The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

"It's because it happened in front of me. It was someone from my palace that hurt them." Shen Yu looked down, suppressing the coldness in his eyes. "The best thing to do with that kind of scum is dispose of them."

"Ah Yu can decide everything." Shang JunLin stroked the hair on the young man's forehead. "This emperor said you could deal with the matter yourself. This emperor won't interfere."

Shen Yu had already made a decision, and he turned to something else. "Your Majesty, how is the Grand Commandant's matter proceeding?"

"After being interrogated, the Grand Commandant confessed. Apparently, the King of Yue told him to do it."

Shen Yu looked up and exchanged glances with Shang JunLin. He smiled and said, "The King of Yue probably wasn't expecting such a big ‘surprise' during his stay in prison."

"Someone will accidentally reveal it to him in a few days. When that happens, he'll be even more anxious to get out."

After all, while he was in prison, he was at the mercy of his enemies.

The King of Yue waited anxiously for several days. Instead of hearing that Shang JunLin had decided to release him, he heard from a jailer with a loose tongue that he was the one who'd given instructions to the Grand Commandant to commit fraud.

"What did you just say?!" The King of Yue clenched his fists. His widened eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Ah…" The jailer, realizing he'd spoken out of turn, went pale. His superiors had specifically ordered him not to give the King of Yue any news from outside.

"How could anyone believe such an outrageous story?! I gave orders to the Grand Commandant, really? How could I tell him to do anything?" At first the King of Yue thought it was absurd, but the more he considered it, the worse his face became.

He'd done a lot of little things in secret, but this was something he hadn't touched at all. None of his major plots had succeeded yet. There was no way he'd left such a big opening for Shang JunLin!

"He did it on purpose." The King of Yue squeezed his fingertips white. "He's deliberately framing me. That way he can ignore Imperial Father's last orders and attack me with impunity!

"I want to see His Majesty! I didn't do it. I won't admit to anything!"

The King of Yue made a fuss in his cell. Eventually, the guards had no choice but to report it to their higher-ups.

"The King of Yue is a determined man. He went on a hunger strike and even tried to harm himself." Shang JunLin put down the confidential report with an obvious chill in his eyes.

Shen Yu walked over, picked up the report, and looked at it. "It's not surprising. He knows that Your Majesty won't let him die in prison under unclear circumstances. If he fights hard enough, he might be able to free himself, but if he sits and waits for death, it really is the end for him."

Rumors were flying, and the King of Yue's people weren't able to contact him. With no instructions, all they could do was run around in circles.

"What should we do?"

"Is His Highness really responsible for that?"

A few members of the King of Yue's inner circle exchanged glances with each other, then shook their heads.

"If His Highness did it, he wouldn't have hidden it from all of us. There's only one conclusion—His Highness has been framed!"

"His Highness has always had a good reputation. He's gentle and polite to everyone. There are no faults whatsoever in his deportment. Who could have such a big grudge against His Highness that they want to force him to his death?"

The room fell silent. After a long time, someone said in a deep voice, "Have you forgotten why the King of Yue was imprisoned?"

"You mean the families of those young ladies?"

The others thought about it and decided it wasn't an unreasonable guess. Aristocratic families attached great importance to their dignity and reputation. It couldn't be denied that what the King of Yue had done was like slapping them in the face.

"No, something else is extremely suspicious. Why did all those women appear in Yingxing House that day?"

"Not many people would have known about it in advance. Who leaked it? Do you think it was the Zhenbei Marquis' residence?"

"Either way, we have to investigate."

Shang JunLin's forces paid close attention to the movements of the King of Yue's people. When they reported the news, Shen Yu heard as well.

"Will they find out it was the Hidden Dragon Guard?" Shen Yu placed a white go stone on the board. The reason he hadn't sent his people in the first place was because of the risk they'd be discovered later.

In the quiet afternoon, Shen Yu had napped long enough. He dragged Shang JunLin to play a game of go.

Shang JunLin casually placed a black stone. "If they do find out, the person responsible will be removed from the Hidden Dragon Guard."

On the go board, pieces flowed back and forth. Under the seemingly peaceful surface, murderous intentions lurked behind every move. Off the go board, the two people sat in casual poses, and the stones fell as lightly as clouds strewn by the wind.

