Chapter 323 Living is the greatest advantage
The next morning, when I opened my eyes, the room was already brightly lit.
It seemed to be getting late. Tushe'er brought in hot water and busied herself with it, but Shang Ruyi lay on the bed in a daze, unable to come to her senses for a long time.
last night……
She subconsciously reached out and touched herself, the feeling of being tightly embraced still lingering, but she was clearly alone on the bed.
Was it a dream?
But in my dream, the touch of those warm and firm arms felt so real.
It felt so real, it seemed like it was true...
"Miss?"
Just as she was feeling somewhat lost, Tushe'er's voice rang in her ears. Turning her head, she saw Tushe'er standing by the bed, cautiously asking, "What are you thinking about?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi also asked herself, what was she thinking?
It's just a dream, what's there to think about?
So she shook her head slightly.
As she got up to wash, she noticed she wasn't as weak as she had been a few days ago; it seemed her days of bed rest had finally paid off. After breakfast, she was still persuaded by Tushe'er to drink a bowl of medicine. Just as Tushe'er was about to offer her some candied fruit to cleanse her palate, Shang Ruyi said, "I want to go for a walk."
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er immediately said, "No, Miss."
Shang Ruyi calmly asked, "What illness do I have that requires me to stay in my room? Are you letting me recuperate, or are you going to confine me?"
Upon hearing the words "house arrest," Tushe'er turned pale with fright.
She quickly replied, "Why do you say that, Miss? I was just concerned about your health."
“I’m much better now. I can get out of bed and do things by myself. If that’s not good enough, do you expect me to do a somersault for you?”
At this point, she gave Tushe'er a cold look: "She'er, are you my maid or Yuwen Ye's?"
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er's eyes also reddened.
She pursed her lips and looked at Shang Ruyi for a while, then said softly, "Miss, please don't say that. Of course I am your maid, and everything I do is for your own good. If you want to go out for a walk, then go for a walk. There's no need to say such things to me. But you must promise me that if it gets windy outside, you will come back immediately and not stay outside in the wind. Also, you should wear something warm."
Although her words sounded somewhat aggrieved, they still revealed her concern and care for Shang Ruyi.
Shang Ruyi knew she had been a bit harsh, so she could only sigh and say, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Tushe'er then relaxed a little.
So she helped Shang Ruyi get dressed, and then looked her over carefully from head to toe to make sure there was no draft, before finally helping her out of the room.
After walking all the way out, we finally left the cabin and saw a sliver of daylight.
Shang Ruyi was momentarily dazed.
The deck in front of me was wide and flat, and very neatly arranged. As soon as I stepped out of the cabin, I immediately felt a river breeze carrying moisture rushing towards me, as if a layer of damp gauze was gently brushing against my cheek.
Shang Ruyi reached out and touched her face, then slowly walked forward.
This is the bow of the boat, where you can see the wide river ahead. Today, the wind is gentle and the waves are calm, so the boat is indeed moving very fast. Shang Ruyi leans on the railing and can see the wide river surface shimmering in the sunlight, as if countless golden koi are swimming in the water. On both sides of the canal, green hills stretch out, shaded by trees. Some families wash their hands by the river, and a shepherd boy rides his ox, playing a flute as he leisurely walks by. The sound of the flute carries far and wide on the water.
Shang Ruyi suddenly felt as if she had come back to life.
These days, she was indeed "locked" in that small cabin to recuperate, but her heart was also imprisoned in a certain place in her memory, never seeing the light of day. So much so that when these landscapes and people appeared before her eyes, she was surprised to realize that she was still alive.
This world, with its everyday hustle and bustle, is so vibrant.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Where are we?"
Tushe'er hurriedly replied, "We have already passed Suzhou."
We've already passed Suzhou...
Although she had been staying in that small cabin without seeing the sun all day, and had hardly felt the passage of time, she still roughly knew how many days had passed. She never expected that the ship would move so fast and that it had already passed Suzhou.
In other words, we are not far from Luoyang.
Speaking of which, the speed of the boat is one thing.
For some reason, Shang Ruyi seemed to hear that person's voice again—"This time, Wo Xue was able to take you from Luoyang to Jiangdu in just over ten days. If it were before the Grand Canal, do you know how long it would have taken you to travel?"
Yes, it's all thanks to him.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle softly.
But even that laughter was tinged with sobs.
Tushe'er had been standing beside her, watching her carefully. As soon as she heard her laugh, she immediately stepped forward nervously: "Miss, what's wrong?"
Shang Ruyi glanced down at her and smiled, "It's nothing."
"..."
"I just feel that being alive... seems to have its advantages."
"..."
