"Father, what should we do? Are we really …" Ye Wei's expression was heavy. His heart was as heavy as a thousand-ton boulder. It was so uncomfortable that he almost couldn't breathe. He would rather face a hundred Gale invaders alone than endure this kind of mental torment.
In ancient times, there were countless precedents of marrying off the daughters of nobles to seek temporary peace between the two countries. Marrying off the daughter of a general was even more common. However, the Yeh family was different. The Yeh family had been loyal to the country for generations. They had killed countless Gale citizens to protect their homeland. They hated the Gale citizens the most. It could even be said that the main purpose of the Yeh family's existence was to resist the Gale Nation. If the daughter of the Yeh family was forced to marry the crown prince of the Gale Nation … It would be an unacceptable blow and irony to the Yeh family!
Moreover, the Yeh family would never willingly be bullied by anyone. Although Ye Shuiyao's many years of isolation had caused their father-daughter relationship to fade, she was his only daughter after all. They were connected by flesh and blood. How could he bear to see her marry off to the Gale Nation?
After returning from the banquet last night, Ye Wei didn't sleep at all. Now, he was both mentally and physically exhausted. He told Ye Nu everything that Feng Ling had said at the banquet last night. From Feng Lie's ambition, Sunflower Dew Nation's unusual movements, Gale Nation's current situation, and the conditions that he had proposed … Other than the shock that Ye Nu showed at the beginning, he would occasionally interject a few words. Later on, he didn't say a word and just listened quietly. When Ye Wei finished speaking, Ye Nu's body was already as stiff as a rock. He sat there quietly and didn't say a word.
"Father, what should we do?" He opened his mouth and asked again. Looking at his father who seemed to have suddenly aged, Ye Wei knew that his mood must be as heavy as his.
"The fact that you asked this means that you already have a choice in your heart. However, you can't say it or face it, so you want to hear me say it." Ye Nu slowly opened his mouth. His old voice was flat and powerless, and there was an unconcealable hoarseness.
Ye Wei's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly said, "But father …"
"Stop trying to resist." Ye Nu raised his hand to interrupt him. He closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "You're 40 years old this year. You're no longer a young man. You've passed the age of being irresolute and impulsive. Although this abandonment is painful for us, is it really so difficult to weigh whether it is worth it or not? "
Ye Wei was stunned for a while. He let out a long sigh and sat down on the chair opposite Ye Nu.
"Our Tenryū Province and Dafeng Nation will have a war sooner or later, but not now. One had been plotting and preparing for a full twenty years, but at a time that no one had expected, they were preparing to launch a large-scale attack. One had gradually lost its vigilance in twenty years of peace and harmony, and now it was completely unprepared … So much so that it was extremely likely that Sunflower Dew Country had already attached itself to Gale Wind. If we start a war now, what are the chances of our Tenryū Province winning? What are the chances of survival? "
Ye Wei, "…"
"Five years … These five years of time is enough to rewrite the fate of our Tenryū Province … Wei Er, I've made you read military books since you were young, and I've personally taught you how to deploy troops and formations, how to scheme against the enemy. Every time, I've disregarded your mother's objections and made you rush to the battlefield. What is it all for?"
"It's to protect Tenryū Province, to protect the glory of my Yeh family … Without Tenryū Province, there will be no my Yeh family. We can't let those vicious wolves set foot on and take away an inch of my Tenryū Province's land. "Ye Wei read each word clearly. When he was very young, his grandfather had said the same words to him, and his father had said them to him. He couldn't forget them, and he didn't dare to forget them.
"That's right … If Tenryū Province is destroyed in this generation of my Yeh family, the efforts of my Yeh family generations, and the unwavering faith, will all be for naught. The Yeh family will become the dust of history, and we will become the sinners of Tenryū Province and the Yeh family. When we die, how will we face our ancestors in the underworld … Is it worth it to exchange one person's life for all this? " Ye Nu's hands gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, and his fingers almost dug into them. When he heard Ye Wei's words, the hatred and pain in his heart were no less than Ye Wei's. However, he was already an old man, and had gone through too many ups and downs, and had long passed the age of impulsiveness. When faced with this obvious choice, he knew from the beginning which choice the Yeh family should make.
"Worth … it …" Ye Wei hugged his head, and squeezed the two words out of his mouth with difficulty.
He didn't know how many years it had been since he cared about his daughter, and if time passed, he might even forget the existence of his daughter. Facing Ye Shuiyao, how could he open his mouth?
"I know, as a father, there are some words that you can't say. Let me, as a grandfather, say them. Yao 'er's temper … sigh. "
Ye Nu stood up and walked out with heavy steps. Looking at his lonely and old back, Ye Wei felt a sour feeling in his nose. He knew that his father's pain was no less than his. When the only son of the Yeh family disappeared, this old man stood in the cold for two days and two nights, motionless like a stone statue. Although he was usually serious and old-fashioned, his concern for his children had always been hidden deep in his heart, and it was no less than anyone else's. But now … he had to persuade a person with the blood of the Yeh family to leave the Yeh family forever, and marry into Dafeng Country … What he was going through now was probably a heart-wrenching feeling.
