Even if Zhao Wulang had a thousand words of "Your Majesty, I'm innocent" in his heart, he didn't have the chance to say it.
Shi Qing put on an appearance as if he couldn't speak because the effects of his medicine had kicked in. He closed his eyes, pretending to be helpless, humming and pouting.
He just refused to listen.
If Zhao Wulang wasn't detained, he'd get angry.
Emperor Yuchen was not a tyrant. How could he imprison an aristocrat just because he liked someone, especially when he could see that this young man, despite his delicate complaints and acting as an adversary, didn't really harbor any ill will towards Zhao Wulang in his daily life?
But he did want to detain Zhao Wulang for a few days, just as a formality.
If Shi Qing were genuinely angry, given his temper, he wouldn't have waited for someone else to intervene; he would have taken matters into his own hands.
So he merely had Zhao Wulang moved to a comfortable place to stay for a few days. Good food and drink were provided; how could that be considered imprisonment?
After swiftly resolving Zhao Wulang's situation, the new emperor immediately took Shi Qing back to the palace.
Fortunately, even though he had come out discreetly, bringing only a few guards and using an ordinary carriage, the interior of the carriage was lavishly decorated.
The space was large, soft blankets were spread everywhere, and the ride was smooth enough to keep the slightly drugged young man comfortably nestled inside.
The guards outside the carriage kept a respectful distance, ready to protect His Majesty at any moment, yet not close enough to overhear their conversations.
Only Emperor Yuchen's trusted aide was driving the carriage from the front. Although he was closer, due to the carriage's size, he could only vaguely hear some of the conversations inside.
First, there was the soft, soothing voice of His Majesty, as if he were gently consoling, "Be good, endure it for a while, and when we return to the palace, I'll have the royal physician check on you, and you'll be fine."
Then came the soft, sweet, and tender, elongated tones resembling a spoiled kitten, mixed with a touch of dissatisfaction.
Afterward, His Majesty's voice suddenly rose, tinged with restraint and panic, "Shi Qing! You need to wake up!"
"If you do this, you'll regret it when you wake up."
The dissatisfied murmurs grew more pronounced.
The emotionless driver's ears perked up.
His sharp hearing allowed him to clearly hear the sound of fabric being torn.
At first, he thought it was His Majesty losing control.
Until he heard His Majesty's restrained voice, as if he were about to explode, "Shi Qing, release your grip..."
Rip!
Then came a sound as if someone had been tackled to the ground. It was probably His Majesty, as he emitted a muffled groan.
At this moment, he was attempting to salvage the situation, "Shi Qing, please wake up. Be good."
For a long time afterward, there was only a prolonged, soft, spoiled cooing sound from inside.
The voices were too low, and the interruptions made it difficult to discern, but he could faintly make out the soft, affectionate, and entangled sounds, occasionally interspersed with the tearing of fabric.
Then, this soft voice was silenced.
When it resurfaced, it carried a hint of sobbing from not having breathed for so long.
His Majesty's voice didn't improve much, and just from his tone, it was evident that he was about to explode.
But he remained resolute in his restraint. "Don't make a scene. I don't want to frighten you. Wait for the physician... Ugh!"
Inside, it fell silent for a long time.
Then, the middle partition of the carriage seemed to have been closed.
Imperial carriages had perfect sound insulation.
Now, even if he had exceptionally keen ears, he couldn't hear anything at all.
He intentionally slowed down the carriage, making it move slower than a person on foot, even though they were only half an hour away from their destination. When they finally arrived, he solemnly jumped down from the carriage and didn't bother knocking on the door to announce their arrival. Instead, he respectfully stood to the side.
As the leader, he had to be the one to disembark; the remaining royal guards wouldn't dare to go ahead without him.
Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded at the palace gates.
A carriage stood still, and outside, a group of guards stood with solemn expressions, waiting for something.
Fortunately, there was an additional gate at the palace entrance, and it wasn't the time for the imperial court to convene, so they were spared the curiosity of onlookers.
