Chapter 309 Warning
It was late at night. All was quiet.
The night was exceptionally quiet and dark. The thick darkness completely obscured the entire river, and there was no moonlight or even a single star in the sky.
The streets and alleys were pitch black after nightfall, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
The long street resembled a mark left by thick ink, and the shops and houses lining both sides of the street were reduced to layers of outlines and shadows in the night, revealing a strange and eerie feeling upon closer inspection.
But in the pitch-black night, a small window let in a faint light.
This glimmer of light pierced through the night and spilled onto the long street, like a dim starlight obscured by clouds in the dark sky. It was almost impossible to see clearly even with the most careful observation, but it revealed its path when a figure walked by.
After passing through the dim light, the person stopped in front of a house.
This is a small, secluded courtyard with only two rooms, east and west. The lights in the east room were already off, blending into the deep night, while the lights in the west room were still on. It was the sliver of light shining through the small window that outlined the silhouette of the thin figure at the doorway.
The man reached out and gently knocked on the wooden door.
"Knock knock".
The two soft sounds in the night weren't too jarring, but immediately, the surroundings became quieter. The light shining through the window flickered, as if two figures had flashed by, before the light gradually dimmed, indicating that someone had carried a candlestick out of the west room. Through the courtyard, I heard footsteps, initially hurried, then growing steady as they drew closer, finally stopping inside the doorway.
A sliver of light shone through the crack in the door.
"who?"
In the darkness, a deep, strange voice rang out: "Is this the home of Deputy Commander Cheng?"
"..."
The room fell silent instantly. Spring had arrived, and the night breeze, which had been carrying a hint of warmth, suddenly turned cold and sharp. When the person inside spoke again, their deep voice seemed to carry a faint killing intent: "Who are you?"
"Please don't be nervous, Deputy Commander Cheng. I've come so late at night because I have something important to tell you."
"oh?"
The person inside remained silent for a while, whether in thought or waiting for something, it was unclear. After a moment, the sound of the bolt being pulled out was finally heard, and then the wooden door opened.
Behind the door was Cheng Qiao's kind face.
As soon as he opened the door, he immediately saw the person standing outside. This person was wearing a cloak with the hood pulled down low, almost covering half of his face. The moment the two faced each other, the person bowed to Cheng Qiao and said, "Deputy Commander."
Cheng Qiao frowned immediately: "You are—"
...
The night slowly passed in an indescribably somber atmosphere.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one for many, including Shang Ruyi, whose eyes, though darker than the night itself, remained wide open, watching the faint morning light filtering through the window and listening to the sounds that gradually emerged from the stillness around her.
As dawn broke, when Wo Xue and her men came to help her get up and wash, they noticed that her eyes were slightly swollen and red.
Wo Xue asked softly, "Didn't the young mistress sleep well?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her but didn't tell her that she hadn't slept all night.
Wo Xue could tell something was wrong, and said softly, "But today, His Majesty is taking the young mistress out for a spring outing. What if the young mistress isn't feeling well?"
Shang Ruyi washed her face and became a little more awake.
Then he said, "It's not certain that I can go."
Yesterday, she said those things to Chu Yang, and yet she miraculously survived—even when Eunuch Yu brought her back, he said that this was unprecedented in recent years, which shows how special she is to the emperor. But Shang Ruyi knows in her heart that what allowed her to survive was not her "specialness," but rather a kind of "specialness" that Chu Yang himself needed.
But no matter what, she still hurt Chu Yang.
After that, the kitchen delivered a table full of exquisite dishes. Two palace maids specifically told her that two of the dishes were specially ordered by Chu Yang to be made by the kitchen, as he wanted the two of them to dine together that night.
But in the end, he only took a bite or two, and watched as the table full of food and drinks was cleared away, leaving him all alone.
Therefore, whether or not the outing and garden party for the Cold Food Festival can take place today is something Shang Ruyi herself doesn't know. Perhaps in her heart, she doesn't even want it to happen.
Even at this point, Chu Yang was completely unable to regain consciousness.
After having breakfast, and indeed no one came to invite her, Shang Ruyi drank a cup of tea to refresh herself, but still couldn't help but yawn. Wo Xue said softly, "Madam, why don't you take a nap while there's nothing else to do? Fortunately, it's quiet today."
Shang Ruyi shook her head.
But after thinking about it, she couldn't help but glance outside again: "Yes, it's so quiet today."
Although the palace she was in was within the inner palace, where few people moved around and the commotion of the court officials outside did not affect her, it was always quiet and conducive to recuperation. But today was different.
It's too quiet...
