Chapter 4: Using An Excuse To Get Close

Fang Rui had been emperor for eight years, and what he looked forward to most each day was the time he spent attending the morning court.

Attending court not only allowed him to see Shen Yu, but also gave him countless pretexts to keep Shen Yu behind after the court adjourned.

He had only gone to bed late last night and rose at the fourth watch to train in the martial grounds, yet there was no sign of fatigue. He seemed remarkably spirited.

Rong Tai, who knew Fang Rui’s routine better than anyone, genuinely admired His Majesty. How could someone rest for only a few hours a day and still be so energetic? What was sustaining him?

How could Rong Tai know that what sustained His Majesty was Shen Yu, as well as the memories left over from a past life?

In the last two years of his previous life, his body had deteriorated day by day. What he had once been able to do on foot eventually became a struggle, so he could only remain seated. Toward the end, even sitting became impossible. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to train.

After breaking a sweat on the training ground, he inevitably felt much more alert.

In the court chamber, surrounded by civil and military officials, Fang Rui’s gaze drifted over Shen Yu from time to time.

He hadn’t seen Shen Yu clearly last night; today the light was good and the distance short, so he could see very well.

He realized he hadn’t been able to see Shen Yu clearly for about two years. Now that he could, he could only think that Shen Yu had become noticeably more youthful.

That skin was pale and delicate, the eyes bright and moist. If there hadn’t been so many people present, he wouldn’t have been able to sit still. He’d have dragged Shen Yu into his hall to examine her more closely.

Among all the officials present, Shen Yu’s youthfulness stood out exceptionally.

Fang Rui was sneaking glances at Shen Yu while the ministers below discussed the day’s court business.

In the mornings over the past half month, almost no one had offered any official documents for review. Most gave only platitudes about favorable weather and prosperity. Whether the realm truly enjoyed peace and prosperity, Fang Rui now understood better than anyone.

But for now he couldn’t act rashly. These things had to be dealt with one by one, and in the end he would remove the root of the problems altogether.

After about an hour with nothing of consequence presented, Rong Tai, as Grand Steward, stepped forward and intoned, “If there are official documents to be presented, please do. If there is nothing else, the court is dismissed.”

After the ministers dispersed, Fang Rui immediately asked Rong Tai to summon Shen Yu to the archery range.

When Shen Yu was brought to the target by Rong Tai, she saw Fang Rui draw his bow and aim directly at the bullseye, his gaze fierce and focused. With a sudden release, the arrow flew with a whoosh and struck dead center with not a hair’s breadth of error.

“Your Majesty, excellent marksmanship.”

Of course it was good. He had drawn the bow for 30 minutes and taken aim for another 30 minutes after that. Could the shot be anything but perfect?

Fang Rui had heard Shen Yu’s footsteps long ago, but pretended to only now hear the compliment. He turned to Shen Yu with a smile in his eyes and said, “My trusted aide Shen, you’re here.”

Shen Yu bowed respectfully to Fang Rui. “I, your humble subject, greet Your Majesty.”

Fang Rui quickly tossed the bow and arrow in his hand to a nearby eunuch, reached out to help Shen Yu up and said, “No need for formalities.”

His hand touched Shen Yu’s. He gave a perfunctory support and then immediately let go, putting on an air of propriety.

He placed his hands behind his back and rubbed them together subtly.

He thought to himself: Shen Yu’s hand is truly delicate and boneless, soft and pliant, clearly the hand of a young woman. He had touched it before. How had he never noticed?

Could it be because he had always focused on Shen Yu’s face?

Fang Rui’s gaze rested on Shen Yu’s face. It was still the Shen Yu he remembered: a pout not painted yet naturally rose-tinted, brows not drawn yet arching like green springs. In his previous life he had often marveled that Shen Yu was more beautiful than most women, too soft for a man. Now, as a woman, there was also a certain heroic air about her.

Her softness was not the effeminacy of a eunuch. It was just right, and not enough to make others doubt her gender. Perhaps that’s how he had been deceived for ten years.

Watching Shen Yu in court robes that still couldn’t hide her charm, Fang Rui smiled faintly, “Your recent trip to Suozhou, thank you for your efforts.”