"Since they want to investigate, we should provide a target. If they don't find anything, they'll suspect us sooner or later."

In other words: Gotta find someone to take the blame.

"They already suspect someone in the Zhenbei Marquis' residence. Let's justify their suspicion." Shen Yu made the decision lightly.

Just as Shen Yu expected, the King of Yue's people were confused only at first. When they started digging into it, they found that multiple things were wrong.

The King of Yue had taken great pains with his advisors, and they weren't straw bags. If those people lacked actual talent or learning, the King of Yue wouldn't have spared them a glance.

Following the clues deliberately planted by the Hidden Dragon Guard, the King of Yue's people found the Zhenbei Marquis' residence.

"Sure enough, the problem is with the Zhenbei Marquis' shu son."

"In the final analysis, he's just a concubine's son. If it was Shen Yu, nobody would be surprised to see His Highness coaxing him. But who is Shen QingRan? Why does His Highness value him so much? It's like his emotions have blinded him."

The King of Yue hadn't told these people the content of Shen QingRan's letters. They had no idea that Shen QingRan almost became their colleague.

As for Shen QingRan, he wasn't having an easy time recently. The Zhenbei Marquis felt deeply humiliated by the commotion involving his son. At least the other families were involved because of their daughters. Why was Shen QingRan rushing to meet a man?

Therefore, Shen QingRan was once again confined.

"Next time, don't run around making a fool of yourself without my permission!"

Ignoring Shen QingRan's explanation, the Zhenbei Marquis flicked his sleeves and left. He couldn't believe how blind he was in the past. He actually thought this son would be of great use and ignored his own heir.

The more the Zhenbei Marquis thought about it, the more he regretted it. Shen Yu was in favor. If he'd treated Shen Yu well, would he still be worried about his family's future right now? Instead he had Shen QingRan, a concubine's son, who only made him lose face.

After the King of Yue's forces investigated and followed the trail to the Zhenbei Marquis' residence, they didn't let up. They began to target the Zhenbei Marquis at every turn. Their power had quietly grown and become entrenched in the capital over many years. They were more than enough to deal with a declining marquis.

Shen QingRan lost his temper. He felt so wronged! He thought he was the only person in the King of Yue's life. He thought he'd finally found a lover. Who knew that he was just a fish in the King of Yue's fish pond? He was nothing at all.

Aunt Ru did her best to persuade him. Eventually she managed to calm him down.

"That Shen Yu is so lucky. If I knew His Majesty would be so kind to the person who shares his bed, I never would have given Shen Yu the chance. My unfortunate son, you should have been the one to enter the palace."

When he heard Aunt Ru say this, Shen QingRan felt even more unhappy. If he was the one who entered the imperial harem, forget Shen Yu. The lives of everyone in the Zhenbei Marquis' residence would depend on his whims.

Mu Xi told Shen Yu what happened in the Zhenbei Marquis' residence as an interesting story. After that, she added indignantly, "What in the world is that Shen QingRan thinking? Even if he did enter the harem, would His Majesty even look at him?"

"The fact is that I'm the one who entered the palace. No matter how much he regrets it, he can't change that fact." Shen Yu was slowly and carefully pruning the leaves of the ink orchid.

"Those people in the Zhenbei Marquis' residence are so one-sided and greedy. I wish they'd gone through everything the young master suffered."

"Don't worry, this is just the beginning." Shen Yu took the handkerchief from Mu Xi and wiped his hands. In this life, Shen QingRan wouldn't receive any of the glory that didn't belong to him. Shen Yu would make sure of it.

A palace servant came forward and carried the flower back to its original place. Shen Yu put down the handkerchief. "How are those palace maids doing?"

"They're already feeling better. The female doctor sent by His Majesty is working diligently. Their health should recover in a little while." A slight smile appeared on Mu Xi's face. "They're also in a better state of mind. They're grateful for what the young master did for them."

"What about Li Gonggong?"

Mu Xi's face turned cold. "He's been acting like nothing is wrong. All those women went missing, and he doesn't even care."

A cold light flashed in Shen Yu's eyes. "Meng Yuan's appointment has been confirmed. It's finally time to deal with Li Gonggong.

"How has Meng Yuan been getting along?"

"Xiao Meng Gonggong is a good fit. The junior maids and eunuchs in the palace have already accepted him."

