Chapter 845 She is the rightful wife of the Crown Prince
Just then, it suddenly became noisy outside again.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Upon hearing this announcement, the entire Crown Prince's residence fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos. Those who had been sitting in chairs drinking tea and resting, or chatting and laughing along the way, all put down what they were doing, shut their mouths, and rushed outside.
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi immediately exchanged a glance, both of them remaining calm and composed.
As they left the palace, they saw the group of eunuchs clearing the way. Judging by their pace, Yuwen Yuan should have arrived around this time. So the two of them stood up and straightened their clothes. They felt an invisible pressure coming from a gust of wind outside the hall. The wind was brought by the people following behind them, but the pressure came from the tall and strong figure walking at the very front.
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi immediately kowtowed and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Father Emperor."
Yuwen Cheng, standing beside him, also kowtowed. Yuwen Yuan had a slight smile on his face, but compared to the bright red and bustling Crown Prince's residence, his smile seemed less cheerful. He simply raised his hand and said, "Rise. Today is your elder brother's joyous occasion, so there's no need for such formalities."
"yes."
Everyone then stood up.
As soon as he stood up straight, he saw Yuwen Yuan's gaze fall on the baby in Tu She'er's arms behind Shang Ruyi. Yuwen Yuan's smile deepened, and he said, "Yuanzi is here too."
"yes."
"He's so young, and there are so many people here, it's all so smoky and chaotic."
Actually, Shang Ruyi wasn't without objections to the nickname "Yuanzi." Even though there's a common saying that "a humble name makes a child easier to raise," and the more prominent the family, especially the imperial relatives, the more they feared their children would be too pampered and wouldn't survive. Therefore, they would often choose humble names—like Pei Adan, who was currently standing beside Yuwen Ye, covering his mouth and laughing. However, for the eldest grandson of the emperor, the nickname "Yuanzi" was indeed far too humble.
But as soon as Yuwen Yuan uttered this not-so-great nickname, Shang Ruyi immediately sensed the deep affection and tenderness in it, which had nothing to do with status, position, ability, or contribution, but existed only in the bond of blood ties. Suddenly, she felt that this nickname was actually not bad at all.
He hurriedly smiled and said, "On His Highness's joyous occasion, this little nephew naturally wants to come and share in the happiness and broaden his horizons."
Hearing her say that, Yuwen Yuan smiled again and walked over to take the swaddled baby from Tushe'er's arms. When he looked down, he saw that Yuanzi was quite adorable. She had just cried twice at the door and her tear stains hadn't even dried yet, but now she suddenly smiled. Two round dimples appeared on her plump little face, making her look very cute.
Yuwen Yuan was overjoyed. His bright tiger eyes narrowed into slits, and he pouted, making strange noises to amuse his grandson. Yuanzi had been sleeping all the way and was already full of energy when he woke up. When he was amused, he immediately burst into laughter. His crisp laughter filled the Crown Prince's residence, which had been unusually quiet due to the emperor's arrival.
Yuwen Cheng, standing opposite him, darkened his expression.
After a while, he laughed and said, "This little nephew is so lucky. He doesn't have to do anything. He can make the Emperor very happy just by smiling."
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi looked up at him but didn't say anything.
On the contrary, Yuwen Qian, who had been quietly smiling as he accompanied Yuwen Yuan in, said with a smile, "Third brother, making Father Emperor happy is a great achievement."
Although he was happy, he probably felt that he was being too casual by playing with his grandson like that. It wouldn't have mattered if no one else in the palace saw it, but the Crown Prince's residence was full of guests, all of whom were civil and military officials. Yuwen Yuan also had to consider his dignity as the emperor, so he gently handed the child back to Shang Ruyi, then walked to the front of the hall, sat down, and looked up at the sky.
When shall we perform the ceremony?
Yuwen Qian said, "The auspicious time is set at 7 PM. The bright moon has already risen above the palace and will arrive soon."
Although according to custom, the groom is required to go to the bride's home with his male attendants to fetch her and write a poem to urge her to get ready for the wedding, since it was the Crown Prince's wedding—and he had just finished mourning his uncle, the Duke of Shenwu—it was not appropriate to be too grand. Moreover, the emperor would be present in person, and the Crown Prince could not abandon him to go to the Yu family to fetch the bride. Therefore, these formalities were omitted.
Upon hearing that Yu Mingyue had left the manor, Yuwen Yuan's brows furrowed slightly, and his expression became complicated.
Ever since he heard Yu Mingyue's absurd words at the banquet in the Hundred Blessings Hall, he had grown to dislike her and his desire to marry her to the Crown Prince had faded. However, though his heart had cooled, the thought remained. He couldn't deny that the daughter of the Duke of Wushan was a suitable match for the Crown Prince. Although he disliked Yu Mingyue's absurd words, she was exceptionally talented. Whether it was her earlier lines, "The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations pay homage to the emperor," or her poem at Longmen Ferry, "Twenty years of flowing hero's blood," they all suited his temperament perfectly.
Even if he didn't like her, he couldn't deny that a woman of such wisdom was a perfect match for the Crown Prince.
Moreover, it was Yuwen Qian who brought up the matter after the death of the Duke of Shenwu, which made him relent. Now, he still couldn't say whether he liked or disliked Yu Mingyue, but things had come to this point, and there seemed to be no turning back.
After a long silence, he sighed and said, "Now that you are married, one of my worries is finally over."
Yuwen Qian replied, "Yes."
"Now that you've settled down and started a family, your mother and your uncle can finally rest easy."
"..."
Yuwen Qian's smile seemed to freeze, especially against his red robes, as if flames were burning faintly in his eyes.
But when he raised his head again, his face still held the same warm smile, and even the same gentleness as always, as he said, "Your subject understands."
After these few words, the atmosphere seemed to become somewhat somber again. Yuwen Yuan raised his head, looked at the solemn and cautious guests around him, and suddenly smiled again, saying, "Today is the Crown Prince's joyous day. You don't need to be reserved. You can laugh and joke as if I'm not here."
How could anyone truly believe he wasn't there?
But since the emperor had already said so, not laughing would be disobeying the imperial decree, so the people in the hall could only force out some laughter and jokes to make the atmosphere a little more lively.
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi returned to their seats. However, when Yuwen Ye turned around, he found that only Pei Xingyuan was left beside him, and Shen Wuzheng was nowhere to be seen. He immediately looked up and saw that the refined figure walked in from outside the hall and returned to his side.
This is the Crown Prince's residence. It is not proper for Shen Wuzheng to wander around here.
Yuwen Ye asked softly, "Where did you go?"
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