The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

It's obvious that he can't sit still.

In a private residence somewhere, a trembling servant knelt on the ground, surrounded by shattered porcelain. The servant's body was bleeding, and it was evident how the injury occurred.

"A bunch of useless people! You've ruined the great situation!" The man was trembling with anger. Only now did he realize that every step the court took was directed against him.

He, who considered himself clever, had unknowingly fallen into someone else's trap.

And the Emperor, who had previously disregarded these matters, who influenced him to start digging up old accounts?

The man couldn't understand.

After years of planning, everything was destroyed in a single morning. No one could accept it. After venting his anger, the man reluctantly calmed himself down. "Tell me, what should we do now?"

A loyal follower knelt nearby, trembling, and raised his head. "Sir, regarding this matter..."

He wanted to say that at this point, the situation was beyond their control, and they could only find a way to extricate themselves quickly and try to prevent the fire from spreading to them. But looking at the man's furious expression, he swallowed the rest of his words because he knew that's not what the man wanted to hear.

"The Emperor entrusted a group of inexperienced kids to handle this. Should we say he trusted himself too much or underestimated the enemy too greatly?"

All those carefully planned events had already left a bad impression in the hearts of the people. Their original plan was to deepen this impression step by step, stacking it up to the point of eruption, and then ignite it. The incident in the north was the perfect fuse.

Just when the final step of the plan was about to succeed, it suddenly backfired, not only changing the Emperor's impression among the people but also unearthing the seeds they had so painstakingly buried.

Now, outside, everyone was praising the Emperor's wisdom and martial prowess, seeing him as a good ruler, which was completely contrary to their initial expectations.

After Jiang Huaiqing and his two companions received the imperial order, they were called aside by the Prime Minister.

"The Emperor has entrusted this matter to you, as a sign of his trust and a test. I won't be involved too much in this matter. It's all up to you."

Because of this matter, Jiang Huaiqing and his companions became busier than ever.

They examined the case files, understood the true nature of the situation, and released the truth. Every step had to be flawless.

Thus began a covert confrontation.

"Brother Chengyu, have you noticed that we have encountered many obstacles in our progress lately?" Jiang Huaiqing asked while flipping through the documents.

Initially, everything went smoothly, but then, starting from an unknown day, there were people openly or secretly obstructing them. These were seemingly insignificant matters that could easily be dismissed as accidents.

Jiang Huaiqing was sensitive to people's emotions and could feel that these actions were intentional.

"Yes, we should focus on carrying out the tasks given by the Emperor, and others will take care of the rest."

What they could sense, the Hidden Dragon Guards naturally noticed as well. They were the eyes and ears of Shang Junlin, and their discoveries were equivalent to Shang Junlin's discoveries.

"Why hasn't the Emperor taken action yet?" Shen Yu questioned, full of doubt.

In a pavilion, two people sat facing each other, deeply engrossed in a fierce battle on the chessboard between black and white pieces.

"We have to give them some time to catch their breath, so as not to cause any additional trouble."

Jiang Huaiqing and his two companions operated in the open, while the Hidden Dragon Guards operated in the shadows. The person who couldn't sit still for long had already exposed many flaws, and the Hidden Dragon Guards, following the clues, caught hold of the person's tail.

"Do you think that person would take a risk and harm Jiang Huaiqing and the others?"

"With the Hidden Dragon Guards following them, if they really make a move, I'll make sure they have no way out."

A few days later, Jiang Huaiqing started feeling increasingly uneasy. There was a constant lingering feeling of being watched, but he didn't know if it was just his own perception or if the other two also felt it.

Finding an opportunity, he subtly asked the other two.

They exchanged glances and confirmed that it wasn't a misconception. There was indeed someone constantly monitoring them.

Apart from the additional tasks assigned by Shang Junlin, they still served under the Prime Minister. It was only in the Prime Minister's residence that they didn't feel the sense of being closely watched.

After finishing their immediate tasks, Jiang Huaiqing hesitated for a moment before bringing up the abnormal occurrences they had encountered during this period to the Prime Minister.

Upon hearing their account, the Prime Minister had hot tea served to them before saying, "You haven't sensed it wrongly. The tasks assigned by the Emperor have touched upon the interests of certain individuals. They won't let it go easily. However, you need not worry excessively. Just focus on your work."

The Prime Minister's words provided them with an answer and subtly addressed their safety concerns, confirming their suspicions. The three of them continued to attend to their tasks.

As the investigation delved deeper, one by one, the past events unraveled, revealing the true faces of the ministers whom the common people believed to have died unjustly.

These forgotten events, which were nearly buried by time, resurfaced before the world, presented in a completely different light than before.

Discussions about the events in the north gradually diminished among the people, replaced by the resurfacing of these long-forgotten stories.

Because of the events in the north, the people still had trust in the court. The official reports were directly managed by the court, and the credibility of the news published on them was highly regarded by the people. When the news came out, it caused a huge uproar.

"I told you that His Majesty wouldn't indiscriminately kill innocent people. Look at those who were killed. Every single one of them was burdened with guilt. They deserved to die!"

"I remember when the former Prime Minister died, there were rumors everywhere about how he worried for the country and the people, and that's why he died under the tyrant's sword. It was said that the tyrant changed his decrees out of fear of the rumors. But now the court tells us that the former Prime Minister died because he obstructed the implementation of the new laws, engaged in corruption, and bought and sold official positions... Why is it so contradictory to what we believed to be the truth?"

