Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 417 - 366: As If Aided by God

The entire lodging suddenly fell silent.

Shang Ruyi’s face remained expressionless, but only she knew that the palm placed on her knee was suddenly drenched with cold sweat!

Yu Wenqian...

The eldest son of Duke Sheng, the one she was once betrothed to!

If hearing his name and the rumors about him in the past made her feel extremely awkward, even as if sitting on pins and needles, then now she had to face not Yu Wenqian of the rumors, not the eldest son from hearsay, but the real, living person!

Thinking of this, unease spread through her heart.

What made it even more unbelievable for her was that Daxing City was actually conquered by Yu Wenqian!

Thinking about this, Shang Ruyi instinctively looked up at Yu Wenye, but saw that although his gaze flickered, there was no expression on his face, even more composed than her exterior. Clearly, this answer was not unexpected for him.

Yet, receiving this answer still left him with a trace of heart palpitations.

Perhaps also aware of how much impact the answer he gave would have on the two people in the room, Dabo lowered his head slightly after speaking, and did not speak again. For a moment, an inexplicable oppressive and heavy atmosphere pervaded the room.

At this moment, Yu Wenye spoke again, but not to Dabo, instead to Shang Ruyi, "Aren’t you going out to help?"

"...?"

Shang Ruyi was startled, but immediately understood what he meant.

She had just said that she would continue to help outside after dinner. Although he never wanted her to work too hard, he subtly hinted at her leaving at this moment, clearly not wanting her to hear more news about Yu Wenqian.

After all, the two of them had once talked about engagement, making the situation somewhat awkward no matter how it was mentioned.

But Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and calmly said, "Tushere and the others are outside; I want to rest a while longer."

"..."

"Besides, when we return to Daxing City, I’ll have to meet with my elder brother too."

Dabo shot her a slightly surprised glance, clearly showing some astonishment in his eyes, while Yu Wenye, gazing at her calm demeanor, did not say much more.

Indeed, they were bound to meet sooner or later.

Yu Wenqian had previously been traveling outside, and no one knew when he would return home, so everyone avoided mentioning this awkward person in front of Shang Ruyi. But since Yu Wenqian had now returned and was in Daxing City, their meeting was inevitable. It was better to know more about each other now than to be flustered later when they actually meet.

So he nodded.

Looking at Dabo again, Yu Wenye said, "So it was my brother who took Daxing City."

Dabo immediately responded, "Yes."

Yu Wenye thought for a moment, then said, "Considering the world, only such an answer wouldn’t be surprising."

Dabo also said, "Yes."

Listening to their conversation, which was so simple it bordered on dry, Shang Ruyi, though maintaining her composure, couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat become a bit more rapid at this moment.

Yu Wenye’s words, although simple, revealed from his tone and attitude a strong admiration for his brother’s abilities, even a sense of — reverence.

For someone who believed only in themselves and not even in gods or Buddhas, such an attitude was rare.

And Shang Ruyi also recalled the rumors about Yu Wenqian back when their engagement was discussed.

Rumor had it that this eldest son of Duke Sheng was erudite and extraordinarily handsome, once a very prominent noble son among the aristocracy; yet he was indifferent to fame and fortune, staying away from officialdom. Although he was over twenty years old, he had no military achievements to his name, which caused his once dazzling brilliance to fade, gradually being forgotten by the noble families.

Who would have thought that this time, by capturing Daxing City in one fell swoop, he would once again make his brilliance shine dazzlingly!

Moreover — it was him who took Daxing City!

This fact was even more surprising than the capture of Daxing City itself.

Thinking of this, her gaze grew even more complex. She looked up at Yu Wenye across the room, only to see his expression still calm, just a slight frown between his brows before he turned to Dabo and asked, "But why did my brother suddenly take action? Hasn’t he always been traveling outside, never concerning himself with father and family’s affairs?"

Dabo replied, "This, why the eldest son suddenly changed, even I am not clear. But—"

"But what?"

"This time, the eldest son took Daxing City with almost no bloodshed."

"...!"

This statement once again shocked the two people in the room.

Even Shang Ruyi, who had been maintaining her silence, abstaining from any discussion about Yu Wenqian, couldn’t help but gasp, looking up in astonishment at Dabo. Yu Wenye also showed a trace of disbelief on his face.

He stared at Dabo, "What did you say?"

Dabo showed a wry smile and said, "Even we didn’t dare to believe it when we first heard this news."

"..."

"But, this is the truth."

"..."

