The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

After being fed the medicine, Shen Yu’s lips looked a little more red compared to his pale face. It made him even more attractive, like a field of white snow marked with a stroke of vermilion.

Shang JunLin still remembered the touch of those lips.

The bitterness of the medicine couldn’t hide the sweetness of that feeling.

The tip of a red tongue emerged from Shen Yu’s mouth and swept across his ruddy lips. Shang JunLin’s eyes darkened.

Shang JunLin put down the things in his hands and reached out, touching Shen Yu’s forehead to test his body temperature. He didn’t feel as cold as before.

Shang JunLin gradually relaxed.

Imperial Physician Gu had said that as long as Shen Yu woke up, there was no serious injury.

Shen Yu was confused by Shang JunLin’s actions. “Your Majesty, did something happen?”

“Everything is fine.”

“Is Your Majesty hiding something from me?” Shen Yu narrowed his eyes. The man in gray had obviously done something to induce this sudden illness.

Shang JunLin knew that Shen Yu wasn’t easy to fool. He reluctantly told him what happened on Cangqi Mountain. “This emperor sent the Hidden Dragon Guard and imperial guard to find that person. There will be results soon.”

Shen Yu had been lying in bed for most of the day and was beginning to feel uncomfortable, especially his mouth, which had an inescapable bitterness. The taste didn’t match any medicine he could remember.

He tried to sit up in bed. When Shang JunLin saw it, he helped Shen Yu sit up and stuffed a cushion behind his back. “How does the noble monarch feel now?”

“Fine, but my mouth tastes extremely bitter.” Shen Yu frowned, complaining, “What kind of medicine did they use this time? It tastes terrible.”

Shang JunLin got up and brought him a cup of water. “Drink a little.”

Shen Yu was so eager to get rid of the bitterness in his mouth that he took a large mouthful from the cup.

Huh?

It was sweet.

He pursed his lips and took another sip.

When Shang JunLin saw his face relax, he said, “Imperial Physician Gu prepared a new prescription. In order to maximize the effect, he didn’t add anything to improve the taste.”

“No wonder I tasted it even in my sleep.” Shen Yu understood. “Is this honey water? It tastes sweet.”

“Yes.” Shang JunLin nodded. “This emperor was worried you’d awaken with a bitter taste in your mouth and prepared it in advance.”

After drinking the entire glass, Shen Yu instructed Shang JunLin to bring him some fruit preserves. After eating sweet-tasting foods for a while, the bitterness in his mouth was finally overcome.

By now Shen Yu was curious enough to delve into other issues, such as…

“Your Majesty, how did I manage to drink such bitter medicine?” Shen Yu knew exactly how willful he was when it came to this subject. If no one indulged him, it was fine, but otherwise it was impossible to get him to drink something so vile-tasting, especially when he was unconscious.

In his previous life, he fell comatose multiple times due to illness. Every time it happened, his subordinates and doctors were helpless to do anything. He could only take medicine after he awakened.

The doctors who treated Shen Yu told him more than once that whenever he was asleep, they worried Shen Yu would never wake up. They hoped Shen Yu would have a change of heart and stop resisting taking his medicine when he was unconscious. After all, he drank it easily when he was awake.

Shen Yu thought to himself: I don’t want to take it when I’m awake either. I can barely drink it down without changing expression. It’s something I can help. When I’m asleep, my body is controlled by instinct. It simply reflects my innate dislike of bitter medicine.

Shen Yu recalled the bitter taste in his mouth when he woke up a little while ago. The taste was worse than anything in his previous life. He knew his sleeping self would never drink something like that, and he felt even more curious

After asking about it, Shen Yu looked at Shang JunLin.

Shang JunLin’s expression didn’t flicker. “If the noble monarch is curious, this emperor will feed you again later, and the noble monarch will find out.”

Shen Yu thought about it for a moment, then put the question aside and asked about something more important. “I remember I had an attack after encountering the man in gray. Was he the cause?”

Shang JunLin took Shen Yu’s wrist and caressed it. “It’s probable, but it’s necessary to rule out other factors.”

It was precisely for this reason that Shang JunLin ordered the Hidden Dragon Guard and imperial guard to surround Cangqi Mountain. From the time they left the carriage until they met the man in gray, anyone they encountered in between was a suspect.

After lying in bed all afternoon, Shen Yu couldn’t sleep. “Your Majesty, I want to go out for a walk.” 

Shang JunLin brought him some clothes and helped Shen Yu dress. Shen Yu was already accustomed to being fussed over by the ruler of the nation. He stretched out his arms to let Shang JunLin help him with his outer robe and cloak.

His pale face hidden behind the white collar was whiter than snow. Shang JunLin tidied Shen Yu’s hair, put an arm around his waist, and led him from the room.

