Chapter 70: As I wish, as I wish, as I wish. Just as I wish, please show up soon! …
The night was dark and covered with thick clouds, which obscured the cold moon in the sky.
The area around the East Palace was silent, with only the faint sound of footsteps of patrolling guards coming from a distance, which then gradually faded away.
Feiyun was wearing a dark brown palace dress with her collar tightly closed. She was quietly hidden in the shadows until she stood in front of the East Palace gate. Then she took a deep breath, raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.
The knocks on the door were particularly clear in the silent night.
The maidservant at the gate opened the door and asked as usual. Feiyun lowered her head and said respectfully, "I am here on the orders of the Regent Princess to see the Crown Princess."
The young palace maid was in great trouble and couldn't make up her mind, so she had to ask Feiyun to wait for a while while she went to report it first.
Soon, impatient footsteps were heard from inside the gate, and then the light of a palace lantern shone through the crack in the door, and the door creaked open a crack.
A figure appeared at the door, and in the dim light, Feiyun saw the familiar face.
Ruyi was wearing a thin silk coat, and the light made her brows look even sharper. She looked up at Feiyun with a bit of annoyance, and said in a very unfriendly tone: "It's so late, what are you doing here?"
Ruyi clicked her tongue, her eyes full of impatience, and sneered.
"Don't you see what time it is? Our queen has gone to bed a long time ago. How can you see her whenever you want?"
She crossed her arms and glanced at Feiyun, "Go back and come back tomorrow."
After saying that, she pretended to close the door, leaving no room for maneuver.
Seeing this, Feiyun quickly stepped forward, grabbed her sleeve, and said in a cautious and flattering tone: "Sister, wait a moment."
Ruyi frowned suddenly and shook her hand away.
She brushed the arm that Feiyun had touched with disgust, "Who is your sister? Stop calling me that. Why are you trying to get close to me?"
"If you have something to say, just say it. If not, get out of here and don't waste my time here!"
Her tone was urgent and aggressive, and it was obvious that she didn't want to waste any more words with Feiyun.
Feiyun was not angry at all, and still smiled, as if Ruyi's cold face and scolding just now had not fallen on her at all. Instead, her expression was gentle, and she whispered: "Good sister, in fact, I came here today not to ask to see the Crown Princess, but to find you on purpose."
Ruyi was slightly stunned and narrowed her eyes vigilantly.
"Looking for me?"
"Exactly."
Feiyun nodded with a smile and looked up at her, "Sister, how about we go to a place where it's convenient for us to talk?"
Ruyi's eyes turned cold, and she immediately frowned: "I don't have the time for this. If you have nothing else, you can leave."
As she spoke, she was about to close the door.
Feiyun was quick-witted and took a step forward. With his shoulder, he blocked the door directly. With an unchanged smile, he whispered in her ear: "Good sister, I went to Yangzhou with our young lady a few days ago..."
Ruyi's movements paused, and he suddenly tightened his grip, his knuckles gradually turning white, but he did not continue to close the door.
Feiyun looked at her reaction, curled the corners of his lips slightly, and continued slowly: "Sister, your mother...has a few words for me to tell you."
The night breeze was cool, blowing gently, causing the corners of Feiyun's skirt to flutter slightly, and also making Ruyi's face turn pale in an instant, and the vigilance in her eyes turned into astonishment and panic in an instant.
Her hands tightened unconsciously, and she turned her eyes to stare at Feiyun. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.
The night seemed to grow even darker.
When Ruyi returned to the East Palace in a daze, it was already late at night. The palace lanterns outside the palace cast her shadow, which looked lonely and desolate.
Her steps were light and she felt uneasy, as if her whole body was blown by the night wind.
Inside the bedroom, Tang Lin'er had finished serving the emperor and was bathing in the clean room. The warm water mixed with rose juice in the bathtub was emitting mist, which made her fair skin look as smooth as jade.
