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Because he was seated, Shen Yu was a little higher than Shang JunLin. When he lowered his head he was able to meet the eyes of the man who was looking up at him.

There was no anger, no dissatisfaction in those eyes. Just slight confusion and enough indulgence to drown someone in.

Shen Yu completely forgot what he was going to say.

"Your Majesty, please get up."

No one would have believed the person crouched in front of him was the emperor of Da Huan, a man famous for his ruthlessness and brutality.

"Is Ah Yu still angry with this emperor?" Shang JunLin didn't move. "This emperor isn't good at getting along with people. If I did something to make you unhappy, Ah Yu, you must tell me."

Even if Shen Yu was angry, there was no way he could be angry anymore. Not to mention he wasn't that mad in the first place. He just wanted to use the opportunity to distance himself from Shang JunLin.

"To be honest, I'm not that angry." Shen Yu looked at the man's dark eyes. "But I hope that Your Majesty views me as Shen Yu the person first, and Noble Monarch Shen second."

The first meant Shen Yu belonged only to himself. The second meant he was the property of Shang JunLin.

"If it's the former, what will the noble monarch do? And what about the latter?" Shang JunLin asked.

"If I'm the former, Your Majesty may have to suffer a little of my anger from time to time. If I'm the latter, Your Majesty will have a proper noble monarch." But nothing beyond that.

Shang JunLin understood his meaning. "This emperor will pay attention in the future. In this emperor's eyes, Ah Yu will always be just Ah Yu."

Shang JunLin chose without hesitation, and Shen Yu didn't know how to feel. If Shang JunLin chose the latter, he could have immediately drawn a line between them. But Shang JunLin chose the former.

Automatically and without a second thought.

It was his immediate answer. Which meant Shang JunLin had always thought that way.

Shang JunLin made a choice. What about him?

Shen Yu silently traced Shang JunLin's features in his mind's eye. Once again he felt a throbbing in his chest, the same one he felt the first time he met Shang JunLin. In this life, what would develop between the two of them?

Shen Yu slowly lowered his eyes, and his voice was as light as a feather: "I understand."

"What about this emperor?" Shang JunLin gently cupped Shen Yu's chin. "What is this emperor in Ah Yu's heart?"

Shen Yu looked away. "Your Majesty is Your Majesty."

His Majesty, who was unique and unmatched, distinct from all others.

"Will Your Majesty get up now?" Shen Yu moved to one side of the soft couch and made room for Shang JunLin.

Shang JunLin smoothly sat beside Shen Yu. He began to talk with Shen Yu about what progress was being made with the King of Huaiyu.

"The King of Huaiyu has been cooperative. From the list he gave, we found that most of the princes aren't descended from the previous emperor. There remain some others whose parentage hasn't been determined."

As he spoke of the fact his biological father was made to wear a green hat, Shang JunLin's voice didn't fluctuate. He had no brotherly feelings for the other children left by the previous emperor.

"Decades have passed since then. It may not be easy to confirm." A person's true bloodline was easy to conceal and extremely difficult to verify.

"The method of recognizing relatives with drops of blood isn't reliable," Shen Yu reminded him.

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