Chapter 1208 Grievance
She had pretended to be exhausted in front of everyone, but after entering the inner palace, Shang Ruyi's steps gradually quickened. Especially after passing the Hundred Blessings Gate, she looked up and saw the tall Thousand Autumns Hall not far away. Her breathing became disordered, and she staggered several steps, almost falling.
Yuwen Ye reacted quickly and caught her.
"Slower."
Shang Ruyi straightened up and took a deep breath, but her heart was still pounding, like a little person drumming in her chest. She tried her best to control her breathing, and as she walked forward, she remembered something and murmured, "I was locked up in Chengqian Palace for a long time before. When I went back, Yuangan was so upset because he hadn't seen me for so long. He cried as soon as he saw me and wouldn't let me hug him..."
As she spoke, her voice became hoarse and strained, and her eyes reddened as she turned to look at Yuwen Ye: "I've been gone for so long this time, he must miss me... he must be even angrier."
"..."
Yuwen Ye originally wanted to say a few words to her, after all, it was her own fault for not listening to her and running around, and who could she complain to now? But when he saw Shang Ruyi's red eyes, and how she herself was already feeling wronged, he immediately softened. He put his arm around her shoulder and said softly, "The child will be even angrier than me if he hasn't seen me for a long time; when that happens, just tell him what I did wrong, and he won't be angry with you anymore."
Shang Ruyi, who had been feeling sad, laughed upon hearing this: "That works too?"
Yuwen Ye said, "We can't afford to become estranged from both our parents."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Alright then, I'll leave you with this."
This lighthearted remark made her feel a little better. Her steps were still hurried, but her heartbeat and breathing were less erratic. As she walked, she whispered, "Father—"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's expression turned slightly cold.
He looked ahead and said in an unquestionable tone, "In family matters, someone always has to suffer. I can't bear to see Yuangan suffer, nor can I bear to see you suffer. That is my suffering."
"..."
"It's okay for someone to suffer losses in matters of the imperial court, but that person cannot be me."
"..."
That's a rather domineering statement.
Shang Ruyi did not doubt that he could do it, and knew that he deserved all of this, but things had already been brought to the forefront. As a son and a subject, how could he not be afraid of competing with Yuwen Yuan, who was both a father and a ruler?
Shang Ruyi said, "Feng Chen..."
Yuwen Ye turned to look at her: "Mm."
"..."
Because she hadn't sorted out her thoughts, Shang Ruyi hesitated for a long time and couldn't really say anything. Just then, they arrived at Qianqiu Palace. As soon as Shang Ruyi stepped one leg through the gate, a short, dark figure suddenly bumped into her leg.
"Why……"
Shang Ruyi gasped and took a step back. Yuwen Ye, who was beside her, quickly caught her. At the same time, the dark figure that had bumped into her also took two steps back and swayed as it sat down on the ground.
They even heard a bang.
"Oh dear, Your Highness!"
Following closely behind, Nurse Feng hurriedly rushed forward, scooped the fleshy lump up from the ground, and when she looked up and saw the two of them, as well as Wo Xue following behind, she was both surprised and delighted. She quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qin! Greetings, Your Highness the Princess!"
Tushe'er, Changwan, and the others inside the hall had already received news that they were returning today. They were already looking out from under the eaves. As soon as they heard Feng Nainiang's voice, they immediately ran out. Upon seeing Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, they all hurriedly came forward to kowtow and pay their respects.
Tushe'er, in particular, had red eyes and was almost in tears: "Your Majesty, Your Highness..."
Shang Ruyi responded to this and that, and also had to comfort Tushe'er. She never felt so exhausted on the battlefield. But what concerned her was Yuan Gan, who was standing in front of her, somewhat dazed, being held in the arms of Nurse Feng. He was wearing a brand-new red coat, which seemed to be a new outfit for the New Year. He also had a tiger-head hat on his head, which covered his ears and cheeks completely. Only his nose was slightly red from the cold, which made him look especially pitiful and cute against his dark eyes.
Yuwen Ye bent down to look at him: "Yuanzi, Yuangan, do you still remember your father?"
"..."
Rou Dunzi didn't speak, but stared at him with wide eyes, as if recognizing him for the first time. Shang Ruyi also half-squatted down in front of him, reaching out to stroke his chubby face as she softly said, "Yuanzi, Mother is back—"
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yuanzi turned her head away, dodging her hand.
The previously bustling crowd suddenly fell silent. Feng, the wet nurse, looked somewhat embarrassed and cautiously smiled apologetically, "Oh dear, what's wrong, Your Highness? How could you not recognize them? Your Highness and the Princess are your father and mother. Don't you recognize them? Look again."
As she spoke, she tried to coax and pull the child to turn around so that the two of them could see him, but Yuan Gan seemed to be stubborn and turned away with all his might.
Frustrated by being manipulated, he cried out in a clear voice, "No!"
"...!"
