Chapter 772 Praying for Blessings
More than two months have passed since the hawthorn cake incident, and Yu Mingyue has not caused any trouble. Of course, on the surface, the hawthorn cake incident seems to have nothing to do with her. But Shang Ruyi knows that no one else but her would have the guts to join forces with Aunt Hui to commit murder in the palace. However, the incident ultimately ended with Yuwen Ye's benefit and their failure.
Then, most of the power in Aunt Hui's hands was taken away, and she dared not make any more rash moves.
As for Yu Mingyue, she really never caused any more trouble.
Shang Ruyi didn't believe that she would settle down. This person had no sense of awe and was even more audacious. It was impossible for her to give up her goals because of a little failure. On the contrary, her quietness these days was more like the calm before the storm.
Just thinking about it made Shang Ruyi frown.
Tushe'er and Changwan, who had been beaming with joy, suddenly noticed that Shang Ruyi's happiness faded and replaced by a worried expression. The two immediately tensed up, and even Eunuch Yu cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what happened?"
"Um."
Shang Ruyi came to her senses and looked up to meet the concerned and worried eyes of everyone.
She couldn't help but smile to herself. Even if Yu Mingyue really wanted to do something, for them, it was just a matter of dealing with whatever came their way. Worrying was useless and would only affect their unborn child.
Thinking of this, she looked down at her belly again. In just half a month, her belly had grown quite a bit. Now, she couldn't even straighten her back when she stood up, and she couldn't see her toes at all when she looked down. Shang Ruyi disliked looking in the mirror more and more. Even though Yuwen Ye kept coaxing her that she wasn't clumsy or ugly, she was unwilling to face her big belly.
I wish this child could have been born sooner.
So he smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing, I just feel—it would be great if I could have given birth to this child sooner."
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er immediately frowned.
Before she could say anything, an unpleasant voice rang out from outside the hall: "What are you saying?!"
Everyone turned to look and saw Yuwen Ye walking in from outside, holding a box in his hand. As soon as she saw him, Shang Ruyi's face immediately lit up with a smile, and she quickly explained, "What I mean is, if this child is born sooner, and it's a boy, he can train in military affairs and serve the country in the future, sharing the burdens of Father Emperor."
Yuwen Ye glared at her, and at that moment Chang Wan stepped forward and tactfully took the box from Yuwen Ye's hand. Eunuch Yu didn't even glance at the box, and hurriedly stepped forward to bow and congratulate Yuwen Ye. Yuwen Ye smiled and said, "Thank you for making this trip, Eunuch Yu."
"This servant dares not complain of hardship."
Eunuch Yu said with a smile, "His Majesty has also decreed that a banquet will be held tonight at the Qinqin Pavilion behind the Baifu Hall, for only the Prince of Qin and his consort. This is an immense favor to you both!"
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance and both said, "We will definitely be there on time for the banquet."
Eunuch Yu then smiled and took his leave.
As soon as he left, Yuwen Ye took off his outer garment—it was already quite hot at this time, and as soon as he took off his clothes, a warm breath wafted towards her. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but pick up her fan and fan herself a couple of times. Yuwen Ye smiled and shook his head, then walked to the other side of the bed and sat down a little further away from her. After Chang Wan put the box on the table, she hurriedly made him another cup of tea.
Shang Ruyi glanced down at the familiar box: "And this is it again—"
Yuwen Ye laughed. He had come back early to share the good news with Shang Ruyi, but he was stopped and talked to by someone when he passed by Jinyuyuan, which made him a little late. He then heard Shang Ruyi's "nonsense".
He said as he sipped his tea, "Ruoyan gave this to you."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately reached out and opened the lid. Sure enough, inside were two bright red hawthorn cakes, just as before.
Because she was confined for half a year, Chu Ruoyan probably had nothing to do. In addition, she had made a promise to her before, so she would ask the Imperial Kitchen for some ingredients from time to time. Shang Shan Ju probably knew that she was taking the blame for someone else, so they did not make things difficult for her and would send them over diligently. During this period, Chu Ruoyan made a lot of pastries, and her skills were getting better and better. Even Shang Ruyi enjoyed the benefits and ate a lot of pastries sent from Jin Yu Yuan.
This hawthorn cake is just what you need to satisfy your craving.
Just as she was about to reach for it, she suddenly noticed that today's box was taller than usual. After thinking for a moment, she took it down again and discovered that there was another layer underneath, with two crystal-clear water chestnut cakes stacked on it.
Shang Ruyi said, "This is—"
Yuwen Ye put down his teacup, glanced at the water chestnut cake, and said in a deep voice, "This is an extra one she made."
"oh?"
Since the hawthorn cake incident, Su Qinglan had given them a fairly detailed recipe. Shang Ruyi remembered that pregnant women could benefit from eating a moderate amount of water chestnuts, but not too much. These two pieces were just right. However, noticing Yuwen Ye's somewhat serious tone, she asked him, "What's wrong?"
