Chapter 728 He seems to be injured.
Yuwen Ye's steps seemed to falter.
However, his expression did not change significantly. After pondering for a moment, he lowered his head and said to Shang Ruyi, "I have something to say to her. You should go back to Qianqiu Palace first."
Shang Ruyi nodded: "Mm."
She watched Yuwen Ye walk to Jinyu Garden, where Chu Ruoyan hurriedly came forward, bowed to him, and then spoke joyfully, her eyes glistening with tears. However, the joy of seeing him again overwhelmed her, and her whole demeanor brightened. Yuwen Ye took her arm, offered her a few words of earnest comfort, and then led her into Jinyu Garden.
Shang Ruyi then lifted her foot and continued walking towards Qianqiu Palace.
As soon as she entered the gate, she saw Tushe'er and Changwan leading a group of eunuchs and palace maids standing in the courtyard, bowing and kowtowing respectfully to her: "Greetings, Your Highness."
Shang Ruyi smiled and raised her hand: "Get up."
So everyone stood up. As soon as they were still, Tushe'er rushed forward, nearly knocking Shang Ruyi over, and said anxiously, "Miss—oh no, Your Highness, you're finally back! Were you tired from the journey? Were you hurt? And, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shang Ruyi's eyes were already crinkled with laughter.
Changwan, who was standing nearby, pulled her aside and said, "You should let the princess go into the palace to rest first, so that the tea and snacks won't get cold."
Tushe'er then came to her senses: "Oh, right, right. I had someone send hot tea and snacks in advance. Your Highness must not have eaten or drunk well on the journey. Please come in and sit down. Hot water is ready, and you can take a bath at any time."
This girl, though unpredictable, is very thoughtful in her work.
Shang Ruyi remained silent, only pursing her lips as they escorted her into Qianqiu Palace. The palace was spotless, clearly showing they hadn't been slacking off. After they sat down, Changwan immediately helped Woxue take the luggage inside to unpack, while Tushe'er stayed by Shang Ruyi's side, offering her teacups and serving her plates of pastries, earnestly saying, "Your Highness seems unharmed."
Shang Ruyi took a sip of tea and laughed, "You actually want me to get hurt?"
"Of course not!"
Tushe'er opened her eyes wide and said, "We were so worried when we heard them say that the battle in Taiyuan was very difficult, that the princess had an accident, and that His Highness Prince Qin had failed in this battle."
As she spoke, she moved closer to Shang Ruyi, clinging to Shang Ruyi's knees like a puppy that had been separated for a long time and wanted to crawl into its owner's arms upon reunion: "Your Highness, how is it?"
Shang Ruyi thought that since they had just met, there was no need to immediately tell the girl about being captured and taken to the Western Turks, lest she scare her to death. She could talk about it later. So she brushed it off with a few words and then said, "The King of Qin did not fail in this battle, but the greatest credit belongs to the King of Han—oh no, the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince?"
"Yes, just now outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, the Emperor issued an edict, appointing the Prince of Han as Crown Prince."
"What? How could it be so fast?"
"What right do you have to question the Emperor's decree? Don't be confused when we meet again in the future."
"...This servant understands."
Tushe'er pouted and agreed with a disappointed look. Then she couldn't help but look up at the outside of the hall. Seeing that no one was around and no one was coming in from outside, she leaned close to Shang Ruyi and whispered, "Is His Highness Prince Qin being stopped by the Jin Yu Yuan?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her: "How do you know?"
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er knew she had guessed correctly. She said indignantly, "Just now, when we were preparing to welcome the King of Qin and the Queen, we saw people from Jinyuyuan standing at the entrance. They were planning to abduct them on the way."
"..."
"Ugh, how annoying!"
"You,"
Shang Ruyi shook her head, put the teacup back on the table, and said slowly, "She hasn't seen the King of Qin even once in the past few months. It's understandable that she wants to see him now. Don't make trouble for no reason."
Then he asked, "We've been gone all this time, haven't you caused any trouble with the people over there?"
Tushe'er immediately replied seriously, "Of course not!"
"..."
"However, none of their people like us, even Lady Chu. When she looks at us, she rolls her eyes to the sky. When we greet her, she is cold and indifferent."
"..."
"Hmph, she thinks she's the only one who hates us, but we don't like her either!"
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but smile.
But there was a hint of relaxation in her smile, and she even said softly, "Well, it's alright."
In other words, all of Chu Ruoyan's energy, and even her thoughts that could barely be called "malicious," were focused on her feelings. Marrying Yuwen Ye and staying by his side was her lifelong wish; at least for now, she did not really intend to harm anyone, nor did she intend to be her enemy.
A love rival and a real enemy are not the same thing.
So hearing what Tushe'er said, I can finally put my mind at ease.
