Chapter 737 One Life, One Love
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
She heard some completely incomprehensible and nonsensical words from Yu Mingyue's mouth, and almost instinctively, she felt that they were not good words.
So he asked, "What are you saying?"
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind: "What are you talking about?"
Shang Ruyi immediately turned around and saw a handsome and elegant figure bathed in moonlight slowly walking from a distance. It was Shen Wuzheng, who had just refuted Yu Mingyue in the main hall, leaving her speechless.
Upon seeing him, Yu Mingyue's expression turned even more unpleasant.
Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised: "Brother, what brings you here?"
Shen Wuzheng is a very polite person. Besides, he has a good tolerance for alcohol and doesn't drink too much. Normally, he should have stayed in the main hall. Why did he come here at this time?
Shen Wuzheng walked over and stopped in front of her. He looked her up and down to make sure his little sister was alright, then breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Yu Mingyue, his gaze immediately turning icy cold.
"I have something to ask her."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi was taken aback, but immediately remembered that when she was worried about Shen Wuzheng's strange behavior, even Yuwen Ye said that Shen Wuzheng's reaction tonight was a bit too much.
At this moment, he seems to have come here specifically to solve this problem.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi hesitated. Although she also wanted to stay and listen to what Shen Wuzheng had to say, the two of them had just reprimanded Yu Mingyue in the main hall. Standing here now, facing Yu Mingyue who was already panting and had a very bad complexion, it would seem as if they were bullying her.
Sure enough, Shen Wuzheng said softly, "Little sister, you should go back first. I just saw that the King of Qin kept looking towards the door."
"Then I'll be going now."
"Okay, go ahead."
Shen Wuzheng nodded gently, watching Shang Ruyi turn and leave until her figure disappeared into the night. Only then did he turn back to look at Yu Mingyue, his eyes even colder and sharper than when he had refuted her in the main hall. Although Yu Mingyue was not afraid of Shang Ruyi, she had an almost instinctive fear of him, especially since she had failed to take his life despite her scheme, which made her somewhat worried.
Will Shen Wuzheng lay a hand on her?
Just as she was about to step back in fear, she heard Shen Wuzheng calmly say, "Don't worry, this is the palace. No one will kill anyone here, and I won't lay a hand on a woman."
Yu Mingyue immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
But she immediately retorted defiantly, sticking out her neck and coldly asking, "Then what do you want to ask me?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "The place you came from—"
At this point, he saw Yu Mingyue's face immediately darken, and after thinking for a moment, he changed his words to: "Your—hometown."
Yu Mingyue sneered, "What does my 'hometown' have to do with you?"
Shen Wuzheng said seriously, "It has nothing to do with me. But I want to know about your hometown."
Meanwhile, Shang Ruyi returned to the Hundred Blessings Hall.
The atmosphere here was even more lively than when they left. Among the officials, those with a hearty and forthright nature, especially the military officers, had already drunk their fill. Some even put their arms around each other's shoulders, raised their wine cups, and started singing loudly. The song they were humming sounded vaguely familiar to Shang Ruyi; it seemed to be the same tune that Yuwen Ye had played in response when she went to assassinate the Western Turkic envoy.
What was it called again? Breaking the Enemy's Formation?
As she pondered this, she slowly made her way to the front of the main hall. There, sitting directly in front, Yuwen Yuan looked at the generals, stroking his beard and laughing heartily. Below him sat Yuwen Ye, whose face was redder than usual, clearly having been forced to drink quite a bit during his recent absence. However, he remained composed, only slightly narrowing his eyes and tapping his chopsticks against the rim of his bowl in time with the generals' singing, his rhythm and cadence perfectly in tune.
After the song ended, the military officers laughed heartily, and some raised their wine cups to toast His Majesty the Emperor. Yuwen Yuan drank with a smile. Other civil officials clearly did not like their rough behavior, but since this banquet was a celebration of the victory in the Battle of Taiyuan, they could only endure it.
Shang Ruyi walked back to her seat and sat down.
Yuwen Ye immediately felt a fragrant and soft body leaning against him. He turned his head and said, "You're back."
"Um."
"Where did you go?"
"I just took a walk outside."
"Did you run into your brother? I just saw him go out too."
Shang Ruyi leaned close to his ear and whispered, "He went to see Yu Mingyue."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes immediately became clear and sharp. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It seems that he must still have some unresolved matters on his mind. No wonder he reacted so strongly just now."
Shang Ruyi nodded, but she wondered what Shen Wuzheng, who had stayed in front of Chengqing Gate, would say to Yu Mingyue.
