Chapter 264 The First Time, Sharing a Bed

At this moment, Shang Ruyi was actually quite sleepy. Sitting in Yuwen Ye's lap, her head felt so heavy that it unconsciously rested against his chest. Even so, she tried her best to stay awake, thought for a while, and then tentatively said, "Regardless of whether or not we should conquer Liaodong—"

She sighed inwardly as she said this.

In fact, this statement was superfluous. Whether considering the military and financial resources already expended in previous campaigns, making it impossible to abandon the campaign halfway, or understanding Chu Yang's character and temperament after getting to know him, Chu Yang had no choice but to continue his conquest of Liaodong. That small corner in the northeast had become his obsession, not because Gou Li Kingdom was so good, but because he could not allow himself to fail, especially not one defeat after another.

Therefore, he will definitely launch another campaign against Liaodong.

However, Shang Ruyi didn't say much about this matter. After pausing for a moment, she continued, "Once Hebei is lost, Luoyang will be completely exposed to the swords of the Turks and numerous rebel armies in the north... Something terrible will happen. Therefore, the court must immediately send troops to retake Hebei."

She thought for a moment and then said, "At the very least, we must sever the connection between them."

Yuwen Ye's lips curled up slightly.

He looked at the rosy little face that was almost pressed against his chest and said softly, "Then who do you think the court will send?"

The little face immediately looked up at him.

Because of the low-grade fever, her eyes were red, making her look somewhat pitiful. And because of her fatigue, her eyes were misty, making her look innocent and bewildered.

Looking at her like that, Yuwen Ye suddenly felt a chill run down his spine—she was a little too hot.

The hype has even spilled over onto him.

His breathing faltered, and after a long pause, he managed to regain some composure before saying, "Do you think the imperial court will send me?"

"..."

Those eyes blinked, then the head was shaken.

Yuwen Ye's lips curled into a smile again: "Why not me?"

Shang Ruyi said softly, "The court has never trusted you... and you're on good terms with the Lei family... I'm afraid you'll rebel too."

Yuwen Ye smiled and said, "Then, what should the court do?"

"The imperial court...should...should..."

After mumbling those four words, Shang Ruyi closed her eyes completely, her body sliding softly down his chest. Yuwen Ye quickly reached out and hugged her, looking at her slightly upturned lips, her restless sleep, and her tired appearance that made it impossible for her to keep her eyes open. He couldn't help but purse his lips.

Then, he picked her up and gently placed her back on the bed.

However, the bedding was cold. As soon as Shang Ruyi lay down, she curled up uncomfortably and mumbled something. Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while, thought for a moment, then took off his outer clothes and got into bed.

Shang Ruyi slept soundly, a rare occurrence.

Her skin was still sensitive, but the warm breath enveloping her reduced that sensitivity to a minimum. She even felt as if she had fallen into a paradise. The temperature on her skin and the scent she smelled were exactly what she liked and what made her feel most at ease. Gradually, she fell into a deep sleep without even having a dream.

When I woke up again, it was already the next morning.

The pain had subsided, and even the fever had gone down. When Shang Ruyi got out of bed, she found herself drenched in sweat, her clothes completely soaked.

Just as she was feeling sticky and uncomfortable, Tusheer and Changwan walked in.

As soon as they saw that she was awake, the two men immediately came forward to help her get up and took her to take a bath. Shang Ruyi then realized that they had already prepared a bathtub and hot water. Feeling comfortable, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "How did you know to prepare these for me?"

Tushe'er smiled and said, "It was the son-in-law who gave the order before he left."

"he?"

Shang Ruyi asked, "How did he know I wanted to take a bath after waking up?"

Tushe'er chuckled softly, her face slightly flushed, and said in a low voice, "You two slept in each other's arms all night, how could your son-in-law not know?"

"ah?"

Shang Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise: "What did you say? He, he's holding me—"

Seeing her surprised expression, Tushe'er thought she was making a fuss over nothing and said, "Aren't you husband and wife? What's so strange about sleeping together? Your husband wanted to stay with you a little longer, but someone from the Ministry of War came to invite you, so he had to leave first. He also told us to keep the water hot so that we could take you to bathe as soon as you woke up, and not to catch a cold again."

"..."

Shang Ruyi was speechless.

No wonder I slept so warmly and comfortably last night; it was him all along—

So, was this the first time they had shared a bed?

But I didn't know anything about it.

Her face was flushed, and her heart was pounding, but she couldn't say a word. Seeing that her face was unusually red, Tushe'er became worried and said softly, "Miss, is the water too hot? I'll go get some cold water to dilute it."

"No, no need."

