11. Joining forces
He did not approach the case as usual, nor did he ask how her ankle was recovering. He just stood a few steps away from her, looking at the ground calmly, as if the only relationship between them was that of a monarch and his subject.
Li Zhaoyi looked at him, intent on keeping his distance, and felt a sharp prick of pain in her heart. "I understand. I'll deal with him according to the law."
"I obey your order." Shen Zhiyuan said without any extra words, and turned to leave.
"Mr. Shen!" Li Zhaoyi hurriedly called out to him, her voice trembling slightly. "Did you...did you hear something too?"
Shen Zhiyuan paused, but did not turn back: "I only care about state affairs, not rumors."
"But those rumors..."
"Your Majesty is the highest authority. If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. You don't need to worry about what others say."
His voice remained calm, yet held a coldness that seemed to distance him from others. "I have official business to attend to. I will take my leave now."
With that, he strode out of the Yangxin Palace without a trace of reluctance. Li Zhaoyi stared at the empty palace door, tears finally streaming down her face.
She knew it wasn't that he didn't care, but rather that he was deliberately avoiding suspicion. He was afraid that the rumors would affect her reputation, that their relationship would be misunderstood, so he chose this way to distance himself from her.
From that day on, Shen Zhiyuan really changed.
Morning classes were still on time, but he no longer sat next to her to explain things as before. Instead, he stood in front of her desk, across the table, and pointed out her problems in a serious tone.
When analyzing memorials, he only talked about state affairs, no longer asking about her diet and daily life, and no longer offering her warm tea;
Even in the court, he rarely took the initiative to stand up to defend her unless it involved national affairs.
Once, Li Zhaoyi deliberately answered a simple question incorrectly in the morning class, hoping that he would criticize her as he had done before, even if it was a harsh rebuke.
But he just said calmly: "Your Majesty, please think about it carefully. I will go to handle official business first and test you later."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving her sitting alone at the desk, holding a pen in her hand, but unable to write.
She knew that he was doing it for her own good, to shut up the rumors.
But she still couldn't help feeling sad, couldn't help missing the old days, missed his selfless act when he blocked the arrow for her, missed his gentleness when he accompanied her to review memorials late at night, missed his smile when he gave her the wooden horse.
Eunuch Zhang watched her increasingly dejected look, feeling anxious, but he could only advise, "Your Majesty, Lord Shen is doing this for your own good. Rumors are spreading throughout the palace right now, and he's doing this to protect you."
"I know." Li Zhaoyi nodded, her voice tinged with fatigue. "But I still feel empty inside."
That night, after Li Zhaoyi finished dealing with the memorials, she couldn't help but walk outside Shen Zhiyuan's mansion.
The door to the mansion was tightly shut, and it was pitch black inside, with only two lanterns at the entrance emitting a faint light. She stood at the corner of the street, looking at the tightly closed door, her heart filled with grievance and resentment.
She wanted to knock on the door and ask him if he really didn't want to pay attention to her anymore, but in the end she turned around and left. She was the emperor and couldn't be so willful and couldn't make things difficult for him.
Back in the Yangxin Palace, Li Zhaoyi looked at the cup of tea on the table that had long since gone cold, and suddenly remembered that Shen Zhiyuan always used to quietly change her tea into a cup of warm tea when she was reviewing memorials.
She picked up the teacup and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down her throat, but it made her heart ache.
She knew that as long as the rumors didn't die down, Shen Zhiyuan would continue to avoid her. She had to find a way to quell the rumors as soon as possible and let them return to the way they were before.
At the court meeting the next day, Li Zhaoyi specifically brought up the matter of selecting a concubine.
She looked at the officials and said calmly, "There have been many rumors in the palace recently. In order to stabilize the country and silence the gossip, I have decided to hold a beauty pageant on a certain day to enrich the harem."
As soon as the words fell, the court erupted in an uproar. Grand Tutor Xu quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is wise! The selection of a concubine is a matter of national importance. I believe it should be done as soon as possible!"
The other ministers also echoed, only Shen Zhiyuan stood in the queue, his face calm and no emotion could be seen.
Li Zhaoyi's eyes swept over Shen Zhiyuan, her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife, but she still pretended to be calm: "This matter will be handed over to the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department. They must select a woman with good character and beautiful appearance to strengthen the foundation of the country."
After the court was dismissed, Li Zhaoyi returned to the Yangxin Palace and looked at the snowflakes falling outside the window, her heart feeling cold.
She thought that as long as she proposed the selection of concubines, the rumors would disappear and Shen Zhiyuan would treat her as before. But she didn't expect that Shen Zhiyuan would become more distant from her.
He no longer came to the Yangxin Palace to accompany her in reviewing memorials, and the morning lessons were changed to having the eunuchs bring the content that needed to be explained, and he no longer showed up.
Li Zhaoyi looked at those cold words and could no longer find the feeling she had before. The loss in her heart grew deeper and deeper.
She knew that she had made a wrong decision. She thought that choosing a concubine would quell the rumors, but unexpectedly, it pushed Shen Zhiyuan further away.
That night, Li Zhaoyi had a dream. In the dream, she returned to Qingxi County and saw Shen Zhiyuan teaching village children to read in the yard.
