Chapter 185: Chapter 182: All her pulse gates were restrained
In such a situation, whether willing or not, one could only answer affirmatively.
Yet, Shang Ruyi’s heart was thrown into chaos, unable to figure out what kind of muddy mess she found herself in.
Previously, she thought she would be blamed for the matters between the Emperor and herself, but she wasn’t; Princess Xinyue, being her beloved daughter, couldn’t end up with Yu Wenye because of her, yet she harbored no hostility... These were already baffling enough.
Now, Empress Jiang even took the initiative to show goodwill to the Duke, expressing a desire to be close to her?
Empress Jiang... why would she do this?
While Shang Ruyi was puzzled, Yu Wenye behind her suddenly said, "Father, when did this happen?"
Yu Wenquan glanced at him, then showed a look of impatience, but still replied coldly, "When Your Majesty kept you to speak, I left Qianyang Hall first, and outside the hall, the Empress’s eunuch conveyed the message."
After speaking, he turned to Shang Ruyi again, "Are you willing?"
Shang Ruyi pondered for a long time, then cautiously said, "Since it’s the Empress’s command, Ruyi is willing. But this also depends on father’s opinion."
Yu Wenquan looked at her for a while, also thought for a moment, and said, "Since the Empress has spoken, you should go."
"Yes."
"Just remember, once in the palace, do not speak recklessly and be cautious in all matters."
"Ruyi understands."
Only then did Yu Wenquan wave his hand to signal them to leave. The two exited the study and closed the door.
By this time, the sky outside had already darkened. Lanterns in the corridor were lit, but the light wasn’t strong. Shang Ruyi turned around and saw Yu Wenye’s tall figure appearing even more robust under that light, as if casting a deeper shadow, enveloping her.
Because of the backlight, she couldn’t see his facial expression.
She only felt a flicker of ambiguous light in his cold eyes, sternly watching her: "Why didn’t you tell me before?"
"Tell what?"
"Tell that you and the Empress——"
"I and the Empress? There’s nothing between us."
Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised. Why was he asking this? Clearly, the Empress had only met her once and hadn’t said much, so she softly said, "At that time, you only asked about... the matters of His Majesty."
"..."
Hearing this, Yu Wenye seemed to be momentarily speechless.
After some time, he responded with a stiff "hm" and turned to walk forward. Shang Ruyi felt he seemed somewhat angry, but not at her, rather at himself, inexplicable, but she quickly followed him.
Soon, they returned to the room.
It was late; Wo Xue had already lit the candelabra in the room. The orange-red candlelight cast a hazy warmth over the whole room, making whoever entered feel instantly soothed, even calming Yu Wenye’s cold temperament.
He walked to the low table and sat down.
Shang Ruyi walked over, softly asking, "Do you want to eat something?"
Yu Wenye shook his head, "No need."
Shang Ruyi actually didn’t have much appetite either, so she waved Wo Xue to leave, then sat down across from him, softly asking, "When I passed by just now, I seemed to hear father talking—what was the matter you couldn’t agree on?"
Yu Wenye glanced at her.
Shang Ruyi continued, "Is it about the military deployment?"
"..."
Yu Wenye was silent for a moment, then said, "Don’t always ask about those matters of fighting and killing."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback.
In the next moment, she also realized that ordinary women, especially those who were married, should engage in taking care of the family and husband, perhaps in homely tasks like needlework, as matters of fighting seemed to be men’s concerns, even if he had friends like Lei Yu, it didn’t mean he hoped the women around him were like that.
Like—Princess Xinyue.
Yu Wenye probably preferred a sweet and gentle woman like her.
Therefore, with herself always concerned about the front line battles, even having been at Yanmen City herself to shoot against the Turkic soldiers, he probably wasn’t fond of that.
...
Nevertheless, she didn’t necessarily need to mold herself into someone he liked.
Thinking this, Shang Ruyi softly said, "I am concerned about you after all. This battle won’t be easy; if your forces aren’t enough, that would be troublesome."
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at her again, his gaze appearing conflicted and complex; after a long while, he slowly said, "Father intends to give me ten thousand troops."
Shang Ruyi’s eyes lit up at this: "That... should be enough, right?"
The court had granted twenty thousand men, and Yu Wenquan was giving him ten thousand; although not numerically superior, Yu Wenquan’s household soldiers were brave and battle-hardened, effectively tripling their manpower; whereas the Wanggang Army, though numerous, were ultimately gathered from various refugees and vagabonds, lacking specialized training, hence their combat capabilities couldn’t match the Duke’s forces.
Yet, she was only half an amateur, not daring to assert herself, so she could only look at Yu Wenye with inquisitive eyes.
Thirty thousand troops, isn’t that enough?
Yu Wenye glanced at her, seemingly amused by her look, slightly pursing his lips, yet keeping a stern face, he was silent for a while before saying, "I didn’t want them."
"What? Why not?"
"On second thought, the court’s twenty thousand troops suffice."
"...!?"
Shang Ruyi was dumbfounded.
She anxiously moved closer to him, reaching out to grab his arm, gripping it tightly as she said, "How can that be? Second Brother, don’t be foolish."
"...!"
Yu Wenye’s heart trembled slightly.
Not because of her words that could enrage him, but—those slender, slightly cool fingers gripping his wrist.
Obviously, her grip wasn’t strong, but for some reason, Yu Wenye felt she had his pulse firmly held.
For a moment, his breath hitched.
And Shang Ruyi was still earnestly saying, "Didn’t you just mention needing more troops, so why refuse Father’s offer? Second Brother, at a time like this, you can’t act rashly, you need to consider your future."
Yu Wenye frowned slightly, "Do you see me as such a clueless person?"
Shang Ruyi paused, realizing she had been a bit thoughtless earlier.
She hurriedly said, "No."
"Then,"
Yu Wenye said to this point, his voice inexplicably deepened, gaze flickering as he stared at her: "What kind of person am I?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn’t know what to say for a moment.
And it was only then she realized, her hand was still tightly grasping his wrist; although not touching skin, her actions were indeed—excessive.
She hurriedly withdrew her hand.
Seeing her like this, Yu Wenye’s gaze became more focused, staring at her intently: "Speak."
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