Chapter 5

The group rode at full speed and arrived at Shangze, the capital of Yu State, five days later.

Yu Zhi went to Sheng State secretly, claiming to be ill and needing to rest for a while, leaving the government affairs to the Prime Minister. Only a few trusted ministers knew that he had gone to Sheng State.

After returning to the familiar place, the haze that had been lingering in Yu Zhi's heart for days dissipated a little.

Yu Zhi returned to the palace through the secret passage and stepped into the bedroom. A young eunuch hurried out from the inner room and greeted him with joy, his eyes full of tears: "Your Majesty, you are finally back!"

Yu Zhi couldn't help but laugh: "Lin Shan, as my personal eunuch, you should be more prudent. What kind of behavior is this?"

Lin Shan wiped away a tear and said, "Your Majesty, this is the first time you've gone on a long journey. I'm not with you, and there's no one to serve you. I'm worried that you won't be able to eat or sleep well, so I'm eagerly waiting for your return every day."

Yu Zhi's smile widened. Lin Shan was kindhearted and was the playmate chosen by his father himself. The two had been friends since childhood, and Yu Zhi never put on airs in front of Lin Shan.

He raised his hand and tapped his shoulder, complaining to Lin Shan, "I'm almost falling apart from the constant jostling in the carriage."

Lin Shan said quickly, "Let me give you a massage... No, let's call Doctor Zhang over and have him take your pulse and heal your body."

Yu Zhi nodded in agreement and walked into the inner room.

Lin Shan ordered the eunuch guarding the door to fetch the imperial physician, and returned to the inner chambers of the palace, where Yu Zhi was untying the jade belt around his waist. Lin Shan hurried forward and helped Yu Zhi take off his outer robe.

Yu Zhi asked him, "During the time I was away, did the Emperor send any news?"

Lin Shan immediately pulled out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Yu Zhi: "This is a letter from the Emperor."

Yu Zhi's eyes lit up and he quickly opened the envelope, and the beautiful handwriting came into view.

"Baby Xiaoyu, Daddy and your father are off to conquer the South China Sea! Hehe, I'm going to plant the flags of the Yu Kingdom on these uninhabited islands. Then they will become our ancient territory of Dayu. In two months, we will go back to see you and bring you some local specialties you haven't seen before."

A helpless smile appeared in Yu Zhi's eyes.

Xiaoyu was the nickname his father gave him. He had protested to his father many times, saying that he could call him by his nickname but was not allowed to call him baby.

But my father still does his own thing.

Yu Zhi had no choice but to pretend that he didn't hear those two words.

Yu Zhi didn't ask his father for help. His father was a wife-doting madman who obeyed his father in everything. It would be useless for him to ask.

He also heard the term "wife-doting maniac" from his father, who always used some new and strange words that others had never heard.

——Because my father is not from this era.

This is the secret of their family of three.

Yu Zhi continued to read.

"Alas, we should have come here in winter. It's too hot in the South China Sea right now. I really miss the air conditioner. Little fish baby, Daddy misses you too. Do you miss Daddy?"

Yu Zhi raised his eyebrows slightly. Why did the topic suddenly change from air conditioning to missing him?

But Yu Zhi has gotten used to it. His father has always been a playful person.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! We met a weird guy on the road. I asked him about the Bailing people's estrus just for fun, and he said—"

Yu Zhi's eyelids twitched, and he inexplicably had a bad premonition, and his gaze shifted downwards.

"Even Bailing people with congenital deficiencies can experience estrus. As long as they meet their destined person, they will be induced into estrus."

"That means if Little Fish meets her destined husband/wife in the future, she'll go into heat!"

Nonsense!

Yu Zhi's face darkened.

According to this, Luo Tingshi is still his destined person?

Absolutely not! He and that bastard should be enemies. This guy is really a liar.

Yu Zhi looked at the last line of words angrily.

"Xiaoyu, you have to be careful. It's hard to control yourself during estrus. Don't hurt others, and protect yourself. Don't let others bully you."

Seeing this, Yu Zhi felt a lump in his throat.

