Chapter 73

If before, when the relationship between Lord Shen and Shen Fengyue was not discussed, it could be said that Lord Shen was always trying to provoke Shen Fengyue. However, after expressing their feelings to each other, the sweetness between Lord Shen and Shen Fengyue truly opened Shen Fengyue’s eyes. He never thought that there would be someone in this world who could be so clingy!

“Empress Dowager, look at this.” Lord Shen sat next to Shen Fengyue, wishing to stick to him and become one with him.

Yes, Lord Shen snuck in again at night to have a secret rendezvous, under the guise of “stealing fragrance and jade”. ¹“Stealing fragrance and stealing jade” (偷香竊玉) is a Chinese idiom that refers to a man sneaking into a woman’s room at night to have a secret meeting or engage in illicit activities. The phrase is often used to describe a romantic or sexual encounter that is done in secret or without the knowledge of others. The term “stealing fragrance” refers to the idea of taking something that is sweet and alluring, while “stealing jade” refers to the idea of taking something precious and valuable.

Shen Fengyue, “…” What kind of stealing? Shameless Old Dog Shen. ²“Shameless old dog” is an insulting term used to describe a man who is considered to be immoral, lecherous, and lacking in basic decency. The term “shameless” implies that the person has no sense of shame or guilt for their actions, while “old dog” is a derogatory term used to describe a man who is seen as predatory and untrustworthy.

He raised his eyebrows and saw Lord Shen happily handing over the pendant on his waist to him. It turned out to be the moonstone.

“What do you want to do again?”

Lord Shen leaned over, leaning on his shoulder, while groping his waist and asking, “Where is your moonstone?”

“That’s our token of love.” He muttered again.

Shen Fengyue heard this and felt embarrassed.

Who admitted it was a token of love!

Finally, when Lord Shen found the same thing on his lover’s waist, he stopped. With a happy smile and an upbeat tone, he said, “So, Empress Dowager has been carrying it all along.” After speaking, he tied the red string into a knot to ensure that the item would not fall off.

Knowing that Shen Fengyue had been carrying it all along meant that he cherished it, and Lord Shen felt as if he had eaten honey, sweet and happy.

Shen Fengyue felt embarrassed by his actions and ignored him, taking off his outer clothes and curling up in the innermost part of the bed. Lord Shen followed suit, taking off his clothes and crawling into the quilt.

“Don’t you get tired of doing this every night and leaving before dawn?” Shen Fengyue turned his head and almost collided with Lord Shen’s suddenly approaching face, accidentally giving him a kiss. He quickly moved back, creating a safe distance.

Lord Shen came every night just to cuddle with him under the covers and leave before dawn to avoid being discovered. Shen Fengyue felt sorry for him for all the trouble he went through.

Seeing the missed opportunity, Lord Shen’s eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, but he quickly regained his composure. His eyes sparkled, and he smiled at him, saying,

“It’s tiring, but I love Empress Dowager.”

Lord Shen suddenly launched a sweet talk attack, catching Shen Fengyue’s little heart off guard.

“I love Empress Dowager.”

“My heart is pleased with Empress Dowager.”

“Just thinking about Empress Dowager makes me especially happy.”

“I love Empress Dowager the most.”

“There is no one in this world who can make my heart beat faster than Empress Dowager.”

Once he started with sweet talk, he seemed to be unable to stop. He kept spewing out sweet words like a machine gun, unstoppable and relentless.

Shen Fengyue was overwhelmed by the barrage of sweet talk from Lord Shen. When Lord Shen was about to say something again, Shen Fengyue covered his mouth and said, “Enough, why are you so sticky?”

As Shen Fengyue’s palm touched Lord Shen’s lips, Lord Shen swallowed the unfinished sentence and suddenly kissed Shen Fengyue’s palm.

Shen Fengyue was so startled that he immediately let go, but met Lord Shen’s smiling eyes.

“Empress Dowager, my heart is pleased with you.” He turned to the side, pulled Shen Fengyue into his arms, and used his arm as a pillow for him, enveloping him in his embrace.

A gentle kiss fell on Shen Fengyue’s cheek.

Mwah.

It was indeed a kiss that couldn’t be softer, but no matter how soft it was, it still made a faint sound.

Shen Fengyue buried his head in Lord Shen’s chest and pretended to be dead.