Yuwen Ye was silent for a while, then said, "This is also something the Empress Dowager used to like to eat."
Shang Ruyi immediately understood that Chu Ruoyan missed her mother.
Being confined for half a year, the loneliness and helplessness might seem like a shallow pool to outsiders, but only those within it know how cold and suffocating it is. Even with Shang Ruyi's sympathy, she couldn't truly understand Chu Ruoyan's suffering. However, from Chu Ruoyan's actions, she could roughly understand the torment she had endured. In such times, one always hopes for the safety of loved ones, but even if her loved ones weren't far away, they were unlikely to be seen again.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but sigh softly and slowly closed the box.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Why aren't you eating?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and shook her head, handing the box to Tusheer to put away. Then she said, "I'm not very hungry right now. Besides, Father is going to give a banquet later, so let's go take a bath and change our clothes as soon as possible."
Yuwen Ye smiled and said, "It's still early, why are you getting busy?"
Despite saying that, at Shang Ruyi's urging, he still got up. The two of them went to bathe and perfume themselves, then changed their clothes. After preparing everything, it was just the time for Yuwen Yuan to bestow a banquet. The two of them walked towards the Hundred Blessings Hall under the fiery red light of the setting sun.
As she passed by the entrance of Jinyuyuan, Shang Ruyi made a point of glancing inside.
The doors and windows were still tightly closed, but faintly, one could hear a low, mournful melody, like a lament.
Shang Ruyi's mood grew heavier, but she didn't say much. She just followed Yuwen Ye forward, passing through several palace gates, and finally arrived at the Qinqin Building behind the Baifu Hall. It was a two-story building. Although it was not tall and not as spacious and bright as the Baifu Hall, it was exquisitely built and its furnishings were quite gorgeous, with a touch of the small and exquisite style of southern palaces.
When the two went up to the second floor, they were surprised to find that Yuwen Yuan was already there, standing by the window looking at the scenery.
Shang Ruyi was startled. She knew that when the emperor hosted a banquet, the officials were supposed to arrive first and wait for him. Today, they had arrived even later, making the emperor wait for them. Both of them immediately stepped forward to kowtow and apologize. Yuwen Yuan turned around, but smiled nonchalantly and waved his sleeve, saying, "There's no need for such formalities. I had nothing to do today, so I came here early to enjoy the breeze. This place is much more spacious than the Liangyi Hall or the Taiji Hall."
After saying that, he gestured for the two to sit down, and then asked Shang Ruyi with a smile, "How are you feeling?"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "These days, apart from being a bit hot, I haven't felt anything wrong. Father has given me so many tonics that I can hardly eat them all."
Yuwen Yuan laughed and said, "If you can't eat it all, save it. You can nourish yourself slowly after the baby is born."
After showing concern for Shang Ruyi, he turned to Yuwen Ye and said, "Shen Tu Tai is quite skilled in warfare. I originally thought he was just a fierce general who could charge into battle, but I didn't expect him to be so strategic as well. It's truly gratifying that he was able to take Xuzhou so easily."
Yuwen Ye hurriedly said, "It was only because of the Emperor's widespread fame that the garrison commander of Xuzhou collapsed without a fight."
Yuwen Yuan stroked his beard and laughed.
He wouldn't let a victory and his son's flattery go to his head, but this victory did indeed make him very happy. If he could take Songzhou without bloodshed, it would be a big step closer to his goal of taking Luoyang.
So he picked up his wine glass and said, "Come, have a drink with me first!"
Yuwen Ye immediately raised his cup and drank with him.
Because of her pregnancy, Shang Ruyi naturally couldn't drink alcohol, so she just sat to the side and watched them. After the father and son had a couple of drinks, various dishes were served one after another. Even at such a small family banquet hosted by the emperor, the dishes were exquisite, with perfect color, aroma, and taste. In addition, since Yu Mingyue wasn't talking nonsense at the banquet today, and she didn't have to deal with other officials, Shang Ruyi wasn't too nervous and had a good appetite, so she ate a few bites of the dishes.
While eating, they also discussed their upcoming plans.
Meanwhile, the palace maids serving her kept bringing over several dishes and snacks. Shang Ruyi noticed one of them, a crystal-clear water chestnut cake.
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
She took a sip of soup, then looked up at Yuwen Yuan. Seeing that he was in a good mood, she said softly, "Father, I have a request."
"oh?"
Yuwen Yuan still looked at her with a smile: "What do you want?"
Upon hearing Shang Ruyi suddenly speak, Yuwen Ye frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the plate of water chestnut cake on the table, as if he understood something. Shang Ruyi said softly, "Your Majesty, I will be giving birth in a little over two months. To ensure a smooth delivery, Your Majesty wishes to go to the temple to pray for blessings."
Yuwen Yuan said, "That's not impossible. But those temples are all far away, and you—"
Shang Ruyi said, "Your subject wishes to go to Dayan Temple to pray for blessings."
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