He has been bullied.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Did something happen to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?" Lin Shan helped Yu Zhi change his clothes. When he looked up, he saw the emperor's distraught look and was shocked.

Yu Zhi shook his head and said softly: "It's okay, I just miss them."

Hearing this, Lin Shan sighed in his heart.

At this time, a young eunuch bowed and came in, saying, "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Zhang wishes to see you."

Yu Zhi adjusted his mood and told the eunuch, "Call him in."

A moment later, Doctor Zhang hurried in carrying a medicine box. When he saw the emperor, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, you are finally back. Everyone has been asking me about your illness lately, and I've been making up stories all day long, and I've developed the skill of speaking nonsense."

Yu Zhi had been weak and sickly since childhood, and it was Doctor Zhang who had been helping him take care of his health. The two were quite familiar with each other.

Yu Zhi smiled at him apologetically and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Zhang."

Doctor Zhang put down his medicine box, took out his pulse pillow, and said to Yu Zhi, "Your Majesty, let me take a look at you."

Yu Zhi stretched out his hand, and Doctor Zhang pressed his pulse with his fingertips. He frowned and raised his head. Yu Zhi looked at him calmly.

"Your Majesty, you..." Imperial Doctor Zhang hesitated to speak.

Yu Zhi turned to look at Lin Shan: "All of you, please leave."

Lin Shan felt very uneasy, because Imperial Physician Zhang had never avoided him when he treated the emperor in the past.

What happened to your Majesty?

All the attendants left the hall, leaving only the two of them. Imperial Physician Zhang's expression was grave: "Your Majesty, has your virginity been broken?"

Yu Zhi coughed lightly and said uncomfortably, "Don't be so blunt."

"How did you become horny?" Doctor Zhang was very puzzled. "Could it be that the medicine you've been taking these years has taken effect?"

Yu Zhi shook his head: "I don't know either."

Doctor Zhang stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "We'll have to wait and see. Logically, you should be in heat again next month. Only then will we know if this heat is a fluke or if you've truly been cured."

Yu Zhi looked worried.

He didn't want to be in heat again. The last time he was in heat, it felt so uncomfortable.

-

Sheng State.

Luo Tingshi was furious: "What are you all doing? It's been seven days and we still haven't found him!"

The guards knelt on the ground: "We ask for your punishment, Your Majesty."

Luo Tingshi thought of that person and felt so angry that his teeth itched.

You provoke me and I still want to run away. How can that be possible?

Luo Tingshi sneered and ordered everyone, "Search! Find everyone who came to the palace for the banquet that day and bring them before me. Don't let anyone go."

The Flying Dragon Guards acted extremely quickly. Five days later, a huge crowd of people stood outside the Linde Palace.

"Your Majesty, except for the envoys who have already returned home, everyone is here."

Luo Tingshi walked down the stone steps, his cold eyes sweeping across the pairs of eyes.

Not him. Not him.

It's not him either...

Luo Tingshi looked carefully at everyone's eyes, but none of them were the ones he remembered.

Could it be that he is an envoy from another country?

Thinking of this, Luo Tingshi's anger suddenly subsided. As a minister of another country, yet being favored by the Emperor of Sheng, it was natural for him to be reluctant to speak out.

If the envoy was from a small country, he could just go directly to the other king to ask for the person, and they would not dare to refuse him.

If it were Yu State...

Luo Tingshi's eyes were gloomy. If he wanted to get that little beauty, he would probably have to shed a layer of skin.

"Your Majesty," an official hurried forward and whispered, "News has arrived."

Luo Tingshi's eyes flashed, and he immediately went back to the hall with him.

"Your Majesty, Ying Jiu has sent word that the Emperor of Yu fell seriously ill a while ago and was bedridden for a month before recovering. He reappeared in public two days ago, looking much more haggard than before."

Luo Tingshi frowned slightly: "Do you know what disease it is?"

"I don't know."

The man continued, "The governor of Lingchuan County is a man of integrity. He has never wavered even after repeated attempts. It will be difficult to conquer Yu State from Lingchuan. The people sent to other counties haven't received any news yet, so they must be still negotiating."

