Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 599 - 488: The Fate of States May Rise and Fall, But the Common People Only Suffer Hardship
Sibling conflict!
Upon hearing these four words, Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat.
Yet her face remained unperturbed, only taking a deep breath, striving to suppress the unusual flutter in her chest. Just at this moment, Shen Tu Tai suddenly said, "If the second young master encountered such a situation, what choice would he make?"
"...!"
At this, Shang Ruyi’s breath caught.
She glanced anxiously at Yu Wenye, only to see him staring intently at the bonfire before him. At this moment, even though his face was illuminated by the warm, orange glow, his expression became even colder, hinting at a profound calmness.
He was silent for a while, then said lightly, "I just said, there are some things that are unsolvable."
After speaking, he did not continue, only silently lowered his eyes.
His words were not exactly an answer, yet those around seemed to sense something after hearing it, especially Shang Ruyi, whose gaze deepened further at this moment.
Just then, Shantong’er suddenly shouted, "Oh no, it’s going to burn!"
Before anyone could react, they saw him hurriedly grabbing the roast from the rack over the bonfire, grimacing from the heat. Only then did the others snap out of it, hastily fetching a plate to place it on. Shantong’er hopped up and down, pinching his ears, huffing and puffing, "Luckily, I was watching, or it would’ve fallen into the fire."
Originally, everyone had been somewhat absent-minded due to Yu Wenye’s earlier words. But now, they were amused by his antics.
Even Yu Wenye couldn’t help but smile.
He said, "Why are you in such a hurry? What if you get burned? Besides, there’s plenty of meat here, even if that piece is burnt, there’s still more."
Shantong’er shook his head earnestly, "No, I can’t bear to see food wasted, it makes my stomach ache."
These words caused everyone to burst into laughter again.
At this moment, a few soldiers came over, whispering something to Mu Xian, who frowned, then turned to speak with Tushere who was still at the other bonfire with a pot. Tushere also knitted his brows.
Shang Ruyi, seeing this, asked, "Is something wrong?"
Mu Xian hurriedly walked over and said to her and Yu Wenye, "Second young master, Young Madam, just now someone was sent to check the nearby villages to see if we could find some fresh fruits and vegetables. Unexpectedly, there’s not a single person in the nearby villages."
"What?"
Shang Ruyi, upon hearing this, was stunned, "No one?"
Mu Xian nodded and said, "They found a village, but upon entering, it was pitch black inside, not a single light, searched for a long time, only empty houses, no people."
Shang Ruyi was puzzled, "How could this be?"
Yu Wenye, hearing this, thought for a moment and said, "Could it be a village deserted due to military unrest?"
He also recalled, during his previous pursuit of rebels from Dragon Gate to Taiyuan, many villages along the way were nearly empty. In these turbulent times, although pitiful, it was not uncommon.
Mu Xian said, "Since there wasn’t a single person left, we couldn’t find out why. But, the houses do not look too dilapidated, they haven’t been deserted long, perhaps it was really because of Xue Xian—"
"..."
Shang Ruyi, hearing this, frowned.
At this moment, she also thought of the desolation she witnessed on her journey to marry into Taiyuan; even the prosperous Eastern Capital had many desolate villages surrounding it, let alone here. Moreover, just recently, Xue Xian besieged Fufeng, killing eighty thousand soldiers, the common people must have fled long ago fearing he would advance eastward, leaving behind an empty village.
She sighed softly and said, "The rise and fall of the state are the people’s toil."
Though spoken lightly, these words weighed heavily on those around.
For a moment, everyone fell silent, temporarily brushing aside the earlier matter; before long, Tushere and Wo Xue prepared meals and brought them over. Yu Wenye held a bowl of steaming food, after a pause he suddenly said, "If those in power could keep the people in mind, their suffering would lessen."
"..."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi felt even heavier in her heart than before.
She thought of the previous ruler.
A man like an Immortal, indeed lofty, untouched by the mundane, his eyes forever looking forward; but precisely because of this, he failed to see his feet, the struggling masses beneath him, leading to grand ambitions but each step, a misstep, ultimately resulting in his downfall.
