Chapter 276 Good dreams faded with age, why be trapped in the dark court?
Three days after Yuwen Ye left Luoyang, news came from the court that the emperor was going to tour Jiangdu.
This was not unexpected news for Shang Ruyi, who had experienced a life-or-death struggle in Tinghe Tower, but it was earth-shattering news for the entire court and even the entire Daye Dynasty.
Although the emperor said at the court meeting, "Now is the best time in Jiangnan, when all kinds of flowers bloom and trees are in full bloom, and birds fly around. You have been through many wars and are already exhausted. Why don't you come with me to ride a crane down to Jiangnan and see the scenery of magnolia oars and green birds singing in spring?"
His words were unusually considerate; in fact, the emperor had never shown such compassion for his subjects since ascending the throne. The officials should have been deeply grateful, but the reality was quite different. Everyone understood that Hebei had fallen, and rebellions were raging in Longyou, Shanxi, and even Bohai Commandery. To leave Luoyang (the Eastern Capital) for a southern tour at this time would mean abandoning Luoyang, and perhaps even abandoning the entire north!
Such things have happened before. At the beginning of his reign, he abandoned Daxing City, which his predecessor had managed for decades, and built the Eastern Capital instead. The power center of the entire Daye Dynasty also shifted from west to east.
However, it did not cause much of a stir at the time because he promoted many aristocratic officials from the Central Plains in order to build the Eastern Capital. These people, in order to shift the power center of the Daye Dynasty to themselves, also actively took action in the court to suppress the Guanlong aristocratic families who were promoted by Chu Yin.
Now that Chu Yang is abandoning the north and heading south, how can these people be willing to accept that?!
For a time, people were filled with anxiety.
Empress Jiang hurriedly braved the cold wind to reach Nuanwu.
As soon as I approached, I heard a melodious sound of string and wind instruments. Looking up, I saw that the usually wide-open Warm House was closed today, but the melodious music was still coming from inside. I could even hear the silvery laughter of the girls, which made the music seem even more charming and captivating.
Empress Jiang frowned slightly, walked over, and pushed open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a cold wind rushed in, and the girls' giggles were immediately mixed with gasps of surprise.
Upon seeing the scene before her, Empress Jiang frowned.
The Warm Dock was always very quiet. This place was like a paradise that Chu Yang had created for himself. In winter, a warm spring flowed beneath the floor, and in summer, ice trays were constantly being replaced to keep it cool. In his spare time, a court band would play for him from afar, and listening to the music through the sound of the water was a truly beautiful experience. He didn't even allow other people from the palace to come here; if anyone disturbed his peace, he would have their legs cut off.
Therefore, apart from the few times she went to look for Shang Ruyi, Empress Jiang rarely set foot here.
But at this moment, the place was bustling with people. Before her were dozens of slender, beautiful young girls, each dressed in a bright red dress with wide sleeves and robes, dancing gracefully to the music. Their delicate, lotus-root-like arms were raised high in the air, the red dresses and snow-white skin complementing each other beautifully.
The air was filled with a strong, almost intoxicating aroma of alcohol.
Upon seeing the Empress arrive, the young girls were startled and hurriedly stepped aside, bowing and paying their respects.
Empress Jiang glanced at them coldly, but did not get angry. She simply waved her sleeve and calmly said, "All of you, step back."
Although she was calm, the empress's majesty was not to be trifled with, and the young girls dared not say a word. They could only lower their heads and carefully retreat from the Warm Dock.
Only after the last person left the gate did Empress Jiang take a deep breath, walk past the huge screen in front of her, and enter the inner chamber. She found it even more chaotic than the outside world, filled with singing and dancing. The carpet that usually covered the floor had been overturned, and on the enormous bed, Chu Yang lay sprawled. He was dressed in simple white robes, the front open, revealing a large expanse of his chest, and his belt was slung diagonally across his hip, as if it might slip at any moment.
At this moment, he held a wine glass in one hand and propped his head up with the other, his phoenix eyes half-closed and his brows slightly furrowed, like an immortal disturbed by the mortal world. He said impatiently, "Where's the singing? Where's the dancing? Keep going!"
Empress Jiang's expression darkened further.
But she took a deep breath, stepped forward, and respectfully kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
"...!"
Upon hearing her voice, Chu Yang fell silent for a moment.
Then, a smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly opened his eyes to look at her, saying with a smile, "Why has the Empress come?"
Empress Jiang said, "I heard that His Majesty is going to tour Jiangdu."
Chu Yang laughed and said, "The Empress's information network is truly impressive."
Empress Jiang said, "His Majesty has already announced it in court, so it's impossible for me not to be informed."
"Since you know that, why aren't you going down to prepare? What are you doing here?"
"Your Majesty, I would like to request that you rescind your decree."
"..."
Chu Yang frowned again, but he didn't get angry immediately. Instead, he chuckled twice and slowly got off the bed. He was already quite drunk, and even those two steps made him stagger. But his staggering figure was still dashing and elegant, like a jade mountain about to collapse.
