Chapter 295: Chapter 272: The Night Before the Expedition
Yu Wenye did not immediately answer the question, cold light seemed to flicker in his half-closed eyes. After a long time, he said indifferently, "Who knows what he’s thinking."
"..."
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly.
She naturally understood that by "he," Yu Wenye was referring to Chu Yang.
The court’s plans ultimately are the Emperor’s plans. Although courtiers might argue their case with the Emperor over certain matters, the final outcome—considering her uncle and the Pei family’s father’s fate—shows that whatever he wants to do, he eventually achieves.
Therefore, how to handle this particular crisis depends on the Emperor’s intentions.
Yet a doubt swelled in her heart—if not even this was clearly addressed, then what did Empress Jiang say when she called Yu Wenye to the palace?
Could it be she only told him the court is currently unstable?
Just as she looked towards Yu Wenye with some confusion, he also lowered his gaze to her, gently saying, "Do you want to eat something? You’ve been sleeping until now and haven’t had dinner, have you?"
"Ah... yes."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi felt somewhat embarrassed.
No matter how exhausted last night was, or how unwell her body felt, it was still unreasonable to sleep through half the day as the Duke Mansion’s daughter-in-law. She softly asked, "Did you eat?"
Yu Wenye shook his head, "I planned to eat with you when you woke up."
"Alright, good."
"Then I’ll have them bring it here."
With that, he set Shang Ruyi down, left to give some instructions, while she herself blushed and rose, quietly dressing and tidying up. The kitchen quickly delivered dinner, just two bowls of soup noodles, as it was already late and they feared eating too much would be filling. They ate the steaming hot meal, warming themselves considerably.
After they finished, Wo Xue and the others promptly came to tidy the room.
Shang Ruyi rinsed her mouth, watched them clean up, looked at her own bed, feeling somewhat bewildered. Normally, she would be resting at this time, but just having risen from bed and her mind clouded, she felt a bit like a wastrel.
So she silently walked to Yu Wenye’s sleeping couch, picking up the book he had left there.
At a glance, she was immediately dumbfounded.
She had initially thought that even if Yu Wenye wasn’t reading military tomes, it should be the classics of law. Yet now in her hands, it unexpectedly seemed like a scripture, and on the page she turned to, it read: Male is pure, female is murky; male moves, female rests; from the root flows the end, giving rise to all things. Purity is the source of murk, rest is the foundation of movement. One who attains purity and rest is cherished by the world...
On the other side, Yu Wenye drank his tea, turned and saw her standing there holding the book, her entire person appearing dumbstruck, so he walked over.
He glanced at the book, then wordlessly took it away from her hands.
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, somewhat foolishly asking, "What is this?"
Yu Wenye calmly replied, "Supreme Lord’s Heart Sutra. It’s a Taoist scripture."
"You’re reading this?"
"Why? Can’t I read it?"
"You, aren’t you skeptical of God Buddha?"
Yu Wenye chuckled lightly, "I distrust God Buddha, not believing they can aid me. But reading, that’s beneficial."
"..."
That indeed seems to be the case.
Still, Shang Ruyi found it somewhat incredible, staring at him for a while, recalling the words she had just read, and felt something strange—the Heart Sutra? That’s useful to him?
What does he need purified in his heart?
Or perhaps—
Thinking of this, she turned to look at him, quietly asked, "Is there anything unsettling in your heart?"
Yu Wenye gazed at her, his eyes suddenly growing profound.
He asked, "Are you done tidying?"
This question, however, was not directed at Shang Ruyi, but at Wo Xue and the others still cleaning the table on the other side of the room. Wo Xue quickly replied, "Almost finished."
With that, they hastily wiped the table clean, gathered the used bowls and chopsticks, and left the room.
They even closed the door behind them.
And just as the door closed, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt her body lighten—Yu Wenye had reached over and directly picked her up sideways. The moment they drew close, she almost immediately felt his pounding heart and heated breath. That urgency, despite the layers of clothing still between them, quickly enveloped her.
Immediately, her heart raced fiercely.
Yu Wenye, unable to hold back, placed her on the couch by the window rather than reaching the bed and leaned down, kissing her fiercely.
"You—ugh!"
Shang Ruyi had no time to speak, her lips were already captured.
She seemed to want to resist—even if at this moment the room was still brightly lit, and the people outside hadn’t walked far yet, but the desperate longing conveyed through his breath made her yield.
She, too, yearned for him.
Tomorrow he would leave for the expedition, so tonight was their final night before departure.
Thinking of this, her body gradually softened, yielding to his movements. She almost succumbed completely, yet the footsteps outside, not having walked far, seemed to remind her.
She forced herself awake, turning her head to avoid his kiss, whispering in his ear, "There are still people..."
At this point, Yu Wenye’s breath was also uneven.
He was somewhat deranged, especially sensing this little woman’s gentleness and docility, which made him feel insatiable, even wanting to fully merge her with his body—the realization that God Buddha not only lacked miracles, but even the scriptures were useless to him.
But the people outside—
He chuckled softly, whispered in her ear, "God Buddha can’t control me; who else can?"
With that, he tightly embraced her.
"Ah!"
Shang Ruyi, caught off guard, let out a short gasp but immediately bit her lip, suppressing all her sounds, blushing scarlet, her breath erratic, everything was tangled into chaos under his control, yet amidst such chaotic thoughts, she still reached out to embrace him tightly.
The world was in turmoil, heaven and earth in chaos.
What she could possess was only this person before her, and nothing more...
The night deepened.
Yet within the room, the alluring scenes only made the deepening night ever more captivating.