The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

After finding out who the two men really were, Jiang HuaiQing never dreamed his next meeting with them would happen like this.

He assumed their previous way of getting along would come to an abrupt end. The next time they met, Shang JunLin would be the aloof and mighty emperor, Shen Yu would be the noble monarch of the imperial harem, and he would be a dutiful servant just like every other official in Da Huan.

Who would have guessed that after he made these mental preparations, the pair suddenly appeared at the gates of the small courtyard where he and Hè ChengYu had moved to hide from a stream of matchmakers.

For a while Jiang HuaiQing didn’t know what expression to put on his face.

His fear and aghastitude soared to an unbearable level. Stunned, he watched them walk inside. His mind went completely blank.

Hè ChengYu heard the voice outside suddenly fall silent. Worried that something had happened, he put down what he was doing and walked out.

Then he saw Shang JunLin and Shen Yu walking towards him.

Hè ChengYu came to a stop. Now he knew why the other man suddenly lost his voice. Sure enough, Jiang HuaiQing was standing there in a daze, staring at the two people. He didn’t respond at all.

Shen Yu, who also noticed Jiang HuaiQing’s reaction, felt a little happy inside. In his previous life, this man was his subordinate. Despite his youth, he had layers of secrets he always kept to himself. Although calm and steady he seemed to lack a spark of life. If not for the goal that Jiang HuaiQing nurtured inside, Shen Yu had the feeling he was ready to exit the world at any time.

In this life Jiang HuaiQing was different—he had friends who shared his ideals. Shen Yu didn’t know if Jiang HuaiQing ever met Hè ChengYu in his previous life, but in this life they knew each other well, and Hè ChengYu looked after him intentionally or otherwise. In addition, the imperial examination had concluded successfully and Jiang HuaiQing won high honors. He was full of enthusiasm and energy and had some of the youthful high spirits a person his age should have.

Amused by the look on Jiang HuaiQing’s face, Shen Yu laughed. “What, are you so surprised to see us visit you? You can’t even say a word?”

“It’s not really a surprise….” It’s more of a shock.

After Shen Yu spoke, Jiang HuaiQing returned to his senses.

Hè ChengYu came over to join them. “The two of you traveled a long way. Please forgive us for welcoming you like this. It’s our fault.”

“Not at all, we decided to come here on a whim. When we heard you moved into a new house we wanted to congratulate you.”

Meng Gonggong, who was also dressed in civilian clothes, came forward with a congratulatory gift.

“It’s a small token of appreciation. Please accept it, He Xiong, HuaiQing,” Shen Yu said.

“We’re greatly honored that the two of you came to visit,” Hè ChengYu said. He turned to the side and accepted the present from Meng Gonggong. “Please come inside.”

Jiang HuaiQing’s dazed brain finally returned to normal. “Yes, yes, come in.” 

Shen Yu walked ahead of them with Shang JunLin. Together they looked around at the small courtyard. The place was quiet and secluded. Although it wasn’t large or especially luxurious, the layout was carefully arranged and elegant, revealing the heritage of an aristocratic family.

When the four people were seated, Shen Yu was the first to speak. “HuaiQing, you look surprised to see us here.” 

“I can’t deny what the noble monarch has said….”

“While we’re outside, you can just address me and Ah Lin as usual,” Shen Yu cut in. He looked at Shang JunLin, who was sitting beside him. “Isn’t that right, Ah Lin?”

Shang JunLin nodded. “No need to be formal outside.”

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Jiang HuaiQing wasn’t a stickler for etiquette, so he readily switched to less formal language. “Yu Xiong, I won’t try to hide it. I really didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I thought as much. Ah Lin and I had some business outside the palace and decided to come by to see you.” Shen Yu winked. “And maybe have a taste of the amazing food you’ve been raving about.”

Shen Yu was referring to something Jiang HuaiQing had written about in a letter. Their new cook was from Jiangnan and he was exceptional at his craft. His style was different from what was usually found in the capital, especially when it came to desserts. Jiang HuaiQing knew that Shen Yu was fond of sweets and specifically mentioned it in his letter.

