Chapter 841 I am ill
A night of fierce wind and torrential rain, and then a sweet dream ends.
Although it was a good dream, good dreams are easy to wake up from. Shang Ruyi was half asleep when she felt a pair of eyes gently watching her. That gentle gaze even penetrated into her dream.
Someone like her is always very sensitive to gazes, but being gazed upon by such a gentle gaze, she couldn't quite wake up, instead sinking deeper into her dream. But after a while, another tingling sensation came, from her earlobe to her cheek, and finally to her lips, as a pair of calloused hands gently caressed her.
"Hmm...?"
Shang Ruyi frowned and let out a confused murmur.
The hand paused for a moment, then stroked her cheek again. The palm, slightly sweaty, was very warm, finally pulling Shang Ruyi back to her senses from her hazy dream. She struggled for a while, then slowly opened her eyes, only to meet a pair of gentle, smiling eyes.
It is Yuwen Ye.
He lay on his side beside her, and she didn't know how long he had been awake, while a large hand gently covered her face.
Shang Ruyi pouted slightly and said unhappily, "What are you doing?"
She was still not fully awake, and when she spoke, her voice was soft and slurred, with a hint of unconscious coquettishness. Yuwen Ye's breath caught in his throat, but he immediately suppressed the fire that should have been extinguished, coughed twice to clear his throat, and then said, "It's time to get up."
"Um?"
Shang Ruyi murmured again, but this time, she was much more awake.
They suddenly remembered that today was the wedding day of Crown Prince Yuwen Qian, and they needed to leave the palace to attend the wedding banquet at the Crown Prince's residence.
With that thought, she immediately lifted her head from under the covers, struggling to look out, muttering, "Is it too late?"
As she stood up, a lot of cold air rushed into the blankets, making her shiver. Yuwen Ye frowned, reached out and hugged her, then wrapped them both tightly in the blankets, and said, "What's the rush? The wedding banquet is in the evening; we're not leaving until the afternoon. It's not late."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When she came to her senses, she found herself being held tightly in his arms, pressed against Yuwen Ye almost without any gap between them. She could even feel his chest rising and falling with his breath, which made her own somewhat unsteady breathing become erratic.
The sudden chill that had just entered was instantly dispelled, replaced by the scalding heat emanating from his body.
Shang Ruyi's face immediately turned red again.
She tried to struggle, but her limbs were firmly held in his grasp. The comforting touch of his skin actually made her mind clearer, and she immediately recalled last night—at times, the two of them were entwined and intertwined like this, as if they were twins, inseparable.
Her face began to feel hot.
With their bodies pressed so close together, Yuwen Ye immediately felt the little woman in his arms flinch. He looked down at her bright red ear tips, smiled slightly, and said, "Why are you blushing?"
"..."
"You've already given birth to my child, aren't you embarrassed?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately looked up and glared at him.
But her flushed cheeks made her eyes sparkle even brighter. Her glare had no intimidating power; instead, it made her even more captivating because of the indescribable charm she possessed after giving birth.
She was completely unaware of this, and only complained, "Who's embarrassed?"
"Then why is your face red?"
"I--"
She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to begin. She felt her cheeks burning, and even hotter was the hand that was holding her, now gently stroking her waist. Shang Ruyi suddenly jolted, looking up at Yuwen Ye, her eyes flickering with a hesitant expression. Yuwen Ye sensed something and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip and after a long while, she whispered, "Have I really gained weight?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's lips twitched slightly.
He hadn't expected that even after a whole night, this young woman would still remember this matter. In fact, he had hardly noticed whether she was fat or thin. Even when she brought it up last night, he was only focused on looking at her bright and clear eyes and enjoying the soft and fragrant body in his arms. Only now, hearing her still talking about it, did he pay a little attention and look down at her.
A woman who has given birth will naturally not be exactly the same as before.
During her pregnancy, her large, protruding belly made her appear quite clumsy. Now that she has shed such a heavy "burden," she feels much lighter, but upon closer inspection, she does seem somewhat different from before.
