The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

I know its late and I dont have any excuse. 

When he thought about it, he had only been out for a while, and Shen Yu woke up waiting for him. Shang Junlin's heart softened instantly, and he gently patted Shen Yu's back, intending to coax him back to sleep.

Shen Yu firmly grasped Shang Junlin's clothes, his mouth opening and closing as if he was saying something, but no sound came out.

"Ah Yu?" Shang Junlin called softly.

Shen Yu snuggled closer, not responding to Shang Junlin.

Shang Junlin held him and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Shen Yu's forehead, moving down to his lips.

Shen Yu showed no resistance and allowed it, but just in time, Shang Junlin stopped himself from going too far before losing control.

Surrounded by the familiar scent, Shen Yu's tense nerves gradually relaxed, and his consciousness slipped into sweet dreams.

When he woke up, it was already bright outside. Shen Yu sat up, holding the blanket, and had some memories of last night. He looked around but didn't find Shang Junlin.

Hearing some movement, Mu Xi came in to attend to him.

"The Emperor isn't here?" she asked.

"The Emperor went to the morning court and hasn't returned yet," Mu Xi paused in her actions, feeling a bit surprised. Her young master rarely asked this question, so why did he suddenly ask today?

Shen Yu usually didn't ask because he knew that if Shang Junlin wasn't here, he was probably attending the morning court or was delayed by some other matter after the court. It was normal not to see him in the morning. The reason he asked today was that he cared about what happened last night. He didn't know if it was a dream he had or if it actually happened.

"The young master's clothes are a bit small. In a few days, the ministry should send new clothes over," Mu Xi said as she tidied up Shen Yu's clothes.

Suddenly, her hand paused, and at that moment, she noticed the red marks under Shen Yu's collar. Compared to the initial panic she felt when she first saw such marks, Mu Xi could now maintain a poker face.

After all, she had seen it too many times. No matter how surprised she was at first, she eventually became desensitized. She was a senior court lady in the Jade Palace, and Shen Yu was a noble lord. The Emperor always resided in the Yu Zhang Palace, so it was quite normal for things to happen.

Shen Yu adjusted his sleeves. "It's a bit small."

Perhaps the palace provided ample food, as Shen Yu had gained some weight and had a healthier complexion. He had grown taller since entering the palace. The clothes he brought with him when he entered the palace no longer fit.

"Did anything happen last night?" Shen Yu asked, drinking a cup of warm water after finishing his morning routine.

"No, why does the young master ask?"

It seemed that Mu Xi was unaware of what had happened last night, which wasn't surprising. The Hidden Dragon Guards were elusive, and if the person Shen Yu spoke with last night was one of them instead of Shang Junlin, it was normal for Mu Xi not to notice.

"Young master, the potted flower brought by Physician Gu has bloomed," Mu Xi remembered this important matter. She recalled that her young master was quite interested in the flower sent by Imperial Physician Gu.

Among the flowers and plants that Shen Yu personally cared for, except for this one, the rest were sent by the Emperor.

"It bloomed?" Shen Yu was surprised. Can "Jun Ling" bloom?

Since Mu Xi mentioned it, Shen Yu decided to go and take a look. "Jun Ling" was rare enough, let alone blooming. Shen Yu had never seen it in bloom and was quite curious.

Shen Yu walked into the small courtyard specifically designated for flowers, and a faint fragrance greeted him. It was an indescribable scent that made all fatigue seem to disappear with just a light sniff.

Most of the flowers here were personally tended to by Shen Yu. He was certain that before this fragrance appeared, entering the courtyard didn't evoke such a feeling.

Looking at the other palace maids, each had a relaxed expression on their face.

Shen Yu walked further in, and "Jun Ling" was placed on a shelf on the left side. At this moment, among the delicate branches and leaves, a few light green flower buds were clustered together.

"How long have the flower buds been growing?" Shen Yu hadn't seen them during his last visit.

"I discovered them last night," Mu Xi replied. Shang Junlin was present at that time and ordered no one to disturb them, so Mu Xi didn't mention it.

Shen Yu approached to observe.

The flower buds were very small, each only the size of a little finger, nestled among the branches and leaves, not easily noticeable. As he got closer, Shen Yu noticed that the fragrance grew stronger, but it wasn't overpowering. It was still a gentle and pleasant scent.

Unlike the tranquility in the harem, the former dynasty was almost boiling.

Shocking news followed one after another, catching people off guard. The situation in the Northern Frontier was not yet resolved, and a major event occurred in the court.

The cause of the turmoil began during the court session today when everyone noticed that Minister Feng was absent. Not only Minister Feng, but several officials under his jurisdiction were also missing. Before they could speculate too much, Shang Junlin directly announced the crimes committed by Minister Feng and his associates.

This news caused a great commotion.

The ministers were completely unsettled. They had thought that the situation in the Northern Frontier was far from them, but today they were suddenly informed that their long-time colleagues were involved, even leaking detailed information about various actions within the court to the enemy. How could they accept this?

"Why would Minister Feng, who was part of the cabinet, do such a thing?"

"I knew it! Why did the 'bandits' know about the forces we sent? It turns out someone had been leaking information!"

"Does this mean that all our movements were under the enemy's surveillance? Minister Feng is a senior minister in the cabinet, with more knowledge of classified information than us. How much of this information did he disclose to the other side?"

"Is it true that Minister Feng is truly colluding with Beimo?"

The last question was what they urgently needed to know. If Minister Feng was indeed colluding with Beimo, they needed to prepare early.

