Upon hearing Shang Ruyi’s words, Lei Yu’s expression first showed shock. As the shock faded, the slight flush from her bath also disappeared, and her face gradually turned pale.

She murmured, "How, how could it be..."

It was clear that she was completely unprepared for this.

And it wasn’t surprising, since from the time she was captured and brought to the Turks, that Prince Zhu Xie spoke and expressed emotions akin to a normal person. Yet Shang Ruyi always felt that there was a veil over all of his words and emotions, making it impossible to see his true self, not to mention his genuine loves and hatreds.

If not for the recent emergency, perhaps no one would have known even now.

Lei Yu was undeniably a clever person and had seen much of the world. Yet, in the face of such matters, she appeared somewhat flustered, furrowing her brows and pondering for a long time without figuring out what she should do. She could only look up at Shang Ruyi once more, asking, "Then I—"

Shang Ruyi seemed much calmer than her.

She said, "Since you have already decided to walk this path, and intend to walk it well, you must be wary of this person."

"..."

"Even though he hasn’t shown anything else towards you, it’s hard to say with such matters."

"..."

Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but wonder, if one day, Ashina Zhuxie truly revealed himself, what would happen then?

I’m afraid everything would be too late by then.

Moreover, for some reason, she always had a strange feeling in her heart.

Although she had yet to meet Prince Yiasu personally, from the current glimpse of the situation in the Western Turkic court, it wasn’t difficult to see that Shali Khan and Lady Jiayuan had been suppressing Ashina Zhuxie. Yet Ashina Zhuxie—he was certainly not a person who would let others trample over him.

Thus, the court of the Western Turks was also fraught with undercurrents.

This reminded her of the court of the Dasheng Dynasty, which had just been established not long ago, a thousand miles away.

The struggle between Yu Wenqian and Yu Wenye, these brothers, was much more evident than the struggle between the two princes of the Western Turks. Yu Wenqian had the Commandery Prince Shenwu, who could influence court powers, and most courtiers who wished to establish him as the Crown Prince, not to mention Yu Mingyue, whose abilities to foresee many things were shrouded in mystery. On the other hand, Yu Wenye, although he didn’t have much assistance, his capability in battle and his previous illustrious military achievements were enough to allow him to compete with Yu Wenqian.

How similar these two sides are!

"Ruyi, what are you thinking about?"

The sudden voice next to her pulled Shang Ruyi back to the present, and she looked up to see Lei Yu’s puzzled face. She shook her head lightly, "No, it’s nothing."

She changed the subject and softly said, "I was just thinking about what the Prince Zhu Xie really thinks about the position of Khan—"

Upon this mention, Lei Yu’s expression also turned serious.

She thought for a while and said, "Although I don’t usually leave this tent or interact much with them, I do know about Ashina Zhuxie’s origins. It’s very difficult for the last orphan of the Zhuxie Tribe to inherit the position of Khan!"

"Oh?"

"Shali Khan has many courtiers under him who had participated in the war that eradicated the Zhuxie Tribe. Even if only for their own sake, they couldn’t allow Zhu Xie to inherit the position of Khan, because once Ashina Zhuxie holds power, these people would likely face retribution."

"I see."

Shang Ruyi nodded slightly.

She had only been in the Western Turks for two days. Even though she didn’t fully understand the situation here, just from what she had heard in the King’s Tent yesterday and from the people she saw, she could somewhat tell that Lady Jiayuan and the courtiers she aligned with, like Shi Shu An Yi, didn’t support Ashina Zhuxie.

She thought for a moment and asked, "Then, what about Shali Khan’s attitude?"

"Him?"

Lei Yu slightly furrowed her brows and after thinking for a while, said, "Compared to his attitude towards Prince Yiasu, I don’t think he favors Zhu Xie very much."

"..."

"But, Zhu Xie’s bravery and martial prowess are unmatched on the grasslands."

"..."

"His heavy cavalry is the remnants of the Zhuxie Tribe after its downfall and currently Western Turks’ most courageous and seasoned unit, even though I don’t know why he returned from his campaign south to Taiyuan without success, the power of the heavy cavalry—you should know."

Shang Ruyi nodded.

In her childhood, she traveled through the Turks with her father, but they traveled through the Eastern Turks, who had split and were relatively gentle towards the Da Ye Dynasty. Therefore, she hadn’t actually seen the heavy cavalry and did not know much about the Western Turks. However, as for the power of the heavy cavalry, one didn’t need to witness it firsthand; observing the nearly crushing victories of regular cavalry over infantry was enough to understand the heavy cavalry’s might.

Lei Yu continued, "Thus, Shali Khan still relies on Zhu Xie a lot, and it’s hard to say what the final outcome will be."

"..."

