The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

To my very first kofi donator, Missahful, words cant explain how much I appreciate your generosity. <3

Im gonna update  5 chapters today. Thank you so much for giving me kofi to drink!

https://ko-fi.com/serafintranslations

Shen Yu closed his eyes, feeling the warm kiss land on his eyelids.

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks, half of it falling on the two figures, casting a golden veil over them.

Shen Yu reached out and grabbed Shang Junlin's collar, feeling his breath descending, until their lips finally met.

His hand, which tightly gripped the collar, weakly fell down. In a daze, Shen Yu felt his body being lifted, and when he came to his senses, they were already on the bed in the chamber.

"What does His Majesty want to do?" Shen Yu pressed his finger against Shang Junlin's lips, which were about to touch his. "It's not even the tenth day yet."

"Ah Yu..." Shang Junlin's black eyes were deep, like an abyss one couldn't see the bottom of, drawing the person who met his gaze into it.

Light and shadow flickered, and everything faded away.

Physician Gu arrived, as usual, to check Shen Yu's pulse for his well-being, but before he could enter, he was led to a side chamber by Meng Gonggong. "The Noble Monarch and His Majesty have something to attend to. Physician Gu, please rest here for a while."

Physician Gu encountered this situation for the first time and although he was puzzled, he didn't ask further. After waiting for about two-quarters of an hour, Meng Gonggong came in and led him to the main chamber.

Shen Yu lazily reclined on the soft couch, his eyes misty and his lips redder than usual.

Physician Gu focused on examining his pulse without looking away and said, "The Noble Monarch's body is as usual."

Shen Yu sat up, and Shang Junlin, who was by his side, helped him. Shen Yu couldn't help but give him a sidelong glance.

He didn't know what had stimulated him today, but after their kiss, Shang Junlin carried the still-dazed Shen Yu back to the chamber and had his way with him inside and out.

Shen Yu hadn't anticipated Shang Junlin's sudden actions and easily succumbed to them. If Physician Gu hadn't come to check his pulse, he didn't know how long he would have been taken advantage of.

"Physician Gu, do you remember the 'Jun Ling' you sent before? It bloomed." Shen Yu thought it would be proper to inform Physician Gu, the previous owner of the flower.

Physician Gu paused for a moment and said the same words as Shang Junlin, "The Noble Monarch has taken good care of it."

"Why is Physician Gu saying the same thing?" Shen Yu was curious.

"One of the reasons 'Jun Ling' is rare is because it's not easy to keep it alive. I happened to obtain a plant many years ago, but it never bloomed even after nurturing it for a long time. Unexpectedly, when I sent it to the esteemed gentleman this year, it bloomed," Physician Gu smiled. "It seems I made the right decision by giving it to the noble monarch."

"Is there any special significance to its blooming?" Shen Yu knew that 'Jun Ling' was rare and had significant benefits for the human body.

"It's all hearsay. It is said that 'Jun Ling' only blooms under the care of someone destined for it. I don't think so. Flowers and plants are all the same. If they are to bloom, they must meet the conditions for blooming. Perhaps, in the His Excellency's care, it just happened to fulfill the conditions for blooming."

Shen Yu was more inclined to believe Physician Gu's latter explanation. Just like some flowers that bloom once a year and others that bloom once every three years, no matter how much time passes, they can't bloom until their blooming period arrives.

No longer dwelling on the matter of 'Jun Ling,' Shen Yu turned to ask about another thing. "Physician Gu, have you received any news from my younger brother?"

Shen Yu remembered how worried Physician Gu had been for Gu Huai some time ago. During that period, Gu Huai's mission was at a critical stage and he couldn't have any contact with the outside world. After the matter was resolved, Shen Yu didn't know if he had managed to find a way to send a message to Physician Gu.

"Please don't worry, Noble Monarch. I received a letter from my younger brother a few days ago. He went out on a mission, but he will be back soon," Gu Huai had been attached to him since childhood, and Physician Gu had a hard time adjusting when he left for those few days. It took him a while to get used to it.

After exchanging a few more words with Physician Gu, Shang Junlin's gaze grew increasingly unfriendly. Unable to do anything about it, Shen Yu had to dismiss Physician Gu for now.

"Why did His Majesty scare Physician Gu just now?" Shen Yu turned his head and looked at Shang Junlin, displeased.

"Why did Ah Yu keep talking to him?" Shang Junlin was even more dissatisfied. He had only taken a bite to satisfy his craving when he was interrupted. How could he possibly maintain a good mood?

"Your Majesty is being unreasonable. You broke the agreement yourself, and now you blame others," Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and covered Shang Junlin's eyes with his hand. "We agreed on once every ten days, but what day is it today?"

Shang Junlin released Shen Yu's hand and lightly bit it near his lips. "Ah Yu clearly likes it too, yet he keeps enticing me..."

"If His Majesty could exercise restraint and make an exception occasionally, it wouldn't be a problem," Shen Yu glanced at him sideways.

Because Shen Yu had set a ten-day interval, every time the appointed time arrived, Shang Junlin would unleash the beast within him and indulge to his heart's content. It's not that he didn't want to restrain himself, but with his beloved in his arms after being deprived for several days, he simply couldn't control himself.

After all, when given the opportunity, one must savor it fully.

However, this resulted in Shen Yu being unable to get out of bed for a day or two afterward. It was only today, due to the need for Physician Gu to examine him, that Shang Junlin reluctantly stopped after their encounter.

"If Ah Yu didn't insist on a ten-day interval, I wouldn't..." Shang Junlin coughed softly and didn't continue his sentence.

Shen Yu understood his unfinished words. He wasn't truly opposed to this matter either. Intimate contact with a loved one was instinctual, and he was no exception. However...

