Chapter 492 Appreciating Poetry
Aunt Hui twitched her lips and forced a smile, saying, "The Duke went to court early this morning and hasn't returned yet. The eldest son is on duty at the Ministry of War today and hasn't returned either."
"……oh."
Shang Ruyi nodded and continued walking inside.
Along the way, although she brought quite a few people, everyone followed Shang Ruyi quietly behind her. Apart from very light footsteps, not even a breath or a cough could be heard until they entered the room.
As soon as I closed the door, I heard a "whoosh".
Looking back, Tushe'er jumped up with joy and laughed, "Haha, that's great!"
Shang Ruyi seemed to know what the girl was holding back, and only glanced at her with a smile. But she saw Chang Wan smiling with her eyes crinkling as she looked at Tu She'er, and gently shook her head. Wo Xue also smiled with her lips pursed, but still put the bundle in her hand aside first.
Tushe'er said excitedly, "Miss, you've suffered so much, and you've finally gotten some revenge today! That's wonderful!"
Shang Ruyi retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Tushe'er immediately said, "That's right. That Aunt Hui takes advantage of her seniority to make things difficult for us and Miss every time."
Shang Ruyi glared at her, annoyed: "You talk too much."
After saying that, she walked to the couch next to her and sat down. Although she had ridden a horse back, her legs were still numb and her back was sore after riding for a long time. When she saw her sit down, she frowned and Changwan immediately brought her a soft cushion to lean on.
After doing this, Changwan chimed in, "Young Madam, what I said wasn't wrong. Today, Aunt Hui deliberately tried to embarrass you and the Second Young Master."
"oh?"
Shang Ruyi looked at her. When Chang Wan mentioned this, a hint of displeasure appeared on her pretty face. She said, "Actually, I mentioned before that I wanted to clean the house. Although Aunt Hui agreed, she didn't do anything until she heard that you had all gone to the city. Only then did she have someone clean it."
"..."
"That's not all, she also made the gatekeepers clean the garden. Who's ever heard of making the gatekeepers do chores away from the gate?"
"..."
"I knew what she was going to do, so I kept listening to the door while I was doing my job. But I still couldn't make it in time, and the young mistress had to wait outside for half a day."
Tushe'er, standing to the side, couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, "That old woman!"
Shang Ruyi waved her hand gently.
When she saw the door was closed, a surge of anger had already welled up inside her, which was why she had spoken so harshly to Aunt Hui for the first time. Now, however, she was no longer angry. But she understood something more clearly—
The peace that Guan Yunmu once wanted to maintain in the Yuwen family was destined to be shattered the moment Yuwen Qian returned to the Duke's mansion as the heir apparent.
And this was just the beginning.
She looked up at Tushe'er, then at Changwan, who was furious, and Woxue, who remained calm, and said softly, "The three of you are all smart people—She'er, only you are a little slow, but you should all know the situation in the manor. I won't say more, I'll just give you a few words of advice now."
Changwan immediately said, "Please speak, young mistress."
Shang Ruyi said, "Besides loyalty, the most important thing for those who follow me is to be careful. I trust the three of you on the former, but you have to be careful on the latter. I don't need my people to help me settle things, I only ask that they don't go out and cause trouble; but if anyone offends you, don't be afraid, just come and tell me. You are my people, and your affairs are naturally under my jurisdiction. Understand?"
The three of them understood perfectly and nodded in agreement.
Shang Ruyi said, "Alright, go do your work. Changwan, I want to take a bath."
Changwan hurriedly said, "This servant has already boiled water and will go prepare it right away."
After saying that, she hurriedly went downstairs, and Wo Xue did not wait for her instructions. She turned around and unpacked the bundle she had brought back, packing her clothes and belongings one by one; Tu She'er poured Shang Ruyi a cup of tea.
Shang Ruyi took the teacup, looked up, and saw that she seemed to still be immersed in the joy she had just experienced, not even refuting her own comment that she was silly. So she smiled and said, "Are you that happy?"
Of course!
Tushe'er immediately said, "This servant cannot bear to see Miss suffer, as has happened several times before—"
"Let's not talk about the past."
“But Miss, why did you finally confront that old woman this time? You ignored her before.”
Shang Ruyi took a sip of tea, swallowed the slightly bitter taste, and after a moment, tasted a faint sweetness on her tongue. She let out a soft breath and then said, "I didn't argue with her before because it was pointless. But it's different now."
She knew very well that Guan Yunmu had been unwilling to compete with Aunt Hui in the past because Yuwen Yuan was already suspected by the emperor. If this caused a rift between Dong Gong and Yuwen Yuan, Yuwen Yuan would be somewhat isolated and helpless in the court, and would be easily persecuted.
