Su Xiaoqi was carried back to her room and tossed around vigorously, leaving her body feeling like it was falling apart from exhaustion.
Shen Yun, however, was full of vigor, capable of another three hundred rounds with energy to spare.
Looking at him, whose stamina was frighteningly good, Su Xiaoqi sighed softly.
She couldn't go through that again.
Shen Yun leaned in and kissed her forehead, saying softly, "Wife, it's my fault, I shouldn't have..."
He hadn't been "indulgent" before, and didn't feel it.
But now that he had, he could never go back to abstinence.
He couldn't imagine how he had resisted holding such a delicate and fragile young wife in his arms in the past.
Cold water and strong will.
But now, it wouldn't work.
A bucket of ice water wouldn't be enough to suppress his body's urges.
Indeed, the saying "tasting the honey makes one yearn for more" wasn't exclusive to anyone.
Even he, who prided himself on being detached and disciplined, couldn't escape it.
It was simply because his little wife was too soft, sweet, and endearing.
And she possessed a charm in bed that made him completely unable to restrain himself.
Their love was a mutual journey, not a one-sided infatuation.
He took a deep breath, held Su Xiaoqi, and once again felt grateful for heaven's favor.
"Wife, I love you." He couldn't help but confess.
Su Xiaoqi laughed at him, "You've said that many times."
"Saying it ten times, or a hundred times, still cannot express my love for you," Shen Yun said, his emotions overflowing.
His feelings were deep and true. Su Xiaoqi's lips curved slightly as she leaned peacefully into his embrace, enjoying this moment of warmth.
At the end of July, an urgent report from Ganjin arrived, stating that the locust plague had not subsided as it had in previous years.
This time, it had intensified, becoming somewhat uncontrollable.
Moreover, this locust plague was particularly fierce; not only did they devour the newly planted autumn crops, but they even dared to bite people they encountered.
In the five counties of Ganjin, more than a dozen
citizens had been bitten by the swarming locusts while working in the fields.
Three of them had died from their injuries.
The situation was extremely critical.
Furthermore, if not controlled, the locusts might migrate north, cross Qingyun Mountain, and head towards the capital.
Along the way, they would also destroy the newly sprouted seedlings in the fields that had just been irrigated after the rain.
Emperor Xingzhao's illness had finally begun to improve under the careful treatment of the imperial physicians at Luyuan.
However, this new development caused his condition to worsen.
Especially when someone from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed celestial phenomena and saw some ill omens. They privately reported these to Emperor Xingzhao, nearly enraging him to death.
Although those words were not spoken in front of the civil and military officials,
the imperial palace was not monolithic, and rumors still spread.
According to common belief, natural disasters and man-made calamities were often attributed to the current emperor or the future emperor being unbenevolent or unjust.
Therefore, heaven sent disasters as punishment and a warning.
Consequently, somehow, some officials in the court began to discuss the Crown Prince's character.
Even the issues in Jiangning Prefecture, which had already been resolved by him, were brought up intentionally.
Regarding the events in Bazhou Prefecture, some even offered direct remonstrance.
And they did not speak without evidence; they had both witnesses and material proof.
Once or twice, Emperor Xingzhao could still listen to the cabinet ministers' defenses of the Crown Prince.
But the third and fourth times truly began to annoy him.
Coupled with the rumors of natural and man-made calamities, he was overwhelmed with frustration, and his illness worsened.
Even the most effective "pillow talk" from Noble Consort Huang was proving somewhat ineffective.
Of course, what angered Emperor Xingzhao the most was the rampant locust plague in Ganjin, yet not a single official was willing to volunteer to go and deal with it.
Emperor Xingzhao was furious, denouncing the officials for being idle in their positions and not fulfilling their duties.
Fueled by his anger, he severely punished several Censors who were always eager to criticize current affairs.
