7 Assassins
Li Zhaoyi took the report, read it carefully, and frowned. "The cost of building the riverbank is 30% higher than the budget, but the report only mentions 'material price increases' without a detailed price list. This is indeed suspicious."
"Your Majesty is right." Shen Zhiyuan nodded, his fingertips pointing at the four words "material price increase".
"The floods in the south have just ended, and many officials have taken the opportunity to enrich themselves. This report is most likely tampered with.
At tomorrow's court meeting, I will petition Your Majesty to send a trusted confidant to investigate the situation in the south. If corruption is truly present, it will be severely punished."
Li Zhaoyi looked at his serious expression and suddenly felt at ease.
In the past, when faced with these suspicious reports, she always panicked and didn't know what to do, but now with Shen Zhiyuan by her side, she felt confident even if she just listened to his analysis for a few sentences.
"With Mr. Shen here, I feel much more at ease."
She blurted out the words, and only then realized that they were too straightforward. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head and pretended to read the report.
Shen Zhiyuan paused, looking at her with a complicated expression, but said nothing. He simply picked up another memorial and said, "Then let's continue reading this report on military pay from the northern border. Here..."
In the following time, the two sat side by side at the desk, analyzing memorials together and discussing countermeasures.
The candlelight danced, casting their shadows on the wall, occasionally overlapping, like a quiet painting.
Li Zhaoyi would occasionally be distracted and steal a glance at Shen Zhiyuan. When he was serious, his eyes were particularly bright, as if there were stars falling in them;
Occasionally, when he encountered a difficult problem, he would subconsciously bite his lower lip and frown slightly, which looked somewhat cute.
"What are you looking at, Your Majesty?" Shen Zhiyuan suddenly looked up and met her gaze.
Li Zhaoyi was startled and quickly averted her gaze. Her heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was about to jump out of her throat. "No... I wasn't looking at anything. I was thinking about the countermeasures to this memorial."
She picked up the memorial in a panic and pretended to read it carefully, but her ears couldn't help but feel hot.
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her flustered look, a hint of smile flashing in his eyes, but he didn't point it out. He just slowed down his tone and said, "If your majesty is tired, please stop here today. It won't be too late to review the remaining memorials tomorrow."
"Not tired!" Li Zhaoyi immediately looked up, afraid that he would think she was slacking off again, "I can still read a few more books."
Shen Zhiyuan shook his head helplessly, but did not refute it. He just picked up the memorial again and said in a gentler voice than before: "Then let's take our time. There's no rush."
Another hour passed, and all the memorials were finally read. Li Zhaoyi stretched, feeling sore all over, yet feeling extraordinarily fulfilled.
Shen Zhiyuan packed up the memorials and turned to say goodbye. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at her: "Your Majesty, I will be half an hour late for tomorrow's morning class. You...sleep a little longer."
Li Zhaoyi was stunned, and when she reacted, Shen Zhiyuan had already left.
She looked towards the door, and her heart seemed to be filled with something warm and sweet.
She walked to the table, picked up the cup of cold ginger tea, and took another sip. Even though it was no longer warm, she still felt sweet in her heart.
Back in the inner hall, Li Zhaoyi lay on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep.
The scene just now replayed in my mind over and over again: Shen Zhiyuan's serious look at the memorial, his gentle tone, and the last sentence "sleep a little longer".
She touched her hot cheeks and suddenly realized that since some time ago, this strict gentleman had become more than just a subject and teacher in her heart.
She knew that she was the emperor and he was a subject. There was a huge barrier between them, and they should not have any inappropriate thoughts.
But that inexplicable throbbing, like a spring vine, quietly took root and sprouted in her heart, making her unable to control her desire to get close to him and rely on him.
"Li Zhaoyi, you can't do this." She whispered to the ceiling, trying to suppress the thoughts in her heart, "He is your master, your subject, you can't have any other thoughts about him."
But the more you suppress it, the clearer the feeling becomes.
She tossed and turned until dawn when she finally fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with Shen Zhiyuan's gentle smile.
The next morning, Shen Zhiyuan arrived half an hour late. Li Zhaoyi had already finished washing up and was sitting at the desk waiting for him. When she saw him come in, she quickly stood up and said, "Mr. Shen."
"Your Majesty, I've been waiting for a long time." Shen Zhiyuan handed over an oil-paper bag. "When I passed by the imperial kitchen, I brought you a piece of osmanthus cake. Your Majesty, please try it and see if it suits your taste."
Li Zhaoyi took the oil-paper package and opened it. Inside was a small piece of osmanthus cake, which exuded a faint osmanthus fragrance.
She picked up the osmanthus cake and took a bite. It was sweet but not greasy, exactly the taste she loved most as a child.
She looked up at Shen Zhiyuan, her eyes full of surprise: "Mr. Shen, how do you know that I like to eat osmanthus cake?"
Shen Zhiyuan's eyes flickered and he avoided her gaze: "I happened to hear Eunuch Zhang mention it. Your Majesty, please eat it quickly. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
Li Zhaoyi nodded and ate the osmanthus cake in small bites, but her heart was sweeter than the osmanthus cake itself.
She knew that he might just be asking casually, or perhaps it was just out of concern as a subject for his monarch, but she still couldn't help but think more, couldn't help but feel that maybe he treated her a little differently.