But now, things are different.
Yuwen Yuan supported the new emperor and wielded immense power. Although the eldest son also contributed to this, the situation was no longer the same as before.
As far as Shang Ruyi knew, he was only one step away from his ultimate goal.
At this time, although it was still not possible to cause any major incidents, Shang Ruyi knew even more that at this time, the Dong family should not be allowed to fight too much. Otherwise, once Yuwen Yuan took that final step, and Yuwen Ye was suppressed, he would never have a chance to rise again.
So at this point, what she needs to do is no longer maintain balance.
Instead, it is a gradual process of reclaiming the power that was previously devoured by Aunt Hui, or rather, by the people behind her.
However, these things were too complicated for Tushe'er. If she explained them clearly, it would only frighten her, and even more so Woxue and Changwan. So Shang Ruyi simply said, "Feng Chen is no longer just the second young master of the Yuwen family, but a great general of the court. If he has to endure people's temper at home, how can he lead troops and fight battles?"
"..."
"If the general doesn't say anything when he's being bullied, it will only embolden her and make things harder to control if something happens in the future."
Tushe'er nodded and said, "Not only is the son-in-law a general, but Miss, you are now a second-rank noblewoman. We can't let her overshadow you."
Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow slightly. Yes, she had forgotten about herself.
So he smiled and said, "You still remember me."
Tushe'er suddenly pouted again: "I'm stupid."
After saying that, she snorted and ignored Shang Ruyi. She got up and went to pack the luggage she had brought back with Wo Xue. Seeing her sullen appearance, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh and leaned back on the couch to continue drinking tea.
I had just rested for a while when the hot water for a shower was ready.
Knowing that Shang Ruyi had returned from a battlefield of bloodshed, Chang Wan specially prepared a huge bathtub for her this time, filled it with hot water boiled with pomelo leaves, and sprinkled some flower petals. The whole bathroom was filled with steam and fragrance. Shang Ruyi soaked in it, feeling comfortable and lazy, and almost fell asleep.
This washing took almost half an hour.
When she came out of the bathroom again, only the last rays of the setting sun hung obliquely on the wall. She walked out dressed in casual clothes. A gust of wind blew by, and her clothes fluttered. The cool breeze felt as if something had been lifted off her shoulders and even her heart, and she felt completely relaxed.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but let out a comfortable sigh.
"Hmm—"
Seeing her rarely show such an expression, Chang Wan followed behind, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and said softly, "Young Madam has worked hard this time. While there's nothing else to do, you must rest and recuperate properly. The Second Young Master should too."
Shang Ruyi nodded, but secretly thought to herself: I hope it's really nothing serious.
After walking for a while, the two came up to a long corridor. The last rays of the setting sun slanted across the corridor, making it seem as if fires were burning on both sides. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but think of the poem written by Shen Wuzheng and murmured, "The arrow flies towards the gilded cloud, and a prairie fire will ignite the whole land."
Hearing this, Changwan, who was following behind her, brightened up: "Young Madam also knows about the poetry competition that happened half a month ago."
Shang Ruyi turned to look at her: "You knew that too?"
Changwan nodded hurriedly and said, "That poetry competition was wonderful. All the poems were praising the Second Young Master and the Young Mistress. Even now, half a month later, you can still hear people reciting the winning poems on the street."
Mentioning the poem that won the championship, Shang Ruyi's heart stirred slightly.
In truth, a poetry competition was of little importance to them; a general's duty was simply to fight on the battlefield, and the court would naturally reward those who rendered meritorious service. However, for some reason, the poem that won this competition left her with a slight sense of resentment.
The imperial court's rewarding of merits is indeed a very important matter.
However, public opinion is equally important.
Sometimes, the support or opposition of the people can be more important than the rewards bestowed by the imperial court at crucial moments.
Shang Ruyi said, "Does everyone only remember the poem that won the championship?"
Changwan glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Not really. Some people say there's another poem that's also well-written, but everyone's been arguing about it and there's still no conclusion."
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and asked, "Were there that many people there that day?"
Chang Wan said, "Of course, most of the people in the city went—even the eldest young master went."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback and looked up at her: "The eldest young master? He went too?"
"yes."
"He went to participate in the competition too?"
Chang Wan blinked, but before she could say anything, a gentle, smiling voice came from beside her: "That's not it."
"...!"
Although the voice was gentle and peaceful, for some reason, Shang Ruyi's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She quickly turned her head and saw a familiar figure standing at the bottom of the corridor, his hands behind his back, smiling at her. He was dressed in a light white shirt, tall and elegant, the fiery sunset casting a flame-like outline around him, but making his light gray eyes appear even clearer and more serene.
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