Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a tingling on her back.
The graceful figure standing under the eaves, softly calling out to the running Chu Chengfei, was none other than the Eldest Princess, Chu Ruoyan.
She was dressed in a tea-white, light gauze gown with silver ginkgo patterns. Her sleeves fluttered, and her slender waist twisted slowly. Even without heavy makeup or gold and jade ornants, her noble deanor remained undiminished, standing elegantly like a refined and unpretentious pear blossom on the riverbank.
However, seeing her, Shang Ruyi’s mood was never peaceful.
At this mont, it felt even heavier.
After Chu Ruoyan spoke, she glanced towards Shang Ruyi with starry eyes, and a faint smile, as if holding a winning hand, imdiately appeared on her delicate face.
She said, "Your Majesty, Madam Shang has arrived."
Upon hearing her words, Chu Chengfei, who had been chasing the fairy crane, also stopped. He turned back to look at the solemn-faced Shang Ruyi, then reluctantly at the crane that had already flown away. Only then did he sigh lightly and slowly walk towards Shang Ruyi. He cast a haughty, slightly displeased glance at her and said, "You, are here."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects, "This humble wife greets Your Majesty, greets the Eldest Princess!"
Chu Chengfei did not speak imdiately, rely looking down at her, and Shang Ruyi did not dare to move, just quietly kneeling there. After a long while, Chu Chengfei finally snorted lightly and said coldly, "Rise." Then, he turned and walked towards the Liangyi Hall.
Shang Ruyi slowly rose and followed.
Although outside was chaotic, a ss, the Liangyi Hall was, after all, the emperor’s residence. Besides, except for the morning court, the emperor usually summoned ministers here, so the interior was solemnly and neatly arranged. As soon as Chu Chengfei entered, he imdiately sat in the central seat, but his posture was sowhat slouched, leaning against a cushion. Though comfortable, he lost all dignity.
At the sight of him like this, Shang Ruyi frowned even tighter.
If it were a family mber, even Yu Wencheng, she would have stopped him, but in front of her was the Emperor, naturally, she couldn’t speak out.
It was the Eldest Princess who had already sat on the other side who gently said, "Your Majesty, you mustn’t do so."
Chu Chengfei pouted and said, "Mother is not here."
The Eldest Princess replied, "Even so. If you beco accustod to this, and Mother returns to see it, won’t it upset her?"
"..."
Hearing this, Chu Chengfei could do nothing but have the cushion removed, sitting upright with displeasure, muttering, "I am the Emperor now, yet still managed, no longer as happy as before. Being Emperor is truly boring?"
Chu Ruoyan seed to ignore his complaints, only smiling as she turned to Shang Ruyi, "Madam Shang, please sit."
Hearing "Madam Shang" from her mouth for the second ti, Shang Ruyi understood more clearly—since she married, others addressed her as Young Madam Yu Wen or General’s wife, while Chu Ruoyan always called her "sister," which was sowhat improper, yet intimate.
But now, it was "Madam Shang."
However, Shang Ruyi knew the main significance of this title was that those three words had no connection to the Yuwen Family.
She took a deep breath, said nothing, and slowly walked opposite Chu Ruoyan. After a brief apology, she sat down.
Then, she remained silent.
Being a consort summoned into the palace, she naturally couldn’t speak at will. She could only wait for the Emperor and Eldest Princess to speak before responding. But at this ti, the two across from her remained silent, making the atmosphere in the Liangyi Hall eerily quiet.
After so undefined period, Chu Chengfei’s impatient voice finally broke the silence from the hall, "I heard you just went to the Ministry of Justice Prison to see your uncle?"
At these words, Shang Ruyi hurriedly rose and knelt again.
"I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness."
"..."
"This humble wife knows it was inappropriate, but—"
"You need not be afraid."
Though she addressed "Your Majesty," it was still the Eldest Princess who responded to her at this mont. Chu Ruoyan, gently smiling, said, "We understand it’s a filial act to your uncle, being your elder, and we won’t bla you. Please rise."
"... Thank you, Eldest Princess."
Only then did Shang Ruyi rise and sit back down.
Observing her seemingly anxious deanor, Chu Ruoyan could hardly contain her smile, more radiant yet filled with certain pride. Her beauty was so dazzling and captivating.
She said, "Since you are so filial, you must wish to rescue your uncle."
"That is natural."
"Do you understand how to rescue your uncle?"
"This humble wife is dimwitted, and can only plead with Your Majesty and Princess for rcy, to forgive his unintended words. Although he offended Your Majesty, it was for the sake of the realm of Your Majesty’s empire. After all, the prophecy of ’cot appearing, calamities arising’ signifies ominous events, causing great concern."
At the ntion of that prophecy, Chu Chengfei’s face changed imdiately.
His hand trembled, knocking over the cup on the desk before him, spilling tea all over.
