Chapter 806 I'm Here

In the midst of the silence, Pei Xingyuan suddenly laughed and said, "It's just the few of us in this car."

"..."

The entire carriage suddenly became even quieter.

Seeing the gazes of the others directed at him, the smile on his face gradually froze, and he said somewhat uneasily, "What, was I right? It really is just the few of us. Will the Crown Prince attack us?"

Yuwen Ye looked solemn, while Shang Ruyi frowned.

After a long silence, Shen Wuzheng let out a long sigh and said, "In that case, we must be extra careful."

Then he looked at Shang Ruyi and said gently and solemnly, "Your Highness is almost nine months pregnant, isn't she?"

Shang Ruyi nodded.

Shen Wuzheng said, "Your Highness must be twice as careful as before. Nothing you eat, wear, or use should pass through anyone else's hands. You are due to give birth in less than a month. Although we have found a suitable midwife, it would be best to check her again thoroughly to prevent anyone from interfering. Also..."

He spoke in great detail, clearly having thought things through before coming, which is why he was able to list them out point by point. As Shang Ruyi listened, she gradually felt a chill in her heart. She suddenly realized that there were so many opportunities for others to take advantage of her.

Indeed, we must be on guard.

However, as she listened further, the chill in her heart was gradually driven away by a sense of warmth. Although dangers lurked all around and people were treacherous, she had such a caring older brother and a husband who would risk everything for her. What was there to fear about dangers and treacherous people?

By the time Shen Wuzheng finished speaking, Shang Ruyi was no longer afraid.

She smiled and said, "I'll listen to you, brother. I'll be careful after we return to the palace."

Shen Wuzheng nodded.

Pei Xingyuan, who had been watching them with a slight smile, deliberately said, "Fuming, why are you nagging like an old woman? Besides, are you only concerned about your sister—Princess Qin? I'm in this carriage too, why didn't you remind me?"

"you?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Wuzheng frowned and glanced at him: "It's a blessing for us if you don't provoke others."

Pei Xingyuan glared at him: "Who did I offend?"

Shen Wuzheng said coldly, "Do you want me to say those three words?"

"I--"

Hearing this, Pei Xingyuan looked away guiltily, coughing several times while covering his mouth. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh, and Yuwen Ye shook his head slightly. After laughing, Yuwen Ye turned to lift the curtain and look outside. They were almost at the Dong residence, so he turned back to them and said, "Once we arrive at the Duke's residence, we should leave quickly after paying our respects. There's no need to linger."

Everyone nodded.

A short while later, the carriage stopped in front of the Dong residence. Although it was completely dark, the entire Dong residence was brightly lit, and the entrance was packed with people. It seemed that half of Chang'an's carriages and people had come here. The servants at the entrance were almost too busy to keep up with the crowd. Just as things were in chaos, someone announced, "His Highness Prince Qin has arrived!"

As soon as the sound rang out, the entire entrance to the Dong residence fell silent.

Everyone shut their mouths and turned around. Sure enough, they saw the tall and handsome Prince Qin, Yuwen Ye, walking slowly towards them with his heavily pregnant queen, dressed in plain clothes, followed by his two close friends and a group of servants.

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze. Everyone looked at each other with complicated expressions, but no one could say a word. They just silently backed away, and the originally crowded gate of the mansion was forced to make way for them. When Yuwen Ye walked step by step to the gate, everyone around him immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qin, Greetings, Princess Qin."

Yuwen Ye waved his hand dismissively: "Get up, all of you."

As soon as he finished speaking, several people dressed in mourning clothes came out of the gate. They were all from the Dong family. Their faces were covered in tears and their eyes were red, but they still had to suppress their grief and come forward to pay their respects to the Prince of Qin and the Princess of Qin. Yuwen Ye immediately helped them up and said, "The Duke of Qin has suffered such a disaster. Our Great Sheng has lost a pillar of the nation. You must accept this and move on."

Those people started crying again.

Shang Ruyi took the opportunity to offer a few words of comfort, and then sent someone to deliver the funeral gifts. The Dong family immediately led the way, guiding them inside.

As soon as they entered the gates of the Dong residence, the people outside who had been holding their breath finally breathed a sigh of relief. They began to whisper among themselves, and some couldn't help but mutter, "With the death of the Imperial Uncle, things are going to get complicated."

"How could the dignified Duke of Shenwu be hit by a stray arrow?"

"I've heard that although it was Duke Wushan who made the move, there was another one on the other side—who knows where the stray arrow came from."

"Shh, are you out of your mind?!"

"The Crown Prince and the King of Qin... this is really going to be a disaster!"

The murmurs outside were quickly drowned out by the commotion of the Buddhist and Taoist ritual taking place just a wall away. Yuwen Ye and his entourage entered the Dong residence, where everything was already prepared. White banners hung all around, and the mourning hall was fully equipped with incense tables and offerings. Behind the hall sat the enormous coffin, separated from the center of the hall by several banners. Because no candles were lit, the scene inside was obscured. In front of the main hall, Taoist priests and monks were performing a Buddhist and Taoist ritual, setting up a protective barrier, sprinkling holy water, sending out talismans, and chanting incantations. The noise was deafening, making everyone's heads buzz.

Shang Ruyi was six months pregnant and was most afraid of noise. At this moment, she was disturbed by such a commotion and subconsciously frowned.

Yuwen Ye immediately looked down at her, his gaze seeming to ask: Are you alright?

Shang Ruyi hurriedly shook her head at him, indicating that she was fine. Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye withdrew his gaze, thinking that he should finish the matter quickly so that he could take her away. So he immediately led Shang Ruyi into the mourning hall, took the incense offered by someone, and bowed to the memorial tablet.

After the deceased was bowed to, a servant immediately stepped forward to take the incense and place it in the burner.

Yuwen Ye turned around and said a few more words to the Dong family, which were naturally some words of comfort. However, as he spoke, his sharp eyes scanned his surroundings. After he finished speaking, he asked casually, "By the way, where is my imperial brother?"

Shang Ruyi looked around and realized that Yuwen Qian was not among the crowd.

As Dong Bizheng's nephew, he personally carried the coffin back, and looking so grief-stricken, he should have been staying at the mourning hall. Why is he not here at this time?

The Dong family members were momentarily stunned and subconsciously looked around.

Just then, a low, hoarse voice, sounding almost like it came from hell, came from behind the mourning hall: "I am here."