Chapter 1184 - 862: Military Camp
Yu Mingyue knew some of the things that would happen in the future. With what she’d just said, was she hinting that Yu Wencheng would be able to return safely, but the others might not?
And these "others"—who did she mean?
Shen Wuzheng? Shen Tu Tai? Or Shang Shoufei?
Shang Ruyi’s breathing went chaotic for a moment, but seeing the complacent expression on the other woman’s face, she still forced down the unease in her heart and smiled as she said, "Even if the Crown Princess Consort can’t pray for them, isn’t there still me?"
"You?"
"Yes. Ru Yi will also pray for her own kin to return safely."
Yu Mingyue tilted her head ever so slightly. The pair of Bright Moon Pearls at her earlobes swayed faintly, making that hint of a smile at her lips look a shade colder. She laughed and said, "Let’s hope your ’prayers’ will be of some use to your dear friends and family."
With that, she turned and went down from the city tower.
Only after watching their backs disappear into the distance did the stubborn smile at Shang Ruyi’s lips slowly fade. At that moment, Yu Wenye said softly, "Don’t let her get to you."
Shang Ruyi glanced back at him, then smiled again. "Of course I won’t."
"Good."
"By the way, you said you were going to write a letter to Shen Tu Tai—has it been sent out yet?"
Seeing that what she said was one thing, what she was thinking was another, and that in the end she was still uneasy, Yu Wenye glared at her irritably, yet his voice was gentle as he said, "It was sent out two days ago. Don’t worry. Compared to you, I’m even more concerned about the situation at the front."
Only then did Shang Ruyi nod.
The wind atop the wall grew even more piercing. What’s more, it seemed to carry a fine drizzle in it, so that even wrapped in thick robes they felt a chill. Yu Wenye looked up at the sky and said, "Let’s hurry back to the palace. I’d originally planned to take you to see the camp today while we were at it, but with this weather I’m afraid it won’t do."
"Then when will we go?"
"Another day, when the weather’s better."
"Very well."
So Shang Ruyi followed him down from the wall. Once they had both gotten into the carriage, Tushere considerately prepared a small heating stove for Shang Ruyi in the cabin, and the gentle warmth at once made things much more comfortable. Shang Ruyi slowly let out a breath. Feeling the carriage jolt once and then begin to move forward, she lifted a hand to raise the corner of the curtain and looked out.
After watching for a while, she murmured, "Dear friends and family..."
She’d thought that once the weather cleared up she would go see the camp, but unexpectedly, after the day the army set out, Chang An had several days of continuous rain. It wasn’t heavy, yet the fine threads of rain knitted together in the air to form a silver-gray curtain that blurred everyone’s vision, and that curtain seemed to weigh on people’s hearts as well, leaving them with a stifling feeling.
The chill brought by the autumn rain made them all change into thick robes, and braziers were lit throughout the great hall.
In the blink of an eye, half the month had passed.
That day the weather finally cleared. The sunlight, while not especially brilliant, still stirred a bit of excitement in people who had grown lazy under the days-long shroud of rain. Early that morning Shang Ruyi got up and washed, and after breakfast she had the wet nurse bring Little Yuanzi over. While teasing him, she laughed and said, "How about we go outside and bask in the sun today?"
Yu Wenye was sitting opposite her, still not finished with his meal. On hearing this, he lifted his eyes to look at her. "You’re taking Yuanyuan with you?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him as well. "Aren’t you taking him?"
In her impression, Yu Wenye would never mind how small or tender the child was; whenever there was a chance he’d bring him out to bask in the sun and feel the wind, always saying that his son mustn’t be over-pampered. Since they were going to the camp today, naturally he would take the child along to let him feel the atmosphere of the army.
Sure enough, the next moment the corners of Yu Wenye’s mouth curved into a smile.
He said, "I thought you’d be reluctant."
Shang Ruyi laughed. "What’s there to be reluctant about? I’ve already said the words—how can we raise the child too delicate and fragile?"
These words referred to what she had said with Yu Wenquan earlier under the Thousand-step Corridor—that once the child grew up he would go forth to open up new lands for his Grandpa. To her, that was by no means an empty promise.
Yu Wenye smiled again, then lifted his head toward Tushere and said, "Go and get Yuanyuan’s things ready. The sun might be out today, but the wind is no small thing. Don’t let the child really catch a chill."
Tushere answered at once, "This maidservant understands."
Thus, once everyone was ready, they set out from Qianqiu Palace, boarded the carriage, and headed straight out of the city. After traveling for more than an hour, they finally stopped outside the camp.
Shang Ruyi stepped down from the carriage and drew in a deep breath.
This was her first time leaving the city since returning from Taiyuan. When the carriage had just passed through the city gate, she’d felt the surrounding din and bustle cut off behind her all at once. Now, all around them there was only the unrestrained wind belonging to the wilderness, and in the wind there was a dull roar, the sound of hooves.
It was the breath of the military camp.
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but break into a smile, and just as she did, she heard behind her a crisp, tender "Oh."
Turning back, she saw that the Little Yuanzi in Tushere’s arms seemed to have heard those sounds too. The child had braced himself up within his swaddling clothes, his eyes round and wide, his little mouth puckered into a small circle. The way he looked forward, curious, was both innocent and adorable.
Shang Ruyi smiled until her eyes narrowed, and she reached out to poke the child’s chubby cheek. "So happy, are we?"
Yuanyuan turned his head toward her and let out a clear, bright laugh.
Children’s laughter is the most contagious. Not only did Shang Ruyi laugh along, even Yu Wenye’s lips curved with a smile, though in his smile there was a different kind of meaning. He reached out to pinch his son’s soft, downy cheek and said, "Boy, if you can still laugh in a little while, then we’ll talk."
Shang Ruyi turned to look at him.
Just then, she sensed something strange. In the wind blowing toward them came a sudden killing chill.
Though outside the city the wind was much stronger than within, wind was still only wind; however wild the gusts over the wasteland, they were just wind. Yet in that moment the wind clearly carried an invisible sharpness, and it wasn’t even her imagination—she felt the ground begin to tremble along with the growing fierceness of the gale, making her feet in embroidered shoes tingle with numbness.
What was going on?
Instinctively she turned to look at Yu Wenye beside her, only to see him lift his head to glance at the sky, saying, "The hour is about right."
Shang Ruyi asked, "What’s about right?"
Yu Wenye smiled. "Look ahead."
At his words, Shang Ruyi immediately turned her head, and Little Yuanzi at her side also widened his eyes, staring fixedly ahead. A bitter, cutting gust suddenly rushed at them, whipping the hair at Shang Ruyi’s brow into tangled disarray, and through the strands obscuring her sight she suddenly saw a vast dark mass before them, like storm clouds blotting out the sky, surging toward them at great speed.
That was—