The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

The man’s breath got closer and closer. Shen Yu didn’t evade, but looked at him steadily.

Shang JunLin let out a low laugh and kissed Shen Yu’s lips. The laughter vanished when their lips met.

The initial gentleness gradually increased in urgency. Shen Yu’s breathing became unsteady and he was supported by those powerful arms.

His eyes closed, and his long eyelashes fluttered restlessly, like a butterfly swaying in the wind of a storm.

After the kiss, the man’s breath remained on his lips. Dazed, Shen Yu opened his eyes and met the man’s gaze close up.

Staring straight into those deep, dark eyes.

The warmth of the touch moved upward, and the corners of his lips, cheeks, and eyelids were carefully attended to. The man’s crisp, cool aura hovered over him for a long time.

When he was finally released, Shen Yu’s eyes were misted over and wet.

Shang JunLin looked at him for a while and said in a low voice, “This emperor will carry you to the couch.”

After that, without waiting for Shen Yu to respond, he picked him up face-to-face.

Shen Yu was caught off-guard, and his feet were already in the air. Shen Yu put his arms around the man’s neck. His thoughts were pulled away from his memories.

“Your Majesty…”

“This time this emperor will tell you in advance.” There was a satisfied smile in Shang JunLin’s voice.

Shen Yu paused for a moment before he realized Shang JunLin was referring to what he’d said before, that Shang JunLin should “tell him before he did anything”. It turned out that Shang JunLin had kept these words firmly in his mind.

Shen Yu lowered his eyes. Because of his posture, his head was a little higher than Shang JunLin’s. As he looked down at the man from above, a wave of unknown, indescribable emotions flooded his heart.

Effervescent and tingling, a little sour and a little sweet.

He didn’t hate this feeling and let it spread from the depths of his heart until it lightly washed over his entire being.

Shang JunLin didn’t put him down but carried him to the couch and sat with Shen Yu in his arms.

“Sometimes this emperor wonders if Ah Yu was sent to me by heaven.” Shang JunLin buried his head in Shen Yu’s neck. His voice was almost inaudible. “When the seas are calm and the rivers are clear throughout Da Huan, will heaven take Ah Yu away?”

When he heard Shang JunLin say this, Shen Yu was pulled back from his reverie. “What is Your Majesty thinking?” He couldn’t help feeling amused. “I’m a living person, and I don’t even like my own father. Where else can I go if I don’t stay by Your Majesty’s side?”

Shang JunLin tightened his arms and said in a low voice, “Ah Yu can’t leave this emperor. No one can take you away from me.”

Shen Yu touched the top of the man’s head. “That won’t happen. I have a good life with Your Majesty. If I leave Your Majesty, how could I live as freely as I do now?”

When Shen Yu finished saying this, he recalled that in both his lifetimes, the most comfortable days he’d ever spent were the ones since he’d entered the palace. Shang JunLin thought of him in everything. There was no one else in the harem but him, and the palace rules were little more than decorative where he was concerned….

Without his really noticing it, he’d received incredibly preferential treatment.

As he thought of his, Shen Yu’s eyes gradually softened. Shang JunLin was Shang JunLin, the emperor of Da Huan. He wasn’t the King of Yue or anyone else.

“Ah Yu has promised this emperor. If Ah Yu ever disappears someday, even if the sky and earth are overturned, this emperor will find Ah Yu and bring you back.” After saying this, Shang JunLin left a trail of small kisses on Shen Yu’s neck.

In the past, he took the throne out of self-preservation. He rebuilt and expanded Da Huan because it was his duty. He didn’t want to be like the late emperor, who left the people destitute because of his selfish desires. If Shang JunLin did the same, what was the difference between him and the late emperor he despised?

Now he was glad that he was the emperor of Da Huan and had the power to protect Shen Yu. In the future, he would work even harder to develop and grow the country. Only in that way could his Ah Yu live freely and wantonly under his wings.

As for the Minister of Works, after the initial excitement, he began to worry about how much money it would take to develop this new product. The official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue was a penny-pincher where funding was concerned. The two had been at odds several times before when the Minister of Works asked for a small sum of money.

