Chapter 868: Chapter 644: In the End, It’s Still Just a Transaction Between Us

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi was suddenly startled. The touch of warmth she brought from her dream, and the warmth from the chest beside her, instantly vanished. She opened her eyes wide, looking at Yu Wenye.

In the dim light, she clearly couldn’t make out the expression on Yu Wenye’s face, yet she could clearly hear him gritting his teeth forcefully.

It seemed as if he wished to grind something into pieces.

When she heard her asking once more "What are you saying," the arms of Yu Wenye, which tightly held her yet no longer carried the tenderness of affection at this moment, even becoming as cold and hard as ice, let go. Without any mercy, they withdrew, creating a distance between the two, as if an invisible person was standing between them.

And Yu Wenye’s gaze, penetrating through this invisible person, grew colder and more ruthless.

He sneered, "Or perhaps, I should ask this way."

"..."

"Shang Ruyi, if you knew—if he would not fail, who would you choose?"

"...!?"

This question, like an inexplicable yet heavy hammer, struck fiercely at Shang Ruyi’s heart, causing her heartbeat to pause for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was dry and unfamiliar, "What do you mean?"

"..."

"I’m concerned about my brother, isn’t that allowed?"

"..."

"I just want you to send a few more troops to protect my brother, is that so hard?"

"Brother, yes, your brother."

Mentioning Shen Wuzheng, Yu Wenye gritted his teeth, his tongue lightly licking the unseen wound at the corner of his lips. Although it had already healed over the past few days, the salty and bitter taste of blood lingered in his heart, as if it were blood flowing from a crack in his heart.

And this motion of licking his wound added a hint of ferocity to his already stern and hardened face at this moment: "It’s not just about your brother, but also your family. To you, they are the most important people, even if it means—"

He stopped here, not because he was at a loss for words, but because some deeply suppressed things finally erupted at this moment.

He stared at Shang Ruyi and sneered, "Am I useful to you?"

"..."

"Can I protect your family, those people you care about?"

"..."

"If I can’t do all of this, if I’m—not the son of Yu Wenquan, would you have never chosen me from the start?"

"...!"

At this moment, Shang Ruyi’s mind buzzed.

She looked at Yu Wenye in disbelief, the words he had just uttered, full of gritted teeth as if struggling from the deepest pain, thundered endlessly in her ears. Yet that thunder left her mind blank.

Why would he ask such a question?

Could it be that he knows—

No! He couldn’t possibly know!

This matter, or rather her choice, from start to finish was her own decision. She hadn’t told anyone, not even her uncle and father. They only knew that she wouldn’t marry Yu Wenqian, and to not ruin the familial alliance, they had arbitrarily chosen a husband for her. How could Yu Wenye possibly know?

Unless—

At this moment, a haughty and radiant face flashed in her mind.

Could it be—her!

At the thought of this possibility, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a chill piercing through her bones, as if she had been thrown into a world of ice and snow, freezing all the blood in her body to ice, sealing even her heart.

And the dramatic change in her expression was clearly reflected in Yu Wenye’s eyes.

Indeed, she was...

At this moment, he only felt an immense irony, especially when recalling how he had returned to the room moments ago, seeing her curled up on the bed, trembling with fear from a nightmare, and feeling intense heartache, not even bothering to remove his clothes, he immediately got into bed, gently holding her in his arms; even though he heard her shout another man’s name in her dreams, his fury burning within him, he subdued all his anger just because of her mumbling "Feng Chen," attempting to forget everything—

It was truly too ironic!

Giving Shang Ruyi almost no time to react, Yu Wenye immediately rose from the bed.

As he left, the cold air around them surged like a tide, making it hard to breathe. Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide, looking at Yu Wenye’s usual stern face under the dim light, which at this moment seemed to have lost every trace of warmth, as if it no longer had the breath of life, and his eyes full of a sarcastic smile.

Yet, the sarcasm didn’t seem directed at her.

But at himself.

"Feng Chen..."

Shang Ruyi, terrified by the possibility she had just considered, could hardly react but still instinctively called out his name.

The next moment, she heard Yu Wenye’s cold and empty voice say, "No need."

"..."

"You better call me Yu Wenye."

"..."

"Between you and me, it’s merely a transaction after all!"

With that, he turned and pushed the door open, leaving without looking back.

At this moment, Shang Ruyi panicked as well.

Though her mind was in a tangle, she instinctively felt that she couldn’t just let him leave like this.

It wasn’t only because she wanted him to send troops to protect Shen Wuzheng.

She also wanted to explain the words she had just spoken; there was still some misunderstanding between them—or maybe, perhaps it wasn’t a "misunderstanding" because she knew, from the beginning, she did intend it that way, but then...

