As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a plop.
A tear fell onto the back of his hand, seeming hot at the moment of its drop but quickly turning cool.
When he looked up again, Shang Ruyi’s eyes were filled with falling tears.
The tears were crystal clear, bursting from her eyes and quickly disappearing into the thick map carpet below, leaving no trace. However, the sound of the tears falling was abrupt amidst the flowing water, as if they were heavy drops landing on a person’s heart.
For the first time, Chu Yang felt a bit flustered.
He hurriedly stood up and instinctively reached out to comfort the woman before him, but before he touched her, he heard Shang Ruyi’s hoarse voice quietly say, "Please, Your Majesty, never do such things to Ruyi again in the future."
"And never say such words to Ruyi again!"
The fluster in Chu Yang’s heart gradually spread, turning into an inexplicable pain.
He somewhat realized that he had offended her again.
Last time, facing "Yang Suyi," she could leave, even reprimand him. But facing the Emperor, she could neither leave nor express reprimand, only able to use tears to show her offense and anger.
It was Chu Yang’s first realization that tears were such heavy, and such rich, things.
Looking at Shang Ruyi bowing her head, continuously shedding tears yet unwilling to feign composure, he finally sighed deeply, took a step back, and said, "Alright, I promise I will not say those words to you in the future."
"Nor will I offend you again."
Only upon hearing these words, did Shang Ruyi relax, taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the tear stains on her face, and then softly said, "Ruyi lost composure."
Chu Yang looked at her helplessly, yet it seemed he knew that even if he could frighten her terribly with just one sentence, he was always at a loss with her; they seemed to counter each other.
After a while, he let out a bitter smile.
This seemed to be one of the rare times he would have a bitter smile; he turned and walked inside, saying, "From now on, I will only discuss national affairs with you."
Shang Ruyi quickly wiped her face clean and then, with a slight nasal sound, softly said, "Your Majesty, forgive me."
"Ruyi is merely a woman, with shallow insight, probably unable to fully plan with Your Majesty."
"Matters of the state should be discussed with the courtiers."
Chu Yang had already returned to the place where he stood earlier, and upon hearing these words, he stopped again, looked back at her, and said, "But I want to hear you speak."
In comparison, these words were indeed no longer offensive.
Shang Ruyi rather became cautious.
She didn’t understand why, among so many knowledgeable courtiers in the court, whose words aligned with her own, and who could cite classics and hit the nail on the head, Chu Yang would rather go through the trouble of bringing her into the palace, simply because—he wants to hear her speak?
What’s different between her words and others’?
As she felt an immense confusion in her heart, Chu Yang looked at her again: "Why aren’t you speaking?"
Shang Ruyi asked, "What does Your Majesty want Ruyi to say?"
Chu Yang smiled slightly and said, "Say, do you think my national policy is good?"
The words "national policy" left Shang Ruyi completely speechless.
Thus, Chu Yang was neither in a sudden bout of madness nor a deep obsession; it was his responsibility and expectation for the Da Ye Dynasty he ruled—he must conquer Liaodong, and Liaodong was just the beginning.
Shang Ruyi could have many flattering words, and many words of advice.
But at this moment, she couldn’t speak.
Yet, the more silent she was, the more Chu Yang’s gaze focused eagerly on her eyes, staring at her unrelentingly: "Why aren’t you speaking?"
After saying this, he stepped towards her.
But this step felt as if stepping into the Thunder Pool. Shang Ruyi’s whole body tensed up, not retreating immediately, but her face showed such obvious vigilance and fear that it sank Chu Yang’s heart. He couldn’t help but stop, yet mocked himself inwardly.
Since when did he care about the joys and sorrows of "others"?
Yet the fear and resistance of the woman before him truly seemed to grasp him, preventing him from approaching her further. He could only gaze into her eyes and say, "Speak."
Seeing him no longer forcing closer, Shang Ruyi finally relaxed, knowing that this was the only thing she could maneuver in this tug-of-war with the capricious emperor.
Otherwise, she couldn’t defy him any longer.
Thinking of this, she pondered for a moment and then softly said, "Is Your Majesty certain about attacking Liaodong?"
Chu Yang responded, "Of course."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Then, where will the provisions come from?"
This sentence made the entire grand hall suddenly quiet.
Even the flowing water beneath seemed to stagnate for a moment.
Chu Yang’s breath choked, but he quickly said, "I am speaking of the major affair of attacking Liaodong, not the steps."
Shang Ruyi stated, "But provisions are more important than any steps in an attack."
"Last time, Your Majesty sent Ruyi’s father-in-law to Liaoxi to oversee the provisions, and those provisions, as we saw, were transported from Xingluo Granary all the way to Liaoxi, consuming more than half on the road, yet given the abundance stored at Xingluo Granary, such loss was not a concern."
"But now, Xingluo Granary has been occupied by Wanggang Army."
"If Your Majesty plans to attack Liaodong, where can so many provisions be found to supply an army of hundreds of thousands?"
Upon mentioning this, a faint smile appeared on Chu Yang’s face, seemingly elusive, and he said, "Isn’t Feng Chen set to depart tomorrow?"
"Do you doubt he can defeat Wanggang Army and reclaim Xingluo Granary?"
This sentence was like a needle, piercing into Shang Ruyi’s heart. She suddenly felt a chill in her chest, and even the rising warmth from her feet couldn’t dispel this moment’s coldness.
She bit her lip and said, "No, of course not."
Chu Yang squinted his eyes slightly: "Then why bother about provisions?"
Shang Ruyi’s heart grew ever more restless, wanting to say more but seeing Chu Yang’s face slowly darken, though his long phoenix eyes still showed a faint smile, a gloomy expression slowly emerged on his face, saying, "If Yu Wenye cannot defeat Wanggang Army, ruining my grand plan, then he is the sinner of our Da Ye Dynasty!"
"At that time—national law is merciless!"