Chapter 205: Chapter 200 But He Married You
Empress Jiang glanced at her, didn’t speak, but Chu Ruoyan, sitting beside her, said softly, "I heard that there isn’t a war report yet, but early this morning, a rider came back from outside the city. It’s someone from the Imperial Guard."
"The Imperial Guard?"
Shang Ruyi furrowed her brow upon hearing this.
She knew that during this expedition Yu Wenye was on, there was a supervisor appointed by the Emperor within the army, who was naturally an eunuch from the palace. When this supervisor traveled, he would be accompanied by ten or more eunuchs, plus a detachment from the Imperial Guard.
Since someone from the Imperial Guard returned, it might be that the supervisor has sent back some news.
Thinking of this made Shang Ruyi’s heart heavy.
The role of the supervisor is to monitor the army’s movements and the behavior of the generals on behalf of the Emperor. If anything unusual arises, they have the authority to secretly report to the Emperor; at this moment, although there is no war report, there is news from the supervisor. This likely means the situation isn’t favorable, or perhaps there’s a disagreement between the supervisor and the general.
If that’s the case, then Yu Wenye’s current situation—
Shang Ruyi hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, do you know what news the Imperial Guard brought back? Is it related to him?"
Chu Ruoyan shook her head: "I don’t know."
"..."
"When the Imperial Guard returns, they go directly to see Father. We can’t inquire about those matters."
"..."
Shang Ruyi sighed with some disappointment.
At this moment, she regretted the Emperor wasn’t in the palace. If she had the chance to see Chu Yang, she would ask about the frontline situation, at least to know if Yu Wenye is safe.
But merely thinking of this, she immediately found it absurd.
The last meeting, what Chu Yang did already left her at a loss, so if they met again, could she ensure she would leave unharmed?
Thinking of this, she forcefully shook her head to dispel the dangerous thought.
Just then, Prince Zhao, Chu Chengfei, ran in from outside.
Snow was still lingering on his head, and he excitedly shouted, "Mother, Sister, it’s snowing heavily outside. Shall we go watch the snow? Sister, join me for a snowball fight."
As he spoke, he pulled Chu Ruoyan’s arm and headed outside.
Chu Ruoyan’s playful spirit arose too, and she followed her brother out. They laughed and laughed in the snow, and upon hearing their joyful laughter, Empress Jiang also smiled, saying, "Let’s go, go out to admire the snow."
Shang Ruyi replied and stood up to follow her outside.
At the doorway, she saw the heavy snowflakes falling from the sky, covering everything around in white—the ground, the walls, the roof—even a maple tree by the palace wall was covered in snow. The white snow contrasted with the red maple, making the snow appear even more pristine, while the maple grew increasingly bright and striking, resembling a passionate flame in the snow.
As for the brother and sister, they had already started a snowball fight. Chu Ruoyan, taking advantage of her height, formed a snowball and smacked it onto her brother’s head. The snowflakes flew, and the chilling sensation made Chu Chengfei cry out as he chased Chu Ruoyan around.
Chu Ruoyan raised her skirt and ran everywhere in the snow. Wearing colorful clothes, she moved lightly, like a vibrant butterfly dancing among the white snowy scenery, captivating Shang Ruyi’s gaze.
Empress Jiang, looking at her children, also revealed a loving smile.
She looked up at the continuously falling snowflakes and sighed softly, "I really didn’t expect this year’s snow to be so heavy, it’s been falling for days."
Shang Ruyi replied, "A timely snow promises a prosperous year."
Upon hearing this, Empress Jiang’s expression froze, and after a long silence, she said softly, "Just not sure which family will benefit from that prosperous year."
"...?"
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a bit.
She smiled and said, "Why would Your Highness say such a thing?"
Empress Jiang didn’t answer her but stared at the falling snowflakes for a long time before slowly saying, "Do you know, those tribute red oranges, probably can only be eaten this year."
"Why?"
"Those tributes were sent from West Mountain Island, but last month’s news said it has been occupied by the rebel army."
"What? The Jiangnan rebels?"
"Indeed,"
Empress Jiang sighed heavily, saying, "Those years ago, the Emperor led tens of thousands of troops to annihilate the Chen Dynasty and reclaimed Jiangnan, but unexpectedly, after just a few short years, Jiangnan rebelled again."
"..."
"To pacify the Jiangnan rebellion again, who knows when or by whom it can be accomplished."
Shang Ruyi’s brow slowly furrowed.
Although she knew all along that rebel armies have been uprising across the nation—Hebei, Shanxi, Longxi, Jiangnan... Even recently, the Wanggang Army has occupied Xingluo Granary, indicating the entire Dynasty is already in jeopardy, hearing these words directly from the Empress caused her to truly feel the earth-shattering tremors.
The Da Ye Dynasty might really be nearing its end—
Shang Ruyi said, "Your Highness..."
At this moment, Empress Jiang suddenly smiled, saying, "I’m just rambling, why am I saying all this."
She then turned to Shang Ruyi, speaking gently, "Are you cold?"
"..."
Looking at her gentle smile, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a chill, lowered her head, and found her hands were already frostbitten, instinctively withdrawing them into her sleeves. Empress Jiang saw this and turned around to instruct, "Where’s the heating stove?"
The Palace Attendants immediately brought two heating stoves.
Shang Ruyi took one and looked down to see it was made of brass, only the size of two fists, with an openwork carving on the front depicting some Xiangfei Bamboo and two women. Inside, charcoal was burning, wrapped in velvet outside, neither too big nor too small, not hot to the touch. As the warmth permeated, her freezing fingers quickly regained sensation.
Empress Jiang asked, "Is it better?"
Shang Ruyi replied, "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness."
Empress Jiang smiled, saying, "Since I summoned you to the palace, if you got frosted, it would be my fault, and Feng Chen would surely be distressed."
"..."
Those words sounded like a joke, but to Shang Ruyi, they inexplicably felt somewhat prickly, especially with Chu Ruoyan’s fluttering figure in front of her creating a stark contrast. What could she rely on to make him distressed? She could only force a smile and say, "Your Highness is joking."
Empress Jiang laughed, "It’s not entirely a joke."
"..."
"Feng Chen, this child, grew up under my watch, and actually, both inside and outside the palace, there are quite a few official family Misses who fancy him. But from a young age, he’s always had a strong will and said that if he can’t accomplish a great feat, he won’t talk of romantic affairs..."
"..."
"Yet he married you."
Shang Ruyi was slightly startled.
This wasn’t the first time she’d heard these words. Previously at the Tinghe Building while drinking, Pei Xingyuan had mentioned that Yu Wenye wasn’t interested in romance and insisted that if he couldn’t accomplish great feats, he wouldn’t marry.
For some reason, hearing these words before was just casual, but hearing them from Empress Jiang’s mouth made her heart sink slightly.
Is Yu Wenye really thinking this way?
If so, why did he marry her...
But if not her, wouldn’t he also marry Princess Xinyue?