“Empress Dowager, when will you call me husband?” A burst of pleasant laughter came from above his head, causing the person’s chest to vibrate, making his voice sound a bit muffled.

Shen Fengyue buried his head even deeper, wishing he could bury his entire head like an ostrich.

Lord Shen lifted the ostrich’s head out from his chest and made him face him.

Shen Fengyue said, “If we get married, then I’ll call you husband.” After speaking, he buried his head again.

Lord Shen didn’t lift his head again and kept those words in his heart.

Marriage…

When Shen Fengyue was about to sleep, he heard the person speak again, “Empress Dowager, will you bring dinner to see me tomorrow?”

“Um.”

With a confirmed answer, Lord Shen wanted to laugh again. He laughed so hard that his chest would vibrate each time, which annoyed Shen Fengyue. As soon as he felt the vibration, he slapped him and said, “Stop making trouble and go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Shen Fengyue kept his words in his heart and the next day, he brought dinner to the study room, pretending to give it to his son but actually wanting to secretly see his boyfriend.

After the last time, Shen Fengyue was scolded, Chu Xi stopped paying attention to these things, so he didn’t notice Shen Fengyue’s little trick.

But whether it was intentional or not, when Shen Fengyue came, only his son was in the study room. Even so, he didn’t show any abnormal behavior and patiently waited for Chu Xi to finish eating before leaving.

Chu Xi nodded and bowed to see him off, then dealt with some political affairs. After correcting all the documents for today, he planned to go back to his palace to rest.

As he walked out the door, he stepped on something hard and rough on his foot, making a crisp sound.

“?”

Chu Xi moved his foot and picked up the thing on the ground. It was a white stone with a hole in it, wearing a red string. The stone had a small crack on the edge due to his stepping on it, which was not noticeable if not looked at carefully.

This stone looked somewhat familiar. Memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, and he suddenly remembered that Lord Shen also had one, which was said to be a gift from his lover.

He rubbed and twisted the stone in his hand, feeling the uneven texture on the back. When he turned it over, he was surprised to find the word “Shen” engraved on it.

Shen…

The study room had a lot of things, and the stone was too ordinary and common. It was unclear whether it was dropped by a servant or a master. Could it be the one Lord Shen lost? He kept an eye on it and put the stone in his pocket.

The next day, when Lord Shen came to see him, Chu Xi casually asked, “What about the stone Lord usually wear around his waist? I didn’t see it today.”

“Hmm?” Lord Shen was grinding ink and stopped his work when he heard the words. He lifted the stone around his waist and said, “I wear my stone every day. Is there something wrong, Your Majesty?”

Chu Xi saw the stone and nodded, saying it was nothing.

Lord Shen’s stone was still there, so whose stone with the word “Shen” engraved on it did he pick up? A familiar face appeared in his mind, but Chu Xi shook his head and dismissed the thought.

Two hours later, Lord Shen left first, and Chu Xi also felt a bit tired after he left. He planned to go out for a walk to clear his mind. He had been feeling a bit anxious lately, so he dismissed his attendants and walked alone in the imperial garden.

As he walked deeper into the rockery, Chu Xi heard a familiar and clear female voice, as if talking to someone.

He peeked around the corner and saw a gorgeous dress, and someone seemed to be standing there.

–It was the Empress Dowager.

Realizing this, he inexplicably approached the area and hid in the crevice of the rockery.

In recent days, Shen Fengyue had rarely seen Lord Shen during the day, and the two always missed each other for various reasons. Today, after Lord Shen attended the political affair meeting and bid farewell, he did not immediately leave the palace. Instead, he wandered around the imperial garden with the mentality of taking a chance.

As luck would have it, he met the Empress Dowager whom he had been thinking about.

“Empress Dowager, I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

Shen Fengyue remained silent and glared at him.

Lord Shen quickly changed his words and said, “Okay, during the day.”

He took the initiative to hold Shen Fengyue’s hand and interlocked their fingers. Shen Fengyue scolded him, “What kind of behavior is this? What if someone sees us?”

Shen Fengyue struggled slightly, but when he realized it was useless, he stopped moving.

“Empress Dowager, there’s no one here.”

Chu Xi, who was hiding in the crevice of the rockery, “…”

Shen Fengyue snorted coldly.

“Empress Dowager…” Lord Shen leaned in closer to him, his voice neither too loud nor too soft,

“Can I kiss you?”