He walked step by step to Empress Jiang and said with a smile, "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
Empress Jiang said solemnly, "Your Majesty should understand that if you leave the Eastern Capital now, most of the troops stationed in the city will have to escort you south. Once they leave, the Eastern Capital will be difficult to defend."
"..."
"Does Your Majesty no longer want the Eastern Capital or the North?"
"...!"
Chu Yang's eyes flickered.
But after a long silence, he suddenly burst into laughter again, turned around and waved his hand forcefully. His wide sleeves fluttered in the air like flowing clouds, and the wine in his cup also flew up and splashed out like fine rain.
Chu Yang, bathed in the intoxicating drizzle, laughed wildly and sang loudly:
Conquering Liaodong is not my wish; my only love is for Jiangnan.
Good dreams are old and faded, why be trapped in the darkness of the morning?
Upon hearing these lines of poetry, Empress Jiang's expression stiffened, and her dignified figure trembled slightly. After a long while, she murmured, "A beautiful dream of the past... Does Your Majesty still remember the last emperor of the Chen Dynasty? Does Your Majesty remember how he indulged in wine and women, and ultimately died under Your Majesty's divine might? Now, Your Majesty dreams of the past of the Chen Dynasty?"
Chu Yang's expression changed, and he angrily said, "How dare you!"
Empress Jiang was startled and hurriedly knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
"..."
Chu Yang slowly walked up to her, took a few deep breaths, and his expression softened again. He said in a barely calm tone, "I was just too tired and wanted to go to Jiangdu Palace to rest for a while. I didn't abandon Dongdu or the North as you said."
"Can--"
"Alright,"
This time, he didn't let Empress Jiang speak again. Instead, he turned around and said coldly, "Go and prepare. We will depart in ten days."
"..."
Empress Jiang looked up at him, hesitated several times before finally letting out a long sigh: "Yes."
After saying that, he got up and walked out.
As she stepped out of the gate of the warm dock, a sudden gust of biting wind swept by, feeling as if countless steel knives were piercing her body. Empress Jiang looked up at the gloomy sky, suddenly shivered, and murmured, "So cold..."
Before long, the poems that His Majesty the Emperor recited in the warm pavilion spread far and wide.
If the current situation was like an earthenware jar filled with tung oil, then this poem was a spark thrown into it, causing the entire court to be turned upside down and the sun and moon to tremble. In the following days, the ministers in the court kept submitting memorials to advise him, but Chu Yang insisted on going his own way, and even directly dismissed dozens of officials, and several officials were imprisoned.
Several days later, the poem reached Shang Ruyi's ears.
Without Yuwen Ye by her side, she heard news much later than usual. When she heard that even Guan Ao, the Grand Master of the Imperial Secretariat and Yuwen Ye's cousin, had been ordered to stay at home and reflect on his mistakes, she vaguely sensed that this fire was truly impossible to extinguish.
Seeing her pale face, Tushe'er worried that she might have caught a chill, so she brewed a cup of hot tea and handed it to her, saying softly, "Miss, is the court about to descend into chaos this time?"
Hearing this, Wo Xue, who was making the bed, shuddered and whispered, "Sister She'er, don't scare me."
Shang Ruyi shook her head and said, "What do you know? Don't talk nonsense."
Tushe'er said worriedly, "But now, the people in the city are all running away. I heard that tens of thousands of troops have gathered in Hebei and it seems they are heading east."
"..."
"What if a fight breaks out?"
Shang Ruyi took a sip of tea and said calmly, "After all, the Eastern Capital was built with His Majesty's care back then. The city is well-fortified and has ample grain reserves. Although Liang Shide's troops are numerous, they are nothing but a rabble. He is not qualified to take over the Eastern Capital."
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Although her young lady was also a woman, she was surprisingly capable and not a complete novice when it came to military affairs. The siege of Yanmen County had already demonstrated this to everyone. Therefore, with just one sentence from her, Tushe'er felt at ease.
Wo Xue, who was standing to the side, said softly, "But young mistress, I heard that His Majesty the Emperor has already selected the list of those who will accompany him to Jiangdu this time. It seems that your family is on the list."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her and said, "Oh..."
Actually, this is not surprising.
That day at Tinghe Tower, when Chu Yang asked her that question in front of her, it already meant that he had decided to take her to Jiangdu as well. However, the fact that he asked her in person seemed to have another layer of meaning.
From the fact that he even directly asked her if she was inferior to Yuwen Ye, Shang Ruyi sensed that he seemed to want to bring the two of them closer—since he wanted to bring them closer, then having her accompany him to Jiangdu was an inevitable outcome; however, if her answer that day had been different, perhaps her status in Jiangdu and her subsequent treatment would have been different.
Thinking of this, she sighed softly.
Wo Xue walked over and said softly, "Young Madam, shall we go with them?"
Tushe'er, standing to the side, frowned and said, "This is His Majesty the Emperor's decree. We probably can't disobey it, can we?"
Wo Xue asked, "Then, what about the Second Young Master?"
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