Subei is a collective term for several cities in the north of Dahuan. Early on, Shang Junlin left some people in Subei after fighting there. Later, he returned to the capital, and although he shifted his focus, he did not completely let go of Subei. Officials such as Xun Chao were also arranged by him to be stationed in Subei.

"What exactly happened?" Shang Junlin did not receive any news of the severe drought in Subei while in the capital. Otherwise, he would not be so calm and still in the palace.

"Muxi, please serve Master Xun with a pot of tea first." Shen Yu saw that Xun Chao was dusty and clearly rushed back all the way.

Xun Chao was indeed thirsty. Muxi brought him tea, and he drank it directly without declining, slowly explaining what happened in Subei.

Three months ago, there was already little rain in Subei, but at that time, there was still occasional rain. Subei has always been like this, so Xun Chao did not take it too seriously. However, a month ago, Subei began to experience continuous sunny days, and in a month, not a drop of rain fell. Crops could not withstand the drought and died one after another. The people of Subei lacked food. Xun Chao had no choice but to move some military supplies to help the people and submitted a memorial to the court, hoping to get some assistance.

Subei is an important pass in the north of Dahuan. Without the Subei army stationed there all year round, it would be easy for nomadic tribes to invade Dahuan. However, Subei's living environment is very harsh, with scarce rainfall and perennial drought. If it were not for the Subei army stationed there, and the court allocated some supplies every year, ordinary people would find it difficult to survive.

"I did not receive your memorial." Shang Junlin's voice turned cold.

No one knows where the memorial requesting disaster relief is now.

"I also guessed that the memorial may not have been delivered, so I rushed back here on horseback. I voluntarily accept punishment for returning to the capital without orders!" Xun Chao had been with Shang Junlin since before he ascended the throne, so he naturally knew that Shang Junlin could not ignore Subei. He waited for so many days and did not receive a reply from the court. There was only one possibility.

-His memorial did not reach Shang Junlin.

"In an emergency, one must resort to expedients. I will arrange for someone to go to Subei. You can rest for now." Shang Junlin knocked on the stone table.

These are his actions when he's thinking.

Xun Chaolai1 had already prepared himself for being questioned before he came. His confidants had advised him repeatedly not to take the risk, and if his memorial reached the emperor's hands without any response from the court, he would only have a one-way ticket.

Of course, Xun Chao knew that he could afford to wait, but Subei couldn't afford to wait. The Subei army and people couldn't afford to wait.

He took out the memorial that he had been carrying with him all along: "I have written all the information about Subei's disaster in this memorial."

Meng Gonggong took the memorial and presented it to Shang Junlin.

"I understand, Meng Chang, take Master Xun to the West Courtyard. Don't spread the word about what happened today."

"I will obey."

"How do you see this, Your Majesty?" In his past life, Shen Yu wasn't in the capital at this time and had a serious illness. He knew very little about what happened that summer. As for the book he saw after his death, it was all written from the perspective of Shen Qingran, and the description of this period was only about being bullied in the palace.

"Xun Chao wouldn't deceive people with this kind of thing. Not only him, but I haven't received any memorials from any other officials in Subei. It seems that there is a big problem within Subei."

"If there is a problem with the officials within Subei, this matter is not just about disaster relief."

"I will have the Hidden Dragon Guards investigate. We will decide after they come back with more information."

Shang Junlin opened the memorial, and the more he read, the tighter his brows furrowed.

The disaster in Subei was more severe than he had imagined.

People were dying of hunger and resorting to cannibalism... Every detail was heart-wrenching.

While Shang Junlin was reading, he held Shen Yu in his arms, and Shen Yu happened to see the description in the memorial. Xun Chaolai didn't inject too much emotion into the memorial and tried to keep it straightforward. He only leaked a hint of emotion when he couldn't control himself.

It was precisely this emotion, which was suppressed to the extreme, that could touch people's hearts.

"Your Majesty, let's first arrange for disaster relief." Otherwise, before the enemy attacked, Subei would self-destruct.

Shang Junlin had already made his decision in his heart.

He rested his head on Shen Yu's shoulder and rubbed his face against him, saying, "I was planning to have some fun with you here for a few more days..."

After such an incident, they had to return to the capital immediately. After all, there were many inconveniences in this temporary place they lived in.

"As long as I'm with Your Majesty, it doesn't matter where we are," Shen Yu replied, rubbing against him.

That night, Shang Junlin ordered an early return to the capital, and the ministers also learned about the situation in Subei. They packed up their belongings as quickly as possible.

The next morning, the imposing procession accelerated its pace and returned to the capital.

Sitting in the carriage, Shen Yu lifted the curtain and looked outside. They had only stayed in the palace for twenty days, and now that they were going back, the capital was still very hot.

As they descended from the mountain, the temperature gradually increased. Shen Yu changed into a thinner shirt and placed a small basin of ice in the carriage, but still felt very hot.

Early August was one of the hottest periods in the capital.

Originally, they were supposed to stay in the palace until late August and return when the capital was less hot. However, plans had changed due to the incident in Subei, and they had to return to the capital early.

The ministers dared not complain. They all knew the importance of Subei and, compared to temporary pleasures, they naturally preferred long-term stability.

They did not want to experience the turbulent situation during the reign of the former emperor again.

The capital had received the news early, and the Ministry of Revenue had prepared relief materials according to Shang Junlin's orders. By the time the army returned to the capital, the Ministry of Revenue had already taken care of everything.

Although the Minister of Revenue was very stingy when it came to giving money to the Ministry of Works, when it came to relief work, they would spare no expense.

