The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

It wasn’t the first time Mu Xi had been interrupted by the emperor when talking to Shen Yu. Compared with her initial fear, she now felt much calmer.

Meng Gonggong, who came in behind Shang JunLin, ordered the palace attendants to put down the official reports, then he withdrew. The other servants followed one by one.

In the twinkling of an eye, only Shen Yu and Shang JunLin remained in the room.

Shen Yu looked at the empty room, walked over to the emperor, and tilted his head to look up at him. “Will Your Majesty tell me?”

Shang JunLin looked at him quietly. “If the noble monarch asks, this emperor will answer.”

“Your Majesty really knows?” Shen Yu was startled. He thought Shang JunLin was asking rhetorically. Imperial Physician Gu was just a doctor. If Shang JunLin bothered to investigate him, it meant he must be involved with Imperial Censor Zhang’s case.

In Shen Yu’s previous life, Imperial Physician Gu experienced tragic consequences. Was that because he was involved with Imperial Censor Zhang somehow? But if that was true, why was he still alive and well in this life?

The doubts in Shen Yu’s eyes were too obvious. Shang JunLin frowned. “What is the noble monarch thinking about?”

“I’m wondering why Your Majesty is paying so much special attention to Imperial Physician Gu…” Shen Yu blurted. After saying this, he realized it sounded wrong, so he quickly added, “I mean, I’m curious why Your Majesty knows so much about him….”

The more he spoke, the smaller Shen Yu’s voice became.

Shang JunLin was angry enough to laugh. And the inexplicable emotions that surged in his heart a moment ago were swept away. “Then why does the noble monarch think this emperor would pay ‘special’ attention to Imperial Physician Gu?”

He specifically emphasized the word “special”.

“No matter why Your Majesty is paying attention to him, if there’s one specific reason, Your Majesty should stop thinking about it.” Shen Yu stared at Shang JunLin with burning eyes.

 What reason was that? Just as Shang JunLin was about to ask, Shen Yu continued.

“Your Majesty promised me no new people would enter the harem.”

Shang JunLin boggled. “What makes you think this emperor has such thoughts?”

“Why else would Your Majesty pay attention to Imperial Physician Gu?” Shen Yu quietly threw the question back.

“Why else? Of course it’s because of you….” Shang JunLin responded abruptly. He caressed Shen Yu’s neck, giving him a rather oppressive squeeze. “Noble Monarch Shen is certainly brave to throw this emperor’s words back at me.”

Shen Yu didn’t dodge or shrink away, but he slightly lowered his eyes. “I’m just a little worried. After all, in this world all I have is Your Majesty.”

“Shen Yu.” Shang JunLin rubbed the skin of Shen Yu’s neck. Then he pinched Shen Yu’s chin and forced him to lift his head. “Don’t play petty games with this emperor.”

“Why would Your Majesty think that?” Shen Yu suddenly smiled. His eyes and eyebrows curved, and his eyes seemed full of light. “I belong to Your Majesty now. Isn’t it normal to worry that Your Majesty has someone else?

“Your Majesty.” Shen Yu covered the man’s hand. “Your Majesty’s words are gold. I take everything you say seriously.”

Shang JunLin’s heart jumped. He immediately relaxed his grip as if he’d been scalded and slightly averted his gaze. “Naturally, this emperor is a man of my word.”

Shen Yu knew the adage about quitting while you were ahead. He withdrew his hand and returned to his usual soft appearance. “Can Your Majesty tell me about Imperial Physician Gu? After all, my health is much better thanks to his care.”

His words explained why he was concerned.

“This emperor learned that some relevant people tried to contact him, so I asked someone to look into it,” Shang JunLin said. He gave Shen Yu a deep look. “This emperor is a little curious. Why is the noble monarch so certain that Imperial Physician Gu is involved with Imperial Censor Zhang’s case?”

No matter how good Imperial Physician Gu’s medical skills were, he was a doctor with little power. Most of the people connected with the case of Imperial Censor Zhang were court officials. They shouldn’t have anything to do with a palace physician. Why did Shen Yu think Doctor Gu was associated with them?

That was the main thing Shang JunLin couldn’t figure out.

Shen Yu seemed not to notice Shang JunLin’s probing. He approached Shang JunLin and said, “Your Majesty, I’m a little cold.”

The man’s body was warm, like a large stove providing a constant source of heat. This was also the reason Shen Yu tacitly allowed Shang JunLin to stay overnight in his bedroom.