Her collarbones were prominent, but slightly fuller.
Her waist was narrow and full.
Even her pointed chin was fuller, making her whole face and person look plump and full, but not obese, but exuding a captivating radiance.
Yuwen Ye smiled, tightened his arms around her waist, and buried his face in her shoulder, taking a deep breath. A faint fragrance, a mixture of her skin's sweet scent and milky aroma, filled his nostrils, making him feel great. He said, "Whether you're fat or not, I don't know. I only know that I like you just the way you are."
"..."
"If you get any thinner, it won't be good."
"Why?"
"Because you become less."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
The force of the jump was so great that Yuwen Ye, who was holding her tightly, could feel it. As if to comfort her, his hand slid from her waist to her back, gently stroking her spine, like stroking a cat with its fur standing on end. This gentle caress actually calmed Shang Ruyi's breathing, heartbeat, and even her mood.
She looked up, her cheeks still flushed, her eyes still bright, but her gaze towards the person before her held a gentle warmth emanating from within her. After a moment of silence, she suddenly smiled, and then, like a gentle spring breeze, she softly leaned into Yuwen Ye's arms, her bare, rounded arms naturally embracing him, and said, "Alright."
Yuwen Ye smiled and pulled her even tighter into his arms.
For a moment, the two were skin to skin, their breaths mingling, as if they were one.
The tranquil and comfortable atmosphere made Shang Ruyi reluctant to move, wishing that time could last forever.
Although, it's also unlikely.
Hearing the faint sounds of footsteps outside, her relaxed heartstrings tightened again, but she still buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "Shouldn't we get up?"
"..."
"Is it getting late?"
Yuwen Ye squinted, seemingly enjoying the peace of the moment. Hearing her voice, he lazily said, "It's still early."
"It's getting late."
"I already said the wedding banquet is in the evening. We can go this afternoon."
The Crown Prince's wedding is far more than just a simple celebration. All the officials and political allies will be there, and the intrigue and power struggles will be no less intense than a court assembly. In particular, the Crown Prince's confidants will arrive early. As for Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, as the Prince and Princess of Qin, they naturally don't need to go so early. The wedding banquet will be held in the evening, and they only need to attend in the afternoon to offer their congratulations.
As for that scene, Shang Ruyi could see the invisible flashes of swords and shadows as soon as she closed her eyes.
This naturally requires effort to deal with, but what's infuriating is that Yuwen Ye is so inconsiderate, he tormented her almost all night last night!
She said, "Get ready, have your meal, and then we should set off."
"..."
"You're up now."
Hearing her say that, Yuwen Ye sighed and finally slowly got up, but he seemed rather lazy and listless, as if he was too lazy to pursue anything more.
This was the first time he had ever felt this way.
Especially when he heard the rustling sounds beside him, he looked down and saw that Shang Ruyi had also sat up. The smooth brocade quilt slid off her body, revealing her fair skin, which still radiated a warm, jade-like luster in the dim light. In fact, it was not just the luster; what made him so unable to control himself last night was also her snow-white, smooth, jade-like skin, which was truly irresistible to touch.
Even though the internal heat had been extinguished, I suddenly felt a strange heat again.
A strange thought even crossed Yuwen Ye's mind: if he had seen her like this the first time he met her at the Shen residence, would he have been able to—
He sighed softly and murmured, "I am ill."
"Um?"
After getting up, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but shiver as she was exposed to the cool air. She hurriedly grabbed the clothes from beside her pillow and put them on. Suddenly, she heard the person next to her say something indistinctly, and immediately turned to look at Yuwen Ye: "What are you saying?"
Yuwen Ye straightened his expression and shook his head: "He didn't say anything. Get up quickly."
After saying that, he quickly got out of bed and dressed.
Just as he picked up his clothes and put them on, he saw another set of clothes crumpled up and carelessly tossed at the foot of the bed, with half of it rummaging on the floor, all wrinkled and crumpled. Just then, Shang Ruyi was also looking for her clothes. Upon seeing it, she immediately shouted angrily, "It's all your fault!"
