The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

“Meng Chang, are you very free?” Shang JunLin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“This slave has a lot to do. This slave will go now.” Meng Gonggong could understand. His Majesty was young and strong, and Noble Monarch Shen was the only one in the harem. Noble Monarch Shen couldn’t bear the emperor’s energy.

Poor Noble Monarch Shen, he suffered a great deal. It was fortunate Imperial Physician Gu was so skilled at medicine, or they’d have to worry more about Noble Monarch Shen’s health.

Shen Yu changed his clothes and came out from behind the screen. Meng Gonggong was no longer present. Shen Yu looked around the room and didn’t see anyone else either.

“Are you looking for something?” Shang JunLin came over and helped Shen Yu insert a hairpin into his topknot.

Shen Yu hadn’t reached the age to be crowned. He didn’t tie up his hair very often because he didn’t like cumbersome styles of dress. Usually he tied his hair casually with a ribbon.

Today, in a rare change from the norm, Shen Yu bound up his hair with a jade hairpin inlaid with rubies. It made him look more noble than usual, like his entire person was radiant and glittering.

“Where is Meng Gonggong? Isn’t he always by your side to serve you?”

Shen Yu’s clothes now represented the status of a noble monarch. Everything about him was elegant and luxurious, so dazzling no one could tear their eyes away.

Shang JunLin looked at him quietly for a while before answering. “This emperor sent him to do something.”

“Oh.” Shen Yu didn’t ask more.

Aside from the day he entered the palace, this was the first time Shen Yu had worn such an ornate and unwieldy costume. After straightening his sleeves he decided that although it looked good, it restricted his movements a little too much.

“Your Majesty, do I look good today?” Shen Yu stood close to Shang JunLin. His voice was as soft as a handful of water.

When Shang JunLin met that stunning and unparalleled face, it was impossible to say otherwise.

Shen Yu waited a while, but Shang JunLin didn’t answer. Shen Yu deliberately made an unhappy face. “Is it really that bad? I’m so ugly His Majesty can’t bring himself to speak.”

“No, the noble monarch is extremely beautiful today.” It wasn’t only today. In Shang JunLin’s eyes, Shen Yu was so beautiful that he tantalized his heart every moment.

When he realized his beautiful noble monarch would soon be viewed by all the courtiers, Shang JunLin frowned to himself. He was seized by the idea of shutting Shen Yu in the harem where no one else could see him.

He shook off the strange thoughts that sprang into his mind and said, “When the noble monarch is ready, we’ll go.”

Shen Yu had no idea what Shang JunLin was thinking. He smiled, drew nearer, and gave a sigh. “Your Majesty is also extremely beautiful today,” he said in a low voice.

“You’re the only one who dares to describe this emperor like that.” When he looked at the stunning face so close at hand, Shang JunLin’s fingers curled.

Shen Yu: “I’m just telling the truth. Your Majesty won’t punish me for that, right?”

Shang JunLin: “This emperor thinks you’re very brave. You’re not afraid of being punished?”

“Your Majesty is mistaken. I only have a little courage, just a little bit.” Shen Yu raised his hand and indicated the short distance between his index finger and thumb. “But what I’m afraid of most is pain. Your Majesty can’t hurt me in the future.”

Shang JunLin gave him a meaningful look. “That depends on the noble monarch’s behavior.” 

Shen Yu pretended not to understand the deeper meaning of Shang JunLin’s words. With some doubt he asked, “Is my behavior not good enough? Tell me, Your Majesty, do you want me to act spoiled? Or clingy? Or cold and aloof…?”

Images of various styles of Shen Yu ran uncontrollably through Shang JunLin’s mind. His heart suddenly thumped, and he interrupted Shen Yu, “This emperor likes the noble monarch as you are now.”

“What a coincidence. I like this me too.” Seeing Shang JunLin’s face change slightly, Shen Yu added, “Of course, what I like most is Your Majesty.”

Shang JunLin’s eyes softened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Meng Gonggong, who’d just returned from his busy work, heard this exchange and couldn’t help shaking his head. His Majesty and the noble monarch were so deeply in love.

In the magnificent main hall, the nobles and vassal kings had already taken their seats. The well-trained palace servants deftly served plates of delicacies. In the highest position in the hall, there were two vacant seats. One belonged to the emperor, while the other, prepared for Shen Yu, was placed a little lower down.

His Majesty hadn’t arrived yet. The guests were relatively relaxed and talked to each other in low voices.

Their conversation focused on imperial politics and the relationships between the major clans. Today they also had one more topic to discuss: that is, Noble Monarch Shen.

