Chapter 724 Spring River Warms Up
"Let's take these dishes back first."
"Does Your Highness still have no appetite?"
"Um."
"Miss Wo Xue, perhaps we should fetch a doctor to take a look. The princess's illness cannot be taken lightly. Is she still running a fever?"
"I'm just not feeling well, but I'm not too hot."
"That's good. But—"
...
A gust of wind slipped in through the slightly ajar door, causing the curtains overhead to sway gently.
Lying in bed, with the curtains billowing and undulating like clouds, Shang Ruyi was already feeling drowsy, but hearing the sound of Wo Xue speaking to the servants in the mansion with difficulty outside, she couldn't help but get angry again.
Her cheeks also turned a bit redder.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the strength to get out of bed, nor could she pick up the bronze mirror to look at her flushed and angry face. At this moment, it felt as if her body had been torn apart and then reassembled, swollen and sore, almost not like her own body.
It's all Yuwen Ye's fault!
She thought this "fiercely" in her heart, but when she thought of this man, her face burned even hotter!
Last night, that man ripped himself from his dream, then plunged himself into a raging, drowning torrent. He was drunk, seemingly intoxicated, for he had completely lost control, utterly unleashing the floodgates that imprisoned his lustful beast.
Shang Ruyi then realized that even that one night on the grassland, he had not indulged in passion.
And last night...
The man, stripped of his rational constraints, completely transformed into a beast of desire.
He would hold her tightly in his arms, whispering sweet nothings, their skin touching as if a flame were about to ignite. Even breathing and heartbeats could only occur with his permission. And she, under his tyranny, completely lost herself, unable to even struggle, only able to cling to his shoulders, her soft body at his mercy, lifted to the clouds in an instant, and dragged into hell in an instant.
But even in his most frenzied moments, he still whispered in her ear—
"You want me to stay a few more days?"
How could Shang Ruyi possibly answer?
She could only weep and shake her head, her sobs completely swallowed by the passionate kiss. But even that didn't appease him. He bit her lips and panted heavily, telling her fiercely, "You let me go for a few days, and tonight, I'll take you as many times as I want!"
...
What happened next?
Shang Ruyi no longer remembers.
It was as if she had been struck by a violent lightning bolt, and all her memories had been burned away. She only vaguely remembered that she had been on the verge of fainting countless times, but he had managed to wake her up. In the end, the morning light shone through the window into the hot, masculine room, and even illuminated the outline of his sweaty, muscular back as he continued to work tirelessly.
In her final moments, she bit his shoulder to endure everything. Blood gushed from her teeth, the salty, metallic taste filling her mouth, but she couldn't utter a single word.
So, you clearly didn't say that...
But why did he still toss and turn all night?
Liar! Liar!
Shang Ruyi's eyes were red with grievance, but what made her even more aggrieved was that he acted as if nothing had happened. He only held her for a short while before getting up, dressing, and going to the military camp to handle some business.
As for himself, he had to hide in bed and pretend to be sick.
I didn't eat breakfast.
Yuwen Qian had specially prepared lunch to make up for the celebration banquet that hadn't been held the night before, but she had no choice but to decline it.
So, everyone in the household knew that Princess Qin was ill. The kitchen staff specially brought food, but seeing that she had difficulty even drinking water, Wo Xue could only go out to explain and politely decline. However, for some reason, the maid was very talkative, asking all sorts of questions for a long time. Wo Xue finally became a little unhappy and said politely but coldly, "As her personal maid, I will take care of the Princess's affairs."
The maid probably sensed something was wrong and could only smile apologetically and explain, "Miss Woxue, please don't be angry. I didn't mean to ask you anything."
"..."
"Your Highness, we are not the only ones who are worried. Even the Prince of Han and His Highness the Prince of Qin are worried about your health."
"What does this have to do with the King of Han?"
"No, no. I'm leaving."
After saying that, the sound of footsteps faded into the distance.
A moment later, Wo Xue pushed open the door and walked in with a thoughtful expression. Looking at Shang Ruyi on the bed, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose body was limp as if she were sick, but not actually ill, she immediately said softly, "Your Highness, are you feeling any better?"
Shang Ruyi coughed lightly and said in as normal a tone as possible, "I'm fine."
