The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Shen Yu couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Shang Junlin's fingers twitched, tempted to pinch Shen Yu's face.

"Why did Your Majesty suddenly think of punishing the Zhenbei Marquis?" The laughter in Shen Yu's voice had yet to fade. "It's all in the past. The Zhenbei Marquis probably never expected that Your Majesty would bring up old grudges."

"When it concerns Ah Yu, there is no such thing as the past. The pain they inflicted on you in the past, I will make them repay it bit by bit." Suppressing his anger, Shang Junlin knew it wasn't the optimal time.

"The Zhenbei Marquis cares the most about his reputation. After this incident, he will only hate Shen Qingran even more." Shen Yu could imagine what the Zhenbei Marquis was thinking.

The Marquis would surely believe that if it weren't for Shen Qingran and his mother, he wouldn't have lost his affection for his legitimate heir. Regardless of the legitimate son's development in the court or entry into the harem, it would have brought immense benefits to the Marquis's household. Instead, they were in the current situation where they had to worry about retaliation from the legitimate son every day.

Someone who should have been the closest person became almost an enemy due to the instigation of others.

Didn't the Zhenbei Marquis want to gain benefits from Shen Yu? Of course, he did. However, Shen Yu's behavior made him uncertain, and he dared not go too far. After all, the neglect he experienced before entering the palace was real, the mistreatment by concubines and illegitimate children was real, and the indifference was also a fact. If these resentments were not resolved, how could the Zhenbei Marquis dare to seek benefits from Shen Yu?

On the surface, Shen Yu didn't tear his face from others. Occasionally, he would drop hints, and Shang Junlin would occasionally bestow rewards. But those rewards were far from what truly indulging someone should offer. The Zhenbei Marquis knew that it was because the major benefits had gone directly to the Yu Zhang Palace, and the Marquis's household only received superficial benefits.

The more favored Shen Yu became the more complex the Zhenbei Marquis's mood. Facing flattery from outsiders, on the one hand, he felt a sense of glory on his face, but on the other hand, it was like being stabbed in the heart by a knife.

Shen Yu knew the torment the Zhenbei Marquis was going through. He wanted to achieve this effect. It was the taste he had experienced since childhood, and the Marquis should also taste it.

"Why did Ah Yu suddenly ask if I had seen your half-brother before?"

The participants had already entered the mountains for the hunt, and Shen Yu and Shang Junlin strolled leisurely along a forest path, with the guards trailing behind, not disturbing their interaction.

"I just suddenly thought of it. He mentioned hunting to me before and how brave Your Majesty is. I thought Your Majesty had met him," Shen Yu replied casually, with a hint of indifference in his tone.

"Is Ah Yu jealous?" Shang Junlin chuckled.

"Knowing that Your Majesty is coveted by others, it does make me unhappy," Shen Yu admitted candidly. He didn't think there was anything to hide about his feelings.

"I'm glad, Ah Yu."

The light in Shang Junlin's eyes suddenly brightened. His deep, starry eyes stared unwaveringly at Shen Yu as if trying to pull him in.

"This time, did the Zhenbei Marquis bring anyone?" Shen Yu felt uncomfortable under the intense gaze and turned his head to the side.

Shang Junlin nodded. "Only the Zhenbei Marquis himself came this time."

"Forget about him. Let's go hunting," Shen Yu said, feeling somewhat intrigued as he watched small animals darting past from time to time.

"Ah Yu, tell me what you want, and I will hunt it for you."

Just then, a gray rabbit appeared in the grass ahead.

"Whoosh—"

Two arrows flew through the air.

The rabbit was pinned to the ground.

The attendants quickly dismounted and picked up the rabbit.

"How was it?" Shang Junlin asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, the rabbit was hit by two arrows."

Without needing the person to say it, they could see for themselves—two arrows, one through the eye, instantly killing it, and the other through the hind leg, anchoring the rabbit firmly to the ground.

The arrow that struck the hind leg was shot by Shen Yu.

Shen Yu put down his bow and rubbed his wrist. This delicate body had been pampered for too long and was even more unable to handle fatigue than in his previous life.

Shang Junlin looked at the rabbit. "This one belongs to Ah Yu."

"Are all the ones hunted by Your Majesty considered mine?" Shen Yu gestured to the rabbit.

The bodyguard who accompanied them was unclear about how they interacted privately and wore a look of astonishment. He thought to himself, His Highness's audacity in front of the Emperor is quite remarkable.

"Everything I hunt is Ah Yu's."

They didn't need to participate in the competition. Riding their horses leisurely through the mountains, hunting became an incidental activity.

At first, Shen Yu was a bit unfamiliar, but as time passed, his movements became more fluid, and his accuracy improved.

They walked, paused, and had a bountiful harvest.

"That deer is mine," Shen Yu's excitement was evident in his words.

Naturally, Shang Junlin wouldn't compete with him.

He took a step back and watched as Shen Yu pulled the bowstring, aimed, and released —

Along with the sound of arrows cutting through the air, came the sound of the deer falling to the ground.

But Shang Junlin wasn't interested in the deer. His entire attention was captured by the scene just now.

The figure of a handsome man in a red dress was resplendent. Under the riding attire, his body curves were perfectly outlined. The raised arm and the curve between his shoulder and neck formed a perfect arc as he drew the bow. At this moment, Shen Yu appeared entirely different from the youth Shang Junlin was familiar with.

He radiated all his brilliance, dazzling to the point where one couldn't look away.

"Your Majesty, did you see..." Shen Yu turned around, only to collide with the deep gaze of the man.

"Ah Yu, you're amazing," Shang Junlin's voice became hoarse.

