Chapter 1306 - 982: A Good Daughter-in-law, a Good Mother

After days of thunderstorms, the rain finally fell, like a heavy punch striking hard on the Imperial Palace.

When Tushere entered the grand hall, Shang Ruyi was still leaning by the window. Although the window was only slightly open, the wind carried the fine rain droplets through the gap, and they splashed onto her face. The delicate rain collected on her eyelashes, forming beads before dripping down, as if she too was crying.

But Tushere knew, Shang Ruyi would never shed tears.

Especially not for the death of Han Yuhui.

So she immediately set down the copper basin in her hands, soaked a towel, wrung it gently, and handed it to Shang Ruyi: "Princess, wipe your face."

Hearing her voice, Shang Ruyi finally turned her head. Her expression was indeed calm, but there was an inexplicable sadness in her eyes. She took the towel without a word and wiped the rain off her face. Tushere reached out to close the window, muttering, "Your previous feigned illness already caused rumors. Now you’re sitting by the window getting soaked. What if you catch a cold?"

Shang Ruyi laughed at this and asked, "Since when did you start believing in such things?"

Tushere straightened her body after securing the window and replied earnestly, "Whatever is good for the Princess, I believe in it."

Shang Ruyi was amused by her. After laughing, she tossed the handkerchief back to her and asked, "What’s the news outside?"

Tushere tossed the handkerchief back into the copper basin, instructed the little palace maid to take it away, brewed a cup of hot tea, and placed it in Shang Ruyi’s slightly cold hands, then said, "Han Yuhui’s body was taken out of the Ministry of Justice’s prison. She has no other relatives, so someone from the Dong Family came to receive it."

"No funeral?"

"No, after all, she’s a convicted woman. The fact that the Dong Family sent someone is already more than enough."

"What about the Crown Prince?"

"The Dong Family coming to receive her should be under the Crown Prince’s instructions. However, the Crown Prince has fallen ill."

"Oh?"

Shang Ruyi, who was about to lower her head to sip tea, looked up at Tushere upon hearing this. Tushere continued, "The day before yesterday, when His Highness the Crown Prince was leaving Qianqiu Palace, it started to rain. He refused to use an umbrella, and those who tried to shield him from the rain were also turned away. He left completely soaked through."

"..."

"Moreover, I heard he walked back to the Crown Prince’s Mansion all by himself."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi slowly furrowed her brows.

She clearly knew how important Han Yuhui was to the Crown Prince. It could even be said that after Mrs. Dong’s death, Han Yuhui nearly took over every aspect of a mother’s role in the Crown Prince’s life. If it weren’t for this, Yu Wenqian’s hatred for her and animosity towards King Qin’s faction would never have allowed him to visit twice just to plead for Han Yuhui’s life.

But she still gave no quarter.

Shang Ruyi was silent for a while before asking, "What was the Emperor’s reaction?"

Tushere replied, "Since that day, the Emperor has been absent from court, forgoing the morning assembly for six days now."

An entire six days without attending court was very unusual for an Emperor who was always diligent and understood the necessity for caution at the founding of the Dasheng Dynasty.

Shang Ruyi sighed and said, "The Emperor is heartbroken..."

Tushere immediately nodded, her face even more concerned, and said, "Princess, will the Emperor bear a grudge against you this time?"

She didn’t even ask whether the Crown Prince would resent them, because that was a foregone conclusion. Previously, the Crown Prince had already blamed them for Duke Shenwu’s death, though most of the blame lay with King Qin, and now Han Yuhui’s death was directly forced by Shang Ruyi, so this account would naturally be settled on Princess Qin.

But the Crown Prince had long been at odds with them, so even if he truly hated Shang Ruyi, it would just add fuel to the fire. The Emperor’s attitude was different.

Hearing this, Shang Ruyi’s expression darkened.

In fact, at this moment, she was somewhat regretful—or rather, she knew she would regret it, but still had to push Han Yuhui to death: "Perhaps, but I had no choice."

"..."

"I have always been a good daughter-in-law to the Yuwen Family. Could I not be a good mother to Yuan Qian just once?"

"..."

"Besides, I, Shang Ruyi, am not someone who backs down easily. How could I allow her to escape unscathed after harming me and further harming my son?"

Tushere nodded, but still worriedly said, "I’m worried about you, Princess."

Shang Ruyi drank several sips of tea. The warm tea soothed her throat and helped her cold hands regain some warmth, so she handed the teacup back to Tushere, then said, "If you have the mind to worry about me, you might as well worry about others."

"Who else?"

"Sun Xianyue."

"Him?"

At the mention of this person, Tushere couldn’t help but frown.

Although she knew he was completely innocent and was used by Han Yuhui and others due to his good intentions, the fact that Shang Ruyi was slandered because of his appearance made her feel uneasy; nevertheless, she was kind-hearted and after a sigh said, "I do worry for him, but what use is that? He’s someone the Emperor wants to imprison, even if the Emperor truly wants to— there’s nothing we can do to save him."

Shang Ruyi was silent for a moment, neither affirming nor denying.

Just as she remained silent, amidst the sound of rain outside, footsteps approached, and Shang Ruyi opened the window slightly again, indeed seeing a familiar figure hurrying back with an umbrella. She immediately told Tushere, "Chang Wan has returned, go receive her."

"Yes."

Tushere quickly turned to leave, and after a while, brought Chang Wan inside.

Chang Wan seemed to have traveled a long way. Although she had an umbrella, her skirt and shoes were completely soaked, leaving a long trail of water as she entered. As she was about to greet Shang Ruyi, the latter said, "She’er, bring something for Chang Wan to dry off with."

Tushere took Chang Wan’s umbrella and placed it under the eaves. Hearing this, she immediately fetched a clean towel for her, but Chang Wan took her hand with a smile: "No need, I’m not cold."

As she spoke, she continued, "Princess, I’m really fine. I saw Sun Xianyue."

Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "How is he?"

Chang Wan had been sent out early in the morning to visit Sun Xianyue in the Ministry of Justice’s prison. Initially, there was no expectation of truly seeing Sun Xianyue; after all, she had forced the death of Han Yuhui, and although the Emperor could not openly say anything, everyone knew that Princess Qin had somewhat hurt the Emperor’s feelings and had offended the Crown Prince deeply. At this time, the people of the Ministry of Justice likely wished to distance themselves from her.

Unexpectedly, Minister Wang Zhen still gave Princess Qin some face.

Chang Wan’s expression darkened slightly and said, "He has been tortured. When I went to see him, one of his legs was almost immobile."