Chapter 326: Chapter 297: The Person in the Painting
This was the first time Shang Ruyi left this recuperating palace after arriving at Jiangdu Palace.
As soon as she stepped outside, she immediately felt an indescribable sense of freedom. Jiangnan was indeed Jiangnan; even before seeing any scenery, the breeze that greeted her was warm and moist, carrying the fragrance of fresh grass, instantly putting her at ease.
Raising her head, she saw the towering and majestic main hall ahead.
It was said that Jiangdu Palace was rebuilt by Chu Yang on the old site of the Chen Dynasty Palace after overthrowing the Chen Dynasty. Its grandeur and layout were much larger than before; for instance, even though Shang Ruyi had been almost completely secluded these days, she could still see the scenery from her window, which was the main hall.
The main hall was built on a three-zhang high platform, with the palace itself standing over several zhang high, surrounded by wide auxiliary steps capable of accommodating carriages. From a distance, it seemed as though one could ascend to the clouds, soaring like an immortal. The palace appeared as an exalted Heavenly Palace, unreachable by the common world.
This was the projection of Chu Yang’s aura and spirit left on the human realm.
He was proud and imperious like this.
However, though Jiangdu Palace had such a majestic main hall, it was nevertheless located in the South, and being built on the old site of the Chen Dynasty Palace, naturally retained some of the old palace’s characteristics.
For instance, now, as Eunuch Yu led her down a set of stairs and through two gates, they entered the inner palace.
Here was a completely different scene.
The long corridors of the inner palace, the suddenly narrowing passages, the not-too-high surrounding palace walls, and the differently curved, crescent-shaped palace gates, appeared intriguing and gave a sense of intricate delicacy. Especially upon entering a garden, the moist and smooth bluestone path underfoot, overgrown with flora, carefully pruned, exhibited a winding tranquility.
Shang Ruyi felt as if she was in some mortal Immortal Realm.
Since waking up, her attire had been managed by people sent by Chu Yang. She wore simple-looking, yet intricately luxurious dark garments, with the daily changing Feathered Immortal Shoes on her feet, making her appear ethereal like an immortal.
Moreover, the surrounding vibrant flora was shrouded in milky mist.
Walking amidst such scenery, even Shang Ruyi felt as if she was a figure in a painting.
However, while she was admiring the beauty around her and vaguely felt as if she were in the Heavenly Palace, what she heard was news of bloody conflict.
Listening to Eunuch Yu, Shang Ruyi finally understood the current situation in Jiangdu.
This time, Chu Yang led an expedition south with 400,000 men; over 300,000 were soldiers, while the rest included thousands of officials and their families, attendants, palace maids, and eunuchs, along with the largest group led by Wang Shaoji — the Imperial Guard.
The problem lay within these Imperial Guards.
Most of these people were descendants of meritorious families, with many valiant and bold soldiers chosen by Chu Yang from the army. Usually, they guarded the Imperial City, holding a superior status. After arriving in Jiangdu, they looked down on the Old Palace Guard. Just now, the little eunuch reported that some Imperial Guards went to a tavern in the city and coincidentally met a group from the Old Palace Guard. A verbal altercation broke out without agreement, and now both sides had called upon many others, causing a melee in the city, resulting in numerous casualties.
Shang Ruyi frowned: "How could such a thing happen? Doesn’t Mr. Wang handle these issues?"
"Him?"
At the mention of Wang Shaoji, even though Eunuch Yu usually wore a smile, he couldn’t hide a trace of coldness at this moment.
He said, "If he managed even a bit, the Imperial Guard wouldn’t have become such a nuisance."
Shang Ruyi sensed the underlying issues and said, "So, this isn’t the first time?"
Eunuch Yu shook his head and replied, "The Imperial Guard and the Jiangdu Palace Guard have had several clashes within the palace, but because Your Majesty and officials were present, things never escalated. However, outside the palace, they don’t behave accordingly."
"..."
"These people are domineering in the city and oppress the civilians, yet the lower classes dare not speak up."
The more Shang Ruyi listened, the tighter her brow furrowed.
She undoubtedly knew that Wang Shaoji was not a good person, having the reputation of a frivolous noble in the Eastern Capital City. His subordinates were even worse. However, in Luoyang City, they still had some reservations, but in Jiangdu City, they acted without restraint.
Yet, this only deepened the conflict between the court and the Southern people, didn’t it?
If Chu Yang truly intended to establish a firm foothold in Jiangdu, he at least needed to control his subordinates. If he let Wang Shaoji and his men continue like this, Jiangdu might follow in Luoyang’s footsteps.