The guards patiently waited.
It took more than an hour before the curtain was finally lifted.
Then, from inside, came the slightly hoarse but satisfied voice of the current emperor, "Enter the palace directly."
"Yes."
The chief of the guards, dedicated and professional, took his seat at the front of the carriage again and drove it into the palace.
Inside the carriage, Emperor Yuchen hugged the slightly dazed young man to his chest, kissing his hair gently.
"Are you tired?"
"Mm..."
After experiencing the haze of physical exertion, the young man's eyes fluttered, but he obediently nestled in the man's arms. His voice was soft, as if it could drip like water.
"Have you... detained Zhao Wulang?"
"He's detained."
Emperor Yuchen continued to pat the young man's back gently and whispered, "He's already in the prison."
The young master was pleased. Even though he was exhausted, he still smiled happily. He rubbed his face against Emperor Yuchen's clothes affectionately.
Then, he rubbed against a torn piece of fabric.
Emperor Yuchen had tried to control himself earlier, but because he had irritated the already frustrated Shi Qing, he had resorted to tearing the clothes apart.
Now that Shi Qing was content, he was willing to apologize. His expression remained dazed, but his chin was raised skillfully and with restraint.
"Where did you get this outfit? It doesn't tear at all."
Yes, that was the young master's way of apologizing.
Emperor Yuchen didn't find it inappropriate at all. He continued to whisper gently, "It's because the fabric isn't good. You don't like it, so I won't wear this kind in the future."
After all, when making clothes in the palace, the primary consideration was whether His Majesty would be comfortable wearing them. The thinner and cooler the fabric, the better. Moreover, when they were making these clothes, no one had ever imagined that someone would dare to violently tear the Emperor's clothes.
Shi Qing rubbed his face against him, his voice tender and coquettish, as sweet as could be.
"I like it. Make a few sets for me, and next time, it'll be your turn to tear them."
Emperor Yuchen's hand, which was patting the young master's back, froze.
Almost instantly, the scene from earlier in the carriage replayed in his mind. But this time, the roles were reversed, and he was the one tearing the fabric.
Fortunately, even though it was hot and they had engaged in physical labor just now, Yuchen didn't have a nosebleed from his wild imagination this time.
Meanwhile, the young master, who had previously wandered through the brothels without touching any of the women, was still enjoying himself:
"I want silk clothing. Does the palace have silk clothing?"
Yuchen's brain had completely stopped working.
It wasn't until the young master moved and made some coquettish noises, "Why did you stop? Keep patting."
"I also want a fan; it's so hot."
Yuchen quickly soothed him with one hand while picking up a feather fan from the side to cool Shi Qing down.
The young master, now comfortably attended to, was carried out of the carriage by the current emperor, who was being cautious.
Fortunately, there were spare clothes in the carriage; otherwise, it would have been troublesome to go out like this.
Shi Qing lay on the bed, tired and wanting to sleep, but his brain was too excited, and he couldn't fall asleep. He rolled around on the soft, large bed.
Yuchen was sent to peel shrimp outside the curtain.
The young master wanted to eat the shrimp that the current emperor personally peeled, with vinegar, and he wanted to eat almost half a bowl in one go.
So Yuchen could only sit outside, behind the curtain, faintly watching the young master, who was possibly feeling unwell, rolling on the bed.
He was filled with sympathy. Even though Shi Qing always had a flowery mouth, he was indeed experiencing this for the first time, and he was at the receiving end, so he must be enduring some discomfort.
The medicine they sent for hadn't arrived yet, so Yuchen could only speed up his shrimp-peeling pace, feeling concerned.
Inside the curtain, Shi Qing, who was rolling around excitedly, was frantically poking the system:
"System! System! Tell me, what kind of personality does Yuchen have?"
The system had popped up once before but was scared away by the mosaic that covered its entire vision.
Now that it heard the host call, it cautiously reappeared.
It first looked around to make sure there were no mosaics before responding, "The system doesn't know. The system hasn't heard, hasn't seen."
