
Wo Xue was taken aback, and looked at Shang Ruyi in surprise: "Then what does the Princess mean—"
Shang Ruyi looked at her without saying a word.
The two stared at each other silently, and the next moment, Wo Xue immediately understood.
Her eyes flickered violently, as if struggling, as if hesitating. After thinking for a long time, she said, "But, the Princess is alone—"
"Even if I'm alone, I have to go."
Shang Ruyi interrupted her, her trembling voice sounding as if it would shatter at any moment: "Otherwise, I'll go crazy."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Wo Xue no longer hesitated. She steeled her resolve, stood up, and slowly turned around, presenting her back to Shang Ruyi.
"Your Highness, please."
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