Jing Mu truly lost his temper with him quite badly that day.
Seeing him like this, Shu Changyu found it amusing and was about to explain.
In his previous life, social drinking was something he had done countless times. Such banquets were completely ordinary to him.
Besides, drinking gatherings between officials were a custom that had accumulated over thousands of years. He was not a prince or royal descendant, nor had he yet reached the position of being second only to the emperor. Therefore, drinking with his colleagues was unavoidable.
However, when he turned his head and saw Jing Mu’s tightly pursed lips and that expression filled with anger and resentment, he suddenly did not know what to say.
Thus, Shu Changyu opened his mouth but changed the subject instead.
“Did they give you the evidence collected after today’s assassination?”
Jing Mu lowered his eyes and did not even look at him.
While opening the door to Shu Changyu’s room, he gave a muffled reply.
“Mm.”
Shu Changyu walked inside, went to the grand chair by the window, sat down, and picked up the tea on the table.
“After we return to the capital, it will need to be handled by you…”
Halfway through his sentence, Jing Mu, who had followed him inside, suddenly turned around and walked out without saying a word.
Shu Changyu froze mid-sentence, the tea cup still halfway to his lips.
He was greatly surprised.
Really…
Really angry?
For some reason, Shu Changyu suddenly began reflecting on whether he had done something wrong.
Could it be that he really drank too much today?
But he was not drunk.
Besides, Sun Dazhi’s group had been the ones forcing him to drink…
Thinking this, Shu Changyu suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
What was going on?
This brat was acting cold toward him as if he were some unforgivable alcoholic.
Was it as if he had willingly chosen to drink?
The more Shu Changyu thought about it, the deeper his frown became.
Then his throat suddenly became itchy, and he started coughing.
At that moment, Jing Mu walked back in.
Shu Changyu looked up and saw him enter with a bowl of hangover soup.
Jing Mu placed it beside him and complained in a low voice.
“See? If you keep drinking like this, your cold that has lasted more than ten days will never get better.”
For some reason, he vaguely looked like a little wife who had gotten angry with her husband over trivial matters.
The comparison in his own mind made Shu Changyu unable to stop himself from smiling.
Then he said:
“I am not drunk. There is no need to drink hangover soup.”
Jing Mu said nothing.
He simply pushed the bowl closer to him.
Shu Changyu looked up and saw the determination in Jing Mu’s expression.
There was clearly no room for negotiation.
Shu Changyu had no choice but to pick up the bowl and lower his eyes as he drank.
However, his throat was still itchy.
After only two sips, he began coughing again.
The hangover soup that had not yet gone down went into his nose instead.
His eyes immediately turned red.
As he coughed and tried to speak, he suddenly felt a warm hand land on his back, gently patting him again and again to help him breathe.
Then another hand, with distinct knuckles, reached in front of him and took away the bowl, placing it on the table beside them.
“I cannot stand seeing you travel all this way, catch a cold, and still be forced to drink by those people.”
Shu Changyu heard Jing Mu say quietly.
His voice carried a faint trace of grievance.
“And I can do nothing about it. I am useless.”
“How can that be your fault?”
Shu Changyu smiled.
“It is my fault.”
Jing Mu lowered his voice.
“Watching you suffer and doing nothing… that is my mistake.”
The corners of Shu Changyu’s mouth could not help but rise.
Even his heart seemed to melt under that warm and comforting feeling.
After calming his breathing, he said:
“I am an official of the court. It is impossible for me not to interact with my colleagues. These things are unavoidable. Besides…”
Besides, he had long been used to it.
That was the truth.
For more than ten years in his previous life, he had gone from one drinking banquet to another.
It was as ordinary as eating and drinking every day.
Yet among all the people he had met, not a single person had ever felt sorry for him.
Even Shu Changyu himself had never thought it was something worth feeling sorry over.
But Jing Mu interrupted him.
“Master Shu.”
He heard Jing Mu say:
“What if we live like our previous life again?”
“…Hm?”
Shu Changyu did not understand immediately.
Jing Mu continued:
“I become emperor, and you remain prime minister.”
“All my authority will be handed to you.”
“In that way, no one will ever dare bully you again.”
Shu Changyu froze.
He stared blankly at Jing Mu.
Previous life…
Could it be that this was what Jing Mu had thought all along?
That was why he willingly became his puppet for more than ten years…
Until Shu Changyu’s death?
Shu Changyu wanted to ask.
But he did not dare.
For a moment, he felt unable to breathe.
He had always believed that in his previous life, he had been completely alone, walking forward by himself.
But he had never imagined that the cold and empty world he thought contained only himself was actually filled everywhere with another person’s tenderness.
And he had destroyed all of it.
Shu Changyu suddenly felt dizzy.
His expression remained calm only because he forced it to.
He reached toward the tea on the table.
But Jing Mu grabbed his hand.
“It is fine, Master Shu.”
He heard Jing Mu say.
“I was only saying it.”
“In this life, no matter how much of a bastard I become, I will never let Master Shu walk the same path as before.”
Shu Changyu stared at him in a daze.
He opened his mouth.
Jing Mu had clearly misunderstood.
But Shu Changyu said nothing.
He only looked at him and, almost unconsciously, nodded.
The next day, Shu Changyu woke up late.
Because he had drunk the previous night, he had a slight hangover and could not get out of bed in the morning.
Unexpectedly, even when the sun had risen high, no one came to wake him.