"This matter will be handled by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Justice together. We must obtain results as soon as possible," Shang Junlin declared.

Not only Shang Junlin, but other ministers also desired quick results. The officials who were usually close to Minister Feng's faction paled even further.

Shang Junlin's move had caught them completely off guard. It didn't give them any time to react. In an instant, the aristocratic families lost one-third of their positions in the cabinet. Minister Duan was shaking with anger.

He had sensed that something was amiss with Minister Feng during this period, but he never imagined that his audacity would reach this level, committing such a deed. Even if the aristocratic families wanted to protect him, they couldn't.

Due to Minister Feng's actions, significant turbulence occurred within the court's power structure. Alongside their concerns, many people's eyes were fixed on the vacant positions left by Minister Feng's faction.

Especially Minister Feng's position.

That was the cabinet. Since the Prime Minister's assumption of the cabinet six years ago, there had been no changes. Now that there was finally a vacancy, various forces were eager to send their own people there.

When Shang Junlin returned from the court session, Shen Yu asked about the events of the previous night. Shang Junlin did not conceal anything and shared the news of capturing Minister Feng and the individuals who had been in constant communication with him.

"Why did His Majesty take direct action this time? How did the court react?" Shen Yu inquired.

"The Hidden Dragon Guard has already found the hideout of those people in the capital. They were captured last night, and there is no need to keep Feng Pingqi alive anymore." If it weren't for capturing the individuals behind him, Shang Junlin would have disposed of Feng Pingqi himself, based on what he had done to Shen Yu.

For the past few days, the Hidden Dragon Guard had been closely monitoring Feng Pingqi's movements. Under Shang Junlin's pressure, Feng Pingqi couldn't bear it any longer and sought out the individuals behind him. Their actions were secretive, but they couldn't escape the vigilant eyes of the prepared Hidden Dragon Guard.

Through the contact person between Feng Pingqi and the others, the Hidden Dragon Guard discovered the location of their force in the capital. Instead of alerting them, they seized the opportunity to infiltrate and only made their move when they were certain of the perfect execution of the operation.

At the same time, news reached the guards stationed at the Feng residence, and they took control of the entire Feng family.

Everything happened within a very short period, giving no one time to react. Last night, when Shang Junlin woke up, he received a report from the leader of the Hidden Dragon Guard about the matter.

After the court session, the Prime Minister went straight to the Ministry of Justice. The case involving Feng Pingqi had wide implications and needed to be resolved quickly.

Other ministers were not idle either. With Feng Pingqi's downfall already a certainty, the position he left behind became a highly sought-after prize, and various forces wanted to take a bite.

The officials from the aristocratic families were especially unwilling to simply hand over this position to others.

"What was Minister Feng thinking? He was a well-respected minister in the cabinet, but look at what he has done! Conspiring with the Northern Frontier to steal disaster relief supplies, opening the door wide for Beimo, and even poisoning Shen Guijun... Why did he provoke Shen Guijun for no reason?"

Everyone knew that the Noble Monarch was like the reverse scale on His Majesty's side, and any contact with him was met with death. There was no turning back for any of the crimes committed by Minister Feng.

"No wonder we never received any reports related to the disaster situation from the Northern Frontier. It wasn't just the high-ranking officials of the Northern Frontier preventing it, even the ministers of the court didn't want the court to know about this." Shen Yu looked at the reports submitted by the Ministry of Justice and sneered.

During the severe drought in the Northern Frontier, not only the officials in the main city but also the local officials could seek assistance from the court. Yet, all these reports had vanished without a trace. Shen Yu had been pondering how the Northern Frontier managed to block all the information, and now he realized it was because there were insiders within the court.

Due to Shang Junlin's relatively shallow foundation in the court during his early years, the cabinet had significant power. Even now, the cabinet could still contend with the imperial authority. Minister Feng, as a senior minister in the cabinet, had been operating within the court for many years, making it not difficult for him to conceal the news from the Northern Frontier.

"Did he collude with the people from Beimo?" Among other things, this was what Shen Yu was particularly concerned about.

"The Ministry of Justice says that when they informed Feng Pingqi about the collusion between the Northern Frontier and Beimo, his expression of surprise did not seem fake. He also refused to admit that he had colluded with Beimo. Perhaps he knew that there was no hope for a comeback, but he is very clear about what he has done these years." Shang Junlin

said.

"But isn't it because the force behind him has been captured?" Shen Yu couldn't believe that Feng Pingqi would reveal the truth out of genuine repentance.

People who abandon their principles don't shed tears until they see the coffin.

"That's also a significant reason. At first, he refused to say anything, but later, when the people from the Ministry of Justice showed him an execution scene, he became honest."

The person who received the punishment was naturally the one who had been cooperating with him all along. The people from the Ministry of Justice had to find a way to extract useful information from him.

The Ministry of Justice acted swiftly and, based on the clues provided by Feng Pingqi, they also arrested many hidden individuals in the capital. However, Feng Pingqi's knowledge was limited. Despite working with them for many years, he had never been aware of the true identity of the individuals behind him.

"If Feng Pingqi was telling the truth and he did not collude with Beimo, then what about the force behind him? Did they have any connection with the ones who have been supporting the King o Yue from behind the scenes?" Shen Yu pondered, rubbing his chin. "Are they the people left behind by the late Emperor?"

"I'm not sure either. It's just speculation. We'll have to wait for the Ministry of Justice to uncover the results." It would be excellent if they could capture the individuals behind the King of Yue in one fell swoop.