"Why do you say so, Your Majesty?" Shen Yu was puzzled.
Shang Junlin said in a low and magnetic voice, "It's not because of some illusory fate. It's just because of A Yu. If you can get A Yu's help, you will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"I'm not as magical as Your Majesty says." Shen Yu smiled.
Shang Junlin stood up straight and picked up Shen Yu. "A Yu, don't belittle yourself. Who do you think should be sent to the Northern Desert?"
Since they were going to do something in the Northern Desert, the other party would definitely not act according to their plan. They had to send someone who could play a role to stir up disputes, lead disputes, and firmly control the leading power in their own hands.
Shen Yu went through the information of the officials in the imperial court in his mind. After more than a year, his understanding of the imperial court had deepened. Because he occasionally helped Shang Junlin approve memorials, he knew a lot about the officials in the imperial court.
"I think the person I choose may be a bit risky. Do you have a suitable person in mind, Your Majesty?" Shen Yu sat on a chair beside him.
"Fang Jun is very suitable. But the matter in Subei is too well-known in the Northern Desert. Now that he has entered the Cabinet, it's not appropriate for him to do this kind of thing. It's better to choose someone who is not well-known in the imperial court. It's easier to disguise." Shang Junlin also sat down.
Shen Yu nodded. The more obscure the person was, the less likely it would arouse the vigilance of the Northern Desert.
Shen Yu: "Your Majesty, what do you think of Jiang Huaiqing?"
Shang Junlin: "I just sent him to take over Lin Yuan. If he enters the Northern Desert, won't it arouse the suspicion of the Northern Desert people?"
Shen Yu: "Of course not in the identity of Jiang Huaiqing. Your Majesty, have you forgotten that he and He Chengyu went deep into the Northern Desert in disguise?"
Shang Junlin: "A Yu wants Jiang Huaiqing to go to the Northern Desert with a new identity?"
This matter seemed insignificant, but it had a huge impact. If they did it well, they would be able to make the greatest contribution in the shortest amount of time. If they didn't do it well, they might even lose their lives and implicate Da Huan. Thus, they had to be very careful when choosing the people to carry out the mission.
"Lin Yuan has already been incorporated into the Great Huan Empire's territory. Your Majesty needs to send an official to take over as soon as possible. Your Majesty can first find someone to test if Jiang Huaiqing is up to the task."
Shen Yu said this not because of his friendship with Jiang Huaiqing. In his previous life, Jiang Huaiqing worked under him, so he knew his ability. Although Jiang Huaiqing in this life was younger than in his previous life, his intelligence was not inferior. Looking at the entire imperial court, there was no other person more suitable than Jiang Huaiqing.
Fang Jun, as Shang Junlin said, was indeed suitable, but that was before the trip to Subei. After the incident in Subei, the Northern Desert people would only hate Fang Jun to the bone. If they sent Fang Jun, according to his style of doing things, the risk of being exposed was too high.
Jiang Huaiqing was different. When he first entered the imperial court, if he was not in the Hanlin Academy, he was working under the Prime Minister. Later, when he came to Subei, he also disguised his identity and went deep into the Northern Desert people's inner circle with He Chengyu. He did not really do anything with the identity of "Jiang Huaiqing". No matter how the Northern Desert people investigated, they could not find him based on these bits and pieces. As long as he was careful enough, the risk of being exposed was not high.
Shang Junlin seriously considered Shen Yu's suggestion. That night, he summoned the Prime Minister and Fang Jun to the imperial study to discuss. Jiang Huaiqing worked under the Prime Minister for a while, so the Prime Minister knew him well. After listening to Shang Junlin's words, the Prime Minister pondered for a moment.
"I think that this plan is feasible. Jiang Huaiqing is reliable. He looks like he is not scheming, but in fact, he does everything well. What you said is very reasonable. His biggest advantage is that he does not have to worry about being recognized by the Northern Desert people because of his style of doing things. This will greatly increase the success rate of his plan."
