Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide, looking at the translucent screen slowly revealing a clear silhouette, a familiar figure as graceful as an immortal, coming in slowly with the warm winds.
When she saw the familiar, snow-white, luxurious Feathered Immortal Shoes appear in front of her, Shang Ruyi’s breath involuntarily caught.
It was, Chu Yang.
It could only be him.
Perhaps because of the warming weather, he was only wearing a thin, wide-sleeved robe, its sleeves fluttering with the wind, sending a gentle cold fragrance towards Shang Ruyi’s face. She opened her eyes wide, watching him walk all the way to the bedside. As he lowered his gaze towards her, his long phoenix eyes seed to be filled with a smile, but there was a coldness incongruous with the warm wind slowly overflowing.
Wo Xue hurriedly stood up, knelt on the ground: "This servant pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Leave."
Chu Yang ignored her, quietly watching the slender figure leaning against the headboard. The two simple, clean words carried an invisible deterrence, Wo Xue did not dare to look up again, quickly got up, kept her head down, and retreated.
The door was also closed.
It was only then that Shang Ruyi finally managed to catch her breath.
She didn’t know why, but facing Chu Yang, she ought to be nervous—in fact, she was indeed sowhat nervous, her breathing tight, her heart racing, even without a mirror, she could feel her face must be very pale—yet once alone with him, she seed to have a strange sense of relaxation.
At least at this mont, facing him was not too difficult.
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said softly, "Your Majesty, please forgive for being unable to rise and bow to Your Majesty."
The corners of Chu Yang’s mouth slightly curved up.
He said, "Is that the only thing you want to forgive?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi’s breath hitched again.
After thinking for a mont, she didn’t say more, only reached out with effort to lift the thin quilt covering her—thankfully, she was wearing tidy clothes, even if they weren’t suitable for an imperial audience, they wouldn’t make her too embarrassed, then she intended to get out of bed.
Kneeling to apologize should be the only thing she could do now.
However, she overestimated her body, which had been weakened by repeated dication, with almost no food intake, tortured to its last bit of support. As soon as she moved, she felt her body weaken, like a puppet with its strings cut, falling towards the floor.
"Ah!"
She let out a low, hurried cry.
At the sa ti, a pair of hands reached over, and before Shang Ruyi could react, she was lifted into the air and directly held horizontally in an embrace.
Her heart pounded like thunder, cold sweat poured, and when she turned her head, she t those long phoenix eyes, which no longer held any sharpness or coldness but slightly curved with a joyful smile.
Chu Yang, with a half-smile, said, "What, realizing your sins are unforgivable, using this thod to make feel sorry for you?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi couldn’t speak anymore.
It wasn’t that she was entranced by the emperor’s sudden tenderness, nor that she was frightened into speechlessness by this breach of imperial decorum, but that the recent incident exhausted all her strength, leaving her as weakened as a piece of silk, softly leaning into his arms.
And she, in such a state, seed to be sothing Chu Yang had never seen before.
He looked down at the pale-faced, unexpectedly red-cheeked and red-eyed young woman, never seen her so docile and compliant, giving him an unprecedented "feeling of being flattered." He was instantly in a good mood, even the original cri to question was thrown to the nine heavens.
He just looked at her with a smile and said, "Then you picked the right one."
"..."
"I, indeed, feel sorry."
Shang Ruyi’s forehead was already covered in cold sweat, her body cold, hands and feet numb, she felt this was a reaction of extre hunger, having experienced such a ti in childhood, if she didn’t eat soon, exhausting her strength would lead to severe loss of vitality.
So, she gasped for breath, looked at Chu Yang, and whispered weakly, "Your Majesty, let eat sothing..."
"...?"
Chu Yang slightly raised his eyebrows, looking at her state again, instantly understood.
He sowhat reluctantly placed the warm body in his arms back onto the bed, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her temples, then got up and went out, said a few words to those outside.
Then, he returned to sit by the bed, looking at Shang Ruyi’s eyes already gray with hunger.
He said, "You have suffered."
"..."
"I didn’t expect the journey would make you suffer so much. I will have soone cut off her head."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi was stunned, then realized he was referring to Wo Xue, hastily exclaid, "Your Majesty, no!"
Chu Yang was about to get up, hearing this, he sat down again.
He furrowed his brow and said, "Why not? She did sothing wrong and should be punished."
