Chapter 210: Chapter 205: One Knife, One Person, One Wheat
Returning to the Yuwen Mansion, it was already late in the evening.
When Shang Ruyi got off the carriage, she was still somewhat stiff and numb, almost stumbling. Fortunately, Tushere and Wo Xue, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, hurriedly rushed up to support her. Tushere anxiously asked, "Miss, you’re finally back, are you alright?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her, said nothing, just shook her head. When she looked back again, the coachman had already driven the carriage away.
On the long street, only the distant sounds of hooves and wheels remained, along with the chilly wind mixed with bitter snowflakes hitting her face, further freezing her limbs and clouding her thoughts.
Tushere sensed something strange in the air, looked at Shang Ruyi, and said, "Miss, why does your complexion look so bad?"
Shang Ruyi looked back at her again, then at Wo Xue, forcing herself to muster a little smile: "I’m fine. Is everything alright at home?"
"Nothing at all,"
Tushere said, "It’s just that Miss, you’ve been gone a whole day, and we were worried sick, afraid that—"
At this point, she stopped speaking.
Shang Ruyi also knew that the last time she went to the palace, everyone was very worried, and this time, they probably spent the whole day on edge. So she managed to comfort them with a few words, and then led them through the main gate.
Just reaching the courtyard, she suddenly thought of something, stopped and asked, "Where’s the third brother?"
Wo Xue promptly replied, "The third young master has already returned from school and is in his room."
"When did he come back?"
"As usual, he was back by the hour of Shen (3 PM to 5 PM)."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "I’ll go see him."
Thus, she headed east along the corridor. Next to the East Courtyard where Guan Yunmu used to live was Yu Wencheng’s residence. This courtyard was relatively small, the rooms not spacious, and the furnishings inside were not many nor luxurious. Duke Sheng taught his children to live frugally, so he did not allow them to lead a life of extravagance.
However, after Yu Wenquan and Yu Wenye left the Eastern Capital, Yu Wencheng immediately replaced his bedding with high beds and soft pillows, doubling the heating stove in the room. At this moment, upon opening the door, the room was warm, and there were a few dishes of snacks on the table, though hardly touched, while Yu Wencheng lay on the bed with one leg crossed, playing with a dagger.
Seeing this scene, Shang Ruyi slightly furrowed her brow.
As the second sister-in-law, and not having been married long, she couldn’t strictly control Yu Wencheng’s life like her father-in-law. Thus, she could only turn a blind eye to some of his actions, but she couldn’t ignore him acting so unruly on the bed.
So she said, "Third brother, don’t play with knives on the bed."
Yu Wencheng turned his head to see her, pouted, and said disdainfully, "Second sister-in-law, you shouldn’t meddle in this."
Shang Ruyi walked over, gently reached out to touch him, indicating he must get up, and spoke softly, "I’m saying this for your good, in case you hurt yourself."
Yu Wencheng had no choice but to snort, retracted the dagger back into its sheath and tossed it aside.
Shang Ruyi also did not pull him any further.
Yu Wencheng, resting both hands behind his head, lay on the bed lazily and said, "Second sister-in-law, lately you’ve been too intrusive, checking my schoolwork, asking about my books. Father never controlled me like this when he was around."
Shang Ruyi said, "Father specifically instructed me to keep an eye on your studies when he left. Don’t blame your second sister-in-law for being nagging, reading more books is beneficial for you."
"Reading, what good does it do?"
"..."
"In this world, having a strong fist is the real power. Read all you want and you’ll just be a useless bookworm."
The more Yu Wencheng spoke, the more displeased he became, giving her a sidelong glance, "When my elder brother was around, he wouldn’t control me like this."
"..."
At the mention of Yu Wenqian, Shang Ruyi immediately felt short of breath.
Recently, whenever she tried to discipline Yu Wencheng, the child would bring up his elder brother in front of her, and each time he did, Shang Ruyi was at a loss for words.
After all, her awkward relationship with Yu Wenqian, even without seeing him, was like an invisible knife piercing her heart.
Hearing him say this again, Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and softly said, "Third brother, not teaching a person to fight is to abandon them."
"..."
"Having you read books, having expectations of you, is for your own good."
Yu Wencheng glanced at her sidelong, "So you mean, my elder brother was harming me?"
"..."
This time, Shang Ruyi was completely speechless.
She could only sigh and change the subject, "By the way, what did you do today?"
Yu Wencheng’s gaze flickered slightly, then he immediately snorted and said, "Isn’t it just going to school, what else could I do?"
"Didn’t go anywhere else?"
"Where could I go?"
Speaking of this, he suddenly sat up again, and said to Shang Ruyi, "Second Sister-in-law, I’ve been wanting to follow my second brother to war. He’s at the Xingluo Granary now, surely having a thrilling fight with the rebel army!"
