Chapter 846 Moonlight Night

Yuwen Ye asked softly, "Where did you go?"

Shen Wuzheng bent down, about to say something, but seeing that many people around him were staring at them, even Yuwen Qian's semi-transparent, yet unusually deep eyes were smiling, intentionally or unintentionally glancing over.

Shen Wuzheng said, "It's nothing, I just chatted with the people over there for a few minutes."

Yuwen Ye glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

The atmosphere in the hall was lively, even if it was a forced liveliness imposed by the emperor. Everyone forced smiles and told harmless jokes. Finally, the sunlight on the ground slowly tilted, lengthened, and then gradually faded, merging with the surrounding dim light.

Finally, it's almost 7 PM.

After autumn arrives, it gets dark very quickly. When you hear the lively sounds of gongs and drums and laughter coming from the street outside, it is already almost dark. Yuanzi, curled up in her swaddling clothes, keeps yawning. Startled by the noise outside, she pouts and is about to cry.

Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye had already stood up and straightened their clothes, ready to attend the ceremony. She turned back and looked at Tu She'er again, whispering, "Take Yuanzi to the side hall first, so he doesn't actually cry on such a joyous occasion."

Tushe'er said, "This servant understands."

So he turned around and hurriedly took the swaddled baby downstairs.

The lively sounds grew closer, and even the gloomy sky was illuminated by the torches and lanterns outside, creating a brilliant halo. Shang Ruyi stood in front of the hall, watching the light gradually approach, and the noisy sounds grew louder as well. She clearly heard the bride being helped down from the golden carriage, a flash of light as the bride stepped over a brazier, someone placing something heavily on the ground, eliciting a burst of laughter. It seemed someone had lowered the saddle for the bride to step over, and then the bridesmaids sang in unison.

As the song played, a pair of graceful figures slowly walked in.

Walking on the left was the groom, dressed in red, almost blending into the lively atmosphere around him. The green figure was a graceful and beautiful woman, holding a fan to conceal her lovely face. However, Shang Ruyi could still see that behind the semi-transparent fan, her already striking face was exquisitely made up, and because of this heavy makeup, she exuded a joy that even the fan could not hide.

Yu Mingyue finally got her wish.

Although she had been so arrogant in front of Chengqing Gate, looking down on herself for wanting to give Yuwen Ye a son and despising the life of a woman who marries, Shang Ruyi understood that she had always wanted to marry Yuwen Qian.

It's just unknown whether she wants to be Yuwen Qian's wife or the Crown Princess of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

My thoughts were in turmoil when a newlywed couple appeared before me.

At this moment, Yuwen Yuan sat in the main hall, just as he had when he watched his second son get married. Although he had hesitated many times before, when he actually saw the perfect couple walking in front of him, a gratified smile appeared on his face. He stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly.

Immediately, the emcee shouted—

"First bow to Heaven and Earth."

"Bowing to the parents twice."

"Husband and wife bow to each other!"

Although they were not happy about this preordained marriage, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi were all smiles on the surface. They even clapped their hands when the master of ceremonies shouted "The ceremony is complete." The hall was bustling with activity. Whether people were genuinely congratulating the newlyweds or just trying to be cheerful because of the emperor, the laughter and cheers almost lifted the roof off.

Then, the newlyweds went to their bridal chamber.

Normally, after escorting the newlyweds to their bridal chamber, there would be male and female attendants to make a ruckus. If there were many distinguished guests, the groom would have to return to the banquet to drink with them. However, when they got married, Yuwen Ye's friends let him off the hook, so the two of them had an extremely "peaceful" wedding night.

As for Yuwen Qian... firstly, he was aloof and had no friends except his subjects, so no one dared to cause a scene at the wedding banquet. The officials who attended the banquet were well aware that the wedding was being held not long after the death of his uncle, who was very important to him, and the profound meaning of the event was self-evident. Therefore, not many people went to make a scene, and everyone sat down and ate and drank under the care of the steward.

After observing the ceremony, Yuwen Yuan also returned to the palace.

Although His Majesty the Emperor usually kept his emotions hidden, they all understood that he had very complicated feelings about this marriage. Even so, he was still happy to be celebrating such a joyous occasion, especially the one for his eldest son, whom he had always been most concerned about. Before leaving, he even reminded Shang Ruyi, "Yuanzi is still young, don't let the noise here frighten him."

Shang Ruyi hurriedly replied, "Your subject understands."

After seeing off the Emperor and returning to the Crown Prince's residence, everyone took their seats. The atmosphere was lively with clinking glasses and laughter. Even Pei Xingyuan was in high spirits and pulled Yuwen Ye to sit down so he could drink. Several other ministers also came forward to offer toasts.

That night, there was no way he could escape.

Shang Ruyi could only give a few instructions to Pei Xingyuan not to go too far, and then she turned to look around. Yuwen Yuan's words just now reminded her that she had asked Tu She'er to take Yuanzi downstairs, but why hadn't she come back yet?

So she got up and walked towards the side hall.

Compared to the noisy main hall, this place was much quieter. Only the maids who delivered wine and dishes were busy going back and forth. Shang Ruyi wanted to ask someone, but she didn't want to disturb them, so she could only walk along the corridor and soon walked out of the front hall.

Before me, the night had suddenly descended.

Because the front hall was brightly lit, she almost forgot that it was already late, so late that she could hardly see anything. But in the darkness, she could barely make out a shimmering expanse of water ahead. This Crown Prince's residence not only had a well-proportioned layout and pleasant scenery, but also a small lake in the back garden. A stream of fresh water was drawn from somewhere, and under the moonlight, the lake was tranquil, reflecting the moonlight and creating shimmering waves.

Could it be that Tushe'er brought Yuanzi here by chance?

Knowing that this girl always liked to cause trouble, Shang Ruyi continued walking forward even though no one was with her. As she walked, she looked around along the lakeside. Sure enough, under a willow tree ahead, she saw a figure that was somewhat blurry, illuminated by the interplay of moonlight and water.

Shang Ruyi immediately stepped forward: "What are you doing here?"

She choked on her own words as soon as she finished speaking.

Upon hearing her voice, the figure seemed to tremble, its eyes, which had been fixed on the tranquil water, slowly turning to look at her.

Under the moonlight, those translucent pupils seemed to be covered in frost.