Chapter 314 My Heart is Like a Lamp, But You Have Not Ignited It
Shang Ruyi trembled and couldn't speak, but her silence was the answer.
Chu Yang looked at her for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "I have been thinking of you day and night these past few days, but I never expected that you would not be moved by me at all."
An ordinary man, if rejected, would be embarrassed, even if he didn't fly into a rage. But as the supreme ruler, he couldn't tolerate the slightest disobedience. Yet, he showed no sign of anger at this moment. Instead, he took another step forward, looked down at Shang Ruyi's trembling eyelashes, and said with a half-smile, "Shang Ruyi, are you heartless?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before shaking her head.
At this moment, Chu Yang's smile slowly faded, and he asked, "Then what is your heart?"
"..."
"If even this can't move you, what is your heart made of?"
Shang Ruyi's throat tightened, and she said softly, "My heart is like a lamp."
"lamp?"
Chu Yang was taken aback, and subconsciously looked down at the countless glass lamps illuminating Jiangdu Palace. He frowned slightly and was about to say something when Shang Ruyi continued softly, "Jun Weiran."
"..."
Chu Yang's face immediately froze.
He was skilled in poetry and prose from a young age, so he naturally understood the simplest meaning: "My heart is like a lamp, but yours has not been lit."
You can't make my heart flutter.
Even if he were to lower his stance and be as magnanimous as possible at this moment, such a reply would ignite a spark of anger in his heart. However, he did not fly into a rage. Instead, he gritted his teeth and smiled, saying, "You are finally not afraid of me."
"..."
"But I don't like what you're saying."
Seeing his face darken, Shang Ruyi's heart sank as well. She lowered her head and thought for a while before saying bitterly, "From the very beginning, His Majesty has disliked what Ruyi has said."
"But I always thought I could change you."
"..."
"But I never expected that you would still refuse—"
At this point, Chu Yang suddenly smiled again, a smile that now carried a chilling coldness. He said, "You look down on me because I'm old?"
"No, Your Majesty, though much older than you, is still more dashing and heroic than any young man."
"Is it because I am unattractive?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, gazing at his face, which appeared even more flawless under the fireworks. At this moment, it seemed that the Daughter's Red wine she had drunk earlier had finally made her feel slightly tipsy, and she was somewhat captivated by his slender, dazzling phoenix eyes. After a long while, she whispered, "If Your Majesty's appearance is not good... then there are no beauties in the world."
Chu Yang slightly raised his chin.
He then asked, "Where is Yuwen Ye?"
"...!"
It's that name again.
Shang Ruyi felt a bitter smile welling up inside her, and it did appear on her face. But after the smile, she still looked up and looked intently at the perfect face in front of her, recalling that afternoon when she first saw Yuwen Ye at the door and was instantly amazed by his beauty.
She thought about it carefully for a long time, then said softly, "He is not as good as His Majesty."
"and you--"
Chu Yang seemed to want to say something, but Shang Ruyi interrupted him and said softly, "Your Majesty and Ruyi first met on the way to Ruyi's wedding, right? At that time, Your Majesty actually saw Ruyi."
Chu Yang nodded: "Mm."
"But I was unable to see His Majesty's true face."
"..."
Chu Yang frowned, as if he understood something, while Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and said, "If Ruyi had met His Majesty at that time, she might have been attracted by His Majesty's otherworldly beauty, who knows."
Chu Yang frowned.
Shang Ruyi continued, "The second meeting was outside that pastry shop in Taiyuan City. His Majesty deliberately left traces to lure me into meeting him. At that time, His Majesty also saw me."
Chu Yang's voice was already somewhat hoarse: "But you still haven't seen me."
Shang Ruyi smiled, but her smile was full of bitterness: "If I had been able to see His Majesty back then, perhaps, perhaps, it wouldn't have been so easy for me..."
Chu Yang's brows furrowed even more.
Shang Ruyi took another deep breath and looked up at him: "Later, we finally met."
Chu Yang's eyes flickered, but at this moment, there was a clear sense of powerlessness.
"It's too late, isn't it?"
He also remembered that their first real meeting was actually the third time he had appeared in front of her. At that time, she was no longer as calm and composed as before; instead, she was walking in the rain, looking lost and dejected.
For Yuwen Ye...
At that time, she had already fallen in love with this man who was only her husband in name only. She was in great pain because he met with Princess Xinyue at Tinghe Tower. Even after being ridiculed and rejected by him, she still couldn't control her heart.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi could only smile bitterly.
If I had known earlier that the person he truly loved was Empress Jiang, I wouldn't have ended up like this.
She chose this path in life, which certainly had its advantages, but it also came at a price. Even now, she has no regrets—as long as she can protect her beloved family, any price is worth it. However, pain is pain, just as the joy in one's heart when faced with such a beautiful view cannot be faked, her pain cannot be faked either.
Seeing the pain in her eyes, Chu Yang said with a somber tone, "I'm late, aren't I?"
"..."
Although she had already seen through his thoughts, Shang Ruyi was still stunned when she heard the question.
Was he too late?
But when I think back to that day, he appeared in the rain with an umbrella, as elegant and gentle as a banished immortal, accompanying me to relax and enjoy the scenery. Even without saying a word, he soothed my heartache in the tranquil atmosphere.
Is it really too late?
Actually, it's not too late.