Seeing this, the Grand Secretary Song Sanqing exchanged a look with the Second Secretary Yang Tinghe, stepped forward, and recommended the recently appointed Minister of Rites, Shen Yun.
Emperor Xingzhao could be angry with others, but he was exceptionally fond of Shen Yun.
When Shen Yun was in the Hanlin Academy, his exquisite *Shou Jin Ti* calligraphy had already won his favor.
Furthermore, his skill in landscape painting made him the author of a painting that the Emperor had been seeking for a long time.
This greatly pleased Emperor Xingzhao.
Later, Emperor Xingzhao recognized Shen Yun as the author of a painting he greatly admired, titled "Jiang Shan Tu" (Landscape Painting).
To be precise, this painting had been presented by He Qiumiao, the Libationer of the Imperial Academy.
At that time, it was signed with the extremely unfamiliar name "Mr. Zhoushan."
For Emperor Xingzhao, who enjoyed collecting works by renowned artists, it should not have been left undocumented.
But the painting was exceptionally exquisite.
It captivated him at first sight.
Later, Emperor Xingzhao himself came to realize.
Liking a work was not related to the artist's fame; the most important thing was the style, the spirit conveyed, and the ideas within the painting that he found appealing.
He never expected it to be Shen Yun.
This made him like Shen Yun even more.
Hearing Song Sanqing mention Shen Yun's name at this moment, the pent-up frustration within Emperor Xingzhao eased slightly. He recalled that Shen Yun's current rank was a full fifth-grade official and called out towards the end of the civil officials' section, "Minister Shen."
"Your humble servant is here," Shen Yun stepped forward with a steady gait and bowed.
"How about entrusting this matter to you?" Emperor Xingzhao was no longer young, but his years in a high position had imbued him with an imposing aura that naturally made people lower their heads.
Although there were nearly a hundred people in the hall, a pin drop could be heard at this moment.
Shen Yun replied, "I will obey Your Majesty's command."
"Good, this is my loyal and capable minister," Emperor Xingzhao said, his aged face breaking into a smile, giving one the impression of a hero in his twilight years.
Shen Yun returned home and informed Su Xiaoqi that he had been assigned the task of controlling the locust plague.
Su Xiaoqi frowned slightly, "With such a vast Liang Dynasty, are there no other capable ministers?"
Shen Yun smiled helplessly.
Su Xiaoqi's complaint was just a casual remark; she was still very happy that Shen Yun had been given this task.
After all, the method of governance was right there; if he didn't take the credit, who would?
Su Xiaoqi said, "I'll accompany you, my husband."
Shen Yun shook his head, a hint of worry in his tone, "Zhang Feng reported that this locust plague is extremely severe. In the past, locusts would gnaw at grains; this time, they even bite people."
Although locusts are small, a multitude of ants can kill an elephant. If people couldn't move and run, they would likely be bitten to death by the locusts.
Su Xiaoqi thought of the images of locust swarms she had seen online, and goosebumps rose all over her.
Tsk tsk, just thinking about that scene was enough; seeing it in person would likely scare someone to death.
"Oh, then you must be careful," Su Xiaoqi said tenderly.
"Wife, rest assured," Shen Yun gently embraced her, his fingers caressing her cheek. How could he ever love his clever and resourceful little wife too much?
It was just that he was troubled by the fact that he could no longer see Xiaoqi's inner thoughts lately, which always gave him a sense of foreboding.
He wasn't a man who believed in fate, but the things that had happened to Xiaoqi were too fantastical for him not to believe.
He would have to hold Su Xiaoqi closely at night and express his longing.
Shen Yun headed to Ganjin, traveling alone this time, but bringing over a dozen horse-drawn carriages filled with supplies.
Those carriages were tightly sealed with black cloth, leaving only the front for ventilation.
As the carriages passed, a "caw caw" sound emanated from them.
And there was an unshakeable stench.
This attracted a crowd of people to speculate about what exactly Shen Yun had brought with him.