“His Majesty really dotes on this Noble Monarch Shen.”

“That’s just it. Today Yuzhang Palace is the only power in the harem. I heard that a little while ago, Noble Monarch Shen actually imprisoned some concubines of the previous emperor and tortured them in Yuzhang Palace out of jealousy.”

“Is that… actually true? And His Majesty allowed it?”

“His Majesty was there when it happened. One of the former concubines was pretending to play hide-and-seek and was bold enough to crash into His Majesty’s arms. Noble Monarch Shen was so furious he destroyed the woman’s hand on the spot.”

“Careful, be careful what you say.”

The first speaker seemed to inadvertently glance in a certain direction. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m telling you, they say the noble monarch lost his temper that night, and His Majesty coaxed him personally for a long time.”

“That’s, that’s impossible, isn’t it?” His audience refused to believe it. “He’s just a man. If His Majesty chooses, he can have as many men as he wants, right?”

“But the only man His Majesty fell for is Noble Monarch Shen.”

At that moment, a low-ranking, unobtrusive official came over and asked in a quiet voice, “What happened to the late emperor’s concubines who were taken away by Noble Monarch Shen?”

“They’re still locked up in Yuzhang Palace, of course. Noble Monarch Shen probably won’t let them go until his anger subsides.”

“His Majesty is too…” Some of the audience had trouble accepting it. “Anyway, they were just former concubines.”

Some of the listeners sided with Shen Yu. “Those women had thoughts they shouldn’t have and were caught in the act. Noble Monarch Shen wouldn’t have gotten angry with them otherwise.”

The people continued talking vigorously, unaware that a man sitting not far from them had quietly crushed the cup in his hand.

“His Majesty and the noble monarch have arrived!”

The main hall suddenly fell silent.

As the ministers saluted, Shang JunLin took Shen Yu to their seats in the highest place in the hall.

For most of these people, it was their first chance to catch a clear glimpse of Shen Yu’s face. And when they did, many of them suddenly understood Shang JunLin’s unusual behavior.

—For such beauty, they too would have offered him pearls beyond price.

Shen Yu’s beauty was flamboyant and gorgeous like a flower in full bloom, a precious gem within sight but utterly beyond reach.

“The officials may rise.” Shang JunLin led Shen Yu past the seat where he was supposed to sit, to the very highest place.

Shen Yu lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He poked the man’s arm and asked in a low voice, “Your Majesty?”

The officials who rose from their knees saw this scene and frowned at each other.

“Are you afraid to sit with this emperor?” Shang JunLin looked at the face of the young man beside him. His eyes were unreadable.

Reason told him he should let Shen Yu sit in his properly-appointed place, but when they reached it, Shang JunLin didn’t let go of his hand. He pulled the young man with him to his own seat.

“I’m not afraid.” Shen Yu grasped the hem of the man’s robe with his fingers. “If Your Majesty doesn’t think I’ll take up too much space.”

“En.” Shang JunLin curved the corner of his lips, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

When they saw that Shen Yu was going to sit beside the emperor, some of the ministers couldn’t sit still.

“Your Majesty, this is inappropriate.”

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“Oh? Tell us, beloved official. What’s inappropriate?” In an instant the smile in Shang JunLin’s eyes disappeared. The young emperor looked down at the minister with an expression in which neither anger nor joy could be distinguished.

His words were extremely calm, but sweat broke out on the back of the minister who was kneeling on the ground. He knew he’d angered His Majesty, but some rules must not be broken!

Gritting his teeth, the minister steeled himself and said, “Your Majesty, it’s improper for the noble monarch to sit beside you.”

Once the first sentence was out, the rest was easy.

“Since ancient times, only the empress, the head of the harem, can stand at His Majesty’s side. No matter how much Your Majesty dotes on the noble monarch, he’s not the empress, which means he can’t…” Feeling the increasingly heavy pressure on his body, the minister clenched his teeth and finished the sentence. “He can’t receive the same treatment as the empress!”

Shang JunLin’s black eyes darkened. Ignoring the minister’s words, he embraced Shen Yu and sat down.

“Your Majesty!”

“According to Minister Kang’s words, this emperor should make the noble monarch my empress today,” Shang JunLin said coldly. He rubbed Shen Yu’s wrist.

Minister Kang never imagined the emperor would say he’d rather make Shen Yu his empress than make him return to his rightful seat.

The ministers and vassal kings who were watching were shocked as well. For the first time, they truly understood the truth of the rumors about how much the emperor favored Noble Monarch Shen.

