The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

The body so close to his was hot and powerful. Even through several layers of clothes he could feel its forceful strength.

This wasn’t the first time Shen Yu and Shang JunLin had such intimate contact, but it was never this torturous and difficult.

The man’s aggressive aura was extremely heavy, pressing against him vigorously. Shen Yu had no doubt this man might really devour him.

“How can Your Majesty compare yourself to others? Few people in the world can compare with Your Majesty, let alone the mere King of Yue.”

“Ha.” Shang JunLin let out a stifled laugh from his chest. “This emperor didn’t know I had so much weight in the noble monarch’s heart.”

“Your Majesty is naturally the most important person in my heart,” Shen Yu said.

“Did the noble monarch smear your lips with honey? Let this emperor have a taste. Why are your words so sweet?”

Shang JunLin started to lower his head, and Shen Yu hurriedly stretched out his hand to block him. “Your Majesty, how can you wrong me? It’s clear that my words come from my heart.”

Shang JunLin also didn’t force it. He retreated a little. “The noble monarch has learned so well. How many people have you practiced with?”

Shen Yu wasn’t willing to show weakness. “Then I should also ask Your Majesty how you knew what that ointment is for.”

“The noble monarch is really…” Shang JunLin laughed in spite of himself. “Didn’t the aunts teach the noble monarch about this before you entered the palace?”

Knowing that Shang JunLin was going to marry the son of the Zhenbei Marquis, the aunts in the palace sent Shang JunLin a booklet on how men do such things. With it was some of the ointment made for the imperial family.

After Shen Yu entered the palace, the imperial hospital sent over additional bottles one after another. Whenever Imperial Physician Gu reported Shen Yu’s condition, he repeatedly told Shang JunLin not to be too fierce, because Shen Yu’s body wasn’t able to endure it for now.

When Shang JunLin ordered Shen Yu to enter the harem, he initially didn’t have any other thoughts. He was tired of the endless arguing of his ministers and randomly agreed. If it was anyone but Shen Yu who entered the palace, they would have ended up placed in a random hall to fend for themselves.

“The people sent by the Zhenbei Marquis talked too much nonsense. I couldn’t be bothered to listen, so I drove them out. The people from Your Majesty didn’t say much. They just served in silence….” Shen Yu described the situation.

It really wasn’t his fault. At the time, he’d just been reborn. It took several days to digest the fact of his rebirth, not to mention he needed to ask a lot of questions to refresh his memory about what had happened by that point.

After all, a lot of things could happen in ten years. There was a huge information gap between Shen Yu of nearly thirty and Shen Yu of less than twenty.

Not only that, he had to deal with Shen QingRan and his mother.

All sorts of things piled up together, and Shen Yu simply ignored the less important ones.

In his previous life, Shen Yu’s health was much worse than it was now. He never had particularly close contact with the King of Yue. Because of his health, he wasn’t interested in that kind of thing at all, which led to his embarrassing mistake about the ointment.

Shang JunLin understood. “So, the noble monarch wasn’t intentionally trying to joke with this emperor?”

Shen Yu was truly wronged. He really hadn’t known. However, after he found out, he didn’t stop—because he wanted to see His Majesty blush.

“How would I dare to make fun of Your Majesty.” Shen Yu was dissatisfied.

Shang JunLin’s words were noncommittal. “Even if others wouldn’t dare, this emperor thinks the noble monarch might.” 

Shen Yu inwardly admitted His Majesty wasn’t wrong. Even if he knew, he might not have been able to resist.

“Your Majesty, bad news. The King of Huaiyu tried to kill himself in prison.” When Meng Gonggong got the news from the servant, he didn’t dare to delay. He pushed open the door and walked into the room with his head lowered.

He didn’t know what the two masters were doing, and he didn’t dare look up. He inwardly complained to himself: How could something happen to the King of Huaiyu at such a time?

Shang JunLin let go of Shen Yu. “What did you say?” His voice was stern.