Ye Shuiyao's courtyard was elegant as usual, and it was exceptionally quiet. There was not a single servant in the courtyard. Ye Nu stood at the entrance of the courtyard for a long time, and then walked in with light steps.
"Who is it?"
Ye Shuiyao, who was painting a white lotus, heard the footsteps, and frowned slightly. She did not raise her head, and asked coldly.
Ye Nu, who was already in front of the door, stopped, and then gently pushed the door open.
A faint fragrance of his daughter wafted into his nose, and the simple layout of the room appeared in front of him. The only feeling it gave him was that it was unfamiliar. He had already forgotten when was the last time he came to his granddaughter's study. In short, it was a long, long time ago.
Ye Shuiyao finally raised her head, and saw that it was Ye Nu. She was slightly startled, and stood up, and calmly called out, "Grandpa."
Ye Nu nodded, and slowly walked in. He looked at every corner of the room, and said, "Yao 'er, although we live in the same house every day, I really haven't come to see you for a long time. It's all my fault."
Ye Shuiyao poured a cup of tea, and placed it on the long table closest to Ye Nu. "Grandpa, please sit."
She was still so cold, and even in front of her own grandfather, her expression was habitually stiff, and there was almost no change in her emotions. Ye Nu had always been unable to understand why she became like this in the Yeh family's atmosphere.
Ye Nu shook his head, indicating that there was no need to sit. He opened his mouth, but hesitated, and then said, "Yao 'er, can you tell grandpa what you usually do here? After staying in the room for so long, you should go out and walk more often."
"Reading, painting," Ye Shuiyao answered concisely. In the past, she painted to express her feelings, and now, it was also to express her feelings. However, the nature of "feelings" had changed fundamentally, and it had turned into a dangerous direction.
"Oh? Painting? " Ye Nu looked at the thick painting paper that covered the desk, and said with a smile, "Can you let grandpa see your paintings? They must be exquisite. Back then, your grandmother also liked paintings, but I didn't know how to appreciate them when she was alive. Until she passed away, I could only look at her paintings and recall her life."
Ye Shuiyao didn't nod, and there was an obvious unnatural expression on her face. If it was in the past, she had no reason to refuse, but now, she didn't want anyone other than Ye Wuchen to see her painting. No matter how hard she tried to restrain herself and warn herself, she still gave the struggle in the painting a meaning that tormented her in the depths of her heart, as if she was possessed.
How could Ye Nu not see her misgivings? He immediately said, "Forget it, grandpa is a rough man, and I can't appreciate this kind of elegant thing. Now that I'm old, it's even more impossible for me to appreciate the charm in the painting. "
He turned around and picked up the teacup that Ye Shuiyao placed on the table. He took a sip, squinted his old eyes, and savored it carefully, "Grandpa … I haven't drunk the tea that you personally poured for me for many years."
In his heart, there was a deep and painful voice echoing, "Maybe in the future, I won't be able to drink it anymore …"
He drank the tea heavily, washing away the hesitation in his heart. Ye Nu's martial arts skills weren't high, and he wasn't as good as the current Ye Wuchen, but there were countless people who died directly or indirectly in his hands. This was a man who was covered in blood, but his expression didn't change, and he was fearless in the face of thousands of soldiers. In this life, it could be said that he had never let anyone down … But in his old age, he had to let his family down.
After the warm tea passed through his intestines, Ye Nu let out a long sigh of relief. He put down the teacup, and his heart began to slowly calm down. He didn't forget the reason why he came here. Even if his heart was extremely unwilling, he couldn't continue to hesitate.
Ye Shuiyao stood there motionlessly, and the old and the young suddenly fell into an awkward silence. Ye Nu's sudden arrival, and his obviously strange reaction, made Ye Shuiyao know that he must have something to say. She didn't take the initiative to ask, and silently waited for him to say it. What she had to do was simply to agree or not.
"Yao 'er, how old are you this year?"
"19 years old." Ye Shuiyao answered.
Ye Nu shook his head, and laughed at himself, "As a grandfather, I can't even remember my granddaughter's age … Oh, right, you're two years older than Chen 'er. Chen' er is 17 years old this year, and you're indeed 19 years old." He suddenly sighed, and said, "19 years old. You've long reached the age of marriage. Yao 'er, do you have someone in your heart? "
Ye Shuiyao almost never went out, so how could she have someone in her heart? When Ye Nu asked this question, he already had an answer in his heart. But what surprised him was that, with Ye Shuiyao's personality, she didn't coldly say "no", but … A trace of sadness and confusion flashed across her cold and beautiful face, and her eyes were unfocused for a long time before she shook her head and said, "No."
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