Bending down towards her was a face so beautiful it was almost sharp. Like those around her, she wore a brown robe with a black collar, with an additional thick wind cloak that fluttered in the wind, causing her black hair tied at the back of her head to fly. This added an extra touch of severity to her beauty.
She looked at Shang Ruyi, her deep and sharp eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe her own eyes.
After a mont, she said in a deep voice, "Shang Ruyi?"
And it wasn’t until this mont, when Shang Ruyi, who had been looking up at her, heard that familiar voice call her na, that she finally believed her own eyes.
Shang Ruyi softly said, "Lei... Yu..."
The one leading the squad of nearly a thousand people, speeding through the wind and snow, was none other than Miss Lei Yu of the Lei Family. Months ago, she went with her father, Lei Yi, to Hebei to suppress a rebellion but ultimately betrayed the court and sided with Liang Shide!
Shang Ruyi felt a chill envelop her body, the howling northern wind cut across her face like a knife, and she could no longer feel pain.
The two of them stared at each other silently for a long ti.
The expression on Lei Yu’s face shifted repeatedly but she said nothing more. Instead, she raised her hand in a sweeping gesture. As soon as those behind her saw this sign, they imdiately ordered everyone to stand by. She dismounted and walked over to Shang Ruyi, frowning as she said, "How are you here?"
Shang Ruyi also looked at her, her voice hoarse as she said, "How are you here?"
"..."
"..."
A long silence ensued between them again.
After a while, Lei Yu was the first to speak. She said, "Liang Shide’s troops are attacking -- no, they’ve certainly already seized the Eastern Capital. I was ordered to lead my n here to block any reinforcents the Eastern Capital might send for help."
Shang Ruyi’s voice grew hoarser: "Help?"
"Yes."
"The Eastern Capital, who can it seek help from...?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, but she quickly said, "The Emperor’s departure from the Eastern Capital is tantamount to abandoning the whole North. Those around have long known the result; from a standpoint of interests, they indeed won’t send troops to aid. After all --"
She paused instinctively.
But Shang Ruyi softly continued, "After all, the troops and horses in one’s hand are what we rely on to survive in this turmoil."
Lei Yu’s gaze flickered slightly.
She probably didn’t expect Shang Ruyi to rember this sentence so clearly or to say it at such a ti, though she wasn’t sure whose heart it pricked. Nonetheless, she nodded and then said, "Still, despite that, we cannot generalize entirely."
"..."
"After all, besides interest and survival, there are also loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, and..."
"And what else?"
Lei Yu was silent for a while before saying, "Perhaps, also, affection."
"...Affection?"
"Yes, these are things that can make one give up interest, abandon survival, and even risk one’s life."
Shang Ruyi looked at her beautiful and resolute face. Although frozen stiff in this kind of wind and snow, with almost no expression, she could still discern a faint trace of sorrow. She didn’t know if this sorrow was for herself or sothing else.
Shang Ruyi just nodded and softly said, "You’re right."
She pondered and suddenly added, "However, you said Liang Shide’s forces have taken the Eastern Capital?"
Lei Yu nodded.
Shang Ruyi furrowed her brow, "What gives you such certainty? Even if you and Lei -- you’re familiar with the Eastern Capital’s city defenses, the city’s fortifications are so strong, even with limited garrison troops, it shouldn’t fall to Liang Shide so quickly."
Lei Yu looked at her, her eyes flickering with a strange light.
She said, "There are spies inside the city."
"What?!"
Shang Ruyi was startled and then upon further thought, began to understand: "It is -- did you send people into the city ahead of ti?"
Lei Yu said, "We did send people in ahead, but they are not our people."
"Then who are they?"
"Wanggang Village, Xiao Yuansui’s people."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi drew a sharp breath.
Xiao Yuansui, it’s him again, that na again!
Indeed, he is not a simple character.
It was only then that she understood why, when the common people in the city fled Luoyang as the Emperor decided to move south and abandon the Eastern Capital, so many people mysteriously entered the city, and apparently, they were all strong n.
It turned out that it was Wanggang Village, Xiao Yuansui’s people!
They had allied with Liang Shide’s forces. If they intended to attack Luoyang, they would aim to achieve the greatest results with minimal sacrifice. The best plan was to send personnel into the Eastern Capital beforehand to lie in wait so that as soon as the Emperor left and Liang Shide’s army arrived, these folks inside the city would respond imdiately, making the capture of the Eastern Capital virtually effortless.
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