Chapter 500 A Sign of Aggression
Xuanwu Gate!
These three words, spoken very softly by Eunuch Cao, inexplicably weighed heavily on Shang Ruyi's heart.
Suddenly, she felt as if something exploded in her mind. For a moment, she could neither hear nor see, and felt a bone-chilling cold rise from the soles of her feet, which swept over her entire body in an instant!
Shang Ruyi suddenly shivered.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye seemed to sense something and looked down at her: "What's wrong?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, barely managing to regain her composure. When she looked up and met his deep black eyes, the familiar aura immediately reassured her. She took a deep breath and gently shook her head: "No, it's nothing."
Even so, judging from her sudden loss of focus, something was clearly wrong.
Yuwen Ye glanced at her, then followed the direction of her dazed gaze and looked ahead—the Xuanwu Gate.
The place was quiet and spacious. Apart from the palace gate guards, there were only rows of straight pine trees standing in front of the palace gate, like a group of soldiers standing in neat rows with strict guards. They only swayed their branches slightly when the wind blew by. On the surface, it was just a peaceful scene.
However, Yuwen Yewu's intuition told him that the scene was tinged with a sense of impending doom.
At this moment, Eunuch Cao smiled and said, "Gentlemen, after passing Xuanwu Gate, you will reach His Majesty's Liangyi Hall. After the court session today, His Majesty, the Duke, and several other ministers went there to discuss state affairs. However, we will not go there."
"..."
Upon hearing this, both of them instinctively looked away.
Shang Ruyi then came to her senses. Yes, she had heard Yuwen Yuan say yesterday that the young emperor was so frightened by the Grand Astrologer's prophecy of "When a comet appears, disaster will follow" that he could not eat or sleep. In order to find a way to resolve the situation, he summoned several old ministers who had accompanied Emperor Wen when he passed away to the palace to discuss the matter.
They're over there now.
Eunuch Cao then said, "Gentlemen, please come this way."
After saying that, he raised his hand again. This time, Shang Ruyi didn't say anything more, just nodded, and followed him into Xuande Gate.
She was still somewhat dazed when suddenly a large hand touched her back.
The rough, thick palm immediately brought a bit of warmth to her somewhat chilly body, and Shang Ruyi instantly felt her breathing become smoother, as if she had recovered completely.
She looked up at Yuwen Ye, only to see him walking silently forward, whispering, "It's alright."
"..."
"Don't get distracted for a moment."
These words made Shang Ruyi focus her attention more.
Yes, I can't get distracted.
After all, they'll be there soon—
As they spoke, they followed Eunuch Cao, who was leading the way, into Xuande Gate. When they looked up, they saw a completely different scene. Compared to the solemn and majestic scenery before, there were significantly more flowers and trees here than in other places. The air was no longer tense and serious; instead, the occasional chirping of insects and birds added a touch of pastoral charm.
Following the path in the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, they should have continued forward. At this moment, they could already see the Lizheng Hall ahead—the residence of the Empress in the Daxing Palace—but just then, Eunuch Cao turned around and walked eastward along the path.
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance.
But at this point, they stopped asking questions and simply followed Eunuch Cao's footsteps. Before long, they came to a quiet and elegant palace amidst the lush greenery.
It is Yichun Palace.
The palace wasn't large, but it exuded exquisite craftsmanship and ingenuity in every detail. Shang Ruyi noticed a lush green area to the north of the main hall, with the occasional melodious chirping of insects and birds—a truly pleasant scene. She couldn't help but ask softly, "What's that over there—?"
Yuwen Ye also turned his head and glanced at it.
His expression turned slightly serious. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's Yichun North Garden. Beyond that is Eagle Hawk Courtyard."
"The Eagle and Hawk Academy? I don't think there's one at the Ziwei Palace. What does it do?"
"They kept some birds and animals for people to play with and enjoy."
"oh."
"Although the Ziwei Palace imitates the Daxing Palace in its form, it is much smaller than the Daxing Palace. It does not have the Yichun North Garden, the Eagle and Hawk Courtyard, or even the Archery Hall for people to rest there."
"oh……"
Shang Ruyi glanced at him again and noticed that his expression was calm, but there seemed to be a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.
She was about to ask Yuwen Ye why he knew so much, but before she could speak, she heard a cheerful, charming voice say, "As expected, Second Brother still remembers."
Upon hearing that voice, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Yuwen Ye turned his head without making a sound, and saw a slender and graceful figure walking out of Yichun Palace with graceful steps. She was wearing a water-red long dress, her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as paintings, and she was already stunningly beautiful with only a touch of makeup. In the sunlight, she not only did not have any flaws, but was even more radiant and charming.
It was none other than Princess Crescent Moon.
Chu Ruoyan.
She's here too.
Sure enough, she was here too.
