Chapter 1177 - 855: Qian
"Because, I forgot what happened earlier."
"Ah!"
Shang Ruyi was startled.
But she didn’t pursue why. Instead, she tightened her arms around Yu Wenye’s waist.
Yu Wenye had mentioned that he was only four or five when it happened. Such a young age, yet faced with such a fright, it’s no wonder he would forget that terrifying experience. And Yu Wenqian was the one who brought him back from a place as hellish as hell itself. No wonder he would so desperately want to see his elder brother again.
She asked, "Then he—"
Yu Wenye said, "Father couldn’t refuse me, feeling sorry for me, having just recovered from a grave illness, narrowly escaped death, and forcibly brought him back from Dayan Temple."
"..."
"But the moment I saw him, I remembered everything."
"..."
"And he, seeing me like that, I think he understood that I hadn’t forgotten what happened before."
Shang Ruyi furrowed her brow and asked, "What happened later?"
"Later,"
Yu Wenye’s voice grew hoarse, "Life just went on, but between him and me, things could never return to how they were."
"..."
"And he started visiting the temple more frequently. Even if father got angry and confined him, he’d find ways to go. Father couldn’t control him. One day, father suddenly came to me and asked me what exactly happened by the lake that day."
Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat, "Did father know something?"
Yu Wenye’s breath darkened and he didn’t answer her question.
Shang Ruyi asked again, "Then, how did you answer father?"
Yu Wenye said, "I said, I don’t remember."
Shang Ruyi swiftly lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes shining in the dark night. She asked in a deep voice, "Why did you say that?"
Yu Wenye’s breath darkened again, and he still didn’t answer her question.
Shang Ruyi looked at his eyes, still reserved and bright even in the dark, thought for a moment, and didn’t pursue further. She only asked, "Then, what did father say?"
"I remember he looked at me for a long while, sighed, and didn’t ask anything more."
"..."
"Later, I heard he agreed to elder brother going to cultivate."
"..."
"And from then on, elder brother changed his name. He used to be named ’Sheng’."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
So, that’s how it was.
Actually, even when she married into the Yuwen Family, Yu Wenqian was already in a state of going out to cultivate, but this situation still surprised her. With Yu Wenquan’s disposition and the Yuwen Family’s standing in court, not to mention Yu Wenqian’s status as Heir of the Duke, it’s impossible for Yu Wenquan to allow this legitimate heir to go cultivate.
But if he knew certain things, was worried about certain things in his heart, then this outcome wasn’t impossible.
And Yu Wenqian changed his name, using "Qian" as a given name was very inappropriate for a noble son, even affecting judgments of Yu Wenquan’s character as a father. Yet he still agreed, clearly, he understood very well in his heart.
No wonder, previously Dong Bizheng had advised Yu Wenqian so much.
Whether it’s sibling rivalry, hand and foot conflict, for Dong Bizheng, this was what Yu Wenqian should do. And from Yu Wenqian’s own perspective, now Yu Wenye and he have reached an irreconcilable point in competing for the Crown Prince position, even causing his uncle’s death. He probably understood Dong Bizheng’s advice better.
What he thought was wrong, perhaps wasn’t wrong for him.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, and only at this moment did she suddenly realize, ever since Yu Wenye mentioned the incident at the lake, they both almost forgot to breathe. Finally catching a breath now, she felt her heart strain, her mind seemingly filled with a constant rumbling, shaking her spirit.
She said, "He—"
Before the words came out, she heard Yu Wenye murmur, "Enough."
"Hmm?"
"It’s almost dawn, if you don’t sleep, how will your health fare?"
Shang Ruyi was momentarily confused, then suddenly realized they’ve been talking for so long, it’s already past the fifth watch. If they don’t sleep, it’ll truly be dawn. No wonder her heart felt heavy; it wasn’t just the shock of the past but also exhaustion from a day of chaos without a moment’s rest.
Thinking this, fatigue overwhelmed her. She couldn’t help but yawn.
Yu Wenye chuckled lightly, hugged her tighter, and softly said, "Anything—talk about it tomorrow. I’ve asked your brother to come to the palace for some discussions, if you sleep late, you’ll have no energy tomorrow."
Upon hearing Shen Wuzheng was coming to the palace, Shang Ruyi quickly became happy again, agreed promptly, and closed her eyes.
Fatigue quickly washed over her like a tide, threatening to swallow her whole. But just as Shang Ruyi was about to lose consciousness and fall asleep, she suddenly remembered, her brother’s actions today seemed strangely off, especially at the Crown Prince Mansion. And when they left the Crown Prince Mansion, he seemed to have spoken privately with Yu Wenye.
What did they talk about...