Fang Jun and Jiang Huaiqing had worked together for a while. He Chengyu believed that in time, these two young people would definitely become the new pillars of Da Huan. Although it was dangerous to go to the Northern Desert, risks were often accompanied by opportunities. This was a very good opportunity for Jiang Huaiqing.
Fang Jun also agreed to let Jiang Huaiqing do this.
The three of them discussed until late at night and finally decided on a preliminary plan. The next morning, the Hidden Dragon Guards brought the secret order to Subei.
Shang Junlin did not publicize this matter. The more people who knew about it, the more danger Jiang Huaiqing would be in. Other than the Prime Minister and Fang Jun, no one else in the imperial court knew about Shang Junlin's plan.
Since Jiang Huaiqing was going to the Northern Desert, the management of Lin Yuan was vacant. During the morning assembly, Shang Junlin brought up this matter for discussion.
Lin Yuan would become the place where Da Huan specialized in rearing war horses. Shang Junlin placed great importance on this. The imperial court officials knew that Shang Junlin had always placed great importance on matters related to the military, so they did not dare to be careless.
In the end, an official who was reliable and had done research in this area was chosen to go to Lin Yuan. There were two assistant officials accompanying him.
After settling the matters in Lin Yuan, they could start rearing war horses.
After settling these matters, there were less than seven days left before the New Year. Shang Junlin announced that he would stop writing and all the unimportant matters in the imperial court were suspended. The officials who had been busy for a year finally had a short break.
During this time in the past, Shang Junlin did not need to deal with official matters. There was no one in the palace that he cared about, so he would stay outside the palace alone for a few days. After Shen Yu entered the palace, for some reason, Shang Junlin did not leave Shen Yu alone in the palace. Instead, Shang Junlin spent the entire New Year with Shen Yu.
If this was the case in the first year, it would not change this year.
After the morning assembly was no longer needed, Shang Junlin simply sent all the matters to Yuzhang Palace. If it was not for Shen Yu's refusal, he would even choose to meet the officials in Yuzhang Palace.
Even though there was no need to attend the morning assembly, Da Huan was such a big country that it was impossible for Shang Junlin to just sit back and do nothing. Some of the important matters that required Shang Junlin's approval still had to be dealt with.
As Shang Junlin spent more time in Yuzhang Palace, he spent more time with Shen Yu. When Shen Yu woke up in the morning, he was no longer the only one in bed.
Sometimes, when it was late, Shang Junlin would hug Shen Yu until he woke up. Sometimes, when Shen Yu did not allow it, Shang Junlin would wake up early the next morning to practice his swordsmanship.
This morning, Shen Yu suddenly woke up. There was no familiar warmth beside him. He touched the bed and the place where he should have been lying was cold.
His sleepiness was mostly gone. Shen Yu propped himself up and sat up. His black hair fell over his shoulders. His inner clothes slid open with his movements, revealing his porcelain white skin. His snow-like skin was covered with red plum blossoms.
The Ancient Seal had not disappeared, but new marks were added.
A chill seeped into his collar. Shen Yu gathered his clothes and called out, "Mu Xi."
Hearing the commotion, Mu Xi hurried in, "Why are you awake so early today?"
"Bring me my clothes. I can't sleep. Where is His Majesty?"
Mu Xi brought the clothes over and Shen Yu put them on one by one.
"His Majesty is practicing his swordsmanship in the courtyard. Do you want to take a look?"
Shen Yu's interest was piqued.
He had been in the palace for so long. When he woke up in the morning, Shang Junlin was already busy for half a day. How could he have the chance to see him practice in the morning?
Shen Yu put on a fox fur cloak and went to the courtyard.
It was snowing outside. Mu Xi wanted to hold an umbrella for Shen Yu, but Shen Yu refused. He took the umbrella and walked to the courtyard alone.
In the middle of the courtyard, a man dressed in black was holding a long sword. As he moved, the sound of the sword rang out.
Shen Yu held the umbrella and stood at a place where he could see clearly but would not disturb the man. He watched quietly.