Shen Yu lowered her eyes. “Relieving Your Majesty’s worries is a duty of a subject.”

Hearing Shen Yu say she relieved his worries, Fang Rui was momentarily stunned. In his previous life, Shen Yu had done exactly that for eight whole years.

Snapping back to reality, he offered the polite reply, “If the entire court cared for me as you did, wouldn’t the country be even more prosperous?”

“The court of officials, of course, think of Your Majesty.”

He had already taken his advantage and didn’t intend to dwell on court matters. He turned, took the longbow back from the eunuch, pulled an arrow from the quiver, drew the string, narrowed his eyes, and released the arrow with a whoosh. The eunuch waved the red flag as another arrow struck the bullseye.

The eunuch replaced the target. Fang Rui drew another arrow, asking as he strung the bow, “My trusted aide Shen, do you know how to shoot?”

Shen Yu paused slightly. “No.”

A slight smile tugged at Fang Rui’s mouth. That was exactly to his liking.

When Fang Rui relaxed the bowstring and turned back, the smile vanished without a trace. He took Shen Yu in with a slight frown. “My trusted aide, you look far too frail. You must train properly.”

Shen Yu took his words as concern for her health and replied, “I will certainly strengthen my training when I return.”

Fang Rui gave her a half-smile. “Why wait until you return? How about this: I’ll be your teacher for once.”

Shen Yu lowered her head in some alarm. “How could I trouble Your Majesty?”

Fang Rui picked up the longbow and handed it to Shen Yu. “Hold it.”

Shen Yu took the longbow with one hand. When Fang Rui released it, the weight pulled her down and the bow nearly slipped. Fang Rui’s hand was quick and gripped Shen Yu’s. She was a woman after all, so even if disguised as a man, by strength and hand size she remained that of an ordinary woman.

Fang Rui’s large palm enveloped the hand Shen Yu used to hold the bow. He shifted and stood behind her, pressing his body a little close.

“Why are you so weak? You can’t even hold a bow steady.” His voice was amused and very low.

Fang Rui’s breath brushed Shen Yu. She frowned slightly, merely because she had never been so close to a man and it made her uncomfortable, not because she sensed any lascivious intent.

Standing behind her, Fang Rui took the quiver Rong Tai held, drew an arrow, placed it in Shen Yu’s other hand, and then guided her hand with his. His other hand gripped the one holding the arrow as he explained into her ear, “Holding the bow isn’t about brute force. When drawing and shooting, the most important thing is a strong, straight waist. Your gaze must not stray, you must focus.”

The feathered arrow was set on the string. Holding Shen Yu’s hand, he slowly drew the bowstring back.

The warmth of his hands, the faint breath on her earlobe… All of it made Shen Yu feel oddly bothered and unsettled.

Shen Yu didn’t even realize her earlobe was flushing, nor that Fang Rui’s gaze wasn’t on the target but on her small, slightly reddened ear, which he found endearing.

Rong Tai beside them was in disbelief. His Majesty…had probably truly lost his senses.

Rong Tai felt he could hardly bear to watch any longer. Their emperor really had no shame.

Normally nocking, drawing, and releasing could be done in an instant, but under Fang Rui’s instruction, Shen Yu felt as if a long time had passed.

The feathered arrow flew, and Fang Rui immediately released Shen Yu, a smile on his lips. “You get it now?”

Shen Yu nodded twice in quick succession. “Yes.”

Even if she didn’t truly understand, Shen Yu could only say she did.

“Good.” Fang Rui took the large longbow that Shen Yu could not steady with one hand and placed it in Rong Tai’s hands. He then strode toward the exit, with Shen Yu following behind.

“You just returned from Suozhou, so tell me, what’s the situation?” Fang Rui deliberately slowed his pace so Shen Yu could keep up.

This trip to Suozhou was mainly Shen Yu as an imperial commissioner acting on his behalf to inspect the region. While Shen Yu was away, he thought carefully about what had happened the last time Shen Yu went to Suozhou in his previous life.

