Chapter 384 This feeling isn't new.
The night passed by in a deep, quiet way.
The next morning, although Shang Ruyi woke up early, she did not expect that Yuwen Ye woke up even earlier than her. When she opened her eyes, the bed next to her was already empty.
Shang Ruyi's soft hand rested there, her fingertips lightly touching it, and she could still feel a little warmth remaining.
She was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to her senses and got up to get out of bed. At that moment, Yuwen Ye, dressed neatly, walked in from outside.
Upon seeing him, Shang Ruyi was taken aback for a moment.
He was also wearing an indigo blue long robe, with a jade-colored belt tightly cinching his narrow waist, making him appear as if he had a wasp waist and an ape back, with a crane-like and mantis-like posture. Although he had a dashing figure, at this moment, he did not give people a sense of lightness and handsomeness at all, but instead exuded a faint sense of oppression.
Shang Ruyi blurted out instinctively, "How could you—"
Yuwen Ye looked at her, his eyes flickering slightly: "What?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi hesitated for a moment, then immediately swallowed back what she was about to say, and said indifferently, "It's nothing."
Yuwen Ye looked at her for a while, but didn't ask any further questions. He just smiled and said, "It's good that you're up. I thought you should sleep a little longer to get some rest, so I didn't wake you. But it's about time now, so hurry up and wash up."
Shang Ruyi nodded and hurriedly got up and went out.
Tushe'er and Changwan had already prepared hot water and towels. After washing up, Shang Ruyi sat in front of the dressing mirror and had Tushe'er put on the jewelry she had chosen last night, one piece at a time. Then she put on the indigo dress.
As soon as she put on the long dress, she saw the smile that Tusheer couldn't hide in her eyes and brows.
Chang Wan, who was standing to the side, also seemed to smile.
In fact, even without turning around, just looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, Shang Ruyi knew that she and Yuwen Ye were dressed almost identically today, and in everyone's eyes, they looked like a couple.
I don't know why he chose this outfit.
Was it because of myself, or because of—
Shang Ruyi's thoughts were momentarily jumbled, but she quickly regained her composure. Today, she had to keep a clear head; she couldn't afford to be confused!
So she took a deep breath to calm herself down and clear her mind, then turned to Yuwen Ye behind her and said, "Let Cheng Qiao accompany us today."
Yuwen Ye said, "I have already sent him to Dayan Temple."
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, then lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before softly saying, "Oh."
Yuwen Ye walked up to her, looked down at her, and said, "You can leave these things to me."
"..."
"I said I'd do it."
Shang Ruyi was silent for a while, then looked up at him and said with a faint smile, "I know, but some things you still have to face yourself."
Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered slightly.
Just then, someone came to report that the carriages and horses outside were ready and they should go out immediately.
Yuwen Ye waved his hand to dismiss the man, then turned back to look at Shang Ruyi and said, "Let's go."
"Um."
Shang Ruyi nodded and followed him out.
When they arrived at the gate, the convoy had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they arrived, Yuwen Yuan came out as well.
He wore a loose-fitting robe, which was obviously too heavy for the weather, but it was precisely this robe that made him look even more robust and imposing, yet his steady steps revealed a calm and composed demeanor.
Upon seeing him, the two immediately stepped forward and bowed.
Upon seeing his son and daughter-in-law, Yuwen Yuan's expression became somewhat complicated. He looked them up and down before saying, "You two today—"
"Father,"
Yuwen Ye said, "We know what to do."
Yuwen Yuan frowned slightly, seemingly displeased that Yuwen Yuan had repeatedly interrupted him since last night, but after pondering for a while, he still did not lash out.
He simply said, "It's enough to know what to do."
So he waved his hand and said, "Get in the car."
He boarded his large carriage, and Yuwen Ye helped Shang Ruyi into the carriage behind him. Immediately, two squads of cavalry came from the left and right, protecting the two carriages in the center. Two squads of guards carrying large flags came from the front to clear the way. The procession of over a hundred people then left the Duke's mansion and headed for Dayan Temple in a grand procession.
The road was clear and there were no obstacles along the way.
Unlike before, when Shang Ruyi arrived at a new place by carriage, she would no longer lift the curtain to look at the surrounding scenery. Instead, she sat quietly the whole way, listening to the monotonous sound of the wheels hitting the hard stone road beneath her, as if a hand was plucking a misaligned string.
The string in her heart was constantly being tightened.
