Chapter 246 A few days left until the one-month deadline
Upon returning home, the entire Yuwen mansion was filled with an atmosphere of relief and elation. Even Jin Yun, who was usually composed and reserved, couldn't help but smile. As she bustled about, her steps were as light and nimble as a swallow.
And needless to say, the young servants were even worse off.
After helping Shang Ruyi take a hot bath, Tu She'er started combing her hair. Several times, she couldn't control the force in her hands, pulling so hard that Shang Ruyi frowned. Finally, she couldn't help but say, "Be gentle, you're going to pull my hair bald."
Tushe'er hurriedly let go of her hand, but couldn't help but smile at Shang Ruyi in the bronze mirror, saying, "Please forgive me, Miss, I'm just too happy."
"..."
"I haven't been this happy in days."
Wo Xue, who was making the bed, turned around and laughed, "Yes, who would have thought that the Duke would not only not be punished when he returned this time, but also rescue the Second Young Master. It's such a good thing that I couldn't even imagine."
Tushe'er turned to her and said, "Our fortunes have turned around."
Seeing their joyful expressions, Shang Ruyi smiled but didn't get too caught up in the euphoria. Instead, a calm light remained in her eyes.
Just then, the door creaked open.
The three people in the room turned around at the same time and saw Yuwen Ye walking in from outside, wearing a white long robe.
After more than half a month of detention and interrogation, although he wasn't tortured, he had suffered quite a bit. Upon returning, he immediately took a hot shower to wash away the grime. He felt much refreshed, but also noticeably thinner. This thinness, ironically, softened his otherwise fierce and ruthless aura; his expression, weary, held a touch of gentleness. His slightly damp, long hair cascaded down his back, carrying a faint, refreshing scent from his shower, giving him an almost ethereal quality.
Shang Ruyi glanced at it once, and suddenly her face felt hot.
As Yuwen Ye watched her sit in front of the dressing table and immediately turn her face away, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He walked in and said, "You may all leave."
Tushe'er and Woxue exchanged a glance and secretly laughed. They quickly bowed to him and then slipped out.
They also closed the door.
Only two people remained in the room.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but feel nervous, but she felt that she shouldn't be nervous at this time. After all, when she was alone with him, she dared to say even more embarrassing things. What was this in comparison?
But I was just nervous.
To avoid looking too awkward, she decided to find something to do and happened to see the comb that Tusheer had placed on the table, so she reached out to take it.
But just as she touched the comb, a hand suddenly reached out from behind her and covered the back of her hand.
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, as if she had been pricked, and she quickly withdrew her hand.
But that hand picked up a comb and began to slowly comb her long hair.
Shang Ruyi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest, but she was stiff and sat upright in the distance. After a while, she carefully raised her eyes and looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror.
And behind him, Yuwen Ye.
But before he could see the expression on his face clearly, he heard a gentle, deep voice coming from above: "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Shang Ruyi hesitated for a moment: "What should I say?"
Yuwen Ye seemed to chuckle lightly and said, "You sent things in twice, but didn't leave a single word. I thought you were saving your words for when we met. Who knew you weren't?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart stirred slightly.
She did not have Chang Wan deliver the message, but to her surprise, Yuwen Ye knew that it was not her who delivered the gifts both times.
He must have specifically asked the person delivering the item.
The thought of him being imprisoned in the Dali Temple, facing Wang Shaoji's harassment and the interrogation of the Dali Temple Vice Minister, must have made his days feel like years, yet he was still paying attention to this trivial matter. For some reason, his face flushed again.
The heart too.
She remained silent for a while, then said softly, "But I don't know what to say."
Yuwen Ye seemed to chuckle softly again.
He said, "Then, I'll ask the questions, and you'll answer them."
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment, thinking that this person had been locked up in Dali Temple for more than ten days and had also picked up the bad habits there. He had started interrogating others when he got home. But at this moment, she still obediently nodded. As soon as she nodded, her hair was pulled, but she felt that Yuwen Ye's hand was very gentle and did not hurt her at all.
She said, "Go ahead and ask."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Why did you tell them that the people who attacked Kou Yunliang's troops were Wang Gang's army?"
Shang Ruyi turned around abruptly: "You too—"
Although they were talking about serious business, for some reason, there seemed to be a different emotion in their eyes. When they looked at each other, that emotion seemed to travel from their eyes to their hearts.
Shang Ruyi felt as if something had touched her heart.
She turned around immediately, somewhat flustered.
After a brief moment of panic, the person behind him coughed lightly and said, "Hmm."
Therefore, his confession to the Dali Temple was the same as her answer.
Shang Ruyi felt her heart pounding.