“We came over to sample it ourselves and save you the trouble of sending it to the palace,” Shen Yu added.

At the end of his letter, Jiang HuaiQing wrote that if Shen Yu wanted to try the food, he’d ask the cook to make another batch for him and send it along.

“To be honest, when I wrote that letter I didn’t realize how difficult it might be until after I already sent it.” He was in the habit of writing to his friend and simply forgot about Shen Yu and Shang JunLin’s identities. His tone was as casual as ever.

“I’m happy that you wrote to me the same as usual. I used to spend every day in the marquis’ residence and didn’t have any friends. That’s why I hope HuaiQing and I can get along like we did before.”

“Lin Xiong and Yu Xiong, I’m grateful for your kindness. I’ll be bold enough to accept it. The two of you are the closest people I know aside from ChengYu Xiong.” To be precise, he was more familiar with Shen Yu. Jiang HuaiQing’s instincts, like those of a small prey animal, had always told him Shang JunLin wasn’t someone to provoke.

That was why he’d never approached Shang JunLin carelessly. After spending time observing them, he fully understood that Shang JunLin’s gentleness and good temper were reserved for Shen Yu alone.

Some of the servants in the mansion had also served Hè ChengYu in Jiangnan. Seeing that friends of their host were visiting and hoped to enjoy Jiangnan-style cuisine, they immediately sent to the kitchen to begin preparing for a meal. They were determined to satisfy their guests.

Shen Yu and Shang JunLin weren’t in a hurry to return to the palace. When Shang JunLin saw that Shen Yu was curious about the food prepared by Hè ChengYu’s cook, he agreed to stay for dinner. He also secretly made plans to find a few royal chefs who knew different regional cuisines and send them to Yuzhang Palace later.

A small banquet took shape, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves. With Shen Yu to ease things along, the two sides soon returned to the friendly atmosphere they enjoyed in the past.

Hè ChengYu’s kitchen was just as skilled as Jiang HuaiQing said. The food was delicious, especially when it came to the desserts. They were small and delicate, sweet but not cloying, and the taste was exceptional. This part of the meal was especially popular with Shen Yu.

Almost half of the desserts on the table went into Shen Yu’s stomach. If Shang JunLin hadn’t been watching he might have eaten even more.

Not surprisingly, after all this indulgence Shen Yu was completely stuffed.

When they returned to Yuzhang Palace, Shen Yu felt sick to his stomach and Shang JunLin helped him walk around the courtyard. “This emperor shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted. I let you eat too much.”

Several times during the meal, Shang JunLin was defeated by Shen Yu’s supplicating gaze. His resolve weakened when he saw Shen Yu eating so happily and contentedly. But the end result of this leniency was that Shen Yu was too ill to sleep in the middle of the night.

The moon rose into the sky, scattering moonlight across the quiet earth. Everything in sight was veiled with a layer of cool silver. Somewhere in the hush of night were the chirps of a few insects.

After Shen Yu entered the palace, his days followed a consistent schedule. He rarely had a chance to see Yuzhang Palace at such a late hour. He looked up at the full moon in the night sky and sighed. “If I hadn’t been stubborn, I never would have seen such a beautiful view with Your Majesty. Your Majesty, look how full the moon is tonight.”

Like a jade disc adorning a sable field, emitting a faint silver glow, illuminating the entire night by itself.

“Ah Yu is always reasonable.”

Shang JunLin took Shen Yu’s hand and walked slowly along the path. A breeze was blowing softly, bringing a burst of coolness. They occasionally whispered a few words to each other, enjoying this rare, quiet moment.

The next day Shang JunLin summoned Imperial Physician Gu to check Shen Yu’s pulse.

After a period of recuperation, Shen Yu’s health had greatly improved. Initially Imperial Physician Gu examined Shen Yu’s pulse every other day, but this gradually reduced to once every week. The bitter-tasting medicines were also eliminated.

