The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

In the face of Shang JunLin's overwhelming, aggressive aura, Shen Yu found it slightly difficult to breathe.

He even felt a little confused. Did he say something? Why was Shang JunLin suddenly so excited?

After thinking about it, Shen Yu moved away a little. No matter what the reason, he'd better back away from this Shang JunLin who was exuding waves of danger.

Shang JunLin noticed this small movement. He put a hand on Shen Yu's back, blocking his way. "Why is Ah Yu trying to hide?"

Shen Yu played dumb. "What does Your Majesty mean?"

Shang JunLin didn't want to give him a hard time, so he restrained his energy. "What steps would Ah Yu like to take?"

Shen Yu wasn't sure when Shang JunLin started calling him "Ah Yu" instead of "noble monarch". It happened so gradually that Shen Yu was already used to it.

"First replace the eunuch in charge of Yuzhang Palace. Then we'll see."

"Ah Yu can decide everything. This emperor will review the candidates first. The same thing won't happen again, this emperor won't allow it!"

In the final analysis, the reason there was a problem with the eunuch in charge of Yuzhang Palace was because Shang JunLin hadn't taken the matter seriously enough in the beginning. If he'd checked more carefully before appointing someone, the current situation wouldn't have occurred.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Yu narrowed his eyes. He knew that a thousand-mile dike could collapse because of an ant hill. He didn't expect the people under him to have no flaws, but he wasn't going to tolerate people who didn't know where to draw the line.

Now that it was an issue, Shen Yu ordered Mu Xi to check everyone in Yuzhang Palace. At first, he hadn't expected to live in the palace for very long. That was why he didn't have high requirements for his servants, and certainly never trusted them with anything critical. However, the most important factor was that Shen Yu usually presented himself as good-natured and agreeable. It had caused some people to become overly ambitious.

Shen Yu was favored by the emperor, and Yuzhang Palace soared because of it. The servants who served in Yuzhang Palace had more prestige than people who served elsewhere. That had always been the rule of life in the imperial palace. Shen Yu didn't intend to change that, but he also wasn't going to let someone use his name to make trouble.

Meng Gonggong quickly selected a list of candidates and showed it to Shang JunLin.

The man's eyes scanned each entry on the list. When he saw a certain name, Shang JunLin paused and looked up with a smile that wasn't a smile. "If this emperor remembers correctly, this Meng Yuan is your adopted son, correct?"

"Yes, yes." Meng Gonggong didn't dare to lie. "This slave looked for people according to the noble monarch's requirements. This slave has watched that child Meng Yuan grow up and knows his character better than anyone else. That's why this slave had the audacity to add him to the list."

After saying this, Meng Gonggong felt a little uneasy. "When this slave added Meng Yuan's name, this slave had selfish intentions. First, this slave knows everything about his background. Second, the noble monarch is a good master. If Meng Yuan can serve at the noble monarch's side, it will be his good fortune."

Shang JunLin rubbed his fingers along the edge of the list, and his eyes were unreadable.

Meng Gonggong felt even more apprehensive, and he smiled bitterly to himself. He really didn't want to miss this opportunity, so he dared to indulge his selfishness.

"This emperor knows you think highly of your adopted son. A little is fine. Never try to go too far. This emperor has reviewed the list and sees that everything is in line with the noble monarch's requirements. You can send the people over to the noble monarch. As for who will get the position, the noble monarch will decide." Shang JunLin glanced lightly at Meng Gonggong and tossed the list back to him.

"This slave thanks Your Majesty for your grace!" Meng Gonggong hugged the booklet to his chest. The heavy weight in his heart fell to the ground.

"Go on." Shang JunLin waved his hand.

"Yes." Meng Gonggong bowed and withdrew with the list in his arms.

Without the slightest delay, Meng Gonggong brought the selected people to Yuzhang Palace.

Shen Yu was tending to the ink orchid that Shang JunLin sent to him. He wasn't sure why, but under his care the flower was still blooming exuberantly even though its normal flowering period was almost over.

"Young master, Meng Gonggong brought some people here." Mu Xi stepped forward to wipe Shen Yu's hands.

"Already?" Shen Yu cleaned his hands, and then took the handkerchief and dried his fingers. "Send them to the main hall."

Mu Xi received the orders and left. Shen Yu changed his outer robe and then went out.

When Shen Yu arrived, Meng Gonggong was already waiting with the people in the main hall. Shen Yu walked to the main seat and sat down.

Meng Gonggong introduced them to Shen Yu one by one.