"Tsk, I knew you wouldn't tell me."
Seeing Shi Qing's solemn expression, the system was curious and asked, "What kind of personality is he?"
Shi Qing, hugging the soft bedding, rolled back and forth on the bed.
"Big."
Shi Qing: "Hehehehe."
System: "What?"
Shi Qing: "He works hard."
System: "Isn't Yuchen the Emperor? How can he work..."
Shi Qing: "Yes, he works."
System: "???"
System: "..."
Shi Qing: "I've noticed something. It seems that with each new world, his work capacity seems to increase. Is there some magical principle behind this?"
He was quite looking forward to it. "Does this mean that in the next world, he'll be even stronger?"
System: "..."
System: "...In theory, this should remain constant. Is it possible that it's due to something on your side?"
Shi Qing thought about it. After all, in the previous two worlds, he couldn't be considered a normal person.
Currently, only this world had genuinely normal humans.
Knowing that Yuchen wouldn't become stronger over time, the young master didn't feel disheartened.
"In that case, I'll enjoy myself while I can. I'll experience 100% happiness now, and then it'll be 100 plus 100 plus 100, and so on, adding up to so much happiness, right?"
The system was baffled.
It replied in a daze, "That should be the case..."
So, just as he was about to eat his fill and go to sleep, the young master, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly threw off the covers, pulled the curtain open with determination, and arrogantly shouted at the man outside who was diligently peeling shrimp:
"Yuchen, Yuchen, come over here."
The obedient emperor stood up and washed his hands at the bedside before sitting down next to the young man, gently touching his face. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
He felt sorry for him and said, "Just endure a little longer; the medicine will be here soon."
Before he could finish his sentence, the young master's fair hand grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the bed.
Yuchen hadn't reacted yet, considering how tired Shi Qing had been before.
And then...
Rip!
His clothes were torn again.
The palace maid who had been sent to fetch the medicine arrived and announced from outside, "Your Majesty, I've brought the medicine."
From inside, the Emperor's voice, still somewhat breathless, replied, "I'll call for you later; wait in the front for now."
This wait lasted for two hours.
When the medicine was finally brought in, Yuchen had originally intended to apply it to the young master. However, for some reason, as he applied it, Shi Qing pushed him down again.
All his worries about Shi Qing waking up and hating him, disliking him, or thinking that he was taking advantage of his situation were thrown into the lotus pond.
As it turned out, a young master who had a reputation for philandering but had never been intimate with anyone before was becoming more and more interested in the physical side of their relationship.
On this day, the two of them spent almost the entire day entwined with each other.
On the second day, after returning from court, Yuchen was enthusiastically greeted by the young master, who was excitedly holding a silk robe.
On the third day, as soon as he finished his official duties, he was dragged into the hot springs.
On the fourth day, while searching for books in the palace, the young master found some old books from the previous dynasty that detailed how the previous emperors had spent their nights with the three thousand beauties of the harem in various ways.
He declared that he and Yuchen must try them all.
The two of them were inseparable every day, yet it didn't affect Yuchen's ability to handle state affairs. Instead, he became more energetic with each passing day.
After two weeks, the young master, who walked with his chin held high and a proud demeanor, finally remembered something.
He had forgotten about Zhao Wulang.
Yuchen had forgotten as well.
During this time, they had been completely immersed in their own world, dealing with political affairs every day and indulging in each other's company in the inner court, forgetting about the passerby.
Fortunately, Zhao Wulang had been living quite comfortably in prison. Although it was the emperor who had ordered his imprisonment, no one was allowed to visit him, and his family thought he had offended the current emperor in some way.
Yuchen's character had been fully displayed when he first ascended the throne. He was known for holding grudges.
Even if they wanted to intercede for Zhao Wulang, they didn't dare, fearing that if they made a wrong move, his punishment would become even more severe.
This led to him being completely forgotten...
It was fortunate that Shi Qing had wanted to show off his newly acquired agate lion when he couldn't find anyone, and that's when he released Zhao Wulang.
