Chapter 175 A Dilemma, a real dilemma...
As soon as Shang Ruyi turned around, she saw that Yuwen Ye had already walked to her side. Seeing that she was swaying a little, he reached out and grasped her arm, frowning slightly: "Are you not feeling well?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment, then composed herself: "No, nothing."
Yuwen Ye looked down at her for a while, then looked up at the gently flowing river below the ferry. The river was calm and clear, but there was nothing particularly interesting to see. He wondered why she had been staring at the river in a daze.
Just as he was about to ask again, Yuwen Cheng came out of the cabin and said, "Second brother, second sister-in-law, Father is asking why you haven't gone in yet."
Yuwen Ye waved his hand, then lowered his head and said to her, "Let's get on the boat first, it's windy here."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Yuwen Ye then took her hand and they boarded the boat together.
Seeing this, Mu Xian and the others following behind widened their eyes in surprise, while Shang Ruyi turned around and smiled at them.
This time, there were many of them, and they traveled on a large ship, which was much more exquisite and spacious than an ordinary ferry, and also much more stable. Looking at the water swirling under the ship's side, Shang Ruyi felt that her mind was more tangled and confused than the water itself, and she had no desire to speak. She remained silent the whole way, and after going ashore, she boarded a carriage and finally returned to the Yuwen Mansion in the evening.
After the funeral procession, they left Aunt Hui and others at home to clean up. By this time, the mourning hall had been completely dismantled, and the area around the house had been thoroughly cleaned. They even splashed water on the ground. As soon as you entered the gate, you could smell the fresh, clean scent of water.
Upon seeing them return, Aunt Hui immediately led her people to greet them warmly, saying, "Duke, Second Young Master, Young Madam, Third Young Master, you're back. The house has been cleaned up, and I've had water boiled. Please go and take a bath first. Dinner will be served in the dining hall in a little while."
Yuwen Yuan nodded: "Okay."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and everyone dispersed.
Shang Ruyi was helped to take a bath by Tu She'er and Wo Xue. After being busy these days, she was indeed exhausted. Especially today, when crossing the river, she felt as if she had been covered with a lot of unclean water vapor from the river. So she soaked in the bath for more than half an hour. When Tu She'er helped her out, her face was flushed and her body was weak.
Tushe'er hurriedly asked Woxue to bring him a cup of honey water. After drinking a couple of sips, he felt a little more refreshed.
After Shang Ruyi finished dressing, she went to say a few words to Mu Xian and the others before arriving at the dining hall. Upon entering, she found that Yuwen Yuan, Yuwen Ye, and Yuwen Cheng were already seated at the table.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly stepped forward: "Your wife is late, please forgive me, Father."
Yuwen Yuan waved for her to sit down and said kindly, "You've been working hard these past few days, and you should have a good rest. But today is the first day of the month, and even though not everyone is here, we should at least get together for a meal."
His voice was still a little hoarse when he said this.
Yuwen Cheng, who was standing to the side, had already pouted and lowered his head, while Yuwen Ye said softly, "Father, don't be too sad."
Hearing him say that, Yuwen Yuan forced a smile and said, "Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, let's serve the food first."
In addition to the cold dishes on the table, the kitchen immediately brought over several hot dishes. Although they were all vegetarian, they were made very exquisitely, especially the vegetarian fish and vegetarian chicken, which were made almost indistinguishable from real meat dishes and had a fragrant aroma, which at least gave them some appetite.
Yuwen Yuan picked up his chopsticks: "Eat quickly."
So everyone started eating.
Actually, during meals, unless there's something else going on, people don't talk much. Guan Yunmu is especially the quietest person in the family. But for some reason, without her, the dinner table was much quieter this time, even dull.
Even the most delicious dishes can taste bland and tasteless in this kind of mood and atmosphere.
So, after a short while, Yuwen Yuan and Yuwen Ye both put down their chopsticks, while Yuwen Cheng continued eating. Shang Ruyi didn't want to put down her chopsticks as well, so she kindly served him food and soup.
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Yuan's eyes revealed an even greater sense of satisfaction.
He suddenly remembered something and said to Yuwen Ye, "By the way, I heard that you made great contributions in Yanmen County this time, and the Emperor has appointed you as the Grand General of the State?"
Yuwen Ye replied, "Yes."
"Not bad, you've certainly lived up to your experience these past few days."
"It's all thanks to my father's daily teachings."
"Alright,"
Yuwen Yuan said calmly, "I know you've always resented me for favoring relatives and not promoting you much, but you need to know that there are many people watching your father in this position. Just because you're my son doesn't mean you can act like a tyrant in the army."
Yuwen Ye looked at him, seemingly wanting to refute the phrase "tyrannical and domineering," but after a long silence, he finally gave up.
He simply said softly, "My son understands."
Yuwen Yuan then turned to Shang Ruyi and said, "You've had a hard time traveling to Yanmen County this time. I heard you were injured as well. Are you feeling better?"