It was the first time he saw Shang Junlin in such a state.
His hair was tied up high and the black cloak wrapped around the man's muscular body. His aura was sharp and his eyes were filled with determination.
The man's movements were swift and fierce. His every move carried an irresistible momentum. In the vast expanse of white snow, only the man could catch Shen Yu's attention.
Shen Yu did not disturb him. The man kept his sword and walked towards Shen Yu.
"Why did A Yu come out?" Shang Junlin walked to Shen Yu and helped him fix the collar of his fox fur cloak.
Shen Yu stretched his arm forward and covered the top of the man's head, "I heard from Mu Xi that His Majesty is practicing his swordsmanship, so I came out to take a look."
The hand holding the umbrella was exposed and was frozen red. Shang Junlin frowned and wanted to put the hand in his arms to warm it up. However, when he saw the snow on his body, he gave up the idea.
He reached out and took Shen Yu's umbrella, "I'll hold it."
Shen Yu's hand was a little frozen. When he heard this, he let go of his hand and hugged the hot water woman in his arms.
Shang Junlin held the umbrella handle and firmly fixed the umbrella above their heads.
"Isn't His Majesty cold?" Shen Yu looked at the man in thin clothes and asked.
Shang Junlin shook his head, "I'm used to it."
"His Majesty is still the best. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to stand it." Shen Yu looked at Shang Junlin and then looked at himself, who was wrapped up like a ball. The two of them seemed to be in different seasons.
Eunuch Meng brought the cloak over. Shang Junlin was holding the umbrella, so it was inconvenient for him to move. Shen Yu took the cloak and measured it on Shang Junlin's shoulder.
Hmm …
Shang Junlin was too tall, so it was inconvenient for him to move. Shen Yu patted his shoulder, "His Majesty, squat down a little."
Shang Junlin squatted down slightly. Shen Yu put the cloak on him and carefully tied the collar, "His Majesty, it's better for you to take a hot bath to prevent the cold from entering your body."
"Hmm."
Eunuch Meng received the order and hurriedly asked someone to prepare hot water.
Shen Yu knew that Shang Junlin practiced swordsmanship every day. However, this was the first time he saw it with his own eyes. Eunuch Meng took the sword away. Shen Yu only glanced at it briefly.
It was a long sword that was completely black. The blade was cold and the hilt was engraved with patterns. Unfortunately, it was too fast, so Shen Yu didn't see what was engraved.
When the two of them arrived at the bedchamber, the hot water was already prepared. Shang Junlin had a lot of snow on his body. After entering the room, Shen Yu untied his cloak and took the umbrella from his hand, "His Majesty, go take a bath."
Seeing that Shang Junlin was soaking in the hot water, Shen Yu asked Mu Xi to boil a bowl of ginger water.
Shang Junlin changed into clean clothes and came out. Mu Xi also came in with the ginger water.
"His Majesty, drink it quickly."
"I don't need this."
In the end, Shang Junlin couldn't resist Shen Yu and drank the entire bowl.
"Your Majesty should also take care of your body. Otherwise, I will be worried." Shen Yu put the empty bowl aside and walked behind Shang Junlin to dry his hair.
He rarely did this kind of thing, so it wasn't very smooth. After a long time, he finally dried Shang Junlin's hair until it was half dry.
Shang Junlin grabbed Shen Yu's arm and pulled him into his arms, "A Yu, why are you so virtuous today?"
Shen Yu's long black hair slid down his shoulders and fell on Shen Yu's clothes. It then went down and intertwined with his hair.
Shen Yu looked up at him. His eyes were shining, "His Majesty doesn't like it?"
"Of course, I like it."
The distance between the two of them was getting closer and closer. Shen Yu slowly closed his eyes.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Eunuch Meng's slightly anxious voice sounded from outside the door, "Your Majesty, the imperial army found a large number of suspicious people outside the capital. The purpose of these people is unknown. Your Majesty, please make a decision!"
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