The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

The young voice was soft, with a lingering tail that seemed to hide a hook, gently arousing the fanciful thoughts in their hearts.

Shang Junlin's throat rolled violently.

"Ah Yu, you must keep your word," he said.

The palace maids all lowered their heads, wishing they were pillars. Shen Yu let go of the red garment and looked at the others. The remaining ones were all lighter in color, in line with Shen Yu's usual style of dress.

In addition to the ones held by the palace maids, there were also some that were not yet finished. With only Shen Yu in the harem and Shang Junlin's orders, all the good ones were prioritized for Shen Yu's use.

"Why does His Majesty want them to make a red garment?" Shen Yu rarely wore this color, and his noble status did not suit wearing red garments in the palace.

"The red outfit you wore last time looked very good."

And that night, their first night, Shen Yu was also dressed in red, blossoming before him, reaching the pinnacle of beauty. The image of Shen Yu that night was so mesmerizing that he couldn't take his eyes off him.

Shen Yu lived up to his words and appeared in front of Shang Junlin that night wearing the red garment.

Shen Yu's figure had become even more slender, his features more radiant. Wrapped in the red garment, he exuded a scorching beauty.

"Your Majesty, do I look good?" Shen Yu approached calmly.

Since Shen Yu put on that garment, Shang Junlin's gaze had not moved away from him, burning with intensity. If gazes could materialize, Shen Yu felt like he would be set ablaze.

"It's beautiful," Shang Junlin's voice was hoarse, filled with desire.

Unlike the previous time, Shen Yu was dressed neatly today. His long hair was tied back with a hairband of the same color, and the red garment tightly enveloped him, revealing nothing but enticing the heartstrings even more.

Shen Yu walked towards Shang Junlin, and before he could get close, he was pulled into the man's embrace. "No matter what Ah Yu wears, no one can surpass him in my heart."

Feeling the change in the man's body, Shen Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of teasing. "Your Majesty speaks such sweet words, but tonight, you can only look."

Shang Junlin held his wrist, reaching into the wide sleeve of his robe. "The ten-day deadline has arrived."

Shen Yu held the hand that the man had placed in his sleeve and glanced sideways. "Your Majesty, have you forgotten what happened during the day? It hasn't been ten days since then."

"Ah Yu..." Shang Junlin held his earlobe, gently grinding it with his teeth.

A tingling sensation spread from his earlobe, causing Shen Yu to tremble. The hand on the man's shoulder instinctively tightened.

A few wrinkles appeared on the smooth black dragon robe.

Shen Yu was imprisoned in Shang Junlin's embrace, unable to escape. He could only let the man's kisses land on his face, lips, neck... all the way down.

The red petals unfolded, revealing the pure white snow within. Soon, red plum blossoms bloomed on the snow.

Shen Yu tilted his head back, drawing a graceful arc with his neck.

The red string slipped off, and his black long hair spread out on the bed. Some strands fell on his chest, mixing with the strands that fell from the man's hair, inseparable.

Half of the red garment fell on the bed, and the other half fell to the ground. The candlelight was bright, and the shadow of the figures swayed faintly. Occasionally, one could hear a few suppressed low groans.

The red candles burned throughout the night.

When Shen Yu woke up the next day, his whole body ached. He sat up, supporting himself, and couldn't help but inhale sharply at the pain.

Shang Junlin pulled back the bed curtain and saw Shen Yu sitting up slowly. He hurriedly reached out to support him. "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"What time is it?" Shen Yu asked, leaning on Shang Junlin's strength as he sat up.

"It's not yet noon."

Compared to previous times, Shen Yu woke up early this time.

Shang Junlin brought honey water and fed it to Shen Yu. Sitting up made Shen Yu feel even more uncomfortable. He instructed Shang Junlin, "Come over and let me lean on you."

Following his command, Shang Junlin sat on the bed and embraced Shen Yu, placing his hand on Shen Yu's waist, and exerting a moderate amount of pressure.

"Still feeling uncomfortable?"

"What do you think, Your Majesty?" Shen Yu asked sarcastically. Last night, he had tried to stop several times, scolded, and even cried, but Shang Junlin not only refused to stop but also exerted more force. Whenever Shen Yu made a sound, Shang Junlin would become even more excited, leaving Shen Yu no choice but to try not to make any sound.

"Ah Yu, where are you uncomfortable? Let me massage you," Shang Junlin said.

Shen Yu relaxed and reclined on Shang Junlin's body, allowing the man to massage him. It must be said that Shang Junlin was quite talented in this aspect. After the massage, Shen Yu's body felt noticeably less sore.