The first thing Zhao Wulang did after being released was to proudly show off the agate lion. "Look, this was a gift from Fanya Country. They're the best at carving agate, and this lion is made from the finest agate, sculpted by the most skilled craftsman."
Zhao Wulang had been holding back his frustration from being imprisoned. When he saw an opportunity to criticize, he couldn't help himself. "It's just so-so."
But the young master didn't get angry. He had a good temper.
He was very patient.
He just smiled as he held his agate lion and said cheerfully, "You can say whatever you want. Although the Emperor and I have a good relationship, I definitely won't throw you back into prison just because you didn't praise my lion."
Zhao Wulang: "..."
It had to be said that even after so many battles of wits and battles of strength with Shi Qing, he still had to say this.
This guy was really annoying.
Shi Qing didn't think he was annoying at all. He just held his agate lion, looked at Zhao Wulang with anticipation, and asked, "To be honest, how is this lion?"
Zhao Wulang looked back at the large prison where he had been held for half a month.
He forced himself to smile and said, "It's excellent!!! Absolutely outstanding!!! I've never seen such exquisite agate craftsmanship. Look at the lion's smooth curves, its lifelike eyes, and its majestic presence."
"It's great!!! Absolutely fantastic!!! A rare treasure in the world!"
The young master patiently listened to him finish.
"Is that all?"
Zhao Wulang had already forced himself to use up all the overly praising words he could think of, so even if he were beaten with a whip, he couldn't come up with any more.
"That's all."
Shi Qing immediately revealed a disdainful expression on his exceptionally beautiful face and directly handed the agate lion to the attendant who was serving him. "Zhao Wulang's taste has always been bad. If he praises it, this lion must not be good. I don't want it anymore; you can take it back."
Zhao Wulang: "..."
He wanted to bite Shi Qing to death.
The young master saw through his thoughts and raised his chin triumphantly, "Look at that expression on your face. Do you want to hit me? I have the Emperor protecting me; do you dare?"
Zhao Wulang:... He really didn't dare.
So, with an expression of extreme annoyance, Shi Qing circled around Zhao Wulang a few times, who couldn't fight back or curse despite wanting to, and relished in the satisfaction of seeing his arch-nemesis wanting to hit him but not daring to. Only then did he walk away, content and self-satisfied.
Zhao Wulang:...
Having the Emperor's protection, what's so great about it!
Having the Emperor's protection is not a big deal!!!
Having the Emperor's protection... protection...
He hung his head, disheartened.
Having the Emperor's protection was truly extraordinary.
It seemed that in the future, his reputation as the second-most extravagant playboy in the capital was definitely not going to be shaken.
Shi Qing really managed to secure Zhao Wulang's position as the number one playboy. Because, after finding true love, and in order to match his true love (as seen by Prime Minister Shi and his wife), this young master, who had been devoted to relying on his family for his entire life, surprisingly began to study.
Perhaps it was natural talent, or maybe someone pulled strings for him from above, but in the end, he actually passed the imperial examination with flying colors and was appointed as the top scholar.
Afterward, he entered the government smoothly.
At first, some people questioned the authenticity of the young master's achievements. After all, although they didn't know what had transpired between Shi Qing and Emperor Yuchen, Shi Qing had previously been famous for being a playboy. Maybe his biological father, Prime Minister Shi, had pulled some strings for him.
Prime Minister Shi stated that he didn't use his influence to help Shi Qing. Although, upon hearing the news that his son had indeed passed the examination, he also began to suspect whether Shi Qing had received any special treatment.
In court, those from Prime Minister Shi's faction wouldn't criticize Shi Qing, and Prime Minister Shi's influence wasn't significant enough to dictate the opinions of everyone. As a result, for a long time, Shi Qing was transformed into the target of criticism.
People said he was the son who outshone his father, challenging his predecessors.
