Yu Wenye said, "The Emperor is preparing to deploy troops to Liaodong. You know, once we start military operations, Luoyang City will go into lockdown. Where do you think you can go when that happens?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui furrowed his brow.
Yu Wenye said, "There is one more important thing—"
"I will not allow you to use our team to return to Luoyang."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.
Indeed, if they hadn’t discovered him yet, perhaps he could still hide among them. But now that he’s been found out, Yu Wenye will certainly not allow him to use the Yu Wen Family’s team to hide, because once discovered, it would be a grave crime of harboring a rebel, implicating the entire family.
Yu Wenye would never take this risk.
Xiao Yuansui smiled and said, "Second Young Master is so cautious; I understand."
Saying this, he looked up at the scene ahead. Although the wide carriage blocked his view of family members busy on the other side, he could hear some laughter amidst the firelight; he then turned back to look at the Yu Wen Family’s Young Madam by the campfire. She sat quietly with clear and bright eyes, her delicate face gently softened by the firelight.
Her pristine and serene demeanor made it hard to imagine that she had dealt with matters so coolly and boldly just moments ago.
Xiao Yuansui said, "If I had such a wife, I wouldn’t have so easily—"
Yu Wenye shot him a cold glance.
Xiao Yuansui chuckled.
Yu Wenye tossed a piece of firewood into the flames and said, "Why you joined the rebellion earlier, I do not wish to know. But there is one thing I need to be clear about: today, you were tracked here by Wang Shaoji, but we did not encounter, and you were not hiding under my wife’s carriage."
After saying this, he looked at Xiao Yuansui: "Do you understand?"
Xiao Yuansui responded with a faint smile: "Understood."
Yu Wenye would not let him hide within their team, and even today’s "kindness" was not to be acknowledged.
Because no one knows how his future will turn out—whether he will find hope to rise again, wander aimlessly forever, or worse, be captured by the court and torn limb from limb one day.
This "kindness" could turn into the Yu Wen Family’s fatal token.
Xiao Yuansui said, "In that case, I shall take my leave."
Having said this, he turned to leave.
Shang Ruyi watched Xiao Yuansui’s back, thought for a moment, and said, "Please wait."
Xiao Yuansui stopped.
He slowly turned around to see Shang Ruyi holding a bundle of dry food walking towards him and offering it to him, saying, "Take this with you for the road."
Xiao Yuansui did not take the bundle, merely glanced at it, then looked up with a complex expression at Shang Ruyi.
Up to now, Shang Ruyi still couldn’t discern what this person truly looked like, but his eyes were extraordinarily bright; being stared at so closely by such eyes unnervingly.
Shang Ruyi coughed lightly, and still seriously said, "We cannot take you into Luoyang City, and for the journey ahead, you must plan for yourself. This dry food...is not tasty, but it can fill you as you travel."
She offered it to him again.
Xiao Yuansui remained silent, continuing to watch her.
After a long time, he finally said, "Did you just say—’please’ to me?"