The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

The expression on Shang Junlin's face froze.

"Hahaha," Shen Yu laughed, holding Shang Junlin's wrist with one hand. "Does Your Majesty not trust me to go with you, or is it that Your Majesty does not want me to see..."

"I'll accompany you," Shang Junlin interrupted him before he could finish, rubbing his finger against the delicate skin under Shen Yu's jaw. "Since Ah Yu has admitted our relationship in person, as a husband, I should accompany my wife."

Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had dealt with the situation. But before he could fully relax, the man leaned down.

"Since we are husband and wife, shouldn't Ah Yu fulfill some marital duties?"

The whisper disappeared on his lips.

The man's breath swept over him, and before Shen Yu could react, he was engulfed in the man's embrace. The warm touch of lips pressed against his own, and a strong hand held his chin, preventing him from breaking free.

Shen Yu was powerless to resist as the man kissed him forcefully.

The man's kiss was dominant and powerful, carrying an unstoppable momentum as he conquered every inch of space. Under the man's relentless assault, Shen Yu was unable to resist.

The sound of water echoed in the enclosed space, the rustling of fabric could be heard as the black and blue clothes intertwined with each other, blurring the boundaries between them.

At some point, the hand on Shen Yu's chin was released and Shi Junlin wrapped his arm around Shen Yu's flexible waist, while the other hand pressed against the back of his head, keeping him firmly in his embrace.

When it came to doing such things, Shi Junlin was as domineering as ever. Shen Yu closed his eyes, all his senses focused on his lips, which were sucked and ground against, his mouth was occupied, and he could only drift along with the man's movements.

With a final kiss, Shi Junlin still didn't want to let go of the person in his arms, his lips gently touching Shen Yu's as if to comfort him. Shen Yu's breath was unsteady, the corners of his eyes tinged with red, and his lips were red as if he had applied rouge, shimmering with a watery sheen.

Shi Junlin's eyes darkened and he wanted to kiss him again, but only managed to kiss Shen Yu's hand when he pulled away.

"Ah Yu?"

"If we continue like this, I won't be able to show my face in public later." Shen Yu's voice was muffled.

"We can go straight back to the palace."

Shen Yu shook his head, his attitude was resolute. If he went back like this, wouldn't he be walking straight into the tiger's den and endure another half-night of Shi Junlin's antics?

Shi Junlin couldn't resist him and could only give up the idea of continuing. He kissed Shen Yu's face twice more before letting him go.

After Shen Yu adjusted his clothes, they arrived at the restaurant.

At this moment, except for some redness on his lips, there was nothing unusual on Shen Yu's face.

The two of them entered the Yingxing House and were warmly welcomed by the waiter: "Welcome, sirs. Would you like to sit in the main hall or a private room?"

"A private room," Shang Junlin spoke up.

"Alright, please follow me this way."

Yingxing House was very lively, with the main hall full of people. Unlike the simple and elegant decoration during the imperial examination period, the whole building was brightly lit and magnificent, making it hard to believe it was the same restaurant.

When they reached the second floor, they could hear the sound of silk and bamboo music coming from the other private rooms.

"Does Yingxing House have other business?" Shen Yu stopped and asked.

"Are you referring to the sound of the music? Those are not our people. Some guests come here and bring a few female musicians to entertain them."

Shen Yu nodded faintly and changed the subject, "Your establishment looks very different from before."

"Are you referring to the imperial examination period? That was specifically ordered by our boss. Every three years during that time, we provide convenience for students rushing to take the exams in the capital. We operate as usual during other times."

"Your boss is quite the clever person."

The waiter led them to a private room, and Shen Yu ordered the dishes with ease, "Have you had any new desserts or snacks lately?"

"As a matter of fact, we have some new items on the menu." The waiter enthusiastically introduced them.

Shen Yu chose a few items with nice names.

"Indeed, this restaurant usually caters to the wealthy and powerful." Shen Yu sighed after the waiter left.

The prices of each dish were several times higher than the last time they came.

"If it continues like before, this store won't be able to survive. Are you thirsty, Ah Yu?"

Shen Yu nodded, feeling a little parched.

Shang Junlin picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup for each of them.

Without making them wait long, the dishes were quickly served one by one. Finally, Shen Yu's dessert arrived.

The fruit was cut into small pieces and mixed evenly with milk, with small ice cubes interspersed throughout. It was almost the same as what Shen Yu had eaten in the Yuzhang Palace.

Shen Yu stirred the dessert with a spoon and asked, "What is this?"

"You have good taste, sir. This is a recipe from the palace. It's perfect for summer and it's our best-selling dessert."

Shen Yu took a spoonful and put it in his mouth. The milk had no trace of gaminess, only sweetness. The fruit was delicious and juicy, and the ice-cold texture made it a real pleasure to eat on a hot summer day.

After finishing the dessert, Shen Yu looked at the other bowl. It also had ice cubes in it, but the fruit was cut into smaller pieces and the liquid was transparent like water.

The waiter followed Shen Yu's gaze and explained, "This one has fruit wine in it, but don't worry, it's not enough to get you drunk, even children can eat it."

"The palace selling ice at a unified price really helped us out. If not for that, how could we ordinary folks afford it, let alone make these desserts."