Tushe'er tilted his head, seemingly not quite understanding her words, but still immediately said, "Of course it's good to be alive, there are benefits to being alive. There are no benefits to being dead."
Just then, a deep voice came from behind—
"There are benefits to being alive."
"..."
"Being alive is the greatest blessing."
Shang Ruyi turned around and saw a somewhat familiar figure walking over. It was none other than Cheng Qiao, the deputy commander she had met once before at Jiangdu Palace.
He walked over and bowed to Shang Ruyi, saying, "Young Madam."
Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised to see him: "Lord Cheng, you're here too?"
But thinking about it, it makes sense that he would be on the ship. After all, that night, he and his men fought a bloody battle with the Imperial Guards. If he hadn't left Jiangdu, he would probably have already been retaliated against by Wang Shao and his men, and his body would have been lost forever.
Sure enough, Cheng Qiao also said, "I have nowhere to stand in Jiangdu, so I brought my family to follow the Second Young Master."
Shang Ruyi nodded slightly.
Cheng Qiao looked her up and down, seemingly to make sure she was unharmed, before asking, "Is the young mistress alright now?"
Shang Ruyi forced a smile: "I'm fine."
Seeing her calm smile, Cheng Qiao couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow on his face as he said, "Unfortunately, I still couldn't protect the young mistress."
Shang Ruyi then remembered that it was he who had sent her the message that the Imperial Guards were going to rebel earlier that day.
But in the end—
Shang Ruyi immediately replied, "No, your news came just in time."
Cheng Qiao frowned: "Then why is the young mistress still—"
"..."
Shang Ruyi's expression darkened.
These days she has been deliberately trying not to think about what happened that day, and even less about her state of mind. But what has happened has happened, and everything and everyone around her is reminding her that she survived that day, that sea of blood-like memory.
She shook her head gently, looking somewhat pained.
Cheng Qiao was also a perceptive person, and seeing her like this, he immediately shut his mouth.
Shang Ruyi turned around, leaning on the railing and looking at the picturesque scenery around her. Suddenly, she remembered something and turned to look at him: "By the way, Lord Cheng, that painting you had someone send over back then—was it painted by yourself?"
Cheng Qiao immediately shook his head: "No."
"That is—"
“It was delivered to my house the night before the Cold Food Festival.”
Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up: "Who is it?"
Cheng Qiao said, "It was too late, and this person was deliberately dressed up. He left after asking me to hand over the painting, so I didn't see who he was."
"……oh."
Shang Ruyi lowered her head in disappointment.
Cheng Qiao said, "However, it should be a woman."
"woman?"
Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up again: "Are you sure?"
Cheng Qiao said, "This is still certain. Although she dressed up deliberately and spoke in a low voice, when she handed me this painting, I smelled a fragrance coming from her sleeve, which should be the scent of a woman's cosmetics. Therefore, I can conclude that she is a woman."
"..."
"Actually, I also wanted to find out who this person was, but—"
He hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "At that time, the Second Young Master was at my home, discussing with me the matter of storming Jiangdu Palace. This matter was of great importance and needed to be kept secret, so I didn't dare to cause any trouble and could only let that person leave."
"..."
Shang Ruyi's heart sank slightly.
Actually, this isn't exactly a secret. Since Yuwen Ye and Cheng Qiao led their men into the Bright Gate on the night of the Cold Food Festival, they must have met beforehand and discussed everything.
However, hearing it now felt strangely painful.
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment, then said, "Oh."
Seemingly sensing the coldness emanating from her, Cheng Qiao, who had been about to say something, couldn't bring himself to speak. After several hesitations, he finally mustered his courage and said, "Actually, we planned for several days to protect the young mistress, but we didn't expect things to turn out so suddenly, and that she would end up in the Hall of Light—"
At this point, he said in a deep voice, "Please forgive me, young mistress."
Shang Ruyi glanced at him and said with a faint smile, "You saved me, and now you want me to forgive you? What kind of logic is that?"
"..."
"Lord Cheng, I feel only gratitude towards you."
Cheng Qiao looked at her, his eyes still showing some conflict and struggle, but he couldn't say anything.
At this moment, the wind on the canal picked up. Although Cheng Qiao was dressed lightly, he was strong and didn't feel anything. But Shang Ruyi was different. Although she was dressed very warmly, the cold wind immediately made her feel a chill seep into her limbs, as if she were being pricked by needles.
How can it be so cold?
As soon as Shang Ruyi shivered, she felt a warmth on her body. When she turned around, she saw that Tu She'er had already put a thick cloak on her.
She said, "Miss, you must not catch a cold."
Shang Ruyi glanced down at it; the cloak looked unfamiliar and didn't seem to belong to her.
So he asked, "Where did you come from?"
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