Chapter 762 The Emperor's Heart is Unfathomable
Just as the three of them almost held their breath and their hearts stopped beating, like prisoners on an execution ground waiting for their verdict at noon, finally, Yuwen Yuan let out a deep breath and said, "You, all of you, get up."
Aunt Hui, who was standing to the side, widened her eyes: "Your Majesty?"
Yu Gonggong was overjoyed and stepped forward to help Shang Ruyi up, saying, "Your Highness, please be careful, the ground is cold, don't hurt yourself." He also gestured to Yuwen Ye and Chu Ruoyan, who immediately stood up as well.
However, allowing them to stand up does not mean they are innocent.
Chu Ruoyan kept her head down, her smooth forehead covered with a fine layer of sweat, clearly still not out of the mood of danger—after all, her identity was different from Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, and there were two people behind her who needed her protection.
Yuwen Yuan's deep eyes slowly swept over the three of them before settling on Yuwen Ye.
He said, "King Qin."
Yuwen Ye immediately replied, "Your subject is here."
Yuwen Yuan said, "You are usually busy with official duties, but you should not neglect your family affairs. You should know that harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things, and if the family is not peaceful, nothing can be accomplished."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, and Chu Ruoyan, standing beside her, also took a deep breath—from beginning to end, they had covered up the fact that the two of them had been instigated and almost had a fight between wives and concubines, but Yuwen Yuan had uttered the words "domestic unrest" at this moment.
It seems he wasn't truly deceived.
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly, but he was not alarmed and immediately replied, "Your subject understands. From now on, your subject will manage the inner quarters properly and prevent such misunderstandings from happening again."
Yuwen Yuan nodded, then looked at Shang Ruyi, his eyes instantly becoming kind.
He said, "As you wish."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly replied, "Your subject is here."
Yuwen Yuan said, "Of all these younger generation, you are the one I trust the most, but even now I am not at ease with you, because of your pregnancy. Do we still need the Imperial Physician who is taking care of your pregnancy? Do we need to add more staff?"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Imperial Physician Su is very dedicated and capable. This time, she was the first to notice that there was dust on the hawthorn cake and reminded me."
Yuwen Yuan nodded: "That's good. Besides her, you and the people around you should also be more careful."
Shang Ruyi said, "Your subject understands."
Yuwen Yuan nodded, then slowly shifted his gaze to Chu Ruoyan standing beside her.
His previously kind gaze immediately turned serious, and for someone of his status, that serious gaze seemed to materialize, like an invisible boulder pressing down on Chu Ruoyan's heart, making it difficult for her to breathe and her heart to beat. Chu Ruoyan tried her best to control her trembling, but her disordered breathing betrayed her panic and uncertainty at that moment.
Finally, Yuwen Yuan's voice rang in her ears: "Ruoyan."
Chu Ruoyan took a deep breath and stepped forward: "Your subject is here."
Yuwen Yuan said, "You and Ruyi are of one mind, respect and love each other, which is very good. It is also a testament to your mother's earnest teachings."
"……yes."
"but,"
Yuwen Yuan changed his tone and said, "Your mother has been in charge of the harem for many years, but she has never hit anyone."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ruoyan hurriedly knelt down again: "Your subject knows her mistake!"
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Yuan smiled faintly, waved his hand at her, and said, "Get up, get up quickly."
Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye reached out and pulled her back, and Chu Ruoyan finally managed to stand up. Yuwen Yuan said again, "You should have let me finish what I have to say. It is wrong of you to hit people. If the palace maids and eunuchs below are not doing their jobs well, you should let the head maid punish them. How can you do it yourself? This breaks the rules and also damages your status."
"..."
"However, I can understand that you are so concerned about Ruyi that you have lost your composure."
Hearing this, Chu Ruoyan breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next moment, Yuwen Yuan said, "However, this matter is ultimately your oversight. If I completely ignore it, the palace will be in chaos."
Upon hearing this, all three of them held their breath and looked at him simultaneously.
Although it was only a short period of time, Shang Ruyi could feel that Yuwen Yuan's words had twisted and turned, manipulating their breath and heartbeats. If she hadn't gone through some things with Yuwen Ye and remained calm, she would have been as scared as Chu Ruoyan, covered in cold sweat.
Even though her face remained calm, her palms, which were supporting Chu Ruoyan, were covered in cold sweat.
At this moment, she truly understood what it meant for a ruler's heart to be unfathomable.
Fortunately, when Yuwen Yuan spoke again, his tone was calm and devoid of emotion. He solemnly said, "I will punish you by confining you to your quarters for six months."
"...!"
Chu Ruoyan's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she grabbed Shang Ruyi's hand. Their two hands, covered in cold sweat, clasped together, yet somehow felt a burning heat emanating from them. She glanced at him instinctively, then quickly looked away in a flustered manner, saying to Yuwen Ye, "Your subject obeys the decree. Thank you for your grace, Father."
Yuwen Yuan nodded and said, "You may all leave now."
"……yes."
Chu Ruoyan's breathing was still a little erratic, but it was indeed best to leave the Liangyi Palace and escape Yuwen Yuan's gaze as soon as possible. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she saw Yuwen Ye standing still beside her, saying to Yuwen Yuan, "Father, I have another matter I would like to ask of you."
Yuwen Yuan frowned slightly: "Is there anything else?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Jian Chun is dead, and now Jin Yu Yuan is short one person. I want to ask the Shang Gong Bureau to send another person. If Yan is confined for half a year, and if she doesn't have enough people around her, I'm afraid she will suffer."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan nodded: "Of course, if one is missing, it must be replaced."
After saying that, he turned to Aunt Hui, who had been standing to the side with a pale face but could not utter a word. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Yuwen Ye say again: "Your subject would like to request that the palace maid to fill the vacancy must be carefully selected, and must not be like the previous Jian Chun."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan immediately turned to look at him, and even Aunt Hui, who had been silent all along, stiffened for a moment.
Yuwen Yuan said, "You mean—"
Yuwen Ye said, "What I mean is that this palace maid was not originally serving Ruoyan. After Jinyuyuan was renamed, the Shanggong Bureau sent her to serve someone else. But she is careless and even dares to neglect the things delivered to Princess Qin. If she is still by my side, I don't know what kind of trouble she will cause."
Yuwen Yuan's gaze suddenly narrowed: "Was it sent by the Shanggong Bureau?"
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