The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

“Your Majesty is my husband. How could I dislike Your Majesty? I’m happy Your Majesty doesn’t dislike me.” Shen Yu’s voice was extremely soft as he looked away.

Amid the strains of the instruments, Shen Yu’s words reached Shang JunLin’s ears clearly.

Shang JunLin slightly curved his lips. “The noble monarch must be joking. Husband and husband are one—and this emperor would never dislike you.” 

His hand was large and hot and completely enveloped Shen Yu’s. Where their skin was in contact there was constant heat.

The wall of the cup was cold against Shen Yu’s palm, but the back of his hand was hot with the man’s body temperature. The strange sensation spread from his hand into his heart.

Shen Yu moved his fingers, wanting Shang JunLin to free him. But the emperor not only didn’t let go, he increased the strength of his grip.

After maintaining this pose for a while, Shen Yu saw that Shang JunLin had no intention of letting him go and spoke up to remind him. “Your Majesty, it’s time to release my hand.” 

As if waking from a dream, Shang JunLin loosened his grip, and Shen Yu immediately lowered his hand. But now that his fingers were empty, his heart seemed to feel empty too.

The man’s heat lingered on the back of his hand. Shen Yu drew his hands into his wide sleeves and unknowingly curled his fingers.

Shen Yu wasn’t much of an eater. After a little food, he was already full, but he stared at the jade wine pot on the small table and licked his lips.

The palace wine had been brewed for a long time and had a long-lasting, mellow aroma. The fragrance was almost like a hook which stole his attention.

People are always like this—the more they can’t have something, the more they itch to touch it.

In his previous life Shen Yu was obsessed with wine, not because he was greedy for alcohol, but because the constant chill in his body could only be relieved by drinking. It was the only time he didn’t feel like he was living in an ice cellar.

In this life, his physical condition wasn’t as grave, and Shang JunLin gave orders that wine shouldn’t appear in Shen Yu’s sight, but he couldn’t help missing it. Today the aroma of the wine aroused a sudden craving. He couldn’t help wanting to taste it more and more.

“Your Majesty.” Shen Yu tugged at the emperor’s sleeve. “Let me have a sip. I promise, just a taste.”

“Why didn’t this emperor know the noble monarch was so greedy for wine?” Shang JunLin lifted his eyebrows at the young man. He remembered that in the Hidden Dragon Guard’s report, Shen Yu almost never touched alcohol.

Shen Yu gave a perfect impression of someone who was unreasonably willful. “I just want a taste. Who made the wine smell so good?” 

“You’re obviously just greedy, but you’re blaming it on the wine.” Shang JunLin smiled and shook his head. “It’s not that this emperor won’t let you. Imperial Physician Gu said drinking isn’t good for your health.”

“I drank when I first entered the palace….” Under Shang JunLin’s deep gaze, Shen Yu’s voice got smaller and smaller.

“Why don’t you go on? Or does the noble monarch remember what happened that night.”

Shen Yu remembered. It was the first time he had an attack of sickness since his rebirth. He thought it was just a coincidence. Was there another reason?

Shen Yu hesitated. “Did I get sick that day because I drank wine?” 

“Yes and no. The wine was just a trigger.”

Shang JunLin didn’t want to go into detail, and Shen Yu couldn’t force him. He could only reluctantly look away and return his attention to the dancing and singing.

Except for a bit of unpleasantness at the beginning, the overall atmosphere of the banquet was festive, but inevitably some parts were boring. By the end of the day, Shen Yu’s energy level was low.

“Your Majesty, I want to go out for a walk.”

Shang JunLin knew he was bored and didn’t stop him. “Go, but don’t stay outside too long.”

To attract less attention, Shen Yu only took Mu Xi with him when he left.

By now, the palace banquet was in full swing. Aside from a few people who were paying attention to Shen Yu, not many noticed when Shen Yu quietly left the table.

The King of Yue was one of them. He found an excuse and followed.

Seeing this, the King of Li stroked his beard. A smile appeared in his eyes.

He knew something must have happened between the King of Yue and Noble Monarch Shen. Otherwise, why did the King of Yue look at Shen Yu with such a betrayed expression?

He beckoned his attendant and whispered, “Follow the King of Yue and report what he does to this king. Be careful not to be seen.”

“Yes.” The attendant acknowledged the order and left.

The young emperor was sitting in a high position and observed this scene. His eyes darkened, and his knuckles knocked on the table, neither heavy nor light. “Meng Chang, order the Hidden Dragon Guard to follow the noble monarch.”

Meng Gonggong was surprised, but when he saw how cold His Majesty’s face was, he swallowed his questions. “At once.”

Shen Yu didn’t know the King of Yue was following him, or that the King of Li’s attendant was a step behind them both. He didn’t go far but found a sheltered place to stop.

“Mu Xi, what else happened the day I fainted?”

“That…” Mu Xi’s face changed slightly. “Young master, this slave doesn’t really know. Meng Gonggong handled everything that day. This slave only knows that the young master…”

Mu Xi couldn’t bring herself to continue.

“That what?” Shang JunLin had never mentioned anything about that day. Shen Yu assumed he’d merely fainted, but now it seemed it wasn’t that simple.

Shen Yu was lost in thought and didn’t notice the strange expression that flickered across Mu Xi’s face.

“… That the young master couldn’t bear His Majesty and fainted.” After blurting this out, Mu Xi’s face turned red.

Shen Yu began coughing. After hearing the sudden explanation, he drew a breath and choked on his own saliva.

