The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

<strike>AWSL I forgot to update. I will make it up today with 3 chapters ToT</strike>

05/07/23- edited

The palm of his hand felt damp.

Shen Yu's fingers, which had been shrinking inside his sleeves, curled slightly.

He had noticed that Shang Junlin enjoyed his hands a lot, especially during intimate moments when he liked to guide Shen Yu's hands to leave marks on his body. He also liked to have Shen Yu hold him when they didn't go all the way due to concerns about his health...

Certain memories floated uncontrollably into his mind, and Shen Yu's face gradually flushed.

Shang Junlin was propped up above him, and he could easily see the change in Shen Yu's expression. He chuckled and asked, "What are you thinking about, Ah Yu?"

Shen Yu tugged at the blanket, covering half his face. "Nothing," he replied.

He could feel the heat on his face, and it was probably completely red by now.

Rarely did Shang Junlin see this side of Shen Yu, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity. He propped his elbow on Shen Yu's face, lowered his body, pulled down the blanket covering Shen Yu's face with one hand, and nearly pressed his face against his. "If you weren't thinking of anything, why is your face red? Are you shy, Ah Yu?"

"No," Shen Yu denied.

With nothing covering his face, Shang Junlin could clearly see every change in Shen Yu's expression. He saw a glimmer in his eyes as he spoke, and his gaze involuntarily flicked to one side, indicating that he was just being stubborn.

Shy Ah Yu was even more delicious.

Shang Junlin opened his mouth and lightly bit the crimson cheek. Shen Yu's eyes widened suddenly, feeling the dampness where he was bitten.

"Your Majesty..."

"Ah Yu, call me by my name," Shang Junlin murmured.

"Ah Lin?" Shen Yu hesitantly called out, and he found that the man was even more excited. He could feel it even through the blanket.

Shen Yu silently moved to the side.

Shang Junlin was unwilling to let him go so easily. He pulled the blanket and Shen Yu back towards him. "Let me see you," he said.

Shang Junlin's voice was low and hoarse, filled with restrained desire. Shen Yu had heard him use that voice countless times, telling him to hold him tightly when they reached their climax.

Not only his face, but Shen Yu's body also started to feel hot.

Shang Junlin gradually pulled Shen Yu out of the blanket.

The young man was only wearing a white nightgown, his long hair hanging softly behind him. His black hair and snow-white skin were dyed with a light pink color, making him look even more stunning under the soft candlelight.

The ink color in Shang Junlin's eyes grew stronger and stronger.

The current Shen Yu is like a bud waiting to bloom, only waiting for the final rain and dew to fully stretch out. Shang Junlin has seen the appearance of this flower in full bloom. It is the result of his hard work. His watering has allowed the flower to bloom little by little and has also left his mark on the flower from the inside out.

The man's gaze is like a fire, easily igniting everything.

Shen Yu feels a little thirsty and unconsciously licks his lips. He sees that because of this action, Shang Junlin's gaze becomes dangerous.

Shen Yu wants to continue covering himself with the blanket, but Shang Junlin won't give him that chance.

The man lowers his head and kisses Shen Yu's lips glistening with water.

Sucking, grinding, dancing together...

There are still marks left on Shen Yu's body from the last time with Shang Junlin, but soon, new marks cover the old ones one by one. On the white snow, the red plum blossoms slowly bloom.

The half-open flower is forced to fully open and is imbued with a different kind of aura from the inside out.

This time, Shang Junlin is very gentle, and Shen Yu falls into a deep sleep without being awakened.

Shen Yu sleeps soundly and isn't disturbed by nightmares. It would have been even better if he didn't wake up feeling sore in the morning.

It's still dark outside, and the man's breath still envelops him. This is a rare morning where Shang Junlin hasn't gotten up yet when Shen Yu wakes up.

The still-sleeping man hugs him and gently rubs against him.

Shen Yu bites his lip to keep himself from making a sound.

Pleasure and torment alternate, and every moment becomes extremely difficult to endure.

Fortunately, Shang Junlin wakes up soon. "Ah Yu?"

"Get out!" Shen Yu grits his teeth and forgets even Shang Junlin's identity, he's so angry.

Shang Junlin falls silent. Obviously, he didn't expect to encounter such a big shock upon waking up.

Shang Junlin hugs the young man in his arms and does the opposite of what Shen Yu asks.

"Bastard..."

When the two of them finally get up, an hour has passed. Shang Junlin washes Shen Yu's body, changes him into clean clothes, and carries him to the soft couch.

The palace maid lowers her head to clean up the room, and Shen Yu lies lazily on the soft couch with his eyes half-closed.

He doesn't even have the energy to curse at anyone anymore.

On the other hand, Shang Junlin is full of energy, and his satisfied expression can't be hidden from his face. Shen Yu simply closes his eyes and ignores it.

Shang Junlin didn't go to the morning court today.

When the morning court was approaching, Meng Gonggong stood outside the door, listening to the muffled sounds coming from inside the room, not knowing whether to speak or not.

He certainly knew what this kind of commotion represented, but he didn't expect to hear it at this time. The noise inside was probably not going to stop for a while. Meng Gonggong looked helplessly at the closed doors of the sleeping palace.

Seeing that time was running out, Meng Gonggong gritted his teeth and knocked on the door. "Your Majesty, it's almost time for the morning court."

The noise inside stopped for a moment, but only for a moment. Meng Gonggong wiped his face, knowing that this was the answer the emperor had given him.

So on this day, the ministers who came to the morning court on time waited for over an hour before the emperor finally arrived.