However, she didn't have time to think too much about it. Because the two of them were standing too close, Yuwen Ye's breath smelled strongly of alcohol. Although she was not unfamiliar with this smell and didn't think much of it, she found it unexpectedly unpleasant today. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but cover her nose and lean back.
"Hmm!"
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye didn't react and was about to move closer to her when Shang Ruyi put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "You smell bad."
Yuwen Ye frowned, both amused and annoyed: "Doesn't your own drinking taste the same?"
After saying that, he deliberately moved closer to her.
He was right. Usually, when she had a few drinks, she would speak with that same breath. But for some reason, she was particularly sensitive to that breath today and felt very uncomfortable. As Yuwen Ye approached, not only his breath but also the smell emanating from the people in the hall who were already reeking of alcohol seemed to surge towards her like a tide. Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a bit dizzy and fell backward.
"As one wishes!"
Yuwen Ye was startled, but fortunately he reacted quickly and caught her in his arms.
Shang Ruyi, unaware of what was happening, felt a wave of dizziness even after Yuwen Ye held her waist and supported her. It took her a while to regain her balance. Yuwen Yuan, watching from above, noticed the commotion and immediately asked, "Ruyi, what's wrong?"
Although she felt a tightness in her chest, Shang Ruyi dared not delay when the emperor spoke, and hurriedly tried to get up.
Just as she was about to move, another wave of dizziness hit her, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to fall. Fortunately, Yuwen Ye had been watching her and immediately reached out to protect her, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
At this moment, Shang Ruyi didn't care about being in public. She could only lean on his shoulder and whisper, "I think I'm a little drunk."
Seeing her complexion, Yuwen Ye immediately said, "Father, Ruyi cannot hold her liquor."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan looked at Shang Ruyi and said with concern, "Summon the imperial physician."
Shang Ruyi immediately raised her head: "Father, I don't need it."
Actually, she wasn't feeling unwell at all, just a little dizzy. She figured it was because she'd drunk those few cups of wine too quickly, and then she'd run into Yu Mingyue outside. The two of them had been talking for so long in the wind, and the cold air had made her feel so uncomfortable. Tonight was a victory celebration banquet, and if she summoned the imperial physician because of her minor discomfort, it would inevitably spoil everyone's fun. So she said, "Your Majesty, I'm fine. I'll just have a couple of sips of sour soup when I get back."
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Yuan understood that this sensible and considerate daughter-in-law must not want the banquet to end unhappily. His affection for her deepened, and he said, "In that case, you should go back and rest first. Feng Chen, you go back with your wife."
Just as Yuwen Ye was about to agree, Shang Ruyi hurriedly refused, insisting on going back alone.
Seeing her insistence, the two men didn't want to pull her any further. After all, the banquet was still going on, and no one around had noticed anything unusual about Princess Qin's situation. If things got out of hand, the banquet would probably be ruined.
So Shang Ruyi quietly withdrew.
However, as she got up to leave, she unconsciously looked up and realized that Yuwen Qian, who was sitting opposite her, was frowning and staring intently at her.
His expression... seemed somewhat different from his usual self.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi didn't care about other people's expressions and simply turned to leave. She exited Baifu Hall through a side door and, after walking only a few steps, saw Tushe'er waiting outside. Seeing her come out early, Tushe'er was startled and hurriedly came forward to check on her. Shang Ruyi blew on the cold wind and felt much better, simply telling Tushe'er that she was a little drunk. Tushe'er didn't ask any further questions and quickly escorted her back to Qianqiu Hall.
After returning home, she drank some hangover soup and did a quick wash before going to bed.
But as he was helping her to bed, Tusheer couldn't help but ask her, "Your Highness, aren't you going to wait for His Highness Prince Qin to rest together?"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, but then she remembered that she had made an appointment with Yuwen Ye before the banquet to have him go to Jinyuyuan tonight—after all, they had been apart for so long, and Chu Ruoyan must miss him very much.
She gently shook her head: "No."
So Tushe'er covered her with a blanket, blew out several candles in the inner hall, and then withdrew.
Shang Ruyi lay alone in bed. Usually, she would fall asleep easily after drinking a little alcohol and feeling slightly dizzy. But for some reason, tonight, as soon as she lay down, her eyelids felt heavy and her mind became clear.
The words Yu Mingyue had spoken in front of Chengqing Gate faintly echoed in her ears—
Men and women should be monogamous and stay together until old age!
There were no concubines or secondary consorts!
This is called "one love for life, one partner," do you understand?!
Shang Ruyi usually found the things she said incomprehensible and even a little stupid, but tonight's words seemed to be deeply imprinted in her heart.
One life, one love...
She couldn't help but purse her lips slightly, following the voice in her ear, as if in a dream, she whispered, "One lifetime, one love."
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