Chapter 503 Strange Phenomena in the Shen Mansion
One word to describe it is—逊?
Inferior?!
Shang Ruyi gasped sharply. In an instant, countless questions flooded her mind, only to be answered.
Just as she was feeling somewhat dazed and her body began to sway unsteadily, a hand reached out from behind and gently supported her back. Turning around, she saw that Yuwen Ye had somehow gotten behind her and was supporting her.
Compared to Shang Ruyi's stunned reaction upon hearing the thunderclap, he remained calm and simply said in a low voice, "Sit down first."
"..."
Shang Ruyi looked at him with a complicated expression for a while, then nodded slightly.
She followed the warmth and strength of his palm without saying a word, and was slowly led to sit down on the side. She could feel her heart still pounding, making her chest feel hot.
But he couldn't utter a single word.
Yuwen Yuan seemed to know the shock that word had on her. After all, when he heard that word in the Liangyi Hall today, the young emperor, who always obeyed them, immediately turned pale and then flew into a rage, wanting to kill someone. The other seasoned and prudent old ministers were also shocked and almost lost their composure.
Awesome!
This word cannot be uttered casually in front of the emperor.
Even though he had considered even more rude ways.
Even after he enthroned the new emperor, he had thought about this word countless times in his mind, and even planned to use it countless times.
But he never expected that Shen Shiyan, who had just been freed from exile, would dare to utter this word in front of the emperor—the word that had once brought Yan Ru to his death!
For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire study became somber.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ruyi finally caught her breath. When she looked up at Yuwen Yuan again, she was much calmer. She said in a deep voice, "Father, then my uncle—"
Yuwen Yuan said, "Your uncle misspoke this time. The criminal deceived the emperor. Although several of us old ministers jointly protected him today, it is only temporary. His Majesty has thrown him into prison, and it is clear that he does not intend to forgive him so easily."
"..."
"If His Majesty insists on killing, there is nothing we can do."
Shang Ruyi hesitated before saying, "Could we ask the ministers in the court to plead for my uncle again?"
Yuwen Yuan glanced at her but didn't speak, while Yuwen Ye beside him said in a deep voice, "This might backfire."
"ah?"
Shang Ruyi turned to look at him in surprise: "Why?"
Yuwen Ye's expression turned solemn as he said, "If Uncle Shen had said something else, the ministers in the court could have pleaded for him. But the word Uncle Shen used—I'm afraid the more the ministers plead, the more His Majesty's anger will intensify."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was startled, but after a moment's thought, she immediately came to her senses.
indeed.
Shen Shiyan used the word "submission" in front of the emperor. If the other ministers pleaded for him, it would inevitably arouse the emperor's suspicion. If he felt that the court officials were forming cliques and plotting rebellion, perhaps the law would not punish the many, but the one who stood up would definitely be made an example of to warn others.
And this person can only be Shen Shiyan!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi broke out in a cold sweat and immediately banished the idea from her mind.
At this moment, Yuwen Yuan said, "The only thing we can do now is to find a way to appease His Majesty's anger. However, we court officials cannot speak too much. The only thing we can say that His Majesty will listen to is—"
Shang Ruyi subconsciously asked, "Empress Dowager?"
Yuwen Yuan shook his head: "I only learned after entering the palace today that the Empress Dowager had already gone to Dayan Temple to fast yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart sank again, and even Yuwen Ye, who was sitting next to her, frowned slightly—no wonder Princess Xinyue summoned them to the palace today under the guise of the Empress Dowager.
Princess Crescent Moon...
In this way, the only person who could speak to the emperor was this eldest princess.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank immediately.
They discussed the matter for a while in the study, but after much thought, they still couldn't come up with a better solution. As the sun began to set outside, Yuwen Yuan said, "Alright, Ruyi, we'll think of something else. It's getting late, you should go back now."
"yes."
Shang Ruyi stood up and bowed to him. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she glanced at Yuwen Ye again.
Yuwen Yuan said, "Ye'er, stay here. I have something to say to you."
Hearing him say that, Shang Ruyi didn't say anything more and silently turned around and walked out of the study.
Just as she stepped out of the study, she heard Yuwen Ye say in a deep voice, "Father, why hasn't my elder brother returned yet?"
"he?"
"It seems he's not on duty at the Ministry of War today."
"Perhaps he has his own things to do. Let's put your elder brother aside for now. Tell me, what brought you to the palace today—"
The sounds behind her grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared completely. Shang Ruyi looked up and was blinded by the light of the setting sun. She was momentarily dazed before slowly continuing forward.
Along the way, her mood grew increasingly gloomy.
Princess... Chu Ruoyan, this time we might really have to ask her for help.
but--
Just thinking about her attitude when she saw her at Yichun Palace today made Shang Ruyi feel like she was being pricked by needles. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the more she walked, the heavier her steps became. Gradually, even her breathing became heavy.