As her mood grew heavier, Eunuch Yu led her through another uniquely shaped bottle-like small door, which opened to a vast garden. A long corridor encircled the entire garden, and in the center grew a tree of unknown species. The trunk was over a person’s height, dense with branches and leaves, unfurled like a canopy. Amidst the lush green leaves were speckles of jade-white flowers, with the branches decorated with colorful ribbons, fluttering beautifully in the wind, appearing both magnificent and dreamlike.
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
She had never seen such exquisite scenery, and what surprised her more was the sight beneath the tree. A large carpet almost covered the entire garden, and sitting on it, back against the trunk, holding a wine pot, tilting his head back to pour the clear liquor into his mouth, was none other than Chu Yang.
He wore flawless white attire, with a loosely hung belt at his waist, a wide-open collar, and inky black hair casually tied, cascading down his back and shoulders. The wine overflowed from his lips, trickling onto his chest and wetting his hair, but he didn’t care, even laughing heartily amidst drinking.
His slender phoenix eyes were filled with a boozy haze, shimmering.
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.
Then, she saw Chu Yang fling aside the wine jug, raise a long sword from beside him, and slowly draw it from its sheath. The cold gleam swept across his eyes, and he squinted slightly, stumbling to his feet. With a twist of his wrist, he flourished the sword, his wide sleeves and robe billowing along with him. The whole person was like a Simurgh dancing in the air, graceful and dazzling, possessing an unimaginable elegance and pride.
As he danced with the sword, he slowly chanted:
The crane flies three thousand miles, the spring flowers still bloom,
The shadow on the high tower is chaotic, the song ends and I wander alone;
The flowing waves send the moon away, never to return, the falling stars come with a smile...
At this moment, Shang Ruyi almost suffocated.
Her acquaintance with Chu Yang, it hadn’t been long, not even a year, but in this less than a year, they had gone through so much that now, whether she wanted it or not, she was confined beside him. Even if she wasn’t his person, she was already very familiar with him.
However, even with such familiarity, she was still stunned by his celestial appearance.
Just now, she felt like she was a person in a painting, but now, seeing Chu Yang like this, she realized that he was the true person in the painting.
Perhaps, he was really someone favored by the heavens, favored to the extreme.
But how long can such favor last?
Moreover—
"Send the moon away, never to return," "falling stars"... does he know how ominous the poems he is chanting are?!
Or has he already sensed something?
While Shang Ruyi was in a state of turmoil, Chu Yang had already seen them. A smile immediately appeared on his face as he staggered over, grabbing her wrist: "You’re here."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi struggled for a bit but couldn’t break free from his grasp.
Beside them, Eunuch Yu had already knelt and said, "Your Majesty, this servant has important matters to report."
Chu Yang seemed not to hear him at all. He just smiled at Shang Ruyi and said, "It seems you have recovered. Is your body well enough to move freely?"
Unable to break free, and fortunately, there weren’t many people here, she could only let him hold her wrist tightly and softly said, "Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. The medicine Your Majesty had sent these days has been very effective, and Ruyi is no longer in serious trouble."
"That’s good,"
Chu Yang’s hand kept applying pressure, as if to pull her into his arms, while continuously saying, "Come, come over here."
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, then looked at Eunuch Yu kneeling beside, unable to speak. The latter was giving her a look—Shang Ruyi realized that he insisted on her coming along for a reason. Thinking it over, she complied and was pulled by Chu Yang to the center of the courtyard.
Chu Yang kicked aside several empty wine jugs and picked up a new one, handing it to her.
"Come, drink with me."
"..."
Shang Ruyi frowned a bit and seriously said to such a drunken person, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Although Ruyi can move freely, I still cannot drink."
"Cannot drink?"
These four words made Chu Yang frown, and after looking at Shang Ruyi again, he suddenly laughed, tossing the wine jug aside: "Alright, if you don’t drink, you don’t drink."
He grabbed Shang Ruyi’s hand and held it against the hilt of his sword.
Then he smiled and said, "Then, accompany me in a sword dance!"
"I—"
Shang Ruyi was about to refuse, but before she could speak, Chu Yang had already moved behind her, wrapping one arm around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace. He then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "It’s my first time doing a sword dance with two people too."
"..."
"You have to cooperate with me, don’t move around."
Shang Ruyi indeed did not move, because at this moment, her heart was pounding, leaving her no time to move around.
Aside from the man who caused her heartache, she had never been this close to any man, her back almost completely resting in his arms, her waist bound, one hand gripping the sword hilt with him, their clothes fluttering, even as if they were one being.
She trembled and said, "Your Majesty..."