"Your Majesty, it's no trouble at all," Shen Yu said, glancing at himself in the mirror.

The bronze mirror was polished to a shine, reflecting the young man's appearance with clarity. With his fair skin, black hair, and refined features, Shen Yu was the very image of a handsome nobleman.

"Why would it be a trouble to comb Ah Yu's hair?" Shang Junlin walked over, lifting a strand of black hair off Shen Yu's shoulder. Half-jokingly, he said, "Ah Yu is so beautiful, I don't want others to lay their eyes on him. What should I do?"

Shen Yu was used to being praised for his looks and had heard it many times before, but the possessive tone in Shang Junlin's voice made his heart flutter.

"Then Your Majesty must keep a close eye on me, lest I am taken away by others," Shen Yu smiled slyly, his eyes narrowed.

"I won't give anyone the chance. Ah Yu can't go anywhere except by my side," Shang Junlin's lips pressed into a thin line at the thought of Shen Yu standing next to someone else.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. I won't go anywhere except by your side," Shen Yu reassured him.

Shen Yu sat in front of the bronze mirror, applying makeup to his face. In no time at all, his eyes and brows looked very different from before, his features more defined and striking. Upon closer inspection, one could still see some similarities to his previous appearance.

Shang Junlin also changed his appearance, putting on a dark blue robe.

"You look good in this color, Your Majesty," Shen Yu remarked, used to seeing him in black clothing. Seeing him in a different color gave him a sense of novelty.

Shang Junlin had a handsome, imposing beauty, with sharp facial features. After the disguise, his sharpness was tempered, no longer making people shy away from looking at him.

The dark blue robe weighed heavily on his frame, giving him a gentle appearance. Despite not having undergone much change to his face, he no longer looked like the emperor he was.

The two of them got into a carriage and left the palace.

Shen Yu is also very familiar with this carriage. After getting on, he found that the seat had been covered with a layer of soft blanket. He had asked Shang Junlin to remove it a while ago because he felt too hot.

"When we go on the autumn hunt this year, I will have a tiger skin made for you," said Shang Junlin, sitting next to Shen Yu and rubbing his earlobe.

"Does Your Majesty always give me whatever I want?" Shen Yu turned his head at the words.

"As long as Ah Yu asks for it, I will make it happen," said Shang Junlin, looking at him with determination in his eyes.

Shen Yu had no doubt that Shang Junlin would keep his word, but he was still taken aback by the man's immediate response.

"If Your Majesty keeps spoiling me like this, I will become too proud," said Shen Yu, looking seriously at Shang Junlin.

"I give Ah Yu the right to be proud of my favor," said Shang Junlin, stroking Shen Yu's cheek instead of his earlobe.

"That's what Your Majesty said. Don't regret it later," said Shen Yu, his eyes and eyebrows slightly curved.

"Once I fall in love with Ah Yu, I will never regret it."

As the weather cooled down, the streets became more crowded, and the carriage drove smoothly along the street.

They arrived at the theater, and Shen Yu and Shang Junlin got off.

People came and went outside the theater, gathering in groups of three or five and chatting as they walked inside.

Empress Dahuan loved listening to plays, and her love for them had a contagious effect on others. During her reign, the theatre industry reached its peak, and for generations, the Empress and Emperor Dahuan had become characters in many plays, which deeply touched the hearts of the people.

Bai Xi Lou1 was an old theater that had been passed down for several generations. The best troupe performed exclusively for the royal family, while other troupes performed for the common people. If they caught the eye of a powerful person, they could also perform in that person's home.

The first floor was the main hall where most people would choose to listen to the play. On the second floor and above were the elegant rooms, partitioned off with screens. Each guest had their own space, making it ideal for nobles or wealthy merchants to bring their families or friends.

"Would you like to sit on the first floor or in an elegant room? This play is about to start in fifteen minutes. You two have arrived just in time. Otherwise, you would have had to wait a while."

"Please follow me to the private room on the second floor."

"Okay, lead the way."

Shen Yu and Shang Junlin followed the staff to the private room on the second floor. The space was not large, but it was decorated very delicately. There were some snacks on the table in the middle. Since there were only two of them, they wanted a private room for two people.

"Do you need someone to serve you?"

"No, thank you."

Fifteen minutes later, "The Return of Spring" officially began. Shen Yu and Shang Junlin sat together and looked down. The plot outline of the play was written by him, and he knew the story well. What he was more interested in was the reactions of the people below.

The position they chose had a good view, and they could see both the stage below and the people listening to the play.

"Ah Yu's play is well-rehearsed." Shang Junlin whispered.

"If I'm not mistaken, will any officials come to watch?" Shen Yu remembered that many officials in Dahuan liked to listen to plays.

"Yes, look over there, that's the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Public Works." Shang Junlin pointed in a direction.

Shen Yu looked over and sure enough, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Public Works were both dressed in regular clothes and sitting in the crowd on the first floor.

"Are they so close to each other in private?" They could even meet up to listen to a play.

