Why would there be a portrait of himself on Jing Mu’s desk?
Not only was it a portrait of himself, but the person depicted in the painting was also his appearance from his previous life.
For a moment, Shu Changyu’s heart was thrown into chaos. His first reaction was actually like an ostrich burying its head in the sand—he hurriedly picked up the portrait and stuffed it back into the pile of assignments.
“Then I shall leave first.” After saying this to Sitao, he picked up the book box on the table and turned to walk out.
Sitao watched as Lord Shu remained as gentle and calm as always, but for some reason, his departing figure looked as if he was fleeing in panic.
Shu Changyu did not want to think about why Jing Mu had drawn such a painting.
Or rather, he vaguely knew the reason, but he was unwilling to believe it was true.
What feelings did Jing Mu have toward him?
Was Jing Mu also someone who had been reborn?
Whenever these thoughts surfaced, he felt his head ache and his heart become unsettled. He did not even want to touch the matter.
He thought to himself that fortunately, Jing Mu was not there today.
As he hurried back, he thought that once he had sorted out his thoughts, he would go ask Jing Mu about it.
However, he no longer had the chance to sort out his thoughts.
The very next day, in front of all the civil and military officials at court, he was escorted away from the hall and temporarily imprisoned in the Dali Temple.
Minister Qian presented a report to the Emperor, saying that while investigating the account books for Shu Changyu’s road repair project, he discovered that Shu Changyu had not only embezzled a large amount of the road repair funds, but had also transferred a large sum of money from the palace renovation projects under his management, using it as surplus road repair funds to submit to the national treasury in order to seek credit and rewards.
“Shu Changyu failed to bribe this minister, so he privately transferred funds to exchange for His Majesty’s favor.” Qian Rubin cried bitterly in court. “This minister never expected that the Shu family, a household full of loyal and heroic servants, would produce such a parasite of the imperial court! Shu Changyu, how can you have any peace of mind?”
“Shu Changyu, is this true?” Emperor Qian Ning asked coldly.
Looking at Qian Rubin’s appearance, Shu Changyu suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
He had actually been accused of corruption by a corrupt official who had been lining his own pockets.
Upon hearing this, Qian Rubin hurriedly handed over the account books, physical evidence, and witness statements to Emperor Qian Ning.
Qian Rubin naturally had a much deeper foundation in the Ministry of Works than Shu Changyu. In order to harm him, he had mobilized almost every resource available to him.
Emperor Qian Ning roughly flipped through the evidence and already had an idea in his heart.
The account books indeed contained a large amount of unexplained expenses and many omissions. Combined with all kinds of physical evidence and witness testimonies, Shu Changyu’s crime seemed almost proven.
Emperor Qian Ning was furious.
Although there was a saying that “clear water cannot support fish,” and corruption among officials was something no dynasty could completely eliminate, this was a capital official committing such a serious offense under the Emperor’s own eyes, with such a huge amount involved.
Emperor Qian Ning had never seen anything like it.
“Shu Changyu, how do you explain this?” he shouted angrily.
Previously, he had only thought this man was rigid and dull, but he never expected him to be such a greedy person.
Even his corruption was carried out so openly, almost as if he lacked common sense.
Shu Changyu looked at him and sneered inwardly.
If he could be framed by such a scheme, then in his previous ten-plus years in office, he would have already been driven away from the position of Prime Minister.
He had witnessed countless political schemes and accusations in official circles. Naturally, whenever he acted, he always left himself a way out and never allowed others to have any evidence against him.
“Your Majesty, the account books in your hands are incorrect.” Shu Changyu said. “There is a copied version of the road repair accounts kept in my residence. Every income and expense is clearly recorded, and they have already been verified with the other officials involved. Your Majesty only needs to send someone to my residence to check.”
Emperor Qian Ning had all kinds of evidence in hand. Normally, Shu Changyu’s crime should have been impossible to escape.
Upon hearing this, he said, “Then first send Shu Changyu to the Dali Temple. Have the Dali Temple Minister send people to investigate the General’s Residence.”
The newly appointed Dali Temple Minister was Jing Mu.
Upon hearing this, Shu Changyu was basically relieved.
He had a completely accurate account book in his possession, and Jing Mu was someone who would absolutely never frame him.
He said nothing more and simply followed the guards out of the palace, heading directly to the Dali Temple prison.
Counting all together, this was the third time he had entered prison.
Compared with the previous times, the environment this time was much better.
The first time, he had entered as the son of a rebel general and had been imprisoned in the imperial prison for serious offenders. That prison did not even have a window. It was cold and damp, enough to make anyone shudder just remembering it.
The second time, he had been captured and brought into the palace, where he was locked in the palace dungeon. That dungeon was a place people entered but never left. No one had ever come out alive.
This time, in Shu Changyu’s eyes, was merely a minor disturbance.
After being placed in the cell, he still remembered to nod politely at the guard.
The guard also knew that he was only being held temporarily and would likely be released within half a day, so he treated him exceptionally respectfully. After bringing him inside, he even sent him two cushions and a cup of hot tea, afraid that this noble man would be uncomfortable in prison.
Shu Changyu simply treated it as an unexpected day off.
After taking a few sips of tea, he leaned against the couch with the cushions behind him and closed his eyes.
These past two days, he had been busy writing his river management plan and had not slept well for two nights.
Now that Qian Rubin had caused this trouble, it was not actually a bad thing for him.
He had acted honestly and properly. The account books recorded everything clearly. Once Emperor Qian Ning saw them, he would likely trust him even more.
