Chapter 158: Chapter 157: Not a Physical Illness
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
"That day, I met you and Princess Xinyue at Tinghe Building, and then..."
Yu Wenye suddenly remembered something, his tall figure trembled slightly, and he looked at her with incredulous eyes: "That day, after you left, you didn’t go home, nor did you return to the Shen Mansion. No one could find you?!"
Shang Ruyi lowered her eyes: "Yes."
"Were you with him?"
"Yes."
"Where did you go?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn’t know what significance there was in pursuing matters of that day now. Clearly, he didn’t care at all about where she went or whom she was with. She sighed and said lightly, "I—my mood was not—no, it suddenly rained that day, and since he saw I was alone, he accompanied me to a pavilion on the outskirts of the city to take shelter from the rain."
"What else did you do?"
"Enjoyed the scenery."
"Just enjoyed the scenery?"
These words suddenly stabbed Shang Ruyi, and she looked up at Yu Wenye, her gaze revealing a touch of indignant resistance: "What else could we have done?"
Saying this, she completely understood the purpose of Yu Wenye’s visit to her room. Looking into his deep eyes fixed upon her, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but think that perhaps on that night when she insisted on demanding an explanation from him, she looked the same as she was now.
No, not quite the same.
What she sought was an emotional explanation, whereas he, undoubtedly, did not.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but let out a cold snicker in her heart, then met those cold eyes and said, "My acquaintance with His Majesty the Emperor is a gentlemanly friendship, it is innocent."
"Innocent..."
Yu Wenye repeated these words and instead sneered: "Cuddling in public with a man who is not your husband. Shang Ruyi, is this what you call innocence?"
These words were sharp as a needle, piercing straight into Shang Ruyi’s heart.
She immediately frowned.
"What do you mean by this?"
"What do you think I mean?"
"..."
Their eyes clashed sharply, and for a moment, Shang Ruyi even wondered if Yu Wenye was... jealous?
But the next moment, looking into those almost emotionless cold eyes, Shang Ruyi immediately sobered up.
Of course not.
What he cared about was not the feelings between them as nominal husband and wife, but rather the face of the Yuwen Family—being the Young Madam of the Yuwen Family and carried back to the government office in such a manner by the Emperor. Even if she went out today and found the common people didn’t recognize her, the officials present saw everything clearly. This would greatly affect the reputation of Duke Sheng, and Yu Wenye, with his lofty pride, couldn’t tolerate any taint of his dignity.
Even Tushere and Lei Yu weren’t at ease back then and showed some dissatisfaction, which is understandable.
But—
Could one really blame her entirely for this incident?
A faint bitterness welled up in Shang Ruyi’s heart. She looked up into Yu Wenye’s eyes and said earnestly, "At that time, I was severely injured by Ashina Shali’s arrow. I couldn’t control what happened after I lost consciousness. No one has such abilities."
"..."
Hearing this, Yu Wenye’s pupils trembled slightly,
his gaze tangled with complicated emotions, and when he looked at her again, it was filled with mixed feelings.
He said in a deep voice, "Your injury—"
Shang Ruyi also turned back to glance at her shoulder, then looked at him: "It’s fine."
This couple came to Yanmen County one after the other and were both injured under Shali Khan’s arrows. They barely escaped death from the war, and for ordinary couples, having gone through such life and death experiences, even the thinnest of feelings would deepen a bond of life and death.
But they seemed even more distant than before they came.
Shang Ruyi let out a bitter laugh and said, "I know this matter has harmed the Yuwen Family’s reputation. Once we return to Luoyang, I’ll give Father an explanation."
"An explanation to Father?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Wenye’s face darkened immediately.
He gritted his teeth, saying in a deep voice, "You are, as always, concerned only with your identity as the Duke’s Daughter-in-law."
Shang Ruyi gazed at him for a while, finally letting out a bitter laugh and saying, "But isn’t our marriage just a transaction?"
"...!"
Yu Wenye’s body stiffened slightly.
He looked at Shang Ruyi for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "You’re right. It seems you have become much clearer than before."
Shang Ruyi said bitterly, "Second Brother, you once said that if a person lives without clarity, they might as well not live. This trip to Yanmen County, I also passed by the Ghost Gate once, and without clarity, I cannot go on."
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at her again, saying nothing, merely nodding heavily before turning to push the door and leave.
As the door opened, a chill immediately swept in, and Shang Ruyi shivered involuntarily.
She instinctively took a couple of hurried steps, seeming to want to say something to Yu Wenye, but her steps were soft, unable to match Yu Wenye’s strides. Just as she reached the doorway, Yu Wenye had already stepped outside the courtyard gate.
There, at the courtyard gate, he encountered a delicate silhouette arriving gracefully.
Shang Ruyi saw and halted her steps at the doorway.
It was Princess Xinyue.
Seen in a brilliant attire, the princess resembled a fluttering butterfly, her charming face beautifully made up, looking even more captivating and lovely. As she eagerly approached, her bright, water-like eyes were filled entirely with focus and unrestrained joy, as if seeing this person was the happiest thing in her life. Even standing in the chilly wind of Shuo Bei, she seemed warm.
Yet, for Shang Ruyi, seeing such an expression only made her heart grow colder inexplicably.
She slowly retreated back into the room.
The two at the courtyard gate seemed completely unaware of the somber gaze behind them, especially Chu Ruoyan. Upon seeing Yu Wenye, her eyes seemed no longer to behold anyone else: "Second Brother, I’ve been looking for you for a while. So, you were here—come back with me quickly."
"... What’s the matter?"
"I just found two more doctors to examine you."
Yu Wenye said indifferently, "My arrow wound is fine."
"It’s the injury on your leg."
Chu Ruoyan said, "You’ve been having cramps, and although it eased a bit last month, it relapsed; yesterday, if not for the cramp, you wouldn’t have misfired while on horseback, sparing that Ashina Shali."
"..."
"This time, I must have the doctor completely heal your condition!"
"..."
Yu Wenye was silent for a while, then instinctively turned his head to glance behind, as if hoping to see something.
But at the ajar doorway, there was nothing.
He turned his head back coldly, expressionless, saying, "No need for treatment."
"Why?"
"That’s not an ailment of the body."
"Huh?"
Chu Ruoyan was taken aback, but before she could say anything more, Yu Wenye had already walked off without looking back.