"The Elder Son captured Daxing City without a single soldier, then opened the city gates to welcome the Duke into the city."

"..."

Shang Ruyi’s mind had completely stopped working.

Dabo’s words were spoken lightly, yet they were like thunderous booms, shaking her to the core — if Yu Wenye and Shen Wuzheng’s strategy to capture Wanggang Village using the "Left General’s Tomb" by sowing discord was already an astonishing move, then Yu Wenqian capturing Daxing City without a fight was something that could only happen in a dream.

But it really happened!

At that moment, Shang Ruyi heard a few sounds, and she instinctively looked down to see Yu Wenye’s hand on the table slightly clenched, the sound of bones cracking.

But he immediately released his hand.

Then he looked up at Dabo, half-smiling, and said, "How did he do it? Tell me."

Dabo said, "Since Your Majesty moved the capital away from Daxing City, its defense was left to the Left and Right Weiwei Generals and the Left and Right Brave Guard Generals. It’s said that after the Elder Son entered the city, he directly sought out the Left Brave General Yu Dingxing, persuaded him to join the Duke, and then, under his name, invited the other three generals for a gathering. During the feast, the Left Weiwei General Yao Qian was also convinced to join the cause, but the other two generals refused, so they were swiftly captured, and their forces were taken control of by the Deputy General."

"..."

"Afterward, the Elder Son controlled Daxing City and surrounded Daxing Palace. However, before that, he had spread rumors throughout the city and the palace that the late Emperor had moved south to Jiangdu Palace, abandoning the Eastern Capital, and that the Eastern Capital was taken over by Liang Shide and Xiao Yuansui. This caused unrest among the citizens, and upon hearing the news, the palace guards gave up resistance and surrendered."

"..."

"The citizens in the city were not harmed, so the Duke smoothly entered the city."

At this point, Dabo sighed lightly, "The Elder Son has both courage and wisdom; this victory was indeed brilliant!"

"..."

Shang Ruyi did not speak, but her mood became even heavier.

Even though she was not versed in military affairs, she had heard of a saying — conquering without a fight is the greatest strategy. Shen Wuzheng and Yu Wenye captured Wanggang by clever strategy, but it still required Yu Wenye and Shantong’er to act to capture the Ninth Master; however, Yu Wenqian captured such a large Daxing City with almost no effort, and that was the capital of the entire Da Ye Dynasty!

With this place, Yu Wenquan has the leverage to enthrone a new emperor and command the realm!

If this succeeds, it would be an unparalleled achievement!

At that moment, Shang Ruyi recalled a sentence Yu Wenye had said when he proposed to detour and attack Wanggang Village.

He said — I need this "merit."

At that time, Shang Ruyi only felt it strange, although Duke Sheng had already risen in rebellion, aiming for the throne, and achieving success seemed imminent in her eyes. Since Yu Wenye always followed him and was valued by him, capturing Wanggang and eliminating an enemy not only solidified his position but also strengthened their forces, it was indeed a "merit."

But was "need" the right word for this merit?

But looking back now, she suddenly felt an inexplicable chill spreading from her heart, making her limbs feel cold as ice.

Was it at that moment that Yu Wenye sensed something?

So, he "needed" this merit.

Shang Ruyi looked at him with a complex expression, and Yu Wenye remained calm, only after a moment of silence, he said, "Elder Brother left Daxing City very early, and he has never interacted with the palace or especially the officials. As far as I know, he is almost a stranger to the guards in Daxing City and has no dealings with the Left Brave Guard Army."

Dabo said, "Yes."

Yu Wenye said, "Then, why did he seek out Yu Dingxing specifically?"

"..."

"And why was he so confident that Yu Dingxing would heed his suggestion and ally with Father?"

Dabo smiled wryly, "Second Son, forgive me, these matters I know nothing about."

"..."

"Until now, it was only before setting out to meet Second Son that I saw the Elder Son once; he urged that I expedite Second Son’s return to Daxing City to avoid danger outside. As for other matters, all I know are rumors from the military."

"Rumors from the military?"

"Yes, and it’s not just military rumors. Nowadays, Daxing City and some counties outside have many rumors about the Elder Son capturing Daxing City without a fight."

Yu Wenye seemed interested, smiling as he asked, "What else do the rumors say?"

Dabo glanced at Yu Wenye, then after a long silence, he said, "Rumors say that this time, the Elder Son acted with divine assistance."

Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat.

And Yu Wenye raised an eyebrow, his gaze showing a hint of seriousness, "Divine?"