Chapter 1210 - 887: Yu Wenqian’s Complete Victory
As soon as she stepped out of the hall, a biting wind greeted her, carrying with it fragments of jade and powdered snow that struck her face. The warmth she had brought from Liangyi Hall was instantly swept away, and Shang Ruyi shivered from the cold.
But colder than the wind were Yu Mingyue’s eyes beside her.
Even without directly meeting her gaze, Shang Ruyi could feel the piercing coldness of her eyes, seemingly capable of piercing through one’s body.
Thankfully, she wasn’t looking at her.
Shang Ruyi tightened her collar and turned her head, meeting Yu Wenqian’s smiling eyes. Despite the wind and snow swirling around, he maintained a smile, his demeanor serene, exuding a gentle aura that feels like a spring breeze. He said to Shang Ruyi, "Sister-in-law, do you need us to escort you back to Qianqiu Palace?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head, smiling, "Thank you, Imperial Brother. Qianqiu Palace is not far, there’s no need to escort me. However, Imperial Brother and Imperial Sister-in-law should be careful on the way."
Upon finishing, she nodded to those around her.
Yan Shaoxuan and others immediately bowed to Princess Qin. Despite Yu Mingyue’s gloomy demeanor, her etiquette was impeccable. Shang Ruyi then turned away, slowly leaving with the support of Tushere, who had been waiting outside with an umbrella.
Behind them, the wind howled, and snow swirled chaotically.
Returning to Qianqiu Palace, it was as tranquil as always. Though Eunuch Yu had already conveyed the Emperor’s orders before her return, no one would think of leaving Qianqiu Palace with such heavy wind and snow outside.
Upon seeing her return, Yu Wenye immediately smiled and said, "Back already."
Shang Ruyi took off her fur coat, which was covered in snow, and handed it to Chang Wan. She walked over to sit down, held her hand over the stove, and felt the stiffness in her fingertips gradually fading. She looked around, "Where’s Yuanyuan?"
"Doctor Lin just came to see him. He’s fine. The nanny took him downstairs to sleep."
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, but he was woken up from a peaceful sleep and cried for half the day."
Hearing this, her motherly heart ached as she sighed. Fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious. Yu Wenye asked, "How did it go when you went over there earlier?"
Shang Ruyi immediately recounted everything she heard in Liangyi Hall. Notably, when she mentioned Yu Wenqian’s seemingly innocuous yet devastating remark that appeared to hit their critical weak point, Yu Wenye’s calm expression suddenly turned somber.
He took a deep breath and said heavily, "It seems, I still underestimated my elder brother."
Shang Ruyi also nodded silently.
With every move Yu Wenqian made, they realized he was retaliating for the Battle of Longmen Crossing, hurting and seizing power, accomplishing almost a complete victory!
Yu Wenye had risen to his position through military achievements, but his accolades weren’t entirely his own; he relied on his capable battalion leaders, including the surrendered soldiers from Longxi after the Battle of Fufeng and those led by Shen Tu Tai who joined them.
Now, with a single sentence, Yu Wenqian made Yu Wenquan shift suspicions toward Wanggang Village, implicating Shen Tu Tai in the process.
If any action is taken against Shen Tu Tai, Yu Wenye’s influence in the military would be significantly diminished.
In the court, aside from his staunch allies Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan, he had the support of a group of senior officials. But now, Shen Wuzheng was sent to Luoyang, Pei Xingyuan lost his position, the Pei Family was in peril; although Shen Shiyan was unscathed, the power on King Qin’s side was greatly reduced.
Even with her hands still over the heating stove, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but shiver from the cold.
She hadn’t expected Yu Wenqian to be so resourceful.
Using just one Liang Youying and Jiang Xian, he had cornered them to this extent!
Shang Ruyi continued, "Yet, I think Father intentionally let me hear these things, then had me come back to tell you."
Yu Wenye calmly said, "Of course."
"Why?"
"Because all current messages come from the Crown Prince’s side. He also wants to see my reaction."
"See your reaction?"
Shang Ruyi frowned, "Could Father truly suspect that the assassins from Hot Spring Palace have connections to you, to us?"
Yu Wenye shook his head, "Without clarification, he will suspect everyone."
"So, what is your reaction going to be?"
"..."
Yu Wenye didn’t immediately answer; instead, he turned to her, "Did you just show a reaction?"
Shang Ruyi replied, "I—I only debated a few words with Lou Yingxiong, asking them to verify clearly, but after the Crown Prince arrived, I didn’t say much. There are some things I can’t casually say without discussing with you."
Yu Wenye nodded, "That’s right."
Shang Ruyi looked at him, "You—"
Yu Wenye said, "By saying what you did, it’s already enough. I don’t need to react further."
Shang Ruyi widened her eyes, "But, if you don’t do anything, what about Shen Tu Tai? Didn’t the Crown Prince’s earlier words aim to lead Father to suspect the people from Wanggang Village and then Shen Tu Tai? If Father decisively changes generals—"
Yu Wenye shook his head, "Father won’t easily change generals, especially with no battle yet at Luoyang; changing generals right before battle is a major taboo in the military."
Shang Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief.
"But—"
Upon hearing this word, her breath was caught again as she nervously looked at Yu Wenye, "But, what?"
Seeing her nervousness, Yu Wenye paused for a moment, shook his head, and said, "We’ll see."
Shang Ruyi frowned and was about to press further, but Yu Wenye seemed to have remembered something else, and he changed topics: "However, we’re not doing nothing; at least, we need to protect Doctor Su and Jiang Yu."
Standing to the side, Tushere heard this and glanced at them.
Shang Ruyi was taken aback; she hadn’t expected Yu Wenye would mention Su Qinglan, though much of her argument earlier was indeed to protect this Imperial Doctor who was deeply connected with her. Yu Wenye bringing it up was unexpected.
So she asked, "Why?"
Yu Wenye looked at her, "Because of you, and Yuanyuan."
"What do you mean?"
"Doctor Su has been consistently taking care of you and Yuanyuan. If it weren’t for her, they might have succeeded with that hawthorn cake incident."
Once mentioning the incident, Shang Ruyi’s face immediately darkened. Upon further thought, she somewhat understood. Though today Yu Wenquan had Doctor Lin come to see Yuanyuan, the Chief Imperial Doctor can’t always be at Qianqiu Palace to attend to Princess Qin and the Young Master, nor can she always go to Liangyi Hall to request personnel from the Emperor. Without Su Qinglan, the Imperial Medical Bureau would have to send other doctors to fill the position.
She raised her head to look at Yu Wenye, "You mean, they might take advantage of the doctors being sent—"