Chapter 294: Chapter 271: The Lament of the Lonely Wife
Outside the door, Tushere hesitated for a moment before speaking softly, "No, it seems like it’s an imperial summons for the master to enter the palace."
"... ..."
Shang Ruyi furrowed her brow slightly.
Summoning Yu Wenye again, it was only a few days ago when they last summoned him, why do they need him to enter the palace again today?
Yu Wenye moved swiftly, getting out of bed and dressing immediately. Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then got up to dress as well, saying, "I’ll go out with you."
Yu Wenye didn’t say much. The two of them quickly tidied up their clothes and walked out briskly. Sure enough, they saw Eunuch Lu sitting in the main hall drinking tea. When he saw them coming out, he offered a familiar salute and greeted them, then said, "Great General, I’m troubling you to accompany me to the palace."
Yu Wenye said, "Alright."
Seeing them about to leave, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but ask, "Eunuch, is there something urgent for the Empress to summon my husband into the palace?"
Eunuch Lu hadn’t expected her to ask this, hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Young Madam, I dare not inquire too much into the Empress’s matters."
His words were very polite, but the implied meaning was clear—it’s not something for you to ask about either.
Yu Wenye turned back to her and said, "Stay home and take care of yourself."
Shang Ruyi could only nod and watch them leave.
Once Yu Wenye left, the house felt as though only she was left — though in fact, he wasn’t often home, but this time, she noticeably felt the absence of "him not being there." Staying inside, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but feel a bit down, and even Tushere noticed. She brought tea and snacks to her, saying, "Miss, since you didn’t sleep well last night, why not sleep a little more to catch up?"
"... ..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a while, then nodded.
But after lying down, she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. Despite the brazier in the room and the bedding being soft and thick, she just felt a chilling cold.
Still, he was not here.
Shang Ruyi found herself somewhat strange.
Clearly, life went on as usual when he wasn’t around, so why did a trip to Ban Yan Temple make it impossible to be without him when she returned? Even though he went to the palace to see Princess Xinyue, what of it? Yu Wenye had clearly told her that he only saw the princess as a sister, and there was no need to lie to her.
Was she truly becoming a lonely, lamenting woman?
While feeling that she shouldn’t be this way, a faint pang of suffering lingered in her heart, entangling her in contradictory emotions that left her exhausted until she finally drifted off.
But even in sleep, she was not at peace.
It seemed she fell again into that familiar nightmare, only this time, she lay not on a frozen lake surface but on a leaking boat, with icy river water continually rising and swiftly engulfing her, its biting cold nearly suffocating her.
Shang Ruyi struggled vigorously, but gradually, it seemed her hands lost their strength.
Just as she was about to suffocate, suddenly, a familiar, warm, and strong hand reached over to pull her out from the icy depths.
She felt a sudden relief, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes.
As she opened her eyes, a familiar handsome face met her gaze, along with gentle eyes reflecting concern and worry: "Awake?"
"... ..."
Shang Ruyi looked blankly at the person before her, and after a long while, it seemed her spirit returned to her body from the dream. Her lips parted slightly, and after a moment, she uttered a few words—
"Why did you come back so late?"
Yu Wenye furrowed his brow slightly, then immediately smiled and said, "What’s late? I’ve been back for quite a while."
"Huh?"
"I saw you hadn’t woken up yet, and I didn’t want to disturb you, so I was reading over there."
Shang Ruyi turned her head to see that there was indeed a book on his couch, clearly just set down. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief, looking up at him again, only to see Yu Wenye gently brushing her sweat-dampened hair behind her ear, then asking, "What nightmare scared you like this?"
"... ..."
Recalling the scene just now from the nightmare, Shang Ruyi shivered again and quickly reached out to embrace him.
It was just a dream.
In reality, he was already there, and she had no reason to be afraid.
Feeling the softness of this young woman’s body tightly pressed to him, trembling slightly as if not yet completely freed from the nightmare, Yu Wenye sighed lightly in his heart, warmly yet firmly lifting her entirely into his embrace, gently stroking her back as the warmth from his palm calmed her heartbeat and breathing, softly speaking, "Nightmares are not real, you’re such a grown-up and still need someone to tell you this?"
"... ..."
Shang Ruyi could not find the words to speak.
Did she not know that nightmares weren’t real? More than anyone, she understood the reason for her constant entanglement in nightmares.
Yet, this reason she could not yet be honest about.
However, under his gentle soothing, she finally calmed down, raising her head again to discover that it was already dark outside, and candles were lit in the room. She couldn’t help but ask, "What time is it?"