Chu Xi heard it loud and clear, his hands clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“Empress Dowager…”

Lord Shen persisted, his tone low and gentle, with a hint of flattery and a hint of pleading. He was about to lean in for a kiss when Shen Fengyue blocked him with his palm, pushing him away and keeping his shameless head at bay.

“Enough, I can’t stand you. Go back and kiss later.”

Shen Fengyue said as he pulled Lord Shen away, leaving him smiling from ear to ear.

After the two of them left, Chu Xi emerged from the crevice of the rockery. He looked in the direction they had left, his expression serious and thoughtful.

Mother…

His eyes darkened, and a thundercloud seemed to hide within them.

During Chu Xi’s first year in administration, everything went smoothly and the people were happy. So, some officials proposed to release paper lanterns on the city wall to express their gratitude.

Shen Fengyue didn’t know that paper lanterns could be used in this way, but he still went along with it. After all, it was to celebrate the achievements of his own son.

The time to release the lanterns was at night. When night fell, torches were lit on the city wall. In the dark, the flames were like a long dragon, stretching out into the distance, which was quite spectacular.

Everyone climbed onto the city wall and took the lanterns and ink brushes that the palace servants had prepared beforehand.

Shen Fengyue’s lantern was pink, exuding a girlish atmosphere. He wrote his wish on it with ink:

– Happy and joyful every day.

Life in the palace was particularly boring, relying on watching flowers, trees, grass, reading books, and practicing calligraphy to pass the time. After the system fell silent, there was no one to argue with him, which made it even more dull. After continuous practice, his handwriting which was like a dog crawl was no longer as bad as before, but rather decent.

After writing his own wish, he suddenly remembered the system and poked it. “System, do you have any wishes?”

The system that rarely popped up was unusually active today. It slowly said, “I only wish for world peace.”

Shen Fengyue, “…” speechless.

Okay, world peace it is then. He wrote down the system’s wish on the lantern and added their names at the end. Then he lit the lantern, and the orange flame burned in the base, causing the lantern to expand and rise slowly, carrying their wishes toward the distance.

Others also wrote down their wishes and released their lanterns. Thousands of lanterns rose into the sky, with flickering flames and a gentle breeze. The lanterns trembled slightly in the dark night, like shining stars. At a glance, it was like a sea of lights.

Lord Shen was the last one to release his lantern. After releasing it, he quietly separated from the crowd and went to Shen Fengyue’s side, asking him, “What was Empress Dowager’s wish?”

Shen Fengyue shook his head, saying that it wouldn’t be effective if he spoke it out.

“Um…” Lord Shen rubbed his chin and said boldly, “I don’t believe in these things. My wish is for my career to advance and my official career to be smooth.”

Others heard this and couldn’t help but cover their mouths and laugh.

Shen Fengyue was also amused by him and pointed at him, saying, “You…”

“I am just such a greedy person,” Lord Shen winked at him.

The commotion on their side naturally attracted the attention of Chu Xi. No, from the beginning, when Lord Shen separated from the crowd and squeezed to the Empress Dowager’s side, he had been quietly observing.

Chu Xi looked at Shen Fengyue’s smiling face and Lord Shen standing next to him, talking to him, with a flicker of light in his eyes.

After releasing the Kongming lantern, everyone crowded around Chu Xi and descended from the city wall. A banquet was held in the palace, and after the banquet, people left the palace in twos and threes.

After the banquet, a stranger entered the study.

“Your Majesty, we have intercepted it.”

The person handed over a burnt-out lantern to the person sitting on the throne. There was writing on the lantern, and the signature was of,

–Lord Shen.

The person with the black dress with a golden pattern received the lantern. After seeing the content on it, he was furious.

“How dare he!”

• 1
  “Stealing fragrance and stealing jade” (偷香竊玉) is a Chinese idiom that refers to a man sneaking into a woman’s room at night to have a secret meeting or engage in illicit activities. The phrase is often used to describe a romantic or sexual encounter that is done in secret or without the knowledge of others. The term “stealing fragrance” refers to the idea of taking something that is sweet and alluring, while “stealing jade” refers to the idea of taking something precious and valuable.
• 2
  “Shameless old dog” is an insulting term used to describe a man who is considered to be immoral, lecherous, and lacking in basic decency. The term “shameless” implies that the person has no sense of shame or guilt for their actions, while “old dog” is a derogatory term used to describe a man who is seen as predatory and untrustworthy.