The illness had consumed most of Shen Yu’s energy. When his feet touched the ground, he constantly felt like he was swaying. Shen Yu didn’t have any strength. He simply leaned on Shang JunLin and let the man support him.

After one or two steps, Shang JunLin noticed the heavy weight against his body. He looked over at the young man who was brazenly borrowing his strength to walk and felt amused. “Where does the noble monarch want to go? This emperor will carry you.”

Shen Yu shook his head. He was determined to walk by himself.

Shang JunLin wasn’t annoyed by the rejection. He supported most of Shen Yu’s weight and took him for a slow turn around the courtyard.

The sky wasn’t completely dark yet. The lingering sunlight shone down, tinting most of the sky red.

Shen Yu looked up and gave a sigh. “It’s a beautiful sunset, but it’s a pity that it’s almost gone.”

“If you can’t see it today, you can see it tomorrow. It’s not a pity.” Shang JunLin interrupted the melancholy that Shen Yu was just beginning to brew.

“Your Majesty is right.” Shen Yu obediently changed the subject. “Your Majesty mentioned Imperial Physician Gu just now. How did he happen to run into us?”

“He took his didi to Cangqi Mountain to collect medicinal herbs. There was a lot of commotion after you fainted. He saw us in the crowd and came over.”

“Where’s Imperial Physician Gu now?”

“He’s also staying in the manor, of course.” As if he knew what Shen Yu was going to ask next, Shang JunLin added, “His didi is here as well.”

After walking for a while, Shen Yu realized they were in the place he’d always wanted to bring Shang JunLin. He felt surprised. “Why did Your Majesty decide to come here?”

“The situation was urgent, and your maid said this place was close, so this emperor chose it.”

Shang JunLin had a selfish desire to see where Shen Yu used to live, and he knew Shen Yu wanted to come here. He thought Shen Yu might be disappointed if he missed it this time, so he pushed the boat along the current and agreed to Mu Xi’s suggestion.

Shen Yu was more than a little surprised. Before he passed out, he was worried they wouldn’t make it to the estate. He didn’t expect that when he woke up he’d be there already..

Now that Shen Yu was awake, Shang JunLin still felt worried. He told Meng Gonggong to send for Imperial Physician Gu.

A large part of the reason for bringing Imperial Physician Gu to the estate was to make it easier to care for Shen Yu the moment his condition changed.

After Imperial Physician Gu received the message, he came immediately. Gu Huai followed with a medicine box.

Shen Yu walked around for a while and felt a little weak. Shang JunLin helped him sit down in the pavilion.

The manor occupied a large area, and Shen Yu hadn’t returned in many years. Faded memories came flooding back to him as he looked around.

“Your Majesty, look over there.” Shen Yu pointed to a big tree not far away. “When I was a child, I had someone make a little swing for me there. One year the rope broke in a rainstorm. I felt sad for a long time.”

Shang JunLin looked in the direction Shen Yu was pointing. The tree was extremely large. As a rough estimate, it would take more than three people to link hands around it. A sturdy branch extended horizontally outward. The faint traces of a rope could still be seen.

Shang JunLin could almost picture a small cute child sitting under the tree, swinging. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, and the mottled light and shadow fell on a little pink and jade dumpling. A light breeze swept his loose hair. Then the dumpling grew up little by little and became a teenager, the blurry shape gradually became clearer, and he eventually turned into Shen Yu’s current appearance.

“Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Gu is here.”

After receiving permission, Imperial Physician Gu checked Shen Yu’s pulse, and then he lowered his hand and breathed a sigh of relief. “The noble monarch is no longer in danger. Now it’s only necessary to look after the noble monarch’s health.”

Shang JunLin let out a sigh of relief as well.

Shen Yu felt the hand clutching his wrist relax, and he comforted Shang JunLin with a smile. “It’s nothing, Your Majesty. Don’t worry.”

He lived with this body for more than a decade in his previous life. There was no reason to think he’d have fewer years in this life if he took care of himself.

After reassuring Shang JunLin, Shen Yu looked at the young man standing behind Imperial Physician Gu.

When he met the young man’s eyes, Shen Yu was taken aback.

Although those eyes were slightly immature, it wasn’t difficult to catch a glimpse of this master’s ferocity. No matter how well he disguised himself, he couldn’t change his bloodthirsty nature.

Shen Yu put away the complex thoughts running through his mind and pretended to be curious. “Is this Imperial Physician Gu’s didi?” 

“Yes, his name is Gu Huai.” Imperial Physician Gu prodded the young man to lower himself. “This is Noble Monarch Shen, the gentleman I told you about before, and this is His Majesty.”