Right now there was only enough money left to solve immediate needs.

The Minister of Works sat at his desk with his brow furrowed, thinking about how he could get a little more silver from that penny-pinching Minister of Revenue.

A junior official walked in and saw the Minister of Works frowning. “Is Your Excellency still worried about funding?” 

There was no secret about this in the Ministry of Works. It happened every time the minister wanted to do something new, and all the officials knew it.

There was a deep crease between the Minister of Works’ eyebrows. “Yes. There’s enough for the first stage, but will we do later on?” 

The underling’s heart skipped, and he suddenly thought about the man he met a few days ago. He said hesitantly, “Coincidentally, Your Excellency, a little while ago this subordinate was approached by a Young Master Yan. He said his name was Yan Zheng, and he claimed that the road was damaged by him. He apologized and wanted to give compensation for it.”

“It’s true that the damage to the road was man-made, but what does that have to do with this Young Master Yan?” The Minister of Works wasn’t easily convinced.

“Why doesn’t Your Excellency meet with him? As far as this subordinate could tell, Young Master Yan looked straightforward and honest and didn’t seem to have any bad intentions. Of course, this subordinate can’t judge the person on my own. Your Excellency would have to meet with him in person,” the junior official advised.

“We work for Da Huan. How can we let the citizens pay for such things?” The Minister of Works still disagreed.

“Your Excellency, to tell you the truth, the young master found this subordinate on his own initiative. His servant frequently travels that road. Young Master Yan said that he came from the south to do business. The road was damaged because of an old grudge against him, which is why he wanted to make up for it.”

“You can go for now. We’ll discuss this matter later.”

After thinking about it, the Minister of Works asked around. It was true, as his subordinate said, that a young master named Yan Zheng had been seen around the Ministry of Works recently. Many officials knew about it. The Minister of Works felt somewhat reassured and decided to meet with the person before deciding anything.

If he really just wanted to compensate them for the damaged road, the Minister of Works wouldn’t have to work up the courage to argue back and forth with the Minister of Revenue.

Yan Zheng waited in his newly purchased courtyard for a few days. As expected, the Minister of Works eventually called.

Everything seemed straightforward. After talking for a while, the two sides reached an understanding. Afterwards, the chief minister of the Ministry of Works thought about it and went to the palace.

Back at Yuzhang Palace, Shang JunLin had taken Shen Yu to sit on the swing. “Does Ah Yu remember the person we met outside the palace last time?” 

The weather had gradually warmed up. When the temperature was high in the afternoon, Shen Yu liked to enjoy the sunshine outside. His favorite place was the swing Shang JunLin made for him.

He liked to sit there with a book. He didn’t need an attendant to push him. The swing gently swayed, and the sun shone through the gaps in the leaves like a naughty little elf dancing on his skin.

Now that Shang JunLin was here, Shen Yu felt even more relaxed and sat with half of his body leaning against the man. He searched his memory and said, “Yan Zheng?”

“That’s him. He recently approached someone in the Ministry of Works.” Shang JunLin took Shen Yu’s slender fingers, raised them to his lips and gently nibbled.

“What did he ask the Ministry of Works?” Shen Yu was puzzled.

“He said the road was damaged because of him, and he wanted to give compensation.” When he spoke of the man, Shang JunLin’s tone was careless.

Shen Yu: “Is the ministry that short of money?”

Shang JunLin: “As expected of Ah Yu, you grasped the key point at once.”

Shen Yu chuckled. “If it weren’t for a lack of money, the Minister of Works would never have spent time on such a person.”

“Ah Yu is right. The Minister of Works has been tussling over money with the Ministry of Revenue.” As Shang JunLin said this, he felt a slight headache. “The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the national treasury. The two have always been at odds. Every time the Ministry of Works wants to do something, they quarrel.”

“If you want to develop something new, it will definitely take a lot of money.” That was something Shen Yu knew very well.

“This emperor was going to allocate a sum from my private treasury….”