"Are you sure you don't want to eat something?"
"No, I...I'm not hungry."
It would be a lie to say she wasn't hungry at all. However, firstly, she was too weak to move, and secondly, she didn't dare to get up easily because of the shocking finger marks and hickeys on her body. She was afraid that if someone saw them, she would die. Although Wo Xue came to serve her early in the morning, the look in her eyes when she saw Yuwen Ye leave suggested that she was not entirely unaware of the situation.
If she didn't say anything, she could only pretend to be stupid.
As expected, Wo Xue didn't say much, but stepped forward to help Shang Ruyi tuck the quilt in again and asked, "Then—"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Go and do your work. I'll rest for a while and call you when I feel better."
"……yes."
Wo Xue agreed, then went to brew a cup of hot tea and placed it on the small table beside the bed before leaving.
Shang Ruyi finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, cursing Yuwen Ye in her heart for killing without burying the dead, while wondering what the situation was outside. But after a while, drowsiness washed over her like a tide, and she drifted off to sleep again.
This time, however, I didn't feel as cold as I did last night. I felt as if I were immersed in warm spring water and slept very deeply.
Until that familiar scent drew near once again.
It was originally warm and cozy, but as soon as the warm breath approached, it felt a bit too hot. A thin layer of sweat gradually appeared on her body, dampening her clothes and making them sticky and uncomfortable against her skin. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown, muttering "no" as she subconsciously tried to push away the increasingly scorching breath.
Then, my palm was clenched.
"Um?"
She jolted awake, the helplessness she felt after being imprisoned and at the mercy of others last night washing over her. She immediately opened her eyes and saw that Yuwen Ye had returned at some point, gotten back into bed, and lay down next to her.
Once again, he pulled her into his arms.
Shang Ruyi immediately panicked: "What are you doing?!"
Seeing her wake up, both surprised and frightened, and instinctively push him away, Yuwen Ye's eyes, which had been filled with tenderness, narrowed slightly, and he said in a dangerous tone, "What can I do?"
As he spoke, he ignored her struggles and pulled her into his arms.
Although she had rested for most of the day and finally had some energy, the little strength she had managed to muster was no match for him. Shang Ruyi didn't struggle in vain; she just lay on top of him with her cheeks flushed. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and she could almost feel the rise and fall of his chest with each breath, as if she were floating on a wave.
Well, it's not too uncomfortable.
If he doesn't keep making random movements.
To avoid "provoking trouble," Shang Ruyi carefully lowered her breathing and forced herself to remain still. Seemingly sensing her caution, Yuwen Ye's eyes and brows were full of smiles, and he made no other moves, simply holding her close, their skin touching, their breaths mingling.
After a while, Shang Ruyi's heartbeat calmed down.
Seeing her still slightly flushed cheeks and soft breathing, Yuwen Ye asked gently, "Are you still feeling unwell?"
Shang Ruyi said irritably, "What do you think?"
"..."
Although she didn't give him a good look, Yuwen Ye laughed instead. He reached behind her and gently stroked her beautifully shaped back, which was covered in a thin layer of sweat, making her skin even smoother, as if he were stroking the fur of a cat with its fur standing on end.
Once she had calmed down completely, he asked, "So, I'll be going to Jinyuyuan for seven days every month from now on, right?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi trembled slightly again.
Actually, last night, she couldn't remember how many times she had asked, but the answer she was looking for wasn't the one she wanted.
It's not about attitude.
Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip: "Two days will be fine."
Hearing her say that, Yuwen Ye smiled with satisfaction.
The laughter wasn't loud, but the vibrations from his chest were transmitted to Shang Ruyi in every detail. He said smugly, but also seriously, "So don't mess with me in the future, understand?"
"..."
"Otherwise, I'll bully you."
"..."
“At that time, even Shen Wuzheng won’t be able to help you get this ‘justice’.”
Shang Ruyi blushed again.
In the past, when he was cold to him and even made wild guesses, Shen Wuzheng could still ask him, "Why did you bully my little sister?" But if it were something like this—
If Shen Wuzheng finds out, I might as well not live!
Thinking of this, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, "Okay!"
"hiss!"