"Meng Gonggong worked hard."

Meng Gonggong smiled pleasantly. "The noble monarch flatters this slave. Noble monarch, please see if there's a satisfactory candidate here. If none of them are acceptable, this slave will bring another batch."

"You needn't go to so much trouble. These people already meet my requirements." Shen Yu pointed to several of them. "Those can stay for now. The rest can go."

The others saluted respectfully and left.

Meng Yuan was among the people Shen Yu kept. The smile on Meng Gonggong's face deepened.

Shen Yu questioned the remaining people. In the end, Meng Yuan was chosen.

Later that evening, Shang JunLin arrived.

"Why did Ah Yu choose Meng Yuan?" Shang JunLin hugged Shen Yu and sat down. "Did Ah Yu know about the relationship between him and Meng Chang?"

Shen Yu shook his head. "What relationship? I chose Meng Yuan because I like his attitude. Yuzhang Palace attracts a lot of attention. The people who work here need to be managed by someone with a steady mind."

"He's Meng Chang's adopted son. Meng Chang had a bit of an ulterior motive. He knows that Yuzhang Palace is a good place, so he sent his adopted son here."

"Meng Gonggong has a good eye." Shen Yu leaned on the man's shoulder. "It seems that Your Majesty truly likes me. Even the most highly regarded people in the palace think there's a future in working for me."

Shang JunLin thought Shen Yu would be unhappy. He hadn't expected this reaction. "This emperor thought you would be angry."

"There's nothing to be angry about." Shen Yu smiled. "Your Majesty already reviewed them. If there was a problem with that person, Your Majesty wouldn't have sent him to me, would you?"

"Ah Yu's mouth is sweeter than anyone else's." Shang JunLin pinched Shen Yu's chin and turned his face towards himself. His thumb brushed across Shen Yu's lips.

Shen Yu blinked. "I only said the truth. Why is Your Majesty looking at me like that?"

"This emperor wonders if Ah Yu had this candidate in mind from the beginning. Did you go to all this effort just to give Meng Yuan the opportunity to serve in Yuzhang Palace?" Shang JunLin's eyes darkened.

It wasn't hard to guess. Shen Yu, as the noble monarch, could have any head eunuch he wanted. For him to act so circumspectly, the person must have a unique identity, the kind that made it difficult to request him directly.

Shen Yu pretended to be confused. He innocently blinked his eyes. "What is Your Majesty talking about?"

"Little fox." Shang JunLin drew closer and kissed the young man's eyes.

Shen Yu was startled by the suddenly approaching breath. Before he could react, he felt a sensation of heat against his eyes. A warm touch fell on his eyelids, and the words he was about to say completely vanished.

Seeing Shen Yu in a daze, Shang JunLin's eyes deepened further, and his lips gradually lowered.

Just as he approached Shen Yu's lips, Meng Gonggong's voice rang out from outside the screen.

"Your Majesty, Minister Fang requests an audience."

As if waking from a dream, Shen Yu abruptly broke free from Shang JunLin's grasp. "Your Majesty is busy. It's fine if you have to go," he said uneasily.

Shang JunLin sighed to himself at the missed opportunity. He rubbed Shen Yu's head, then got up and left.

Shen Yu sat on the soft couch for a while, and the confusion in his eyes eventually faded.

During the exam, examinees were not permitted to leave the examination hall. They were required to eat and sleep inside. That was why they had no idea the outside world was in such an uproar after just a few days.

Shang JunLin's people finished tracing the clues and caught the mastermind behind the plot. Before the court, Minister Fang reported what he found in a deep voice. When he concluded, he bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, please decide the rest."

The audience erupted with shock.

"What… How is this possible?"

"This will shake the foundations of the empire. Could Minister Fang have made a mistake?"

Minister Fang glared at them. "Does Your Excellency think this official would joke about something like this?"

"… That's not what I meant." The speaker who made the remark shut his mouth.

"The evidence is overwhelming. This servant hopes Your Majesty will punish them severely!"

As they watched Minister Fang speak so righteously, the officials felt disoriented, as if they'd somehow returned to the days when Imperial Censor Zhang was accused.

In the midst of the whispers, Shang JunLin's cold voice rang out, "The ministers may wish to look at Minister Fang's evidence before you speak."

The eunuch who served in front of the emperor held up a scroll and began to read aloud.

From how they got the test questions, to how they gave orders to their men to approach the students and lure them into a trap, every single thing was clearly laid out.

After everyone fell silent, Shang JunLin said calmly, "This emperor wonders if His Excellency the Grand Commandant has anything to say in his defense?"

