The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

05/07/23- edited

The sound of talking abruptly stopped, and the officials in the grand hall turned to the direction of the sound, showing expressions of disbelief on their faces.

A man dressed in a scarlet official gown walked leisurely into the hall, every step seeming to tread on the hearts of those present.

But wasn't Fang Jun already dead? What was this appearing before them today? A person or a ghost? What had happened?

Questions raced through their minds, but no one was there to answer them. Some even cautiously looked down at the ground and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Fang's shadow. A person was better than a ghost.

"It seems like you are not very welcoming towards me," Fang Jun said, his smile disappearing from his face, replaced by a calm authority.

"Why would you say that?" The first official who reacted forced a smile. "We just didn't expect Official Fang to suddenly come."

"Yes," Fang Jun agreed, nodding his head. But then he said something that made the giant boulder in everyone's hearts rise high, "How can a dead man suddenly appear at your 'celebration'?"

"Official Fang, what are you talking about? We would never..."

Fang Jun waved his hand, indicating that he need not hear more. He walked in like he was strolling in his own garden.

"You are living quite comfortably here. If I hadn't traveled all the way here, I would have thought that the news of the drought in Subei was intentionally leaked. The court has not received any news of the severe drought in Subei. Is it because you ministers do not believe that Subei has experienced a natural disaster?"

With every sentence Fang Jun spoke, the people present grew more uneasy. They were in Subei, how could they not know the situation there? They were just trying to drag their feet and delay, hoping that the news would not reach the court.

They had already dragged on for so long, and they didn't mind dragging it out a few more days. After all, it wasn't them who were starving.

Fang Jun didn't need to ask to know what they were thinking. He also had no intention of arguing with them. They had done things they shouldn't have done and caused a lot of damage. Every account would be settled by the court.

"You can eat your food randomly, but you can't talk recklessly. Official Fang, do you know what you are saying?" The man sitting in the first seat stood up, his face showing displeasure.

He had a vague feeling of unease, but he couldn't show it. Besides, his eyes and ears were everywhere in Subei. If something were to happen, he should be able to hear any whispers.

At this moment, he unconsciously ignored Fang Jun's sudden appearance. He had not received any advance notice either.

"Did this Minister become angry because of being criticized? I couldn't understand before, but I understand now. If you see and hear such scenes every day, it's no wonder you can't see that the outside world is already starving to death. Minister Hou, what you said, is and is it not?" Fang Jun stood below and looked straight at the official, who was wearing luxurious clothes.

There was a fire in his eyes, which was anger. Although Fang Jun did not show it on his face, he was indeed angry at this moment, especially after seeing this scene.

The scenes of indulgence and excess were beyond belief, even the emperor who was most qualified to enjoy these things had never done so. How dare these people?

As if burned by the fire in Official Fang's eyes, the man turned his gaze away and dare not look at him directly. "Official Fang is joking. As an official in Subei, how could I turn a blind eye to the disaster in Subei? Today's banquet is just to see that the situation in Subei has eased, and to let the subordinates who have been tense relax a bit."

"Is that so?" Fang Jun suddenly smiled, "Is it really not to remove the stumbling block that is me?"

The man did not expect Official Fang to be so direct. His face changed and he looked to the corner of the hall, gesturing with the hand that hung by his side. Regardless of how Official Fang escaped, since he dared to come here alone, he should not blame them for using his blood to liven up the mood.

But he had been waiting for a long time, and the hall was still quiet. The music and dance had stopped, and the men he had arranged had not moved.

What's going on?

The man panicked.

He walked a few steps to Official Fang's side and asked in a stern voice, "What did you do?"

At this moment, his nerves, which had been paralyzed by alcohol, finally regained some clarity. He remembered more things that were not right, such as he had arranged for people to wait outside. Why was there no announcement when Official Fang came in? Fang Jum was already dead. How could he appear here? He hadn't heard any news before this...

"Shouldn't I ask you this?" Fang Jun's face turned cold. "Minister Hou, what did you do? The emperor handed Subei over to you, did he want you to watch the people of Subei starve to death?!"

"So, you're not dead after all," The man laughed loudly. "But what can you do by coming alone? Being scolded a few times by you is nothing to me. On the contrary, it's you, Official Fang, who has fallen into a trap. I want to see how you can escape this time."

"Come on, this man is impersonating an imperial official. Arrest him for me!" Minster Hou's expression was stern and fearful.

"Don't struggle anymore, Minister Hou," Xun Chao straightened his clothes and stood up confidently. "Why deceive yourself? No matter how you call them, the people you arranged to protect you will not appear."

"Have you also deceived me?!" Minister Hou's eyes widened in anger. "I have treated you well, why would you do this?!"

"Yes, my lord, you have treated me well, but first and foremost, I am a citizen of Da Huan, and secondly, I am an official under your command. Oh, no, that's not right. I am an official under Da Huan, and you should be clear about that. Subei is Da Huan's, not your private property."