Shang Ruyi stammered and waved her hand, then quickly finished bathing, dressed, and returned to her room.

Inside the room, her meal had already been laid out.

Although the fever had subsided, she still couldn't eat too much oily food. The kitchen still prepared some light porridge and side dishes. Shang Ruyi finished her meal in a few bites, and then saw Wo Xue bring in a bowl of hot soup. She said, "Young Madam, the kitchen has been simmering medicinal soup all night. They say it can replenish your vital energy."

Shang Ruyi looked down and saw that the soup was indeed white and smooth, emitting a rich aroma.

She took the drink and was about to drink it when she heard Tusheer ask Woxue, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day."

Wo Xue blushed and stammered, "No, I didn't go anywhere."

Shang Ruyi glanced at her, but didn't say anything. She took a sip of soup and then said, "Go and tell the gatekeeper that I need the car in a while, and ask them to prepare it."

Tushe'er immediately said, "Miss, you're just feeling a little better, and you're already going out?"

"Yeah, I'm going out to take care of some things."

"Let us servants handle everything. You've just recovered and still need to rest."

"I'll have to handle this myself,"

While drinking her soup, Shang Ruyi said, "In a couple of days, we're going to Banyan Temple to pay respects to our mother. It would be best if I could prepare the incense and candles myself, as a way of showing filial piety."

Hearing her say that, Tushe'er could no longer stop her. She could only immediately go down and order the preparation of a carriage. She also laid thick cushions on the carriage and prepared two hand warmers to ensure that Shang Ruyi would not catch a cold again after going out.

So the master and servant went out.

Because she was concerned about her health, Shang Ruyi didn't linger on the street for too long. After buying what she needed, she headed straight home.

Sitting in the carriage, Tushe'er complained, "Miss has been working hard all day, and she doesn't look well."

Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "I'll be fine after I rest for a while."

As he spoke, he did feel a bit tired, so he closed his eyes to rest.

Just as their carriage was about to return to the Yuwen residence, the carriage, which had been traveling smoothly, suddenly began to shake. Shang Ruyi almost fell, and Tu She'er quickly helped her up, looking up at the coachman outside and asking, "What happened?"

The coachman didn't even have time to reply to her, only letting out two soft shouts at something.

Tushe'er frowned and hurriedly helped Shang Ruyi sit down. Then he lifted the curtain and looked out. He saw a carriage that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere suddenly come up and drive alongside them. The road was not very wide to begin with, and the carriage was much wider than ordinary carriages. Their driver had to give way, which made the carriage sway.

When you encounter such an unreasonable person, you naturally have to yell at them.

But before Tushe could speak, she felt that the scene before her was familiar, and when she looked at the carriage, it looked even more familiar.

She suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly sat back in the carriage, her face pale, and said to Shang Ruyi, "Miss, Miss—"

Shang Ruyi also saw this scene through the curtain she lifted, and her expression darkened slightly.

At this moment, the carriage had already reached the front of them, but instead of leaving, it stopped at the intersection where they were about to turn back to the Yuwen Mansion, blocking their way.

Tushe'er asked in a somewhat panicked tone, "Miss, is that—"

"..."

Shang Ruyi remained silent for a while before softly saying, "I'll go take a look. Don't say anything."

"Miss……"

Tushe'er was a little worried about her, but she also knew that if the person in that carriage was really the same one from before, then they wouldn't be able to leave so easily today. She could only watch helplessly as Shang Ruyi got off the carriage and slowly walked forward alone.

The carriage stopped at the intersection, like a huge boulder blocking the way.

However, as Shang Ruyi approached, she could clearly feel a suppressed yet restless atmosphere emanating from the carriage, which quickly affected her breathing and heartbeat, making her uneasy.

She stopped by the car window.

The person inside the carriage seemed to be waiting for her. Upon hearing her stop, they immediately reached out a large, fair hand and lifted a corner of the curtain.

When that incomparably handsome face was revealed, Shang Ruyi was not surprised at all.

She hesitated for a moment. Although there were few pedestrians on the street, it would be inappropriate to perform a grand salute here. So she cupped her hands in a respectful greeting to the person inside the carriage and said softly, "Your Majesty—"

Before she could finish speaking, the person in the car suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"ah!"

Caught off guard, Shang Ruyi had no time to react before she was forcefully pulled to the car window. Her panicked face was filled with shock, and she almost pressed her face against that cold, yet angry one.

She was terrified and tried to break free, but Chu Yang's hand was like an iron clamp, holding onto her and refusing to let go.

Moreover, his eyes were intense and burning, staring intently at her as if he wanted to devour her.

Shang Ruyi was stunned: "What are you going to do!"