She leaned lazily on the edge of the bathtub, squinting her eyes, one hand immersed in the water and paddling slowly, the other hand casually resting on the edge of the tub, her whole body exuding relaxation and comfort.
There were two little palace maids beside her, one wiping her arms and the other gently combing her loose long hair.
Hearing footsteps, Ruyi walked in. Tang Lin'er didn't even raise her eyelids, but asked lazily: "Where have you been? Why haven't you been seen for so long?"
Ruyi paused, looked up at her wet long hair, and without saying a word, she walked over quietly, took the golden comb from the little palace maid's hand, skillfully lifted her hair, and combed it for her one by one.
The air is quiet and the sound of water is gentle.
After a long while, Ruyi whispered, "Just now... I felt a little uncomfortable in my stomach."
After hearing this, Tang Lin'er finally opened her eyes and looked at her with a little concern.
"Is it serious? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"No." She pretended to call for help, "I'll ask the imperial physician to come and check you out."
Ruyi paused for a moment with the golden comb in her hand, then shook her head gently, her voice still steady: "I'm feeling better now, so I dare to come over to serve the young lady."
Tang Lin'er raised her eyes to observe her expression, and seeing that she did not look in pain, she gave up and leaned lazily back to the bucket.
She raised her hand and waved away the two palace maids beside her. After the palace door closed, she sighed softly and said quietly, "Now in this East Palace, except for you, I don't want to use anyone else."
She turned her head to look at Ruyi, her eyes softened a little, and there was a hint of sincerity in her tone.
"You treat me the best, no one else can compare to you."
"I know your loyalty, and I also know it has not been easy for you these years. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."
She promised confidently, her eyes flickering slightly, as if she had already seen herself climbing up step by step.
"When I get the throne, you will certainly benefit from it."
Ruyi lowered her eyes, still combing her long hair with the golden comb on her fingertips, and whispered: "Miss, I am very grateful for your kindness to me."
Her voice was gentle, almost with a sigh, and after a pause, she continued: "Young lady has treated my mother very well..."
At this point, she paused for a moment, and asked in a low voice as if inadvertently, "I wonder if my mother's shop is still running smoothly?"
Tang Lin'er was immersed in her grand plans for the future, and when she heard this, her expression suddenly froze and her eyes dodged slightly.
The water in the tub rippled slightly. She was silent for a moment before she laughed and asked casually, "Why did you bring this up all of a sudden?"
She raised her hand to lift up a few strands of wet hair, twisted them gently, and said lightly: "No news is good news."
"I heard someone say a while ago that your mother's illness has improved a lot."
Ruyi lowered her eyes and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
She tightened her grip on the golden comb slightly, the smile on her lips remained unchanged, and she only whispered, "Thank you, Miss."
Tang Lin'er didn't notice her strangeness and just waved her hand, "Now is the critical moment, just stay by my side and serve me."
"When I ascend the throne, I will grant you a few days' leave so that you can go back and visit her."
"Um......"
Ruyi responded softly, without any strangeness in her voice. She slowly gathered Tang Lin'er's hair with her fingertips and combed it again and again. Her movements were as gentle and skillful as ever.
But the depth in her eyes gradually sank under the dim light in the hall and hid in the boundless night.
The moon was setting in the west, and soft silver light was spreading across the courtyard, casting a gentle halo over the entire Shen Mansion.
Shen Xingwan leaned on the couch in her former boudoir, a smile on her lips, and listened leisurely to Feiyun's vivid description of Ruyi's ugly face when she left.
Feiyun was so excited when he spoke that he even started gesticulating, his eyes full of sly pride.
Shen Xingwan smiled lightly, the teacup tilted slightly, and ripples appeared in the green tea.
Just as she was about to ask a few more questions, a noisy sound suddenly broke through the night, mixed with the sound of hurried footsteps, and someone shouted excitedly: "The eldest young master is back! The eldest young master is really back!"