"I knew it, I should have realized that you were the one who stayed behind. How could you have the same goal as Subei?" Minister Hou muttered.

"You're wrong, my lord. I have always had the same goal as Subei, it's just that your heart is biased," Xun Chao retorted mercilessly.

The sound of orderly footsteps was heard, and there was a commotion outside. Xun Chao and Fang Jun exchanged a glance, and the Subei army had arrived.

Fang Jun did not act together with the Subei army. He came earlier with several hidden dragon guards, and the people outside were silently dealt with by the hidden dragon guards. He entered the main hall alone, and if things went wrong, he would prompt the hidden dragon guards hiding outside to change the plan. If the plan went as usual, the Subei army would arrive within half an hour.

The first moment he entered the main hall, he observed the situation inside and then reminded the hidden dragon guards waiting outside according to the plan.

When the Subei army broke into the main hall, Minister Hou's face finally changed completely. "When did you contact the Subei army?"

The existence of the Subei army had always been a thorn in Minister Hou's heart. Such a powerful force, of course, no one would be unhappy to use it for themselves, but what if this force could not be used for oneself no matter what?I

t only makes people feel uncomfortable.

The existence of the Subei Army constantly reminded him that he could never become the true master of Subei. How could he, who had already regarded Subei as a sure thing, bear with it?

Over the years, he had put a lot of effort into planting his own people in the Subei Army. Now, he had some success. When the Subei region suffered a severe drought, why didn't he inform the court? It was just a ploy to buy more time to gain deeper control over the Subei Army. Once the Subei Army was under his command, he would naturally seek help from the court.

After all, vast sums of money and supplies were things that couldn't be easily given away for free.

"You don't need to worry about this, Minister Hou. Take them all away," Fang Jun said, nodding at the leader of the Subei Army.

These people were locked up in the government office they once occupied. However, this time, they were staying in a dark and damp dungeon.

After Fang Jun finished everything and was about to say something, he suddenly blacked out and fell forward.

"Official Fang!" Xun Chao subconsciously wanted to catch him, but they were not close enough. By the time he reacted, it was too late.

It was a Subei Army general who was present at the meeting who had quick reflexes and caught him before Fang Jun hit the ground.

"Quickly, get Head Physician Wu over here," Xun Chao ordered his servant to fetch the Physician and then smiled bitterly at the Subei Army general. "Thank you, General Wei, for your help. I will need to trouble you for the rest of this matter."

"What happened to Official Fang?" the general asked.

"He was already injured and has been barely holding on to keep moving. At the time, to avoid being discovered by Minister Hou's underlings, he didn't dare to seek medical attention too openly and just made a hasty treatment," Xun Chao explained.

Fortunately, Physician Wu happened to be in the capital these past two days. Not long after, he arrived at the government office and re-dressed Fang's wound. After the treatment was finished, Physician Wu washed his hands and said, "Fortunately, Official Fang's constitution is good. I will write a prescription, and he can recover after a few days of rest."

Xun Chao, who was standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief. He had also participated in the assassination plan, and if anything happened to Fang Jun, he would have been uneasy.

The report of the incident was quickly sent to Shang Junlin. Along with it was a separate report from the Subei Army and one written separately by Xun Chao.

It was at this moment that Shen Yu and Shang Junlin learned that Fang Jun was injured.

The message was transmitted to Shang Junlin in the form of a confidential letter. The court would receive the official news one step later, but without the officials who had obstructed them like Minister Hou, the dispatches from Subei could still be delivered to the emperor's ears.

"Fortunately, His Majesty sent the Hidden Dragon Guards to secretly protect Official Fang. Including this time, Official Fang has been attacked no less than five times. Those people really don't give up easily," Shen Yu sighed.

"Fang Jun poses a threat to them, so they naturally won't let him go easily. The Hidden Dragon Guards also found a lot of confidential information. Over the years, officials who died for no reason in Subei have more or less had some connection with them," Shang Junlin's voice was cold.

"How does His Majesty plan to deal with these people? Will they be brought back or directly dealt with in Subei?" Many officials were arrested this time, and the matter was quite significant. If they were to be brought back to the capital, it would be easy for something to go wrong on the way.

"I don't plan to bring them back. Let them stay in Subei to comfort the souls of those who died because of them," Shang Junlin said.

"That's good, their crimes should also be made public to the entire Da Huan. What about the person who spread the rumors? Your Majesty, do you know who it is?"

"We'll know soon." The bait had been thrown, and they only needed to wait for the big fish to bite the hook.

"When does His Majesty plan to deal with those people in Subei?" Shen Yu leaned against Shang Junlin and shifted a little.

"What does Ah Yu think?" Shang Junlin raised his hand and touched Shen Yu's face.

"Your Majesty, let's set the time for ten days later. At least the first execution should be scheduled for that day."

Actually, this time was a bit rushed, but Shang Junlin didn't ask much and just agreed, "Okay."

"Your Majesty, don't you want to know why I chose that day?" Shen Yu turned around and looked at Shang Junlin with a burning gaze.