Chapter 1327 - 1003: She Delivered Herself to Us

The great tent was very quiet, so the external sounds were clearly audible, and these days Lei Yu had become quite familiar with them—the wind blowing, the footsteps and shouts of soldiers patrolling and drilling, and the neighing of warhorses.

Everything was orderly, without the bustling noise that typically accompanies an army’s preparation to march.

However, judging by Ashina Zhuxie’s attitude just now, if he were truly planning to move south to face Yu Wenye, he should immediately order the army to set off, rather than leisurely coming to discuss these matters—his demeanor was more like probing rather than threatening.

He was watching her reaction.

Thinking of this, Lei Yu further remarked, "If the Khan truly decides to go, surely no one can stop him."

Indeed, upon hearing Lei Yu say this, a glimmer flickered in Ashina Zhuxie’s eyes.

He seemed quite satisfied with his Kedun’s astuteness, but a bit regretful about not witnessing more of her emotions. He said, "You and I, ultimately, are in tune with each other’s thoughts."

Lei Yu furrowed her brows slightly but did not respond to his comment, instead asking, "So, you’re not planning to go?"

Ashina Zhuxie glanced at her again and said, "Wouldn’t you want to meet your old acquaintance?"

He suddenly changed the topic, leaving Lei Yu momentarily stunned, although she quickly caught the words "old acquaintance" and realized he was not immediately retaliating against Yu Wenye, asking, "Who is the ’old acquaintance’ you mentioned?"

Ashina Zhuxie replied, "Shang Ruyi."

"Her?"

At the mention of Shang Ruyi’s name, Lei Yu’s eyes instantly lit up, but soon after, she became wary: "If I want to meet her, can I really do so?"

"..."

"She’s the Princess Qin of the Dasheng Dynasty. Are you planning to take me to Chang An?"

"That’s unnecessary,"

Ashina Zhuxie said casually, "This time, she’s coming herself."

Lei Yu immediately furrowed her brow, "What do you mean? Is it possible—"

Her expression changed, as if realizing something, while Ashina Zhuxie calmly stated, "Indeed, as I previously told you, Princess Qiancheng sought assistance from Yu Wenquan, asking them to send reinforcements to Xiazhou, and sure enough, they dispatched troops."

Lei Yu displayed an even more incredulous expression: "Are you saying the person coming is Ru Yi?"

Ashina Zhuxie nodded, "Precisely."

"This, how is that possible?!"

Lei Yu was suddenly bewildered; upon learning that Princess Qiancheng had requested aid from Yu Wenquan, they had all thought Chang An would send Yu Wenye, since he was familiar with their tactics from past encounters; even if Yu Wenye was busy attacking Luoyang, unable to split his focus, they expected another general to lead the troops—how could it be that the esteemed Princess Qin would handle this task?

Lei Yu, with a face full of disbelief, looked at Ashina Zhuxie: "You’re not lying to me, are you?"

Ashina Zhuxie regarded her, "I’m not lying to you."

Lei Yu’s gaze filled with slight panic, instinctively shifting her eyes to the side, only to see He Du, sleeping on the bed, seemingly disturbed by their somewhat raised voices, turning over, rubbing his eyes, and struggling to open them to look at them. She hurriedly got up to sit beside the bed, softly patting the child’s back, gently saying, "Sleep a bit more."

"Um, hmm..."

He Du muttered drowsily twice and closed his eyes again.

Ashina Zhuxie leisurely walked to the bedside, seemingly satisfied with the warm scene he observed, then lowered his gaze to Lei Yu’s furrowed brows, speaking softly, "When she was rescued, we didn’t have this child; now that she returns, upon seeing He Du, and seeing us like this, will she be surprised?"

"..."

"Do you want to see her?"

Lei Yu took a deep breath, lifted her head, and with a complex and deep tone asked, "What do you intend to do about her?"

Ashina Zhuxie replied with a light chuckle, "She brought less than a hundred men with her; whether capturing or killing her, it’s easily done. It just depends on whether you want to see her."

Lei Yu immediately said, "I won’t allow you to harm her!"

Ashina Zhuxie calmly responded, "Alright."

Only then did Lei Yu feel relieved, but as she quickly recalled his prior words, her face expressed surprise: "Did you say she left Chang An accompanied by less than a hundred followers?"

It sounded almost like a joke.

Ashina Zhuxie replied, "The urgent report sent by scouts ahead stated it as such."

Lei Yu murmured with a furrowed brow, "How could it be..."

Her query was naturally Ashina Zhuxie’s query too, his eyes flashing coldly, "Perhaps she isn’t entirely focused on Xiazhou, or she has additional forces simply avoiding our notice. But regardless, choosing this time to leave Chang An and head this way, she is certainly prepared for another meeting with us."

"..."

"Do you want to see her?"

Hearing him ask again, this time without any threatening intent of killing, instead genuinely inquiring, Lei Yu hesitated, watched Ashina Zhuxie for a while, then took a deep breath and said, "No matter what, promise me not to harm her."

Ashina Zhuxie smiled lightly, "I’ve already promised you that, no need to repeat."

"..."

"But if she truly wishes to become our enemy—"

At this point, his gaze suddenly grew cold, intently fixing on Lei Yu: "Don’t forget, even though you’re wearing Han attire now, you’re already Turkic, and moreover, a Turkic Queen!"

Lei Yu’s breath hitched, and after a while, she slowly lowered her head.

|

Though unaware that her movements were entirely monitored, Shang Ruyi didn’t bother to conceal her presence on her journey. When the weather was good, she and Lu Xiao disembarked from the carriage to ride on horseback directly; even with the blazing sun and the wind carrying yellow sand that stung their faces like needles, the exhilaration of galloping still uplifted their spirits, sometimes riding for half a day.

Presently, beneath the blazing sun, the two rode on for a while longer, finally stopping under the shade of a tree. Shang Ruyi, while catching her breath, looked at the slightly panting, sweat-drenched Lu Xiao and smiled: "I didn’t expect you to be so skilled at riding."

Lu Xiao chuckled, neither taking her words as mockery, and after regaining her breath, replied, "Previously, for survival, I’ve been everywhere and ran through all sorts of places. If I couldn’t ride, I would have been caught long ago."

Shang Ruyi nodded.

As they conversed, Wo Xue and other guards followed behind; Shang Ruyi looked up at the surrounding landscape, finding it somewhat familiar, and asked, "Ahead, what’s the location?"