Chapter 906 Aren't you afraid I'll run away?
In the blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival has passed.
The entire city of Chang'an was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Since there was no curfew, almost half of the city's residents came out of their homes. The wide Zhuque Avenue was also crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder. Every ten steps or so along both sides of the road, wooden stakes were erected with long ropes attached to them, which were covered with lanterns and riddles. This attracted passersby to stop and watch, guess the riddles, and laughter filled the air.
Shang Ruyi had originally planned for Yuwen Ye to take her out of the palace for a stroll that night, but Yuwen Ye refused, instead taking her up to the city wall to look at the dense crowd of people below, who looked like ants.
Then he said, "If we keep going like this, our feet will be crushed in no time."
Shang Ruyi watched the commotion with lingering fear: "Why are there so many people?"
Yuwen Ye said, "After Father Emperor ascended the throne, although we celebrated the New Year, we could not have a grand celebration because of the rampant plague. This year is rare because it is peaceful, so the curfew tonight has been lifted. I'm sure everyone will come out of their homes to stroll around."
He looked down at her and asked, "Do you still want to go?"
Shang Ruyi immediately shook her head and said repeatedly, "Let's just stay here and watch the fun."
Yuwen Ye laughed.
They stood on the city wall, holding their excited little dumplings, watching the jubilation below. Although the weather was still cold and light snow was falling from time to time, the lively atmosphere made them feel no cold at all.
However, the dazzling lights made Shang Ruyi's vision blur a little.
She was in a daze, as if she saw another landscape full of lights, dazzling and magnificent.
That was prepared by that person specifically for her. Although so much time has passed, that intense, bloody memory, which she thought she would never forget, has not appeared in her dreams for a long time.
But she still remembered him.
I also remember his ethereal beauty, his brilliant mind, his haughty arrogance, and his unwavering stubbornness until death.
If he could see this scene before him, would he feel even a little bit of regret?
Just as Shang Ruyi was somewhat lost in thought, Yuwen Ye's voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Ruyi, what's wrong?"
"Um?"
Shang Ruyi immediately snapped out of her daze, her eyes, which had been somewhat confused by the lamplight, cleared up. She hurriedly turned to look at him, only to see Yuwen Ye say with concern, "The snow is getting heavier, let's go back."
Shang Ruyi looked up and realized that the snowflakes were falling heavily, much larger than before. Although the little Yuanzi in her arms was excitedly reaching out to grab them, the wind was like a knife when it snowed, and she couldn't let the child stay in the wind for too long. She immediately nodded: "Let's go."
So the two of them quickly returned to Qianqiu Palace.
After washing up, she went to bed. The inner chamber was pitch black, but Shang Ruyi couldn't fall asleep at all. She didn't know if it was because the lively scene she had just seen had made her mind too excited, or because of tomorrow...
Her clear breathing caught Yuwen Ye's attention: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
In the pitch-black night, his warm hand reached out from under the thick, soft blankets and gently embraced her, stroking her back as if petting a cat to urge her to fall asleep. But Shang Ruyi became even more awake. She moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Father is summoning Pei Xingyuan tomorrow, isn't he?"
"Um."
"Can we see him?"
"cannot."
Actually, it was to be expected. Yuwen Yuan didn't even let her go back to the Shen family to visit her uncle and aunt this New Year, which shows how deep his suspicions were.
Before Shang Ruyi could think any further, Yuwen Ye whispered in her ear, "I'll take you out of the palace tomorrow. Anyway, you wanted to go out tonight but couldn't. Going out tomorrow will allow you to see some excitement."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately looked up at him. Although it was pitch black, she could only barely make out the outline of the person in front of her, but Yuwen Ye's cold and shrewd eyes shone brightly in front of her.
Shang Ruyi said, "Okay."
Yuwen Ye seemed to smile, then put his arm around her and said, "Go to sleep."
Nothing was said that night.
The next day, the snow stopped and the clouds cleared, and some precious winter sunshine shone down from the high sky, bringing a rare warmth in the cold winter. Pei Xingyuan, who had just walked out of the Ministry of Justice prison, could hardly open his eyes, but then suddenly shivered.
Because his case involved treason, he was imprisoned in a particularly deep place. When he walked out of the long and narrow prison passage, he even felt as if he had just crawled back to the human world from hell.
Sunlight seems like a gift from another world.
He couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my, is spring here already?"
The two jailers escorting him exchanged a glance, and one of them laughed, "Lord Pei, have you forgotten the date? It's not even spring yet. We just celebrated the New Year today."
"Today is the end of the Lunar New Year, and yesterday was the Lantern Festival?"
"Yes, didn't we bring you a bowl of glutinous rice balls?"
"Hey, look at my memory!"
Pei Xingyuan slapped his forehead: "I only remember how delicious it was. Thank you both."
"No, no."
Another jailer laughed and said, "There's a bathtub and hot water prepared in that room over there. Go and wash up first. There are also clean clothes inside. After you change, the palace carriage will come to pick you up."
Pei Xingyuan chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, take me there quickly. If I don't wash up soon, I'll suffocate myself before I even see the Emperor."
The two immediately led him to the other side of the wooden house to take a bath.
In truth, given his "crimes," he absolutely shouldn't have received such treatment. Even bathing and changing clothes before an audience with the emperor wouldn't have been this comfortable. However, after Pei Xingyuan was imprisoned, the higher-ups in the Ministry of Justice instructed that he shouldn't be mistreated, and the Prince of Qin sent someone to speak on his behalf. In addition, he himself was willing to spend money, so the prison guards treated him like a VIP. Anyway, if he were to be executed in the future, these people would have already made their money, so it wouldn't be a loss.
Pei Xingyuan, on the other hand, seemed to be completely unconcerned. He soaked in the bathtub and took a comfortable bath, even humming a song while he did so.
The two jailers guarding the door exchanged a glance upon hearing his cheerful voice, and both gave a silent, bitter smile.
They couldn't understand why a high-ranking official, who had just been assassinated and whose head was in imminent danger, showed no panic, loss, or despair. Instead, he was cheerful in prison every day. But they always felt that something even bigger than the emperor's assassination was about to happen to him.
A short while later, Pei Xingyuan finished his bath, changed into a set of relatively clean clothes, and came out.
The carriage arrived at the door.
At this point, he was no longer a minister, but a suspect. The carriage that transported him was naturally very simple. Pei Xingyuan stepped forward, patted the rather flimsy carriage floor, and laughed, "This carriage is too simple. There aren't even any railings." As he spoke, he glanced at the two jailers behind him and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
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