Finally, when the tension had reached almost 20%, the carriage stopped, and the sandalwood scent in the air told them that they had arrived at Dayuan Temple.
The sound of banners fluttering in the wind seemed to be a little louder than before.
Like the hooves of horses urging each other on a battlefield.
Shang Ruyi's hands, which were resting on her knees, tightened unconsciously, gripping the hem of her clothes. Immediately, a warm, large hand reached out and covered the back of her hand.
It was naturally Yuwen Ye.
In fact, the atmosphere and temperature were almost exactly the same as last night. But this time, Shang Ruyi turned to look at him and saw him looking at her gently but firmly, saying in a deep voice, "Don't worry."
"..."
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment, then nodded gently.
So he took her hand and got off the carriage.
As soon as she stood still, although she tried her best to calm herself down, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but be startled.
Before them stood the mountain gate of Dayan Temple, and in front of the gate was a vast square that stretched as far as the eye could see. At this moment, it was filled with civil and military officials. Although they were dressed in ordinary clothes, they were all upright and solemn, standing in neat rows, without a sound of panting or coughing.
Yuwen Yuan slowly stepped down from the carriage in front of him.
Upon seeing this, these people immediately bowed to him and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!"
The shouts of so many people echoed across the vast open space, creating a deafening sound that momentarily stunned Shang Ruyi.
It took a while for him to come to his senses.
By the way, Yuwen Yuan is now the Grand Chancellor, second only to the Emperor.
To be honest, I had only heard that he had supported the new emperor and held immense power in the court, but that was just hearsay and imagination. But now, seeing all the civil and military officials being so respectful to him, almost worshipping him, I finally had a real feeling about it.
Yuwen Yuan seems to be getting closer and closer to that position, almost within a step.
She definitely made the right choice!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.
But for some reason, a deeper unease then began to rise within me—
She glanced around instinctively.
Among the officials here, and their families, some were familiar to her, probably having come from the Eastern Capital; others were complete strangers, perhaps people left behind at the Daxing Palace. But among this crowd, the most eye-catching were naturally the relatively familiar ones.
So, she immediately spotted a tall figure in the crowd—
Duke Shenwu, Dong Bizheng.
At this moment, the county magistrate tilted his head slightly, seemingly talking to someone beside him. Beside him was a tall, thin middle-aged man with large, deep-set eyes, sunken cheeks, and thin lips, giving him a somewhat austere appearance.
Who is this person?
Shang Ruyi examined it carefully and found it to be a completely unfamiliar face. She was almost certain that it was someone from Daxing City, which was why she had never seen it before.
However, since he is an official of Daxing City, how could he be so close to the Duke of Shenwu? Even some of Dong Bizheng's old friends and relatives in Luoyang did not stand so close to him, but he was so close to this person.
More importantly—
Behind that person, there seemed to be a shadowy figure.
It vanished in a flash.
Although it was just a fleeting shadow, or perhaps a mistake, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a jolt in her heart. It was as if a thunderbolt had suddenly exploded above her head, striking her directly. Her soul trembled, as if something had grabbed her and forcibly pulled her away from her body.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's face turned pale, her body swayed, and she almost fainted.
Just then, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
The warmth emanating from her palm shot straight up her wrist and into her heart, striking her almost stopped heart and making it beat again. Shang Ruyi gasped sharply, feeling as if her soul had returned to its place. She was drenched in cold sweat, which soaked her clothes.
She tensed up and let out a long sigh.
Then he slowly raised his head and looked at the people around him.
Yuwen Ye grasped her hand, frowned slightly, and looked at her with concern: "What's wrong?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi was speechless.
If she told Yuwen Ye that if he hadn't caught her just now, her soul might have been ripped out, and even Yuwen Ye would probably laugh.
But at that moment, she really did have that feeling.
Moreover, this wasn't the first time I'd felt this way.
It wasn't even the second time.
Seeing Shang Ruyi's deathly pale face, Yuwen Ye's expression grew even more worried. He lowered his head and asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi did not answer immediately. She composed herself and looked up at him before asking, "Who is the person beside the Duke?"
Yuwen Ye was surprised that she didn't answer him, but instead asked him a question.
Although he was full of doubts, he still looked up and glanced at it, then immediately lowered his head and whispered, "Yu Dingxing."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched.
She said in a hoarse voice, "It is—"
Yuwen Ye nodded calmly, a cold glint in his eyes: "It is Yu Dingxing, the Left General of the Valiant Guard who helped his elder brother take Daxing City without bloodshed and welcomed Father into the city."
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