Chapter 1300: Leaving a Dignity
That night, no one in the entire city of Chang'an could sleep.
The city gates were already closed, and the streets were littered with corpses. It wasn't until it was pitch black that someone came to drag away the bodies. Even though the bloodstains were washed away with water, the stench of blood still permeated the air and almost enveloped the entire city of Chang'an.
The place with the strongest smell of blood was Qianqiu Palace.
After issuing several orders, having his twelve guards rotate the defenses of several city and palace gates, sealing off the Crown Prince's residence and the Duke's residence, and imposing a curfew, Yuwen Ye returned with Shang Ruyi to their former residence.
Come to think of it, it hasn't been long since they moved out, and apart from being empty, this place is almost exactly the same as when they left.
Palace servants, being quite sensible, had already temporarily brought over some bedding and utensils from elsewhere. Of course, the medicine for her injuries was delivered even faster. Not long after Shang Ruyi arrived, an imperial physician came to treat her wounds.
Looking at the blood-stained white cloth piled up at his feet after being washed, and the basin full of warm, blood-red water that had been brought out, Yuwen Ye's eyes also turned a little red.
Finally, the wound was bandaged up, and he walked over and sat down next to her, looking at her hand wrapped in layers of bandages.
"Does it still hurt?"
Shang Ruyi immediately shook her head.
But Yuwen Ye frowned: "Do you think I've never been injured?"
"..."
Why did you do that?
He grew angrier the more he talked, glaring at her through gritted teeth: "Do I need you to protect me?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him. Although the wound was very painful, it was not unbearable, so she gave him a quiet smile: "I just wanted to do this."
After saying that, she raised her hand, gently wrapped it around his neck, and then snuggled into his arms.
This level of intimacy wouldn't be considered intimate for a couple, especially for the two of them, yet Yuwen Ye's body stiffened. It wasn't until Shang Ruyi's cheek gently pressed against his chest, her warmth and breath seeping through his clothes and enveloping him as if something invisible had enveloped him, that Yuwen Ye finally relaxed.
He raised his hand and gently embraced the person in his arms.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Are you feeling better?"
Upon hearing her question, Yuwen Ye did not answer immediately. Instead, he gently stroked the top of her head with his chin and said after a while, "Hmm."
He knew that Shang Ruyi had sensed his pain.
Just now in the Liangyi Hall, all his strength and calmness were a facade. He was like an inflated ball, looking powerful and fierce, but few people knew that his heart was almost hollowed out.
But her presence, a single word, a hug, seemed to fill his heart.
Yuwen Ye tightened his arms around her and said, "No matter what, you must never do this again—no, I will never let you experience such danger again."
"..."
"In short, this is the last time."
Hearing the sound of her heartbeat gradually calming down against his broad chest, Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Mm."
After they finished speaking, they both fell silent.
On such a quiet night, with gusts of wind blowing in from time to time, it seemed like something to lull one to sleep, but neither of them had any intention of sleeping. They both knew that with such a heavy weight on their hearts, it was impossible for them to fall asleep.
I didn't dare to fall asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ruyi leaned against him and whispered, "Father, will you agree?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye slowly leaned back against the headboard, still holding her tightly, but his eyes calmed down at that moment.
"What can he do if he doesn't agree?"
His voice was somewhat cold, and there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor: "I've said it before, the Xuanwu Gate isn't really important, what's important is him, because the imperial power is in his hands; but after the Xuanwu Gate incident, he's no longer important either."
"..."
"I just want to leave my son and me with some dignity."
"..."
"It's impossible for history books to have one line recording my fratricide and the other line recording—"
He ultimately didn't utter the words "patricide and regicide," but Shang Ruyi could already feel his breathing tighten, so she interrupted him and said softly, "You're right."
"..."
“Actually, from what Father said in the Liangyi Hall just now, he knows how much you have done and how much you have sacrificed for this dynasty. He may also know how much you have suffered.”
"..."
"This empire should have been passed on to you."
These words made Yuwen Ye feel much better.
He said softly, "Mm."
Shang Ruyi said, "I'm just worried about how Father will save face."
Mentioning this, Yuwen Ye frowned.
In fact, this is what he is most worried about now. Yuwen Yuan in the Liangyi Hall was indeed on the verge of collapse. Even so, even when he saw Shen Tu Tai and his men surrounding the Liangyi Hall, he did not show any intention of giving in. After all, he was a man who had fought on the battlefield and killed countless enemies. No matter how much trauma he suffered, he would not collapse so quickly, nor would he easily bow to fate.
So he frowned and muttered, "How can I get him to agree?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a while, then suddenly remembered something, lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him: "Last time..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes suddenly flashed.
Last time?
The last time an emperor abdicated was Chu Chengfei.
But the next moment, his expression darkened again, and he said, "She was there back then. As an elder and the Empress Dowager, she could naturally have pulled the Emperor down from the throne. But Father—"
Shang Ruyi shook her head: "I didn't mean abdication."
"..."
"It was my father who ascended the throne."
"Ascension to the throne?"
Yuwen Ye's eyes flashed again, while Shang Ruyi had already propped herself up from his arms and sat up, saying seriously, "When Father Emperor ascended the throne, he declined the invitations from his ministers three times."
Yuwen Ye then remembered that after Chu Chengfei was pulled off the dragon throne by Empress Dowager Jiang, everyone rushed to the side hall outside the Taiji Hall to invite Grand Chancellor Yuwen Yuan to ascend the throne. However, at that time, he refused to come out. It was only after the ministers, his two sons, and finally Shang Ruyi invited him three times that he finally stepped out of the side hall to accept the homage of the civil and military officials.
Yuwen Ye frowned: "You mean, this time, even abdication will require three requests?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head: "Abdication is not the same as ascension to the throne, so there's no need for three requests and three resignations."
"..."
"But I think the ministers must also step forward on this matter, and more importantly, the Emperor must understand that you are the one everyone wants. Only you can ensure the stability of the court and the stability of the country. Only you can ensure the prosperity of the Great Sheng Dynasty for thousands of years."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com