After all, if they guessed correctly, Yuwen Yuan would likely make arrangements for Yuwen Qian and Yu Mingyue tonight. In the future, if Yu Mingyue really became the Crown Princess, she would be a threat to them, and dealing with her would be difficult enough. Shang Ruyi really didn't want to have any more conflicts with Chu Ruoyan.
To be honest, she couldn't deny that before she knew about her relationship with Chu Yang, even after she married Yuwen Ye, this pampered princess never showed her any malice. The "sister" she used to call her, the smiles and intimacy she once showed, were not fake.
However, things have changed.
Sometimes, the complexities and changes of the world are as unpredictable and difficult to fathom as the human heart.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi sighed softly to herself, then said to Tu She'er, "Whether you like her or not, just know the rules and behave yourself. Don't do anything out of line, understand?"
Tushe'er immediately replied, "Of course I know, this is the palace!"
Shang Ruyi glared at her, then laughed.
To be honest, she was actually a little hungry. Perhaps it was because she had just returned and received such an important imperial edict, which had indeed been a great "blow" and had exhausted her energy. So she ate several pastries with hot tea, and while eating, she asked Tushe'er, "By the way, I didn't see Pei Xingyuan among the officials who were welcoming the emperor outside the palace gate. Do you know where he went?"
Tushe'er immediately shook her head: "We servants are only in the palace and do not know anything about Lord Pei's affairs."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi smiled.
Yes, Pei Xingyuan is, after all, a minister of the outer court. Even if he is close to them, it's not to the point that the palace maids know about him. It seems we'll have to ask someone else.
I hope nothing bad happens.
After finishing the snacks, Tushe'er asked her while clearing away the cups and dishes, "Your Highness, are you going to take a bath?"
Shang Ruyi wiped her mouth and said, "No, let's wait a little longer."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but look up at the outside of the hall, and just then she saw Yuwen Ye walking in from outside.
Shang Ruyi immediately smiled.
Seeing her smile from afar, Yuwen Ye's eyes also lit up with a smile. As he entered the main hall, he met Tushe'er, who was tidying up empty cups and saucers and preparing to leave. Tushe'er bowed to him, and Yuwen Ye glanced at her and said, "Perfect timing. Bring me some food as well, and a cup of hot tea."
Tushe'er's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Yuwen Ye went to Jinyuyuan for a while, and when he came back he wanted to eat, which meant he hadn't eaten anything there. Although this wasn't a big deal, it still made her very happy. She immediately agreed and happily went to get busy. Before long, she returned with the same pastries that Shang Ruyi had just eaten, as well as hot tea.
Yuwen Ye sat down next to Shang Ruyi without saying a word, and simply began to eat and drink. He finished his food in a few bites, even though Shang Ruyi had taken quite a while to eat, and seemed somewhat unsatisfied.
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Eat less, there's a banquet tonight."
Yuwen Ye took a sip of hot tea to calm himself, then glanced at her and asked, "Are you still able to eat tonight?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow.
That's true.
Not to mention that His Majesty the Emperor's banquet was not really for eating and drinking, but today is also a celebration banquet after the Crown Prince was appointed. At that time, the hall will probably be full of flattery and cheers for Yuwen Qian. Yuwen Ye doesn't care much about these things, but his mood will be affected to some extent.
Moreover, Yu Mingyue was also present.
Shang Ruyi didn't think she would be so obedient. They had been speculating that, given Yu Mingyue's temperament and style, even if they didn't compete for the opportunity to send troops to Luoyang, they would definitely try to prevent Yuwen Ye from gaining this military achievement. So, she might have some other tricks up her sleeve.
Tonight's banquet is not a time for eating, drinking, and having fun; on the contrary, it's like a battlefield, requiring extra caution.
However, Yuwen Ye didn't ask for any more food. After drinking some tea, he let out a long sigh of relief and then turned to look at Shang Ruyi. Shang Ruyi then asked, "What did you two just say?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes immediately lit up with a smile he couldn't hide.
He said, "I didn't sit there for long, so I couldn't say anything."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Then, what did they say?"
Yuwen Ye pursed his lips again, his eyes crinkling into a smile. He deliberately coughed lightly and said, "I won't say what you don't want to hear. I'll only say what you do want to hear."
Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow again.
She hadn't expected that Yuwen Ye could say anything she wanted to hear while interacting with Chu Ruoyan.
So she slightly raised her chin, making a "tell me what you two said" expression. Yuwen Ye looked at her with a smile, coughed lightly, and then said seriously, "Pei Xingyuan didn't come today because he submitted a sick leave application. I heard that he hasn't been to the Ministry of Revenue for several days."
"What?!"
Originally, Shang Ruyi was waiting to hear Yuwen Ye's words with a playful, even slightly troublesome, attitude. However, when she heard Pei Xingyuan's name, she was stunned, but then immediately startled: "Why is he sick?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Ruoyan sent someone to visit him outside the palace, but the person who went to his residence came back and said that he was not ill."
"It's not an illness, it's—"
"I heard he seems to be injured."
"What!?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com