Chapter 1201 - 878: The Imperial Procession Returns
That night, the wind and snow were fierce.
Although they had been uneasy in recent days due to the matter of Yu Wenqian, this particular night was especially unsettling. Shang Ruyi continually felt a vague sense of unease stirring within her, like a pot of boiling soup constantly bubbling up.
Even Yu Wenye was affected. The two of them slept in each other’s arms, and she listened to his clear breathing, very late into the night.
It wasn’t until nearly dawn that Shang Ruyi finally managed to close her eyes.
But just after she had slept for a short while, she was startled awake by a burst of noise outside, as if the world had turned upside down. Shang Ruyi furrowed her eyebrows and struggled for a while before pulling a thread of consciousness back from her chaotic dreams. It seemed she heard the person next to her getting up, dressing, and then walking out. Following this, she heard Yu Wenye’s muffled voice, lowered, "What did you say!?"
Shang Ruyi abruptly opened her eyes.
The hall was pitch black. She looked around and only then noticed the faint light outside the window; dawn was breaking.
But who could have arrived before daybreak? Furthermore, something major must have been reported to cause Yu Wenye to question like that.
Despite still feeling a bit dazed, Shang Ruyi immediately forced herself to wake up, got up, and dressed. Just as she stepped off the bed, she saw Yu Wenye walk in from outside with a heavy step. The lights inside hadn’t been lit, so she could only see his tall figure approaching slowly in the dim light. Though she couldn’t see his face clearly, she could feel a sense of gravity in his demeanor, even a tinge of anxiety in his breath.
He looked up to see Shang Ruyi sitting by the bed and said, "You’re awake."
"Has something happened?"
"Someone just came to report that Father is returning to the capital."
"Oh?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, immediately sensing something amiss, and quickly asked, "When?"
"Soon."
"What!?"
This time, she also let out an almost identical exclamation of shock as Yu Wenye, staring with disbelief at Yu Wenye’s composed, sharp eyes in the dim light. Yet he nodded solemnly at her and said, "The Imperial Carriage has already left Hot Spring Palace and will reach Chang An in less than an hour."
Shang Ruyi drew in a sharp breath, at this moment disregarding further questions, immediately stepped outside, and called to Tushere, who had already started to stir outside, "Hot water!"
Soon, Tushere and the others came in to assist the two with washing up. With time running short, they both skipped breakfast, each just having a cup of tea before hurriedly heading out. Tushere seemed to sense something was off as well and softly asked as they walked out of the main hall, "Princess, should we bring the Young Master along?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi paused slightly.
But after a moment’s thought, she shook her head and said, "No, let him sleep."
Thus, the group hurried out of the Imperial Palace, boarded a carriage, and rushed swiftly towards Mingde Gate.
Once they were in the carriage, the two had a moment of respite, but neither spoke first. Their tangled thoughts were still unresolved, and after a long time of silence, it was Shang Ruyi who finally spoke. She looked at Yu Wenye, whose brow was slightly furrowed, and softly said, "What on earth could happen?"
She didn’t even question whether something had happened.
Given their understanding of Yu Wenquan, though his prolonged stay at Hot Spring Palace unsettled them, it wasn’t entirely impossible. After all, not everyone could resist the allure of comfort and riches, even Yu Wenye would often say, "I’m not well"; however, the Emperor’s sudden return to the capital should not have been so abrupt. At the very least, they should have sent word a day in advance to Chang An, allowing the palace to prepare for the Imperial arrival.
But with daybreak yet to arrive, the Emperor’s Imperial Carriage was already nearing Chang An, clearly having set off the night before and traveled overnight.
This certainly indicated an issue, and a major one at that!
However, if it were news from Luoyang or a major court matter, the word should have reached Yu Wenye first, and they would have known something. In this case, it could only mean that something had happened at Hot Spring Palace.
What exactly could have happened?
Yu Wenye paused for a moment and said, "The accompanying ministers, your uncle included, are all prudent individuals and shouldn’t cause any trouble. Even if they wanted to urge Father back to the palace, they would use a cautious approach."
"Is it the Crown Prince then?"
"He is even less likely. The excursion to Hot Spring Palace was arranged by him; he wouldn’t cause any trouble."
"Then who else could it be?"
The unease pressing down in each of their hearts grew stronger, as if the entire carriage had become a sealed wooden box, making it difficult even to breathe. Shang Ruyi could only turn and lift a corner of the curtain, letting the cold wind blow in, but with her thoughts still tangled, all it did was chill her hand.
This sense of unease and coldness persisted until the carriage stopped outside Mingde Gate.