"...!"
"My second brother has always been victorious in battles, and this time going to suppress the Wanggang Army, he’s bound to win a great victory too."
Hearing these words, Shang Ruyi’s heart sank once more.
The news she heard at the Tinghe Building, especially the last words Chu Yang left before his departure, had been haunting her with fear. Now, hearing Yu Wencheng talk about "ever-victorious in battles" and "winning a great victory" sent shivers down her spine.
Yu Wencheng continued to speak excitedly, "If I could make achievements in the army, then—"
Shang Ruyi immediately interrupted him, "Third Brother, it’s not yet the time for you to make achievements."
Hearing this, Yu Wencheng deflated, fell back onto the bed coldly, and said lazily, "Fine, it’s no use talking to you about this. If I can’t go to war, then I won’t. I want to sleep."
With that, he pulled the blanket over his head, ignoring Shang Ruyi.
Looking at this child’s stubborn and rude demeanor, Shang Ruyi was helpless too. She sighed, gently pulled the blanket back a little to avoid suffocating him, and seeing he still ignored her with his eyes shut, she could only turn away and leave.
As she walked out of his room, she told the people serving outside, "Watch over the Third Young Master closely every day, don’t let him run around recklessly."
The servant immediately said, "Yes."
Only then did Shang Ruyi leave.
As soon as she walked away, Yu Wencheng inside the room immediately opened his eyes, and the eyes which slightly slanted at the corners revealed a hint of a cold and shrewd light that didn’t match his age. He gave a cold sneer, turned over, and went to sleep.
Shang Ruyi quickly returned to her own room.
Although she returned to her room, and it was bitterly cold outside, she neither took a bath nor changed her clothes, but sat at the table, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight on the table.
The flickering emotions reflected in her eyes, combined with the swaying candlelight, became even more restless and uneasy.
On the way back, various emotions were tangled in her mind, making it impossible to calm down. Until this moment, staying alone, she finally had space to recall the information she gathered today. But this information made her incredibly fearful.
Defeated three times...
No matter how calmly she argued in front of Chu Yang today, this result indeed shocked her greatly.
The strength of Yu Wenye, even if she didn’t know it before, after the battle of Yanmen County, no one would doubt anymore. Even if his troops were insufficient this time, even if the Xingluo Granary was difficult to attack and easy to defend, or there might be more reasons, yet—he shouldn’t end up with such a result today!
Defeated three times, it is truly hard to accept!
Was his defeat truly because he was outmatched, or were there other reasons?
How should he fight the next battle? Will he be defeated again?
If he is indeed defeated again, then his future, the future of the Yuwen Mansion—will there still be a future?
Chu Yang harbored murderous intent towards him, this is no longer a mere guess. It could even be said that the Yuwen Mansion is almost on the brink of catastrophe. This time, suddenly promoting Yu Wenye to Assistant General, letting him lead the troops to war, rather than a critical mandate, it was more like a deliberate—raising him to a fall.
His expedition is like being roasted over a fire!
And now, Chu Yang has obtained the result he wanted. If Yu Wenye is defeated once more, just once—
The Yuwen Family will be overturned!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt her heart heavy, the feeling that shook her chest cavity, as if the heavens were shaking and the earth was moving. She even felt that the place she was sitting was shaking, and perhaps in the next moment, the ground beneath her feet would shatter, and she would fall into the abyss!
No, absolutely no!
As she covered her chest, continuously restraining the fear that was almost dragging her soul into the abyss, suddenly there was a rapid sound of footsteps outside, then Tushere urgently said at the door, "Miss!"
Her voice seemed somewhat uneasy as well.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath to calm herself, then said, "Come in."
Tushere immediately pushed the door open, walked over with a nervous expression, and Shang Ruyi rarely saw her like this. She thought something had happened in the mansion, and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Tushere walked up to her, and said in a low voice, "Just now, someone had the porter pass on a letter to you."
"A letter? What letter?"
Tushere quickly placed the letter in her hand in front of Shang Ruyi, who took it and looked. The letter appeared quite ordinary, with not a single word on the envelope.
She frowned and asked, "Who sent it?"
Tushere said, "I asked, but the porter said that the person refused to give their name, and was wearing a veiled hat, so their face couldn’t be seen clearly. They only strongly insisted that this letter must be personally handed to the Young Madam of Yuwen Mansion, probably afraid of delays, and gave the porter a large piece of silver, weighing five taels. The porter dared not neglect, so entrusted me to bring it."
"Oh?"
"Miss, you should take a look, perhaps something has happened."
Feeling something amiss, Shang Ruyi quickly opened the envelope, pulled out a sheet of paper, and was greatly shocked upon unfolding it.
On that piece of paper, there wasn’t a single word, but a drawing—
A knife, a person, a stalk of wheat.