The mont their eyes t, Yu Wenye saw that the once bright and clear eyes now seed to flicker with a long-lost glow.
But imdiately, she lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
Yu Wenye felt a slight upheaval within his heart, yet he remained composed, only lowering his head to gaze at Shang Ruyi’s lowered lashes, and softly asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"..."
"Are you trying to show off again?"
"..."
"Have you forgotten the words I once said?"
With her head bowed, Shang Ruyi felt her body weak and powerless, the bit of strength she had painstakingly gathered barely supporting her to the door, only to dissipate the instant she faced him.
She took a light breath, almost falling, but Yu Wenye quickly reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
Then he bent down and lifted her horizontally.
"You—"
Shang Ruyi wanted to say sothing, but the emotions she had suppressed turned her voice hoarse; the utterance of a single word revealed an uncontrollable tremor, exposing her agitated feelings completely to him.
She hastily bit her lower lip, stopping herself from saying anything further.
Yu Wenye looked down at her, those cold yet lucid eyes seemingly piercing through everything.
But he didn’t say much more, just turned around and walked out, giving orders as he went, "Bring the prescription, fetch the dicine."
Mu Xian and Tushere imdiately snapped out of their reverie, hastily found the shopkeeper whose legs had gone weak from fright. After getting the prescription and dicine and offering extra paynt as an apology, they hurriedly stepped out, finding Yu Wenye carefully placing Shang Ruyi back into the carriage. No one dared delay any further, quickly mounted their horses and drove the carriage out of Songzhou City.
Soon, the sound of distant commotion was left behind.
The two inside the carriage remained silent.
But this ti’s silence was different from before. Both seed to sense an inexplicable emotion brewing in the quiet space, but Yu Wenye’s mind was entangled with another matter. He lifted the corner of the curtain for a while, then frowned in contemplation for so ti.
Then turned back, eting Shang Ruyi’s flickering gaze.
It had been long since she voluntarily looked at him.
Yu Wenye also gazed at her, "What do you want to say?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi’s lips slightly trembled, but she didn’t speak, her face still sowhat pale.
Yu Wenye pondered and said, "It’s false."
Shang Ruyi’s breath tightened, looking at him again.
Yu Wenye continued, "If you want to ask whether I would truly use my life and death to coax my father into massacring the city, I can tell you, it’s false."
"..."
"I never hesitate to kill enemies on the battlefield, but slaughtering civilians—I have no such intention for now."
"..."
"In the future, neither."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a while and said, "Then, why do you think, Mr. Fan would believe you?"
Yu Wenye turned again, lifted the corner of the curtain and looked outside, calmly stating, "Whether he believes is not important. This is a gamble, betting on whether he is a good official who cherishes the people as his own children."
"..."
"However, from the very beginning, he exposed the outco."
"..."
"To avoid hurting the innocent people outside, he didn’t seize the mont and break in directly but first evacuated those civilians, even at the risk of missing the timing for us to be on guard. Such a good official, cherishing the people as his children, wouldn’t risk slaughtering the city to catch a criminal."
What he said appeared so offhanded, as if rely discussing the weather outside.
Yet, this was clearly a life-and-death gamble for them!
Shang Ruyi looked at him, always radiating such confidence and calmness, but at this mont, Yu Wenye’s gaze seed to ripple like a breeze, flickering slightly.
He murmured, "But there’s one thing, I haven’t figured out."
Shang Ruyi pondered and said, "He wants to catch for the grievance of ’regicide’, yet doesn’t hold you accountable for the Duke’s uprising, correct?"
Yu Wenye turned to look at her.
eting each other’s gaze, the heavy thoughts mirrored each other.
This nearly perfectly synchronized clash made Shang Ruyi’s heart tremble, she hurriedly bowed her head to avoid his gaze, but Yu Wenye’s face seed to ripple again, with the sunlight reflecting a faint smile, even warmth.
He slowly turned towards Shang Ruyi, softly said, "Ruyi—"
Shang Ruyi turned her face towards the window on the other side.
Even now, the low fever continued to tornt her, the previous turmoil and ordeal nearly overwhelming her, only barely managing to sit upright by leaning her forehead against the window.
But in the next mont, Yu Wenye reached out and pulled her entirely into his embrace.
"You—"
Shang Ruyi frowned, about to say sothing, but as she lifted her head, she t Yu Wenye’s eyes, deeply gazing at her, the always sharp gaze now seed to pierce through her body, and look directly into her heart.
Shang Ruyi’s throat choked, the rest of the words caught and unable to co out.
Yu Wenye held her in his arms, solemnly said, "Last night, I didn’t finish my words."
"..."
"I didn’t know of father’s uprising. Before heading south to rescue you, I sent him a letter, informing him of the situation here and requested any actions be delayed until I bring you back, to avoid any unnecessary consequences."
"..."
"Later, arriving at Jiangdu, news ca, and I then knew he still rose in revolt."
"..."
"But I believe, there is likely another inside story behind this, especially from Mr. Fan Cheng’en’s words just now, reinforcing my belief."
He took a deep breath and softly said, "I didn’t lie to you."
"..."
"Shang Ruyi, I didn’t disregard your life and death."
Each word fell heavily on Shang Ruyi’s heart, she clearly didn’t want to listen, nor be influenced by his words anymore, yet at this mont, her heartbeat involuntarily grew heavier.
Unable to stop herself from recalling the mont in Jiangdu Palace, learning of the Duke Sheng’s uprising, her heart felt despair.
It turns out, it wasn’t...
As he said, he didn’t disregard her life and death — indeed, it had always been his way of conduct, even when initially without feelings or entanglents, he wouldn’t let her suffer; even straightforwardly telling her, because of her willfulness and candidness, she had earned his respect.
Toward her, in important matters, he had always been honest.
Even — refraining from owing each other.
But emotions, to him, were not critical.
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