"Mm." Shen Yu hadn't immediately gotten rid of Li Gonggong and appointed Meng Yuan. Instead, he gave Meng Yuan a different job where he could learn more about Yuzhang Palace.

When Meng Gonggong heard about Shen Yu's actions, he didn't feel unhappy. Instead, he came to visit Meng Yuan and scolded him a bit.

"Don't take your new job lightly just because it's low in rank. The noble monarch is deliberately cultivating you. This adopted father of yours worked hard to get you this job. If you don't do it well, don't blame Father for being ruthless!"

"This son understands. I can see the way the noble monarch treats people. This son definitely won't embarrass Father!" Meng Yuan's eyes were firm. "And I won't disappoint the noble monarch's training!"

"It's good that you understand." Meng Gonggong nodded with satisfaction. "The situation in the palace is changing rapidly, and there's no better place to work than for the noble monarch. Do you know why I wanted you to go to Yuzhang Palace?"

Meng Gonggong wanted to make everything clear at once. "Because the noble monarch is highly valued by His Majesty. His Majesty intentionally separated Yuzhang Palace from the rest of the palace. It ranks higher than any other part of the palace and won't be disturbed by whatever happens anywhere else. When you work in Yuzhang Palace, you may not be as powerful as if you went somewhere else, but it's the most secure place to work."

After a lengthy conversation, Meng Gonggong patted Meng Yuan on the shoulder. "That person, Li Ping, threw away an incredible opportunity. You should take it as a warning. The noble monarch won't tolerate a speck of sand in his eyes. You'll have to keep a sharp watch over everything that happens in Yuzhang Palace. Don't let greedy-minded people offend the noble monarch."

The next day, when Meng Gonggong brought tea to Shang JunLin, the man suddenly said, "This emperor doesn't want to hear about anything else in Yuzhang Palace annoying the noble monarch, understood?"

"This slave understands. This slave already knocked some sense into Meng Yuan. Nothing similar will ever happen again!"

Meng Gonggong was sweating inside. Fortunately, he'd trained Meng Yuan personally, and he knew the younger person inside and out. With Meng Gonggong there to straighten him out from time to time, Meng Yuan wouldn't make any big mistakes.

This time His Majesty actually went along with his suggestion. If something bad happened, His Majesty wouldn't let it go!

Li Ping finished his duties for the day and planned to relax as usual. Recently, a new eunuch had come to Yuzhang Palace. He was good-looking and popular. Li Ping didn't like him.

He had to find a way to get rid of him.

As Li Ping was thinking about this he didn't notice the unusual silence around him.

"Where is Li Gonggong going?"

Meng Yuan suddenly appeared around the corner. Li Ping was startled and replied angrily, "Why, is it Xiao Meng Gonggong's job to keep track of where I go?"

"It's true that it's not my job. However, the noble monarch asked me to take you to him."

Instead of replying to his nonsense, Meng Yuan waved his hand. Two guards came out from behind him and grabbed Li Ping without a word.

Shen Yu was leaning against Shang JunLin. He pointed to the screen that was placed not far away. "They're almost here, Your Majesty."

Shang JunLin stood up and pinched Shen Yu's face. "This emperor knows. I wouldn't miss it."

Shang JunLin walked to the other side of the screen and sat down. He looked over at Shen Yu, who was sitting on his formal chair, and almost felt like he was looking at someone else.

TL Notes:

run around in circles – 团团转 – to go round and round / running around in circles / fig. frantically busy

as lightly as clouds strewn by the wind – 云淡风轻 – peaceful situation; nice weather; sprezzatura (a certain nonchalance, studied carelessness)

straw bag – 草包 – A common idiom which means good-for-nothing; blockhead; idiot; bungling oaf

so one-sided and greedy – 看菜下碟 – watching people serve dishes – An idiom which means that people receive different treatment; discriminatory treatment of people

adopted father, Father – 干爹 – godfather, (nominally) adoptive father

almost felt like he was looking at someone else – 有一种身份置换的错觉 – "had an illusion of identity replacement"

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

Xiao Meng Gonggong – 小孟公公 – Little/Young Meng Gonggong. A way to distinguish him from his dad

Li Ping – 李平 – AKA Li Gonggong

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