The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Shang Junlin's actions were indeed telling Minister Feng that he knew there was a problem. Otherwise, he could have acted as he did initially, without anyone noticing anything amiss.

Unfortunately, Minister Feng was already flustered and didn't notice the deliberate message conveyed in these actions. He had the audacity to do such things but lacked the courage to face the consequences.

Minister Feng sat in place for a while, quietly returned to his residence, and immediately summoned his trusted advisors for a discussion.

The things he had done were known to those who had always been by his side. After all, in many cases, he himself couldn't personally intervene. At such times, it was his trusted advisors who represented him.

Inside the study, the atmosphere was heavy.

"The Emperor has ordered someone who stands firmly behind me to investigate this matter. It is highly likely that he knows it is related to me and is using this opportunity to reprimand me. What do you think I should do?" Minister Feng sat in his chair, his face no longer showing the initial panic.

"These are merely speculations, as the incidents did not involve your direct involvement. If the Emperor were to accuse you, you could easily shift the blame onto someone else..." one of the trusted advisors suggested.

This suggestion was not unfounded. Although Minister Feng orchestrated these events, he wasn't the one executing them. He was a powerful figure in the cabinet and wouldn't personally engage in such actions.

"It's not appropriate. If the Emperor truly knows something, wouldn't doing so be equivalent to admitting guilt? We need to find another way," Minister Feng replied.

Unfortunately, after discussing back and forth, they couldn't come up with a practical solution.

Growing impatient, Minister Feng had no choice but to continue listening to their discussions.

Among the officials named by Shang Junlin, there were a few who were aware of some internal affairs. In order to defect, they had also been involved in the past. Now that the Emperor was investigating, they felt as if their throats were being choked, living in constant anxiety.

A few of them gathered privately to discuss countermeasures.

"What should we do now?"

"Has Minister Feng given any instructions?"

"No, ever since that day, Minister Feng hasn't received any guests. I've sent several visitation requests, but they were not granted."

"Minister Feng's own safety is probably at stake now."

As the words fell, a deathly silence enveloped the surroundings. They had thought about this point, but they were unwilling to admit it. After serving as officials in the court for many years, they were somewhat familiar with Emperor Shang Junlin's style of governance. This time, it was evident that he was angry and determined to investigate thoroughly.

"The Emperor has ordered us to investigate this matter. It could very well be a warning to us." Otherwise, given the Emperor's tendency to favor officials from humble backgrounds, he wouldn't have entrusted this task solely to aristocratic officials.

It was precisely because they had unsettling suspicions that they were in such a panic, carrying out their duties with gritted teeth, willingly walking themselves into the abyss.

They had no other choice.

The matter proceeded methodically. The court began screening officials to be sent to Subei. Although Subei was located in a remote area, it wasn't disregarded like other remote regions. On the contrary, many eyes were on that place precisely because of the presence of the Subei Army.

In the past, there had been no opportunity, but now the upper echelons of Subei had been nearly wholly purged, and many people were tempted.

"Recently, all the documents are related to the screening of new officials for Subei." Shang Junlin opened a document, glanced at it, and put it down.

Shen Yu took a look. "With Subei currently lacking leadership, it's a good opportunity to make achievements. It's not surprising that it's being closely watched."

"I don't want this incident to happen again in Subei," Shang Junlin rubbed his temples.

"Even if they remain loyal for now, it's inevitable that they will change over time," Shen Yu never had too high expectations for human nature. "Instead of relying on them, it's better to find a way to prevent such incidents from happening at the source."

"The Prime Minister and I have discussed the method you proposed. It's feasible, but there are many challenges to face."

When officials are transferred to a new location, they require a period of adjustment. Only after the adjustment period can they become more adept at their work. That's also why many officials, after being sent elsewhere, choose to stay there.

The situation in Subei is more peculiar, making the adjustment process even more difficult. If too much time is spent on adjustment, it would be detrimental to the development of Subei.

Shen Yu pondered for a moment, roughly understanding Shang Junlin's concerns. He sat down across from him, propped his chin with his hands, and said, "Solutions are always devised by people. If Your Majesty is concerned, you can stagger the time for officials' rotations."

"I will discuss it with the Prime Minister. This matter needs to be settled quickly, and Fang Jun should be returning soon." With Minister Feng's matter resolved, a vacancy in the cabinet would open up, and Fang Jun, who had made great contributions in Subei during the disaster relief efforts, could rightfully take that position.

Fang Jun has been very busy lately, particularly busy.

Subei was severely understaffed, but unfortunately, there were too many messes left behind by those who had departed. It had to be resolved, so Fang Jun had to promote some local officials to help with the work.

At night, the study was brightly lit, and stacks of documents nearly half a person high filled the room. After completing one document, Fang Jun rubbed his wrists and finally understood the Prime Minister's previous irritable mood.

Dealing with an endless stream of documents every day was a burden that nobody could bear.

"Has His Majesty mentioned when new officials will be sent?" After several days of holding it in, Fang Jun couldn't help but ask.

Not far away, a man dressed in black robes with a mask covering his face sat, toying with an empty teacup in his hand. "Da ren, please don't worry. The court is already selecting suitable candidates."

The man in black was Gu Huai. He also wanted to return as soon as possible. When he came here, he never expected to stay in Subei for so long. Since being saved by Physician Gu, he had never been separated from others for such a long time. He had been thinking about it a lot.