“Just now, the prison sent a message saying the King of Huaiyu attempted suicide. This slave didn’t dare to delay….”

Shen Yu asked the key point. “How is the King of Huaiyu?” 

“He’s been saved for now,” Meng Gonggong replied.

“Tell the imperial doctors to attend him. Send the messenger to this emperor and order people to investigate further. This emperor wants to know what happened!” Shang JunLin’s voice seemed to be frozen, as cold as crackling ice.

The Hidden Dragon Guard acted quickly, and the news wasn’t difficult to investigate. Before long, the Hidden Dragon Guard handed their report to Shang JunLin.

Shen Yu: “Your Majesty, how is the King of Huaiyu now?”

Shang JunLin: “He didn’t manage to injure a vital point. The people from the imperial hospital are seeing to him. This emperor needs to go there also.”

Shen Yu: “Can I go with you?”

Whenever Shen Yu encountered something that happened in this life that didn’t happen in his previous life, he felt concerned.

In the dark prison.

The King of Huaiyu had a special identity. He wasn’t detained in the Ministry of Justice’s prison, but held in a cell in the dark prison.

When Shen Yu walked inside the prison for the second time, he noticed it was much more heavily guarded than last time. After the attempted jail break, Shang JunLin must have increased the prison’s defenses.

As they walked, there was near silence all around. There weren’t many people detained here. Each prisoner was held in a separate place, far apart from each other. Under the guidance of the jailer, the two walked for nearly a quarter of an hour before they arrived at the King of Huaiyu’s cell.

The imperial doctors were already at work. Shen Yu glanced at them and saw that Imperial Physician Gu wasn’t present.

Suddenly Shen Yu frowned. He felt a subtle sensation, as if someone was looking at him with disgust.

Shen Yu looked at the people one by one. His eyes lingered on one of them for a few seconds. Interesting. A person he’d never seen before was so hostile to him. Why?

Imperial Physician Sun had deliberately elbowed Imperial Physician Gu out of the way in order to come here. He thought that if he was able to cure the King of Huaiyu, Imperial Physician Gu wouldn’t remain the only physician taking care of the noble monarch.

The King of Huaiyu slowly returned to consciousness. When he woke up, he saw a circle of people standing around him and his imperial nephew not far away. He immediately realized his suicide attempt had failed.

“How is the King of Huaiyu?” Shang JunLin asked coldly.

“Your Majesty, the King of Huaiyu is no longer in serious jeopardy,” said an older doctor. “Fortunately, the King of Huaiyu is physically weak. If he was stronger, this servant wouldn’t have been able to save him.”

Shen Yu couldn’t resist looking at this doctor for a while. Did he say that intentionally? It looked like the King of Huaiyu was going to faint again because of those words.

“You may go. This emperor will have a word with the King of Huaiyu.”

“At once.”

The imperial doctors and the jailer withdrew one after the other. In the blink of an eye, there were only three people left in the cell.

The King of Huaiyu propped himself up against the wall, looking extremely wretched. “Your Majesty really dotes on this child of the Zhenbei Marquis’ family. You even brought him with you at a time like this.”

Shen Yu’s face took on an incredibly spoiled and arrogant look. “His Majesty loves me. Of course he doesn’t like to part from me. Anyway, what if someone bullies me when His Majesty isn’t there to see it?” 

The King of Huaiyu was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly smiled. “Noble Monarch Shen is absolutely right. If you love someone, you should guard them like a pearl. Otherwise, if you look away for a single moment, they might disappear….”

After he spoke, the King of Huaiyu covered his chest and began to cough.

A long time passed before the coughing gradually eased.

“Are you all right?” Shen Yu frowned. He knew how painful it was to cough like that. When his condition was at its most serious, that kind of cough could leave him half-dead.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” The King of Huaiyu waved his hand. “I’ve been used to it for a long time. With this sick body, I can’t die even when I want to. If you have anything to ask, just say it.”

Shen Yu and Shang JunLin looked at each other, confused. Why had the man’s attitude suddenly changed?

