Chapter 268: Chapter 250: The Worst Plan, The Best Arrangement
Hearing him say this, Shang Ruyi’s heart suddenly felt warmth again, that kind of warm and cozy feeling even made her face a bit flushed, but she didn’t say much more, just softly responded with "mm".
Yu Wenye gave her a slight smile.
However, in the depths of his deep eyes, there seemed to be a glint of cold light, fleeting and almost imperceptible.
At this moment, they returned to the room.
Because he had been interrogated for more than half a month, the court "sympathetically" granted this Assistant General a five-day leave to recover at home. Moreover, since the interrogation covered all details of the battle and was directly reported to the Ministry of War, Yu Wenye did not need to return to the ministry to report; these days were for him to rest comfortably.
Shang Ruyi asked him, "What do you plan to do today?"
Yu Wenye replied, "The snow has stopped, you can go out for some fresh air, don’t mind me, I still need to look at the map."
After speaking, he picked up the map from last night and spread it on the low table, then sat down to examine it.
Before long, he felt a warmth beside him, and turning his head, he saw Shang Ruyi sitting next to him. Yu Wenye couldn’t help but smile and asked, "What are you doing?"
Shang Ruyi said, "I’ll watch with you."
"Do you understand it?"
"I don’t understand, won’t you teach me?"
Yu Wenye replied irritably, "I hardly have enough time for myself, how can I have the leisure to teach you? Look by yourself, ask if you don’t understand."
After speaking, he ignored her and continued to look.
Though he said he was ignoring her, Shang Ruyi remained quiet, and yet he found himself distracted, unable to resist stealing glances at the girl beside him. She seemed to be studying the map seriously, her long eyelashes covering her bright eyes, sometimes still, sometimes trembling slightly, as if even this small movement could reveal what part of the map she was examining.
It was quite a "good show."
While Yu Wenye was lost in thought watching her eyelashes, Shang Ruyi suddenly said, "Second Brother—"
Yu Wenye quickly averted his gaze and pretended to have just turned back, "Mm?"
Shang Ruyi said, "You just mentioned that among the envoys from various state districts, over forty couldn’t report to the court on time, and more than half of those remaining were intercepted by rebel forces."
"Mm. Why?"
"Last year, I heard the latest rebel forces were those Shu Duan eradicated by Father at Dragon Gate; this year... it was Xiao Yuansui’s men at Xingluo Granary that you just repelled. The rebel forces seem to be getting closer to Luoyang."
"..."
"Do you know how many rebel forces there are all over the country now?"
"Are you asking this? Aren’t you afraid?"
"What’s there to be afraid of?"
Yu Wenye’s originally smiling eyes slowly lost their smile, replaced by a martial artist’s sternness and gravity. He was silent for a while, then looked at the map on the table and sighed.
He then pointed to a place on the map, tapping three points, "Do you know where this is?"
Shang Ruyi looked down, "Wu County, Wu Xing, Huiji."
Yu Wenye nodded and then said, "Two years ago, the Yu Hang people Zhu Yuanjin rebelled, attracting over twenty thousand followers; last year Wu County’s governor and his subordinate Gao Ke led fifty thousand rebels against the court. This year the court sent people to suppress them, but the two were defeated and fled separately, each still leading tens of thousands to Huiji. Now their numbers have grown beyond calculation; this year, there have been two more places in Jinling where rebels appeared, although the leaders’ identities weren’t reported, I heard the number of followers is significant."
After finishing, he looked down at Shang Ruyi, "Just from the Three Wu alone, the total number of rebel forces is nearly one hundred thousand."
"..."
"You said, can you imagine how many rebel forces there are across the country now?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi only felt her hands and feet turn cold.
Now, she even regretted asking this question, hidden away in her boudoir with a strong father-in-law and husband, why should she worry about this? Why ask such questions?
Now it’s like this, just in this small area, there are this many rebels. Looking at the entire map of the Da Ye Dynasty again, thinking of how crowded with rebels, not knowing when one might charge into Luoyang City and come after them—she shivered involuntarily.
Seeing her face suddenly turn pale, Yu Wenye knew she was indeed frightened.
But he didn’t comfort her, only asked, "Still want to ask?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi still said nothing, just lowered her pale little face, her expression somewhat distracted.
Yu Wenye didn’t consider himself someone who was particularly tender-hearted, but looking at her like this, it felt as if part of his heart was inexplicably softened, he sighed lightly and pulled her into his arms.
Softly he said, "Are you scared?"
Leaning against his chest, listening to his steady yet heavy heartbeat, gradually, Shang Ruyi seemed to be comforted.
After a while, she slowly raised her head, looking at the handsome face so close by, softly she said, "Have you thought about what will happen to us in the future?"