The palace sold two types of ice, one for cooling and the other for eating. The latter was more expensive, but even if it was expensive, ordinary people could still afford it. Unlike before, the high price was intimidating.

Shang Junlin and Shen Yu didn't like being waited on, so they sent the waiter away after all the dishes were served.

The food at Yingxing House was fragrant and appetizing, but Shen Yu didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he focused on one small bowl.

It was the fruit wine ice that the waiter had just introduced.

For a long time, Shen Yu had been craving wine, but unfortunately, Shang Junlin watched him sternly and wouldn't let him drink or even touch it. Now, he finally had a chance and couldn't wait to bring the small bowl to his own table.

"I'll just taste it," he said.

After spooning a bit into his mouth, Shen Yu was somewhat disappointed to find that it only had a very faint taste of wine, nothing like what he had imagined.

After eating a couple of spoonfuls, Shen Yu lost interest and preferred the bowl with milk, which was sweeter.

Shang Junlin laughed and took the half-eaten bowl from Shen Yu, finishing it himself.

"How is it, Your Majesty?" Shen Yu asked, holding his chin. "Doesn't it taste a bit weak?"

"Does Ah Yu want to drink wine?" Shang Junlin asked. He and Shen Yu shared meals and accommodation, but because of Shen Yu's health, he couldn't drink wine, and Shang Junlin hadn't had any in a long time either.

Shen Yu nodded, running his tongue over his lower lip to lick off the milk.

Certain images flashed through his mind, and Shang Junlin's eyes darkened. Without waiting for Shen Yu to react, he pulled him into his arms and kissed him heavily.

Shang Junlin's kisses never had anything to do with tenderness, more like a fierce beast marking its territory, each movement containing an unyielding dominance.

This kiss was particularly heavy.

It was as if he wanted to leave his mark on every part of Shen Yu, not leaving any place untouched, kissing deeply.

Shen Yu's tongue went numb, his fingers weakly grasping the man's clothes at the shoulder.

After a while, Shang Junlin let go of Shen Yu, his lips lingering on his face.

Shen Yu leaned against Shang Junlin's arm, taking a while to recover.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" he asked, panting.

Shang Junlin ran his fingers over Shen Yu's lips, lightly pressing them, and replied, "Ah Yu's lips are so soft."

Shen Yu: ???

But Shang Junlin didn't say anything more, and instead straightened Shen Yu's clothes. "It's late, let's go back to the palace."

The sky outside was already dark, and there was a curfew in Dahuan, so they couldn't stay on the street for too long. Mr. Fang's side kept in contact with the court every day, and after passing through Yuncounty, they would be in the northern territory where the situation was becoming increasingly dire.

To ensure that they could arrive in the north as soon as possible, Mr. Fang and his group chose the closest route with an army accompanying them so they didn't have to worry about bandits. Even so, they still fell into an ambush near the vicinity of the northern territory.

There weren't many casualties, but a batch of disaster relief supplies was looted.

In the grand court, the atmosphere was oppressive.

Shang Junlin sat on the dragon throne, coldly watching below.

"What do you ministers think of this matter?"

"I believe this matter must be thoroughly investigated!" The prime minister was the first to stand up.

"I agree!"

With the first one to stand up, other ministers also stood up one after another.

"This matter will be handled by the prime minister."

Back at the Yuzhang Palace, Shang Junlin immediately embraced Shen Yu.

Feeling that the man was not in a good mood, Shen Yu patted his back and asked, "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

"Fang Jun and his group were attacked by bandits."

Shen Yu paused, "Where do these bandits have the audacity to rob the relief supplies of the court?"

"They were attacked in Yun County. I have already instructed the prime minister to investigate. This matter is probably not as simple as it seems on the surface."

"Are Fang Jun and the others alright?"

"I had some people secretly follow them. If it weren't for them, the losses would not have been so small." Shang Junlin's eyes were cold.

"These people obviously know a lot about the arrangements of the court's relief efforts. However, the court's arrangements are public knowledge, and many people know about it. It is difficult to determine who is behind this just based on this. Your Majesty, please drink some water first." Shen Yu touched the back of Shang Junlin's neck.

"Feed me, Ah Yu." Shang Junlin rubbed against Shen Yu's face.

"Your Majesty, please let me go first."

Shang Junlin let go, and Shen Yu walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it over. Shang Junlin didn't take it, just looked at him. Shen Yu raised his arm and fed him the water.

Drinking the water in this posture, Shang Junlin took the cup from Shen Yu's hand and put it aside. He then embraced Shen Yu again and said confusedly, "I don't understand. Those were relief supplies used to save millions of people in Subei. Why would they take them?"

"Your Majesty, you don't need to understand how these people think. Once we find out who did this, we will deal with them directly. No need to waste words."

"Ah Yu is right. They only need to know that they are destined to pay for their actions!"

"Without that batch of supplies, will the supplies Fang Jun and the others brought be enough?" Shen Yu thought of the most critical issue.

"They can last for a while, but the missing supplies must be replenished as soon as possible. The Minister of Revenue has already been raising funds for it." Thinking of something, Shang Junlin smiled, "The one who reacted the most to this news was undoubtedly the Minister of Revenue. He was so angry that he scolded the bandits in court, which shocked those ministers."

"They probably didn't expect that the usually polite Minister of Revenue would have such a side." Imagining that scene, Shen Yu couldn't help but laugh.