Shen Yu was about to say something when the sound of approaching hoofbeats came from nearby. Soon after, a domineering female voice rang out.

"This clearly was the prey I spotted first. How dare you take it away before me?"

Shen Yu arched an eyebrow. They had chosen a path that didn't overlap with the main competition, so why were there still people coming?

Before long, a group of riders appeared where the deer had fallen. At the head was a woman dressed in red riding attire, just like Shen Yu.

When the woman saw Shen Yu, a trace of amazement flashed in her eyes. But after the amazement, it turned into intense jealousy.

She had worn the red attire to stand out from the crowd, but unexpectedly, she encountered a young man in red who was even more outstanding in this remote place.

Both were dressed in red, and at a glance, she knew she had lost completely.

Jealousy gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake. The woman's expression turned cold. "You stole my prey. How will you compensate?"

She was determined to ruin the person before her and paid no attention to the oddity of her surroundings.

Shang Junlin's clothes were embroidered with dark dragon patterns. If the woman had spared a moment to observe her surroundings, she would have noticed something was amiss. Unfortunately, she didn't. Her gaze remained fixed on Shen Yu's face as if she wanted to peel it off.

Shen Yu frowned slightly. The woman's ill intent was too obvious to ignore.

He turned his head and confirmed his suspicion. Shang Junlin's lips were tightly pressed, suppressing his anger.

"Do you know who that person is?" Shen Yu lowered his voice and asked.

Among the group of riders, the woman in red was clearly the leader. Apart from the guards, there were no other men present who could make decisions. Shen Yu was certain that he had never seen this person before.

Her malice seemed to stem purely from jealousy, judging by the blatant envy in her eyes upon their first encounter, most likely because of his face.

Shen Yu touched his face. He had never imagined that one day he would be hated by a stranger solely because of his appearance.

"She should be a member of some minister's household."

Influenced by his master's mood, U Biu, the horse, became restless and paced in place.

"Sister, this deer was shot by that gentleman. It should rightfully belong to him. Ah..." The maid beside the woman stepped forward to advise, only to be pushed off her horse with a casual hand.

"Do you think it's your place to meddle in my affairs as a lowly concubine's daughter?"

The people around the woman turned a blind eye to the situation, clearly accustomed to her domineering behavior.

Shen Yu tugged at Shang Junlin's sleeve, interrupting his words, and deliberately taunted, "Clearly, I shot the prey. How can you claim it as yours with just a word?"

"If we hadn't exhausted it in the chase, how could you have hit it?" The woman sneered, unimpressed.

The woman no longer just wanted the prey; she now wanted to destroy Shen Yu.

"Well, if you are willing to apologize proactively, I won't hold you accountable for your mistakes," she proposed.

Shen Yu smiled. "Hunting is all about being first. Whether the deer was driven here by you or was already here, it belongs to me because my arrow struck it."

When Shen Yu smiled, it became even more breathtakingly beautiful. If someone familiar with him were present, they would know that beneath his stunning smile, anger was surging.

"Are you really going to oppose me?" The woman found Shen Yu's smile increasingly irritating. "How about this: let's have a contest. If I lose, the deer will be yours. If you lose, you apologize and withdraw from this hunting competition. How about that?"

"Of course, there can be no outside assistance. I will personally compete against you. A man of seven feet tall wouldn't be afraid to compete against a weak woman, right?"

"You have no right to ask him to leave," Shang Junlin spoke up, suppressing his anger. If it weren't for Shen Yu holding him back, he would have already had the woman dragged away.

"Are you two a couple? Why are you protecting him like this?" The woman shifted her attention to the black-clad man beside the red-clad youth.

The woman had come to the capital with her father, who had been transferred due to the changing power dynamics at the court. In her hometown, her father was the highest-ranking official, and her mother came from a prominent local family. She, being the only legitimate daughter, had been spoiled and had developed an arrogant and domineering personality. No one dared to defy her.

The maid in the blue dress sat on the ground, silently sweating for the two people on the other side. She was well aware of the vicious methods of her "eldest sister." Even before she came to the capital, many maids who were slightly more beautiful had fallen victim to her.

Not only maids but if there were any women from other families who were more beautiful than her, disfigurement would be considered a relatively good outcome. In more severe cases, their reputation would be ruined, and in the worst cases, they would suffer humiliation and eventually die.

She opened her mouth, wanting to warn the two people on the other side not to provoke her "eldest sister." However, she was in no position to protect herself, let alone help others.

How ridiculous it was for them to say she, a concubine's daughter, had no right to meddle in her affairs when she should have been the legitimate daughter, the elder sister, the one who had everything stolen by her and her mother!

This was something they all knew deep down.

The maid in the blue dress lowered her head, and the fleeting hatred in her eyes was captured by Shen Yu.

Shen Yu had no interest in understanding the grievances between the two sisters.

"The relationship between him and me is none of your concern. As for the contest, I don't think I need to comply with your unreasonable request for something that already belongs to me, do I?"

The woman's plan to sabotage the contest and preferably harm Shen Yu's face had failed. She rode her horse towards the fallen deer. "If that's the case, I'll take the prey without hesitation. Here's your arrow back."

As she spoke, the woman bent down, intending to remove the arrow.

"If you dare touch my belongings even for a moment, do you believe I won't release the bowstring?" Shen Yu drew the bowstring taut, aiming at the woman, his eyes slightly narrowed. "My arrow won't discriminate whether the target is prey or a person."

Translator's note:

The hell is with this cliff? I really want to read the rest now! This is kinda my choice of tea: some face slapping UwU