C144 — Kill the Top Scorer（11）

Shen Jue glanced at Wen Yurong and then looked outside. “Has the weather already become too hot?”

Wen Yurong, with a handkerchief pressed to his nose, awkwardly stood up. “Your servant… Your servant will go take care of this.”

At first, Shen Jue hadn’t paid much attention to Wen Yurong’s nosebleeds, but after it happened three times, he began to grow suspicious. He called for the court doctor who usually checked his pulse. “Take a look at him.”

After examining Wen Yurong, the doctor seemed a little taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously asked, “Has Lord Wen recently consumed any highly nourishing foods?”

Wen Yurong had been staying in the palace recently, sharing meals and lodging with Shen Jue, but their meals were separate. Shen Jue’s meals were mainly medicinal dishes prepared by Wen Liang for his health.

With just this one question, Shen Jue immediately understood—Wen Yurong’s nosebleeds were likely related to Tong Meng’er.

When Shen Jue asked Tong Meng’er about it, she fell silent for a long time before nodding. As a mother, it was always a bit awkward to intervene in her son’s personal affairs.

Her face flushed slightly. “Jue’er, you’re no longer a child… well, your mother thinks well of Wen Yurong, so… don’t hold back.”

Shen Jue: “…”

This time, Tong Meng’er was more tactful than in previous lives. In the past, she had directly fed Wen Yurong medicine and tied him to his dragon bed, nearly stripping him of his clothes.

After speaking, Tong Meng’er glanced at Shen Jue’s expression. Seeing that her son looked displeased, she awkwardly coughed twice. “I won’t interfere anymore. Your matters are for you young people to decide.”

…

After a brief heart-to-heart, Wen Yurong’s nosebleeds finally stopped, and the matter of the adoption was brought to the forefront.

The matter of Wen Yurong bringing good fortune to Shen Jue was kept secret, so much so that even Wen Yurong’s father, the current Prime Minister, didn’t know. The Prime Minister only thought that Tong Meng’er had agreed to the adoption because Shen Jue was near death, and she felt it was necessary.

The eldest son of Prince Yong, Shen Yongcheng, was now sixteen years old. The adoption to Shen Jue’s household wasn’t considered too young.

Although the Yong family lived in the capital, Tong Meng’er had never allowed them to come into the palace to meet the emperor during festivals. This was the first time Shen Yongcheng had come to the palace to meet his imperial uncle.

In Shen Yongcheng’s mind, Shen Jue was, as his mother had described, an absolute tyrant because he had ruined his father.

Before dawn, Shen Yongcheng put on his official robes. Ironically, though he had inherited the title of Prince Yong’s heir, he had never worn these robes. In fact, even this robe had been sent by the Imperial Tailoring Bureau two years ago.

Now, summoned urgently to the palace, he didn’t even have a robe that fit him properly. Prince Yong’s consort looked at her son, tears streaming down her face. She spoke in a soft voice, gently stroking his face. “Cheng’er, you must perform well. Make him like you. Only when you become the Crown Prince will the suffering of these years not have been in vain.”

“Yes,” Shen Yongcheng replied solemnly, nodding his head.

He climbed into a soft sedan and entered the palace for the first time. He had expected the trip to be difficult, but he never imagined it would be this bad. He had to wait until the afternoon before finally meeting the legendary tyrant, his imperial uncle.

Shen Yongcheng was led into the magnificent hall by palace servants, too afraid to raise his head. As he entered, he performed a deep bow, saying, “Yongcheng greets Imperial Uncle. Long live Imperial Uncle, long live Imperial Uncle, long long live.”

He pressed his forehead to the cold stone floor, not daring to move a muscle.

After a while, he heard a weak voice.

“Rise.”

Shen Yongcheng thanked him and stood up, hands hanging by his sides.

“Then make him the Crown Prince,” the weak voice said again.

Huh?

Shen Yongcheng froze, momentarily forgetting the proper etiquette, and raised his head in a daze. As soon as he looked up, he was even more stunned.

He saw a sickly man dressed in a dragon robe, sitting crookedly in a chair, with a young man standing beside him. The young man was so beautiful that he could be described as having an ethereal, celestial appearance. He didn’t look down but kept his gaze fixed on the man beside him.

The man seemed unwell, furrowing his brow. The young man bent slightly, whispering something to him. The man tilted his head and listened for a while before nodding. After that, Shen Yongcheng was asked to leave.

…

Once he was out of the hall, Wen Yurong gently took Shen Jue’s hand from the armrest. The weather had already warmed up, but Shen Jue’s hand was still cold.

“That boy kept staring at you just now,” Shen Jue suddenly spoke.

Wen Yurong looked surprised. “Did he? I didn’t notice. It was probably because it was his first time in the palace, and he was too nervous. Luckily, Your Majesty didn’t mind.”

Shen Jue held Wen Yurong’s hand in return, silently repeating Shen Yongcheng’s name in his mind several times. In past lives, it was Shen Yongcheng’s name that had been used to justify the rebellion that was led by Shi Zhou, though he had never met this nephew before. This was the first time he saw him. And the first thing he noticed was that Shen Yongcheng had been staring at Wen Yurong.

Was it because the young man next to him was so dazzling that even at a time like this, Shen Yongcheng had forgotten his manners?

Shen Jue was lost in thought, while Wen Yurong silently observed Shen Jue’s hand still holding his. After a long moment, Shen Jue finally spoke again.

“Shi Ji has been free lately, hasn’t he? Let him teach Shen Yongcheng. That boy shouldn’t end up like me; men should be stronger.”

…

Shen Yongcheng’s trip to the palace was mostly just a formality. Shen Jue had no particular thoughts on who would be chosen as the Crown Prince. After all, he wouldn’t be leaving any descendants, and once he killed Wen Yurong, this world would disappear, so it didn’t matter who succeeded the throne—he didn’t care at all.

