Chapter 587 Oh—what does that mean?
The moment Shang Ruyi heard Yuwen Ye say those words, her mind went blank, as if a long-accumulated dark cloud had finally struck down with a thunderbolt, landing directly between the two of them.
Even if there is almost no gap between the two people's bodies.
Finally, it happened—
At that moment, her body seemed to lose its five senses. She couldn't even feel her breathing or heartbeat. The sudden, intense pain caught her completely off guard, as if her body was about to be turned to dust in the shock. Instinctively, she curled up and buried her face in her arms.
A surge of intense emotion welled up from my heart, choking my nose and threatening to spill over my eyes.
But it was only for that one moment.
The next moment, she almost instinctively came to her senses. The deafening noise was no longer in her ears; instead, the words echoed in her ears once again, one by one.
After the meeting...
Concubine...
Amidst the echoing sounds, a heavy murmur seemed to linger in her ears, as if trying to penetrate her heart. Shang Ruyi slowly turned her head and opened her eyes.
The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with a gaze as sharp as a knife.
It is Yuwen Ye.
He still had his hands on either side of her, his whole body covering her, as if protecting her, or imprisoning her, or leaning down at her as if not allowing her to escape. His eyes, so close to hers, almost seemed to see through her eyes and penetrate into the depths of her soul.
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
But her face was devoid of any superfluous expression—this was something she had long understood, or rather, had long been prepared for. If she were to show a look of astonishment today, or even show jealousy, it would be utterly ridiculous.
Thinking of this, she chuckled softly to herself.
Then he said, "Oh."
"..."
Yuwen Ye's brows furrowed immediately.
A hint of anger flickered in his cold, stern eyes, yet he suppressed it, refusing to reveal his true feelings. He took a deep breath and said, "Oh—what do you mean?"
"I see."
"..."
These few simple words stirred a ripple in Yuwen Ye's eyes once again. He let out a deep breath and said, "What do you understand?"
Shang Ruyi blinked, looking at his increasingly sharp gaze, as if he wanted to pry open her mouth and dig out some truth—but she had clearly told him everything, so what was there that he didn't understand?
Besides, wasn't this situation something we had already prepared for?
Thinking of this, she prepared to sit up, but Yuwen Ye, who was lying on top of her, remained motionless, as if he wouldn't let her get up or leave his body until he got to the bottom of her. Shang Ruyi's movement was blocked. She looked up at him and said softly, "Let me get up first, otherwise, I won't make it to the morning court."
"..."
"Since you have already—"
As soon as the words were spoken, footsteps came from afar outside the door, as if someone had entered the courtyard but had not approached the door. Changwan and others had already gone out to greet them, and in the quiet morning light, Aunt Hui's voice could be faintly heard.
"Have the Second Young Master and Young Mistress gotten up?"
"Aunt Hui, the second young master and the young mistress... get up quickly."
"Hurry up, the Duke has already left."
"yes."
Although I was used to Aunt Hui's polite yet sharp attitude, today her voice was undeniably cold and hard, and just by listening to her voice, I could imagine the icy expression on her face.
Soon, the footsteps faded into the distance.
This time, Changwan and the others did not dare to be negligent. They all went to the door as if to knock, but they seemed to understand that Yuwen Ye had just returned and there was no need to knock. So they could only whisper outside the door, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, it's almost time for the morning court session."
Shang Ruyi looked up again at the cold, stern face before her.
Yuwen Ye let out a deep breath, finally straightened up, glanced at her again, and then got up and walked away; Shang Ruyi also immediately got up and said to the outside, "Come in."
Soon, Tushe'er and Changwan brought in hot water, towels, and other items to help the two wash up and change into the court robes that had been prepared the night before. Shang Ruyi also took out the most formal pieces of jewelry that Guan Yunmu had left her and put them on.
After she finished dressing, the woman reflected in the mirror was a beautiful, dignified, and elegant lady of high rank.
She is worthy enough to be a concubine.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi turned her head and smiled slightly at Yuwen Ye, who was looking at her in the mirror with a complicated expression.
"Is this alright?"
Yuwen Ye looked away, took a deep breath, and then stood up.
Let's go.
So the two left the mansion. Since Yuwen Yuan and the others had already left, they didn't linger and got into a carriage to leave the Duke's mansion.
The journey was smooth and unimpeded. However, it was just dawn, a time when many people were still asleep. But today, the carriages traveled along the main road without needing to light lanterns, as almost all the houses and buildings along the street were already lit up.
Even as their carriage passed by, one could hear windows opening, many people looking down, and whispering among themselves.
At this moment, even a three-year-old child in Daxing City knows what is going to happen today.