After the morning class started, Shen Zhiyuan was still strict, but occasionally he would offer her a cup of warm tea when she felt sleepy;
When she answered incorrectly, he would patiently explain it again instead of criticizing her directly as he did before.
As autumn approaches, the Imperial Garden has lost its prosperity from midsummer. The ground is covered with golden ginkgo leaves, which rustle in the wind.
Li Zhaoyi followed Shen Zhiyuan in the garden, holding the "Art of War" she had just finished reading, and was pestering him to explain the tactic of "waiting for the enemy to tire out".
News came from the north that the Huns had temporarily suspended their attack. She wanted to take this opportunity to figure out a countermeasure so that the soldiers would suffer less.
"Your Majesty, look here," Shen Zhiyuan stopped and pointed to the rockery and waterside pavilion not far away.
"If the enemy attacks, we don't have to rush to fight. We can first hold a strategic position, like this waterside pavilion leaning against the rockery. It will allow us to observe the enemy's situation and preserve our strength. Once the enemy's morale is exhausted, we can then..."
He suddenly stopped talking, his eyes darkened, and he pulled Li Zhaoyi behind him.
Before Li Zhaoyi could react, she heard a sharp "swoosh" sound. A feathered arrow flew past her hair and lodged itself in a ginkgo tree not far away. The tail of the arrow was still buzzing and vibrating.
"There's an assassin!" Shen Zhiyuan's voice was colder than ever before. He held Li Zhaoyi tightly behind him and quickly drew the sword from his waist with his other hand.
That was specially given to him by Li Zhaoyi after he returned to the capital. At this moment, the sword was unsheathed, and the cold light was sharp.
The guards in the garden rushed over upon hearing the noise, but were stopped by a dozen men in black who suddenly jumped out from the darkness, and the two sides started fighting instantly.
Li Zhaoyi hid behind Shen Zhiyuan, looking at the flashing swords and shadows in front of her. Her heart felt like it was being clenched by a hand, and even breathing became difficult.
This was not the first time she had experienced danger. The bloody night of the palace coup was still vivid in her mind. But this time, with Shen Zhiyuan standing in front of her, she no longer had the despair she had last time, and was left with only worry about him.
"Mr. Shen, be careful!" She grabbed Shen Zhiyuan's sleeve, her voice trembling.
"Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. I will protect you." Shen Zhiyuan's voice was steady, but with a hint of imperceptible tension.
While keeping a vigilant eye on the approaching assassin, he slowly retreated Li Zhaoyi to safety.
A man in black walked around the guards and rushed towards Li Zhaoyi with a knife in his hand. The knife was so sharp that it was aimed directly at her face.
Li Zhaoyi was so frightened that she froze in place, forgetting even to dodge.
At this moment, Shen Zhiyuan turned around suddenly, using his back to protect her, and at the same time swung his sword to block the fatal knife. With a crisp sound of "dang", the sword and the knife collided, sparks flew everywhere.
Shen Zhiyuan took the opportunity to kick the man in black in the chest, knocking him to the ground, but another assassin took the opportunity to attack from the side, piercing his arm with a knife.
Li Zhaoyi watched helplessly as the knife cut open Shen Zhiyuan's sleeve. Blood gushed out instantly, staining his plain clothes red, like an enchanting flower, stinging her eyes.
"Mr. Shen!" She screamed and tears fell instantly.
Shen Zhiyuan seemed not to feel the pain. He pierced the assassin's shoulder with a sword and subdued him.
He turned to look at Li Zhaoyi, his face still stained with blood, but he tried to force a reassuring smile: "Your Majesty, are you okay? Are you scared?"
"Your hand! Your hand is bleeding!" Li Zhaoyi grabbed his injured arm, her fingertips stained red with warm blood. She wanted to touch it, but was afraid of hurting him, so she could only cry helplessly.
"Quick! Call the imperial physician! Eunuch Zhang! Call the imperial physician!"
The guards finally subdued all the assassins. Eunuch Zhang also rushed over in a panic. Seeing the wound on Shen Zhiyuan's arm, he was so scared that his face turned pale: "Master Shen! How are you? I will go and call the imperial physician!"
"Wait." Shen Zhiyuan called out to Eunuch Zhang, his eyes fixed on the subdued assassin on the ground.
"First, take these people away and interrogate them strictly to find out who sent them. Your Majesty's safety cannot be compromised in the slightest."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Eunuch Zhang hurriedly ordered the guards to take the assassin away, and then hurried to call the imperial physician.
The garden finally returned to peace, leaving only the mess and undried blood on the ground.
Shen Zhiyuan's arm was still bleeding and his face was gradually pale, but he still protected Li Zhaoyi tightly and said softly: "Your Majesty, it's not safe here. Let's go back to the Yangxin Palace first."
"Your injury..." Li Zhaoyi looked at the wound on his arm, feeling so heartbroken that her tears fell even harder.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Shen Zhiyuan smiled and wiped away the tears on her face. His fingertips were stained with blood, but his movements were gentle.
"Your Majesty, don't cry. I'm fine. As long as Your Majesty is safe, my injury is nothing."
Li Zhaoyi grabbed his hand and shook her head. "How could it be a minor injury? You lost so much blood... It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming to the Imperial Garden, you wouldn't have been injured."
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