“Governor Sun said to let Master Shu have a good rest.”
The maid serving him explained.
“This morning, Governor Sun invited Master Guo to inspect the river outside Zhili Prefecture.”
So that was it.
They actually wanted to separate him from Guo Hanru.
Shu Changyu got up, washed, and dressed.
He did not even eat breakfast before rushing there.
Jing Mu was already waiting outside his courtyard.
Seeing Shu Changyu walk out with an unhappy expression, he stepped forward.
“Master Shu, did you not sleep well last night?”
Shu Changyu frowned.
“Sun Dazhi sent Guo Hanru to inspect the river and deliberately had someone not wake me.”
“But that was the right thing to do.”
Jing Mu approached with a smile.
“Master Shu drank too much yesterday. Naturally, you should rest properly.”
Shu Changyu ignored him.
He directly took Jing Mu and rode toward the river.
From far away, he saw a group of people from Zhili Prefecture surrounding Guo Hanru and arguing.
Even from a distance, Shu Changyu could hear Guo Hanru’s stubborn voice.
“I may not be skilled in many things, but I have studied river systems for more than twenty years!”
“I can guarantee that this section of embankment can last another decade or more!”
The group lowered their voices and said something to him.
“If there is no problem, then there is no need to repair it! Why waste manpower and money?”
Guo Hanru responded.
Shu Changyu thought:
Guo Hanru’s temper truly had not changed at all in either life.
Having someone like this by his side made half his work easier.
He then slowly rode over.
“Master Shu has arrived!”
A sharp-eyed Zhili official immediately shouted.
Everyone hurried over to greet him.
“Everyone truly is diligent and devoted.”
Shu Changyu dismounted and smiled while cupping his hands.
“Compared to you all, it seems this Shu has been too lazy.”
“But inspecting the river is not something that must be done immediately. I hope next time all of you can be considerate enough to wait for me.”
Sun Dazhi was an extremely clever man.
At once, he saw Shu Changyu’s displeasure.
Although he had just been arguing with Guo Hanru and his expression had been unpleasant, he could only put on a smile now.
“It is this subordinate’s negligence.”
“Yesterday, I invited Master Shu to drink too much. The wine of Zhili has always been intoxicating. This subordinate is used to drinking it and failed to consider Master Shu’s condition. I hope Master Shu will forgive me.”
Shu Changyu looked at him with a faint smile.
“Wine does not intoxicate people.”
His voice was lazy.
“People intoxicate themselves.”
“Is that not true, Master Sun?”
Shu Changyu already knew what the Yan River embankment was like.
In his previous life, around this time, the officials in Zhili had also been loudly demanding river repairs.
But at that time, the imperial court was consumed by factional struggles.
The emperor only focused on watching the Shu family.
No one had the time to care about the Yan River embankment.
Eventually, as time passed, the matter was put aside.
Until Shu Changyu died, the Yan River embankment—where not even a single shovel had been used for construction—remained perfectly intact.
It had never broken once.
Therefore, just as Guo Hanru said, the Yan River embankment could last at least another decade.
After arriving here, Shu Changyu had Guo Hanru report every detail of his investigation.
Normally, Guo Hanru looked quiet and timid.
But at this moment, he spoke endlessly, making Sun Dazhi’s expression grow darker and darker.
“Master Shu, at least this section of the embankment outside Zhili City has absolutely no problems.”
Finally, Guo Hanru concluded.
“Master Shu can rest assured, and His Majesty can also sleep peacefully.”
Before Shu Changyu could speak, Sun Dazhi’s face darkened.
“Master Guo, your words are too absolute.”
“With this year’s heavy rainfall, if the Yan River breaks its banks, can you bear the responsibility?”
Although he was only a local official, his rank was not low.
He dared not offend Shu Changyu, who had status and family background.
But this small sixth-rank official—
Did he really need to show restraint when scolding him?
Guo Hanru’s face flushed red, ready to argue.
“Master Guo’s judgment makes this official feel reassured.”
Shu Changyu ignored Sun Dazhi completely and smiled as he praised him.
“If I remember correctly, this section of embankment was built by Master Guo’s teacher, Minister Chen, who has already retired and returned home?”
Guo Hanru immediately nodded.
“Yes! Exactly my teacher!”
“Then I truly cannot be more reassured.”
Shu Changyu smiled while looking at Sun Dazhi.
“Is that not right, Master Sun?”
That day, they inspected all the way to the embankment more than ten li north of Zhili Prefecture before taking the carriage back.
After returning to the Governor’s residence, Sun Dazhi once again warmly invited Shu Changyu to dinner.
Since Shu Changyu was staying at the Governor’s residence, refusing and returning elsewhere to eat would indeed seem unreasonable.
Thus, after repeated invitations, Shu Changyu was once again brought into the banquet hall.
This time, the arrangement of the banquet hall was different.
Shu Changyu naturally noticed.
However, he already knew that after bribery failed, Sun Dazhi would use another method.
When soldiers come, block them.
When water comes, cover it.
Sun Dazhi had no way around him.
Sure enough, halfway through the banquet, waves of fragrant perfume drifted over.
The faint sound of jade ornaments clinking could be heard.
“Since Master Shu has come to this subordinate’s residence, he must appreciate the singing and dancing of the dancers in my household.”
Sun Dazhi smiled as he leaned closer.
“Compared with the capital, it naturally has a different kind of charm.”