Just as she dashed to the doorway, ready to chase after him, Lei Guo’s voice suddenly came from outside, "Your Highness, there’s an urgent report—what, what’s wrong?"

"—!"

Shang Ruyi’s steps halted abruptly.

It wasn’t that she didn’t dare to meet Lei Guo, but the breeze caused by the door opening blew open her thin clothing, especially at her chest, exposing a large area of fair skin. She then realized with a start that she was only wearing undergarments. Had she recklessly charged out just now, she would truly have lost all dignity before others!

Thinking of this, she hurriedly stepped back and reached out to cover her chest.

Outside, Lei Guo was still speaking, but his initially urgent tone had become cautious, "Your Highness, your complexion looks terrible. Are you, are you unwell, or—"

"Nothing’s wrong."

Yu Wenye’s cold voice rang out once again.

He had regained his usual calm self-restraint, though his tone was even more rigid than usual, as if he had instantly donned a suit of armor, enveloping even his voice, "What urgent report did you just mention?"

"It’s about the Western Turks’ movements; several other deputy generals have already gathered in the main hall."

"Let’s go."

"Yes."

Soon, the footsteps of the two vanished outside the door.

Only then did Shang Ruyi breathe a sigh of relief, yet she wasn’t completely relaxed. After releasing that breath, she immediately took a deep one, turned around, and walked back to the bedside.

The bed was in disarray with scattered bedding, and her clothes were even hanging off the bedside, the hem trailing on the ground.

Although there hadn’t been any further intimacy or affection, just by looking at this scene, she instinctively recalled the tender warmth that greeted her when she awoke from the nightmare, only to realize how two or three sentences had seemingly turned everything upside down.

If everything really was because of—

Thinking of this, she wasted no time, grabbing her clothes and putting them on hastily, only to forget to light the lamp in her haste, causing her clothing ties to get tangled. After struggling for a while, she still hadn’t dressed properly. Fortunately, Wo Xue was already awake and, hearing the commotion, came over to check, only to find Shang Ruyi drenched in sweat, battling with her clothes. She quickly stepped forward to help her dress and perform a simple wash-up.

After barely tidying herself up, Shang Ruyi hurriedly headed to the main hall.

The sky hadn’t yet brightened, but because Qi County was in a special period, the lights in the county government were almost uninterrupted throughout the night. Following the lit path, Shang Ruyi quickly arrived at yesterday’s assembly hall. This place had naturally been cleaned thoroughly, except for the large pit Yu Wenye had smashed into the floor, which hadn’t been repaired yet. Moreover, because the morning breeze was extraordinarily crisp and clean, as Shang Ruyi approached, she could faintly smell a lingering scent of blood in the hall.

This smell made her footsteps involuntarily pause.

And at this moment, Yu Wenye’s deep voice came from inside—

"The increased forces from the Western Turks are already close to Shouyang County?"

"Yes!"

Shang Ruyi subconsciously took a deep breath.

Shouyang?

Though not very familiar with this place, she had spent some time in Taiyuan, and because Yu Wenye often studied maps to familiarize himself with the terrain, the surrounding counties were not entirely unknown to her.

Shouyang County is a small town adjacent to the eastern part of Taiyuan.

Although not significant in size, it holds a special strategic significance, just as Qi County is to the Taihang Grain Road, with its abundant water and grass, it is an indispensable grazing ground for Yu Wenquan to rear cavalry in Taiyuan.

The Western Turks’ increased forces nearing Shouyang means they are only a day away from Taiyuan.

And there, it’s also a pasture.

More importantly, it’s seemingly also—

This was when Lei Guo said, "At the speed of the Turkic Cavalry, if they replenish at Shouyang, they could reach Taiyuan in less than a day. Yet the troops we’re trying to blend into Taiyuan City only set out at dawn, and won’t arrive at Taiyuan until after noon at the earliest. Even if they successfully sneak in, the Western Turks’ reinforcements would have completed their deployment."

"..."

"Then, can our coordinated inside-outside plan still succeed?"

"..."

Yu Wenye did not immediately respond, and the air was thick with anxiety.

After a quite while, he finally said, "The Western Turks’ reinforcements can’t reach Taiyuan in one day."

"...!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, Shen Tu Tai immediately said, "Prince Qin, at their speed—"

"I know,"

Yu Wenye replied calmly, "The speed of the Turkic Cavalry is indeed fast, but only when they proceed unhindered."

"Your Highness means someone will intercept them?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

Yu Wenye took a deep breath, slowly saying, "Naturally, my Imperial Brother."