Yu Wenqian said, "It’s to congratulate you, all of you, on your safe return."

"Oh?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Upon hearing this, Yu Wenye raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at the crowd ahead. Although he hadn’t entered this gate since taking Taiyuan, he had been familiar with every detail of this place, having been stationed here with his father, who once served as the Shanxi Comfort Envoy, for many years.

At this time, countless torches were held high across the city walls, clearly revealing the many erratic dents and marks left on the city gates after a fierce battle. Even the reddish-brown stains with a faint metallic smell at the foot of the wall were remnants of dried blood not completely cleaned.

That night’s bloodshed, though deemed futile, remained vivid in memory.

To mention "safe" now felt ironic.

Yet, no irony showed on his face, for those clear, transparent eyes behind the firelight seemed to be watching him piercingly, devoid of any deep meaning. Yu Wenye was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you, elder brother."

Yu Wenqian simply shook his head.

He said, "But Feng Chen, you shouldn’t have left without a word, and you especially shouldn’t have gone to rescue your brother and sister-in-law in Turkic without telling me anything."

"..."

"If you had told me earlier, I—"

Yu Wenye interrupted, murmuring, "It’s fine, this was a matter between Ru Yi and me, no need to trouble you, elder brother."

"..."

Yu Wenqian’s clear, almost transparent eyes dimmed slightly at this moment.

After a brief silence, he seemed to smile, but as a wind blew across, dimming the flames around them, his smile turned faintly somber at that moment.

He said, "Indeed."

While they were talking, Shen Wuzheng had quietly approached.

By rule, when two princes meet and converse, others naturally have no place to speak, nor to interrupt. Yet upon seeing Yu Wenye leading the returning troops from afar, and particularly glimpsing that long-yearned slender and fragile figure beside him, his resolute spirit couldn’t hold back any longer.

He stepped up to Shang Ruyi’s side. But before he could speak, Shang Ruyi had already turned to him with reddened eyes, and hoarsely whispered, "Brother..."

Shen Wuzheng opened and closed his lips, wanting to say something.

Yet, he couldn’t utter a word.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to reprimand Shang Ruyi; during these days, he had planned countless times how he would sternly admonish her upon her return, making her aware of the dangers, comprehending the futility of her actions, and ensuring she would never dare again.

However, confronting his younger sister’s tearful eyes and aggrieved expression softened his heart beyond reason.

Not a stern word escaped his lips.

His Adam’s apple moved up and down, struggling half a day, only managing an unprepared remark: "Are you hurt?"

Shang Ruyi immediately shook her head.

Shen Wuzheng lifted a hand, seemingly wishing to draw her closer for a careful look, but halfway through, he reluctantly withdrew it. Seeing Shang Ruyi’s sparkling eyes and smiling, he sighed deeply, saying, "It’s good you aren’t hurt."

"..."

"From now on, such actions are unnecessary."

Shang Ruyi nodded vigorously.

At this time, Mu Xian and Nie Chong had also come forward; though mindful of identities and not daring to approach too closely, they all gathered around anyway.

The atmosphere seemed to thaw significantly.

Yu Wenqian turned slightly as if to glance again at Shang Ruyi, but Yu Wenye’s sharp gaze burned fiercely, not only watching him but seemingly controlling his gaze to remain steady. In the end, he could only look at his stern-faced younger brother, saying, "Regardless, your safe return is a good thing."

"..."

"Father Emperor also sent a letter, which I’ve held onto and haven’t moved. Tonight, I can finally send the report back to Chang An. Once the army returns to the court, Father Emperor will surely reward accomplishments. Feng Chen, you—"

Yu Wenye calmly replied, "Or Imperial Brother, consistently from start to finish."

Upon hearing this, it was as if a cold wind had blown through.

In an instant, everyone fell silent.

As expressions varied on people’s faces, yet no one spoke, a bright and clear voice laughed, "Prince Qin speaks well."

"..."

This bright and clear voice strangely felt piercing amid the current mood. Yu Wenye’s gaze darkened slightly, but his face remained inscrutable, merely lifting his eyelids coldly. Meanwhile, Shang Ruyi, who had been quietly standing by him and hadn’t spoken much apart from greeting Shen Wuzheng, turned, her face turning solemn and cold upon seeing Yu Mingyue’s radiant face in the torchlight.

Her gaze rose, beholding Yu Mingyue’s increasingly brilliant face under the firelight.

She stepped forward smilingly and said, "This battle was fortunate to have Prince Han consistently from start to finish, safeguarding Dragon Raising Land. Now everything inside the city is under Prince Han’s governance, winning the people’s allegiance, securing the common folk’s peace. And with Prince Qin’s safe return, we can finally bring the troops back to court."

