Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 659 - 525: Strategizing and Winning from a Thousand Miles Away
At this moment, tears of regret and unwillingness have welled up in her eyes, and through the hazy tears, she sees that familiar figure slowly approaching, until he stands in front of her, looking down at her.
Through blurry vision, the only clear thing is the compassion in Yu Wenye’s eyes.
Even though he never had romantic feelings for this Eldest Princess born of noble lineage, his words of regarding her as a sister were not false; seeing this little princess who grew up with him, charming and playful, standing in the court, desperately trying to grasp something, yet abandoned by all, that feeling of panic and despair seemed to seep into his heart through her painful gaze at this moment.
He rarely experienced sibling affection at home, but he did feel it in the strictly hierarchical Imperial Palace, with such a lovely little girl calling him brother, brother, following behind him. Although it couldn’t soften his heart, it indeed warmed the years of his childhood.
However, some things are destined to remain in that period.
Yu Wenye looked at Chu Ruoyan’s tear-streaked face, took a deep breath, and finally said, "Take Your Majesty, and go back."
"..."
"I will send people to strictly guard Dayan Temple and ensure the safety of the Empress Dowager."
"..."
"We’ll talk about everything once this matter is settled—"
After speaking, he waved his hand.
The two eunuchs that stood aside immediately stepped forward, including the pale-faced Eunuch Cao who had lost his responsiveness for a while. Although frightened, they knew their duty at this moment and were ready to escort the Little Emperor and Eldest Princess out of Taiji Palace.
However, Chu Ruoyan did not move.
She looked at Yu Wenye and suddenly said, "Second Brother, will you come to see me?"
Yu Wenye slightly frowned.
Chu Ruoyan smiled as if she had come to terms with everything, softly saying, "It doesn’t matter if you don’t come."
"..."
"If you don’t come, I won’t wait."
"..."
Yu Wenye frowned a bit more, thought for a moment, and said, "I will come."
When he said these words, he instinctively looked at Shang Ruyi not far away, only to see her silently turning her face to one side, as if unwilling to see, more like unwilling to listen.
Upon hearing his answer, Chu Ruoyan was neither joyful nor disappointed, just continued to smile at Yu Wenye through tears, the sparkling tears adding a fragmented feel to her smile.
She said, "Good, I will wait for you."
Then she lowered her head, holding Chu Chengfei who could no longer speak, and step by step, walked out of Taiji Palace.
Thus, this matter temporarily rested.
Yu Wenye slowly turned around, facing everyone in the grand hall — if it were usually, seeing the Eldest Princess Chu Ruoyan express such sentiments toward him would definitely stir waves, or even lead to some incidents, but at this moment, the crowd faced this scene, perhaps surprised and unexpected, yet unable to stir any waves anymore.
When the royal power is about to be replaced, even the marriage of the noble lineage Eldest Princess becomes unimportant.
The world of power is as cold and cruel as this.
And Yu Wenquan silently witnessed this scene too, and when he met his son’s complex emotional gaze, his own gaze became deeper; however, he didn’t get too caught up in these thoughts but took a deep breath and immediately turned around, and as he looked again at the ministers in the court, the aura he exuded and their reaction were completely different.
Almost everyone in front of him lowered their voices and appearances.
Yu Wenquan then said solemnly, "Ladies and gentlemen, this disaster is extraordinary, indeed a critical moment for the survival of the Dynasty, hope everyone strictly follows their duties and jointly overcome the difficulties. Once this matter ends—"
The crowd looked at him, their hearts in their throats.
Obviously, the "matter" Yu Wenquan referred to was not just the plague at hand, but also tied with the epidemic — the Emperor’s abdication and the Chancellor’s ascension. As long as the plague ends, the Emperor can logically abdicate, and he can rightfully ascend.
By that time—
As everyone held their breath and looked on, Yu Wenquan said heavily, "Everyone will have their rewards."
Upon hearing this, the crowd’s eyes lit up.
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Grand Chancellor."
"We will definitely follow the Grand Chancellor’s lead."
Those who said this were some already secretly communicating with the Duke Mansion, having a shared destiny of rise and fall; some recognized the situation, knowing the inevitable dominance, willing to follow; and others, truly dissatisfied with the chaos caused by the Da Ye Dynasty over the years, even more dissatisfied with the incompetence of the Little Emperor Chu Chengfei, hoping the new ruler can bring real benefits to the people.
And Ji Hong, was the last kind.
Still, he was entirely different from the former types, even though successful, he had no joy, only a bitter feeling surge in his heart, watching the surrounding crowd’s joy, he instead felt more uncomfortable, silently turned, and wanted to walk out of the grand hall.
