Chapter 177: Chapter 175: Dilemma, What a Dilemma...
Shang Ruyi turned around and saw Yu Wenye already walking up to her. Seeing her somewhat unsteady, he reached out to hold her arm, frowning slightly: "Feeling unwell?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment to steady herself: "No, nothing."
Yu Wenye looked down at her for a while, then raised his head to gaze at the river flowing below the dock. The place was calm, the water clear, yet there was no scenery worth stopping for. It puzzled him why she had been staring at the river, lost in thought.
Just as he was about to ask again, Yu Wencheng came out of the cabin and said, "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Father is asking why you haven’t gone inside yet."
Yu Wenye waved his hand and then lowered his head again to tell her, "Get on the boat first, it’s windy here."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Yu Wenye then helped her onto the boat.
Seeing this scene, Mu Xian and several others following behind widened their eyes in surprise, while Shang Ruyi turned back and smiled at them.
There were many people with them this time, and they were traveling on a large ship, more luxurious and spacious than ordinary ferries, and much more stable. Watching the vortexes forming beneath the ship’s side, Shang Ruyi felt her mind more tangled and jumbled than the swirling waters, and she had no desire to speak, remaining silent as they reached the shore, took a carriage, and finally returned to Yuwen Mansion by dusk.
After the funeral rites, Aunt Hui and others stayed behind to clean the house. By now, the mourning hall had been dismantled, and the surroundings cleaned thoroughly. Fresh water had been sprinkled on the ground, and upon entering the main door, they immediately smelled a refreshing scent of water.
Seeing them return, Aunt Hui quickly led others to welcome them eagerly, saying, "Duke, Second Young Master, Young Madam, Third Young Master, you’re back. The house is already tidied up. I’ve asked people to boil water, so please bathe, and dinner will be served shortly in the dining hall."
Yu Wenquan nodded: "Mm, good."
Having said that, he waved his hand, and everyone dispersed.
Shang Ruyi was taken by Tushere and Wo Xue to bathe. After these busy days, she indeed felt exhausted, and especially today, crossing the river felt as if she had absorbed some of the impure vapor from above. So, she soaked in the bath for over half an hour. By the time Tushere helped her out, her face was flushed, and her body felt weak.
Tushere hurriedly had Wo Xue bring a cup of honey water, sipping two sips to refresh her spirits.
Shang Ruyi put on her clothes and went to say a few words to Mu Xian and others before heading to the dining hall. Upon entering, she found Yu Wenquan, Yu Wenye, and Yu Wencheng already seated at the table.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly stepped forward: "Apologies for being late, Father, please forgive me."
Yu Wenquan waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down, kindly saying: "You’ve been tired these days, should’ve let you rest well. But today is the first of the month, even if not everyone is here, let’s gather for a meal."
As he spoke, his voice carried a hoarseness.
Nearby, Yu Wencheng had already pouted and lowered his head, yet Yu Wenye gently spoke: "Father, try not to be too sad."
Hearing his words, Yu Wenquan managed to reveal a slight smile, saying: "Alright, let’s not dwell on that, let’s serve the dishes."
Apart from several cold dishes on the table, the kitchen immediately sent up a few hot dishes. Though all vegetarian, they were exquisitely made, especially the mock fish and chicken, indistinguishable from real meat dishes, fragrant, at least sparking some appetite.
Yu Wenquan raised his chopsticks: "Let’s eat."
Thus, everyone started eating.
On regular days, apart from discussing matters, they didn’t talk much during meals, and Guan Yunmu was especially the least talkative in the house. Yet, with her absence, today’s dining table felt even quieter than usual, perhaps the word ’downcast’ described it well.
Even the tastiest dishes, under such mood and atmosphere, inevitably lost their flavor.
After a while, Yu Wenquan and Yu Wenye had laid down their chopsticks, only Yu Wencheng continued eating. Shang Ruyi, unwilling to put her chopsticks down, attentively served him dishes and soup.
Seeing her behave this way, Yu Wenquan’s eyes showed even more satisfaction.
Suddenly remembering something, he turned to Yu Wenye and said, "By the way, I heard that this time you had great achievements in Yanmen County and the Emperor bestowed the title of Assistant General upon you?"
Yu Wenye replied, "Yes."
"Not bad, it befits your training these days."
"All thanks to Father’s usual guidance."
"Alright,"
Yu Wenquan said coolly, "I know you’ve always resented me for promoting worthy instead of kin, not really promoting you, but understand this: in my position, many people are watching. I cannot let you act arbitrarily in the army simply because you are my son."
Yu Wenye looked at him, seemingly wanting to retort to the phrase "act arbitrarily," but after a long silence, he ultimately refrained.
Said softly: "I understand, Father."
Yu Wenquan then turned to Shang Ruyi and said: "You also worked hard this time at Yanmen County. I heard you were injured, has it gotten better?"