Yuwen Ye turned his face away, feeling somewhat guilty.
This was the very dress Shang Ruyi had tried on yesterday. It was originally the formal attire she was to wear to the Crown Prince's residence for the wedding banquet today. But last night, he carried her all the way from the dressing mirror to the bed, and afterwards—he couldn't even remember what he had done. He only knew that he had swept away all obstacles in his path, and this dress was naturally no exception.
Little did they expect that this would sow the seeds of future trouble.
Shang Ruyi hadn't expected to encounter something like this so soon after waking up. Looking at the crumpled clothes in her hands, she didn't even want to think about why she hadn't been more alert last night and stopped this man's "violent act." She just angrily asked him, "What should we do!"
Yuwen Ye coughed lightly and said, "Just have someone iron it, it's no big deal."
Having said that, he turned and fled from the inner hall as if escaping.
Those outside heard the commotion inside the hall and knew that the two of them had gotten up. Tushe'er and Changwan brought in hot water, towels, salt, and other items. Shang Ruyi hurriedly found another garment to put on. After washing up, she pretended to be nonchalant and instructed Tushe'er: "Take this garment away and have someone iron it. Smooth it out and bring it back."
After saying that, he added, "Hurry up."
Tushe'er was tidying the bed when she saw the clothes and immediately understood. Turning back, she saw the princess's slightly reddened ears and smiled, saying, "This servant understands!"
After saying that, she took the clothes and went downstairs.
Because he got up late today, Yuwen Ye only practiced one set of sword techniques outside before returning. He didn't even break a sweat. After quickly washing up, he sat down to have breakfast. Shang Ruyi was still angry with him and ignored him, just holding her bowl and drinking her porridge.
Finally, Yuwen Ye spoke first: "Let's rest for a while and then set off."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, then glanced at the sky outside. It wasn't even noon yet, so she asked, "So early?"
Yuwen Ye said, "We cannot be later than our father."
Shang Ruyi immediately understood that he must have someone keep an eye on the Liangyi Hall. Although as the Prince of Qin and his wife, they did not need to go there early to flatter like the court officials, as brothers and sisters-in-law, they could not go too late. If they arrived later than Yuwen Yuan, it would be inappropriate.
With that thought in mind, she immediately took a big gulp of porridge.
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye laughed instead and said, "There's no rush. Besides,"
He glanced outside deliberately, then looked at Shang Ruyi and smiled, "The clothes aren't ironed yet, are they?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's anger flared up again. She glared at him fiercely, and the two argued for a few more minutes before finally ending the argument. Qianqiu Palace finally quieted down. Because she had gotten up late, it was noon not long after breakfast. Shang Ruyi had no appetite for lunch and only took a short nap. When she got up again, she heard news from Liangyi Palace that the Emperor was preparing to depart.
So the two of them dressed neatly and left the palace to head to the Crown Prince's residence.
As soon as they arrived at the palace gate, they saw several carriages already parked there, and two familiar, handsome figures were waiting there, just like on some other occasions in the past.
It was Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan!
Upon seeing them, especially Shen Wuzheng, Shang Ruyi immediately became happy, but she suppressed her emotions and slowly followed Yuwen Ye over. Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan turned around and, upon seeing the Prince of Qin and Princess Qin approaching, immediately bowed and paid their respects.
Yuwen Ye waved his hand and then said, "Didn't you go over first?"
Pei Xingyuan straightened up and said with a smile, "Those who went ahead were all the Crown Prince's men. The two of us won't join in the fun."
Yuwen Ye smiled.
Standing to the side, Shen Wuzheng remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on his younger sister, as if guided by a thread.
Because of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum confinement, they hadn't seen each other for several months. Such a separation felt like an eternity for both Shen Wuzheng and Shang Ruyi. Shen Wuzheng carefully examined Shang Ruyi from head to toe, and she seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him. Although she was indeed much rounder than before, or as she said, she had gained weight, Shen Wuzheng still felt that she must have suffered a lot.
He asked softly, "Your Highness, how have you been lately?"
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