She spoke as if the affairs of Taiyuan had nothing to do with Yu Wenye.

The reason they hadn’t returned to the capital with their troops was solely to wait for Yu Wenye.

In fact, when they were still on the grassland and everything was clarified with Yu Wenye, they already knew this battle was fought in vain and were mentally prepared. However, truly hearing it from her mouth, and thinking of the things she had said in front of Yu Wenye, which led to the misunderstanding between them and almost caused her to lose her life in Turkic, the fear and shivers that used to automatically arise in Shang Ruyi when she saw her were now completely consumed by the blazing anger in her heart.

When she looked at her again, her eyes were as sharp as knives, no longer concealed.

And Yu Mingyue, facing her sharp gaze, seemed to sense something, her brows furrowing.

Or rather, it wasn’t just a feeling.

From the moment Yu Wenye vanished with his troops at the end of the Taiyuan battle, from the prolonged "waiting" of these days, from just seeing them riding together shoulder to shoulder, even if there were no more intimate actions, affairs between men and women sometimes need not be shown through intimate gestures; she could see at a glance that these two had resolved all misunderstandings and had mutual understanding.

This means that the trap she had set, though successful, was now completely futile.

There was some regret in her heart.

But at the same time, she was glad that she had timed it just right—she just hadn’t expected Yu Wenye to have such a character. He was clearly so proud, even arrogant, could he really endure such a breath?

Could he really?

Thinking this, she gave Yu Wenye another deep look.

At this moment, Shang Ruyi suddenly took a step towards her, and the two faced each other completely, like a confrontation. She heard her say coldly, "Winning the people’s support and settling the common people is a good thing. However, capturing Taiyuan cannot just concern the common people and winning hearts. How many prisoners did we capture in this battle? How much did we lose? Are there any numbers?"

Hearing these words, Yu Mingyue was somewhat puzzled and froze on the spot.

Shang Ruyi looked at her, not aggressively, yet the firelight added a touch of fierce sharpness to her eyes. She curled her lips slightly and clearly said, "Perhaps Lord Yu doesn’t know, when the General goes on an expedition, recovering lost ground and calming the people is important, but managing troop strength is also crucial—"

"..."

"For instance, this time King Qin besieged outside the city and captured more than ten thousand surrendering Turkic soldiers. Do you know how many soldiers took the city? How many of the enemy were killed?"

"..."

"Moreover, King Qin sent insiders to infiltrate the city, coordinating with the siege troops for a victorious battle. Now, how many losses did this force suffer, and have their accommodations been arranged?"

"..."

"Also, the troops from Qi County participated in this assault on Taiyuan. How much did they expend over there? Going forward, should the defenses of Qi County be reinforced with more men?"

"..."

"Furthermore, besides the captured and killed, are there any remaining enemy forces wandering outside, and could they threaten Taiyuan again?"

This barrage of questions, like a string of firecrackers exploding one after another, though not deafening, left people speechless, especially Yu Mingyue, who seemed to have controlled the whole play but was not attentive to these details. Or rather, aside from what she knew in advance, she indeed lacked talents in military affairs.

She was rendered speechless by Shang Ruyi.

Seeing her show a slightly bewildered expression for the first time, Shang Ruyi gave her a faint smile: "So, Lord Yu didn’t know that."

"..."

"Since you don’t know, let those who do know speak first."

"..."

"After all, important matters are urgent."

"...!"

Yu Mingyue’s face suddenly sank.

Even if she knew little about Shang Ruyi’s earlier words, she fully understood the last few sentences. Shang Ruyi was clearly teasing, and using Yu Wenye’s merit in having insiders infiltrate the city and persuading Qi County commanders to aid in the conquest of Taiyuan, overshadowing their achievement of capturing the city!

Yu Mingyue’s face darkened immediately, "You—"

"Lord Yu."

As the two were confronting each other, a gentle voice interjected, like a breeze clearing away the confrontation.

It was Yu Wenqian, who, after calling Yu Mingyue, hesitated but ultimately said nothing, fell silent for a moment, and slowly turned his head. His translucent bluish-grey eyes flickered, looking at Shang Ruyi.

He said, "Sister-in-law..."

Shang Ruyi looked at him, "Elder brother, any instruction?"

Yu Wenqian hesitated again, his eyes still flickering as if scrutinizing her in detail. Although Shang Ruyi felt he wouldn’t be concerned like Shen Wuzheng about whether she was injured, his gaze gave her the illusion.

And such an illusion gave her some... unusual unease.

Just as she was about to say something, suddenly, an ear-piercing sound of a copper gong sounded from the ramparts above their heads!