Chapter 132 I am a palace eunuch?

This gloomy mood lingered in Shang Shangruyi's mind and dreams all night long. As if in response to her emotions, it began to rain on the grassland the next day.

As a result, the hunting competition, which was originally scheduled for the next day, was naturally postponed, and everyone hid in their tents.

With more free time, more gossip inevitably follows.

Everyone was wrapped in blankets, gathered around the brazier, listening to the relentless, pattering rain overhead. Their frustration grew with the sound of the rain, and they began to discuss the shortcomings of the trip, their dissatisfaction rising accordingly.

Shang Ruyi stood at the tent entrance, listening to the discussions near and far, her expression growing increasingly solemn.

She sighed and looked around. The rain on the grassland was different from other places. When it rained normally, you could only feel the raindrops falling on you. But when the rain started here, it was as if everyone on the grassland was shrouded in a gray curtain of rain that stretched as far as the eye could see. Even breathing became difficult for them.

Just then, a garment was draped over her shoulders.

Turning around, she met Tushe'er's concerned gaze. She said softly, "Miss, don't stand at the door in the wind. Come and warm yourself by the fire. It's only October, how come it's already so cold?"

Shang Ruyi smiled faintly, put down the tent flap, and sat down by the brazier in the center of the tent.

As soon as she sat down, Mu Xian came in carrying a bowl of hot porridge, and said with a smile, "Please forgive me, young mistress. It was not easy to start the fire, so the porridge is not very good. Please have some."

Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "I'm not that picky."

She took it, and sure enough, the porridge was very clear, with each grain of rice distinct. It was obviously not cooked long enough, but she didn't complain. She only took two sips, and the aroma of rice still filled the air. The warmth made her feel much better.

She asked, "How are things... at the royal tent?"

Mu Xian sighed and said softly, "I heard that several officials went to the Emperor to advise him to rescind his order, stop this tour, and return to Luoyang as soon as possible."

"Then, what did His Majesty say?"

"They didn't say anything, they just punished a few people."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned.

But she couldn't say much about the emperor's affairs, so after thinking for a moment, she asked, "By the way, is there any news from Liaodong?"

Mu shook his head: "There's no news yet."

"Didn't I send a letter to my parents?"

“The young mistress’s letter was sent more than a month ago. Even if the Duke receives the letter and replies, it will be sent to Luoyang. It will then be forwarded from Luoyang, which is a much longer journey. I’m afraid it will arrive later than the young master.”

Upon hearing Yuwen Ye's name, Shang Ruyi's gaze immediately dimmed. Looking at the bowl of porridge in her hand, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

Mu Xian also regretted his slip of the tongue and quickly shut his mouth.

Tushe'er, standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Seeing their reaction, Shang Ruyi smiled faintly, pretended not to care, put the bowl aside, and said, "It's alright, let's wait and see."

Mu Xian hurriedly said, "Then, young mistress, would you like to have a couple more sips of porridge?"

Shang Ruyi shook her head: "No, I don't have much of an appetite."

For the rest of the time, she simply waited, sitting in the tent by a burning brazier. Although it was warm and cozy, there was always a small place in her heart that felt cold. Before she knew it, the rain had gradually subsided, but when she came out of the tent, it was almost dark.

And so the day passed.

Finally, the rain stopped, and even as the sun was setting, everyone came out of their tents, where they had been cooped up all day, to stretch their limbs. Tushe'er immediately had a campfire lit, as she wanted to prepare some food for Shang Ruyi to whet her appetite. Shang Ruyi watched them bustling about and simply smiled, saying, "No need for anything too elaborate. I don't have much of an appetite anyway. A couple of simple dishes will do."

Tushe'er said, "How can that be? Miss doesn't have a good appetite, so we need to make more dishes. You can have a bite of each, that's enough."

Shang Ruyi shook her head helplessly.

Seeing everyone doing their jobs, she felt a little awkward being idle, so she avoided the crowd and carefully avoided the puddles under her feet, slowly leaving the campsite.

As she walked, she heard the sound of banners fluttering in the wind ahead, and realized that she had unknowingly walked back to the edge of the camp where she had rested the night before.

Looking up, I saw a familiar figure leaning against the thick flagpole.

It was Yang Suiyi.

He wore a thick cloak that almost completely covered his body, with only the hem of his pale yellow inner garment peeking out at his feet, revealing even the delicate embroidery on the hem—a cluster of frost-covered flowers. However, such exquisite embroidery was quite inappropriate on the grassland, as it was already stained with a lot of mud.

But Yang Suiyi seemed completely unconcerned.

He leaned against the flagpole, his head tilted back, revealing his prominent Adam's apple. His face was expressionless, and his eyes seemed shrouded in mist.

He seemed to hear approaching footsteps as well, and turned around. His unreal, handsome face appeared somewhat gloomy in the last rays of the setting sun, adding to the heaviness in Shang Ruyi's heart.

Even her steps faltered.

But immediately, he laughed: "The young mistress is here again?"

Shang Ruyi said, "I didn't expect that Young Master Yang would come here again."

As she spoke, she lifted her foot and walked over step by step.

Facing the setting sun, which left only a trace on the horizon, her jade-like face was bathed in a warm glow, and even her eyes seemed like transparent glass, giving people a feeling of gentleness that was almost unbelievable. Yang Suiyi stared at her face in a daze until she walked to the flagpole opposite him and stopped, at which point he smiled slightly.

He said, "Why can't I come here again?"

Shang Ruyi looked at him and said, "I thought that after what happened last night, Young Master Yang would stay by His Majesty's side."

Yang Suiyi's face immediately darkened when the topic of last night's major incident was brought up.

This was the last thing they talked about before they parted ways here last night. Their words of argument still seemed to echo in their ears, but the result was already clearly before their eyes.

Yang Suiyi's eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and suppressed emotion. After a long silence, he didn't bring it up again. Instead, he looked at Shang Ruyi with a half-smile and said, "What, does the young mistress think I'm someone close to His Majesty?"

Shang Ruyi looked at him calmly: "Isn't Young Master Yang someone who serves His Majesty?"

"..."

"Something happened at the royal tent last night, didn't Young Master Yang go there immediately?"

"..."

Yang Suiyi's eyes flickered, and he looked at her with a playful smile: "What, does the young mistress think I am a palace eunuch?"