In the face of such overwhelming evidence, it was impossible to form an argument. The Grand Commandant fell to his knees in dismay. "This servant knows my crime."

The Grand Commandant was an old minister from the previous reign. Because he didn't take sides at the time, he kept his position when the new emperor took power. On the contrary, because there were so few experienced ministers at court in the early days of Shang JunLin's reign, he quickly rose in importance, and he remained active today.

Shang JunLin stood up from the dragon throne and looked down at him without the slightest emotion. "Don't be in such a hurry to admit your guilt, Grand Commandant. Tell this emperor, what did the late emperor give you to make you continue to do his bidding after more than ten years?"

The Grand Commandant's heart leaped in his chest. "This servant wouldn't dare!"

"What don't you dare? Do you regret that you didn't let this emperor die on the battlefield back then to ensure the King of Yue could take the throne?"

When Shang JunLin's words fell, they caused an uproar. No one imagined that a case of attempted exam fraud would also involve this kind of hidden secret from the past.

Not long after Shang JunLin ascended the throne, he was seriously wounded in a major battle. Before he recovered, the news was tightly concealed. Few people knew about it, and even fewer knew that there was something else behind it.

"Your Majesty, this servant has been wronged. This servant was confused and overzealous, that's why I tampered with the imperial examination this time, but this servant really never did anything like Your Majesty said!" The Grand Commandant was appalled. The first crime in itself was enough to condemn his entire clan. If you added the second one…

What's more, back then he was completely focused on maintaining a strong foothold in the court. He didn't have the means to break through Shang JunLin's numerous guards and attack him directly!

As he watched the man shake like a leaf, Shang JunLin's mouth slightly curved up. Of course, he knew the Grand Commandant wasn't responsible for the incident back then. He said it on purpose to raise it as an issue in court. He knew the matter was no accident at all, and he intended to investigate it to the end!

The pale-faced Grand Commandant was taken away. After court was dismissed, Minister Fang stayed behind.

The two talked in the imperial study all afternoon. When Minister Fang left, the Court of Judicial Review began to deal with the Grand Commandant's case.

Shen Yu pressed against Shang JunLin's chest, feeling his sturdy body through his clothes. "Does that mean Your Majesty lied to me? Didn't you say you got this scar when you were a child?"

"This emperor misspoke." Shang JunLin smiled bitterly. When he told Shen Yu what happened at court today, he didn't think this was what Shen Yu would focus on.

"Did anyone ever lay hands on Your Majesty after you ascended the throne?" Shen Yu thought about it. After all, it wasn't strange. Whether it was in his past life or this one, the King of Yue had never stopped coveting the throne.

At first, Shen Yu thought it was just the King of Yue who was after the throne. It now seemed that was far from the case. In addition to the person he knew about, there were other people in the dark, but they were too cautious to reveal themselves because of Shang JunLin's strength.

Shen Yu remembered where the scar was and pressed it. "Does it hurt, Your Majesty?"

Shang JunLin clasped Shen Yu's hand over his chest. "Does Ah Yu feel distressed?"

TL Notes:

a thousand-mile dike could collapse because of an ant hill – 千里之堤溃于蚁穴 – A solid dyke can collapse because of an ant hole in it; One ant hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke; Slight negligence may lead to great disaster; A small leak will sink a great ship

soared because of it – 水涨船高 – When the river rises, the boat floats high; A ship rises with the tide — a person's social rise benefits those related to him; When water rises, the boat rises with it; Particular things improve with the improvement of the general situation

adopted son – 干儿子 – godson, adopted son (traditional adoption, i.e. without legal ramifications)

most highly regarded people – 大红人 – big red people – A person who is favored, trusted, and highly regarded by leaders

confused and overzealous – 鬼迷心窍 – be possessed by ghosts; be obsessed with; be corrupted by; be under an obsession of

shake like a leaf – 抖如糠筛 – shake like a chaff sieve

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

Meng Yuan – 孟源

Your Excellency – 阁下 – Alternatively: your distinguished self, the Honorable, Your Lordship, your majesty, sire

this official – 本官 – běn guān

Grand Commandant – 太尉 – The highest government official in charge of military affairs. In early dynasties, this was the official title of the head of the military, one of the three highest officials in government together with the prime minister and the imperial censor. In later dynasties, the position became less important and lost its power entirely (Baidu, Wikipedia) This is a different title than marshal (元帅)

His Excellency the Grand Commandant – 太尉大人 – tài wèi dàrén

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