The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Shen Yu was silent.

After all this time together, his understanding of Shang JunLin had increased, but his rebirth was a complicated thing. It was a secret he didn’t intend to tell a single other person.

He knew he’d revealed a lot to Shang JunLin. Shang JunLin hadn’t pried, so Shen Yu took for granted that the emperor didn’t know anything. That was the case with Young Master He, and “Fei Meng” was the same.

Shang JunLin sighed and stroked Shen Yu’s cheek. “This emperor won’t ask about other things, but the noble monarch must tell this emperor what kind of harm ‘Fei Meng’ will bring.”

“Your Majesty?” Shen Yu looked up. His face was small, so small that Shang JunLin could hold it in one palm. At the moment, the young man’s face revealed a little disbelief, like a kitten who’d made trouble but hadn’t been dealt with yet.

Shang JunLin raised his eyebrows. “Does the noble monarch think this emperor is a person who’d insist on getting to the bottom of things regardless of your wishes?” 

“Of course not, Your Majesty.” Shen Yu steadied his mind. “The problem with ‘Fei Meng’, to say the least, might be difficult to believe.”

When Shen Yu learned the truth in his previous life, he could hardly believe it. Who would have thought that an obscure but otherwise ordinary drug would have such terrifying effects?

“On its own, ‘Fei Meng’ isn’t worth fearing. The unavoidable danger it poses lies in another drug, which uses ‘Fei Meng’ as an ingredient. Like ‘Fei Meng’, this substance is colorless and tasteless. Just a little of it can make a strong man suffer from fever, and anyone who comes into contact with the fever will be infected in a short time. In seven days at most, they die.”

In his previous life, this exact thing had appeared after a natural disaster. At first Shen Yu, like everyone else, thought it was a plague caused by the conditions of the disaster. Only later did he realize the plague was a false one, entirely caused by human activity. That was when the imperial court decided to classify “Fei Meng” as a forbidden drug.

Unfortunately, Shen Yu was living in the King of Yue’s fief at the time. He didn’t know much of the inside story. Until the effects of “Fei Meng” were discovered, Shen Yu didn’t have any idea the plague was man-made.

Shang JunLin knitted his brow. “This emperor will ask the Hidden Dragon Guard to investigate.” 

Shen Yu didn’t know if Shang JunLin fully believed him, but when he said he’d check into it, Shen Yu was deeply relieved. Maybe the people responsible for this disaster hadn’t begun yet. If they could avert the tragedy in advance, it was worth the effort.

Shen Yu had borrowed some books from Imperial Physician Gu. To pass the time he frequently read a variety of medical texts.

They say that a long illness makes a doctor. Because of Shen Yu’s poor health, he’d studied the art of medicine. He wasn’t as knowledgeable as Imperial Physician Gu, who’d trained since childhood, but he knew some basic medical theory.

Shen Yu’s hobbies were no secret, and Shang JunLin soon learned that Shen Yu was interested in medicine. His pen slightly paused, and he asked, “Was the noble monarch interested in medicine before, when he lived in the Zhenbei Marquis’ residence?”

“Your Majesty, according to the information collected by the Hidden Dragon Guard, the noble monarch studied a variety of subjects at the Zhenbei Marquis’ residence. Medical skills are among them,” Meng Gonggong replied respectfully.

“I see.”

When Shang JunLin returned to Yuzhang Palace, Shen Yu was flipping through a medical book.

The young man sat below a window, and the sunlight poured down on him, layering him with a hazy halo. His jade-like face was half-hidden behind a white wool collar, forming a delicate and attractive picture.

Shang JunLin walked over and sat beside Shen Yu. “Is the noble monarch still worried about ‘Fei Meng’?” 

“Not really. I borrowed some medical books from Imperial Physician Gu a while ago, and I need to finish reading them.” Shen Yu pointed to several heavy books on the desk and showed them to Shang JunLin.

Shang JunLin picked up one of the books and turned it over. He saw that it mostly contained anecdotes about healing. It wasn’t so much a medical textbook as a series of case notes.

“Did the noble monarch finish reading the other books already?”

