Chapter 382 Entering the Palace
Shang Ruyi looked up at him again.
In the darkness of night, her eyes were like the surface of a lake under the moonlight. They could have been calm and still, but at this moment a stone was thrown in, which not only shattered her self-perceived tranquility, but also made them flicker and sway, in complete disarray.
Looking into her eyes, Yuwen Ye's gaze deepened.
Just as the two were speechless, yet the silence seemed to carry an indescribable ambiguous feeling that was almost irresistible, a night breeze suddenly blew by.
The slight coolness calmed Shang Ruyi down instantly.
What is she thinking?
With just this thought, she immediately became more clear-headed. When she looked up at Yuwen Ye again, the flicker and tremor in her eyes had disappeared. Although she had suppressed it, Yuwen Ye, seeing those suddenly cold eyes, felt a momentary choke.
Nothing seemed to have happened, yet it felt like a lot had occurred.
Shang Ruyi lowered her head in a fluster and said softly, "It's getting late."
The implication was that it was time to go back and rest.
"..."
Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while, then seemed to sigh softly, but didn't say anything more. He simply turned around and walked forward silently. Shang Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly followed in his footsteps.
Before long, they entered a courtyard.
This is a courtyard located in the northeast corner of the Duke's mansion. The place is spacious, but there are no flowers, trees, or shrubs. There are several cracks in the bluestone slabs on the ground. Shang Ruyi knew at a glance that it must have been caused by him practicing martial arts here in the past. No wonder the courtyard is so empty.
However, it must have been many years since he last returned to this place, yet the place is filled with his presence from the inside out.
Yuwen Ye stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Suddenly, another gust of night wind blew past the two of them and into the somewhat empty room.
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide in surprise, looking at the room in front of her. In a daze, she seemed to have returned to the Yuwen Mansion in Taiyuan, or as if she had just stepped into the Duke's Mansion in Luoyang, the Eastern Capital. This room was almost exactly the same as her previous residence, only a little larger.
It was bigger, but also more spacious. There were still few furnishings and utensils. Like almost any ordinary room, a huge wooden screen divided the room into two parts: an outer room for receiving guests, with two or three low tables, a few blankets, and a bronze incense burner next to the main seat. As Yuwen Ye walked in, she slowly followed him in. The inner room also had only a large bed, and a table with upturned corners placed by the window, which seemed to be where he read and wrote letters.
That's all.
Shang Ruyi looked around again and again, and couldn't help but say, "This place is exactly the same as your room in Taiyuan Prefecture and Dongdu."
Yuwen Ye looked at her with a smile on his lips and said, "I told you this a long time ago."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and turned to look at him.
Yuwen Ye said, "Back then, I said I'd bring you to Daxing City to see my room sometime. Now you've seen it, I wasn't lying to you."
"..."
Shang Ruyi seemed somewhat dazed.
Yes, he did say that when they first arrived in Dongdu and entered his room—in fact, she remembered it too.
I just didn't expect that even he himself would remember.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and Tushe'er's voice drifted into the room on the night breeze—
"So, that Wo Xue is the real villain!"
"She's such a good actress. I thought she was just an innocent little girl, but I didn't expect her to be so good at hiding her true feelings. You can know a person's face but not their heart."
"If it weren't for her, our young lady wouldn't have suffered so much this time."
Shang Ruyi turned around and vaguely saw her and Chang Wan walking in carrying bags of luggage. She chattered away the whole way, while Chang Wan listened attentively without saying a word. Finally, she said, "So it's her."
"Yes,"
Tushe'er said, "I used to think you weren't a good person, but it turns out she wasn't. Changwan, I'll never misjudge you again."
Chang Wan glanced at her, chuckled, and then said, "Oh."
Standing in the room, Shang Ruyi almost laughed, but then felt a little embarrassed. Her maid was so silly that it made her, the mistress, seem less clever as well.
Sure enough, Yuwen Ye, who was standing next to her, twitched his shoulders slightly, as if he were smiling.
But when Shang Ruyi looked at him, he had a serious expression on his face.
Fortunately, at this moment, Tushe'er and Changwan had already entered. As soon as they saw the door open, the two immediately went into the inner room. Upon seeing them, they hurriedly bowed. Tushe'er said happily, "Miss, you've already returned."
"..."
Shang Ruyi glared at her, annoyed.
Chang Wan, standing to the side, also had a half-smile on her face, but she maintained a calm expression and said softly, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, you're finally back. I've already boiled hot water and prepared it over there, so you can bathe at any time."
Yuwen Ye coughed lightly before saying, "I'll go wash up first. You get ready."
After saying that, he walked out.
Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised. Usually, he would let her go first, but today, he went to take a bath without even asking her, which was a bit impolite.
But thinking about it, it's just a small matter like taking a bath; who goes first or last isn't really a matter of manners.