Similar situations were not limited to just this one.

The common people went from initial shock and disbelief to later numbness and acceptance. In the end, they even found it strange if they weren't being deceived.

It was at this time that they began to notice something amiss in the whole affair.

"Once or twice could be considered accidents, but so many times, are they all accidents?" someone voiced their concerns.

"I also feel that something is not right. Think about it, every time His Majesty deals with an official, aren't there always rumors that are unfavorable to him? Those people assertively proclaim the so-called 'truth,' arousing dissatisfaction in our hearts towards His Majesty. Even in the case of the purging of the north, there are people tirelessly trying to smear His Majesty."

"Now that you mention it, I remember hearing someone say that the severe drought in the north was due to the heavens' displeasure with His Majesty's actions..."

"I've heard such talk too."

"So have I."

As the people gathered together, they looked at each other, realizing that everyone seemed to have heard such words. The sense of strangeness became even more apparent.

After a moment of silence, someone couldn't help but speak up, "Isn't this all orchestrated?"

"If we hadn't known in advance what the court was doing, wouldn't we have believed those people's words?"

"So," a middle-aged man swallowed nervously, "there have been people deliberately fueling our dissatisfaction with His Majesty from the beginning to the end. What exactly do they want to achieve?"

A vague idea began to form in the minds of the crowd, but it was too subversive, and no one dared to speak it out directly.

--- 

"Minister Feng seems somewhat preoccupied today. Has something happened?" After the morning court session, the officials from influential families gathered to discuss matters concerning the purging of the north.

With so many official positions vacant in the north, it was clear that many were eyeing them covetously. They still couldn't discern His Majesty's intentions, so they had to prepare early and dispatch more officials from influential families if possible.

After some conversation, someone noticed that Minister Feng seemed out of sorts. In fact, it wasn't just Minister Feng; even Minister Duan, who was also a cabinet minister, appeared dispirited.

"It's my mischievous child causing me some concern. I'm pondering how to discipline him. Even at this age, he still causes trouble," Minister Feng sighed.

The other ministers were aware of this matter as well. The youngest son of the Feng family had set his sights on a commoner girl and insisted on marrying her with all the formalities of a legal wife. However, this young master had already been engaged to another girl from an influential family...

Thinking of this, the people involuntarily looked toward the other minister, seeing that his expression was not too good, they tactfully skipped over that topic.

"The Emperor is giving significant favor to He Chengyu and the other two. They might be transferred to the north," someone speculated.

"It's also possible that if a group of officials from the capital is sent there, the vacant positions can be filled by them. It seems that His Majesty is determined to promote them."

"The Prime Minister also has a good impression of them. He personally guides them and imparts knowledge. How many people in the world have received such treatment?"

"Since Shen Guijun entered the palace, His Majesty has truly changed."

"Back then, when Minister Feng and the others proposed to bring the eldest son of the Marquis of Zhenbei into the palace, they probably didn't expect such a day to come."

They thought sending a scion of a noble family into the palace would be advantageous to the aristocracy, but they didn't expect it would exacerbate the conflict between His Majesty and the noble families.

"He's just a sickly child, what difference can he make?" Minister Feng had something on his mind, his tone not particularly pleasant.

"Speaking of which, it's quite interesting how the Marquis of Zhenbei treats his legitimate son as if he's nothing while cherishing his illegitimate child like a precious gem. And what's the result? He raised a white-eyed wolf who is devoted to outsiders."

The topic had unknowingly veered off in another direction, and Minister Duan glanced at Minister Feng, who seemed more anxious than usual, furrowing his brows slightly.

Inside the palace, Shen Yu received a greeting card from the Marquis of Zhenbei. As Shen Yu's birthday was approaching, the Marquis wanted to seize this opportunity to repair their father-son relationship.

Shen Yu traced the edge of the greeting card, his eyes filled with a hint of obscurity. From childhood to adulthood, the Marquis had never celebrated his birthday, but now he suddenly remembered it.

Shang Junlin walked over, took the greeting card from his hand, and glanced at it before tossing it aside. "Ah Yu's birthday. I want to celebrate it grandly."

This would be Shen Yu's first birthday celebration since entering the palace, and Shang Junlin didn't want to disappoint him.

Shen Yu didn't want it to be too extravagant. "The drought in the north just ended, so it's not suitable to hold a grand feast at this time. I also don't enjoy being in the palace hall with unfamiliar people and feeling constrained. It would be better to just be with Your Majesty."

Shang Junlin was intrigued by Shen Yu's proposal, but he also wanted to hold a grand banquet to announce to the world that Shen Yu was the person closest to his heart. He wouldn't allow anyone to slander them, and he wanted Shen Yu to be associated with him in the minds of the people. Whenever anyone mentioned one of them, they would think of the other.

"Don't you want to be alone with me, Your Majesty?" Sensing his hesitation, Shen Yu walked around the table and approached Shang Junlin. He placed his hand on the Emperor's shoulder and leaned in close, whispering, "Besides Your Majesty and me, there won't be a third person. For the whole day, Your Majesty can do many things..."

"Anything?" Shang Junlin embraced Shen Yu's waist and asked in a hoarse voice.