It was the first time Gu Huai met the two. Both the emperor and the noble monarch were very different from what he’d imagined. He concealed the distraction in his eyes and respectfully saluted.

Shen Yu calmly looked at the young man for a while and asked, “Is it the Huai of ‘wistful’?”

“It’s the ‘Huai’ of ‘Oranges grown in Huainan’,” Gu Huai explained.

Shen Yu nodded.

Gu Huai.

So that was his name.

Shen Yu thought of the person in his previous life and couldn’t help but have mixed feelings. It turned out that in front of the person he cared about, this mad wolf could show such a docile side. If nothing happened to Imperial Physician Gu in this life, what road would this young man take?

“So distracted. What are you thinking about?”

Shen Yu sat in a daze on the bed until his face was poked.

Shen Yu rubbed his cheek. “Just thinking. Imperial Physician Gu and Gu Huai don’t look alike. Are they blood brothers?”

“Has the noble monarch been wondering about this since last night?” Shang JunLin lowered his eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed. “The noble monarch seems to pay extra attention to certain outsiders. Why is that?”

“Isn’t Your Majesty curious?” Shen Yu seemed not to notice Shang JunLin’s displeasure. “That Gu Huai isn’t as simple as he appears.”

“This emperor knows that he intervened in the matter of ‘Fei Meng’ before. The Hidden Dragon Guard observed that he also seemed to be searching for the person responsible, so they didn’t spend much time on him.” Shang JunLin touched Shen Yu’s forehead to check his temperature.

Shang JunLin’s hand was quite warm, and Shen Yu automatically rubbed against the man’s palm. “Why would he care about ‘Fei Meng’?”

Shen Yu recalled that he met Gu Huai several years from now in his previous life. At the time, it had been a while since the “Fei Meng” tragedy. Shen Yu wasn’t sure if Gu Huai participated in that incident before they met.

If so, what role did he play?

“If the noble monarch wants to know, it’s possible to ask him.” After confirming that Gu Huai wasn’t related to the “Fei Meng” incident in the palace, Shang JunLin no longer cared about him. There were very few people in this world that Shang JunLin cared about at all, but now there was Shen Yu.

To put it another way, for him there was only Shen Yu from beginning to end.

“It’s better not to scare him. If he really cares about the existence of “Fei Meng” as His Majesty said, he’ll take the initiative to come to us.”

Tap tap. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Mu Xi arrived with the medicine. Before she took more than a few steps, Shen Yu could already smell that unpleasant bitter aroma. He really had no idea how he managed to drink it when he was unconscious.

Shang JunLin took the medicine from her, and Mu Xi was wise enough to withdraw.

Shen Yu clutched the quilt and said quietly, “Your Majesty, I’m awake now, so there’s no need for me to take this medicine, right?”

“Why is the noble monarch still afraid of medicine at such an age?” Shang JunLin went over to the bed and sat down.

Shen Yu’s previous medicine was improved by Imperial Physician Gu and wasn’t that bad, but this medicine was different. Shen Yu could tell from the smell exactly how bitter it was. In his previous life, he took so much medicine that he got used to it over time. Right now, with Shang JunLin here, Shen Yu really didn’t want to drink the awful stuff.

Shang JunLin held Shen Yu’s shoulder so he couldn’t shrink away. He held the medicine steadily in one hand and coaxed him in a low voice, “Be good. This emperor will feed you.”

Shen Yu was wary. “Feed me how?” 

Shang JunLin took a mouthful of the medicine, leaned over, and physically demonstrated to Shen Yu exactly how he fed the medicine last time!

TL Notes:

fussed over – 捯饬 – (coll.) to doll up / to spruce up / to zhoosh up

pushed the boat along the current – 顺水推舟 – push the boat along with the current — make use of an opportunity to achieve one’s end; make use of the favorable current situation to push matters through with little effort

Is it the Huai of ‘wistful’ – 怀念的‘怀’ – Shen Yu is asking how to write Gu Huai’s name

oranges grown in Huainan – 橘生淮南 – This seems to be a line from Annals of Master Yan (晏子春秋), an ancient text dating to the Warring States period (475-221 BC). It contains a collection of stories, speeches, and aphorisms attributed to Yan Ying (晏婴), a politician from the State of Qi. The full line says, “Oranges grown in Huainan are (mandarin) oranges, oranges grown in Huaibei are Chinese bitter oranges” (橘生淮南则为橘，生于淮北则为枳) (Baidu, Wikipedia)

the “Fei Ming” tragedy – from “绯梦”的案子 – the “Fei Ming” case – for clarity

After confirming that Gu Huai wasn’t related to the “Fei Meng” incident in the palace – from 知道顾淮和幕后之人无关后 – The original just said Gu Huai had nothing to do with “the person behind the curtain” which is pretty vague