“Yes, there aren’t that many books in Your Majesty’s library.” To be precise, there weren’t many books that could be used to pass the time. The rest of the books contained information about sensitive matters, and Shen Yu wasn’t going to take them out to read them.

“What kind of books does the noble monarch like? This emperor will send someone outside the palace to buy them for you.” Shang JunLin knew this would take a while and suggested, “Or will the noble monarch accompany this emperor in the imperial study to read memorials?”

“No.” Shen Yu sprang forward and put a hand over Shang JunLin’s mouth. “The ministers are already so displeased with me. Is Your Majesty trying to convict me of bringing disaster to the country and ruin to the people?”

“The noble monarch is clearly worried about the country and the people.” Shang JunLin had a smile in his eyes. 

“Your Majesty, don’t try to give me a high hat or make me help you with government affairs. It’s a much better idea for me to read medical books than memorials. Maybe someday I’ll learn to save the dying and help the wounded.” Shen Yu was leaning on Shang JunLin, and his tone of voice clearly showed his dislike for politics.

“Other people can only dream of having such an opportunity, but the noble monarch says you don’t want it. You really don’t regret it?” Shang JunLin deliberately tempted him.

Shen Yu sat up, propping himself against the man’s chest. “Your Majesty, don’t try to fool me. What’s so wonderful about looking at memorials? It’s much better to look at Your Majesty.”

In his previous life, Shen Yu exhausted himself working for the King of Yue for more than ten years. After floating and sinking in the sea of officialdom for so long, he was almost executed. He didn’t want to get involved in political struggles in this lifetime at all.

“I just hope Your Majesty grows stronger and stronger and can always protect me.” Shen Yu looked down at Shang JunLin, and his pure dark eyes were serious.

Shang JunLin couldn’t help being attracted to those eyes, which seemed to have some kind of magical power. As long as he wanted to, he could make people sink into them and never be able to escape.

“Don’t worry. This emperor will protect you well.”

Shen Yu smiled, and the smile spread from his eyes little by little, curving his eyebrows, until his entire face became more and more vivid. Shen Yu’s looks were outstanding. When he smiled, no one could tear their eyes away.

Shang JunLin gave the matter of “Fei Meng” to the Hidden Dragon Guard for investigation. Whether Shen Yu’s information was true or false, it was better not to beat the grass and startle the snake until they had some results.

In addition to the Hidden Dragon Guard, Shang JunLin handed “Fei Meng” to Imperial Physician Gu.

Imperial Physician Gu didn’t know the terrible truth behind “Fei Meng”. He just thought the emperor was worried about the noble monarch’s health. He didn’t publicize the fact that both the emperor and the noble monarch had been poisoned at the same time. Imperial Physician Gu understood without being told and didn’t say a word about “Fei Meng”.

The imperial hospital had too many eyes and wasn’t suitable for some types of work. Imperial Physician Gu took his research home.

The Gu family house had three courtyards. It wasn’t large, but it was more than enough for Imperial Physician Gu and Gu Huai. Imperial Physician Gu had his own pharmacy at home. The working environment was no worse than the imperial hospital, although the medicinal materials and equipment weren’t as complete.

“Gu Huai, help me move this cabinet.”

A young man in the courtyard was practicing martial arts. When he heard the gentle voice calling, he immediately stopped and ran into the house.

Imperial Physician Gu was wearing a light gray tunic. Both of his hands were full, busy dispensing medicine. Gu Huai entered the room and looked around. He immediately saw the cabinet that Imperial Physician Gu wanted to move and walked over to it without a word.

“Gege, where do you want me to move this?”

“Here, here.” Imperial Physician Gu indicated the direction with his eyes. “By the way, bring me the box in the leftmost side of the cabinet.”

Gu Huai followed Imperial Physician Gu’s instructions and went over to Imperial Physician Gu with the box. “What has Gege been busy with lately? You haven’t had any time to accompany me.”

“Xiao Huai is almost as tall as his gege now. Why do you still need an adult to stay with you?” Imperial Physician Gu joked, then returned to business. “Just put the box on the table over here and help me with this.”

Gu Huai put down the small box, took the medicine from Imperial Physician Gu, and said curiously, “Is Gege preparing a new medicine?”