At that time, she had not yet fallen deeply in love with Yuwen Ye, nor had she misunderstood that she might have moved him because of their shared experience of the Battle of Xingluocang. So, she once again gave her heart and even her body to him.
But why is it still too late?
It was probably because the fairy shoes with a little mud on them were casually thrown aside, and he himself did not spare any expense in the manpower and resources spent on that meeting in the rain. His arrogance, which made her keep her distance from him, stemmed from the fact that all things in nature should be driven by him.
But she no longer intends to say those words.
Because she knew that Chu Yang wouldn't listen. His arrogance came from his innate excellence. To him, the people were just ants crawling at his feet. Along the way, Shang Ruyi had trampled countless ants and mosquitoes to death, and she couldn't muster any pity for them. Chu Yang was the same.
He simply looked at the pale-faced young woman before him, his tone tinged with bitterness: "And now? He has hurt you, caused you pain, yet you are unwilling to turn back? Unwilling to accept me?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi gently shook her head.
Chu Yang's eyes grew even colder: "You'd rather be the wife of a general who assists the state than the emperor's woman?"
Shang Ruyi did not answer him immediately. She turned her head away, but instead of looking at the dazzling fireworks in the sky, she looked at the Jiangdu Palace, which was illuminated by the fireworks and glass lanterns. However, she could not see what was in the dark places where the fireworks and lanterns could not reach.
She said softly, "Because His Majesty... is not a good emperor."
"...!"
The moment he heard those words, Chu Yang's eyes reddened: "What did you say?!"
At this moment, Shang Ruyi no longer minced words or concealed anything. She calmly looked at Chu Yang's almost ferocious expression and slowly said once again, "Your Majesty is not a good emperor."
"..."
"Perhaps—no, Your Majesty is indeed a wise man, a prodigy unmatched by anyone in the world. Your Majesty thinks far ahead and sees much further. Everything you do, in the long run, is beneficial to the Great Ye Dynasty and the nation. But—"
Chu Yang sneered, "Are you going to say again that I don't care about the people's well-being and that I'm levying exorbitant taxes? Is it just those same old clichés again?"
Shang Ruyi said calmly, "Perhaps His Majesty can no longer listen to these words. In truth, I am naturally dull-witted and do not know what it takes to be a good emperor. But I at least know one thing—as an emperor, one should not give up easily."
Chu Yang's eyes flickered suddenly, as if fragile glass had been struck by a heavy object and was about to shatter.
"You mean, I've given up?"
"Isn't that so?"
"..."
"If His Majesty hadn't given up, how could he have so easily left Luoyang, the eastern capital that you had managed for over a decade, and even when he knew that Luoyang had fallen and the Empress, Princess, and Prince of Han might be in danger, he didn't turn back or try to rescue them?"
"..."
“These days, countless reports have come in, saying that rebels are rising up everywhere. Not only has the Eastern Capital fallen, but even Daxing City is on the verge of collapse. Yet Your Majesty not only fails to provide aid, but also shuts out the news and completely ignores it. What is Your Majesty’s action if not abandoning your own country and its people?”
"..."
"What has Your Majesty done since arriving at Jiangdu Palace? As the Son of Heaven, your imperial sword can cut through wind and rain, vanquish evil spirits and treacherous villains, but it shouldn't be used for things like 'slicing flesh with a sunflower'..."
"..."
"You've gone south, is it really just for a tour?"
"..."
"Or is it so that you can enjoy the last bit of pleasure in your life as emperor here?"
Every word she spoke was like an invisible knife, stabbing deeply into Chu Yang's heart. Although he was strong and stubborn, at this moment, he could not resist the waves of pain in his heart. He just didn't know if it was because of her sharp words or the undeniable heartache in his own heart.
However, he still refused to admit defeat.
In Chu Yang's life, the word "defeat" was not allowed to exist.
He took a deep breath and sneered, "If what you say is true, then what are you doing here with me today?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him and slowly said, "Your Majesty regards Ruyi as a confidante. Although I do not consider myself to be Your Majesty's true confidante, I am willing to repay your confidante with my life."
"..."
“I will accompany Your Majesty on the final leg of your journey… no matter where this journey leads.”
"No matter where this road leads?"
Chu Yang repeated the sentence, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, but then he sneered and said, "Where do you think we, you and I, will go?"
"I--"
This time, Shang Ruyi couldn't continue speaking.
Just as she was about to speak, a rumbling sound interrupted her. They initially thought it was another burst of fireworks, but they immediately realized it wasn't.
The sound came from below the steps.
Moreover, not only was there a booming sound, but even the ground trembled slightly.
Both of them were taken aback and hurriedly turned to look down, only to find that countless imperial guards in full armor had suddenly poured in from both sides of the Wenhua Gate and Wugong Gate, quickly filling the plaza below the Hall of Light. Moreover, after they entered, they immediately closed the two main gates, and even from afar, the sound of a side gate closing could be heard behind the Hall of Light.
Clearly, this place has been sealed off.
Instantly, the air froze, the atmosphere tense. Each of these people had a solemn expression, their eyes filled with a deep, murderous aura. When they looked up at the two people standing in the main hall, their fierce eyes flashed with a sinister and cruel light.
Chu Yang frowned immediately.
He immediately stepped forward, shielding Shang Ruyi behind him, and said to the people below, "Imperial Guards? What are you doing?!"
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