Chapter 274 There are still too many people in the world.
When Shang Ruyi walked into Tinghelou again and saw the obviously disguised customers on the first floor who were already full of people at dawn, as well as the familiar owner and waiter who were timidly huddled behind the counter, she did not feel scared or uneasy.
She felt only a little powerless.
It's like a person feeling powerless in the face of fate.
But the next moment, she suddenly felt a surge of strength—after all, she didn't seem to be completely powerless in the face of fate. So she took a deep breath and followed Eunuch Yu's guidance up to the second floor.
It was still that private room by the window, and the beaded curtain still hung slightly swaying by the door.
Eunuch Yu walked to the door, bowed to the person inside, said something, then turned around, smiled at her, and withdrew.
The surroundings immediately fell silent.
Shang Ruyi couldn't even hear her own breathing and heartbeat. She only felt a sense of oppression coming from inside, almost enveloping the entire Tinghe Tower. She seemed to know where that oppressive feeling came from, so after taking a deep breath, she reached out and lifted the beaded curtain and went inside.
The private room was decorated the same as last time.
A low table was placed in the center of the room, with an exquisite incense burner, a pot of wine that had just been warmed, and two wine glasses on it. A thick carpet was laid under the low table, and the air was still filled with that faint, cool fragrance that belonged to a certain person, as if a cold hand had grabbed Shang Ruyi the moment she entered the room.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi realized that unlike the last time they met here, there was no brazier in this private room, and since the sun had not yet risen, it was as cold as an ice cellar.
She couldn't help but shiver.
Looking up again, I saw Chu Yang standing tall and elegant by the window, seemingly looking at the scenery outside. But upon closer inspection, his eyes seemed lost, as if he didn't know where he was looking. One of his hands was slightly bent and hanging on the windowsill, his fair fingertips constantly caressing something.
It's that jade pendant.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank for a moment, but she immediately came to her senses and stepped forward to kowtow and pay her respects: "Ruyi greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
Her voice was almost the only sound in the Listening Crane Tower.
But no one answered her, and after she finished speaking, everything fell into an unbearable silence.
Shang Ruyi knelt on the ground, not daring to move, feeling cold all over her body, and even her hands and feet were trembling slightly.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally heard a sound—the rustling of clothes, followed by very light footsteps that grew closer and closer. Finally, her vision came into view of a pair of pure white, feathered fairy shoes.
"Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Upon hearing the voice above her, Shang Ruyi shuddered again. Then she understood what it meant. Chu Yang had visited her more than once under the alias "Yang Suiyi," and she had grown accustomed to not performing the full ceremony before the emperor. But this time—
She lowered her head and said softly, "Ruyi thinks that it is His Majesty who has come today."
"..."
The person standing in front of me was silent for a moment, and then a soft laugh came from above.
He said, "You still understand me."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and sat down in front of Shang Ruyi.
Although he sat down, he did not ask her to sit up. In fact, the wind from his sleeves brushed against Shang Ruyi's face, making her even more sober—her guess was correct.
So she knelt there motionless, without raising her head.
Chu Yang looked at her for a moment and said, "Did you go to see him off?"
Shang Ruyi replied, "Yes."
"Last time he went to war, you saw him off at his doorstep; this time, you saw him off at the city gate. It's a real stalemate."
"...This time, he went far."
"I almost thought you were going to go with him."
"There can be no family members in the army, and even less women. Ruyi understands this very well."
"If there were families or women in the army, would you really go with him?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi knelt on the ground, her brows furrowed, but she couldn't speak. At this moment, she finally understood why the deputy commander guarding the city had stopped and questioned them every time they entered or left the city gate. Who was behind this?
She remained silent, but the other party had no intention of letting her remain silent, and coldly hummed in agreement.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said softly, "This—Ruyi hadn't thought of that."
"..."
Chu Yang was silent for a while, then chuckled and said, "You seem to know very well how not to anger me."
As he spoke, he slowly stood up and walked to the bedside. This time, the sky was brighter than before, and his eyes could see the movements of pedestrians on the long street below more clearly. He sneered, "Unfortunately, there are so many people in this world who want to anger me."
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Was he referring to the Lei family father and daughter? Or Liang Shide?
still……
But before she could think about it, she heard Chu Yang say coldly, "When there are too many people, it's easy for trouble to break out."
"..."
"It's clear that there are still too many people in this world."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi was struck dumb. She looked up in disbelief, staring at him with wide eyes. The person who had spoken was still standing by the window, holding a cup in one hand, bringing the faint aroma of wine to his nose to enjoy it. He looked aloof and elegant, like a fairy drinking the dew.