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Imperial Physician Gu easily diagnosed Shen Yu’s pulse and withdrew his hand. “The noble monarch has suffered some indigestion. This official will write a prescription for some pills. There won’t be any harm.”

Shen Yu never thought he’d one day need to take medicine for such a reason. As he lowered his sleeve he asked, “The medicine won’t be like last time, will it?”

Shen Yu had dark memories of the medicine that Imperial Physician Gu prescribed last time. He never wanted to taste anything so vile again.

Imperial Physician Gu smiled faintly. “The noble monarch needn’t worry. The taste won’t be as unpleasant this time.”

After examining his pulse, Imperial Physician Gu didn’t linger. He gave some instructions and then got up and left.

Mu Xi took the prescription and prepared Shen Yu’s medicine. This had always been her responsibility which she never left to anyone else’s hands. Meanwhile Shen Yu wrote down some notes about cement usage according to the memories of his previous life. He wanted to organize the information so Shang JunLin could send it to the people in the Ministry of Works.

“What is Ah Yu writing?” After Shang JunLin left morning court, he went directly to Yuzhang Palace. These days, aside from the emperor’s study and the hall where court was held, Shang JunLin spent most of his time in Yuzhang Palace.

The servants in the palace had once been surprised by the level of favor Shen Yu enjoyed, but now there was no surprise at all. The only thing that would surprise them was if His Majesty didn’t dote on the noble monarch.

“All this? I want to sort through my notes and give them to the Ministry of Works. Maybe they can produce more things.” Shen Yu spread out what he’d written to show Shang JunLin.

After reading it, Shang JunLin pondered. “Cement has more uses than this emperor thought.”

“Your Majesty, come here and let me lean on you.” The memo was almost sorted. Now that Shang JunLin was back, Shen Yu didn’t want to get up.

Shang JunLin sat down as requested and Shen Yu immediately leaned against him.

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Shang JunLin put his arm around the other man. After a while he said, “The gift Ah Yu gave this emperor is more useful than I imagined. How should this emperor repay Ah Yu?”

Shen Yu: “All I did was put forward some ideas. The exact implementation is thanks to the effort of the Ministry of Works. Instead of repaying me, Your Majesty might as well do something for them.”

Shang JunLin: “What does Ah Yu suggest?”

Shen Yu: “Thinking about what the Minister of Works said last time, their department is different from other ministries. They need officials who can master various skills and crafts. Your Majesty might hold a special examination to recruit talents for the Ministry of Works.”

For a country to grow and thrive, it needed all-round development, especially when it came to innovation. This was the truth Shen Yu realized when he read that book.

“It’s worth considering. The Ministry of Works is truly understaffed. This emperor will summon the minister to discuss it later.” Shang JunLin lifted his hand and pinched Shen Yu’s face. “What about Ah Yu? Doesn’t Ah Yu want anything?”

“Your Majesty has given me a lot already. I just put forward some ideas. Only time will tell if they actually benefit Da Huan. If Your Majesty really wants to give me something, you can consider owing me a favor. If Da Huan ends up benefiting, Your Majesty can grant me a request someday.”

“Very well.”

While they spoke, Mu Xi brought over the medicine. When Shen Yu saw the dark medicinal liquid he frowned.

Shang JunLin smiled with amusement. He took the medicine from Mu Xi. “You can go.”

Mu Xi bowed and retreated.

Shang JunLin approached with the medicine and Shen Yu immediately backed away.

He couldn’t help himself. Seeing Shang JunLin’s posture, he thought of the peculiar taste of the old medicine, and he wasn’t sure what kind of mood Shang JunLin was in right now.

“Why is Ah Yu hiding?” The smile in Shang JunLin’s eyes grew, and he stopped Shen Yu from retreating further. “Didn’t Imperial Physician Gu say this medicine wouldn’t be as unpleasant to take as before?”

TL Notes:

suffered some indigestion – 是有一些积食 – (of food) to retain in stomach due to indigestion (TCM)