Shang Junlin summoned the courtiers for a meeting, and Shen Yu returned to the Yu Zhang Palace.

Even though the master was not there, everything in the Yu Zhang Palace remained the same as before. Shen Yu looked at the several pots of thriving flowers and sat by the window.

Did the same thing happen in his previous life? How was it resolved in the end? The book only briefly mentioned Shen Qingran's life in the palace, so Shen Yu could only recall his memories of his previous life over and over again.

After recovering from a serious illness in September, it was said that the tyrant had killed many ministers again, causing his reputation among the people to fall even further. As for before that, memories seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog, making it difficult to see clearly.

"Master, would you like to try the new dessert made by the kitchen?" Mu Xi's words brought Shen Yu's thoughts back. Shen Yu turned his head and looked at the colorful glass bowl that Mu Xi was holding. "What is it?"

"I heard it was inspired by Miss Shen Yue. They made it with fresh fruits and small ice cubes. Knowing that you like sweet things, they added honey to it."

Shen Yu was curious about the dessert made from ice cubes. "Bring it over for me to see."

The bowl was only the size of a palm, and as he approached, Shen Yu noticed that it was transparent, just with a deep color that was hard to see from afar.

"This bowl..." Shen Yu picked up the bowl and felt the chill on his fingertips.

The bowl was filled with crushed ice and various kinds of fruits cut into small pieces. With water droplets still falling, the fruits were brightly colored and appetizing.

"This glass bowl is a new finished product. It is said to be made according to the recipe given by Miss Shen Yue. The servants heard that Miss Shen Yue has a whole set of transparent, colorless glassware, but the shapes are all very strange."

It must be the glass that Shen Yue had mentioned before.

Shen Yu took a spoonful of fruit and put it in his mouth. It was refreshing and delicious, and the fruit's flavor was not diminished by the cold sensation. On the contrary, it had a unique taste.

Moreover, the icy sensation was very comfortable to eat.

"Being able to eat such snacks in summer is indeed a kind of enjoyment. You should ask the kitchen to make more. I will send some to the Emperor later." Unconsciously, Shen Yu had finished a whole bowl, feeling a bit unsatisfied. However, he knew that his body wouldn't allow him to eat more.

"Okay."

After drinking some iced beverage, Shen Yu felt less restless than before. He took a piece of paper and a pen and started drawing aimlessly.

Shen Yu was skilled in the four arts - qin (zither), qi (chess), shu (calligraphy), and hua (painting). In his previous life, he had learned everything he could to help the King of Yue better. In this life, even though the Marquis of Zhenbei didn't care about him, Shen Yu still learned from a teacher all the things that were expected of a nobleman's son. This was because it concerned the Marquis of Zhenbei's reputation. Even if his aunt didn't want him to, she couldn't go against the Marquis's decision.

Later, in order to win over a reclusive scholar, Shen Yu worked hard and learned everything to the extreme. Even in this life, the things he had learned in his previous life were deeply imprinted in his mind.

Birds were chirping outside the window while a young man in blue sat by the window, concentrating on his painting.

The table was covered with paper filled with peach blossoms. Although they seemed to be scattered without any order, they exuded a strong sense of spring when carefully observed.

"When did Your Majesty come here?" Shen Yu put down his brush and saw Shang Junlin standing next to the table. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I saw that you were drawing seriously. Ah Yu's peach blossom painting is beautiful." The ink was still wet, so Shang Junlin could only admire it from a flat angle.

"I just drew some casually." Shen Yu rubbed his wrist and stood up, looking at the sky. He had been drawing for almost an hour.

Shang Junlin came over to massage Shen Yu's wrist. He was quite good at this.

"The kitchen made a new snack today, and it tasted very good. Would you like to try it?" Shen Yu asked Mu Xi to bring some over from the kitchen.

Shang Junlin didn't have a strong appetite. After Shen Yu entered the palace, he tasted many fresh foods with him and knew how good Shen Yu's taste was. Anything that received his praise must be delicious.

Mu Xi brought over two glass bowls, one large and one small. Shen Yu looked at the large bowl placed in front of Shang Junlin and the small bowl in front of himself and raised an eyebrow. "Mu Xi, is it fair to favor Your Majesty so blatantly like this?"

"Master, please don't joke around with this servant. Doctor Gu said that you should avoid eating excessively cold foods." A small bowl is already the limit.

Although Shang Junlin dotes on him, when it comes to Shen Yu's health, he sticks to principles more than anyone else.

Shen Yu sees that there's no hope for a larger bowl and focuses on eating from his own bowl.

Shang Junlin finds it amusing, watching him the whole time.

"Why has Your Majesty been watching me this whole time?" Shen Yu looks up and sees that Shang Junlin hasn't eaten much of the fruit in his own bowl, sighing inwardly that he could have given it to him instead.

Shang Junlin leisurely feeds him a piece of fresh and tender fruit, never taking his eyes off Shen Yu.

The man's gaze is scorching, as if he's not eating fruit, but something else delicious.

His eyes wander over his face, lingering particularly long at his lips. Shen Yu feels uneasy under his intense gaze, and the coldness in his mouth does nothing to relieve the hot desire that keeps rising in him.

Shen Yu's bowl is already empty, and he feels increasingly uneasy under Shang Junlin's intense gaze, getting up to leave.

Suddenly, a force pulls him back by the wrist, and before he can react, the man holding him has already lowered his head to kiss him.

Something cold is put into his mouth.

"Ah Yu, is it delicious?"

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Author's note:

Your Majesty, if Ah Yu wants to eat, you must satisfy him. As for how to satisfy him...