Upon hearing the "no," Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi were both startled. When they left, Yuan Gan was just a baby who could only babble incoherently, but now he could walk on his own without adult support and could even talk!
Along with the surprise, guilt surged like a tide.
Shang Ruyi felt a pang of sorrow and pain in her heart. Her eyes welled up with tears, burning red, and she leaned closer to Yuan Gan, whispering, "Yuan Gan, are you angry with your mother? Are you angry? Mother is back, and Mother will never—"
"Hmm!"
Before she could finish speaking, Yuan Gan turned around and hugged Feng Nanny tightly, without even looking at her.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi was so sad that she almost burst into tears.
When Yuwen Ye saw this scene, he felt guilty and heartbroken. But when he saw Shang Ruyi suffering from guilt, he thought for a moment and reached out to pull Yuan Gan out of Feng's arms.
"well--!"
The wet nurse and everyone around were startled, including Shang Ruyi, who quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
Ignoring everyone else, Yuwen Ye carried Yuan Gan and headed towards the Qianqiu Palace.
Yuan Gan, who had been sulking, was suddenly grabbed and hugged, leaving him completely stunned and unable to react. After all, no one in the Qianqiu Palace, or even the entire palace, dared to treat him like this. He stood there dumbfounded for a long while until Yuwen Ye carried him into the main hall. As the familiar feeling washed over him, he immediately burst into tears, wailing, "Waaah, waaah, waaah—"
Hearing the child cry like that, Shang Ruyi was heartbroken, and the wet nurse Feng panicked and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please let me do it."
Yuwen Ye, however, remained calm and waved for everyone to step back. He sat down and placed the child on his lap. He watched as Xiao Yuangan struggled and cried incessantly, even clenching his two tiny fists and wildly punching him. Two of the punches landed on him, as if he would never give up until others did as he pleased.
He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Kid, you've got some energy."
Although he was smiling, Shang Ruyi couldn't bear it and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Never mind, he's angry. Let the wet nurse hold him."
At this moment, Nurse Feng dared not utter a sound, but carefully stood by her side, afraid that the proud and willful little prince, who had been abandoned by his parents for several months and had nowhere to confide his grievances, would burst into tears. However, Yuwen Ye was "heartless". Even though he saw the child crying so hard that he could not catch his breath and his face turned red, he still did not let go.
Seeing that his usual crying and fussing were no longer effective, Yuan Gan's crying subsided a little, but he kicked his legs vigorously and punched Yuwen Ye's chest with his little fists.
Of course, this amount of strength wasn't even enough to tickle Yuwen Ye; the more he hit her, the deeper the smile on his face became: "Oh, you're angry. You're so young, yet you already know how to hit people to vent your anger?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Shang Ruyi out of the corner of his eye.
Shang Ruyi immediately understood, so she sat down next to him and gently patted his arm: "Yes, Father is wrong, let's beat him!"
Upon seeing Shang Ruyi hit Yuwen Ye, Yuan Gan stopped crying for a moment, blinked, and looked at him.
Shang Ruyi watched his reaction quietly, but after a while there was no movement from either side. Yuan pursed his lips and opened his mouth wide, ready to cry.
Yuwen Ye said in a low voice, "Again."
Shang Ruyi quickly patted him twice more: "Hit him, he's no good!"
Yuan Gan immediately shut his mouth, tears still clinging to his face, his eyes brimming with tears. He stared at the two of them without moving. Shang Ruyi then understood what was happening. She clenched her fists and pounded on Yuwen Ye's arm repeatedly, saying, "It's all Father's fault. Father left and took Mother with him, which is why Yuan Gan is so aggrieved."
Yuan Gan blinked, and a tear that was about to fall actually shrank back.
Shang Ruyi kept hitting him, saying, "If you hit Daddy, Daddy won't leave anymore."
Yuan Gan's black bean-like eyes lit up immediately, but then he didn't react, only looking at Shang Ruyi. However, the wet nurse Feng reacted quickly and whispered, "The princess is also saying she's not leaving."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Mother isn't leaving either!"
"laugh!"
This was as if some mechanism had been unlocked in the child, and he grinned. Shang Ruyi's heart, which had been clenched, immediately relaxed, and she felt as if she had been pulled out of hell. At the same time, she saw that a small row of clean, white teeth had grown in the child's mouth.
When he left, he had only just started to show a few small white teeth; now he has several.
I have been absent for far too long.
Seeing her child, who had been so aggrieved, suddenly smile happily after being coaxed by them, she felt even more heartbroken. Her eyes reddened as she moved closer to her son, smelling his familiar, warm, milky scent, and hugged him tightly in her arms: "From now on, I will never leave you again."
"..."
Suddenly embraced by his mother's gentle arms, Yuan Gan, who had been smiling, seemed to sense something else, and the deep-seated grievances in his heart surged up all at once.
"Waaah—"
Inside the Thousand Autumns Hall, the sound of a child crying in distress rang out once again.
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