Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 605 - 492 Appreciating Poetry

Aunt Hui twitched her mouth and reluctantly said, "The Duke went to court early this morning and hasn’t returned yet. The—Princely Heir is on duty at the Ministry of War today and hasn’t returned either."

"...Oh."

Shang Ruyi nodded and continued to walk inside.

Along the way, although there were many people, they all followed quietly behind Shang Ruyi. Apart from the very light sound of footsteps, there wasn’t a sound of a breath or a cough, until they reached the room.

As soon as the door was closed, there was a loud "wow" sound.

Turning around, Tushere had already jumped up in joy, laughing, "Haha, that’s great!"

Shang Ruyi seemed to know what this girl was holding back. She glanced at her with a smile, only to see Chang Wan beside them, smiling with eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Tushere, lightly shaking her head; Wo Xue also smiled with pursed lips, but first put the bundle in her hand aside.

Tushere exclaimed excitedly, "Miss, you’ve endured for so long, and finally got some vindication today, that’s great!"

Shang Ruyi scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting."

Tushere immediately said, "But it’s true, Aunt Hui relies on being an elder and always embarrasses us, making things difficult for Miss."

Shang Ruyi glared at her with feigned anger, "You talk too much."

After saying that, she walked to the couch by herself and sat down. Although they rode back on horseback, her legs were still numb from riding for so long, and her back ached as well. When she sat down and furrowed her brows, Chang Wan immediately brought a soft cushion for her to lean on.

After this, Chang Wan chimed in, "Young Madam, She’er wasn’t wrong. Today, Aunt Hui was indeed intentionally trying to embarrass you and the Second Young Master."

"Oh?"

Shang Ruyi looked at her, and as Chang Wan mentioned it, a hint of displeasure showed on her delicate face. She said, "In fact, I previously mentioned to clean the house, and although Aunt Hui agreed, she took no action. It was only after hearing you all entered the city that she had people start cleaning."

"..."

"And that wasn’t all. She even had the gatekeeper go to clean the garden. Who has ever heard of having a gatekeeper leave the main gate to do such chores?"

"..."

"I knew what she was trying to do, so I kept listening for movements at the main gate while working, but in the end, we still couldn’t catch up and left the Young Madam waiting outside needlessly for half a day."

Next to them, Tushere couldn’t help but grind her teeth and mutter, "That old woman!"

Shang Ruyi gently waved her hand.

When she saw the main gate tightly closed earlier, a surge of anger had passed through her heart, which is why she took advantage of that anger to make her first cutting remarks to Aunt Hui. By now, she was no longer angry. However, she understood one thing more clearly—

The peace that Guan Yunmu once wanted to maintain within the Yuwen Family was destined to be shattered the moment Yu Wenqian returned to the Duke Mansion as Princely Heir.

And just now, it was merely the beginning.

She looked up at Tushere and then glanced at the angry Chang Wan and the still calm Wo Xue, softly saying, "You three are smart people—She’er, you’re just a bit slower, but you should all be aware of the situation in the mansion. I won’t say much, but now I’ll give you a few instructions."

Chang Wan immediately said, "Please go ahead, Young Madam."

Shang Ruyi said, "Those who are with me, besides loyalty, the most important thing is to be careful. As for the first, I trust all three of you; as for the latter, you must handle it yourselves. I don’t need my people to solve problems for me, only to ensure they don’t cause trouble; but if someone does cause trouble for you, don’t be afraid, come directly to me. You’re my people, and your matters are naturally for me to handle. Understood?"

How could the three of them not understand? They all nodded in agreement.

Shang Ruyi said, "Alright, go ahead with your tasks. Chang Wan, I wish to bathe."

Chang Wan hurriedly said, "I have already heated the water, I’ll go prepare now."

After saying this, she hurried off, and Wo Xue, without waiting for further instructions, turned around to unpack the bundles brought back and began to sort and store the clothes and items; Tushere poured a cup of tea for Shang Ruyi.

Shang Ruyi took the teacup, and upon looking up, she noticed that Tushere seemed still immersed in the earlier joy and didn’t even refute being called slow, so she smiled, "You’re that happy, huh?"

"Of course!"

Tushere immediately said, "I can’t stand to see Miss being wronged. The previous times—"

"Let’s not talk about the past."

"But, Miss, why did you finally confront that old woman this time? Before, you always ignored her."

Shang Ruyi sipped her tea and after swallowing its slightly bitter taste, she lingered for a while, allowing her tongue to detect a slight sweetness. She exhaled softly, then said, "Before, I didn’t bother with her because it was pointless to argue. But now it’s different."

In her heart, she knew very well that in the past, Guan Yunmu didn’t want to clash with Aunt Hui because Yu Wenquan was already under the Emperor’s suspicion. If this caused a rift between Dong Gong and Yu Wenquan, Yu Wenquan would be somewhat isolated in court, making it easy for him to be persecuted.