So she sat down to one side and had Tushe'er help her take her hair off. On the other side, Changwan opened the luggage she had brought back and began to pack it up piece by piece. Shang Ruyi watched her busy figure and said softly, "You must have suffered a lot these days."
Changwan hurriedly replied, "What I've suffered is nothing."
As she spoke, she added with some guilt, "If only I had been more alert at that time."
Shang Ruyi knew she was referring to being abducted by Wo Xue, and simply smiled faintly—in a way, some things are destined. Perhaps even Heaven wanted her to go to Jiangdu, not for any other reason than to accompany that person through the final leg of their lonely life. So, even if it wasn't Wo Xue, there would probably have been someone else, another path, leading her south to Jiangdu.
Even if she were given the choice, she might not have a second option—even if it left her with such a nightmare.
This journey may have been arduous, even painful, but I have no regrets.
So she said calmly, "Let's not talk about that."
Chang Wan immediately replied, "Yes."
Seeing that she was packing her clothes again, Shang Ruyi suddenly said, "By the way, where is the jewelry box that my mother gave me from Dongdu?"
Changwan hurriedly said, "I kept it in a box in the side room. Does Madam want to see it?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Bring it here first, I'll talk to you later."
"yes."
Changwan hurriedly went out to get it.
After she left, Tushe'er said again, "Now that I see her, she's efficient and doesn't talk much. She's really a good person. I used to always dislike her, but now it seems that those who can say nice things aren't necessarily good people."
Shang Ruyi was so angry that she lost her temper. After a long while, she rolled her eyes and said, "You, you should use your brain."
"ah?"
Tushe'er was taken aback, looking at her young mistress's helpless expression in the bronze mirror.
Shang Ruyi said, "How can you be like this, blurting out everything, like a bamboo basket without a mouth?"
Tushe'er thought for a moment and said, "But I didn't say anything I shouldn't have. Everyone knows that Wo Xue is a bad person. I misjudged Chang Wan. Now I want to make up with her, and that's what I really think."
"..."
"I think that it's better to say it out loud when you're kind to someone."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart stirred slightly, and she looked up at Tu She'er's bright eyes in the bronze mirror.
After a long pause, she laughed and said, "How do you know you misjudged her?"
Tushe'er said, "Miss, you don't know, do you? I just heard from my family that after I went to Jiangdu Palace with my husband, Changwan took care of your things all the way back to Taiyuan and then to Daxing City. I heard that once when we were crossing a river, one of your things fell into the river, and she risked her life to jump in and retrieve it."
"……oh?"
"But she didn't tell Miss. If I hadn't told her, Miss wouldn't have known either."
"..."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "It must have been hard for her."
Tushe'er said, "From now on, I will no longer be estranged from her. We will serve you well together, and you will no longer have to worry about anyone plotting against you."
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment, then said, "You don't want Wo Xue to come back at all, do you?"
"return?!"
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er's eyes widened.
She could hardly believe her ears and asked in surprise, "Miss, do you mean you want her to come back and serve you again?"
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, she just looked at her.
Tushe'er was even more incredulous: "Miss, you wouldn't really have such a thought, would you?"
"..."
"She, she's going to hurt you."
Shang Ruyi was silent for a while before saying softly, "She also had no choice."
Tushe'er frowned, and after thinking for a long time, she said softly, "So, Miss left her behind before, and has been taking her with her all this way?"
"..."
"Miss, you should think this through. Even the madam said, 'Once a man is unfaithful, he will never be trusted again.'"
"..."
"She schemed against Miss like that, who can guarantee what will happen in the future—"
Upon hearing her words, Shang Ruyi fell silent for a moment. After a while, she said softly, "Alright, I was just saying. Let's discuss this matter later."
As she spoke, she took off her earrings and placed them on the table.
Turning around, she saw that Yuwen Ye had already finished bathing, wearing a thin long robe, his hair still a little damp. He had returned to the room at some point. Shang Ruyi immediately said, "You, you're done bathing."
"Um."
Yuwen Ye looked at her long hair, which was loose and disheveled, yet it made her look more gentle than when her hair was neatly styled. His gaze deepened.
After a while, he turned his face to one side and said, "You should go take a bath too, so you can rest early afterwards."
"Oh, okay."
Shang Ruyi nodded and asked Tu She'er to accompany her to take a bath. After a comfortable bath, she felt much refreshed. However, when she returned to her room, Yuwen Ye was nowhere to be seen.
She asked instinctively, "Where is he?"
Chang Wan was packing her luggage when she heard this and said softly, "The Second Young Master just went out."
"They went out?"
Shang Ruyi was a little confused. She had just returned home, so why was he going out again?
So he asked, "Where did he go?"
Chang Wan hesitated for a moment, glanced at Shang Ruyi, and then cautiously said, "It seems that the Second Young Master... went to the palace."
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