Just as I took a step forward, I heard someone softly say behind me, "Lord Ji, please wait."
Ji Hong stopped in his tracks, slowly turned his head, and saw Shang Ruyi walking towards him. She bowed respectfully, and Ji Hong smiled bitterly, saying, "I do not deserve such courtesy."
At this moment, Shang Ruyi couldn’t delve into whether his words referred to her current status or if he had foreseen her potential future status. She simply said softly, "Lord Ji... thank you, Lord Ji."
Ji Hong still replied, "I do not deserve such courtesy."
Shang Ruyi looked at his bitter eyes and was silent for a moment before saying, "I have two things to say to you, Lord Ji—I know that when you just spoke those words, it might have been more painful for you than for the Eldest Princess who heard them. But you did not do so out of personal interest; you did it for public welfare and for the suffering people of the Da Ye Dynasty living in dire straits today. I want to tell you, Lord Ji, that you will not regret it."
"...!"
These words moved Ji Hong slightly.
He opened his eyes wide, his murky eyes fixed on Shang Ruyi for a while, and finally said, "With these words from the Young Madam, this old man is reassured. What is the second thing you want to say?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Actually, I wanted to ask Lord Ji something."
"Oh? What do you wish to ask me?"
"Why is Lord Ji so certain that a disaster will indeed occur today?"
Shang Ruyi gambled on her suspicions because she had barely pieced together some causes and effects, and even now, with the plague spreading throughout the city, she still couldn’t be sure if the scenario she pieced together was the truth. But Ji Hong just moments ago had confidently, with unwavering belief in the impending disaster, forced the Eldest Princess into a corner.
Why was he so sure?
Ji Hong’s expression lightened somewhat after her "assurance," and now, as the topic came up again, he revealed a faint smile. Looking at Shang Ruyi, he said softly, "Why, can the Young Madam believe, but this old man cannot?"
"No, that’s certainly not it."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly explained, "I-I just feel that, given Lord Ji’s temperament... even if you understand the principle of valuing the people, it would still be difficult for you to speak those words; Lord Ji must have been very pained, too."
"..."
"What helped you overcome that pain?"
"..."
"And what changed your mind?"
Hearing this, Ji Hong was moved once again. When he looked at Shang Ruyi, there was even more depth in his gaze. After pondering for a long time, he finally sighed softly and then calmly said, "You have a cousin, don’t you?"
"...?!"
Shang Ruyi froze.
At this moment, a somewhat cold and firm voice suddenly sounded from behind her: "You mean—Shen Wuzheng?"
Shang Ruyi turned around quickly and saw it was Yu Wenye. She didn’t know when he had appeared behind her, and upon hearing the words "cousin," a shadow had already flitted across his brow.
Before Shang Ruyi could say anything, Ji Hong had already nodded, "Yes."
Yu Wenye asked, "What does he have to do with this?"
"He has a mentor, do you know?"
"You mean, Li Tong?"
"Correct."
Upon seeing Ji Hong nod with a smile, Yu Wenye’s brows furrowed deeper.
Li Tong, acclaimed as the Ghost Valley Master of his time, was the venerated scholar from Hedong. Shen Wuzheng had sought him out, dedicating years to his study, not returning home for many years. Yu Wenye only later found out that it was due to learning under Li Tong that Shen Wuzheng was unaware of Shang Ruyi’s marriage. By the time he returned, his cousin had already become a daughter-in-law of the Yuwen family, for which he reproached his own parents.
Mentioning this further deepened the shadow across Yu Wenye’s brow.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi hurriedly interjected, "What relationship does he have with it?"
Ji Hong said, "He and I are old acquaintances. Just last night, your cousin came to visit under the pretense of an old friend’s student and showed me a letter he had just received from his mentor. That letter contained results from Li Tong’s astrological divination. He showed me the letter and then said many things..."
Speaking of this, Ji Hong sighed and said, "It was he who convinced me."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
So, it was... Shen Wuzheng!
That day, when she and Yu Wenye went back to the Shen family, it was him who subtly reminded them, regardless of the court’s situation, to focus on the disaster warned by the comet’s appearance; it was also he who said, "Turn crisis into opportunity," that inspired her during her confrontation with the Eldest Princess, leading to the idea of using the disaster as a lure to make a high-stakes gamble with Chu Ruoyan.
Moreover, he personally went to persuade Ji Hong, completing the step of forcing the palace.
Today in the court meeting, although Shen Wuzheng’s presence was nowhere seen or felt in the Taiji Palace, undoubtedly, it seemed the entire meeting was carried out under his invisible manipulation.
This, perhaps, is what the ancients meant when they spoke of—strategizing and winning battles from a thousand miles away.