"They didn't have a good relationship before. It's not an exaggeration to say that they were at odds with each other. But after Yu proposed a sponsorship idea, they became closer." Shang Junlin explained.

"Is their relationship not good because the Ministry of Public Works has been asking the Ministry of Revenue for money?" Shen Yu found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Currently, it seems so."

"What progress has been made in the Ministry of Public Works?" Since the first cement road was built, Shen Yu hasn't paid much attention to the follow-up.

"The second road is almost finished, and there will be results in a while. The Ministry of Public Works said that if this plan is feasible, they will gradually replace the roads in the capital with cement roads. They also discovered that cement can be used for construction. They built a small house with cement, which is said to be very sturdy."

Shen Yu only asked casually and stopped caring about it after hearing the answer. The Ministry of Public Works is so big and has so many people, they should be able to handle this.

His gaze swept around the first floor and then to the second floor, where he saw a familiar face.

"The Prime Minister is here, and he has also brought Jiang Huaiqing, He Chengyu, and Fang Jiayi with him."

Fang Jiayi was dressed as a man to avoid drawing attention.

"The Prime Minister has high hopes for the three of them. He even praised them when he received their report yesterday."

How could he not have high hopes? With these three joining, the Prime Minister's workload could be reduced by more than half every day. The Prime Minister dreams that one day all the officials under Da Huan can be like these three, doing their own work well at the very least.

However, many officials who benefited from their positions can't do their own work well, and instead, they focus on the power of others, causing trouble and leaving the Prime Minister to clean up after them.

"Sometimes I think the Prime Minister is fighting against the aristocratic families. He can't stand the way these aristocratic officials behave." Shang Junlin thought of some past events and couldn't help but suppress a laugh.

"The Prime Minister's family background should be quite high, right?"

"Yes, it is. In the beginning, his relationship with the aristocratic officials wasn't so bad. Otherwise, he wouldn't have entered the cabinet so easily. After becoming Prime Minister, he had to clean up the mess caused by the aristocratic officials every few days. Over time, the relationship between the two sides became increasingly tense." Shang Junlin was naturally delighted by this turn of events.

The Prime Minister was listening attentively to the play. He wasn't planning to come, even on his day off. He had many things to deal with, but Jiang Huaiqing suggested that he should take a break from his busy schedule. After thinking about the countless days and nights he had spent working on public affairs, he felt that he should take a break.

So he brought the three of them to listen to "The Return of Spring."

He often went in and out of the palace, so he knew exactly what the true purpose of this play was. He brought the three people out to test their political sensitivity.

During the intermission, he poured himself a cup of tea and asked, "Do you have any thoughts so far?"

"This play is alluding to the situation in Subei. The embezzlement of disaster relief supplies coincides with the current discussions about donations from the court. Through watching the play, the people now understand the meaning of donations. When the court officially announces this policy, it will not be subject to baseless suspicion."

Not just in the capital, other places have been performing this play lately, and because the play itself is attractive enough, more and more people are watching it.

The Prime Minister nodded in approval.

Finally, he secretly planned how to quickly train the three of them. If there was one more person to share the burden, it would be a little lighter for him.

During the intermission, the people below were discussing.

"The corrupt officials are outrageous. There are so many soldiers and people waiting for food and life-saving supplies on the border, yet they have embezzled these supplies and money."

"Yes, with my violent temper, I would love to go up there and smash his head."

"Li Niang and her team have started preparing food supplies. I hope they can catch up, otherwise, if the enemy invades, the soldiers on the border won't even have anything to eat. How can we protect our country?"

"That's why corrupt officials have no conscience. Even if they have so much money, what use is it if the enemy comes in?"

"Speaking of Li Niang, if she can prepare supplies for Subei, can't we do something for Subei too? It's been a drought in Subei, and Fang Daren was tasked with disaster relief, but he encountered bandits. We don't know how things are going over there. Can't we do something for Subei?"

"If we can deliver the supplies to Subei smoothly, I am willing to donate half of my household's food!"

"Beyond Subei is the Beimo. The Beimo has been eyeing us warily for a long time. If it weren't for the Emperor's defeat of them in the past, they wouldn't have backed off so easily. It's only been a few years since our Great Huan has been stable. If something happens in Subei, the Beimo will surely return with a vengeance."

"We can't let Beimo have a chance to invade the south!"

"Just as Li Niang said, defending our country and protecting our homes is everyone's responsibility, and if we all contribute a little, we can make a difference! Even though we may have limited abilities, what if we have a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand people? We can still have an impact!"

"You're right. Does anyone know someone in the government? Can we express our opinions to the court?"

The discussion below became more and more heated, and Shen Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He had already achieved half of his goal.

"Was this why you staged the play in the first place, Ah Yu?" Shang Junlin also heard the discussion and a complex expression flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, please watch. I don't want the court to issue orders. I want the people to fight for their own opportunities."

"I am fortunate to have Ah Yu's help." Shang Junlin embraced Shen Yu and planted a light kiss on his cheek.