The ministers looked at the frosty-faced  Shang Junlin, and they were all puzzled.

What's going on? He looks like a husband kicked out of the house by his wife...

They didn't know that Shang Junlin had been driven out early in the morning by Shen Yu, who had made him furious. Otherwise, today's morning court would have been directly canceled.

Because of Shang Junlin's bad mood, the ministers waited a long time and did not dare to touch his bad temper. They efficiently completed the morning court, and the time for the afternoon court was surprisingly similar to usual.

As they walked out of the hall, the ministers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did something happen today? His Majesty was over an hour late and in such a bad mood?"

Several ministers who had a good relationship with each other whispered to each other.

"I'm not sure. Hasn't His Majesty been in a good mood these past few days? Last time I made a mistake, I thought I would be punished, but His Majesty just let it go."

"The situation in the north has been stable, and there hasn't been any major event in the court. What's wrong with His Majesty today?"

"Could it be that he angered the Noble Monarch?" one minister joked.

"Why do you assume it's the Noble Monarch who angered His Majesty instead of the other way around?" another minister asked in confusion.

Jiang Huaiqing followed behind the Prime Minister, listening in on the conversation, feeling a bit worried. He gently pulled on He Chengyu's sleeve.

"What's wrong?" He Chengyu leaned in closer and whispered, "Is His Majesty really having a conflict with the Noble Monarch today? Is His Majesty really angry at him?"

He Chengyu found it amusing. "Why are you worrying about that now? Don't worry, His Majesty couldn't possibly be angry with the consort."

"Why not?" Jiang Huaiqing asked, still confused.

He Chengyu's fingers twitched slightly, wanting to rub Jiang Huaiqing's hair, but he hesitated due to the presence of others, so he gave up the idea. "Have you noticed how the Emperor interacts with you outside the palace? Do you think the Emperor would be angry with you?" He Chengyu said. "The Emperor wouldn't be angry with you no matter who he's angry with."

Jiang Huaiqing thought back to the moments they had spent together outside the palace and had to admit that He Chengyu was right.

The ministers speculated whether something big was going to happen, but they were getting further and further away from the truth.

---

Somewhere in a courtyard.

"Sir, are we going to destroy our stronghold as appointed by the court? But that's..."

"Do you think I don't know?" the man referred to as "sir" was hidden in the darkness. "Do you think I want to see this result?"

"I plead guilty," the speaker knelt down to confess.

"What's the situation in Subei?"

"The supplies sent by the court went directly to various small towns without going through the main city of Subei. And from beginning to end, they were escorted by the military, so we couldn't do anything."

"What about inciting the rebellion in Subei?" The man's voice was filled with undisguised anger.

"According to your orders," the subordinate swallowed, "except for a few places, all of them failed. Even those few places were quickly suppressed..."

"Useless!" The man was so angry that he smashed the things on the desk. "What have you done? You didn't accomplish anything and you lost all our manpower! Don't forget to mention the fact that the court called for supplies from the public. You can't even do such a small thing?!"

"Sir, it's not fair. This matter seems to be different from what we expected. The people don't resent the court at all, but instead, they support it everywhere."

"Support it everywhere?" The man was confused. "Shouldn't the court have incurred public anger by doing such things?"

"Sir, we were fooled. Those supplies weren't forcibly requisitioned but were given voluntarily by the people," the subordinate said, growing increasingly fearful. "Not just ordinary people, but also the princes, aristocrats, and merchants, all voluntarily donated."

When the subordinate realized what had happened, he realized how wrong they were. Their plan was doomed to fail from the beginning.

"I see," the man said with a sardonic laugh. "No wonder we never succeeded even once. They knew we would take action long ago."

"Sir, what should we do next?"

"Forget about those people and the base. Cut ties cleanly, don't let the court follow the thread, and find more important things. The situation in Subei is about to end. Shang Junlin, oh, Shang Junlin, why did you send so many things to Subei? In the end, you'll still benefit me, won't you? Hahaha..."

The two people in the room didn't notice the black cloak that flashed across the roof, blending into the night.

The situation in Subei had reached a critical point. When Shang Junlin returned to Yu Zhang Palace after discussing future plans with the Prime Minister and other important officials in the Imperial Study Room, the sky had already turned dark.

"Where is Ah Yu?" Shang Junlin asked as soon as he entered, "Is he feeling unwell today?"

"His Excellency slept a little longer today and is now in the study room," Mu Xi replied, shaking her head.

Shang Jun Lin turned and headed towards the study.

Shen Yu was writing something, and the candlelight cast a halo around the young man. Shang Jun Lin gestured for the palace attendant not to follow and walked in alone.

"Why aren't you resting on the soft couch, Ah Yu?" Shang Jun Lin walked over as usual, wanting to embrace Shen Yu.

But Shen Yu evaded him without a sound.

A soft cushion was placed on the chair where Shen Yu sat, but even after only sitting for a short while, Shen Yu couldn't stand it and stood up with the piece of paper he had just finished writing.

"Your Majesty, we agreed on three rules."

Shang Jun Lin took the note handed to him by Shen Yu and read it silently.

It was really difficult to ask a person who had just started having sexual relations to abstain.

"I am having a hard time controlling myself, knowing that you are carrying our child<sup data-mfn="1">No matter how many times i try to translate this, it says pregnant. Is this MPREG? *-*," Shang Jun Lin squinted.

"His Majesty can go back to his own chambers or stay in the small study?" Shen Yu suggested.