Chapter 72 The Affection of Youth: Simple Yet Passionate

The sweet fragrance of wisteria lingered around his nose once more, and an inscrutable emotion welled up in Xiao Yi's eyes.

It seems that this is the taste that brought him to sleep and pulled him back from his nightmares?

He lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, "Chengxuan is right, Lord Shen and I do have a tacit understanding."

Li Chengxuan's body trembled, followed by an excitement even greater than winning the dragon boat race.

Good heavens, he actually has a name in front of the Sixth Prince.

The sixth prince, who had never given him a second glance, not only called him by name but also hugged him.

Waaah, it must be because he performed too well in the match just now.

Li Chengxuan sniffed and couldn't help but reach out to hug Shen Chu and Pei Yuan again.

Before his arm could even touch Shen Chu, Pei Yuan pushed him away with a palm.

yeah?

Was the promised hug between the three of them ultimately superfluous on his part?

Seeing Li Chengxuan being pushed away while she was still being held, Shen Chu panicked and quickly took a step back, pushing Pei Yuan away as well.

Doesn't this guy hate it when I take advantage of him?

Why are you still clinging to it now?

Just as she was about to retort, she saw that Pei Yuan had already lowered his arm, and his expression had returned to its previous blankness.

It was as if he had never reached out to hug anyone before.

"Don't forget the conditions you promised me. Deliver the medicinal formula from the purse to my residence tomorrow."

Shen Chu was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening.

It turned out that what he wanted was the medicinal formula in the purse.

It was a false alarm; she had thought Pei Yuan had discovered the secret hidden in the purse's lining.

Looking up, she found that Pei Yuan had already left with his hands behind his back.

A commotion arose behind me.

It turned out that the Third Prince's dragon boat had docked.

Due to strong wind resistance, the dragon boat veered off course, and the Third Prince's dragon boat came in last place.

As soon as the Third Prince landed, Li Chengxuan, hands on his hips, arrogantly went to greet him.

"How does it feel to gaze at the stern of our ship, Third Prince?"

"Didn't you say you were a master, number one every year? Aren't you ashamed?"

"Now that we've won, Third Prince, shouldn't you keep your promise, lead your teammates to kneel on the ground, and shout a few times, 'We're incompetent, we're no good'?"

The Third Prince's face was extremely gloomy. "Li Chengxuan, how many heads do you have that you dare to make a prince kneel before you?"

"If I, this prince, were to kneel before you, you would all die, heh heh."

Li Chengxuan was furious. "No wonder he dared to agree to the bet so readily; so that's what he was planning."

The third prince was the emperor's son, and none of them present could bear to see the prince kneel.

A smug glint flashed in the Third Prince's eyes. "Hmph, you've only won one game. Don't be so smug. We'll see how things go in the future."

After saying that, he waved his hand and prepared to leave triumphantly with his teammates.

Shen Chu reached out and blocked his path, her expression indifferent: "Third Prince, winning one game is still winning. Since we made a prior agreement, please abide by it."

The Third Prince is a son of the dragon, so he can't kneel before us. He can stand and shout then, while the rest of you can kneel and shout.

The Third Prince's expression changed. "Insolence! Shen Chu, how many heads do you have to dare to insult this prince?"

Shen Chu remained neither humble nor arrogant, "Your Majesty, I dare not. The bet was made by the Third Prince himself. I am merely asking the Third Prince to fulfill his word."

What? Could it be that the Third Prince can't accept defeat? Or did you never intend to keep this promise in the first place?

If that's the case, we might as well go and reason with His Majesty."

"You!" The Third Prince was furious and swung his fist to strike.

Li Chengxuan pulled Shen Chu behind him, grasped the Third Prince's fist, and said triumphantly:

“Yes, let’s go to His Majesty to reason with him. If His Majesty says that you can break your promise, then I will not pursue the matter.”

The third prince's forehead veins bulged slightly, but he dared not really make a big fuss about it.

His father had just ordered him to apologize to Chen Chu. If he made a scene again now, his father would definitely not be on his side.

It seems I can't fool them today.

The third prince, his face dark, practically spat out a sentence through gritted teeth: "We're no good, we're incompetent fools."

