Chapter 1209 Seizing Power
This commotion lasted until dark.
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi didn't eat or wash up. They took turns holding the terribly aggrieved child until he finally cried himself to sleep when it got dark. Exhausted, they carefully put him back on the bed.
The wet nurse and others around were sweating profusely with anxiety. She asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, please allow me to take the young prince away."
Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance, and Shang Ruyi said, "No need, let him sleep with us tonight."
Nurse Feng immediately replied, "Yes."
Having said that, he didn't dare linger any longer and turned to leave.
Chang Wan came in and quietly reported that the bathing supplies had been prepared. Shang Ruyi said softly, "You go first, I'll stay and watch over him for a while longer."
Yuwen Ye glanced down, nodded, and got up to leave. Only Shang Ruyi remained in the bedchamber. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the child's rosy, pink face. Although the child's appearance hadn't changed much, it was obvious that he had grown quite a bit since she left. Not to mention anything else, he had many more teeth and was taller.
It can talk now.
Shang Ruyi reached out and tucked the blanket around him again, then sighed softly.
She never felt incompetent; on the contrary, compared to many others, she felt she was already quite outstanding. Especially as a woman, she was able to lead troops, go to the battlefield, and receive awards for her military achievements in the court. She was extremely proud. But beneath all these honors lay her dereliction of duty as a mother.
It seems that life is always finite; even with outstanding abilities, one can only attend to one thing at a time.
She had already been a good princess; now, she would need to put in some effort and time to be a good mother.
Thinking this, she bent down and gently kissed the child's chubby face.
Just then, a very light footstep sounded behind her, and Tushe'er's voice rang in her ears: "Your Highness, the food has been reheated. Would you like some now?"
Shang Ruyi turned around and saw the girl looking at her with a loving expression in the candlelight. If it weren't for Yuan Gan, she would probably be the one who felt wronged today. Even so, she was still a little awkward. Shang Ruyi smiled and said softly, "When the King of Qin comes back, I will eat with him."
"yes."
Shang Ruyi gestured for her to sit down in front of the bed, then asked, "Did anything happen to me while I was gone?"
Tusheer said, “There’s not much going on here at Qianqiu Palace. We rarely go out, except that His Majesty takes the young prince out for a meal every month and also goes for a walk in the inner court. Madam Chu also comes over from time to time—her pastries are getting better and better, and the young prince likes them very much.”
Mentioning this, Shang Ruyi realized that she hadn't seen Chu Ruoyan since she got back. It was a pity that the child had cried most of the day. She should go to Jinyuyuan to check on her tomorrow.
Shang Ruyi said, "It's good that you're alright."
Tushe'er sat at her feet, stretched his neck and whispered in her ear, "There's nothing going on here, but there's a lot going on in the harem."
"oh?"
Shang Ruyi initially thought that as long as they were alright, it was best not to meddle in other people's affairs, but then she changed her mind and asked, "What's going on in the harem?"
Tushe'er lowered her voice even further: "Consort Tao was unwell a few days ago, and when the imperial physician examined her, it was discovered that she was pregnant."
"This is a good thing."
"It's a good thing. The Emperor is overjoyed and has already issued an edict to confer upon her the title of Consort Shu. He also allowed her to attend the New Year's Eve banquet. But that very night, on her way back to the palace, Consort Jieyu suddenly fell down for some unknown reason."
Shang Ruyi's eyes widened: "Her child—"
Tushe'er gently shook his head, and Shang Ruyi felt a pang of discomfort.
If it were anything else, she might find it hard to empathize, but the pain of losing a child was something she had truly experienced firsthand. That pain wasn't just physical; it left a deep, unhealed wound on her heart. If it weren't for Yuan Gan, she might have carried that wound for a long time. And Tao Wanyin, such a gentle and compliant woman…
Shang Ruyi asked, "Is she alright now?"
Tushe'er said, "I heard that she has recovered, but her spirits are quite low. Since the Princess and His Highness are not here, we servants cannot go to visit her. We only heard from her maid that she has been hiding in the palace and refuses to see anyone. The Emperor rarely visits her either."
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "Was there a reason for what happened that night?"
Tushe'er said, "On the surface, it was said that Consort Tao was careless, but when I talked to the palace maids around her, I heard that Consort Tao met Consort Zhang when she returned to the palace that night, and then she fell down."
"..."
"But nobody knows what exactly happened."
"..."
"Anyway, with Consort Tao falling ill, Consort Zhang benefited greatly. She flattered the Emperor every day and was just promoted to the rank of Zhaoyi a few days ago."
"oh……"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi nodded, her expression indifferent.
At this moment, Yuwen Ye returned from his bath. Shang Ruyi didn't say much, only asking him to stay by Yuan Gan's bedside. She then went down to take a bath herself. When she returned to Qianqiu Palace, Yuwen Ye had just had Tu She'er and the others set out the meal. The two of them had been busy all day and were starving. Finally, they had time to sit down and eat something.
While eating, Shang Ruyi told Yuwen Ye what Tushe'er had just said.
Yuwen Ye listened calmly, and after a while said, "Tomorrow, or two days later, when you have some free time and no one cares, find a time to go and see Consort Tao."
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes slightly and looked at him.
Yuwen Ye had never cared about matters of the harem and had little contact with Yuwen Yuan's concubines, but this time he took the initiative to ask me to visit her.
She said, "Okay."
Then the two ate quietly. Shang Ruyi ate a few bites of food and finally sorted out the somewhat chaotic thoughts in her mind. She looked up at Xiao Yuangan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and then said, "Did you already plan all this?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye kept his head down, finished the last bit of hot soup in his bowl, put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and then looked up at Shang Ruyi: "What?"
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
At this point, is he still playing cryptic games with me?
Back when he was still the second son of the Yuwen family, he was already focused on cultivating his own trusted troops. When Yuwen Yuan ascended the throne, he began vying with Yuwen Qian for the position of crown prince. Now, although the crown prince position is secured, his military achievements and vast influence in the court mean that he is no longer just an opponent of the crown prince—or rather, their current adversary is not the crown prince at all.
It was the emperor!
Shang Ruyi lowered her voice and said, "You want to fight for the power in Father Emperor's hands?"
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