Chapter 515 An Imperial Edict Granting Marriage!
Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine.
The graceful figure standing under the eaves, softly calling out to Chu Chengfei as he ran, was none other than Princess Chu Ruoyan.
She was dressed in a light white ginkgo-patterned long silk dress, her sleeves swaying gently and her slender waist twisting slowly. Even without heavy makeup or gold and jade ornaments, her noble temperament was not diminished in the slightest. She stood gracefully like a pure and elegant pear blossom on the riverbank.
Seeing her, Shang Ruyi's heart was never at peace.
At this moment, the atmosphere becomes even more somber.
After Chu Ruoyan said those words, her starry eyes turned and she saw Shang Ruyi. A faint smile, as if she had the victory in her grasp, immediately appeared on her beautiful face.
She said, "Your Majesty, Lady Shang has arrived."
Upon hearing her words, Chu Chengfei, who had been chasing the crane, stopped and looked back at Shang Ruyi, who had a solemn expression. He then looked at the crane that had already flapped its wings and flown away with some reluctance before letting out a sigh of relief. He slowly walked up to Shang Ruyi, gave her a look with arrogance and displeasure, and said, "You've come."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Princess!"
Chu Chengfei didn't speak immediately, but looked down at her. Shang Ruyi didn't dare to move and just knelt quietly. After a long time, Chu Chengfei snorted and said coldly, "Get up." After saying that, he turned and walked into the Liangyi Hall.
Shang Ruyi slowly stood up and followed.
Although the outside was chaotic and disorderly, the Liangyi Hall was, after all, the emperor's residence. Moreover, apart from the morning court session, the emperor usually summoned ministers here, so the interior was still exceptionally solemn and orderly. As soon as Chu Chengfei entered, he immediately sat down in the seat at the head of the table. However, his posture was somewhat crooked, leaning against a cushion. It was comfortable, but he completely lost his dignity.
Upon seeing him like this, Shang Ruyi's brows furrowed even more.
If it were her own family members doing this, even Yuwen Cheng, she would have stopped them. But since the emperor was in front of her, she naturally had no right to interfere.
However, the eldest princess, who had already sat down on the other side, said softly, "Your Majesty, you mustn't do this."
Chu Chengfei pouted and said, "The Empress Dowager isn't here again."
The eldest princess said, "That won't do either. If you get into the habit of doing this, and then do the same when Mother returns, won't that make her angry?"
"..."
Hearing her say that, Chu Chengfei had no choice but to have the cushions removed. He sat up straight, feeling sullen, and muttered, "I'm the emperor now, and I'm still being controlled. I'm not as happy as before. Being an emperor is really meaningless."
Chu Ruoyan seemed to ignore his complaints, and simply smiled as she turned to Shang Ruyi: "Madam Shang, please sit down."
When Shang Ruyi heard the words "Madam Shang" from her mouth for the second time, her thoughts became clearer. Since she got married, outsiders had addressed her as "Young Madam Yuwen" or "General's Wife," but Chu Ruoyan had always called her "elder sister," which was not proper but felt affectionate.
But now, she is "Madam Shang".
However, Shang Ruyi was well aware that the greatest significance of this title was that these three characters had absolutely no connection to the Yuwen family.
She took a deep breath, said nothing, and slowly walked to the opposite side of Chu Ruoyan, apologized, and sat down.
Then, he stopped talking.
When a noblewoman like her was summoned to the palace, she naturally could not speak casually. She could only wait for the emperor and the eldest princess to ask her questions before responding. But at this moment, neither of the two people opposite her spoke, and the atmosphere in the Liangyi Hall was eerily quiet.
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Chengfei's impatient voice finally rang out in the main hall: "I heard that you just went to the Ministry of Justice prison to see your uncle?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi hurriedly got up and knelt down.
"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
"..."
"I know this is inappropriate, but—"
"You don't need to be afraid."
Although Shang Ruyi addressed her as "Your Majesty," it was the eldest princess who responded at this moment. Chu Ruoyan smiled and said, "We all know that this is your filial duty as a junior, and we won't blame you. Please get up."
"...Thank you, Princess."
Shang Ruyi then got up and sat back down.
Seeing her seemingly panicked and uncertain appearance, Chu Ruoyan's face revealed an unstoppable smile. Although it was tinged with smugness, because of her beautiful appearance, her smile was also stunning and breathtaking.
She said, "Since you are so filial, you must want to rescue your uncle."
"That's natural."
"Then do you understand how to rescue your uncle?"
"Your Majesty, I am foolish and can only beg Your Majesty and Her Highness the Princess to show leniency and forgive my uncle's unintentional words. Although he offended Your Majesty, it was for the sake of Your Majesty's country and its people. After all, the ominous sign foreshadowed by the prophecy 'When a comet appears, disaster will follow' is worrying."
Chu Chengfei's expression changed immediately upon hearing the prophecy.
His hand trembled, knocking over the cups and saucers on the table in front of him, spilling tea all over the table.
