The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

61

"If I don't care about Your Majesty, who should I care about? I hope Your Majesty is never hurt again."

Shen Yu's eyes were downcast, and Shang JunLin's gaze was burning. He held Shen Yu's chin in one hand and slowly approached.

A soft kiss fell on the corner of Shen Yu's eye.

With it came the man's aura: strong, steady, calm.

Recently Shang JunLin liked to kiss Shen Yu's eyes, especially when those eyes looked at him. He could hardly tear himself away from the color and intensity he saw there.

Shen Yu's eyelids lowered, and the long eyelashes gently brushed the man's lips, light and ticklish.

Shang JunLin loosened his grip on Shen Yu's hand. He put his arm around Shen Yu's waist and pressed him closer.

Shen Yu let him kiss his face for a while. Then he said, "It's time to bring the King of Yue's case to a close, isn't it?"

"Only one fish, the Grand Commandant*, has been caught, but that's enough. If you catch the first one, there will be a second and a third...."

"Not necessarily." Shen Yu propped himself up against Shang JunLin's chest and met his eyes. "Your Majesty, why would the Grand Commandant decide to tamper with the imperial examination?"

Shang JunLin considered for a moment. "Is Ah Yu saying that the King of Yue should take the blame for the Grand Commandant's actions?"

"If not, why would the Grand Commandant try to bribe humble students who haven't yet entered the imperial court? What if he acted on the King of Yue's orders? The King of Yue lives in his fiefdom year round. What if that made him eager to install his own people in the court?" Shen Yu chuckled. "Whether it's true or not, once the word gets around, people will believe it."

Given the late emperor's edict, Shang JunLin couldn't move against the King of Yue directly, but what if the King of Yue crossed the line himself?

The King of Yue had no idea that while he was sitting in prison, the blame was suddenly laid at his door.

The emperor personally ordered the Court of Judicial Review to proceed without delay, and the results of the trial were released before the end of the imperial exam.

The moment the scholars walked out of the examination hall, they were greeted with appalling news. They gathered together in shock, worried about whether they would be implicated.

In particular, a few scholars who'd been approached by the conspirators turned white with fear as if their faces had been painted. They had no idea what to do.

Shang JunLin had previously given orders for the examination officials to reassure the candidates and let them go back to rest for the time being.

Jiang HuaiQing had already known what was underway. Shen Yu told him the matter would be resolved by the end of the exam, but Jiang HuaiQing found that difficult to believe. He wasn't expecting to hear the news the moment he walked out.

After resting for a while to recover his energy, Jiang HuaiQing asked Hè ChengYu to meet him in the restaurant for dinner.

"It's not every day you complete an exam. We should enjoy ourselves."

To celebrate the end of the exam, Yingxing House hosted a banquet free of charge for the hard-working scholars. It was a well-known and long-standing tradition of Yingxing House, so there was no reason to refuse.

The place was bustling with people. Scholars who'd just finished the exam gathered together in small groups to chatter about the recent momentous events.