Shang Ruyi was once again drenched in sweat, but this ti it wasn’t from hunger, it was from fear. She was afraid that Chu Yang would insist on killing Wo Xue, and despite having no strength left, she urgently said, "She, she brought to Jiangdu by Your Majesty’s order, what wrong did she do?"
Chu Yang squinted his eyes slightly and said coldly, "Making you suffer is her mistake."
"..."
Shang Ruyi’s heart was as though violently struck. Already weak, her pounding heart made her nearly faint.
She couldn’t explain further and could only simply say, "I, I don’t want her to die..."
"...!"
Chu Yang was sowhat surprised, widening his eyes to look at her.
Although all along, Shang Ruyi had always been soone he unexpectedly encountered and deed as a confidant, in reality, from the first eting, what she said and did always gave him unexpected joy. Even if not everything was to his liking, it sohow brought him a strange kind of contentnt, a feeling unmatched by having everyone kneel at his feet, obeying his commands.
The only regret, perhaps, was that Shang Ruyi could never see him as just Yang Suyi.
Since his lofty status had been revealed, even though she addressed him as "Young Master Yang," her attitude remained deferential, never daring to overstep her bounds.
This was the first ti she used a demanding tone.
She wasn’t pleading but was demanding from him!
Suddenly, an indescribable joy overwheld him. Chu Yang even felt that ever since leaving Luoyang, nothing had made him this happy in a long ti.
He imdiately showed a delighted smile and said, "Alright, I promise you."
"..."
Shang Ruyi felt as though she had walked once around Ghost Gate, cold sweat dripping profusely, even landing on the back of her hand. She weakly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty..."
At this mont, soone arrived from outside.
Whether or not preparations had already been made below, it wasn’t long after Chu Yang gave the order that a table full of exquisite dishes was delivered, including Three-Set Duck, Soft Shell Turtle, Crisp Eel, and a small bowl containing a clear fragrant soup, in which floated four round, glossy atballs, appearing to be a very fresh dish.
Shang Ruyi was a bit stunned seeing this dish: "This is—"
Chu Yang said proudly, "This is sothing I instructed the chef to make, mimicking the shapes of Wansong Mountain, Golden Coin Mound, Ivory Forest, and Sunflower Ridge. Yes, let’s call it Sunflower at Cutting."
"...Is that so."
Shang Ruyi’s pale lips trembled slightly.
In Jiangdu, his mood indeed seed quite good, even having the leisure to delve into these dishes.
Chu Yang said, "Co, have so to eat."
Although Shang Ruyi knew she was starving to the limit and had to eat sothing, at that mont, she instead felt sothing blocking her chest, gently shaking her head.
Chu Yang imdiately frowned.
Then, Eunuch Yu, who was arranging the dishes, said with a smile, "This soup, made from chicken, duck, ham, and various fresh items, was simred for days. The Young Madam is weak and can’t eat too greasy, this soup should be drank."
Shang Ruyi lightly nodded: "Thank you."
Eunuch Yu promptly had a palace maid serve her half a bowl of soup. Shang Ruyi sipped a few mouthfuls, and indeed felt that it was not greasy at all but refreshingly fragrant. After half a bowl of warm soup, her stomach felt comforted. She managed to eat a little broth rice as well. Though it made her break into a sweat, she managed to save her own life.
After Eunuch Yu led the servants to clear the dishes and leave the palace hall, Shang Ruyi was able to sit up straight again, her eyes shining brighter, and her face recovering so color.
She softly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
At the sound of those four words, the joy that the demand had brought was instantly swept away by sothing.
Chu Yang slightly furrowed his brow.
He suddenly said, "Shang Ruyi, sotis I think you know exactly what to say to please , and equally what to say to displease . Yet you always choose to displease ."
Shang Ruyi lowered her head: "Ruyi... does not dare."
Chu Yang sneered, "How many tis have you been insolent before ? Which ti have I held it against you? In my life, the only person I’ve apologized to is you. Yet, you still ’do not dare.’
"..."
"Do you truly not dare? Or do you actually dare very much!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi’s heart began to race again.
This ti, however, it wasn’t from hunger, nor weakness, but from fear. Yet this fear wasn’t of the Emperor’s anger, but fear of what might happen if she truly ’dared,’ of what would beco of this world...
What would beco of this world?
With this thought, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, using the little strength she had painstakingly gathered to raise her head and et Chu Yang’s slightly narrow, dangerously cold-eyed gaze.
She said softly, "Does Your Majesty know that the Eastern Capital has already fallen?"
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