Chapter 920 Human hearts are inherently unpredictable.
After the Lantern Festival, it remained quite cold for a while, until mid-February when the weather gradually improved, and the daily howling north winds and heavy snow stopped. On this particular day, the sun finally came out, and Shang Ruyi specially took Xiao Yuanzi out of Qianqiu Palace and made a trip to Jinyu Garden.
Because of the incident at Tangquan Palace, everyone in the palace knew that the emperor was in a bad mood. Chu Ruoyan, who was already hiding Jiang Chongen's affair, dared not show herself in front of the emperor. During the entire New Year, she did not leave Jinyuyuan, for fear that she might inadvertently anger the emperor and implicate her mother and brothers in Yanchun Palace.
So she was especially happy to see Shang Ruyi bring Xiao Yuanzi over that day.
The table was laden with her homemade snacks and rose tea, the air filled with the fragrance of flowers and fruits, prompting Shang Ruyi to smile and say, "It's so nice here, little sister. Spring hasn't even arrived yet, but I can already smell the fragrance of spring."
Chu Ruoyan lowered her head and smiled, "I just do these things to pass the time when I have nothing else to do."
Shang Ruyi felt a pang of sadness.
She could tell perfectly well that this wasn't a matter of leisurely enjoyment, but rather a desperate act born of utter helplessness. Although Chu Ruoyan spoke of it casually, loneliness could be deadly.
So she said softly, "These days, because of the Tangquan Palace incident, the situation in the palace is quite complicated, and the King of Qin has not had time to come. Once things ease up a bit, he will definitely come to see you more often."
Chu Ruoyan blushed and said, "I, I didn't mean that..."
Shang Ruyi smiled.
The two were talking when little Yuanzi, nestled in Shang Ruyi's arms, became restless. He was excited by the scent of flowers and fruit in the air and climbed up Shang Ruyi's knees onto the small table, reaching for the snacks on the plate. Shang Ruyi quickly stopped his hand. The chubby baby grumbled unhappily for a moment, then grinned at Chu Ruoyan opposite him.
Chu Ruoyan immediately asked, "Yuanzi, do you like the smell of flowers?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and handed the child to her. As soon as Chu Ruoyan took the child, her hands felt heavy under the weight. She hurriedly hugged the child tightly and laughed, "Oh dear, you've gained a lot of weight since you were born. I can hardly carry you anymore."
Little Yuanzi probably liked the floral scent on her, and snuggled into her arms, giggling incessantly.
Chu Ruoyan felt her heart melt. She held Xiao Yuanzi tightly, patting him gently while pressing her cheek against the child's chubby cheek. Then she turned to Shang Ruyi and asked, "Does Yuanzi have a name yet?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head.
Chu Ruoyan frowned slightly and said, "It's almost half a year old, why haven't we given it a proper name yet?"
This is also a source of worry for Shang Ruyi. Ever since giving the child the nickname "Yuanzi," Yuwen Yuan has stopped mentioning giving the child a formal name. Although he neglected them because of the Tangquan Palace incident, he was very kind to this eldest grandson of the emperor, still sending him gifts from time to time. It was because of this that the people in the palace dared not neglect this side.
Shang Ruyi said, "Perhaps, Father is still thinking about it."
After chatting for a while, Shang Ruyi got up and left. Chu Ruoyan had two more boxes of pastries packed for her to take with her. When she returned to Qianqiu Palace, she saw that Yuwen Ye had already returned and was sitting at the table drinking tea. As soon as he saw the food box in Tu She'er's hand, he immediately smiled and said, "You went to Jinyu Garden?"
"Yes, I'll go and chat with Madam Chu for a while."
Yuwen Ye illustrated that She'er put down the box, opened it, and saw several plates of exquisite pastries inside, their aroma filling the air. He sighed, "She used to never lift a finger, but now she can make such delicious pastries. It's quite remarkable."
"It's also because of loneliness."
Yuwen Ye looked up at Shang Ruyi, who said, "Your Highness, if you have time, please visit her more often."
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Shang Ruyi immediately said, "I just feel that she has been too frustrated these days. Jiang Chongen's matter was originally his own fault for being bewitched, and had nothing to do with Madam Chu. Because of this, she has not dared to leave Jinyuyuan for more than half a year."
Yuwen Ye's expression softened slightly, and he sighed softly, "Of course I know, but I've been too busy lately. I'll go see her when I have some free time."
Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "By the way, have you found anything?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown.
Not only did the emperor send the Left Guard to search the city, but they also sent people to investigate secretly. However, after the people who intercepted Pei Xingyuan were silenced, there were no clues at all. Now the case is stuck here, and even they are clueless.
Yuwen Ye took a pastry from the box, ate it with tea, and found it quite delicious. He nodded slightly and said, "However, I have made a new discovery today."
Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "What?"
Yuwen Ye said, "When my men were searching the city, they discovered that there was another group investigating this matter as well."
"who?"
“A man of the Duke of Wushan.”
"The Duke of Wushan? Yu Dingxing?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately realized something and said, "Since he is also investigating, then it shouldn't be him who did it."
Yuwen Ye nodded slightly.
In fact, from the rumors they'd heard these past few days, the Crown Princess was frantic, like ants on a hot pan. They had a vague feeling that this matter was probably not the work of the Yu family father and daughter. However, what the two of them had done before had made everyone point the finger at them. The Emperor even disregarded Yu Dingxing's eye injury and ordered him to personally lead a team out of the city to hunt down Jiang Yan and Liang Youying. That's why they were so eager to find out the truth now, probably to prove their innocence.
A sudden clarity appeared in Shang Ruyi's eyes, followed by a deeper furrowing of her brows.
If it's not the Yu family father and daughter, then who could it be?
After eating a pastry, Yuwen Ye washed his hands and came back to sit next to her, saying, "Since this incident began, it has involved many people. Everyone has either benefited or lost power because of this, but no matter what, the people who intercepted Pei Xingyuan will definitely not leave this circle."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and murmured, "The Tangquan Palace incident involves the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess and her father, Lou Liangdi and her father, as well as you, me, the Pei family, and the people of Wanggang Village."
"..."
"If it's not someone from the Crown Princess's side, then who else would want to kill Pei Xingyuan?"
At this point, she suddenly looked up at Yuwen Ye.
Could it be—
Yuwen Ye took another sip of tea, savoring its bitterness and sweetness. After a long silence, he said, "Human hearts are inherently unpredictable."
Shang Ruyi lowered her head and thought for a moment, incredulous, yet as if she had figured something out amidst this disbelief, she sighed and shook her head.
"So, what do you plan to do? Tell Father?"
“Telling Father Emperor will only serve to clear our names,” Yuwen Ye said, his eyes gleaming. “But if it can do us a favor, that would be good.”
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