Chapter 310: Chapter 285: A Gentleman’s Word is Not to Be Taken Lightly
The sky was sealed with ice and snow.
Walking in the chaotic snowflakes that almost blanketed the entire world was not something that could simply be described as difficult. Yet, even so, there were still people staggering forward with the most arduous steps.
Upon finally entering a dilapidated mountain temple where they could take a temporary rest, the snow that had accumulated on the group had nearly frozen into ice. They stomped their feet at the temple entrance, causing chunks of snow to fall and quickly cover the damaged floor.
A soft, white hand lifted the drape of a hat’s veil, immediately revealing a familiar and elegant face.
It was none other than Shang Ruyi, who had stirred chaos throughout the Eastern Capital City at this moment.
She seemed to be able to sense the tremors in the distant Eastern Capital City, looked up at the gloomy sky, and could not help but sigh. Meanwhile, Tushere and Jiang Kesong, who had entered the broken temple first, had already roughly cleaned the inside and lit a bonfire before inviting her in.
It was unknown how long this temple had been abandoned, to the point where even the stone statue of the mountain god was incomplete. The thick dust on the incense table still bore the footprints of mice. Although Jiang Kesong had people use straw to block the cracks in the surrounding walls, the air remained cold and even carried a moldy scent.
Fortunately, the fire was already burning.
Shang Ruyi walked over and sat down. The heat emanating from the flames quickly dispelled the cold from her body, but her heart remained icy cold, and even the sorrow etched between her brows would not dissolve.
At this moment, she heard Wo Xue quietly say, "So, this is the Young Madam’s plan."
Shang Ruyi looked up at her and smiled, "Afraid?"
Wo Xue quickly nodded, but after thinking for a moment, she hesitated and shook her head, as if fearing that her current attitude might provoke Ru Yi’s anger. However, Shang Ruyi was not angry and only said with a smile, "It’s my fault for not telling you all in advance, but this matter is of great importance, and I don’t want to leak any information."
Jiang Kesong said, "Young Madam, you never planned to return to the Eastern Capital from the beginning?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi was silent for a while, looking again at the young faces around her illuminated by the flames, and calmly said, "Your Majesty claims to be visiting Jiangdu Palace this time, but with the situation in the North already critical, this departure means that even if the Eastern Capital does not fall, the North is bound to descend into chaos. So, the imperial entourage definitely will not return."
"..."
"But we—in North is our roots. Besides—"
At this point, she paused. Although her eyes reflected the firelight, they suddenly emitted a kind of piercing coldness.
To the side, Tushere softly asked, "What?"
After a long silence, Shang Ruyi slowly said, "This journey, life and death are uncertain."
Those four words, "life and death are uncertain," once spoken, seemed to invite another gust of chilling wind into the dilapidated mountain temple, making everyone shiver involuntarily.
The life and death uncertainty she spoke of seemed not to refer to those left behind who did not follow.
But...
Tushere thought for a while and then waved his hand, "Oh, anyway, this servant will always follow Miss. Wherever you go, I will go. Since the Miss is not returning to the Eastern Capital, then we won’t return."
Sitting to the side, Wo Xue and Jiang Kesong also nodded continuously.
Shang Ruyi smiled a little.
Wo Xue thought for a moment and asked, "But Young Madam, where do we go next?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her and said, "Of course, we’re going back."
"Going back? Going back where?"
"The Eastern Capital."
"The Eastern Capital?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the dilapidated temple was shocked, even the always composed Jiang Kesong showed an astonished expression. He widened his eyes at Shang Ruyi, with a look of disbelief, "Young Madam, didn’t you just say we’re not returning to the Eastern Capital?"
Shang Ruyi calmly said, "I said not returning to the Eastern Capital, following Your Majesty to Jiangdu Palace."
"..."
"But not staying away forever."
"However,"
Wo Xue showed a somewhat terrified expression, "Young Madam, this time you’ve let the empty carriage go back without following Your Majesty to Jiangdu Palace, which is already disobedience. If we return, wouldn’t we be captured and punished?"
Tushere also nodded repeatedly.
Shang Ruyi gave a faint smile and said, "What I mean by going back is not to openly return and let them capture us."
Chang Wan said, "Then what are we going back for?"
Shang Ruyi said, "To reunite with Feng Chen."
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. Even Chang Wan, who was usually indifferent, showed a slight smile because everyone knew that after disobeying, their group had essentially become "traitors" in the court’s eyes. No matter where the Emperor went, they were still very much in danger. Only by reuniting with Yu Wenye could they feel at ease.