It was just past 7 AM, but Mingde Gate was already brightly lit and crowded. Many ministers had received the news of the Emperor’s return and had come to line up and welcome him. Upon seeing Yu Wenye alight from the carriage, they hurried forward to kneel and bow.
Yu Wenye waved them off briefly and turned to help Shang Ruyi down from the carriage.
After the two of them had steadied themselves, they looked around. The torches and lanterns in the wind swayed incessantly, their flickering light illuminating faces both familiar and unfamiliar. The expressions on those faces varied but were uniformly shrouded in confusion and unease. Some people gathered in small groups, clearly discussing the sudden return of the Imperial Carriage.
It seemed that no one had any definitive information.
Yu Wenye exhaled deeply, and just as he led Shang Ruyi to the front of the queue, they saw a faint glow reflecting off the surroundings under the dim sky. It was getting closer, and soon the heavy footsteps and chaotic hoofbeats in the fierce wind reached their ears as the ground beneath them started to tremble slightly.
The crowd, who had been whispering and murmuring, fell silent, clamping their mouths shut.
Underneath the sky, a series of fluttering dragon banners appeared, flapping loudly in the wind. Following closely, they saw the Emperor’s towering carriage, proceeding slowly towards the city gate under the escort of the Imperial Guard flanking it on both sides. An invisible pressure immediately enveloped them, intensifying even the already cutting wind, causing everyone’s garments to billow and giving rise to an indescribable, bone-chilling cold.
Shang Ruyi’s anxiety grew more intense.
Though it was just a feeling, it was exceptionally strong. She sensed that Yu Wenquan, sitting within the Imperial Carriage, was very displeased, with even hints of anger silently emanating.
Just as the Imperial Carriage was about ten zhang away, they could make out the figure of the accompanying Eunuch Yu. With a slight wave of his hand, all those receiving the Empress immediately bowed and knelt.
But at that moment, as Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi stood in the front row of the welcoming line, they suddenly heard another set of hoofbeats, disrupting the Imperial Carriage’s rhythm. However, it soon faded away. When they looked up, they saw a team breaking away from the Imperial Carriage’s procession, galloping towards a road southwest of the city, swiftly disappearing from view.
What was going on?
The two exchanged glances but had no time to speak, joining the others in kneeling and loudly chanting long live the Emperor.
"Long live the Emperor, long live, long long live!"
The voice echoed through the skies.
After this chant, silence enveloped Mingde Gate. Everyone knelt on the ground, mouths tightly shut and even holding their breath, waiting for the Emperor to halt and allow them to rise, or perhaps to say something from which they could glean what had transpired.
But to everyone’s surprise, the Imperial Carriage didn’t stop for a moment, proceeding straight through the crowd of bowing and cheering people. The wheels crushed the thin ice on the ground with a chilling crack that sent shivers through them.
With their heads lowered, some turned to each other, exchanging stunned looks of disbelief.
Yet even in shock, no one dared utter a word. Outside the vast Mingde Gate, apart from the sound of the wind, not a breath or cough could be heard. Everyone knelt, watching as the Imperial Carriage passed by, followed by the Crown Prince’s carriage and those of several other ministers, sequentially passing through Mingde Gate. Not even the wind’s tension and anxiety diminished after the last team passed.
While everyone was perplexed, not a single person dared speak until the Imperial Carriage drifted away along Vermilion Bird Avenue. Only then did Eunuch Yu return, addressing the kneeling crowd: "Esteemed Ministers, the Emperor commands that you all return to your respective places."
Upon hearing this, the crowd began to slowly stand, noticing Eunuch Yu specifically approach Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi, bowing respectfully, "Your Highness Prince Qin, Princess."
Seeing him come over, both of them tensed.
Yu Wenye immediately asked, "Eunuch Yu, did Father have any instructions?"
Eunuch Yu gazed deeply at them, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty wishes Prince Qin and the Princess to return to the palace early, lest you catch a chill outside."
With that, he nodded and turned to leave.
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi’s heart grew even heavier. Though Eunuch Yu spoke very tactfully, she discerned the implication: Yu Wenquan wished them to return to the palace immediately, forbidding any lingering outside or contact with others.
What was happening? Was the situation at Hot Spring Palace related to them?
Despite her confusion, she couldn’t disobey the Emperor’s order. Shang Ruyi immediately turned to follow Yu Wenye up to their carriage, quickly retracing their path back.
Inside the carriage, Yu Wenye’s expression was grave, even more severe than on their way there, with hints of pallor and coldness in his earnest demeanor.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Did you sense something?"
"..."
Yu Wenye lifted his head to look at her, gravely saying, "Just now within the Imperial Carriage’s procession, I didn’t see anyone from the Pei Family!"