Chapter 99 The Substitute

A few days later, Princess Chizun set off with her entourage to return to Tibet.

In addition to the ten handsome men gifted by the eldest princess, the emperor also bestowed thousands of farmers, craftsmen, and monks upon Tibet, intending to help Tibet improve its agriculture, repair its crafts, spread Buddhism, and further demonstrate the prestige of the Celestial Empire.

The group was large and the procession stretched for miles.

This large entourage was personally escorted away from the capital by Shen Churong.

Shen Churong was a very popular figure in the capital these days.

His father defeated the Tibetans on the front lines, which led to the Tibetans' tribute and peace-seeking ceremony.

The Emperor was overjoyed and not only promoted Shen Guojiu to "Duke of the County" but also granted him the position of Governor-General.

The Shen family was at the height of their power, with people from both inside and outside the court flocking to curry favor with them.

As a result, Shen Churong's status also rose. These days, wherever he goes, sons of officials and noble families come forward to chat and flatter him, making him quite the star.

But unexpectedly, he lost to Tibet in the polo match, almost causing the Great Qi to lose face in front of the Tibetan delegation.

If it weren't for the eldest princess's later intervention and decisive victory over the Tibetan princess, he would have truly been too ashamed to face anyone again.

Li Yuanyou shared a similar plight.

Originally, he wanted to prove himself, but unexpectedly, he ended up in a sorry state.

He's too embarrassed to see his elder sister now.

Why……

As fate would have it, the two people, each burdened with their own sorrows, unexpectedly came to Chunjinlou to drown their sorrows in wine.

Just as Shen Churong was led upstairs by the waiter and picked a private seat by the window, before he could even sit down, he saw the curtain of the next private room being lifted.

Li Yuanyou, dressed in casual clothes, walked in, fanning himself with a folding fan.

The moment their eyes met, they both froze for a moment.

Li Yuanyou didn't try to hide anything. Instead, he put away his folding fan and walked over warmly with a familiar smile on his face.

"Young General Shen, what a coincidence? You're here to drink at Chun Jin Lou too?"

"Drinking alone is so boring, why not come with me and join in the fun!"

He hadn't liked Shen Churong before, but when he was imprisoned by his father, Shen Churong secretly passed a few words to his elder sister on his behalf. This kindness made him have a better impression of Shen Churong.

But when Shen Churong saw him, she felt a throbbing pain in her temples.

He had absolutely no desire to have anything to do with the Second Prince.

Firstly, they couldn't stand Li Yuanyou's usual appearance as a good-for-nothing who didn't do his job properly.

More importantly, he was perfectly aware that if he got too close to him, it might displease the princess.

He quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Li Yuanyou, "Cheng... Young Master Li, I'm so sorry, I... I suddenly remembered that I have some important matters to attend to, so I'm afraid we can't drink this wine. I'll take my leave now!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Li Yuanyou, however, acted as if he were an old friend, giving him no chance to escape and directly hugging his neck.

"What's the rush? Have a drink first! It won't make a difference if you wait a little longer!"

Before he could finish speaking, and before Shen Churong could react, she pressed him down onto the couch and turned to order, "Waiter, bring the wine!"

Shen Churong struggled twice but couldn't break free. Afraid of making a scene in the building, he could only sigh helplessly and reluctantly sit down, cursing the second prince a thousand times in his heart.

Chun Jin Lou was unusually lively today. A small stage was set up in the hall on the first floor, and the storyteller was telling his story with great enthusiasm, striking his gavel.

Shen Churong was patiently dealing with Li Yuanyou's rambling beside him, but the storyteller's voice drifted up, every sentence revolving around "the eldest princess," which distracted him.

It turned out they were talking about the princess's heroic performance at the polo match a few days ago, and cheers could be heard from below from time to time.

He couldn't help but prick up his ears and listen intently to what the storyteller downstairs was saying.

Li Yuanyou was pouring out his grievances with a face full of grievances.

"It's just a ball game loss, right? My mother said I'm useless, my father scolded me for being good-for-nothing, and even my third sister didn't give me a kind look. Tell me, am I wronged?"

"Who would have thought those Tibetans could run so fast? They have the stamina of oxen!"

He took a swig of wine and said angrily, "I underestimated them this time. Next time they come, I'll definitely teach them a lesson!"

As he was talking, he turned his head and saw that Shen Churong was lost in thought and not responding, so he reached out and nudged his arm.

"Young General Shen, what are you daydreaming about? Come and have a drink!"