He criticized everyone who thought he was not good enough, especially when he disagreed with someone. The key was that Shi Qing, unlike his father Prime Minister Shi, didn't directly insult others. Instead, he liked to quote obscure poems and thoroughly dissect his opponents from head to toe, leaving them utterly perplexed if they didn't have an extensive knowledge base.
It could be imagined that after some time had passed, no one in the court would doubt Shi Qing's literary talent.
Afterward, they began to gossip about how remarkable Prime Minister Shi was as a person, but his son, Shi Qing, didn't excel in anything except for criticism. Could this young master endure it? He must not!
During the day, Shi Qing didn't say much, but at night, he quietly entered the palace and spent the entire night whispering in the ear of the supreme boss, Emperor Yuchen.
The next day, the young master entered the Ministry of Revenue.
The Ministry of Revenue handled finances, and in the imperial court, no matter which department or agency it was, funds had to be allocated through the Ministry of Revenue to be disbursed.
Shi Qing didn't have many talents, but he knew how to play the game. He established a hunting ground specifically for playboys and the children of officials to enjoy, and the fees were like daylight robbery. But unfortunately, it was incredibly fun, and people came in droves, handing over their money.
With an influx of money, Shi Qing was promoted.
Then, he started something called a postal station.
To set up a postal station, a group of people argued fiercely about whether it was worth spending money on such a project. In the end, Emperor Yuchen firmly sided with Shi Qing and used his private treasury to establish the postal station.
Once the postal station was established, it charged based on the weight of the goods. Sending a letter only cost one wen for ordinary people.
On the surface, it seemed like a loss for the imperial court. But don't forget, the common people who wanted to send letters weren't just one person, and each time, the postal station sent goods along with the letters. With this system, both outgoing and incoming goods could be transported, and since the imperial postal station had official guards, bandits dared not rob it. Many merchants entrusted their goods to the postal station.
In the first year, they made a considerable fortune.
So, Shi Qing was promoted again.
By the time he became the Minister of Revenue, rumors about him had already spread in the common folk.
People called him "Golden Minister," meaning that he had exceptional methods of accumulating wealth. Since he joined the Ministry of Revenue, the national treasury had become considerably fuller.
At this point, the self-assured and sharp-tongued Minister Shi was someone in the imperial court that no one dared to provoke.
Fortunately, he didn't stir up trouble himself, except for occasionally slacking off during work.
Some people in the court were not pleased, but there was no use in their dissatisfaction because the Emperor favored him.
Shi Qing and Emperor Yuchen's relationship gradually became known to the public.
Perhaps because they didn't conceal their affectionate atmosphere or because the Emperor was still young and hadn't taken any concubines, or maybe it was because he had chosen a posthumous child from the imperial family who, unfortunately, lost his father while still in the womb and his mother in childbirth, and therefore had a deep attachment to Emperor Yuchen as the heir.
He didn't choose his older brothers from previous marriages. After all, they had bullied him in the past, so how could Emperor Yuchen select the son of his enemies as his heir to the throne?
As for Shi Qing, he continued to roam the streets and enjoy the pleasures of life. He ate this and that, although he didn't visit brothels anymore. Emperor Yuchen had grown more secure now, but he remained extremely jealous, vigilant against any potential rivals around Shi Qing.
When the two reached their forties, their relationship was no longer a secret in the capital.
At the age of forty-five, Shi Qing resigned from his official position. With Emperor Yuchen's approval, he was granted the title of Duke Le'an.
Shortly after, Emperor Yuchen became the first emperor in the country's history to hand over the throne to his crown prince while still alive.
With no more constraints on them, the two of them began to openly travel around, exploring mountains and enjoying the waters.
In history, there is no clear record of when these two individuals passed away or where their tombs were located. One thing is for sure, though; they were buried together.
Back in the mission space, the system was still excited:
【Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Please choose: 1. Continue the mission, 2. Rest.】
Shi Qing: 【1. Let's go!】
【Ding! Please prepare; you are about to jump to another world.】
Shi Qing opened his eyes, reviewing the memories in his mind. Ah, this time he's a school bully. Bullying people is his specialty!
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