Free Web NovelChapter 1110: Chapter 800: Duke Shenwu Has Passed Away!
Shang Ruyi’s brows furrowed even more tightly.
Among those who followed the Imperial Carriage on this tour, there weren’t many people connected to Han Yuhui, or rather, one could say that in her heart there was only the Crown Prince.
For someone to make her this sad and this furious, to the point that she completely disregarded outward composure and directly wore her hatred on her face, the person who died had to be someone related to the Crown Prince, and someone extremely important.
Then who on earth could it be—
Just as Shang Ruyi was hesitating a little, Wo Xue came in to remind her that it was almost time.
The Imperial Carriage would return to Chang An in less than half an hour. Although Yu Wenquan had previously granted her the privilege of not needing to pay her formal respects, this time, after all, was the Emperor’s return from his tour. Moreover, the news of this "death" left Shang Ruyi deeply uneasy. She still decided to go to the city gate to welcome the Imperial Carriage and see what on earth had happened.
Who exactly had died!
So she left Wo Xue in Qianqiu Palace to prepare everything Yu Wenhuai would need upon his return, and then took Tushere and Chang Wan and left the palace.
Because of concern for her health, the carriage did not travel fast. By the time they reached Mingde Gate it was already close to 7 PM. Although it was still light, the overcast sky gave the illusion of heavy clouds pressing down, making everything seem very dim. When they arrived at Mingde Gate, the place was already packed with people. Not only were both sides of Vermilion Bird Avenue lined with commoners, but the relatively spacious area at the city gate was also filled with civil and military officials who had come to welcome the Imperial Carriage. Some were whispering to one another, some stood with brows tightly knit in deep thought, giving the scene an air of great disorder.
Only when Shang Ruyi’s carriage stopped at the city gate, and everyone saw that Princess Qin had come in person, did they all step forward to bow and pay their respects.
Supported by Tushere and Chang Wan, Shang Ruyi slowly alighted from the carriage. She glanced once more at the officials and commoners around them, and said softly, "There’s no need for excessive courtesy, everyone. This palace is here to welcome the Imperial Carriage; you may go and do what you ought to do."
Only then did everyone straighten up and disperse.
With Princess Qin present, no one here dared to jostle anymore. They all consciously stood in orderly rows, and in no time naturally formed several lines. A few little eunuchs, very quick on the uptake, also brought over a crescent-shaped stool for Shang Ruyi to sit and rest for the moment, waiting to rise and greet the Emperor once he arrived.
Shang Ruyi had just sat down when a figure squeezed in beside her.
"Princess..."
When she looked up, it was Pei Xingyuan.
Seeing this elegant, debonair Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who still stood out as remarkably handsome among the crowd of officials, Shang Ruyi’s mood immediately brightened. She smiled and said, "Lord Pei, long time no see."
Pei Xingyuan grinned and said, "Has the Princess been in good health of late?"
"One look at me and Lord Pei should know—bad or not, I can’t be looking like this otherwise."
"That’s true enough. I’ve been so busy with official duties these days that I haven’t had time to enter the palace and pay my respects to the Princess. I must beg your pardon."
He said this to amuse her, and Shang Ruyi immediately laughed. But as she laughed, she couldn’t help recalling the time she had ’eavesdropped’ in the Divine Tired Pavilion on his rendezvous with Liang Youying. Her gaze flickered as she gave Pei Xingyuan a long, deep look and said, "There have been many matters at court recently; Lord Pei naturally has to put in more effort."
"That goes without saying,"
Pei Xingyuan then lowered his voice and said, "I heard something happened when the Princess went to Dayan Temple. May I ask what exactly occurred?"
Shang Ruyi looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so she softly recounted what had happened before, and also mentioned Empress Dowager Jiang’s assessment of Jiang Chong’en and their precautions against him. Pei Xingyuan listened with his brows furrowed the whole time, and only after a long silence did he say, "Then it’s no wonder that so many things would happen with this return of the Imperial Carriage."
Shang Ruyi looked at him. "Lord Pei knows as well?"
Pei Xingyuan said, "I am the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. When the court suddenly needs to transfer so many items, the accounts must pass through the Ministry of Revenue. Yet we still haven’t figured out exactly who died. From the design of those items and the amount of Silver Coin spent, at the very least it must be a Commandery Prince..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi’s brows knitted as well.
A Commandery Prince...
Previously, Yu Wenye had been furious because Yu Mingyue used someone at Chu Ruoyan’s side to make a move against him. Yet since they had, in the aftermath, weakened Aunt Hui’s influence and secured an opportunity to have Shen Tu Tai dispatch troops, it more or less served as a warning to them. She had not expected that they would make another move at Dayan Temple, completely enraging him.
Could it be that because of this, Yu Wenye, in a fit of wrath, really did make a move against Duke Wushan?
