Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 617 - 499: Inviting the Great General to the Palace for a Talk - Part 2
Empress Dowager... Empress Dowager Jiang...?
She’s inviting Yu Wenye into the palace for a conversation?
That’s right, yesterday I heard Yu Wenquan mention that when Yu Wenye was staying in Fufeng and refused to return to court because of those tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers, Ji Hong and other veteran ministers were ready to impeach him. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager intervened and suppressed the matter, and Yu Wenquan specifically reminded him to enter the palace to express gratitude today.
So now, it is—
Shang Ruyi instinctively looked up at Yu Wenye, and sure enough, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
The youthful admiration was pure and clean. Even though there was bitterness in her heart, and she had once felt unbearable jealousy, after their heartfelt exchange at Dayan Temple, she was willing to respect that pure place in Yu Wenye’s heart, and not to disturb it.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi let out a soft breath, and raised her head to say to Yu Wenye, "You should go—"
Before the word "go" left her lips, Yu Wenye softly said, "Come with me."
"Hmm?"
Shang Ruyi was stunned.
But before she could react, Yu Wenye grabbed her wrist and pulled her down from the carriage. As soon as she steadied herself, she saw a smiling eunuch standing before them. Although the eunuch looked surprised to see Shang Ruyi, he still respectfully bowed to them, saying, "General, Madame."
Shang Ruyi’s heart was suddenly moved—
This eunuch was unfamiliar.
When in Luoyang, Empress Jiang had summoned Shang Ruyi to the palace several times, sending the same Eunuch Lu each time, whom she had gotten to know; since the Jiangdu rebellion, Eunuch Yu had been brought back to Daxing City by Yu Wenye and had been serving beside Empress Dowager Jiang. He was also someone Shang Ruyi was familiar with.
But this eunuch before her, she had obviously not seen much.
While Shang Ruyi was puzzling over this, she heard Yu Wenye say, "By chance, I took my wife out with me today."
The eunuch replied, "General, do you mean—"
Yu Wenye said, "During our time in the Eastern Capital, the Empress Dowager often liked my wife’s company. Since today she’s summoned me, I wish to bring my wife along to the palace. Would that be possible?"
"..."
The eunuch immediately frowned.
After all, when a minister is summoned by the Empress Dowager, it’s by command, and who has ever heard of bringing someone extra; but everyone knew, the Great General wasn’t an ordinary minister. It wasn’t just because he was raised by Empress Dowager Jiang from a young age, but also because his father was the powerful Grand Chancellor, Duke Sheng. His words even carried more weight than some royal relatives.
And Yu Wenye politely asked, "Eunuch Cao, is that possible?"
Eunuch Cao, with a pained expression, looked at him, then at the complex expression on Shang Ruyi’s face, finally said, "If that’s the case, then please let the General’s wife accompany you."
After speaking, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Both of you, please."
Only then did Yu Wenye lower his head and say, "Let’s go."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, nodded silently.
The two followed the eunuch through Hanguang Gate.
The Eastern Capital Luoyang was modeled after Daxing City, and Ziwei Palace was simply a smaller version of Daxing Palace. Although Shang Ruyi had entered and exited Ziwei Palace several times before without seeing it completely, she roughly knew some paths and positions of the palaces. Thus, upon entering Daxing Palace this time, everything around her seemed familiar. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
It’s just that here, the palace walls were taller, and the palaces more grand and magnificent.
Although Chu Yang had moved the capital to Luoyang and neglected Daxing Palace for over a decade, the courtiers left at Daxing Palace hadn’t slacked off. They continued to attend court daily as if the Emperor still resided there. The palace eunuchs and maids managed the place meticulously; the trees were towering and well-trimmed, the palaces luxurious, clean, and tidy. Walking through felt like an enhanced and dreamlike version of the Eastern Capital reappearing before her eyes.
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but entertain a notion that should never have occurred—
If nothing had changed...
If Chu Yang were still in that exquisite, warm Warm Dock, standing on the vast map of the territories, eloquently sharing his dreams with her...
If...
"What are you thinking about?"
A deep yet calm voice suddenly sounded by her ear, snapping Shang Ruyi back to reality. She looked up into Yu Wenye’s cold yet sober eyes.
She suddenly, too, became clear—
What was she thinking?
If Chu Yang were still here, perhaps in Ziwei Palace, in that Warm Dock, there would be the most beautiful scenery in the world.
But what would the whole world become?
Perhaps she lingered on that moment of warmth, but reality and reason told her, no matter what, that "if" should never appear!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi shook her head gently. "No, I wasn’t thinking of anything."
"..."
Yu Wenye looked down at her, paused in silence, and then continued walking forward.
Shang Ruyi also stopped her wild thoughts, focused her mind, and walked along the familiar yet unfamiliar broad avenue, enough for four carriages to move side by side. Soon, she saw ahead on the right a tall palace gate emerge into view.
On the palace gate, there were three large dripping ink characters—Xuande Gate.
And in her memory, in Luoyang’s Ziwei Palace, that gate was called Anning Gate.
Passing through that gate would lead into the Empress’s Eastern Palace.
As they were about to follow Eunuch Cao through Xuande Gate, Shang Ruyi instinctively stopped and looked ahead down the avenue.
In the distance, almost beyond sight, there seemed to be a tall and majestic palace gate.
A wide plaza lay before the gate, flanked by countless pine trees, forming a lush forest. From afar, it seemed as if countless towering, valiant guards stood silently waiting for something.
Shang Ruyi’s heart suddenly beat faster, and she instinctively asked, "What is that—"
Eunuch Cao also looked up.
He said, "That is Xuanwu Gate."