After that, when he requested to go south, perhaps Emperor Qian Ning would agree more readily.
Therefore, Shu Changyu felt relaxed and burden-free.
Before long, he truly fell asleep.
When he woke up, the sunlight outside the window had already begun slanting westward.
He narrowed his eyes and saw a person standing before him.
It was Jing Mu, bending slightly as he placed his own outer robe over him.
Shu Changyu frowned and sat up. Deliberately trying to keep distance between them, he leaned backward slightly and gently pushed Jing Mu’s arm away.
“Sleeping like this, Young Tutor should be careful not to catch a chill.” Jing Mu’s smile was exceptionally gentle.
It was completely different from his usual silent and reserved appearance, almost strangely so.
The warm yellow glow of the setting sun fell upon his face, making him appear warm and soft.
For a moment, Shu Changyu’s heart suddenly skipped heavily.
Then alarm bells rang loudly in his ears.
He immediately straightened up and avoided looking at him.
“Has Second Prince finished verifying the account books? Can this subject leave now?”
Jing Mu did not answer.
Instead, he said, “Young Tutor saw the painting on Jing Mu’s desk, didn’t you?”
Shu Changyu sat on the couch and looked up at him.
Jing Mu smiled.
“My study desk can only be approached by Young Tutor. Yesterday, I noticed that the position of the painting had changed, and the corner had also been pinched and wrinkled.”
Looking at his expression, Shu Changyu felt more and more that something was unusual.
But Shu Changyu was someone who became like an ostrich when faced with matters beyond his expectations and beyond his control.
His instinct was to avoid it.
So he repeated:
“Can I leave now?”
“No, Young Tutor.” Jing Mu smiled. “Originally, you could.”
“But unfortunately, the account books and letters in your residence are now in my hands.”
“What do you mean?” Shu Changyu frowned.
Jing Mu laughed softly.
“Young Tutor, I never realized before that you were someone who liked to avoid things so much.”
As he spoke, his body slowly leaned forward.
One hand pressed against the table beside Shu Changyu.
He lowered his head and smiled gently.
“Why would Jing Mu know what you look like wearing the Prime Minister’s crown?”
“And why would Jing Mu secretly draw your appearance?”
“Young Tutor, you should already know the answer.”
“…Jing Mu.”
Shu Changyu looked up at him.
For the first time in this lifetime, he called his full name.
“You came back too.”
At this moment, inside the prison cell were two people.
One, who had always been gentle and warm like jade, had not a trace of a smile on his face.
The other, who was usually silent and expressionless, now wore a smile as gentle as the spring breeze.
“Young Tutor finally said it out loud.” Jing Mu smiled.
The close distance between the two of them made Shu Changyu feel extremely uncomfortable. His chest became restless and burning hot, almost making it difficult for him to breathe.
Jing Mu’s gaze at this moment frightened him somewhat.
It was as if he was seeing Jing Mu as a person for the first time.
The unreadable expression on his face and those deep eyes were both unfamiliar to him.
The Jing Mu in his memories should have been young, inexperienced, and dull.
“Jing Mu, get up.”
He lowered his eyes and raised his hand to push against the young man’s arm.
However, he had never expected the arm beneath his palm to be firm and powerful. Beneath the warm, resilient muscles was a tremendous strength, causing him to be unable to push him away for a moment.
“Jing Mu.”
He called his name again, his lowered voice carrying a warning.
“Does Young Tutor dislike how useless and pathetic Jing Mu was in his previous life, and therefore refuse to acknowledge me?”
Jing Mu did not move.
“Even after discovering my identity, do you still need me to force you again and again before you are willing to face reality?”
When Shu Changyu heard these words, they suddenly carried a completely different meaning to him.
For more than ten years in his previous life, he had always known that he owed Jing Mu.
The sins he had committed against Jing Mu were greater than those he had committed against the entire world in his previous life.
In this life, he wanted to stay away from him, but he had never done anything to hurt him.
Perhaps, deep down, he had always wanted to make up for what he had done.
And that was precisely why Shu Changyu wanted to avoid this.
He believed that he had made too many mistakes in his previous life, and those were debts he could never repay.
This life had reset everything to zero, and it could be considered a fresh start.
But now, the Jing Mu whom he owed so much was right in front of him.
Shu Changyu pressed his lips tightly together.
After a moment, he asked in a low voice, “Jing Mu, are you trying to take revenge on me for what I did in the past?”
Upon hearing this, Jing Mu laughed.
He leaned closer, his eyes carrying an unnatural redness.
He grabbed the wrist of the hand Shu Changyu had used to push him away, pulled forward with force, and firmly pressed Shu Changyu down onto the couch.
“I’m taking revenge on Young Tutor?”
He laughed softly.
“What would I take revenge on Young Tutor for? I don’t even have enough time to dote on you.”
Shu Changyu’s mind instantly began buzzing, becoming a complete mess.
Then, he mechanically listened to Jing Mu’s words.
“Counting everything together, it has been twenty-three years and four months.”
“From the moment I met Young Tutor, to losing you, and now…”
“I finally understand.”
His smile grew increasingly gentle.
“Giving you freedom and giving you power were both mistakes.”
“Now that I have finally managed to get you back after waiting for so long, I can no longer just watch helplessly as you marry someone else, have children, and hide far away from me.”
“Young Tutor, in the past, I failed to protect you. That was my fault.”
Shu Changyu felt Jing Mu’s warm breath fall against his ear.
“I will never allow those things to happen again.”
Shu Changyu’s mind was completely blank.
A warm sensation covered his lips.