Chapter 912 I'll just pretend you're not coming back
After the man left, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi remained seated in the private room, calmly drinking and eating. The waiter cautiously walked around the room twice but didn't dare to ask anything. The owner and others downstairs became even quieter.
However, Shang Ruyi could still hear the sounds of carriages and horses coming from outside the half-open window.
After the person escaped, the guards were dejected for a while, but they knew they still had to face the consequences. So, still shaken and extremely frustrated, they drove the empty carriage to the palace to apologize.
They also took Su Qinglan, who was in a daze and had a pale face, with them.
Although she had just warned these people in danger, she had witnessed everything and was therefore implicated, so she needed to go to the palace to explain herself to the emperor.
As Shang Ruyi got up and walked to the window, she saw her calmly nod and leave with the guards.
Once the carriage had gone far away, Shang Ruyi opened the window a little wider.
Compared to the chaos just now, the noise on the street had gradually subsided. Of course, it wasn't completely quiet. She looked down and saw that there were still some people standing on the side of the street, gathered in twos and threes, discussing in alarm what had just happened.
The corpses on the ground had obviously been cleaned up by those people, but there was still blood everywhere, the glaring red a reminder of what had just happened.
Soon after, someone came over with a bucket of water to wash the ground.
As she watched the water on the long street surge with waves of blood, the stench of blood was pungent even in the cold air. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown and turn her head slightly. She saw Yuwen Ye also get up and walk to her side, looking down with the same solemn expression.
The two of them have remained silent ever since.
But this silence carried a complex emotion. Shang Ruyi pondered for a long time before finally saying, "When I said those things to the Crown Princess, I just wanted her to continue doing things the way they were before. The more trouble she caused, the more chaotic the Crown Prince's plans would become."
"..."
"But I never imagined she would dare—"
After all, in order to erase the contributions of the Lou family father and daughter, she only asked Yu Dingxing to investigate the people in Jiang Yan's village and to use a self-inflicted injury in front of Yuwen Yuan. Even if he knew that she had ulterior motives, he couldn't say anything.
However, attacking Pei Xingyuan is a completely different matter from using a self-inflicted injury ruse.
If discovered, they will be severely punished!
She knew Yu Mingyue was bold and reckless, but she really didn't expect her to be this bold, willing to risk her life and fortune for the sake of favor and power.
Upon hearing her words, Yuwen Ye's brow furrowed slightly.
His gaze slowly shifted from the bloodstains gradually being washed away on the long street to Shang Ruyi's somewhat pale face. He reached out and touched the back of her hand, which was resting on the window frame and was a little cold. After holding it tightly, he said in a deep voice, "This matter is a bit strange. I didn't expect that someone would actually make a move against Pei Xingyuan."
"..."
"Even if they really wanted to kill someone, this is too brutal."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned.
She suddenly realized that from the beginning, this matter was Yuwen Qian's revenge against them after the Battle of Longmendu. He seized power and injured people, almost achieving his goal in one battle. However, with Su Qinglan's release, the case could not be investigated. Could it be that he killed her to silence her out of anger, or because he was worried that Pei Xingyuan would be rescued by them again?
But, as Yuwen Ye said, it was too brutal.
So she whispered, "It can't be the Crown Prince, can it..."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her but didn't say anything.
In fact, without concrete evidence, saying anything is pointless, and this matter is shrouded in too much mystery. While the outcome may not necessarily be bad, the process certainly requires a reasonable explanation; otherwise—
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a while, then looked back at the food and wine on the table and said, "Let's eat a little more before returning to the palace to fill our stomachs."
"..."
"We need to be careful in the coming days."
Shang Ruyi said, "Okay."
The two of them calmly walked back to the table, sat down and continued eating and drinking. Meanwhile, the city gates had been closed, and several squads of imperial guards quickly appeared in the city to search the various wards and markets. For a time, the entire city of Chang'an was filled with panic and fear.
After finishing their meal, Yuwen Ye took Shang Ruyi back to the palace.
As soon as they entered Suzhang Gate, they saw Eunuch Yu leading a group of young eunuchs hurriedly approaching. Each of them had a serious expression, and some of them looked terrified, clearly having just been scolded and still not recovered.
Eunuch Yu walked up to them, gave a simple bow, and said, "Your Highness Prince Qin, Your Highness Princess, you've finally returned. The Emperor invites you in."
Yuwen Ye calmly said, "Lead the way."
Without saying much, Eunuch Yu turned and led them inside, not to the Liangyi Hall, but to the Xuanzheng Hall. As soon as they reached the entrance, they heard a loud "boom" from inside, as if something had crashed heavily to the ground, shaking the entire palace.
The eunuch Yu froze as he pushed the door open, hurriedly standing still. After a moment, hearing no other sounds from inside, he cautiously said, "Your Majesty."
Several low, panting breaths, like the roar of a tiger, came from inside.
After a while, the panting gradually subsided, and then Yuwen Yuan's deep voice was heard saying, "Come in!"
Eunuch Yu hurriedly pushed open the door and led Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi inside. They saw Yuwen Yuan sitting in front of Xuanzheng Hall, while in the empty hall, Minister Yan Shaoxuan stood on one side, with a Vice Minister and a Chief Clerk behind him. Su Qinglan knelt on the other side, and everyone had their heads down and hands hanging down, so that even their breathing could not be heard.
On the ground, a bronze incense burner had rolled down, its incense ash scattered all over the ground.
The two walked over, their feet immediately stepping on incense ash, and walked step by step to the center of the main hall. Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi knelt down together and said, "Your subjects pay their respects to Father Emperor."
Yuwen Yuan sat on the throne with his body turned to one side, not even looking at them, but his hand was gripping the desk tightly, his knuckles cracking.
He spoke, but not to them; instead, he addressed the others, saying, "Get out."
Yan Shaoxuan and the others dared not delay and hurriedly retreated. Even Su Qinglan slowly got up. Her face was pale and her red eyes only glanced at Shang Ruyi before she also left Xuanzheng Hall. Eunuch Yu was the last to leave and closed the door behind him.
Suddenly, only the three of them remained in the hall. The emptiness made even their breathing seem amplified, almost deafening.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously held her breath.
Then, Yuwen Yuan said coldly, "You're finally back."
"..."
"If you don't come back, I will assume that you all left with us and will never return."
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