At the mention of Yanmen County, Shang Ruyi’s entire being tensed up. It wasn’t the physical injury; rather it was her relationship with the Emperor—even though Chu Yang silenced a few tongues and warned everyone, Yu Wenye had clearly stated he wouldn’t mention the matter before Father. Yet, her heart remained uneasy, only answering softly: "No, it’s nothing."
Yu Wenye glanced at her indifferently.
Yu Wenquan again expressed concern: "And you—"
Just as Shang Ruyi felt her heart tighten in her throat, Yu Wenye suddenly interrupted Yu Wenquan and said: "Father, let’s not only talk about us, we are more worried about your journey to the front lines in Liaodong to supervise grain transportation."
Yu Wenquan, displeased at being interrupted, shot him a glance before sighing: "Liaodong, alas..."
Upon hearing his long sigh, it seemed there were many words left unsaid.
Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance with Yu Wenye, both instinctively focusing their attention on Yu Wenquan. Yu Wenye asked, "Father, is there any problem with Liaodong over there?"
Yu Wenquan said, "I heard that the reason Your Majesty withdrew the plan to fight in Liaodong this time is because someone advised him, and only because Your Majesty gave up on the war in Liaodong did the military and civilians of Yanmen County unite to resist the Turkic army?"
Yu Wenye replied, "Yes."
Yu Wenquan continued, "I wonder who said this. When Pei Xu and the others spoke like this before, they were punished and demoted..."
At this, Shang Ruyi’s heart trembled once more.
Yu Wenye coldly glanced at him again, then said, "Father, please speak about Liaodong."
"..."
Yu Wenquan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Withdrawing the troops from Liaodong is indeed a good thing for the people of the world, but—"
He didn’t finish his sentence, but that single "but" was enough to make both Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi’s hearts tighten.
Especially because this "but" appeared in the context of military campaigns in Liaodong.
Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "Father, do you think the troops should not have been withdrawn? Should we continue fighting in Liaodong?"
"..."
Yu Wenquan did not immediately answer her question but instead picked up his wine cup and took another sip. His eyes seemed a bit red as he sighed deeply, "A dilemma, a dilemma indeed..."
Yu Wenye inquired, "Father, what is going on exactly?"
Yu Wenquan explained, "Everyone knows that Gouli Country is a vassal state of our Da Ye Dynasty. Ever since the late Emperor bestowed the imperial surname and golden seal, they have always been subservient to our Dynasty; although King Gouli also pledged allegiance after the current Emperor ascended the throne, their annual tribute has decreased by more than thirty percent compared to his father’s time, and they refuse to come to the court. This is the main reason why Your Majesty wishes to campaign against their country."
Yu Wenye agreed, "Claiming loyalty and paying tribute, yet refusing to come to court does indeed harm the majesty of our Da Ye Dynasty. However, repeated campaigns without success, costing the people’s strength, such campaigns are indeed not the best course."
Yu Wenquan nodded in agreement.
Then he added, "But do you know what I saw this time in Liaoxi?"
Both husband and wife responded simultaneously, "What?"
Yu Wenquan revealed, "King Gouli, Mou Zifeng, has actually started building the Great Wall in Liaoxi!"
"What?!"
Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi were both shocked, exchanging incredulous looks before turning back to Yu Wenquan in surprise, asking, "They? Building the Great Wall?"
"Indeed,"
Yu Wenquan mentioned this matter with a cold laugh, "If it were really like our Da Ye Dynasty, rejecting the Turkic from the north would be one thing, but the Great Wall they are building faces toward our Dynasty!"
"..."
"On one hand, they pledge allegiance, reduce annual tribute, and on the other hand are building the Great Wall at the border, playing a clever game. More importantly—"
"And how?"
"This time, I seem to have seen envoys of Ashina Shali in Liaoxi, coming and going between the Turks and Liaodong."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi’s breaths instantly halted.
Yu Wenye’s face also revealed a shocked expression, and for a long time, no one spoke again.
Yet, a sense of impending crisis already shrouded their hearts.
Yu Wenquan sighed and stated, "Therefore, the impact of the Liaodong battle on our Dynasty is a matter of individual calculation; whether the Liaodong war should be fought or not..."
At this moment, Shang Ruyi’s thoughts had already drifted far away.
She seemed to have returned to the howling winds of the Northern Border, where in the vast world, Chu Yang, under the identity of Yang Suyi, recklessly and boldly said in front of her—
The Emperor’s grand ambition is to bring all under heaven together, to unify the world. This tour to the Northern Border is to revive the Da Ye Dynasty’s prestige in the North, to extend our Dynasty’s influence and culture beyond the Great Wall and spread it far and wide...
The impact of this battle is indeed subject to individual calculations.
But whether it should be fought, perhaps, in his heart, he also indeed had his own hopes.
It’s just...
At this time, Yu Wenquan sighed again, smiled bitterly, and said, "Forget it, having returned from that bitter cold place with difficulty, we should not discuss this at the dining table, I’ve drunk too much. Someone, pour me tea."
Aunt Hui hurriedly brought people to serve tea.
Once Yu Wenquan saw the teacup she brought, he instinctively frowned slightly, "Where is my favorite cup?"