Chapter 283: Chapter 264: The First Time, Sharing the Same Bed
At this moment, Shang Ruyi was actually a bit drowsy. As she sat in Yu Wenye’s arms, her head felt heavy and unconsciously leaned against his chest. Still, she struggled to summon her energy, thought for a while, and then tentatively said, "Whether or not to campaign against Liaodong—"
At this point, she sighed in her heart.
In fact, this remark was unnecessary. Whether considering the manpower and finances already spent on past campaigns, which couldn’t be abandoned halfway, or from her understanding of Chu Yang’s personality after interacting with him, Chu Yang could not possibly not continue the campaign against Liaodong. That small corner in the northeastern region had become his obsession, not because Gouli Country was particularly valuable, but because he couldn’t bear his own failures, especially repeated ones.
Therefore, he would definitely campaign against Liaodong again.
However, Shang Ruyi didn’t say much more about this matter. She paused for a moment and continued, "Once we lose Hebei, the Eastern Capital will be completely exposed to the blades of the Turkic and many northern rebel armies... Major incidents will occur. Therefore, the court must immediately dispatch troops to reclaim Hebei."
She thought for a moment and added, "At the very least, their connections must be severed."
The corners of Yu Wenye’s mouth slightly curved.
He looked at the small flushed face that was almost pressed against his chest and said softly, "Then, who do you think the court will send?"
The small face immediately lifted to look at him.
Due to the low fever, her eyes were red, giving her a pitiful appearance. Because of her tiredness and exhaustion, her eyes were misty, appearing innocent and bewildered.
Looking at her with such eyes, Yu Wenye’s body suddenly froze—she was indeed quite hot.
The heat was even transferring to his body.
He paused his breathing for a moment, and after a while, managed to regain some composure, saying, "Do you think the court will send me?"
"..."
Her eyes blinked, then she shook her head.
The corners of Yu Wenye’s lips curved again: "Why not me?"
Shang Ruyi said softly, "The court... already does not trust you. You’re on good terms with the Lei Family... they’re afraid you’ll also turn against them."
Yu Wenye smiled and said, "Then, what should the court do?"
"The court... should..."
After mumbling these four words, Shang Ruyi completely closed her eyes, her whole body softly sliding down against his chest. Yu Wenye quickly reached out to hold her, watching her slightly pouted lips as she slept restlessly, unable to fully open her eyes due to fatigue. He couldn’t help but press his lips together.
Then, he lifted her and gently placed her back on the bed.
However, the bedding was cold, and as soon as Shang Ruyi lay down, she immediately curled up uncomfortably, muttering softly. Yu Wenye watched her for a moment, then thought for a while, took off his outer garment, and got onto the bed.
That night, Shang Ruyi slept unusually soundly.
Her skin remained sensitive, but the warm breath enveloping her minimized that sensitivity. She even felt as if she had fallen into a paradise, where the warmth on her skin and the scent she breathed in were her favorites and most comforting. Gradually, she fell into a deep sleep, without even a single dream.
When she woke up, it was already the next morning.
Her body no longer ached, and even the fever had subsided. When Shang Ruyi got up from the bed, she discovered that at some point she had broken out in a sweat, soaking even her undergarments.
Just as she felt sticky and uncomfortable, Tushere and Chang Wan walked in.
Seeing her awake, they immediately stepped forward to assist her to get up and directly took her for a bath. Shang Ruyi only then discovered they had already prepared a bath tub and hot water. Feeling comfortable, she couldn’t help but smile and say, "How did you know to prepare these for me?"
Tushere smiled and said, "The Young Master instructed us before he left."
"He?"
Shang Ruyi said, "How did he know I would want a bath when I woke up?"
Tushere smiled softly, her face also a bit red, and said gently, "After you two slept hugging each other all night, how could the Young Master not know?"
"Ah?"
Shang Ruyi’s eyes widened in surprise, "What did you say? He, he hugged me—"
Seeing her surprised expression, Tushere found her reaction exaggerated and said, "Aren’t you two a married couple? What’s strange about sleeping together? The Young Master originally wanted to stay with you a bit longer, but someone from the Ministry of War came to call him, so he had to leave first. He instructed us to keep the water hot and send you to bathe as soon as you woke up, making sure you don’t catch a chill again."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was speechless.
No wonder she slept so warmly and comfortably last night, it was him all along—
So, was this the first time the two of them shared a bed?
But she didn’t know anything about it.
Her face flushed a bit, and her heart raced, yet she couldn’t utter a word. Seeing her flushed face that seemed not quite right, Tushere became a bit worried and said gently, "Miss, is the water too hot? I can get some cold water to mix in."