Just as she raised her head and took a deep breath, trying to break free from the shackles of her unease, she saw a tall figure slowly walking towards her. It was none other than Yuwen Qian.
He seemed somewhat surprised when he saw her.
But immediately, a smile appeared in those calm and gentle bluish-gray eyes, and he walked over and said, "Sister-in-law."
Shang Ruyi said, "Big Brother."
Yuwen Qian walked up to her, looked down at her dazed expression, and said softly, "I already know about Uncle Shen's matter, you don't need to worry too much. Good people are always protected by heaven, I believe he will definitely turn bad luck into good."
"Thank you, brother."
"By the way, where are Father and Fengchen?"
"They were all discussing something in the study."
"Then I'll go take a look."
After saying that, he nodded and walked past Shang Ruyi, his movements clean and decisive, without any hesitation, only the fluttering of his robes stirring up a slight breeze.
With her mind preoccupied, Shang Ruyi didn't think much of it and continued walking forward.
However, when that gust of wind brushed against my cheek, it seemed to carry a faint, exotic fragrance.
That night, Shang Ruyi barely slept a wink, only managing to close her eyes for a short while as dawn approached. Even then, it was only a light sleep. When a gentle breath brushed against her cheek, she seemed to sense something and slowly woke up.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I was met with a pair of familiar eyes.
Yuwen Ye, who was lying on his side beside her, was looking down at her with deep eyes. When he saw that she had woken up, he didn't say anything immediately. Shang Ruyi didn't speak either, just quietly looked at him.
At this moment, it seemed very quiet, yet it was as if a thousand words had been spoken in that silence.
Only when the light streaming through the window became brighter, and the sounds of Tushe'er and the others bustling about in the courtyard could be heard, did Yuwen Ye lower his eyelashes and softly ask, "Did you sleep well?"
Shang Ruyi silently shook her head.
Yuwen Ye asked, "Then, would you like to sleep a little longer?"
Shang Ruyi still shook her head.
"Then today—"
"Today, I want to go back to the Shen family,"
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Feng Chen, will you come back with me?"
Yuwen Ye wasn't surprised. Come to think of it, this was something he'd promised her yesterday when he'd coaxed her out. But now, bringing it up again brought up a different kind of joy and ease. He asked softly, "You want to go back?"
"Hmm. Although I haven't figured out a solution yet, I want to go back and see my aunt."
"..."
"She had just returned and enjoyed two peaceful days, and now this has happened. She must be feeling terrible."
Speaking of this, Shang Ruyi's eyes involuntarily reddened.
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye reached out and gently pulled her into his arms. His deep voice, though spoken from his mouth, traveled through his broad chest to Shang Ruyi's ears, who was pressed against his chest: "Okay, I'll go back with you."
"Um."
So the two of them quickly got out of bed, dressed, washed up, had breakfast, and then went out together. They took a carriage and traveled for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the Shen family's house.
However, as soon as they got closer, they saw a richly decorated carriage pass by them.
Just then, Yuwen Ye lifted the curtain and looked out the window. He paused for a moment upon seeing the carriage, and murmured, "That's—"
Shang Ruyi glanced at it and immediately said, "That's Minister Lu's carriage from the Ministry of War."
How did you know?
“At my mother’s funeral, Minister Lu also came, and he rode in the same carriage, so I remember it.”
"..."
Yuwen Ye remained in the mourning hall, seemingly lost in thought, guarding Guan Yunmu's coffin. Naturally, he was unaware of what was happening outside, nor of Minister Lu's carriage.
He nodded slightly, then frowned.
Why would Minister Lu come here at this time?
Could it be that they've come to the Shen residence for some purpose?
Just then, Shang Ruyi lifted the curtain and looked outside again. She saw the gate of the Shen family mansion in front of her. A sedan chair was parked there, and someone was talking to the gatekeeper. After a few words, the gatekeeper bowed repeatedly and went inside. The person helplessly turned and sat back in the sedan chair, and the sedan chair bearers carried it away from the Shen family mansion.
That person seems to be Wenjun Ce, the Grand Master of the Palace.
He was previously exiled along with Pei Xu and Shen Shiyan for submitting a memorial to stop the campaign against Liaodong. This time, he was pardoned after the new emperor ascended the throne. He had just returned to Daxing City and had not yet been reinstated to his original position; he was still a commoner.
He's here too?
Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming even more serious.
At this moment, the carriage stopped in front of the Shen residence.
Tu She'er, on the other hand, knew the way well and went up to knock on the door without waiting for anyone else. Yuwen Ye helped Shang Ruyi down from the carriage. As soon as the two of them stood still, they saw that the entrance to the Shen residence was covered with ruts and messy footprints.
strangeness……
Shen Shiyan suffered this misfortune, and he was a criminal who deceived the emperor. Shouldn't the officials in the court try to distance themselves from him to avoid getting into trouble? Why are so many people still coming to his door?
What's going on?
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