When he thought about it he remembered: when Shen Yu inspected Suozhou before, she had someone put to death, and had thereby offended people close to the Empress Dowager. After that, most ministers in court began to ostracize Shen Yu and repeatedly set traps for her. But those ministers couldn’t do much as long as Fang Rui trusted Shen Yu and acted as her backing.

And because he trusted Shen Yu, he had been able to remain on the throne for eight years. Shen Yu deserved much credit for that. When the Empress Dowager once pressured him to abdicate, it was Shen Yu who led forces into the palace and lifted the siege, turning the tide.

Shen Yu showed no hesitation on her face and replied, “Your Majesty, I executed the Suozhou Prefect while in Suozhou.”

Fang Rui feigned curiosity and looked at Shen Yu. “Oh? Why execute the Suozhou Prefect without first informing me?”

Shen Yu replied, “The Suozhou Prefect flouted the law, treated human life lightly, accepted bribes, let murderers go free while those trying to save lives were killed. Such a dangerous rogue is not someone I wanted to keep even for a moment. I made a decision on my own and am only reporting now, so please punish me as you see fit, Your Majesty.”

Fang Rui instead smiled. “You traveled on my behalf, thus representing me. Executing corrupt officials to relieve my burdens is precisely serving me.”

Shen Yu was taken aback. She clearly hadn’t expected His Majesty to trust her so much.

Fang Rui had always trusted Shen Yu, but he still couldn’t believe he’d been deceived for ten years by the one he trusted most. Then he thought of a certain someone else who had been fooled for over twenty years, and felt somewhat consoled.

Just as they were discussing how the Suozhou Prefect disregarded human life, a joyous exclamation rang out, “Your Majesty!”

Fang Rui was taken aback, then looked up and realized he had somehow walked into the imperial garden without noticing.

The imperial garden was always teeming with people lying in wait for his arrival!

He glanced up at that butterfly-like woman sashaying over and felt a sudden weariness.

“Consort Li.” Shen Yu bowed respectfully.

Consort Li didn’t even glance at Shen Yu. She kept her gaze on Fang Rui as she waved a hand at Shen Yu, “No need for formalities.”

Consort Li was stunning. To be a consort in the palace naturally required a superior appearance.

Fang Rui gave Consort Li a glance. Her gaudy colors made his eyes ache, so he turned his gaze back to Shen Yu.

It wasn’t that his taste was problematic. It was simply that Shen Yu suited him better.

Consort Li, her brows soft like spring, let her eyes roam over Fang Rui. “Your Majesty, you haven’t been to the garden in such a long time~”

Rong Tai’s mouth twitched slightly. When it came to previous emperors, consorts could often be heard cooing in their own chambers, “Your Majesty, you haven’t come to see your servant in so long,” but when it came to this current emperor… He didn’t know how to even comment on this.

The shrill, coy voice made Fang Rui shiver. He almost pretended to fumble and push Consort Li into a flowerbed. He clasped his hands behind his back, right hand holding the left just in case, and with a stiff expression looked to Shen Yu. “My trusted aide Shen, you may return first.”

“I take my leave.”

Watching Shen Yu’s departing figure, Fang Rui withdrew his gaze, his face turned cold and expressionless.

“If Consort Li has nothing to bring up, return to your own quarters. I will go back to the study to attend to state affairs.” The scent was too heady, he couldn’t stand to linger.

Consort Li was not very bright but liked to act clever. She didn’t realize Fang Rui was trying to send her away and kept insisting, “Your Majesty, I have a problem to discuss, I really do.”

Fang Rui gave her a cold glance. “If you have a problem, go to the imperial physician and have him prescribe something to strengthen your brain.”

Consort Li was stunned and still didn’t understand. “Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with my brain.”

Fang Rui: “……”

Rong Tai: “……”

Fang Rui shook his head helplessly. A brain was a useful thing, but unfortunately Consort Li simply lacked one.

Back when he was Crown Prince he had seen many palace rivalries. Women who lacked brains like Consort Li would have lasted at most a year in the old days.

But now, while there were only three women in the harem, they were all relatives of the Empress Dowager. A niece, a niece from the other side of the family, and another whose background was a little more complicated but she was still connected to the Empress Dowager. They might eventually try to kill each other off, but it certainly wouldn’t happen at present.