Yu Wenye chuckled lightly and said, "Dinner’s already past."
"Huh? I slept for so long?"
"What do you think? I told you to rest in the afternoon, but who knew you’d sleep until evening? Tushere and the others didn’t want to disturb you."
"... ..."
"Let’s see if you can sleep tonight. If not, tomorrow—there’s no need to see me off."
Shang Ruyi immediately stiffened, looked up at him, and asked, "When are you leaving tomorrow?"
Yu Wenye replied, "Early morning."
"..."
Hearing this, she felt a bit downcast and lowered her head.
Seeing her looking like a wronged little girl, Yu Wenye’s heart softened involuntarily—he had always been indifferent to matters of love; for so many years, nothing and no one could make him yield. Yet now, this little girl nestled in his arms was enough to melt his long-held iron heart into tenderness. He couldn’t seem to push her away, nor could he let her go.
However, it was Shang Ruyi who realized something, as if she remembered something. She looked up at Yu Wenye and softly asked, "You went to the palace today, did you meet the Princess?"
"..."
Yu Wenye was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Shang Ruyi pondered a bit and asked, "What did you talk about?"
"Nothing much,"
At this, Yu Wenye seemed to remember something. He looked down at her and said, "However, she did give me a cup of fresh milk."
"...Ah."
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi’s eyes flickered as if she vaguely recalled something.
Yu Wenye looked at her with a half-smile and said, "I didn’t know my virtuous wife could be so generous."
"..."
Shang Ruyi lowered her head guiltily. Yu Wenye, however, wouldn’t let her off, pinching her chin to force her to look at him: "Hmm? So you are this generous?"
Shang Ruyi couldn’t escape and regretted her actions immensely.
At that time, she merely thought that Yu Wenye had no feelings for her and pitied Princess Xinyue, who, despite her noble birth, behaved so humbly. She thought of fulfilling their relationship to extinguish her own hopes. Who knew that so much would happen afterward? Now that they had accepted each other, her previous actions seemed so ridiculous.
She could only brace herself, saying, "Since you regard her as a sister, what’s wrong with my generosity?"
"Oh?"
Yu Wenye slightly raised his eyebrows and suddenly said, "What if I don’t see her as a sister?"
"..."
His words, though lightly spoken, fell heavily on Shang Ruyi’s heart.
What if he didn’t see her as a sister?
In fact, wasn’t this exactly what she had been thinking in those past days? There was bitterness and jealousy, but so what? If there was really someone else in his heart, could she possibly reach into his heart and tear that person away?
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi’s eyes reddened slightly.
She simply lowered her head and softly said, "I can’t decide what’s in your heart; I can only make decisions for myself."
"..."
"Whether you treat her as a sister or have other feelings—it doesn’t matter; I am still me."
Perhaps sensing the sudden wave of unease and bitterness in her heart, Yu Wenye’s demeanor also softened. Neither of them spoke again but remained silently facing each other. Who knows how long passed before he sighed softly, reached out to gently caress her, and tenderly said, "Of course, it’s you in my heart."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi said nothing, merely reached out and hugged his neck tightly.
They tightly embraced each other, as if fused into one, their breathing and heartbeat gradually melding. After a long while, Shang Ruyi buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "Then, did you talk about anything else?"
Yu Wenye replied, "With her, nothing much."
"...?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and then looked up: "Did the Empress say anything to you?"
Yu Wenye was silent for a moment before saying, "She mentioned that the court and the public are very uneasy now."
Shang Ruyi said, "Because of the Lei family’s rebellion?"
Yu Wenye said, "That’s the catalyst, but it’s not entirely because of it. In fact, for these years, the court’s actions have become increasingly unpopular. Everywhere—from the martial world to civilians, and within the court—there’s unrest. Do you remember how we had to queue for a long time to enter the city today?"
Shang Ruyi quickly nodded.
In fact, she had noticed previously that many people were moving out of the city. Although the Eastern Capital City still had a semblance of prosperity, it was no longer as peaceful and flourishing as it once was.
Even the teacher, who was severely injured by Yu Wencheng, moved away with his family after recovering.
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but say, "Is it because Hebei was lost, so there’s no hope for stability in Henan?"
Yu Wenye replied, "When the storm approaches, it’s not the trees or the grass that first notice, it’s the birds in their nests."
"..."
"By doing this, the people have already given up on the Eastern Capital."
"..."
"In this situation, it’s hard to see how Liang Shide could refrain from attacking the Eastern Capital."
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but furrow her brows.
She softly said, "Then, does the court have any plans?"