Luo Tingshi said absentmindedly, "I understand."

He was still thinking about Yu Zhi's illness.

I wonder if Yu Zhi's illness has been completely cured? In his memory, Yu Zhi was a little spoiled child, and this illness must have caused him a lot of suffering.

Luo Tingshi felt an inexplicable emotion in his heart.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so aloof. You have just ascended the throne, and this is the time for you to show your strength. Yet, I am afraid it is inappropriate to make such a fuss over your partner. I believe that matters of love can be put aside for now. It will not be too late to discuss romance once you have unified the country."

Luo Tingshi's expression suddenly changed, and the look he gave him became cold and sinister: "Are you teaching me a lesson?"

"I dare not!" The man broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down to beg for mercy. The emperor's majesty pressed heavily on his back, as if he was carrying a thousand pounds, and he was almost unable to bear it.

"I have no feelings for him."

Luo Tingshi snorted coldly, "He dared to challenge my majesty. How could I let him go?"

After saying that, Luo Tingshi waved his hand and said, "You can leave now."

The official felt relieved and hurried out of the hall. In such a short while, his inner clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

When he reached an empty corner, he raised his hand and slapped himself in the face, scolding himself in his heart.

Knowing that this master is a cruel one, why do you still have to talk so much?

-

At noon, the envoys from Changzi were resting in the shade of the trees beside the official road.

The sound of horse hooves roared like thunder.

Everyone looked over curiously. Under the scorching sun, several tall black horses were galloping along the road. Their hooves raised clouds of golden dust, blurring people's vision.

They covered their mouths and noses, took a closer look, and saw the unique symbol of the Sheng Kingdom royal family on the leading man.

Everyone's expression changed slightly, and they quickly stood up to greet him.

The leader dismounted, strode to the front of the crowd, took out a painting from his arms, and looked carefully into the eyes of each person.

"Brother, what happened?" The envoys from Changzi looked at his serious expression and felt uneasy. They could not afford to offend the Sheng State.

The leader said, "I'm here on your majesty's orders to find someone. Are all the ministers accompanying Chang Zi on this mission here? Think carefully and answer. If you conceal anything, your majesty knows the consequences."

The Changzi envoy broke out in a cold sweat: "Everyone is here, we dare not lie."

The leader looked at them again, and after carefully confirming, he said coldly: "There is nothing here, let's go!"

The black horse came and went in a hurry.

The envoy from Changzi felt his legs weaken as he looked at the passerby's back, leaned against a tree and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Who exactly offended Emperor Sheng?

It's so scary.

-

Luo Tingshi listened to the report from Feilongwei and said "hmm" lightly.

It turned out not to be that easy to find him.

Could he really be from Yu Country? A slender figure suddenly appeared in Luo Tingshi's mind. Was it him?

No, Lu Jing's eyes don't look like this.

Luo Tingshi narrowed his eyes, stood up and walked slowly towards Lianchun Palace.

It's late at night.

It was another dark night, just like that night.

Luo Tingshi pushed the door open and walked in. He had been dreaming every night for the past few days, and the scenes in his dreams were all the same.

In the dream, the two kissed passionately.

While kissing, they pulled at each other's clothes, and the fallen clothes scattered from the door all the way to the bed.

Luo Tingshi followed his memory and stepped over to the bed. His gaze fell on the empty bed curtains, and two intertwined figures emerged before him.

After staring intently for a moment, Luo Tingshi raised his hand and slowly unfastened the jade buckle on his belt. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation on his fingertips, and he lowered his eyes to look.

A kitten carved from white stone hangs at her waist.

How did you bring it with you?

This cat pendant was given to him by Yu Zhi when he went to Yu State as a child. It was placed with his other accessories. When he got up in the morning and was changing clothes, he was thinking about something, so he must have accidentally hung it on his belt.

Luo Tingshi stroked the kitten's head with his fingertips, with the corners of his lips slightly curved.

He stretched out his fingers to untie the kitten stone pendant, but just as the knot was opened, the kitten pendant suddenly fell to the ground.

He rolled under the bed.