Shang Ruyi glanced at her, saying nothing, but her expression grew heavier and more complex.

One son is favored, while the other is brave...

It seems that my feeling that the situation in the Dasheng Dynasty and Western Turks is somewhat similar was not without reason after all.

Moreover, although I don’t want to admit it or think about that person again, upon careful consideration, Ashina Zhuxie and Yu Wenye... are almost in the same situation!

Thinking about it this way, Shang Ruyi just felt a wave of dizziness, increasingly sensing a gloomy future. Clearly, she shouldn’t hope for Ashina Zhuxie’s victory, after all, he covets Lei Yu, and Shang Ruyi is more worried he might harm Lei Yu. However, if he can win, does it mean Yu Wenye also has a chance?

But if he loses...

On this grassland, in this world, in these chaotic times, what will become of everything?

In that instant, the entire atmosphere inside the tent turned gloomy again. After a while, Shang Ruyi lifted her head, only to see Lei Yu’s solemn face. Clearly, Ashina Zhuxie’s affection for her not only shocked her greatly but also caused her some distress, even confusion.

No woman would be happy about such a thing.

Speaking of which, though the rivalry between the two Turkic princes is somewhat similar to the court struggles in the Dasheng Dynasty, Yu Wenye and Ashina Zhuxie are almost in the same predicament, but fortunately, unlike Lei Yu, she herself has not been drawn into such emotional entanglements.

Poor Lei Yu...

Shang Ruyi sighed inwardly but still spoke to comfort her: "Forget it, some things haven’t happened yet, don’t worry about them. I told you just to make you vigilant."

"..."

"It’s too late tonight, rest early. Your health is important."

Hearing her say this, Lei Yu gently nodded: "Alright."

So, the two lay down to sleep.

After lying down quietly, only the wind blowing outside the tent could be heard, everything quieted down. However, Shang Ruyi could still clearly hear the uneasy, quick breathing by her ear, obviously Lei Yu was still troubled by that matter, even until she gradually fell asleep, that sound echoed by her ear.

Yet, Shang Ruyi’s dreams were also not peaceful.

Probably because of the day’s experiences and the life-and-death riding competition, in her dreams, she seemed to be chased relentlessly by something, the whole world jolted and swayed, without a moment of peace.

Waking from sleep, it was dawn.

Shang Ruyi felt as if she had been tormented all night, not relaxed at all, instead her body was sore all over, even the strength to open her eyes had been accumulated in the haze of dreams for a long time.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw Lei Yu sitting up by the head of the bed, her long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her brow furrowed, with a solemn expression, her eyes red with sleeplessness and exhaustion.

Shang Ruyi immediately propped herself up: "You, you didn’t sleep?"

Hearing her voice, Lei Yu started slightly, then quickly showed a little smile, replying to her: "Couldn’t sleep."

Shang Ruyi immediately became anxious.

Though she herself isn’t a very experienced person, even the least experienced know that sleeplessness all night is very damaging to the body, especially since Lei Yu is pregnant now and almost got hurt yesterday.

Yet strangely, Shang Ruyi usually isn’t a person who sleeps a lot, and with so many events yesterday, it should be she who couldn’t sleep, especially with Lei Yu beside her who stayed up all night.

Why did she fall asleep instead—although sleep was uneasy.

But now she couldn’t think further, only looked at Lei Yu’s exhausted appearance with concern, gritted her teeth and said: "In hindsight, I shouldn’t have told you, making you so worried."

Lei Yu immediately replied: "How could that be?"

"..."

"I’m so good to you, yet you stand by as I face a mire without telling me, are we still good friends?"

Hearing her say this, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but smile.

So she got up and said: "Alright, it’s my fault."

Then she added: "But I told you because I want you to protect yourself well, not for you to suffer from anxiety before danger arises and harm your body. You must know, now, you have a child in you."

"..."

"Too much anxiety and trouble... would harm the fetus."

Saying this, her voice couldn’t help but turn choked.

Luckily, Lei Yu did not notice it, just looking at Shang Ruyi’s concerned and worried expression, she felt somewhat guilty, then held her hand, repeatedly promised: "Alright, I will definitely sleep well, eat well, protect myself and my belly, okay?"

Shang Ruyi glared at her, finally felt relieved.

After they both woke up, their maids immediately entered to assist them in dressing and washing. Just as they finish dressing, and the maid was about to remove the brazier beside the bed to serve them outside, suddenly a noise sounded from outside the tent.

Lei Yu immediately raised her head: "What’s happening?"

A maid answered: "I’ll go take a look."

Saying this, she turned to go out, just about to lift the tent flap, but a hand was quicker in lifting the flap, and immediately, that maid’s surprised voice sounded at the tent entrance—

"Prince Yiasu!"