However, the fairy's feet were covered in blood!
Shang Ruyi couldn't believe he would say such a thing!
Even Yuwen Ye was telling her that the people had suffered terribly from years of war, especially after the three campaigns against Liaodong, which almost wiped out the entire population. Even if nine out of ten households in the country were empty, seven out of ten were empty. And yet he said that there were still too many people in the world!
Shang Ruyi held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help it and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, does Your Majesty really think that there are... too many people in the world?"
Chu Yang slowly turned around to look at her, his gaze growing even colder.
"Isn't that a lot?"
"..."
"You probably don't know this, but I just ordered the construction of ships in Bohai County, and in less than half a month, 100,000 laborers there started a rebellion; there are also Liang Shide and the people of Wanggangzhai—you should know about these, Yuwen Ye wouldn't have not told you; and in Longmen, Shu Duan's rebellion was just quelled last year, and this year, his cousin started a rebellion, and now he has joined forces with the Xue family of Longyou, and is even planning to march on Daxing."
Shang Ruyi's scalp tingled in waves.
It seems that what Yuwen Ye said to her has eased things considerably.
If what Chu Yang said is true, Daxing City—the real capital of the Daye Dynasty—is probably already in danger of being lost. And if a country can't even protect its capital, how long can its reign last?
Of course, perhaps he had the foresight to build Luoyang, the eastern capital. But now, Hebei has been lost and Bohai County is also rebelling. At this time, even if Luoyang is still in the hands of the court, it is more like an isolated island. If this continues, even an isolated island will be swallowed up!
No wonder, no wonder more and more people are leaving Luoyang these days.
Recalling the first time she came to Tinghe Tower with Yuwen Ye, it was last August. At that time, although the area outside the city was largely deserted, at least the city was still bustling with activity, and the place was still full of guests. But after that, every time she came, there were fewer and fewer guests. The last time Yuwen Ye brought her here to eat, there was only one table of guests on the entire second floor.
Doesn't this prove anything?
Is this still a case of "too many people in the world"?!
Just as Shang Ruyi was feeling a pang of pain and didn't even know how to speak, Chu Yang turned around and said coldly, "I am utterly disappointed in this place and in these people."
"...!?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and looked up at him: "Your Majesty?"
Chu Yang suddenly walked up to her, leaned down to look at her, and a gentle smile, as warm as the spring sun, appeared on his usually cold and arrogant face. He said, "You know what? Actually, the best scenery is in the South."
"……What?"
“When I was still the crown prince, I once led troops to destroy the Chen dynasty. Although the Chen dynasty was weak, Jiangdu had beautiful scenery. No wonder, I almost got drunk on the scenery there every time I went south.”
Looking into his eyes, which were gentle yet tinged with a hint of madness, Shang Ruyi's heart sank.
Of course she knew.
That was more than a decade ago. Although she was young at the time, the destruction of Chen was a momentous event. Back then, the Central Plains were divided between the north and south. The late Emperor Chu Yin was a man of great talent and ambition, who unified the north, while the last ruler of the Southern Chen Kingdom, relying on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, indulged in wine and women, gradually decaying amidst the spring rains and apricot blossoms of the south.
It was at that moment that Chu Yin swung his long arm and pointed his sword at Jiangnan.
At that time, Chu Yang, who was still the crown prince, led an army of 300,000 across the Yangtze River. In one battle, he annihilated all the navy of the Chen Kingdom, and directly attacked the city of Jiangdu. He captured the last emperor of Chen alive, and then successively recruited the people of the Three Wu and Lingnan regions to surrender, thus unifying the world!
Even though she had never witnessed the clash of swords, Shang Ruyi could almost imagine how spirited Chu Yang must have been, standing in Jiangdu City more than a decade ago, looking at the landscape he had conquered.
But now—
Just then, Chu Yang suddenly moved closer to her, their faces almost touching. Shang Ruyi subconsciously stepped back a little, but even when she did, she could clearly see that his eyes were slightly red, and he looked excited and happy.
He asked, "Ruyi, have you ever seen the scenery of the South?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
She thought for a moment and said softly, "I've never seen it before."
"So, would you like to see the scenery in the south?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before finally saying softly, "I don't want to."
Chu Yang's brows furrowed immediately: "Why?"
Shang Ruyi said, "We can visit the scenery in the South anytime. But Ruyi will stay in the Eastern Capital and wait for my husband to return."
Chu Yang's eyes suddenly turned cold.
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