The tip of his nose twitched slightly as he smelled it. “Why doesn’t it have an odor?”

“Hey, be careful!” Fortunately, Imperial Physician Gu had already prepared a lot of antidote medicine for “Fei Meng”. He hurriedly gave it to Gu Huai. “I told you before—don’t touch and smell things in this room.”

Blinking, Gu Huai obediently took the antidote. “I’m sorry, Gege. I shouldn’t have done that.”

He admitted his mistake with a good attitude, and Imperial Physician Gu wasn’t really angry with him. “Fortunately you didn’t touch anything highly toxic this time. Don’t do that again.”

When Gu Huai nodded dutifully, Imperial Physician Gu explained, “This is ‘Fei Meng’. It’s colorless and tasteless, which is why you can’t smell it.”

‘Fei Meng’? Gu Huai’s complexion changed. A dark color flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal. “Why is Gege studying ‘Fei Meng’?”

“Children shouldn’t worry so much,” Imperial Physician Gu said, poking him on the forehead. “Well, put those things down and go have fun.”

Gu Huai did his best to put everything away with the same attitude as usual and obediently left the room.

Imperial Physician Gu didn’t think about it too much. He continued with his work.

As Gu Huai walked back to the martial arts training ground, his face grew darker and darker. He didn’t know who’d ordered his Gege to study “Fei Meng”. If he found out, he’d give that man a hard time!

“Master.” The man in black knelt silently.

“My Gege is looking into ‘Fei Meng’. Go and find out what’s going on.”

If Imperial Physician Gu had been there, he would have seen that Gu Huai didn’t look like a bright young man at the moment. Instead he was more like an evil spirit who’d just returned from hell.

After more than ten years, he’d finally found a clue about ‘Fei Meng’! He would absolutely repay the blood debt from that year!

“What did you say?” Shen Yu stood up. With disbelief he asked, “When the previous emperor was in power, someone used this method to eliminate dissidents?”

The darkness in Shang JunLin’s eyes deepened. “This emperor didn’t expect the Hidden Dragon Guard to uncover such an important case.”

“How much did Your Majesty learn?”

“Only a little. If this emperor hadn’t listened to the noble monarch’s suggestion to investigate ‘Fei Meng’, I’m afraid the truth would never have come to light.”

Shang JunLin’s voice was filled with a sense of oppression. “The lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers weren’t lost on the battlefield, but to the selfish desires of their own nation’s leaders. How laughable. If this emperor learns who planned all this, I won’t let them go lightly!”

When he reached the end of these words, Shang JunLin’s voice was already tinged with killing intent.

“Your Majesty will definitely avenge the injustice to those soldiers. Your Majesty, don’t be angry at yourself.”

Shen Yu could more or less understand Shang JunLin’s anger. Shang JunLin rose to the throne through his military achievements. For a long time, he lived in the army and ate and lived among his soldiers. If there was anything in the world that could touch his emotions, it was probably the soldiers who accompanied him for more than ten years.

“How dare they…” Shang JunLin’s chest heaved with the force of his emotions. “This emperor knew the previous emperor was weak-minded, but I never thought he would allow such things to happen again and again….”

“Your Majesty…” Shen Yu didn’t know how to comfort him. At the moment, Shang JunLin was like a wolf who’d lost his pack, lonely and desperate.

“Noble monarch.” Shang JunLin took hold of Shen Yu and held him tightly in his arms, as if he’d found a pillar of support. “This emperor won’t let those men rest easy. This emperor will never allow anything similar to happen under my rule!”

TL Notes:

getting to the bottom of things – 刨根究底 – inquire into the root of the matter; bombard someone with questions; dig out the bottom truth; get to the root of the matter

give me a high hat – 戴高帽 – make compliment; flatter; eulogize

understood without being told – 闻弦歌而知雅意 – heard the string accompaniment and knew the elegant meaning – understood what a person wanted to express even if only told superficially (Baidu)

three courtyards – 三进三出 – three-in and three-out – A house with three entrances and exits, meaning it has three courtyards (Baidu)

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

gege – 哥哥 – older brother; also a way to address a man of the same generation but older than yourself