But now, the situation is quite different.

Yu Wenquan, having supported the new Emperor, holds power in the court. Although the First Young Master also contributed, regardless, the situation is no longer what it was.

As far as Shang Ruyi knew, he was only one step away from his ultimate goal.

At this moment, although still unable to cause a major upheaval, Shang Ruyi knew better that now more than ever, she must not let the people of the Dong Family suppress too much. Otherwise, once Yu Wenquan takes that final step and Yu Wenye is subdued, there will be no day of emergence for him forever.

So at this moment, what she needs to do is no longer balance.

But, little by little, regain the power previously swallowed by Aunt Hui, or rather the people behind her.

However, all this is somewhat too complex for Tushere. Once explained clearly, it might frighten her, and more importantly, frighten Wo Xue and Chang Wan. So Shang Ruyi simply said: "Feng Chen is no longer just the second son of the Yuwen Family, but the Great General of the court. If he has to endure grievances at home, how can he lead troops and fight outside?"

"..."

"If the Great General suffers grievances silently, it will only bolster her arrogance. Once something happens again, it will be difficult to manage."

Tushere nodded and said: "Not only is brother-in-law the Great General, Miss, you are now even bestowed the second-rank Imperial Decree. You must not let her suppress you."

Shang Ruyi slightly raised her eyebrows, indeed, she had almost forgotten about herself.

Then she smiled and said: "It’s good you remembered me."

Tushere suddenly pursed her lips: "I’m silly, aren’t I?"

After speaking, she snorted and ignored Shang Ruyi, getting up on her own to help Wo Xue pack up the luggage they brought back. Seeing her puffed-up look, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but laugh and leaned back on the couch to continue sipping her tea.

After resting for a while, the hot water for bathing was ready.

Knowing that Shang Ruyi had returned from the bloody battlefield, Chang Wan specially prepared a huge bath bucket for her this time, filled with hot water boiled with grapefruit leaves, sprinkled with some flower petals. The entire bathroom was steaming and fragrant, Shang Ruyi soaked in it, feeling comfortable and lazy, almost about to fall asleep.

This bath took almost half an hour.

When she emerged from the bathroom again, the sun was just leaving its last slant hanging on the wall. She came out wearing a simple, elegant outfit. A gust of wind blew by, making her clothes flutter, the cool breeze seeped in, feeling as if something had been unloaded not just from her shoulders but from her heart as well, making her whole body feel relaxed.

Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but let out a comfortable sigh.

"Ah——"

Seeing her rarely reveal such a look, Chang Wan following behind just bent her eyes and smiled, softly said: "Young Madam has worked hard this time, take advantage of this time when there isn’t much to do, you must rest and recuperate well. The Second Young Master too."

Shang Ruyi nodded but secretly thought: Hopefully, there really isn’t much.

The two walked for a while and then arrived at a long corridor, the last ray of the sunset happened to slant across this corridor, as if igniting both sides. Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but recall the poem written by Shen Wuzheng, murmured: "Arrow shatters the cloud at the golden site, the blaze spreads and Nine Provinces sink."

Listening from behind her, Chang Wan’s eyes lit up: "Young Madam even knows about the poetry competition half a month ago."

Shang Ruyi turned back to her: "You know too?"

Chang Wan immediately nodded, said: "That poetry competition was splendid, all the poems praised the Second Young Master and Young Madam. Now it has been half a month, walking in the streets, you can still hear people reciting the winning verse."

Recalling the winning verse, Shang Ruyi’s heart moved slightly.

Actually, a poetry competition doesn’t really matter to them, the General’s duty is only to fight the enemy, as for merit, the court will naturally evaluate and reward. But for some reason, the poem that won this time’s competition made her feel a faint dissatisfaction.

The court’s evaluation and reward are indeed very important.

But the sentiment among the people is equally important.

Sometimes, the inclination of popular sentiment at critical moments can be more important than the court’s rewards.

Shang Ruyi said: "Does everyone only remember the winning poem?"

Chang Wan glanced at her and thought for a moment, said: "Not really, actually some people say there’s another poem that’s well-written too, but everyone’s disputing without conclusion."

Shang Ruyi faintly smiled: "So many people went that day?"

Chang Wan said: "Of course, half the city went— even the Eldest Young Master went."

"..."

Shang Ruyi was taken aback, looking up at her: "The Eldest Young Master? Went too?"

"Yes."

"Did he also enter the competition?"

Chang Wan blinked, could not speak, when a gentle, smiling voice came from the side, warm and amiable: "That wasn’t the case."

"...!"

Although the voice was gentle and calm, for some reason, Shang Ruyi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She quickly turned around, only to see a familiar figure standing at the lower section of the corridor, hands behind his back, smiling at her. He was wearing a serene and elegant thin white shirt, standing tall like jade, the fiery sunset casting a flame-like outline around him, yet making the pair of turquoise gray eyes reveal a deep clarity.