Shang JunLin looked around and found that the window had been blown open by the wind at some point. He closed the window with his internal strength and wrapped Shen Yu in a fox fur cloak.

“Is that better?”

Shen Yu held onto the cloak and nodded.

His body was frail, and Imperial Physician Gu said it was best if he avoided cold drafts. Ordinary people could recover from a chill in a few days, but for Shen Yu, it might kill him. Shang JunLin had seen Shen Yu fall suddenly ill once before. Maybe it had shocked him, because he gave specific orders that Shen Yu’s chambers must be kept warm.

Shen Yu was the type who never treated himself badly. The comfort level of Yuzhang Palace was much higher than the other palaces. Sometimes Shen Yu suspected that Shang JunLin worked and rested here because it was so much more comfortable.

Seeing that Shen Yu’s face was pale, Shang JunLin poured him a cup of hot tea. “The only person in the world this emperor serves is Noble Monarch Shen.”

“Your Majesty is very kind.” Shen Yu took a few sips and felt his body warm up. His face relaxed.

“Your Majesty hasn’t told me about Imperial Physician Gu yet.” Shen Yu held the cup and looked at him.

Shang JunLin was surprised he was still thinking about Imperial Physician Gu when he was unwell, but since he insisted, Shang JunLin had no choice but to tell him.

“There’s a chess piece the Zhang family planted in the palace many years ago. They wanted to use Imperial Physician Gu to relay information from this person. If it hadn’t been for your brazen order telling Imperial Physician Gu to refuse all other duties, he would have fallen into the trap they laid for him the very next day.”

Shang JunLin gave Shen Yu a meaningful look. “Imperial Physician Gu is devoted to medicine. When those people came to his door and asked him to treat a patient, he definitely would have agreed if not for your order. But thanks to you, he declined the invitation and abided by your words.”

“Isn’t it only because of Your Majesty’s influence? If Your Majesty didn’t favor me, Imperial Physician Gu wouldn’t have listened to what I said.” Shen Yu knew better than anyone that if he wasn’t “Noble Monarch Shen” and hadn’t given a suitable reason, Imperial Physician Gu wouldn’t have obeyed him.

“You can make anything sound good.” Shang JunLin shook his head. “It’s better this way. Thanks to your kindness, Imperial Physician Gu will only be more attentive to your condition.”

“Everything in my life has gotten better after meeting Your Majesty. Your Majesty really is my lucky star.”

“In that case, the noble monarch is this emperor’s lucky star too. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible to clean up Imperial Censor Zhang’s affairs so smoothly.”

When the charges were announced against Imperial Censor Zhang, the factions that opposed Shang JunLin in the court suddenly died down. By the end of the fifteen-day deadline, Minister Fang finished investigating the  case.

During those fifteen days, the officials involved were jailed one by one and sentenced according to the seriousness of the charges. As the masterminds, the Zhang family was sentenced to the punishment of nine familial exterminations. Imperial Censor Zhang himself was drawn and quartered.

Many other officials, great and small, were convicted alongside them. Shang JunLin acted quickly and used the incident to uproot the forces of the Zhang family in the court.

The chess piece left by the Zhang family in the palace was a concubine of the previous emperor. She wasn’t old, had no children, and her background was unrelated to the Zhang family. She’d always kept a low profile, which was why she escaped the initial purge when Shang JunLin ascended the throne.

After Shang JunLin became emperor, he allowed the members of the previous emperor’s harem to depart. Those who didn’t want to leave were allowed to live in an isolated palace. Most of these people didn’t come from distinguished backgrounds and had nowhere else to go. At least in the palace they didn’t have to worry about food and drink.

Shen Yu didn’t think things were that simple. “Is that concubine really related to the Zhang family?” 

Shang JunLin frowned. “She’s too cautious. We were only able to discover she has some connections with them. We couldn’t find out who she’s working for.”

Shen Yu was puzzled. “Your Majesty didn’t have anyone interrogate her?”

“She eats and lives with several other ladies. If she goes missing for no reason, it will arouse the vigilance of those behind the scenes,” Shang JunLin explained.

Shen Yu: “Does Your Majesty encounter those ladies on a regular basis?”

Shang JunLin: “Occasionally. This emperor didn’t order them to be confined.”

Shen Yu: “Aside from the palace where they live, where do they usually show up?”

Shang JunLin: “Why are you asking all this?”