The person next to him hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, and then stepped forward to wipe it clean.
For a moment, the Liangyi Hall was filled with a tense and panicked atmosphere. Shang Ruyi saw that Chu Chengfei's face was pale and he was trembling with fear.
Although he is willful and reckless, he is still young after all.
Even the brilliant and ambitious Emperor Wen was quite frightened by the appearance of a comet in his later years, let alone this child.
But precisely because of this, how could a child who could be so easily frightened by prophecies possibly quell a rebellion and bring the world under his control in such a chaotic situation?
She was increasingly able to understand that Shen Shiyan's concerns were not unfounded.
Seeing Chu Chengfei's face change drastically and his speechless state of fright, Chu Ruoyan's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, there is no such thing as a comet appearing in the world and causing disaster. It is just some people spreading alarmist rumors."
"Really, my elder sister?"
"certainly."
The way she said those two words, not only with certainty but even with a hint of gritted teeth, surprised Shang Ruyi. After all, Princess Xinyue had always been well protected by her father and mother, a naive and innocent woman who knew nothing of the hardships of ordinary people and only knew about romance and poetry. Logically speaking, she should be someone who believed in celestial phenomena and even more so in gods and Buddhas.
Sure enough, not only was Shang Ruyi surprised, but Chu Chengfei also stared at his sister with wide eyes in astonishment and asked, "But, Royal Sister, didn't you used to be a big believer in gods and Buddhas, and also believed in those celestial phenomena?"
"..."
"I remember you also mentioned something about the Red Phoenix Star..."
"..."
Why don't you believe me now?
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi also looked at Chu Ruoyan, only to see her biting her lower lip, a hint of resentment and unwillingness appearing on her pretty face. She coldly said, "If celestial phenomena can truly predict human fortune and misfortune, then why—the fall of the Eastern Capital was not foreseen? And the passing of my father was not foreseen either?"
"..."
"Heavens, they don't help people at all!"
"...!"
Her last words greatly alarmed Shang Ruyi.
Unexpectedly, Chu Ruoyan thought that way.
Therefore, the shock brought to her by the chaos in the Eastern Capital and the pain brought to her by the death of Chu Yang made her no longer believe that gods and Buddhas would protect the world, and the celestial signs indicated that she no longer believed either.
This is a painful decision made after careful consideration.
She must have been very sad and in great pain back then, which caused her beliefs to collapse and her faith to undergo a complete transformation...
Recalling the flames of war and that bloody night in Jiangdu Palace, Shang Ruyi's breathing became increasingly heavy. Just as she was somewhat lost in thought, Chu Ruoyan quickly composed herself and looked up at Shang Ruyi again, her eyes now calm.
She said, "What we're going to talk about today isn't any astrological phenomenon."
"..."
"Madam Shang, do you know how to save your uncle?"
Now it was time to get straight to the point, or rather—to reveal the true intentions. Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and looked into those bright eyes: "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
Chu Ruoyan smiled sweetly and winked at Chu Chengfei.
Chu Chengfei immediately waved his hand: "Give it to her."
As soon as he finished speaking, a eunuch walked out from behind him, holding a document in his hands and slowly walked up to Shang Ruyi. Shang Ruyi hesitated for only a moment before picking it up and looking at it. It was a document drafted by the Secretariat.
The text above is also quite simple—
The imperial edict, issued to the Secretariat and Chancellery, reads: Princess Xinyue is gentle, respectful, frugal, virtuous, and of noble character, and is of the prime of her life. There are two sons of the Duke of Sheng, both Generals of the Heavenly Strategy Army, renowned for their bravery and unparalleled skill in battle, whose contributions to the court are invaluable and who are pillars of the Emperor's army. They are perfectly suited for marriage, and thus, on behalf of Heaven, I have chosen their sons…
Before she finished reading it, Shang Ruyi slammed the document shut.
This is an imperial edict bestowing a marriage upon you!
Her face was slightly pale. After catching her breath, she managed to calm herself down and looked up. There she was, and Chu Ruoyan was smiling and looking at her calmly. She said, "This is an imperial edict drafted by the Secretariat for His Majesty. It only needs to be copied clearly and stamped with the seal before it can be read aloud in court tomorrow. Your uncle's words are inauspicious. Only a great celebration in the palace can dispel such misfortune and spare your uncle's life."
"..."
Do you understand?
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said, "I don't understand."
"...!?"
Upon hearing these words, Chu Chengfei and Chu Ruoyan's expressions changed. Chu Chengfei immediately frowned, and anger rose on his small face as if turning the pages of a book: "What did you say?"
Shang Ruyi gripped the document tightly with her fingertips, her knuckles turning white from the effort. When she spoke again, her voice was unusually calm, so calm that she herself doubted whether it was her own voice: "I don't understand. Your Majesty is wise, and the princess is intelligent. How could you not have thought that even if this imperial edict were issued, it might not have come to fruition?"
"..."
"Because, I'm still here."
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