"What?" Li Chengxuan tilted his ear and asked with a grin, "What did you say? I didn't hear you."

"Li Chengxuan, don't go too far."

"Then let's go before His Majesty."

The third prince could no longer tolerate it and had no choice but to endure it.

With his eyes closed and teeth clenched, he shouted again, "We're no good, we're incompetent fools."

Li Chengxuan smiled smugly, his eyes crinkling.

The Third Prince glared fiercely at Li Chengxuan and Shen Chu, left with a "Just you wait" in his eyes, and stormed off.

Li Chengxuan didn't take it seriously.

He wasn't afraid of the Third Prince at all. The Third Prince's father was the Emperor, and his grandmother was the Emperor's aunt, who had made great contributions to the Emperor's ascension to the throne.

If this really escalates to His Majesty's ears, it's hard to say who will suffer the consequences.

"The Third Prince has already called out, what are you waiting for?"

He stood with his hands on his hips, looking smugly at the teammates left behind by the Third Prince.

The teammates were all devastated, kneeling down and muttering, "We're no good, we're incompetent."

Li Chengxuan and his teammates exchanged glances but remained silent.

Shen Chu nudged Li Chengxuan with her elbow, "Was that good?"

Li Chengxuan nodded emphatically, "Awesome!"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Li Chengxuan and his teammates immediately stood in a row, hands on their hips, and raised their chins at the Third Prince's fleet, "Hahahaha!"

The Third Prince's teammates were furious but dared not retaliate, so they could only slink away with their tails between their legs.

Li Chengxuan shouted, "Awesome!"

Shen Chu was amused by his arrogant and smug demeanor.

People on the shore rushed over to congratulate them.

Congratulations were heard incessantly.

The Minister of Works' youngest son murmured, "All the humiliation I've suffered over the past few years has finally been vented today."

The youngest brother of the mighty general nodded emphatically: "This is the first time I've ever won in my life. I never knew it felt so good to be surrounded by people congratulating me."

Princess Qinghe's son sniffled, "I'm so happy, I want to cry, sob sob..."

Li Chengxuan wiped his eyes hard. "If it weren't for Achu, we wouldn't have won at all today."

Luckily, I have good judgment and made the connection with such a capable brother as Ah Chu.

Everyone nodded vigorously in agreement.

Shen Chu chuckled, "Today's glory is something you earned yourselves; you are all very capable."

Yeah, even though it was earned by being a coward.

The Minister of Works' youngest son patted his chest and said, "Young Master Shen, I've made you my brother."

The youngest brother of the mighty general said with great bravado: "Young Master Shen, if you ever need anything, just say the word. I have plenty of strength."

Princess Qinghe's son grinned, "Brother Shen, if you need anything, just tell me... my mother's name, it'll work."

Others also stepped forward, surrounding Shen Chu and addressing him as their brother.

Shen Chu was amused by them, but her heart was warmed.

The friendships of young people are always simple and passionate.

This dragon boat race became the starting point of their friendship and also made Shen Chu famous among the noble sons of the capital. Many years later, when they talked about this dragon boat race, they still talked about it with great relish.

"Oh, it's so lively here. It seems I've arrived at just the right time."

When Emperor Longqing arrived, he saw a group of young men chatting and laughing together, their faces as bright as the rising sun in the morning, and a smile appeared on his face as well.

Everyone came to their senses and knelt down to pay their respects.

"Get up, everyone. Chengxuan, your fleet has won first place. Go and collect your prize later."

Li Chengxuan kowtowed to express his gratitude.

Emperor Longqing's gaze fell on Shen Chu.

"My dear Minister Shen, your performance today was exceptionally outstanding. I have said that if you win, I will reward you handsomely. Tell me, what do you want?"

In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on Shen Chu.

Some were envious, some were excited.

Shen Chu was the first person to receive a reward from the emperor personally during the dragon boat race.

I'm so envious!

Li Chengxuan was overjoyed and tugged at Chen Chu, urging her in a low voice, "Quick, quick, A-Chu, what reward do you want? Tell His Majesty quickly."

Shen Chu's heart raced a little; she did indeed want something.