As he spoke, Li Yuanyou noticed the storyteller's voice downstairs, and his eyes lit up.

"Oh? So you're talking about my elder sister!"

At that moment, the storyteller downstairs was telling the most exciting part of the story, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Our Princess suddenly leaped from her horse with a 'Flying Cloud Kick,' her movements as graceful as a startled swan, soaring into the air and even obscuring part of the sun overhead! Then, with a flick of her moon staff, the polo ball flew like a meteor straight towards the Tibetan princess! The Tibetan princess was so frightened that her whole body stiffened, her eyes wide like copper bells, and she forgot to dodge, simply watching the ball fly towards her!"

Someone in the audience even joked, "Oh dear! Did that ball really hit the Tibetan princess?"

The storyteller struck his gavel, deliberately creating suspense before laughing and saying, "How could that be! What kind of person is our Princess? How could she possibly hit that Tibetan princess? Wouldn't that cause a diplomatic incident?"

"Guess what? The ball grazed the Tibetan princess's hair and flew past her, 'whoosh,' landing straight in the Tibetan goal! In that one move, the princess won the game, completely convincing the Tibetan princess, who immediately knelt down and shouted 'Long live the Great Qi!'"

"Bravo!" Applause and cheers erupted from downstairs, with someone shouting, "The Princess is amazing!"

"It still takes the eldest princess to step forward and show those barbarians the might of our Great Qi!"

As Shen Churong listened, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upwards.

He couldn't help but recall the image of Li Yuanzhao in his black riding gear, swinging his bat on the field that day, and felt a surge of heat in his heart.

Li Yuanyou reacted even more excitedly, standing up abruptly and shouting downstairs.

"Good! Well said! Give me a reward!"

His guards immediately carried the money bag downstairs.

The heavy silver coins landed on the stage, and the storyteller's eyes lit up. He spoke with even more enthusiasm in the second half of the story, adding several "details" of the game that day.

This incident led the two to find common ground, and they started talking about polo matches, clinking their glasses and drinking too much without realizing it.

In the end, Li Yuanyou's tongue was tied in knots, and he grabbed Shen Churong's arm and shouted incoherently.

"My royal sister... my royal sister is the most powerful! No one in the whole world can compare to her!"

Shen Churong was also a little drunk, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glazed over. He just nodded along, "Yes!"

"My imperial sister is unparalleled in the world!"

"right!"

"My royal sister..."

Li Yuanyou rambled on for a while, then suddenly changed the subject, pointing at Shen Churong's nose with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.

"Then how dare you not like my elder sister? You used to always go against her!"

The smile on Shen Churong's face froze instantly.

He picked up his glass and took a big gulp, the liquor choking him and making him cough twice before he muttered under his breath, "Who said I don't like it?"

"What did you say?" Li Yuanyou was so drunk that his hearing was failing him. He leaned closer and stared at his face. "Your voice is as soft as a mosquito's buzz. Say it again!"

Shen Churong's face flushed slightly, and she awkwardly turned her face away, saying, "N-nothing!"

Li Yuanyou seemed to have discovered something, turned his face to face, and squinted to examine him carefully.

Shen Churong frowned and pulled away. "What is Your Highness looking at? Is there something on my face?"

Could it be that the Second Prince has a homosexual tendency? Why is he staring at me like that?

Li Yuanyou suddenly slapped his thigh. "I remember now! How come you look... so much like that attendant in the Imperial Sister's palace?"

Shen Churong was taken aback, and the effects of the alcohol instantly wore off: "What do you mean?"

“It’s in the palace of the Imperial Sister!” Li Yuanyou took another sip of wine and continued, “A few days ago I went to Xihe Palace and saw a young man in the inner hall who looked about six or seven parts like you! But judging from his clothes, he didn’t look like a proper attendant, but rather like… like a male concubine.”

The words "male concubine" struck Shen Churong like a thunderbolt, leaving him completely stunned. The wine glass in his hand crashed onto the table, spilling wine all over it.

Li Yuanyou continued talking to himself, "It seems he hasn't been in the manor for long. He looks quite well-behaved, and I think my elder sister treats him quite well... But speaking of which, why does my elder sister keep a male concubine who looks so much like you? What does that mean?"

Shen Churong also wanted to ask, what does this mean?

Could it be...?

Does the eldest princess have feelings for me?

So, you want to find someone similar to yourself to stay by your side?

Did you treat that person as a substitute for yourself?

But why not just contact yourself?

Shen Churong sobered up completely. He stared at the spilled wine stains on the table, feeling utterly confused.