The attendants hurriedly knelt and apologized, then stepped forward to clean up.
For a while, the Liangyi Hall was filled with a tense and uneasy atmosphere, and Shang Ruyi clearly saw Chu Chengfei’s face turn pale, trembling in fear.
Although he is willful and reckless, after all, he is still young.
Even at the ti, that visionary Emperor Wen, in his later years, was greatly frightened by the cot’s appearance, let alone this child.
However, precisely because of this, how can such a child, who can be shocked and disoriented by ons, quell a rebellion in a chaotic situation and make the entire realm submit?
She increasingly understands that Shen Shiyan’s worries are not unfounded.
As she watched Chu Chengfei’s face turn pale, struck speechless with fear, on the other hand, Chu Ruoyan’s eyes slightly flashed, and she imdiately said seriously, "Your Majesty, what reason is there under the heavens for disasters to occur just because of a cot’s appearance? It is rely alarmism from those with ulterior motives."
"Really, Imperial Sister?"
"Of course."
These two words, not only firm but also spoken with a hint of gritted teeth, made Shang Ruyi a bit surprised. After all, Princess Xinyue has always been well protected by her father and mother, a woman innocent and romantic, unaware of the hardships of the people, supposedly soone who should trust celestial phenona and even more so gods and Buddhas.
Sure enough, not only was Shang Ruyi surprised, but Chu Chengfei also widened his eyes in amazent at his sister, asking, "But, Imperial Sister, didn’t you used to believe in gods and divine signs the most?"
"..."
"I rember you even told about the Red Simurgh Star..."
"..."
"Why don’t you believe it now?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi also looked toward Chu Ruoyan, only to see her biting her lower lip, a trace of indignation and unwillingness on her charming face as she coldly said, "If celestial signs truly can predict earthly fortunes and misfortunes, then why—the fall of the Eastern Capital had no forewarning? And the passing of Father had no on?"
"..."
"Heaven will not help people at all!"
"...!"
Her last words left Shang Ruyi greatly shocked.
Unexpectedly, this is what Chu Ruoyan thought.
Therefore, the upheaval in the Eastern Capital and the pain caused by Chu Yang’s death made her no longer believe that gods would protect mortals, nor the celestial signs she once believed in.
This is a relinquishnt after painful reflection.
At that ti, she must have been very sad and in great pain for her beliefs to collapse and her faith to undergo such an upheaval...
Recalling the past wars and that blood-soaked night in Jiangdu Palace, Shang Ruyi began to breathe heavily, and just as she was losing her composure, Chu Ruoyan suddenly composed herself, and when she looked at Shang Ruyi again, her gaze had already cald down.
She said, "What we are discussing today is not celestial signs."
"..."
"Madam Shang, do you know how to save your uncle?"
At this mont, it had reached the ti to be straightforward, or—to reveal one’s true intentions. Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, looking into those bright eyes, "Please, Eldest Princess, enlighten ."
Chu Ruoyan smiled sweetly and made a gesture to Chu Chengfei.
Chu Chengfei imdiately waved his hand, "Give her."
As soon as he said this, an eunuch walked out from behind him, holding a docunt in both hands and slowly approached Shang Ruyi. After only hesitating for a mont, she picked it up to read; it was a docunt drafted by the Central Secretariat.
The writing on it was also fairly simple—
A decree by the Central Secretariat states that Princess Xinyue, respectful, frugal, virtuous, and gentle, is of the right age. There is the Duke Sheng’s son, the Heavenly Strategy General, unparalleled in bravery, invincible in battle, a pillar of the court, perfect for marriage, thus as Heaven chooses a husband...
Before finishing, Shang Ruyi snapped the docunt shut with a "pa."
This was a Holy Decree for an arranged marriage!
Her face turned slightly pale, and after a mont of heavy breathing, she barely steadied herself and looked up again, only to see Chu Ruoyan smiling calmly at her, saying, "This is a Holy Decree drafted by the Central Secretariat for Your Majesty, just waiting to be copied cleanly, with the Seal affixed, and it can be announced in court tomorrow. Your uncle, speaking recklessly, is inauspicious, and only great joy in the palace can dispel such inauspiciousness and spare your uncle’s life."
"..."
"Do you understand?"
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said, "I don’t understand."
"...!?"
These words changed both Chu Chengfei and Chu Ruoyan’s expressions, and Chu Chengfei imdiately frowned, his small face turning angry like flipping a page: "What did you say?"
Shang Ruyi’s fingertips tightly gripped the docunt, her knuckles turning slightly white, yet when she spoke again, her voice was extraordinarily calm, so calm that she herself doubted if it was her voice: "I don’t understand, Your Majesty is wise, the Princess insightful, how could they not realize that even if this Holy Decree is issued, it might not materialize."
"..."
"Because, there’s still ."
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