"It probably takes time," Fang Jun sighed. "This is the first time I've been away from my wife for such a long time. I don't even know how she's doing at the mansion."

Because he was carrying out a special mission, he couldn't communicate with the capital. Perhaps it was easier to become sentimental late at night, and he unintentionally spoke about many things from before with his wife.

Gu Huai listened silently, a hint of peculiar emotion flickering in his eyes.

Fang Jun said, "I'm sorry, I unconsciously said so much."

"It's alright. The affection between Lord and your wife is something that others envy," Gu Huai replied.

Looking around the capital, there were hardly any couples who could maintain the same deep love and affection as Fang Jun and his wife for decades.

After much consideration, Fang Jun decided to submit a petition to the court, hoping to arrange for the officials for governing Subei as soon as possible.

After several days of dispute, the first batch of officials sent to Subei was selected. Although they didn't hold important positions in the court, they would have greater development opportunities after going to Subei.

Upon learning that the court had dispatched officials, Fang Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lord, we found this at the Marquis Zumin Hou's estate." A soldier rushed in.

"What is it?"

The soldier brought out an item, a letter. "I found this in a secret room in the Marquis's residence. I thought that something important enough to be kept in a secret room shouldn't be delayed, so I immediately brought it to you, my lord."

After the Marquis and others were imprisoned, they were sentenced according to the severity of their charges. As the mastermind, the Marquis received the harshest sentence, and his residence was confiscated.

Fang Jun borrowed some manpower from the Subei Army to help search the Marquis's estate, hoping to find any new discoveries. After several days, they had only found things they had anticipated, and Fang Jun had lost hope. However, they unexpectedly made a new discovery.

The letter had signs of being opened. Fang Jun ordered someone to open it and, after reading its contents, his face changed dramatically.

Since the Marquis and others were imprisoned, they had been searching for the whereabouts of the stolen goods. However, all those items seemed to have vanished into thin air, without a trace. It was only now that Fang Jun realized why they hadn't been able to find them after searching for so long.

Those things were no longer in Subei!

Fang Jun was filled with anger, trembling all over. He thought the charges against the Marquis and the others were already extensive, but he didn't expect there to be even more.

"My lord, are you alright?" The soldier saw Fang Jun's unfavorable complexion and asked with concern.

"I'm fine. How many more letters like this are there? Bring them all to me. No," Fang Jun put the letter back in its envelope. "Where did you find this letter? Take me there!"

He had to figure out the extent of the collusion between the former high-ranking officials in Subei and those people.

Considering the gravity of the matter, Fang Jun didn't dare to delay. He directly sought out the Hidden Dragon Guards who were still in Subei and instructed them to relay the information directly to the palace. He didn't know if only Subei officials were involved in this matter or if there were others. Until it was confirmed, no leaks could be allowed!

Using a special method, he informed Gu Huai of this news, and Gu Huai would investigate the matter discreetly with the Hidden Dragon Guards.

The atmosphere that was relaxed after the heavy rain, became tense once again.

As the weather gradually turned cooler,  Shen Yu, who had been recuperating for over half a year, was no longer as sensitive to the cold as before. Concerned about him catching a chill, Shang Junlin had people make thicker clothes and sent them over early.

Shen Yu was currently in the phase of growing taller, and the Imperial Attire Bureau's personnel came to measure him again.

Furrowing his brows, Shang Junlin pushed aside the palace maid who was standing close to Shen Yu, took the ruler from her hand, and walked toward Shen Yu.

"Ah Yu, you've grown taller."

Shang Junlin didn't want anyone else to touch Shen Yu, so he directed the palace maid and personally measured Shen Yu's dimensions.

Shen Yu looked at the palace maid who was trying hard to remain calm and found it amusing. "It's just a small matter. Your Majesty, why bother doing it yourself?"

"How can Ah Yu's matters be considered small?" Following the palace maid's instructions, Shang Junlin measured Shen Yu's shoulder width, waist size...

He would never allow someone else to have such intimate contact.

After taking the measurements, Shang Junlin held Shen Yu's waist with both hands. "Ah Yu, you should eat more. You're still so thin."

Shen Yu had a slender waist that was usually concealed by his clothes. Only Shang Junlin knew how fair and delicate the skin on his waist was. Whenever Shang Junlin placed his hands there, the warmth and slight tremor transmitted through his palms to his heart, giving him a sense of complete control over the person.

It was intoxicating, and he couldn't free himself from it.

Once the measurements were done, the personnel from the Imperial Attire Bureau left without staying long.

"Make the clothes quickly and send them over," Shang Junlin instructed while embracing Shen Yu.

"Yes."

The clothes being made this time included the regular attire and two sets of riding clothes for the upcoming autumn hunt.

Meng Gonggong, with keen insight, led the remaining palace maids out. They preferred to be alone without maidservants present.

"To be honest, there was no need to measure. I already know Ah Yu's measurements," Shang Junlin whispered into Shen Yu's ear, his voice low and magnetic. "If it weren't for the presence of the Imperial Attire Bureau personnel just now, I really wanted to touch..."

In front of him, Shen Yu let his guard down completely.

Exhaling warm breath against his ear, Shen Yu squirmed uncomfortably. "How did Your Majesty know? Did you secretly measure me?"

"Every inch of Ah Yu's body, I am well aware of," Shang Junlin lightly bit the flushed earlobe of the young man. "After all, I have experienced each and every one..."