After a moment of thought, the King of Huaiyu added, “Have your noble monarch ask me. I won’t answer anyone else.”

Shen Yu felt even more confused. He knew without a doubt that he had no intersection with the King of Huaiyu in either of his lives. Why would the King of Huaiyu treat him differently?

“Why should I be the one to question you? Isn’t it the same if His Majesty asks Your Highness?” Shen Yu asked directly.

He glanced at Shang JunLin and didn’t see any unhappiness on the man’s face.

Feeling Shen Yu’s eyes, Shang JunLin said, “The noble monarch will ask.” 

All right, fine.

“I want to know why the King of Huaiyu sent the previous emperor’s concubines to His Majesty, and whether someone pushed Your Highness to do this.”

“Why? Of course, I did it so I can tell the late emperor that his own son slept with all the women he left behind! Hahaha! I can imagine his face when I bring him the news!”

“Only because of that?” Shen Yu had thought of all sorts of reasons but never thought it would be so simple.

“He made me lose the one I love. I want him to learn the taste of having his lovers carry on with someone else behind his back.” The King of Huaiyu laughed a bit more. He looked at Shang JunLin with madness in his face. “He should thank you. You’re the only one he never believed was his own son. If you hadn’t killed those bastards, the empire of Da Huan would no longer be ruled by the surname ‘Shang’!”

! ! !

Shen Yu never thought a simple question would lead to such a secret. He couldn’t help looking at Shang JunLin.

The man’s face was unmoved. He didn’t seem to be surprised by the King of Huaiyu’s words. Shen Yu frowned slightly. Did Shang JunLin already know about this?

He leaned over and hooked Shang JunLin’s sleeve. “What about my second question?”

The King of Huaiyu: “I don’t know. I did everything just to get back at the previous emperor. But let me give you a piece of advice. Noble Monarch Shen, don’t take men of the imperial family too seriously. All of them are rotten.”

Shen Yu: “Does that include Your Highness?”

The King of Huaiyu froze for a moment. “Yes. If it wasn’t for me, that person would still be alive and well. Child of the Zhenbei Marquis, don’t ever give that man your heart.”

“But His Majesty is His Majesty, and you are you. His Majesty won’t be like that,” Shen Yu refuted with a serious face.

Shang JunLin’s expression changed slightly. He took Shen Yu’s hand and held it firmly in his own.

Shen Yu scratched the palm of the man’s hand. The cold aura which had frozen around Shang JunLin thawed in an instant. He turned to Shen Yu. “Everyone must pay the price for their own decisions. The King of Huaiyu acted in his own best interest.”

After the two returned to Yuzhang Palace, it was already late at night. Shen Yu was usually in bed by this point. When he stepped into the bedchamber, he felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him.

The moment he touched the bed, he wanted to crawl into it. But he encountered a wall of muscle halfway.

“Hmm?” Shen Yu grabbed the man’s shoulder. His eyes were half-closed, and he asked vaguely, “Your Majesty?”

“The noble monarch hasn’t washed yet.”

“I guess so….” Shen Yu’s thoughts were confused. “The dark prison is a dirty place. I should bathe, but I’m so sleepy I don’t want to move. Your Majesty…”

The last two words drawled a bit.

A warm breath exhaled against his neck. Shang JunLin’s cold eyes darkened. He held the man in his arms and coaxed him gently. “This emperor will take you to wash.”

TL Notes:

If you hadn’t killed those bastards – 若不是你杀了那些野种 – I interpret this to mean Shang JunLin killed a bunch of the previous emperor’s bastards. If they’d taken the throne, the empire would now be ruled by someone with a different surname than “Shang”

acted in his own best interest – 好自为之 – conduct oneself well; go ahead; try to do your best / to do one’s best / to shape up / to behave / to fend for oneself / you’re on your own

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

aunts – 嬷嬷 – common name for mother; granny, a general term for older women, wet nurse; (dialect) elderly lady; Catholic nun