However, after Shen Yongcheng was named Crown Prince, he came every day to greet Shen Jue. Given Shen Jue’s condition, it was unclear when he would wake up, so Shen Yongcheng often had to wait a long time. The more times he came, the more he noticed that Wen Yurong was always by Shen Jue’s side.

Curious, he asked his new teacher.

After Shi Ji had been assigned to teach Shen Yongcheng, his mood had become increasingly grim. Upon hearing Shen Yongcheng’s question, he paused before answering, “Lord Wen is His Majesty’s personal companion. Because His Majesty’s health is poor, he has to remain by His Majesty’s side.”

Shen Yongcheng asked again, “But didn’t the teacher say before that he used to be the royal archery instructor for my imperial uncle? Why isn’t he with him now?”

Shi Ji’s expression darkened even further. “I don’t know either. Crown Prince, practice the horse-riding stance for half an hour more today.”

Shen Yongcheng: “…”

Had he asked something he shouldn’t have?

The good thing was, as Shen Yongcheng visited more frequently, he gradually figured out Shen Jue’s waking routine. If the weather was gloomy, it was best to visit around lunchtime; if the weather was warming, he could go during breakfast.

The more he came, sometimes he was invited to stay for a meal, though they were seated at separate tables—he sat at a smaller table while Shen Jue and Wen Yurong sat together.

…

Wen Yurong was serving Shen Jue some soup when he suddenly felt a gaze on him.

He pretended not to notice and focused on carefully attending to the Emperor beside him.

Shen Jue glanced at Shen Yongcheng at the small table. From what Tong Meng’er had said, Shen Yongcheng was a smart person, but why did he always fail to hide his gaze when he saw Wen Yurong?

However, upon reflection, Shen Jue understood a bit more. In his previous lives, when he first saw Wen Yurong, he, too, was mesmerized, as if seeing a celestial being. Every time he looked at Wen Yurong, his gaze was unmasked. Now, Shen Yongcheng, seeing Wen Yurong for the first time, was also captivated. Moreover, he was young, in the prime of his youth, and unable to hide his feelings, constantly sneaking glances at Wen Yurong.

Of course, he thought he was being careful, but he didn’t realize that both Shen Jue and Wen Yurong had noticed.

It had to be said that the Shen family in this world shared a common trait—when they encountered a beautiful person, they became almost paralyzed. For example, when the late emperor met Tong Meng’er, he was so entranced that he wanted to make her empress at any cost. Later on, even Tong Meng’er noticed Shen Yongcheng’s feelings for Wen Yurong.

Tong Meng’er frowned secretly, and when the weather warmed up a bit, she invited a troupe of actors into the palace for entertainment.

As usual, Shen Jue couldn’t watch for long before he couldn’t stand the loud noise of drums and gongs, which made his ears ring and his head hurt. As soon as he showed discomfort, Tong Meng’er had Wen Yurong help Shen Jue out to the garden for a walk.

Only Shen Jue, Wen Yurong, Tong Meng’er, and Shen Yongcheng were watching the play that day. Once Shen Jue and Wen Yurong left, only Tong Meng’er and Shen Yongcheng remained.

Tong Meng’er watched the play for a bit longer before turning to Shen Yongcheng and saying, “Are you tired of watching? I know you young people don’t like watching plays. You can go and play instead.”

Shen Yongcheng shook his head and said he still wanted to watch, but Tong Meng’er smiled and had someone bring him a cloak. “Your imperial uncle left in a hurry and didn’t wear his cloak. I’m worried he might catch a cold. Good boy, you take it to him.”

When Shen Yongcheng heard that he could go see Wen Yurong, he obediently nodded.

He took the cloak and walked towards the garden to find Shen Jue and Wen Yurong, but as he walked, he realized the palace servants following him had disappeared.

He paused, feeling something was off, but his desire to see Wen Yurong overshadowed his doubts, so he continued on.

When he was near the pavilion in the peach blossom grove, he suddenly heard a sound.

A smile immediately spread across Shen Yongcheng’s face, but as he got closer, his smile instantly faded.

The pavilion was surrounded by peach trees, and the only path up to it was a small gravel road. The person he was looking for was sitting in the pavilion, but that person was currently leaning down, carefully kissing the emperor in his arms.

…

Wen Yurong had walked for a while, but gradually, he began to feel a heat rise in his face, and soon after, a burning sensation spread through his lower abdomen, making it difficult for him to continue walking.

Shen Jue, noticing Wen Yurong’s discomfort, quickly realized something was wrong. He led him to the pavilion, dismissed the servants, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Yurong’s forehead glistened with small beads of sweat, and his lips and eyes turned a deep red. “I… I don’t know,” he panted.

He gazed at Shen Jue with misty eyes. For some reason, as he looked at Shen Jue, he felt as though the man before him was a delicious, irresistible treat.

Wen Yurong closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, but before he could regain composure, he felt something soft press against his lips.

His body stiffened, and at the same time, a voice whispered in his ear.

“Yurong, kiss me.”

Rationality shattered in an instant. By the time Wen Yurong came back to his senses, he had already pinned the man against the red pavilion pillar.

He seemed startled and immediately let go, but before he could retreat, the sickly emperor—his lips tinged red—took the initiative to lean in again.

Like a boneless creature, the emperor curled into Wen Yurong’s embrace, tilting his chin slightly. His phoenix eyes carried a hint of disdain.

Though he was clearly in a position of weakness, he still gazed at Wen Yurong with contempt, as if mocking his cowardice.

Wen Yurong’s eyes flickered. In the end, he still wrapped his arms around Shen Jue’s waist.

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TN:

I wonder what Shen Yongcheng’s fate will be ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