Chapter 514 The Hall of Two Elements, the Xuanwu Gate
Although the entire city of Daxing was shrouded in a tense atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing, there was not a breath of wind. In the wide passageway inside the palace walls, one could clearly hear heavy, but not disordered, footsteps slowly approaching.
It was Shang Ruyi's footsteps.
The eunuch Cao, who led the way, walked quickly but lightly, a skill that most palace eunuchs possessed. In addition, he had another skill: he could clearly see the expression on the face of the person behind him with just a slight turn of his head.
This was also the skill that allowed the palace eunuchs to make a living.
At that moment, he saw the general's wife, who was in the eye of the storm, walking along with a thoughtful and solemn expression.
I don't know if she was thinking about His Majesty, whom she was about to meet, or the General she had just parted ways with outside Hanguang Gate.
The thought of that great general sent a chill down Cao Gonggong's spine.
Just now, their carriage stopped outside Hanguang Gate. Before, when Eunuch Cao invited the General to the palace, he insisted on bringing his wife along. So this time, when the General's wife came to the palace, Eunuch Cao almost naturally assumed that the General would accompany her. In fact, the Princess had indeed given such instructions before leaving the palace.
Unexpectedly, only the general's wife stepped down from the carriage.
Somewhat surprised, Eunuch Cao peeked into the carriage and saw the already burly and imposing general sitting inside in the dimly lit carriage, as imposing as a mountain, yet motionless. He couldn't see the expression on the general's face, but he felt a pair of cold, stern eyes radiating a sharp light. Just one glance was enough to chill one to the bone. Eunuch Cao was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe and hurriedly took a step back.
Then, the general's wife was heard saying into the carriage, "I'm going."
The carriage remained completely silent.
However, the invisible yet pervasive sense of oppression that spread from the carriage and enveloped almost everyone was still suffocating. Even Cao Gonggong, who was usually good at eavesdropping, could not use it. Only when he was almost suffocating did he barely hear the general's wife say something like "Trust me" and "The final choice is still yours."
After an unknown amount of time, the person inside the carriage waved to her.
The general's wife then turned around and entered Hanguang Gate with him. Even so, after walking a long way, Eunuch Cao could still feel the sharp gaze behind him, almost piercing his body, making him unable to think about anything else along the way.
Because of this, Shang Ruyi was able to have some peace and quiet for a while.
She finally sorted out some of her thoughts and emotions, and also realized something: the confrontation between her and the Princess these past two days—it was indeed a confrontation—was not entirely passive; Chu Ruoyan was probably having someone watching her, ready to summon her to the palace the moment she showed any weakness.
That is, it is as it is right now.
Therefore, she knew very well that her uncle was her weakness. She knew that if she met Shen Shiyan, she would do anything to save her family. This was the best time to negotiate!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi sighed softly.
Although she knew she shouldn't, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but recall the first time she met Princess Xinyue. At that time, she was in tears, crying in front of Yuwen Ye. Even though she had tasted the bitterness of love, she never thought of using her power to oppress others. On the contrary, she was so close to her, even with a hint of flattery.
Now, she is completely different from the woman who was once submissive in relationships.
What exactly caused her to become like this?
Was it himself? Or was it Yuwen Ye?
However, neither he nor Yuwen Ye's attitude towards her changed; what truly changed was the ever-changing nature of the world...
Unbeknownst to them, they passed Xuande Gate. Further ahead lay places Shang Ruyi had never been to in the Daxing Imperial Palace. The scenery became increasingly unfamiliar, and the oppressive atmosphere grew heavier and heavier.
Finally, they arrived at a tall and majestic palace gate, even taller and more imposing than the Hanguang Gate, standing like a small mountain before them, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression. For some reason, it was somewhat similar to the oppressive aura emanating from Yuwen Ye. Shang Ruyi felt her breathing become increasingly rapid and her heart pounding heavily. She slowly raised her head and looked at the palace gate ahead.
Xuanwu Gate!
These three large, ink-stained characters were like three heavy punches, slamming into her heart.
"Hmm!"
Shang Ruyi felt a dull pain in her chest and subconsciously let out a soft groan.
The eunuch Cao, with his sharp ears and keen eyesight, immediately noticed the general's wife's pale face and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Madam, what's wrong?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, nor could she utter a word. She simply clutched her chest and breathed heavily.
Xuanwu Gate...
Xuanwu Gate!
It was the same in the Ziwei Palace in Dongdu. As soon as she saw the palace gate and walked in, it was as if her body was standing still, but her soul was forcibly pulled out to experience a nightmare before being put back into her body.
Even though no physical harm was suffered, the pain in my soul spread throughout my entire body.