However, Shang Ruyi also knew that even some people at the very center of this political storm might not know what would happen today.
After some time, their carriage arrived at Hanguang Gate.
Two eunuchs were waiting there. As soon as they got off the carriage, they rushed forward and eagerly led the two men forward. The civil and military officials who were still waiting at the entrance of Hanguang Palace for the court assembly were all silent at this moment, silently watching the backs of the two men. Their complex emotions were already evident in their eyes.
Once the two of them entered the Hanguang Gate, someone whispered, "Is that... the King?"
Someone immediately nodded and made a "two" gesture with their hand.
The person next to him became even more serious and said, "That eldest young master is the new—"
Those two most important words were ultimately not spoken openly. The people around looked at each other, seemingly feeling that the matter was a foregone conclusion. Only a few military officers shook their heads and said, "The battle of Fufeng was won so beautifully, yet there was no merit. It is truly outrageous."
Several civil officials standing nearby immediately retorted, "Is controlling the plague considered a minor achievement?"
“We didn’t say that. But if the Second Young Master doesn’t win the battle at Fufeng, even if the plague comes, I’m afraid there won’t be many people left in Daxing City to be ravaged by the plague.”
"What are you saying? The Crown Prince subdued the enemy without a fight and captured Daxing City, which is why we have the power we have today. Otherwise, what does the Battle of Fufeng have to do with us?"
"To subdue the enemy without fighting? Do you really think such a good thing exists?"
"So you're going to erase the Crown Prince's achievements?!"
Seeing that the argument between the two sides was getting more and more heated and they were about to come to blows, several eunuchs stepped forward and pulled the two sides apart, saying with a smile, "Gentlemen, the morning court is about to begin. Why argue at this time? Won't it cause trouble?"
"Yes, it's a joyous occasion today, so please keep quiet."
The group then agreed to a truce.
However, as they marched forward in formation, the anger in their eyes intensified, and an invisible rift seemed to be visible running through the center of these officials.
On the other side, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, led by the two eunuchs, proceeded along the familiar passageway they had walked before, passed through the East Pavilion Gate, and ascended the Taiji Hall. Although it was familiar, it seemed almost completely unfamiliar to them today.
The roads here have all been swept clean, and the stone slabs, washed with water, exude a refreshing dampness. Behind the towering palace walls, countless thick and tall flagpoles stand, with colorful flags fluttering in the wind. The majestic Taiji Hall, standing under the sunlight, is now completely renewed, with its upturned eaves and golden dragons coiled around it. Even before the sun has pierced through the clouds, the palace seems to radiate a dazzling golden light, making it almost impossible to look directly at it.
Countless warriors in armor stood on both sides, giving the palace an even more solemn and majestic air.
Although she knew what was going to happen today, seeing this scene made Shang Ruyi truly realize—
All of this is really about to happen!
She held her breath, and after climbing the last step of the Taiji Hall, she glanced at the hall ahead, its doors already open. At this moment, she hesitated. Although today's matter concerned the Yuwen family, and she was their daughter-in-law, one of those who had previously schemed to force Chu Chengfei and Chu Ruoyan to abdicate, she couldn't remain uninvolved. However, without the emperor's summons, her status made it difficult to enter the hall directly.
Is it going to be like last time, waiting in the side hall?
She remembered that last time, she was waiting for a summons in a side hall, and later she met Princess Xinyue. She was originally waiting for Princess Xinyue's "marriage", but she did not expect that what she would get in the end was the sound of the Golden Dragon Drum, and even more so, the sound of the Chu Dynasty's estrangement.
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of emotion and turned to Yuwen Ye: "Should I wait in the side hall?"
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "You'd better not go in."
"Why?"
“Father is already there.”
"ah?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, but after thinking about it again, she understood.
Today's court assembly has only one matter: Chu Chengfei's abdication in favor of Yuwen Yuan. However, precisely because of this, Yuwen Yuan cannot be present, otherwise it would give the impression of bullying the young emperor. For the sake of legitimacy and to ensure that his position is commensurate with his abilities, all he can do is wait.
The side hall is the best place to wait.
Shang Ruyi nodded, then turned to look at the side hall, only to find the door tightly closed, but a familiar figure standing at the entrance.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Eunuch Yu!
Shang Ruyi was startled and looked at him in astonishment. At that moment, Eunuch Yu's always smiling, gleaming eyes met hers, or rather, Yuwen Ye's deep and cold gaze behind her. Then he bowed slightly to them.
Shang Ruyi took another deep breath.
He was standing there, which meant that besides Yuwen Yuan, there was also—
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