Chapter 390 A Decisive Decision
Upon seeing the person's appearance, everyone present gasped in shock.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi forgot to breathe and her heartbeat. She just stared wide-eyed at the fair-skinned, plump eunuch in front of her, whose face was without a single wrinkle, yet whose eyes and brows were filled with the dust and sorrow of these past days.
Eunuch Yu?!
How did he end up here?
How could he—
Just as Shang Ruyi's mind was in turmoil, the people around her were also in a state of chaos.
No one even had time to think about why he was able to return from Jiangdu Palace, why he was here, or even why he was still alive. Just hearing that one sentence was enough to shock everyone.
Even Ji Hong showed a hint of surprise, and said in a hoarse voice, "You, Yu, Eunuch Yu?"
“That’s our family.”
As soon as Eunuch Yu emerged from the main hall, perhaps because it was too dark and oppressive inside, he seemed to sway slightly as he came out to face everyone. Only when he looked down at Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi standing side by side below did a faint smile appear on his pale face.
He said, "Can you all trust what I say?"
"..."
"With our words as evidence, do you all think they can be taken seriously?"
"..."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Not only could they not answer the question, they had also forgotten the meaning of the question.
While Shang Ruyi stared blankly as Eunuch Yu came out and said those words, a sudden thought flashed through her mind. She remembered that on their journey back from Jiangdu Palace, Yuwen Ye seemed to have been accompanied by a special person, but he had never shown himself. Later, when they passed Songzhou, they switched from waterway to land route, but that person did not disembark and instead continued to travel by water with them.
Only then did she finally understand.
So it was Grandpa Jade!
At that time, Yuwen Ye sent people to rescue her in Jiangdu Palace, but because Chu Yang took her to the Bright Hall, the people who infiltrated the inner palace only found Wo Xue and took her away; now it seems that since they found Wo Xue, how could they not find Eunuch Yu?
Therefore, Eunuch Yu left Jiangdu Palace with them.
only--
Why did Grandpa Yu follow them?
Moreover, judging from the situation along the way, their relationship does not seem to be just that of an eunuch serving the late emperor and a general assisting the state; rather, there is an unspoken understanding between them.
At this moment, countless thoughts in Shang Ruyi's mind seemed to transform into invisible threads, wrapping around her and almost suffocating her.
Just as she was starting to feel breathless, her fingertips were gently pinched again.
The pinch sent a jolt through her body, like an electric shock. She shuddered and turned to meet Yuwen Ye's cold, yet bright eyes, like guiding stars in the night.
He mouthed to her, "Breathe."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi was startled again before she suddenly came to her senses.
From the moment Eunuch Yu appeared, she had forgotten to breathe, and now it felt as if even her heartbeat was about to stop.
No wonder I felt like I was electrocuted when he pinched my fingertip.
She quickly regained her breathing and heartbeat, and was immediately a little out of breath. Yuwen Ye's lips curled slightly, but he didn't say anything, only raising his head. At this moment, the people around also came to their senses. Their eyes were complicated as they looked at each other. After a long while, someone asked in a subtle tone, "Eunuch Yu, what are you doing here?"
Yu Gonggong stepped forward, glanced at the man, then looked around at the crowd whose eyes and expressions were almost identical to the man's. He smiled faintly and said, "You must all be wondering why I am still alive."
"..."
"The late emperor has passed away. Our family should indeed die for our sovereign to repay the emperor's kindness."
Upon hearing this, everyone sighed softly once again.
Suddenly, Eunuch Yu's eyes reddened, and he said with deep sorrow and resentment, "But—Wang Shaoji led the Imperial Guards in rebellion against the court, causing chaos in Jiangdu Palace. The late Emperor was forced to commit suicide in the Hall of Brightness. We cannot allow him to distort the truth and spout lies. I spared my life, fled Jiangdu, and returned to Daxing City to report this matter to the Empress Dowager and to expose it to the world, so that this villain's evil deeds will have nowhere to hide!"
At this point, he glanced at Shang Ruyi again, and then addressed the crowd: "I just didn't expect that you would all be deceived by Wang Shaoji and instead start fighting amongst yourselves."
"..."
"Haven't you all considered that the Duke of Sheng is utterly loyal to the court, and the Yuwen family has devoted themselves to the country? How could Yuwen Shaofu possibly commit treason and murder the emperor?"
"..."
"If she had truly committed regicide, how could she dare to attend today's Buddhist ceremony?"
His words not only corroborated his own experience, but also brought up the entire Yuwen family.
You must understand that the current Duke of Sheng is all-powerful in the court, and he even supported the new emperor. If this is denied here, it is tantamount to denying the court they are serving!