"No, no need."
Shang Ruyi stammered, waved her hand, and quickly finished bathing and got dressed before returning to her room.
In the room, her meal was already laid out.
Although the fever had subsided, she still couldn’t eat anything too greasy. The kitchen had prepared some light porridge and side dishes. Shang Ruyi finished them in a few bites, and then Wo Xue brought in a bowl of hot soup, saying, "Young Madam, the kitchen brewed this medicinal soup all night. They say drinking it can help replenish your energy."
Shang Ruyi looked down at the bowl of soup. It was indeed milky and smooth, exuding a rich fragrance.
She was about to drink it when Tushere asked Wo Xue, "Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day."
Wo Xue blushed and stammered, "Nowhere, I didn’t go anywhere."
Shang Ruyi glanced at her but said nothing, took a sip of the soup, and then said, "Go tell someone that I will need the carriage later. Have the gatekeeper prepare it."
Tushere immediately said, "Miss, you’ve just recovered a bit, and you’re already going out?"
"Yes, I need to take care of something,"
"Let us handle it for you. You’ve just recovered; you still need to rest."
"This is something I must do myself,"
While sipping her soup, Shang Ruyi said, "In a couple of days, we have to go to Ban Yan Temple to pay respects to Mother. It’s best if I prepare the incense and candles myself. It’s a matter of filial piety."
Hearing this, Tushere couldn’t object further. She quickly went to prepare the carriage, laying thick cushions and preparing two hand warmers to ensure Shang Ruyi wouldn’t catch a cold on her trip.
Thus, the mistress and servant left together.
Mindful of her health, Shang Ruyi didn’t linger for long on the streets. After buying what she needed, she headed straight back home.
On the carriage, Tushere complained, "Miss has worn herself out again, and your face doesn’t look good."
Shang Ruyi smiled slightly, saying, "I’ll rest a bit when I get back, and I’ll be fine."
As she spoke, she indeed felt a bit tired and closed her eyes to rest.
But just as their carriage was about to return to the Yuwen Mansion, it unexpectedly swayed, nearly causing Shang Ruyi to fall. Tushere hurriedly steadied her and looked out to ask the coachman, "What happened?"
The coachman didn’t have time to reply, only issuing a couple of sharp commands.
Tushere frowned, hurriedly steadied Shang Ruyi again, then lifted the curtain to look outside. She saw another carriage coming from nowhere, running parallel to theirs. The road was not particularly wide, and this carriage was much broader than a regular one, forcing their coachman to yield and causing their carriage to wobble.
Such inconsiderate people naturally invited curses.
But Tushere had no time to speak. She suddenly felt this scene was familiar. Upon getting another look at that carriage, it seemed even more recognizable.
She immediately remembered something, hastily getting back into the carriage with a pale face and said to Shang Ruyi, "Mi, Miss—"
Shang Ruyi also saw this scene through the lifted curtain, and her expression darkened slightly.
At this moment, the other carriage moved ahead of them but did not leave. Instead, it stopped right at the turn leading back to the Yuwen Mansion, effectively blocking their path.
Tushere, a bit panicked, said, "Miss, could it be—"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent but after a while, she softly said, "I’ll go take a look, don’t say too much."
"Miss..."
Tushere was worried for her, but she knew that if the person inside that carriage was the one they encountered before, they wouldn’t easily leave today. She could only watch anxiously as Shang Ruyi got off the carriage and slowly approached alone.
The carriage stood at the road junction like a huge boulder blocking the way.
However, as Shang Ruyi approached, she could distinctly feel a repressive yet restless aura emanating from it, soon affecting her breathing and heartbeat, making her uneasy.
She stopped beside the carriage window.
The person inside seemed to be waiting for her. Hearing her footsteps stop, a fair, large hand immediately reached out and lifted a corner of the curtain.
When that stunningly handsome face was revealed, Shang Ruyi wasn’t surprised at all.
She pondered for a moment. Although there weren’t many pedestrians on this street, it wasn’t appropriate to perform a grand ceremony here, so she clasped her hands and bowed slightly to the person inside the carriage, softly saying, "Your maj—"
Before she could finish speaking, the person inside suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Ah!"
Shang Ruyi was caught off guard and before she could react, she was forcefully pulled to the carriage window, her startled face filled with shock, almost touching that cold yet subtly angry face.
Terrified, she urgently tried to break free, but Chu Yang’s hand was like an iron grip, refusing to release her.
Moreover, his eyes bore down on her intensely and fiercely, as if he wanted to devour her.
Shang Ruyi was stunned: "What do you want!"