Shen Yu propped up his chin and said, “Your Majesty, if I say I have a way to let you take this person away for interrogation without arousing suspicion, and all it will take is Your Majesty’s cooperation, would Your Majesty be interested?”

Noticing Shang JunLin’s puzzled eyes, Shen Yu leaned closer to the man’s ear and whispered a few words.

Qin Garden was a place where the previous emperor liked to bring his concubines to enjoy themselves. After Shang JunLin ascended the throne, the harem was empty. Few people went there except for some of the previous emperor’s concubines.

Of those who stayed on in the palace, not all accepted their fate. Several former concubines had entered the palace near the end of the previous emperor’s reign and were eager to use their charms to fight for a place.

However, the new emperor was quite different from the previous emperor. He was indifferent to beauties. After the execution of a few people who crossed the line, the rest settled down—until Shen Yu entered the palace. After that, the more ambitious or foolish among them were ready to act.

A few ladies dressed up and went to Qin Garden. This was the only place they could meet the emperor without seeming conspicuous.

The weather was sunny and fine. Shen Yu had been in the palace a long time and wanted to go for a walk. Shang JunLin finished handling his official business and joined him.

“It’s warm today, Your Majesty. Let’s go to a few places I haven’t been to before.”

When Shang JunLin nodded, Shen Yu turned his head and asked, “Meng Gonggong, are there any places in the palace with good scenery?”

Meng Gonggong had served in the palace a long time and couldn’t be more familiar with it. He described them to Shen Yu one by one. “If you want beautiful scenery, Fang Garden is very good, but the flowers there bloom mostly in summer. In winter, Qin Garden is the most beautiful…”

After listening to Meng Gonggong’s advice, Shen Yu chose to go to Qin Garden.

Shen Yu and Shang JunLin spoke in low voices, and Meng Gonggong told the others to follow at a distance to avoid disturbing the two masters’ enjoyment.

“Your Majesty…”

Before Shen Yu finished speaking, someone suddenly emerged from behind a corner. There was no time to think. Shang JunLin grabbed Shen Yu and took him into his arms. The person ended up bumping into Shang JunLin.

The woman’s eyes were covered with a white cloth. With one hand she grabbed Shang JunLin’s clothes, and with the other she pulled down the white cloth on her face. In a clear voice she said, “I caught you….”

When she saw the scene in front of her, the woman swallowed her words. She quickly let go and knelt down. “Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant didn’t know it was Your Majesty. I didn’t mean to offend…”

She had taken the opportunity of playing hide-and-seek to bump into him. There were so few chances to encounter the emperor. She didn’t want to miss a single one. Whether it was for herself or because of that person’s request, she had to catch hold of Shang JunLin!

For a long time, the woman didn’t hear a sound. She looked up cautiously only to find the emperor wasn’t even looking at her. He was gently tidying Shen Yu’s hair, gazing at him with a smile. He didn’t seem angry.

The woman immediately felt relieved.

But before she could finish her sigh of relief, Noble Monarch Shen walked over with a smile.

“Well…” Shen Yu seemed a little embarrassed. “This is the hand that touched His Majesty, right? I’m the type of person who just hates when other people touch my things. Why don’t we do this? Since that’s the hand that touched him, why don’t I keep your hand?”

The woman’s face turned pale.

TL Notes:

I’ll be traveling for a few days. I should be able to update as usual, but it might not be at a consistent time ♥

In Shen Yu’s previous life, Imperial Physician Gu experienced tragic consequences… etc. – 还是说，这辈子顾太医也搅和进了这件事里，只是不知为何，没造成前世那样惨烈的后果？ – I rephrased a bit to clarify

You can make anything sound good – from 什么都能让你说出花来 – Anything you say sounds like flowers

nine familial exterminations – 夷九族 – An ancient punishment for major offenses such as treason. The criminal and his extended family, four generations up and four generations down including spouses, would be sentenced to death. Per Wikipedia, in ancient times people were considered to have nine different degrees of relation with other people, referred to collectively as their family or tribe (族). Under Confucianism, these people were bound together by filial piety. Because members of a family remained strictly loyal to one another, they were considered responsible for crimes committed by each other (Wikipedia)

Since that’s the hand that touched him, why don’t I keep your hand? – from 你若哪里碰了，便留下哪里，如何？ – If you touched it, why don’t you leave it behind, OK? – rephrased due to vagueness

Transliterated names, places, and titles—new in this chapter:

Qin Garden – 沁园

Fang Garden – 芳园