Shen Xingwan's heart trembled violently, and the teacup in his hand fell on the small table beside the couch with a bang. He lifted the brocade quilt and hurried out the door.
Feiyun behind him was also startled and stood up, hurriedly ran two steps, then suddenly remembered something, turned back quickly, took a cloak from the shelf, quickly caught up with Shen Xingwan, and put the cloak on her shoulders.
It was a chilly night, and her young lady ran out wearing only her middle shirt, which was really careless.
But Shen Xingwan didn't care about all these at the moment. He just gathered his cloak together and ran towards the gate of the mansion at the speed of the wind.
The night wind whistled in her ears, her heart was beating so fast that even her steps felt a little unsteady.
The lights in front of the mansion were already on, and the place was bustling with people. The servants were so excited that even the air at night was filled with ecstasy.
Prime Minister Shen and his wife were also shocked by the news and hurried over from the main courtyard. Mrs. Shen looked panicked and almost staggered all the way. Although Prime Minister Shen's face was still calm, it could be seen that his hands were shaking slightly.
Shen Xingwan rushed over, supported her mother who was crying excitedly, patted her hand gently, and comforted her: "Mom, stop crying, let's go over and take a look."
Madam Shen held her hand tightly, unable to hold back her tears, her lips trembling, but she could not speak, she just kept nodding.
Prime Minister Shen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, "Quick, go and take a look."
Everyone went to the gate of the mansion.
Outside the mansion, a dusty carriage was speeding towards them. There were still spots of mud on the carriage, and it was obvious that it had just returned from a long journey.
Shen Yunchao was sitting outside the car and driving the car himself. He was wearing a slightly worn black robe. Although his collar was stained with frost, his expression was still handsome, and his brows showed a bit of calmness and sharpness after experiencing life and death.
He pulled the reins hard, the horse neighed softly, the wheels swayed slightly, and finally stopped in front of the mansion gate.
Shen Yunchao turned over, took a step with his long legs, and walked quickly towards the gate of the mansion.
"Mother!"
Mrs. Shen could no longer hold back, and ran over crying, hugged him tightly, looked him up and down, touched his face with trembling fingers, and sobbed.
"My son! You are finally back! Where have you been? I was so scared..."
Shen Yunchao was stunned, his eyes became red, and he put his arms around his mother.
"Mother, I'm sorry to have worried you. My child is back."
Prime Minister Shen was also very excited. Although he was not as out of control as Madam Shen, tears flashed in his eyes and his voice was a little choked: "It's good to be back, it's good to be back..."
Shen Xingwan's eyes were sore, but she still had some rationality. She hurriedly whispered, "Don't cry at the door yet. Turn off the lights and go into the house quickly."
Prime Minister Shen then realized what was going on, looked around, and quickly told everyone to turn off the lights and return home.
Before he finished speaking, Shen Yunchao suddenly raised his hand and said, "Wait."
Everyone was stunned. Madam Shen still held her son's arm tightly with one hand. Prime Minister Shen frowned and looked at him. Shen Xingwan also looked at him in confusion.
Shen Yunchao did not explain. He turned around, strode towards the weathered carriage, and reached out to lift the curtain.
The night wind blew by, gently rolling up a corner of the car curtain, and a slender figure slowly emerged from the car.
The flickering candlelight illuminated a beautiful face.
The woman's complexion was whiter than snow, her features were picturesque, and even though her clothes were stained with dust, she still couldn't conceal her graceful and elegant demeanor.
She looked at everyone quietly, with anxiety in her eyes, but she forced herself to remain calm and maintain her composure.
Everyone was immediately shocked.
Princess Guang'an, who was supposed to be sent to the northern border to marry a foreign prince, is now sitting upright in Shen Yunchao's carriage?
For a moment, the night was silent, and the atmosphere in front of the gate of the Shen Mansion seemed to be stagnant. Only the night wind blew gently, rolling up the fallen leaves on the ground, making a rustling sound.
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