She walked over and wanted to talk to him, but he turned around and walked into the house and closed the door as if he didn't see her. She cried and called him outside the door, but no one responded.
When she woke up, her pillow was wet with tears. Li Zhaoyi looked at the dark night sky and swore in her heart: When the rumors died down,
After the matter of selecting a concubine is over, she must find Shen Zhiyuan and tell him her feelings, telling him that she does not want to be selected as a concubine, she only wants to be with him.
After the decree of the selection was issued, the rumors in the palace did indeed fade away, but the distance between Li Zhaoyi and Shen Zhiyuan never narrowed.
Until urgent news came from the south that days of heavy rain had triggered mountain torrents, destroying the newly built refugee resettlement sites, leaving thousands of refugees homeless and in urgent need of the court to send people to provide disaster relief.
At the court meeting, Li Zhaoyi proposed to inspect the disaster area in person, but all the officials opposed it, saying, "Your Majesty's life is worth millions and you must not put it in danger."
Only Shen Zhiyuan stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty cares about the people, and I admire you deeply. I am willing to accompany Your Majesty to the disaster area to ensure Your Majesty's safety and assist in handling disaster relief matters."
His voice was still calm, but it made Li Zhaoyi's heart skip a beat.
This was the first time he had offered to work with her since the rumors started spreading. She looked at him, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes, and nodded quickly, "Okay, then Mr. Shen will go with me."
On the day of departure, before dawn, Li Zhaoyi changed into simple cloth clothes. Shen Zhiyuan was already waiting outside the palace gate, holding a plain cloak in his hand: "The temperature difference between day and night in the disaster area is large. Your Majesty, take this with you to avoid catching a cold."
He handed her the cloak, and his fingertips accidentally touched her hand. They were both stunned for a moment, and then quickly withdrew their hands. The atmosphere was subtly awkward.
Along the way, they spoke very little and spent most of their time reading reports on disaster relief.
But Li Zhaoyi could feel that Shen Zhiyuan had been silently taking care of her. When the carriage was bumpy, he would quietly push the cushion towards her.
When she was thirsty, he would ask someone to prepare warm water in advance; when they encountered a difficult road, he would get out of the car first and lend her a hand. These subtle gestures, like a warm current, quietly melted the ice between them.
When arriving at the disaster area, the scene before her shocked Li Zhaoyi. The originally neat resettlement site had become a ruin, and the muddy road was
The refugees were wearing tattered clothes. Some were looking for their lost relatives, some were shivering in the cold wind, and some children were crying in their mothers' arms because of hunger.
"Your Majesty, look over there." Shen Zhiyuan pointed to a straw hut not far away, "That's a temporary rescue point. Let's go and check out the situation first."
Li Zhaoyi nodded and followed him into the thatched hut, which was packed with refugees and filled with a foul smell.
An elderly woman, holding her sick grandson, knelt on the ground and begged an official for some medicine. However, the official impatiently pushed her away, saying, "There's not enough medicine left, how can there be any for you!"
Li Zhaoyi watched this scene, feeling both pained and angry. She quickly walked over and helped the old woman up: "Old lady, don't worry. I'm here and will definitely find a way to save your grandson."
The old woman looked up and saw that although Li Zhaoyi's cloth clothes were simple, they could not hide her elegance. When she heard her call herself "I", she kowtowed quickly: "Your Majesty! Please save my grandson!"
"Don't worry, I will definitely save him." Li Zhaoyi turned to look at Shen Zhiyuan, "Mr. Shen, immediately have someone distribute the medicinal herbs we brought, giving priority to treating the elderly and children.
In addition, have the accompanying officials organize the refugees and rebuild temporary settlements. I want to ensure that everyone has a place to live and food to eat."
"I obey your order." Shen Zhiyuan immediately arranged personnel to handle various matters in an orderly manner.
While directing officials to distribute supplies, he also soothed the emotions of the refugees. His voice was gentle but powerful, which gradually calmed the panicked refugees.
Li Zhaoyi watched him busy at work with admiration in her heart. She also joined the relief team, helping to distribute food to the refugees and give medicine to sick children.
Although her hands were covered in mud and her clothes were wet by the rain, she felt particularly fulfilled. This was the first time she had come into such close contact with the people and the first time she truly felt their suffering and expectations.
As night fell, the temperature in the disaster area dropped sharply.
They found a dilapidated temple as a temporary residence. The temple was drafty and had only a small charcoal basin, which could not keep out the cold at all.
The guards brought the only dry quilt to Li Zhaoyi, but she shook her head and handed the quilt to Shen Zhiyuan: "Mr. Shen, you have been busy all day and have worked harder than me. You can cover yourself with it."
"Your Majesty is a precious person. How can I let Your Majesty suffer from the cold?" Shen Zhiyuan refused to take it and pushed the quilt back. "I am a man, I am strong and can handle it."
"No, you must build it," Li Zhaoyi said firmly. "If you get sick from the cold, who will help me with disaster relief? Who will protect my safety?"
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her stubborn eyes, and a warm feeling rose in his heart. In the end, he took the quilt, but did not cover it himself.
Instead, he divided the quilt into two halves, covered himself with one half, and handed the other half to Li Zhaoyi: "This way, neither of us will get cold."
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