“Your Majesty can’t do that,” Shen Yu interrupted before Shang JunLin could finish. “If there’s a first time, there will be a second. Your Majesty can’t subsidize the Ministry of Works with your private funds all the time. I think it’s possible to accept Yan Zheng’s assistance.”

Shang JunLin stopped playing with Shen Yu’s fingers. “What do you mean?”

“What’s taken from the people will be used for the people. Cement will definitely be used by the people later on. Yan Zheng offered money as compensation, but it would be better to call it a sponsorship. When cement is put into use in the future, we can say that Yan Zheng sponsored it. The Ministry of Works will have the money it needs for research, and Yan Zheng’s reputation will be enhanced. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

This was another method Shen Yu saw in that book. In the world Shen QingRan transmigrated from, trade was highly developed. There were many merchants who used this approach to build a reputation for their goods. The more people knew about something, the more buyers there would be.

“Sponsorship? That’s a good approach. Da Huan doesn’t restrict merchants. This kind of method will serve to develop Da Huan’s merchants at the same time. Ah Yu, it’s a wonderful idea.”

Shen Yu recalled what was said in the book and continued, “Merchants have no shortage of money, but they aren’t allowed to become officials. If a special honor was offered to them, they might be willing to exchange some money for it.

“Merchants value profits and reputation. Instead of letting a large sum of money rot in their hands, they might as well give up some of it in exchange for the recognition of the imperial court. A good reputation makes it easier for them to do business on a wide scale.”

The more Shang JunLin thought about the idea, the better he thought it was. He buried his face in Shen Yu’s hair and sniffed gently. His Ah Yu was really a treasure. He surprised him every moment.

“Your Majesty can discuss exactly how to do it with your ministers. I only put forward a general idea. Whether it can be implemented depends on the situation of Da Huan. But I should mention, this method can’t be allowed to become a weapon for particular people to enrich their own pockets.”

Shen Yu lowered his eyes. In his previous life, the King of Yue implemented this method too, but later, because of some people’s greed, the original intention was ignored. This led to a near collapse of business throughout Da Huan. At the time of Shen Yu’s rebirth, it still hadn’t recovered.

“This emperor knows. It will have to be implemented slowly.”

Shen Yu believed that Shang JunLin would do a good job. To be honest, Shang JunLin’s ability as a ruler was much stronger than that of the King of Yue. Shen Yu didn’t know what the person who wrote the book was thinking to let the King of Yue ascend the throne. Based on what Shen Yu had seen in his previous life, even if the King of Yue took the throne in the end, Da Huan was unlikely to go far under his leadership.

The core was rotten, and there were powerful enemies watching outside. On the surface things were flourishing, but in fact the entire structure was on the verge of collapse.

Shen Yu nestled in Shang JunLin’s arms and yawned. “Your Majesty, is the palace examination coming soon?”

“It is. Will Ah Yu attend it with this emperor?” Shang JunLin’s tone was gentle as he stroked Shen Yu’s back. He secretly wanted Shen Yu to come with him. When Shen Yu entered the harem, he lost the ability to take the imperial examinations himself. Shen Yu said he didn’t care, but Shang JunLin still wanted him to be able to experience it in person.

“In what capacity will I go? Disguised as a little eunuch serving His Majesty?”

TL Notes:

When the seas are calm and the rivers are clear – 海晏河清 – The world is at peace; peace and prosperity under heaven

the sky and earth are overturned – 翻天覆地 – sky and the earth turning upside down (idiom); fig. complete confusion / everything turned on its head

penny-pincher – 铁公鸡 – an iron rooster; a stingy person; a miser; a person who will not lift a finger to help

been at odds several times – 扯了好几回皮 – tore skin several times

straightforward and honest – from 目光清明 – clear and bright/sober and calm eyes

little elf – 小精灵 – xiǎo jīnglíng

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

Ministry of Revenue – 户部 – One of the six ministries under the Department of State Affairs in imperial China. It was in charge of population and land censuses, assessment and collection of taxes, and storage and distribution of government revenue. Alternatively: Ministry of Finance