In fact, it wasn't just quiet; the atmosphere surrounding the palace seemed excessively quiet.
She couldn't help but walk to the door. The scenery outside was as beautiful as ever. Moreover, because of Chu Yang's instructions yesterday, the palace servants had decorated these places overnight. Various exquisite and delicate glass lanterns hung under the eaves, and the tassels hanging from the lanterns swayed gently in the wind. Under the porch, various flowers were displayed, some real and some fake gauze flowers, but they all looked lifelike and were simply breathtaking.
If I were a younger version of myself, seeing such a view, I would probably be overjoyed.
But now, seeing this scenery—she is still at a loss, but more so, she is uneasy and at a loss.
Just then, a young palace maid came over carrying a food box and said softly, "Madam."
When Shang Ruyi saw what was in her hand, she frowned and said, "Didn't I just have breakfast? Why are you bringing me more?"
The young palace maid said softly, "This wasn't sent from the kitchen."
"No? Then this is—"
"It was Deputy Commander Cheng who instructed me to pass it on to Madam."
"Deputy Commander Cheng? Cheng Qiao?"
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment.
When I met Cheng Qiao before, although he was loyal to Yuwen Ye, the two were not familiar with each other. After exchanging a few words, we parted ways, and I did not take his words "If you need anything, just tell him" to heart.
But why would he suddenly send something today?
The young palace maid was also somewhat uneasy.
In fact, although Shang Ruyi lived in the inner palace, her status was special and she could not be considered a concubine, so it was not taboo for outsiders to give her things. However, she was still afraid. After putting down the box, she bowed and turned to leave.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then walked over and opened the box.
Inside were several kinds of pastries.
During the Cold Food Festival, fires are forbidden and only cold food is eaten, so exchanging pastries is not a new custom.
Shang Ruyi still found it strange. She picked up a piece of Bai Su You Gao (a type of fried dough cake) and took a bite. It was sweet and delicious, and there was nothing unusual about it. She also looked at the dumpling next to her and there was nothing wrong with it either.
Could it be that he really just sent some pastries?
At this moment, Wo Xue whispered, "Madam, let me get you a plate to serve you this."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Although Wo Xue is Chu Yang's person, she doesn't hide anything from him. In fact, Chu Yang can't possibly hide anything from her in Jiangdu Palace. So, Chu Yang will probably find out about the pastries that Cheng Qiao sent.
Soon, Wo Xue brought over a plate and used chopsticks to pick out the pastries from the food box one by one and arrange them on the plate.
But just after the last piece of cake was taken away, Shang Ruyi was suddenly startled!
That's when she realized that there seemed to be a hidden layer underneath those pastries!
At this moment, she hesitated whether to open it in front of Wo Xue, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that Wo Xue had also discovered it. After thinking about it, she decided not to hide it anymore, reached out and pulled, and sure enough, there was another layer at the bottom of the food box.
Inside, there was a silk handkerchief.
Shang Ruyi was taken aback—a silk handkerchief? What does that mean?
Although exchanging handkerchiefs between men and women signifies mutual longing, she absolutely did not believe that Cheng Qiao would have such thoughts. A person who always remembered the kindness received and sought to repay it would never have such wicked intentions.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi reached out and picked up the silk handkerchief.
The handkerchief was as soft as water, and it fell and unfolded as soon as it was in her hand. Shang Ruyi saw at a glance that there was a knife cut in one corner of the handkerchief!
knife! ?
A sudden chill ran down her spine. She quickly unfolded the handkerchief and examined the knife closely. She gasped in shock.
Because the shape of this knife is exactly the same as the knife drawn in the warning letter she received when Yuwen Ye's attack on Xingluocang was blocked in Luoyang!
She was almost certain that the drawing in the letter and the pattern on the handkerchief in front of her were definitely done by the same person!
This person has appeared again!
The warning she received last time was that someone was planning to attack Yuwen Ye from behind when he attacked Xingluocang. She rushed to his rescue. In fact, just as the painting in the letter foretold, after Yuwen Ye captured Xingluocang, the supervising officer Kou Yunliang led his troops to surround them. If she hadn't made arrangements for Jiang Kesheng to take action, they would have really suffered a great loss that time.
And this time—
Shang Ruyi looked down at the knife and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Looking at Shang Ruyi's suddenly pale face and then at the pattern on the handkerchief, Wo Xue couldn't help but ask softly, "Young Madam, is there something wrong with this handkerchief?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi suddenly took a deep breath and turned to look at her: "Where is His Majesty?"
"What?"
"Where is His Majesty? Take me to him immediately!"
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