Chapter 176: Chapter 174: Let’s Make Up, Shall We?_2
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "I won’t apologize to you for what happened that day because I wasn’t wrong."
"Hmph."
"But I want to reconcile with you."
"..."
Yu Wenye’s breath paused, and he looked up at her again, his gaze containing a hint of subtle unease.
After a while, he said, "Why?"
Shang Ruyi slowly sat down on the mat, looking him in the eye and said, "You’ve said before, we are a transaction, not opponents. Continuing this hostility is of no benefit to either of us. No matter what, in the eyes of others, we are still husband and wife, aren’t we?"
She had been busy these past few days, but her mind became clear.
Although she counted on being a good daughter-in-law to the Duke Mansion as her greatest reliance, after all, the Duke could not always be by her side to protect her. At home, without the support of her husband, Yu Wenye, she would still find it difficult to maintain her position as Young Madam.
For example, that day, she couldn’t even command one of Mu Xian’s subordinates, which was quite telling.
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at her, and his previously calm breath became rapid at this moment.
Even his chest heaved violently a few times.
After a while, he smiled faintly, as if angry or relieved, and said, "You remember my words very clearly."
Shang Ruyi recalled that she had used his words against him several times, sometimes in arguments, sometimes in comfort, and she couldn’t tell which type of interaction he was referring to at this moment, but she still said sincerely, "Let’s reconcile, shall we?"
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at her for a long time, then suddenly turned his head away, snorting lightly, "I didn’t fall out with you."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but show a slight smile.
This was the meaning of reconciliation.
She breathed a long sigh of relief in her heart, her whole being relaxed, and she couldn’t help but lean forward to look at the stones on the table, asking softly, "What are you setting up here?"
Yu Wenye didn’t turn to look at her either, but fiddled with a few stones and said, "Look and see if you can figure it out."
"..."
Shang Ruyi watched for a while: "Are you—deploying troops?"
Yu Wenye was startled and turned to look at her: "You understand?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head, "I don’t understand, but when I was little, my father used to do this with stones in the courtyard when he was idle."
Yu Wenye’s gaze flickered as he looked at her for a moment, saying nothing, and continued to arrange his stones. Shang Ruyi watched for a while longer and murmured, "But this layout isn’t of the Xingluo Granary’s terrain."
"...!"
This time, Yu Wenye didn’t turn to look at her, but his fingers paused slightly, then he said, "Why would you think I would deploy the Xingluo Granary’s formation?"
At this moment, drowsiness was gradually taking over. Shang Ruyi felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier, but still forced herself to stay awake and replied to him: "When Your Majesty conferred a title on you at mother’s funeral this time, it obviously wasn’t a normal reward but more like an emergency mobilization. Conferring a title during the funeral was meant to give you some time to prepare; coupled with such an important place as the Xingluo Granary being occupied by the Wanggang Army, the court would certainly need to send troops to expediently conquer it. With both circumstances, I guess it’s possible you might be sent there."
Yu Wenye remained silent for a while, then snorted coldly, "Turns out you’re not dumb."
Though he spoke this way, his hand movements were much slower than before, partly due to a block in his thoughts, and partly as if something else was disturbing his thinking, keeping him from concentrating on arranging troops.
After a long silence, he finally bit his lip and said in a deep voice, "You do seem to know Your Majesty’s character well."
"..."
"What exactly is your relationship with him—"
The words were left unfinished, as he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.
He turned to look and saw that Shang Ruyi had unknowingly fallen asleep, her head tilted onto his shoulder.
Immediately, his whole body stiffened, and a small stone gripped in his hand dropped onto the table with a clatter.
Shang Ruyi was already a light sleeper, instinctively frowned, but while still muddled, she felt a warmth on her ear, and suddenly could hear nothing, surrounded by a warm presence. She felt a comforting sense of embrace and slowly slipped back into a deep sleep.
It was morning by the time she woke up.
Shang Ruyi rarely slept so soundly, especially since even in her dreams, she could smell the scent of sandalwood and feel the warmth covering her, making her almost reluctant to wake up.
However, instinct still gradually led her to open her eyes.
Once she opened them, she was startled, and sat up suddenly, realizing she had slept on the inner bed, still covered with the blanket she had given to Yu Wenye the night before.
But Yu Wenye was nowhere to be seen, and when she turned her head to look outside, no one was at the table either.
Even the stones had disappeared.
After the previous experience at Zhanping River Posthouse, she realized she must have fallen asleep beside him, and he had carried her to bed. Though there wasn’t the sudden closeness of skin contact that made her uneasy like a few nights earlier, she couldn’t help but blush, holding her head in regret.
How come I fell asleep again!
Luckily, Tushere and others soon came to help her get up. Shang Ruyi dared not delay, for today was New Year’s Day, especially the day after the funeral when they would return home. She promptly got up and prepared everything. When they left Ban Yan Temple, Yu Wenquan and the others were also ready, and the whole family was about to head back home.
In the crowd, Shang Ruyi immediately spotted Yu Wenye, standing tall and silent in plain clothes, looking like a crane among chickens.
As they made eye contact, she felt her face flush slightly.
Unable to say much, she followed the group down the mountain. But when it was time to board the boat at the dock, looking at the shimmering river, Shang Ruyi suddenly thought of something, and her steps suddenly faltered.
Then a familiar breath approached from behind.
Yu Wenye’s calm voice came to her ear, "What’s the matter?"