“Young master, are you well?” Mu Xi put aside her embarrassment and hurried forward. “His Majesty also, he knows the young master’s health isn’t good, but he’s still so excessive….”

“Stop.” Shen Yu thought that if he didn’t interrupt her, Mu Xi might say even more “surprising” things. “Was there anything else? Think carefully. Did anything else unusual happen?”

“If it’s something unusual, would that include His Majesty replacing most of the attendants in Yuzhang Palace the next day?” After thinking about it, that was the only thing that occurred to Mu Xi.

Shang JunLin replaced most of the servants? It seemed like something happened that night that Shen Yu didn’t know about, but he still didn’t know if it was related to his sudden illness.

“It’s not unusual that the young master doesn’t know about it. There were a lot of people, and the young master never met most of them. This slave only heard about it later,” Mu Xi explained.

“No wonder I didn’t notice anything,” Shen Yu murmured.

“Actually, this slave thinks that even though His Majesty doesn’t know how to restrain himself, he’s very good to the young master in all other ways.” Mu Xi saw how Shang JunLin treated Shen Yu. She was biased against him at the beginning, but she had to admit Shang JunLin treated her young master better than anyone else.

“His Majesty really…” Shen Yu suddenly turned his head. “Who’s there?!”

The King of Yue came out from the shadows with a dark face. There was a dead tree branch in his hand.

What Shen Yu heard was the sound of this dead branch snapping.

Mu Xi stepped back and saluted. “Your Highness the King of Yue.” 

“Why did Your Highness the King of Yue decide to come here?”

When the King of Yue overheard their conversation, his inner turmoil began to churn, but Shen Yu was looking at him like he was a stranger, and that ignited the anger in his heart even more. 

Obviously he’d met Shen Yu first. He was the one who’d discovered this pearl, Shen Yu, but he got nothing from it. Why? All to benefit the person he hated most.

From the first time he glimpsed that jade-like face in the corridor, it was deeply imprinted in his soul. Maybe he hadn’t given Shen Yu a reason to have a high opinion of him at first, but he was a prince. Why should he lower himself to personally befriend someone?

When he quietly followed Shen Yu out of the banquet hall, the King of Yue didn’t know what was running through his mind. He made friends with Shen Yu in disguise and under a different name, and he was now the King of Yue. Shen Yu didn’t know him. The King of Yue couldn’t do anything even if he followed him out.

Of course, the King of Yue wasn’t willing to admit the glimmer of expectations he felt. He wanted Shen Yu to recognize him, but he was also afraid Shen Yu would recognize him.

Filled with thoughts he didn’t understand, he followed Shen Yu and Mu Xi and eavesdropped on their conversation, and then he couldn’t keep still anymore.

He hadn’t touched Shen Yu even once, but not only did that man catch hold of Shen Yu first, he injured him with his recklessness. The King of Yue regarded Shen Yu as his property, and for a while he was confused whether he was angry that someone else touched Shen Yu, or that someone hurt him.

He broke the dead branch in his hand out of anger.

After being discovered, he didn’t intend to continue hiding and immediately revealed himself.

When the King of Yue saw the coldness on Shen Yu’s face, his vexation burned hotter and hotter. “Noble Monarch Shen is in such good spirits.” 

How?!

How could Shen Yu live so calmly beside Shang JunLin, as if nothing had happened? Why was he the only one who remembered their relationship?

Shen Yu noticed the King of Yue was angry, but so what? He threw away this trash in his last life. Was he just going to pick it up again in this life?

He didn’t have that kind of pastime.

He would repay the man who made him suffer a thousand times over.

“Shen Yu, you’re really amazing!”

The King of Yue walked forward a few steps. Mu Xi interceded in front of Shen Yu and said harshly, “This is the imperial palace. Your Highness, please restrain yourself!”

Shen Yu put his hand on Mu Xi’s arm and pushed her aside. “I don’t think we know each other, do we? What makes the King of Yue say this?”

“We don’t know each other?” The King of Yue’s face glowered. “Shen Yu, Young Master Shen, are we really strangers?”

“The King of Yue must be joking.” Shen Yu shook his head lightly. “I know many people, but the King of Yue isn’t one of them.”

“What about Zhao Yue?” The King of Yue stared at Shen Yu’s face, hoping to see a trace of panic.

Unfortunately, the King of Yue was destined to be disappointed. Shen Yu’s face didn’t change when he heard the name. “I was acquainted with that person before I entered the palace. Why?”

“Acquainted? That’s all?” The King of Yue’s eyes were sinister. “Noble monarch, if I told His Majesty that before you entered the palace you privately agreed to marry someone, do you think he’d like you as much as he does now?”

Mu Xi wanted to say something, but Shen Yu stopped her. “The King of Yue seems to care about my private affairs a great deal. Is it because you like me too?” he asked carelessly, 

The King of Yue was so angry his breath caught in his chest. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, to some extent Shen Yu was right.

“But it’s a pity.” Shen Yu lifted his eyes and surveyed the King of Yue’s body up and down, especially lingering on certain places. He added meaningfully, “I don’t think Your Highness is as powerful as His Majesty, in any sense.”

TL Notes:

the scent of the wine etc. – In ancient times, it was common for wine, especially at palace banquets, to be served hot and mixed with various spices and herbs

catch hold of first – 捷足先登 – the quick-footed climb up first (idiom) / the early bird catches the worm / first come, first served

privately agreed to marry – 私定终身 – to make a pledge to be married, without parents’ approval