These days, besides worrying about Yuwen Ye's safety, what she thought about most was the answer she had almost risked giving that day. She wasn't entirely sure, but she resolutely committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. However, in her heart, she also had a slight worry that she might not have such a good understanding with him.
But unexpectedly—
At this moment, she felt a mix of joy, relief, and a strange, indescribable emotion surging within her. Then, Yuwen Ye behind her asked, "Why don't you just tell the truth?"
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Because I was the one who took them there."
"..."
“Regardless of what Kou Yunliang was doing at the time, Jiang Kesheng and his troops storming the imperial court were rebels, which is a serious crime. Therefore, I will definitely be held accountable.”
As she said this, her face flushed slightly.
After a long silence, he said softly, "But I feel that you will protect me."
The hands that were combing her long, silky hair behind her paused slightly.
But only for a moment, and then he gently continued combing his hair, before asking, "Are you so confident that I will protect you?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Do you remember what you said to me on our wedding night?"
What did I say?
"I knew you'd forgotten, but I remember."
"..."
“At that time, I wanted to sleep on the tatami mat, but you wouldn’t allow it and insisted that I sleep on the bed. You told me that no matter what our relationship was like, you would not take advantage of a woman.”
As she spoke, she seemed to return to that cold night, when her high expectations were doused with a bucket of cold water, leaving her feeling not only cold but also pained.
But looking back now, that cold and painful experience seems to be over.
A gentle smile played on her lips as she softly said, "Back then, even if it was just a transaction, even if it was just something as trivial as sleeping together, you would still protect me; now that we have this kind of relationship, I don't believe you would put me in danger."
The person behind me seemed to pause for a moment.
But this time, he didn't continue immediately. Instead, he slowly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "What is our relationship now?"
Shang Ruyi's face turned bright red instantly.
She paused before speaking, feeling that she should at least maintain some of the reserve of a young lady, but she didn't expect that even though she had swallowed her words, he would still ask her questions.
She kept her mouth shut and desperately tried to turn her face away.
Yuwen Ye, however, seemed unwilling to let her go. He turned his head slightly and looked at the crabapple blossoms so close to him, which were as red as if they were stretching out in the spring breeze. They were delicate and pretty, and there was even a faint, familiar fragrance emanating from her fair and rosy skin, which made him recall that night.
The night I almost had her.
Suddenly, his breathing became rapid, and the heat from his breath on Shang Ruyi's cheeks was so intense that Shang Ruyi even flinched and shrank her neck.
Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and slowly straightened up.
As soon as he left, a chill filled the spot he had occupied. Shang Ruyi, whose heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest, felt a strange sense of loss and surprise as she was enveloped by the chill.
For a fleeting moment, she even thought—
Thinking of this, she subconsciously turned her face and looked up at him.
His eyes were also full of doubt.
But then she saw Yuwen Ye looking down at her, a half-smile on his face, and say, "There are still a few days until the one-month deadline."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's face almost burned!
Of course, she hadn't forgotten that when they were at Luokou Ferry, the doctor had given them both a medical order—to abstain from sexual intercourse for a month.
Although she did feel a flutter in her heart for a moment, and sensed a hint of desire in his hot breath, she never expected that Yuwen Ye would say it out loud.
He still remembers this incident.
They're still counting down the days.
There are still a few days until their day.
Just thinking about it made Shang Ruyi so ashamed she couldn't speak. She wanted to bury her head in her chest. After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a weak moan: "Don't say anything..."
Yuwen Ye laughed.
Perhaps feeling he shouldn't go too far, he stopped saying anything embarrassing and continued combing her hair. Shang Ruyi finally escaped the morbid embarrassment and slowly raised her head to look at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were still red, but her long hair had been neatly combed and was draped behind her head like a piece of bright black silk.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but say, "You combed it quite well. I didn't expect you could comb a woman's hair."
Yuwen Ye slowly placed the comb back on the dressing table and said, "I've been practicing in my mind for a long time."
"practice?"
"When I'm bored at Dali Temple, I think about some interesting things."
"..."
“I thought couples would enjoy drawing eyebrows together, but your eyebrows—you don’t need to draw them anymore, even adding a little bit would make them look too heavy. So I thought I’d comb your hair after we come out.”
"..."
"I practiced in my mind how to comb your hair. After practicing for about ten days, I finally got it right and came out."
"..."
Shang Ruyi's heart was pounding. She couldn't help but turn around and look up at him. Her cheeks were still flushed, but her eyes shone brighter than the brightest stars in the night sky: "Did you spend the past two weeks at Dali Temple thinking about me?"
"..."
"Just me, right?"
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