At the mention of Yanmen County, Shang Ruyi tensed up, not because of her injuries, but because of her relationship with the emperor. Even though Chu Yang had shocked everyone by pulling out the tongues of several people, and Yuwen Ye had made it clear that he would not mention the matter in front of his father, she still felt a little uneasy and could only answer softly, "No, it's nothing."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her indifferently.
Yuwen Yuan then asked with concern, "And you—"
Just as Shang Ruyi's heart was in her throat, Yuwen Ye suddenly spoke up, interrupting Yuwen Yuan, and said, "Father, don't just talk about us. What we are most worried about is your trip to the front line to supervise the transport of grain to Liaodong."
Yuwen Yuan was somewhat annoyed that he had been interrupted. He glared at him before sighing and saying, "Liaodong, alas..."
Hearing his long sigh, it seemed as if he had many unsaid words.
Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye exchanged a glance, then both subconsciously focused their attention on Yuwen Yuan. Yuwen Ye asked, "Father, is there any problem in Liaodong?"
Yuwen Yuan said, "I heard that the reason His Majesty withdrew from the Liaodong campaign this time was because someone advised him to abandon the Liaodong campaign, and it was because His Majesty gave up the Liaodong campaign that the people and soldiers of Yanmen County were united in their efforts to defeat the Turkic army?"
Yuwen Ye replied, "Yes."
Yuwen Yuan said, "I don't know who said that, but Pei Xu and those old fogies said it before, and they were all punished and demoted..."
Mentioning this made Shang Ruyi's heart tremble again.
Yuwen Ye gave him another cold glance, then said, "Father, please tell me about Liaodong."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Withdrawing the troops from the Liaodong campaign is indeed a good thing for the people, but—"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the single word "but" was enough to make Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi's hearts leap into their throats.
In particular, the word "but" appears in military contexts related to the conquest of Liaodong.
Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "Father, do you think we shouldn't have withdrawn those troops? We should have continued fighting in Liaodong?"
"..."
Yuwen Yuan didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he picked up his wine cup, took another sip, his eyes reddening slightly, and sighed, "A dilemma, a real dilemma..."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Father, what happened?"
Yuwen Yuan said, “Everyone knows that Gouli is a vassal state of our Daye Dynasty. Since the late emperor bestowed the imperial surname and golden seal upon it, it has always been subservient to our dynasty. However, after the current emperor ascended the throne, although the King of Gouli also acknowledged the emperor as a vassal, his annual tribute has decreased by more than 30% compared to his father, and he has refused to come to court. This is the main reason why Your Majesty wants to conquer Gouli.”
Yuwen Ye said, “It is indeed detrimental to the prestige of our Great Ye Dynasty to submit to the emperor and pay tribute without coming to court. However, we have launched several campaigns that have ended in failure and have wasted countless resources. Such campaigns are not worthwhile.”
Yuwen Yuan nodded.
But then he added, "Do you know what I saw on my trip to western Liaoning?"
The couple exclaimed simultaneously, "What?"
Yuwen Yuan said, "King Gouli Mou Zifeng has actually started building the Great Wall in Liaoxi!"
"What?!"
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi were both taken aback. They exchanged a glance, their expressions incredulous. Then, looking at Yuwen Yuan, they asked in surprise, "Them? They're building the Great Wall?"
"good,"
When Yuwen Yuan brought up this matter, he sneered, "If they were really like my Daye Dynasty, it would be one thing to defend against the Turks in the north, but the Great Wall they built faces our dynasty!"
"..."
"While submitting to the emperor, they reduced their annual tribute, and at the same time, they built the Great Wall on the border—a clever maneuver indeed. More importantly—"
"how?"
“This time, I think I saw Ashina Shali’s envoy in Liaoxi, traveling back and forth between the Turks and Liaodong.”
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's breath caught in her throat.
Yuwen Ye's face also showed a look of astonishment, and after a long time, no one spoke again.
However, a sense of impending crisis had already enveloped their hearts.
Yuwen Yuan sighed and said, "Therefore, everyone has their own calculations regarding the impact of the Liaodong War on our dynasty; but whether the Liaodong War should have been fought at all..."
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's thoughts had already drifted far away.
She felt as if she had returned to the howling winds of the northern frontier, where, amidst the vast天地 (heaven and earth), Chu Yang, under the guise of "Yang Suiyi," spoke freely and unrestrainedly before her—
His Majesty's grand ambition is for the hearts of all under Heaven to be united and for the world to be unified. This tour of the northern frontier is precisely to revitalize the prestige of the Great Ye Dynasty in the north, and to spread the glory and culture of our dynasty beyond the Great Wall, reaching far and wide...
The impact of this battle was indeed calculated by everyone involved.
Whether or not he should be hit, he probably did have his own hopes in his heart.
only……
At this moment, Yuwen Yuan sighed again and said with a wry smile, "Enough. I've finally come back from that bitter and cold place. I shouldn't be talking about these things at the dinner table. I was drunk. Someone, pour me some tea."
Aunt Hui hurriedly brought tea up.
Upon seeing the teacup she brought, Yuwen Yuan subconsciously frowned: "Where is my favorite cup?"
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