As she thought about it, she slowly fell asleep.
Unfortunately, this sleep was not restful.
Originally, after explaining her strange experiences to Yu Wenye on the way back from the Turkic lands, she rarely had those bizarre dreams again. But this night, though the time wasn’t long, she fell into an extraordinarily long, mysterious, and dark dream.
In that dream, it seemed as if she was constantly under threat, with the urgency of life and death looming closely. However, what she saw was no longer the familiar mansion from her dreams or a battlefield of chaos, but a broad, long, seemingly smooth road—yet on both sides of the road and stretching ahead, there was utter darkness, where even a hand could not be seen, devoid of any light.
Within the darkness, shadows swayed, as if someone was lurking, and the sense of danger kept surging.
Shang Ruyi shivered, suddenly sitting up on her bed!
"Mm!"
The sudden movement startled Tushere, who had just approached and seemed to be about to wake her. She stopped immediately, staring wide-eyed at Shang Ruyi: "Princess..."
The familiar voice ringing in her ears instantly dispelled the unease of the dream.
Sweating profusely, Shang Ruyi turned her head to see Tushere’s gaze, filled with concern despite the fear. That gaze finally soothed the lingering fear from the dream, and she let out a deep breath, saying, "You, why are you—?"
Tushere replied softly, "It’s too late, so I came to check on you."
Saying this, she cautiously asked, "Princess, did you have a nightmare?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi did not speak.
To be honest, it wasn’t exactly a nightmare. Compared to those gory scenes of the past, last night’s dream merely seemed to lead her to a dark place. However, the sense of fear and oppression was more terrifying than ever before.
After a moment of silence, Shang Ruyi ignored the question and glanced to the side, immediately frowning.
The bed beside her was already empty.
Seeing this, Tushere immediately said, "Prince Qin got up early."
"Practicing swordsmanship again?"
"No, I heard there was something at the military camp, so he went to take a look and said he’d be back later. If Mr. Shen arrives, he asks that you meet beforehand, Princess."
As soon as Shen Wuzheng’s upcoming palace visit was mentioned, Shang Ruyi immediately became alert, hurriedly threw off the quilt, and got out of bed: "Help me dress and wash."
"Yes."
Their actions were swift. Before long, having washed up, Shang Ruyi realized it was too late for breakfast, so she had someone send over some teacakes. When Shen Wuzheng arrived, they could eat and drink together, which would count as breakfast. Just as the teacakes arrived, someone reported that Mr. Shen had come to seek an audience.
Shang Ruyi immediately had him brought in and joyfully said, "Brother!"
Shen Wuzheng, smiling widely, first paid his respects, then sat down. Noticing the redness in Shang Ruyi’s eyes, he immediately said with concern, "Why are your eyes so red? Didn’t you sleep well last night?"
Subconsciously, Shang Ruyi touched the corners of her eyes, recalling seeing the red blood vessels in her eyes while dressing in front of the mirror earlier. It was no wonder, since she hadn’t gone to sleep until discussing matters with Yu Wenye until dawn. With a light laugh, she said, "There were just too many things last night."
Shen Wuzheng immediately asked, "What happened when you were at the Crown Prince Mansion?"
He was so certain, not even asking if something had happened.
Shang Ruyi glanced at him and sighed gently, then recounted what had happened yesterday, including the past Yu Wenye had shared with her.
The entire Qianqiu Palace was so quiet, not even a breath of wind could be heard.
After speaking the last sentence, Shang Ruyi looked at the thin wisp of smoke rising from the incense burner on the desk. With her silent sigh, the smoke curled slightly, then dispersed, disappearing into the air without a trace.
Beyond the smoke was Shen Wuzheng’s solemn gaze.
After a long silence, he said, "So, Yu Wen Sheng changed his name to Yu Wenqian for this reason."
Shang Ruyi widened her eyes slightly: "Brother, you know the Crown Prince’s original name?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her, then lowered his eyelids, saying quietly, "When I first knew you were engaged, I naturally had to find out about him. However, he’s a man filled with mysteries—but only today have I finally understood those things."
I see.
Realizing her brother had put in so much effort for her, Shang Ruyi felt her heart, previously chilled by past troubles, warm up again. She smiled, "I know you care for me, brother."
Shen Wuzheng smiled at her, although the smile seemed somewhat forced, it remained gentle.
Shang Ruyi continued, "Unfortunately, not every brother in the world is like you."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuzheng’s gaze grew colder.
After a moment of silence, he said, "As a brother, he is enough."
"..."
"But, he has not done well for himself."
"Hmm?"
These inexplicable words left Shang Ruyi greatly puzzled, and she looked at Shen Wuzheng in confusion: "What do you mean by that, brother?"