No one dared to oppose the emperor when he was angry. If it was anything else, they could have argued with logic, but this concerned Noble Monarch Shen. If they stood up, His Majesty might directly crown him empress.

When no one else spoke up to support him, Minister Kang aimed his spear at Shen Yu. “Noble monarch, now that you’ve entered the palace, you should abide by your duty. Be generous and virtuous and persuade His Majesty to spread branches and scatter leaves….”

When he felt the cold air from Shang JunLin’s body getting heavier and heavier, Shen Yu knew Minister Kang had truly angered Shang JunLin.

Shen Yu pressed the back of Shang JunLin’s hand, motioning him not to speak for now. Shen Yu stood up from his arms and looked down at Minister Kang.

“Minister Kang is so meddlesome that he must live by the sea.” Shen Yu’s tone was rather careless.

Minister Kang flushed. “You…”

Too lazy to listen to him continue, Shen Yu interrupted. “Is Minister Kang confused about something? This world is His Majesty’s world. Minister Kang, as an official, it’s indeed your duty to advise His Majesty, but that also depends on what you advise. I’d like to ask Minister Kang—does where I sit have anything to do with state affairs?”

Minister Kang couldn’t answer. Of course he knew it didn’t matter. He was just using it as an excuse to raise the topic he actually cared about.

“As for the matter of spreading branches and scattering leaves, I want all of you to know my attitude. I’m the type of person who can’t stand a speck of sand in my eyes, and I’m extremely overbearing. Since His Majesty has me, there can be no one else….”

“You’re simply unreasonable!” Seeing Shen Yu dig in his heels, the man turned to the Zhenbei Marquis and said, “Zhenbei Marquis, is this the son you raised?!”

The Zhenbei Marquis had already experienced Shen Yu’s power and had no interest in responding.

A panting middle-aged man interjected, “Your Majesty, Noble Monarch Shen has only been in the palace a short while, and he’s already so lawless. You can’t just let him do whatever he wants. What if you later decide…”

Shen Yu squinted. This man was Shang JunLin’s uncle. Because he’d helped Shang JunLin ascend the throne, he constantly boasted of his deeds. He was one of the most capable climbers in the imperial family.

If Shen Yu remembered correctly, the man had an unmarried niece who was a popular candidate to become empress. No wonder he couldn’t sit still when he heard Shang JunLin’s words.

“King of Li, speak carefully,” Shang JunLin interrupted lightly.

He stood up and wrapped one arm around Shen Yu’s waist. His black eyes looked down without any emotion. “The noble monarch is my person. How this emperor indulges him is my business alone. It has nothing to do with you or anyone else, understand?”

Shen Yu leaned against Shang JunLin’s arms. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, but his next words made everyone feel chills run down their spine.

“If I ever find more people in the imperial palace who shouldn’t be there, the ministers had better not go crying to His Majesty.”

TL Notes:

the age to be crowned – 弱冠 – In ancient times, young men came of age when they turned 20. They were “crowned” in a coming of age ceremony (冠礼) which was one of the four key rites of Confucianism. After this they would wear their hair bound up in a topknot (髻) covered with some type of hat or headdress. If you see mentions of “jade crowns” etc., they refer to a type of small cap or crown that gathers the hair inside it, fixed with a long hairpin. Both men and women would stop cutting their hair when they reached adulthood (Wikipedia, Baidu) Of course, novels and TV dramas frequently deviate from historical customs and do whatever they think looks sexier, letting characters wear their hair loose or unbound in various styles

En. – 嗯 – interjection indicating approval, appreciation or agreement / (nonverbal grunt as interjection) / OK, yeah / what? / 

steeled himself – 心一横 – crossed his heart

spread branches and scatter leaves – 开枝散叶 – An idiom which means having children, expanding the family tree, etc.

meddlesome… live by the sea – 是住在海边吗？管这么宽 – Do you live by the sea? You’re so wide-ranging – A saying that means you live on this side of the sea but want to take charge of people’s affairs who live on the other side of the sea (Baidu)

dug in his heels – 油盐不进 – no oil and salt – refers to a person who is very stubborn and won’t change their opinion

(most capable) climber – from 能跳 – jumper, dancer

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

beloved official – 爱卿 – ài qīnɡ – my close/dear subject (of an emperor), my darling; my beloved wife

Minister Kang – 康大人 – Kāng dàrén

(Shang JunLin’s) uncle – 伯父 – bófù – father’s elder brother / term of respect for an older man

King of Li – 厉王 – Lì wáng – Alternatively: King Li