She had only grabbed him casually, but she noticed him frown slightly, as if he had touched a sore spot. Shang Ruyi was startled and hurriedly pulled open his collar, only to find a bloody mess on his shoulder, with even his underwear stained pink.
"This is--"
She was about to ask a question, but upon closer inspection, she noticed the messy teeth marks on it.
He immediately understood, his face flushed, and he remained silent.
Yuwen Ye laughed even harder, reached out and put his arm around her waist, which was as soft as a willow branch, and said, "You're amazing too. I can still practice martial arts even if I get slashed, but today, I only managed to practice for half an hour."
Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip and said, "So, you'd better not mess with me."
Yuwen Ye smiled and said, "Okay."
After that, he stopped talking, and Shang Ruyi also quieted down.
The entire room was filled with only a faint, gentle, and enchanting atmosphere that the biting cold couldn't penetrate, a rare moment of tranquility in recent days.
After a long while, Shang Ruyi asked, "Did you just go to the military camp for drills today? Why are you back so late?"
Yuwen Ye said, "No. Today, the Emperor's decree also arrived."
"oh?"
When the conversation turned to business, the romantic atmosphere between them faded somewhat, and they could even feel each other's breathing becoming heavier as their chests pressed tightly together.
Shang Ruyi immediately propped herself up with her still slightly weak arms and looked down at him: "Imperial edict? What does it say?"
Yuwen Ye looked up at her and said, "The imperial edict says that my brother and I should settle things in Taiyuan as soon as possible, and then return to the capital to receive our rewards."
"A reward?"
Upon hearing these two words, Shang Ruyi frowned.
Yuwen Qian had previously stated that he had sent a battle report to Chang'an. Regardless of whether he included Yuwen Ye's contribution to the siege, they all knew in their hearts that the first person to enter Taiyuan and capture this place where the dragon rose was none other than Prince Yuwen Qian of Han.
The meaning of "reward" explicitly stated by Yuwen Yuan in the imperial edict is very clear.
She said softly, "So, the position of Crown Prince is ultimately still..."
Yuwen Ye didn't say anything, but raised his hand again and gently stroked her thin, smooth back. The gesture seemed to be comforting her, or perhaps comforting himself.
The matter is settled, and there's no use in regretting it.
Looking into Shang Ruyi's somber eyes, he said softly, "Don't dwell on what has already happened."
"..."
“Fu Ming told me about his considerations regarding the recent events, and I think he’s right. We should look forward.”
Shang Ruyi looked up at him.
She knew that Shen Wuzheng must have told Yuwen Ye about what the two of them had discussed last night, so they did need to be more wary of Yu Mingyue, but the most important thing was to do what they could.
Although the two of them did not get along, they actually shared the same views on many things.
Shang Ruyi asked, "So, what are your plans now that we're really going back to Chang'an?"
Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered as he said, "Fu Ming and I share the same idea. The world is still unsettled, and we only occupy a corner of Guanzhong. Even if we were to declare ourselves emperors, we would only be rulers of a small territory. To stabilize the court and appease the people, we must restore the territory of the Daye Dynasty."
"..."
"At the very least, we must recapture Luoyang."
Shang Ruyi's eyes immediately lit up.
This is what Shen Wuzheng told her last night: Yuwen Ye's greatest strength lies in his military achievements, while Liang Shide, who commands hundreds of thousands of troops and dominates Luoyang, is not only the biggest enemy of the emerging Dasheng Dynasty, but also Yuwen Ye's greatest opportunity.
She said softly, "You want to fight for command of troops and attack Luoyang?"
Yuwen Ye nodded.
Shang Ruyi said, "Then—"
"However, there is a problem with this."
"What's the problem?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at her and said, "If it is as you guessed—no, even if Yu Mingyue is not someone who can know the future hundreds of years from now, nor does she have the ability to 'foresee the future,' just looking at the current situation, those ministers in the court with a bit of insight should be able to see that most of the people who are attached to me are military generals. If I do not send troops to fight, I, as the Prince of Qin, will be of no value."
Shang Ruyi's thoughts gradually became clearer, and she said, "So you think they will obstruct this matter."
Yuwen Ye nodded.
Shang Ruyi slowly frowned: "Then, how will they obstruct us?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com