Chapter 815 Not to be taken lightly
An arranged marriage?!
These two seemingly ordinary words at the exit were like a bolt from the blue in the Liangyi Hall at this moment, as if they exploded in everyone's heart. But the louder sound came from the entrance of the hall.
With a muffled clang, it sounded as if a thunderclap had truly sounded.
Yuwen Yuan immediately looked up and saw a figure in the deep night, who looked rather slender but walked with a large belly, carefully reaching the gate of Liangyi Palace. When she heard the words "bestowed marriage," her fair face suddenly looked up, revealing a look of astonishment.
It was Shang Ruyi!
She arrived at the Liangyi Hall without anyone noticing.
But at this moment, everyone was stunned by those two words and lost their composure, including Shang Ruyi, who was dumbfounded by her father's stare as soon as she reached the entrance of the Liangyi Hall. Only Eunuch Yu remained rational and reacted the fastest. He immediately stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Princess Consort of Qin requests an audience."
Upon hearing the voice, Yuwen Ye immediately turned his head.
The two looked at each other but neither spoke.
A complex expression appeared on Yuwen Yuan's face, but he immediately waved his hand. Upon seeing this, Eunuch Yu immediately pushed the door open a little wider, allowing the Princess Consort of Qin to enter the Liangyi Hall.
Shang Ruyi's belly was so big that every step she took was a heavy burden, but even so, after entering the Liangyi Hall, she still walked very carefully, until she reached the center of the hall. When she passed by Yuwen Qian, she wondered if it was just her imagination, but the tall figure that was as stiff as a statue carved from ice seemed to tremble slightly.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, took two more steps forward, walked to Yuwen Ye's side, and slowly knelt down.
Yuwen Yuan immediately said, "No need for formalities."
Shang Ruyi straightened up and bowed to Yuwen Yuan. The surprise on Yuwen Yuan's face faded a bit, but he was still somewhat stiff. However, when he saw Shang Ruyi appear, he still put on a kind expression: "Why are you here? Didn't you just say you weren't feeling well?"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Thank you for your concern, Father. I am much better now. I just heard from Eunuch Yu that this matter has worried you, so I have come to apologize to you."
Yuwen Yuan immediately said, "What are you talking about, begging for forgiveness?"
After saying that, he looked at Shang Ruyi's stomach again: "Are you really alright?"
Shang Ruyi lowered her head and said with a hint of apology, "I just heard my third brother talk about the war at the Duke's mansion. I don't know if it startled the baby, but there were indeed some fetal movements, which worried Feng Chen and my third brother. However, after returning to the palace, I am much better now, probably because of Father Emperor's divine protection."
Yuwen Yuan then nodded.
He waved his hand, signaling Eunuch Yu to offer Shang Ruyi a seat, and then looked at his three sons kneeling on the ground, especially the eldest son who kept his head down, as if he had lost all warmth and vitality. After a moment of silence, he said, "You three, get up and sit down."
The three people slowly stood up and sat down.
Yuwen Ye naturally helped Shang Ruyi sit down beside him, while Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Cheng sat opposite them. As soon as they were seated, everyone's eyes fell on Yuwen Qian.
At this moment, his eyes were lowered and his face was calm, as if nothing had just happened.
Yuwen Yuan said, "Qian'er, you—"
Yuwen Qian said, "Your subject humbly requests Your Majesty's permission."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan's brows were furrowed into a knot. He remained silent for a moment before saying, "You want me to bestow a marriage upon you? Which family's daughter do you wish to marry?"
Yuwen Qian said, "The eldest daughter of the Duke of Wushan."
"Yu Mingyue, the corrector of Jixian Academy?"
"Exactly."
"You... want to marry her?"
"Yu Mingyue comes from a prestigious family and is exceptionally intelligent. I have always been very fond of her."
"..."
The entire Liangyi Hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
As Shang Ruyi listened to her own pounding heartbeat, her hand, which was placed at her side, was so cold that her fingertips turned white. Just then, a warm, large hand reached out and quietly took her hand into its palm.
Shang Ruyi looked up at Yuwen Ye beside her.
He didn't look at her; his eyes were fixed intently on the person opposite him. But the warmth and breath from his palm instantly transferred to Shang Ruyi. Although it didn't dispel any worries or troubles, it did make her feel a little more comfortable.
However, Shang Ruyi's brows remained furrowed. Only with the help of the strength transmitted from Yuwen Ye's palm did she muster the courage to slowly raise her head and look at the person opposite her.
In that instant, Yuwen Qian's almost transparent eyes flickered, his gaze shifting slightly, as if he too were looking at her.
The moment their eyes met, it was as if sparks flew.
Shang Ruyi immediately lowered her head.
My heart was pounding even harder than before.
She saw the Crown Prince and Prince Qi's carriages enter the palace at almost the same time as she entered, knowing that the three brothers would definitely meet at the Liangyi Hall. Although she knew that Yuwen Ye had the advantage of arriving first, he might not fare well against the Crown Prince and Prince Qi alone. Moreover, Yuwen Yuan had always been very wary of this son, especially this time, with one of the two dukes dead and the other injured. It was impossible for Yuwen Yuan not to have any thoughts about this.
So she hurriedly returned to Qianqiu Palace to change her clothes, and just then she met Eunuch Yu who was slowly arriving. She immediately asked him to bring her over.
Unexpectedly, before they even got close, they heard the Crown Prince requesting a marriage decree.
What he sought was still Yu Mingyue.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath to calm her uneasy heartbeat. When she looked up again, Yuwen Qian had already turned to face Yuwen Yuan, who was asking her seriously, and calmly replied, "Marriage is a major event, and I certainly won't treat it lightly."
He didn't look at her again.
It even seemed that the momentary eye contact was just an illusion.
Upon receiving Yuwen Qian's reply that he "would not take this lightly," Yuwen Yuan's brows furrowed even more deeply. He had many questions he wanted to ask, but looking into those eyes that were clearly transparent yet impossible to see into his heart, Yuwen Yuan once again felt a sense of powerlessness—in the past, this feeling of powerlessness only arose in front of Yuwen Ye, who was gradually growing up, able to stand alone on the battlefield, and who often no longer treated his orders as commands.
It was a contradictory feeling—a mix of loss and pride, yet gradually growing unease after ascending the throne.
Now, before Yuwen Qian, there is also...
Yuwen Yuan remained silent for a long time before finally unable to resist asking, "Qian'er, in the past, when I arranged your marriage, urged you to return home, and made you get married, you always made excuses. Why did you bring it up this time?"
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