Who would dare say such a thing? And who would dare to harbor such doubts?
Sure enough, everyone present fell silent.
However, not everyone was convinced by his self-justification. Ji Hong lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his head, took two steps forward with his cane, and walked down the steps. He said to Eunuch Yu, "I understand what Eunuch Yu said, but there is one thing I still don't understand."
Eunuch Yu was quite polite to him, raising his hand and saying, "Please ask, Master Ji."
Ji Hong narrowed his eyes slightly. Although his eyes were cloudy, a sharp glint flashed within them. He said, "Since Eunuch Yu already knew the truth about the late emperor's forced murder, why didn't he speak up sooner to prevent everyone from being misled by Wang Shaoji?"
Yu Gonggong said, "My family is old and frail, and the journey has been difficult. We only arrived in Daxing City the day before yesterday."
"..."
"After arriving in Daxing City, I immediately informed the Empress Dowager of these words."
Upon hearing this, everyone around him subconsciously raised their heads and looked at the main hall behind him.
Shang Ruyi also looked up at the tightly closed door. Although she knew that Yu Gonggong must have obtained the Empress Dowager's permission to come out and speak at this time, the main hall was still closed and there was no sound at all.
She was inside, hearing the commotion outside, especially hearing what she herself had just said... What were her feelings?
Shang Ruyi almost dared not think about it anymore.
Ji Hong immediately replied, "Then the Empress Dowager—"
Eunuch Yu glanced back at the tightly closed doors and windows, sighed inwardly, and then turned to the crowd, saying, "However, this matter is of great importance, and the Empress Dowager is unwilling to believe everything she hears, nor does she want to spread unverified information that might disturb people's peace. Therefore, the Empress Dowager is also waiting for someone to return from Jiangdu Palace to corroborate our testimony."
"..."
"Just now, the Empress Dowager heard what Young Madam Yuwen said in the Great Hall of the Buddha, and only then did she realize that what we said was true."
This left everyone speechless.
Originally, everyone wanted his words to corroborate Shang Ruyi's words, but now, everyone's thoughts were no longer important, because no one cared more about the truth of the late emperor's death than the Empress Dowager. Since she believed that Shang Ruyi's words could serve as evidence for Eunuch Yu's words, then who would dare to doubt Shang Ruyi's words?
For a moment, the entire Dayan Temple fell silent.
"Amitabha."
At this moment, the only one who could speak was the abbot of Dayan Temple. Master Xinzheng slowly stepped forward, put his hands together in prayer, and said loudly, "Now the truth has come to light. May Buddha bless you, Madam Yuwen, you are innocent."
Just as the word "innocent" was uttered, a heavy chime came from the clock tower not far away.
A thunderous roar, accompanied by an indescribable sense of awe, shook the hearts of everyone present.
It was like a huge boulder finally falling to the ground!
Everyone understood that with the appearance of Eunuch Yu, the Empress Dowager's silent yet dignified presence, and Master Xinzheng's words at this moment, this case was finally settled.
Wang Shaoji was the true culprit in the regicide!
As the bell rang, signaling the temporary end of the Dharma assembly, everyone fell silent. Some sat quietly, seemingly pondering everything that had happened in recent days, while others hurriedly left, seemingly to deal with the subsequent changes following the revelation of this truth.
Soon, most of the people in front of the main hall had dispersed.
Only then did Shang Ruyi catch her breath.
Just now, when she was surrounded and interrogated by everyone, she felt as if she were trapped in a desperate situation where there were walls on all sides, where she could not see the light and could not breathe.
Fortunately, those walls collapsed.
It was kicked down by her, and also—
Shang Ruyi slowly turned her head to look at Yuwen Ye beside her. From beginning to end, he had hardly spoken, nor had he shown any emotional fluctuations. Even now, there was no joy of victory on his face, as if everything was under his control.
To be precise, everything was under his control.
When he said "I came," he didn't mean to speak up at this Dharma assembly, to argue with those people, or to say things that he himself hadn't witnessed. That would only make things worse and obscure the truth.
What he needed to do was to get Eunuch Yu back to Daxing City and then have him appear before everyone at the most opportune moment.
One strike, and the decision is made.
So last night—
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi's heart trembled involuntarily again.
Just as her breathing quickened again and her heartbeat became somewhat erratic, Yuwen Ye's deep voice rang in her ears: "What are you thinking about?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat again.
She looked up and saw Yuwen Ye looking down at her, his gaze cold and deep, yet sharp. He said, "What did you mean by that look you gave me just now?"
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