Chapter 1004: Chapter 733: Princess Qin’s Sacrifice
No one said a word, and Yu Mingyue was so tense that her breath caught, with a thin layer of sweat appearing on her forehead, shining under the light.
At this moment, she seemed as though she was awaiting the pronouncement of her fate.
Even though she had long known what her fate would be, and had struggled against it for several years.
Just then, the sound of Eunuch Yu pouring wine stopped, followed by the rustling sound of clothes in the hall, as Yu Wenquan reached for his wine cup, and his deep voice resonated slowly in the hall—
"Feng Chen, Ru Yi."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue’s heart sank at once!
She did not immediately look up, instead, she sat there motionless, as if she couldn’t believe her ears, not even shifting her gaze, while around her, there was a series of quiet exclamations that were hard to suppress, with numerous eyes filled with surprise, regret, and some with gloating directed towards her.
But in the front of the hall, Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi stood up immediately without any hesitation: "Father!"
Looking at this couple, "a fine son and daughter-in-law," although he had some discontentment about the enthronement matter before, no matter what, they were still chosen by himself, a satisfactory pair, Yu Wenquan said: "This battle, you’ve worked hard."
Yu Wenye calmly said: "It is my duty, I dare not claim hardship."
Yu Wenquan said nothing but looked at him deeply.
This son had hardly ever left his side since childhood, so every bit of his growth and change was seen by him, yet even so, the strength of this second son was beyond his imagination.
However, he was the Emperor.
No matter how formidable this son was, or how many military achievements he had, he still could, and must suppress him, otherwise, Yu Wenqian’s position as Crown Prince would be shaky, and even his own position as Emperor might not be stable.
At this thought, he took a deep breath and continued: "Though it is duty, you indeed have contributed."
"..."
"And Ru Yi,"
Saying this, looking at Shang Ruyi beside Yu Wenye, his gaze softened a bit: "This time, you’ve suffered too?"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said: "It’s my duty to share father’s burdens. Besides, with Dragon Raising Land returning to our Dasheng, it’s heaven’s decree, I merely acted in accordance, didn’t feel hardship."
Yu Wenquan immediately laughed.
This daughter-in-law, her words were pleasant, neither as rigid as Yu Wenye nor as tactless as Yu Wencheng, who annoyed him, nor like Yu Wenqian, whose words and actions were always cryptic and hard to fathom. Shang Ruyi, not disappointing as the daughter of an old friend, had superior demeanor, even...
He couldn’t help but think, being just a Princess Qin seemed a bit of an underutilization.
But this thought merely flashed by.
Because the next moment, that younger son of his who always managed to anger him when he spoke, started again, only to see him sitting below Yu Wenqian’s right hand, not even caring that his father was still conversing with his second brother and sister-in-law, began drinking on his own, and upon hearing Shang Ruyi claim she hadn’t suffered, he suddenly sneered loudly: "Second Sister-in-law, you are too humble."
Shang Ruyi’s brow furrowed, and she turned to look at him.
Yu Wenye’s face also darkened.
Yu Wenquan, although holding his composure, slowly put down his wine cup and said: "What are you saying?"
Yu Wencheng stood up and said loudly: "Father, I’m standing up for Second Sister-in-law. You mustn’t believe her when she says she hasn’t suffered, I’ve heard from those wounded soldiers who returned from the front line, Second Brother, in order to capture Qi County without bloodshed, disguised himself with Second Sister-in-law and entered the Qi County city, which had already pledged allegiance to the Western Turks, where it was full of enemy troops, and there was even a Western Turkic envoy."
As he spoke, he cast a deliberate glance at Shang Ruyi and said: "He died a worthy death."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi’s heart sank immediately.
Yu Wenqian suddenly said: "Third Brother."
Yu Wencheng probably didn’t expect that it would be his elder brother who interrupted him first, he hesitated for a moment, turning around to see Yu Wenqian looking at him with a slightly dark face, saying: "I’ve already reported the Taiyuan battle to Father, you don’t need to—"
"Wait a moment,"
Before he finished speaking, Yu Wenquan also spoke, waving his hand and saying: "Let him continue."
Yu Wenqian sighed and could only close his mouth.
Yu Wenquan said: "You just said that the Western Turk envoy in Qi County died a worthy death, what do you mean?"
Yu Wencheng gave a cunning smile and continued: "It seems, Elder Brother—oh no, Crown Prince Brother didn’t report this battle merit of Second Sister-in-law to the court, doesn’t that make her effort vanish without reward? I’ve heard, Second Sister-in-law went alone to meet that Western Turk envoy, mesmerized him to the point where he didn’t even notice when her sword was placed on his neck. Then—"
As he spoke, he gestured a throat-slitting action.
Shang Ruyi’s face had completely fallen.
Back then, to ensure that the news of them capturing Qi County wouldn’t be exposed, she laid a "honey trap," dancing while she assassinated that Western Turk envoy. Though the matter indeed wasn’t leaked before the Taiyuan battle broke out, it was hard to say afterward.
After all, at that time in the hall were not only musicians playing tunes, dancing girls offering dance, but also some local elites accompanying the Western Turk envoy with drinks. There truly is no wall in the world through which the wind doesn’t blow, let alone such a big incident.
Unexpectedly, this wind ended up blowing into Yu Wencheng’s ears.
Now, he added fuel and vinegar, brought it up in front of the Emperor and all the ministers, claiming that she, Princess Qin, danced for the Western Turk envoy, and he accentuated the words "alone," the implication was obvious, making many officials in Bai Fu Hall reveal surprised expressions, and even a few snorted, looking at Yu Wenye, then at her, with lewd eyes and contemptuous faces.
At this time, Yu Wenquan’s face also changed slightly.
He looked at Shang Ruyi, then at Yu Wenye, his gaze stern and complex, his voice deep: "Feng Chen, is this true?"
Compared to Shang Ruyi’s dark expression and the varied gazes of those around, Yu Wenye seemed even calmer than he was earlier, raising his head to look at Yu Wenquan, but before he could speak, Yu Wencheng laughed again: "So, Father, you didn’t know?"
He continued, addressing Yu Wenqian: "Crown Prince Brother, you actually didn’t report Second Sister-in-law’s merits to the court, how could this be?"
"..."
"Second Sister-in-law’s sacrifice this time was significant."
Just then, a chilly voice remarked: "The sacrifice of Princess Qin was not limited to that. In this battle, she not only danced for the Western Turk envoy, I heard, she even—"
