Chapter 1297 Where is my son?
It's past midnight.
This was almost the darkest and quietest time of the day. Yuwen Ye didn't know how much of the earth-shaking killing noise from Xuanwu Gate had reached the palace, but the moment they stepped into the palace gate, the surroundings immediately became quiet. All was silent except for the sound of their footsteps.
A half-moon hangs overhead, along with a few stars.
Shang Ruyi had never felt the world so desolate before; she even felt that her breathing and heartbeat were deafening in such a quiet environment.
The person next to him was breathing even more heavily.
As they continued walking forward in the quiet night, a very soft melody suddenly came from ahead.
The two of them instinctively stopped and listened carefully; they realized someone was playing the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument).
The tune being played was an ancient one, hoarse and low, ethereal and lonely, mournful and plaintive, like weeping and lamenting.
Shang Ruyi thought she heard a crying sound in the music, but after holding her breath and listening carefully, she heard nothing; it seemed to be just her imagination. She glanced at Yuwen Ye with a complicated expression, and saw his eyes flicker in the darkness, but not for long, before he whispered, "Let's go."
After passing through several more palace gates, we finally arrived at the Liangyi Hall.
It was still pitch black here, but a faint light could be seen shining through the cracks in the tightly closed doors and windows, and the plaintive sound of the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) was also coming from inside the main hall.
As the two approached, a dark figure stepped forward: "Your Highness Prince Qin, Princess Qin."
It is Grandpa Yu.
Yuwen Ye wasn't surprised to see him; there was an unspoken familiarity between them. He asked, "Father-in-law, is Father not asleep yet?"
Hearing this, Eunuch Yu sighed silently, glanced at him, and his eyes were filled with helplessness, as if he knew the answer already—with things in such a mess outside, which father or emperor could sleep soundly?
"The Emperor is not asleep. He is drinking with Lord Shen and Lord Pei."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise.
She didn't know when Yuwen Yuan had summoned Shen Shiyan and Pei Xu into the palace, but then she thought that bringing these two people to her side might be for protection in the chaos, or perhaps, they were hostages in another sense.
If they are indeed hostages, then these two people point directly to Yuwen Ye.
He was still wary of this son after all.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi sighed. Yuwen Ye had told her long ago that although she had a premonition of fear about Xuanwu Gate, and although a bloody battle did indeed take place there today, they still did not get what they wanted after the battle.
Imperial power ultimately remained in the hands of Yuwen Yuan.
The Liangyi Hall is the true "battleground"; Yuwen Yuan is their true "opponent".
Yuwen Ye lowered his eyelids and remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'll go see him."
As he was about to take a step forward, a hand blocked his way.
Looking down, I saw Shang Ruyi: "Let me go in first."
Yuwen Ye frowned.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "My uncle is inside, and Lord Pei is inside too. If you go in, I'm afraid things might not go well... I'd better go in first."
Yuwen Ye looked at her with a flicker in his eyes, and understood what she meant. The atmosphere between the father and son was never very harmonious, even on ordinary days, let alone tonight. Shang Ruyi had been trying to ease the tension between the father and son, and even if there was only one outcome tonight, she hoped it would be achieved in a good way.
After all, her uncle, whom she cared about most, was in the main hall at that moment.
He let out a deep breath and took a half step back: "Okay, I'll wait for you outside."
"..."
"Call me immediately if anything happens."
Shang Ruyi looked at him gently and said, "Nothing will happen, don't worry."
After saying that, he turned to Eunuch Yu and said, "Please trouble you to inform him."
Grandpa Yu watched the two of them quietly, then sighed softly and went inside. A moment later, he came out and gently waved to Shang Ruyi, who immediately followed him inside.
As soon as she stepped into the Liangyi Hall, her breathing immediately became tense.
Actually, there was no tense atmosphere here. Compared to the situation outside Xuanwu Gate where swords and spears were all around, this place could even be described as comfortable. A few lamps were placed in the corner. The light was not very bright, but the dim, swaying light made the whole hall look beautiful and tranquil, like an old dream.
At the top of the main hall sat three people: Emperor Yuwen Yuan, and Shen Shiyan and Pei Xu to his left and right.
Behind the screen on the other side of the main hall, a few people were sitting. Through the gaps in the screen, one could see some swaying figures. They were obviously musicians. As soon as Shang Ruyi entered, the low and mournful sound of the xun stopped.
The Liangyi Hall fell silent instantly.
Shang Ruyi carefully walked forward to the center of the hall, then kowtowed to Yuwen Yuan and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
No one dared to move.
The only one who slightly raised his hand was Shen Shiyan. When he saw Shang Ruyi walk in almost entirely covered in blood, he turned pale with fright and instinctively wanted to rush over to support her and check if she was injured. However, sensing the somber atmosphere above the hall, he could only suppress his heartache and look at Shang Ruyi with concern.
After an unknown amount of time, Yuwen Yuan's hoarse voice slowly rang out: "Oh, it's you who's here."
Shang Ruyi knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head: "It is indeed your son."
Yuwen Yuan squinted, one arm resting on the edge of the table, his entire being like a crouching tiger, staring intently at his daughter-in-law: "Where is my son?"
Shang Ruyi lowered her head: "The Prince of Qin is waiting outside the palace for an imperial decree. He will come to pay his respects as soon as His Majesty summons him."
Yuwen Yuan frowned, his voice lowering even further: "Where is my son!"
Finally, Shang Ruyi slowly raised her head and met Yuwen Yuan's slightly reddened eyes. The sharp light bursting from them was just like the eyes of a tiger preparing to pounce on its prey, as if it was about to pounce and bite off its prey's throat at any moment.
But Shang Ruyi remained kneeling on the ground, motionless, her breathing perfectly steady.
She calmly said, "Feng Chen is outside, but he is wearing armor and is afraid of being disrespectful in front of the palace, so he has not dared to enter."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's breath caught in his throat.
He slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, the sound like a muffled thunderclap, causing the entire Liangyi Hall to tremble. At that moment, Shen Shiyan and Pei Xu exchanged a glance, and simultaneously rose and knelt beside Shang Ruyi, saying to Yuwen Yuan, "Your Majesty..."
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