Yu Wenye’s expression slightly tensed, "Thought about it."
"What is it like?"
"I can’t imagine."
"Why?"
"The most unpredictable things in this world, aside from events, are people’s hearts. And everyone’s future is closely tied to these two elements. Any change in events or turmoil in people’s hearts can have far-reaching impacts. Therefore, no one can predict what their future holds."
"..."
"The only thing I can do is prepare for the worst scenario and make the best arrangements."
The worst scenario, the best arrangements?
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi seemed relieved. In fact, the future she had chosen for herself seemed to follow this very logic. She chuckled to herself and said, "No wonder you always look at maps when you rest."
Yu Wenye glanced at her, "And yet you still disturb me?"
Shang Ruyi immediately pressed her lips together and said, "I won’t speak anymore. Please, go on reading."
Observing her obedient yet stubborn demeanor as she nestled in his embrace, unwilling to leave, Yu Wenye shook his head with a smile and continued to seriously study the map.
However, his gaze gradually fell toward the north of Luoyang...
|
Time quietly passed by, and in the blink of an eye, the setting sun hung low.
A mountain road meandered through a mountain, not barren, and even a highway had been built. Still, the number of passing travelers was significantly lower than usual. The snow on the mountain had not even been trodden flat; under the fiery sunset, it reflected a crimson glow like burning flames.
A carriage rolled onto this fire-like road.
It was the carriage that Yu Wenquan was riding.
Perhaps due to the still cold weather, the carriage doors and windows were tightly shut, sealed with no gaps, resembling a sealed box. Not only could the wind not penetrate, but neither could people’s gaze.
At this moment, many eyes were intensely fixed on the carriage.
Above this mountain road, halfway up the mountain, several sneaky figures peeked out, then cautiously ducked back down, fearing to expose even a trace of their presence. But in reality, the people in the carriage hadn’t lifted the curtain in the slightest, making it impossible for them to be seen. Nevertheless, these people were extremely cautious, keeping a keen watch as the carriage slowly approached, soon to be directly beneath them.
One of them whispered, "Is it confirmed?"
"Confirmed, it’s Duke Sheng’s carriage."
"Duke Sheng’s carriage, with not even a single guard? That’s unusual."
"The word in the city is that this time he defied an order to return to the Eastern Capital, so he’s traveling alone. When he left, he had the family switch carriages for some reason, and still didn’t bring anyone."
"Maybe he’s afraid of being reprimanded from above."
"Humph, he’s quite bold."
"No matter what, this works out for us."
After speaking, murderous intent gradually surfaced in their eyes, especially as the carriage reached the section of the road beneath them. The monotonous sound of wheels was already ringing in their ears.
The time had come!
The leader, looking fierce, suddenly widened his eyes, a cold gleam shooting out, and ordered in a deep voice, "Take action!"
His voice wasn’t loud, but on the silent mountain path, it startled a flurry of birds into flight. Below, the coachman immediately sensed something was wrong, looked up, and screamed in fright.
Countless arrows flashing with a cold gleam were flying toward the carriage.
One shot directly into the center of the road in front of the carriage!
The rest of the arrows, as dense as rain, all nailed into the carriage, producing the sound of incessant thuds. Though they hadn’t pierced through the carriage boards, they turned the carriage into a pincushion.
The horses, startled, neighed loudly and reared up, and the driver hurriedly pulled the reins to bring the carriage to a halt as it swayed.
Then, a thunderous roaring sound, like muffled thunder from the sky, echoed above. The driver’s face turned pale as he looked up, only to see a huge boulder rolling down from the mountainside, crushing countless snow and dead branches along the way, striking terror in him as he shrieked and leaped off the carriage frame, fleeing forward in panic.
But the carriage remained in place!
At this point, there was no time to react or escape. The boulder crashed down with a boom, smashing the entire carriage to pieces!
The horses let out a final cry and were reduced to a pool of blood and flesh!
The hidden figures on the mountainside, witnessing the scene, were overjoyed; some even exclaimed in delight, "It’s done!"
They immediately stood up from behind the snowpile where they had concealed themselves, and the leader, remaining collected, instructed someone, "Go capture that coachman—actually, no, just kill him. Don’t let the news spread."
Someone next to him took the order and left.
The remaining individuals then walked down the rugged mountain path to the boulder, fragments of the carriage scattered all over the road, and the horse’s blood flowing, staining a large expanse of snow red.
Their faces wore hideous yet satisfied smiles as they congratulated one another; the operation had gone exceptionally smoothly.
But just then, the leader suddenly furrowed his brow and remarked, "Too smoothly..."
The others looked at him, "What do you mean?"
"It feels a bit—"