Moreover, this feeling was much stronger in Daxing Palace than it was in Ziwei Palace!
Why is this happening?
Seeing her sweating profusely, as if she had contracted some acute illness, Eunuch Cao said worriedly, "Is Madam unwell? If so, I will immediately send someone to fetch the imperial physician."
Shang Ruyi took a few deep breaths, finally suppressing the inexplicable pain in her heart. She also felt that she didn't seem to have any real injuries, so she calmed herself down and said, "I'm fine. Father-in-law, please continue leading the way."
Eunuch Cao glanced at her carefully again before saying, "Alright."
After saying that, he continued to lead her forward. Although Shang Ruyi had calmed down the soul-piercing pain, she still felt her heartbeat become erratic when she passed through the tall palace gate. It wasn't until she passed through the palace gate and left the shadow cast by the tall palace wall far behind that she finally regained her composure.
Further ahead lies the Liangyi Hall, the place where His Majesty the Emperor rests, which Eunuch Cao had told them about during their last visit to the palace.
From afar, Shang Ruyi could already see the magnificent palace.
Since it was the emperor's resting place, its atmosphere was naturally different from other places. Shang Ruyi knew that the Ziwei Palace was built by Chu Yang according to his own preferences, so whether it was the empress's East Palace or his warm house, they all carried the elegant and refined feeling of Chu Yang, luxurious and beautiful, like a heavenly palace; but the Daxing Imperial Palace was different. The builder here was Emperor Wen, Chu Yin, who was the true founder of the Daye Dynasty. He was a man of great talent and ambition, and was proficient in both literature and martial arts. Therefore, the palace also carried his profound and majestic spirit, and its magnificent appearance was awe-inspiring.
However, the closer she got, the more Shang Ruyi frowned.
She heard a commotion coming from ahead, but it wasn't human voices; it was the chirping of birds. As she got closer, she saw that outside the Liangyi Hall, there were quite a few peacocks, cranes, and even wild ducks and pheasants for people to play with!
Moreover, these birds weren't just standing there obediently; some were chirping loudly, some were flapping their wings, some were chasing each other, and some had even flown onto the rooftops. The palace maids and eunuchs below were frantically chasing after them, shouting anxiously—
"If the Empress Dowager and the Grand Chancellor saw this, what would happen!"
"Don't worry, the Empress Dowager is fasting and won't be back for at least half a month. The Grand Chancellor won't be entering the palace these next few days either."
"That won't do either, grab that chicken right now!"
Seeing this chaotic and disorganized scene, which completely destroyed the solemnity of the Liangyi Hall, Shang Ruyi's heart sank even further.
This is the emperor's residence!
Even though she knew it had nothing to do with her and was something for the officials who were paid by the emperor to worry about, Shang Ruyi still couldn't help but feel uneasy and even displeased. Just as she stopped and looked at the chaotic scene, a somewhat familiar figure came into view.
He was chasing after a crane flapping its wings, laughing loudly as he did so. The palace maids and eunuchs behind him were so frightened that they bent over and protected him, shouting in a cold sweat, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
"...?!"
That's... His Majesty the Emperor?!
Shang Ruyi looked closely and sure enough, the short man wearing a yellow robe but without any sense of solemnity was the current emperor!
It was also in the past that she had briefly met that mischievous child—Chu Chengfei.
Even now, as the emperor, he still called him a child. The boy was just ten years old, a little taller than before, but not by much. His round face was slightly thinner than when he'd seen him in Yanmen County, but his childishness hadn't faded; instead, he'd gained even more of a willful and arrogant air. Seeing a young eunuch step forward to protect him from a fall, blocking his path as he chased the crane, he kicked the eunuch aside, yelling, "Don't block my way!"
The little eunuch was kicked and rolled to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, but Chu Chengfei didn't even glance at him and continued chasing after him.
The entire Liangyi Hall has been completely transformed into a playground for this child.
Shang Ruyi's brows were furrowed into a knot.
At this moment, she couldn't help but recall Shen Shiyan's heartbroken words in the Ministry of Justice prison—could this child, who usually only knew how to play and joke with eunuchs, be so terrified and howling at the mere mention of "disaster is about to strike" when sitting on the dragon throne, really bear it all?!
When she first heard those words, Shang Ruyi only felt admiration for her uncle, but now, seeing the scene before her, she truly understood the meaning of those words.
The world should not be ruled by children like this.
Otherwise, the Daye Dynasty, and even the entire country, will collapse!
Just then, a slender figure slowly walked out of the Liangyi Hall, stood under the eaves, and said softly with a smile, "Your Majesty, be careful not to fall."
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