Until he could fully adapt to it, it would be better for Shang Junlin to restrain himself.

Shen Yu thought expressionlessly.

As if sensing his thoughts, Shang Junlin pinched Shen Yu's waist and pulled him into his embrace.

Having just been ravished, Shen Yu's body still had remnants of pleasure lingering. With the sudden movement from the man, he trembled lightly.

A flush spread across his cheeks and disappeared into his collar.

Shang Junlin's eyes darkened.

The hand pressing on Shen Yu's waist applied moderate pressure, relieving the discomfort. Shen Yu squinted his eyes as he was kneaded.

"Do you know how Gu Huai sent the letter back?" Shen Yu, who was on the verge of falling asleep, didn't forget his curiosity.

Shang Junlin's hand paused slightly, and amidst Shen Yu's dissatisfied murmuring, he continued to massage him. "It was sent back together with Fang Jun's family letter."

"Fang Jun only sent one family letter to the capital, and it was sent back together with those who recently went to the capital," Shang Junlin added.

"Your Majesty, if Official Fang sees that Miss Fang has also gone to Subei, would he be surprised?" Shen Yu asked.

"Fang Jiayi was added later, and she wasn't initially included in the list sent to Subei. When Fang Jun sees her, he'll probably think I'm squeezing the Fang family," Shang Junlin replied, understanding his daughter's arrival was a surprise to Fang Jun at first, but after meeting He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing who came along, Fang Jun roughly understood Shang Junlin's intentions.

"My Lord, our people have already communicated with Beimo. They said they bought those things at a high price and refuse to return them to us. They even insist that they didn't collude with the traitor Hou," reported an official who returned from Beimo.

"What are your thoughts?" Fang Jun asked in a deep voice.

Beimo's reaction was as expected. Their willingness to admit directly was strange. Fang Jun also didn't expect to retrieve the items all at once. This was merely an attempt to test their attitude.

"In my opinion, it would be difficult to achieve the goal of retrieving these goods through negotiation alone. We must provide them with enough deterrence during the negotiations so that they won't have absolute confidence," one of the officials suggested.

Others nodded in agreement. The reason the Beimo people were so arrogant was that they believed no one could do anything to them regarding Beimo. What if they didn't have such a reliance?

Jiang Huaiqing and He Chengyu were responsible for investigating the infiltrated Beimo people in Subei. They were newcomers and not on the list, so they disguised themselves as ordinary wealthy youths moving around the city.

They obtained information about the people from Beimo from Fang Jun and wanted to try finding the hiding place of these people through alternative means.

"Those people who stayed in Subei must have some ulterior motives. Now that their previous collaborators or protectors are gone, they will definitely need to find new people to cooperate with," said He Chengyu, sitting across from Jiang Huaiqing in the tavern. Jiang Huaiqing dipped his finger in water and wrote the character "Shang" on the table.

"Brother Chengyu, what kind of people do you think are easily chosen?" he asked.

"According to Yaoji's information, it's not just officials who can establish relationships with those people, but also some wealthy merchants. With the recent changes in Subei's officials, the previously stable triangular relationship is now missing a piece, which will inevitably create some friction. This is our opportunity," He Chengyu replied.

They exchanged a glance and saw the tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

The next day, news spread in the business community of Subei that a generous businessman had arrived, intending to leave Subei and buy some exotic treasures to bring back. It wasn't surprising, as for years there had been merchants passing through Subei to enter Beimo. Not long ago, there was even a prominent merchant named Yan who had come out of Subei, and it was said that the things brought by the Yan merchant were highly sought after in Beimo, especially by the women.

With his abundant resources, He Chengyu smoothly integrated into the inner circle of Subei's business community.

Their appointment had not yet been announced, and they were acting independently of the government. The only person who knew their movements was Fang Jun.

Meanwhile, Fang Jiayi stayed by Fang Jun's side to assist him.

The first negotiation failure left many people with psychological shadows. Compared to Beimo, they had more concerns because nobody knew how long the Beimo people had been lurking in Subei and how well they understood Subei.

Without clarifying these aspects, they couldn't act freely.

When discussing the next negotiation candidate with Beimo, Fang Jiayi stepped forward voluntarily. "I'm willing to give it a try."

"But... you're a woman. Would it be inconvenient?" someone raised the concern.

"In the face of righteousness, what difference does it make whether it's a man or a woman? Since I dare to speak up, I must have confidence. Instead of choosing someone unwilling and risking another failure, it's better to let me try," Fang Jiayi confidently responded.

When it came to eloquence, few could surpass Fang Jiayi. After a few words, the officials were left speechless. In the end, they had to admit that Fang Jiayi was the most suitable person to negotiate.

"Miss Fang has made the right choice this time." Shen Yu couldn't help but laugh when he heard the news from Shang Junlin. The scene of Fang Jiayi standing up to the Crown Prince was still vivid in his mind, and he had never seen anyone confront the Crown Prince like that before.

"Your Majesty, the clothing from the Shangyi Bureau has been delivered," announced Meng Gonggong, bowing his head as he entered.

"Let them in," Shang Junlin said.

As Shang Junlin spoke, several palace maids carrying the clothes walked in. Due to Shang Junlin's attention, every piece of clothing was made from the best fabric, and the style and color were tailored to Shen Yu's preferences.

"Take a look, Yu'er. Do you like them?" Shang Junlin walked over with Shen Yu, carefully examining each piece of clothing. His gaze lingered on a red garment for a long time.

Shen Yu touched the fabric of the garment and against the fiery red, his fair skin appeared even more delicate.

"It seems His Majesty really likes this one. How about wearing it for His Majesty tonight?"