When Shang Ruyi saw that stunningly beautiful face, even though she had made ample preparations, she still couldn't help but feel a sudden tightness in her chest.
In fact, just now, when Shang Ruyi discovered that the eunuch who came to summon Yuwen Ye was a stranger, she had already suspected that the one who really wanted to see Yuwen Ye was probably not the Empress Dowager. And Yuwen Ye's gloomy mood along the way only confirmed her guess.
After all, if he were really meeting the Empress Dowager, Yuwen Ye shouldn't be in this state of mind.
I won't force myself to bring myself along.
Although she had been bothered by his feelings for the Empress Dowager in the past, and had even felt unbearable jealousy, after they became friends at the Great Temple, she understood and even came to appreciate his feelings. The admiration of a young man is the purest and simplest thing, and she was willing to reserve this space in her heart for him and not disturb him.
But today's situation is clearly different from before.
Shang Ruyi even vaguely remembered that even in the Eastern Capital, the Empress Dowager rarely summoned Yuwen Ye alone, let alone today, when it was a situation where she had to "express her gratitude."
So, it's Princess New Moon—
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi's gaze deepened. Chu Ruoyan's delicate face showed a hint of longing as she looked towards the Eagle Hawk Courtyard not far away, and murmured, "I also remember, when I was little, my second brother often took me there to play. But it's been so long since then—"
"Greetings, Your Highness the Eldest Princess."
Before she could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye had already bowed respectfully.
Shang Ruyi was still somewhat dazed, especially after hearing Princess Xinyue's words, but when she saw Yuwen Ye bowing, she naturally dared not be negligent and followed suit by bowing down as well.
Just as the two bowed in greeting, they failed to notice the shadow that flashed across Chu Ruoyan's bright and beautiful face.
But immediately, she laughed.
He stepped forward and helped the two up, then smiled at Yuwen Ye and said, "Second Brother, there's no need for such formalities between us."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"..."
Hearing this, Chu Ruoyan frowned slightly, and a hint of resentment appeared in her clear and charming eyes. She said, "Second brother, you've never been so distant with me before. Why are you calling me 'princess' and 'Your Highness' after just one trip to Fufeng?"
Yuwen Ye looked up at her.
Before he could speak, Princess Crescent Moon smiled and said, "Sister Ruyi wouldn't want us to be so distant."
After saying that, she turned her head and smiled at Shang Ruyi: "Sister Ruyi, right?"
"..."
Suddenly, Shang Ruyi, who was standing behind Yuwen Ye and still sorting out her somewhat chaotic thoughts, was startled. When she looked up again, she met those big, watery eyes and was momentarily stunned.
How is she supposed to answer that?
Everyone knows that there is a difference between ruler and subject. Even if they grew up together, how could their current status be the same as before?
But Shang Ruyi couldn't bring herself to say those words.
If it were just her, she could still say the words "there is a difference between ruler and subject," but Chu Ruoyan was asking about her and Yuwen Ye. If she said that again, it would seem that she was concerned about their relationship and intentionally wanted to distance herself from them.
and……
For some reason, although Chu Ruoyan's words were intimate, there was an underlying sense of aggression within that intimacy. Although she was standing there motionless, it seemed as if she was approaching her step by step, forcing her to retreat, taking one step back before taking another step closer.
Is it an illusion, or...?
Just as Shang Ruyi hesitated, unsure of how to answer, Yuwen Ye spoke up, calmly and indifferently saying, "This humble subject is not being distant, but rather feeling apprehensive."
"..."
"The eunuch just summoned me, saying that the Empress Dowager wanted to see me, but I didn't expect that we had taken the wrong road and ended up here with the Eldest Princess."
"..."
"I have offended the Princess, please forgive me."
Upon hearing this, Princess Crescent frowned again.
The eunuch Cao, standing nearby, hurriedly knelt down and said, "General, please forgive me, this servant is—"
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Ruoyan gently waved her hand to stop him from saying anything more. Then she smiled at Yuwen Ye and said, "Second Brother, don't blame him. It's me—I want to see Second Brother."
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly and said, "If the princess wants to see me, she can simply say so. How can you falsely convey the Empress Dowager's decree?"
"..."
At this point, the atmosphere had become somewhat heavy.
Although this was a matter between the mother and daughter, and officials naturally had no right to interfere, it was no small matter as it concerned Yuwen Ye's entry and exit from the inner palace. In addition, Yuwen Ye's expression was solemn and his tone was heavy, and even though he was still a subject, his words carried a hint of reprimand.
Shang Ruyi stood to the side, her breathing becoming tense.
As expected, Chu Ruoyan did not answer immediately.
She simply lowered her head silently, and after a while, she looked up at Yuwen Ye, her large eyes shimmering with a faint light. When she spoke again, her voice was tinged with resentment as she softly said, "If I don't need the Empress Dowager's decree, will you come?"
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