After the discomfort in his body eased, Shen Yu got up from the bed. When he was clear-headed, he didn't like lying in bed.

Apart from being in bed, Shen Yu generally wants to do anything, and Shang Junlin will follow him.

Shen Yu changed his clothes, still wearing the light blue outfit today. He didn't know where the red clothes went, which were taken by Shang Junlin. He asked Mu Xi, but Mu Xi said she hadn't seen it.

Thinking about the traces left on the red clothes, Shen Yu felt it was better that Mu Xi didn't know. It would be best if the clothes had already been thrown away by Shang Junlin. He didn't want to wear red clothes for a while.

News from the Northern Frontier kept coming back continuously, and Shen Yu also learned about Jiang Huaiqing and He Chengyu disguising themselves as merchants to find a breakthrough from another direction.

Coincidentally, Yan Zheng also sent back a message.

He had been in business for many years and had his own connections. Although the relationship between Da Huan and Beimo was currently tense, when he arrived in Beimo, he didn't encounter much trouble, thanks to his prior arrangements. On the contrary, the goods he brought were warmly welcomed.

The people of Beimo and Da Huan had different habits. They were nomadic tribes, living on the grasslands year-round, with significant differences in clothing and lifestyle compared to Da Huan. However, this didn't prevent the women of Beimo from loving the clothing of Da Huan.

The things Yan Zheng brought were well received in the capital city and even more so in Beimo, where fashion was not as developed as in Da Huan.

Because he mostly traded women's items, which many Beimo men considered useless, they didn't pay much attention to him.

From the beginning, Yan Zheng could only interact with ordinary Beimo women, but gradually he was able to meet noble women. Through their introductions, he even had contact with the women of the royal family.

While building relationships with these people, he discreetly investigated the movements in Beimo.

"Is Yan Gongzi returning to Da Huan?"

In the evening, Yan Zheng attended a banquet hosted by Beimo nobles, at the invitation of a noblewoman.

Yan Zheng took a sip of wine and said helplessly, "As you can see, my goods are almost sold out. I have to go back to replenish my stock."

"The things from your Da Huan are really beautiful. I wish I could go and see them," said the woman wearing a delicately crafted headdress, with beautiful lip color purchased from Yan Zheng.

"I wish the same. Before I met Yan Gongzi, I had no idea there were so many colors of lip color, as well as dedicated cleansers and hand washes. Now I smell good every day, and I love this fragrance."

"Do the women in Da Huan have access to these items from birth?"

"Not really," Yan Zheng smiled. "These are new products in the capital city, and they haven't been popular in Da Huan for long. It's just my good fortune to be able to bring them to Beimo for sale. Apart from the person I bought them from, these items can't be found anywhere else. That's why I have to go back."

"So, these items are not accessible to everyone in Da Huan?" Several noblewomen exchanged glances, excitement evident in their voices.

"Of course not. I can assure you that apart from the person I bought from, you won't find these items anywhere else."

"Next time Yan Gongzi comes, will you bring different goods? I heard that women in Da Huan like to decorate their nails. Can you bring some nail decorations next time?"

Other women also mentioned various things they desired, and Yan Zheng responded to each one. Casually, he asked, "Many of the things you mentioned are everyday items in Da Huan. Has no one come to sell them before?"

"There have been some, but those people are not like Mr. Yan. They never considered our needs. The things they brought were completely useless to us."

Yan Zheng's eyes flickered slightly. "What do they usually sell?"

"Salt, ironware, tea..." The noblewomen didn't think much of it, as they had been dealing with him for a long time.

"Ah, those things are indeed different from what I sell."

"Yan Gongzi, please don't be like them. Next time you come, remember to bring more things suitable for us."

By the end of the banquet, many people were drunk, and Yan Zheng took the opportunity to gather useful information.

Yan Zheng's trip to Beimo can be said to be quite fruitful. The goods he brought were much more popular than he had imagined, and he returned earlier than planned.

With his connections to many noblewomen, he didn't encounter any trouble along the way. In Beimo, the status of women was nearly equal to that of men, and their power was no less. No one would dare to provoke Yan Zheng and his caravan under their protection.

When they went, the caravan mostly carried women's items, but when they returned, they were filled with various goods purchased in Beimo. Da Huan's items were well received in Beimo, and likewise, certain Beimo items were highly sought after in Da Huan.

After leaving the Beimo region, upon reaching the borders of Subei, Yan Zheng managed to contact the undercover Hidden Dragon Guard through the method provided by Shenyu beforehand. He disclosed all the information he had gathered in Subei.

To avoid arousing suspicion, he refrained from delving too deep into sensitive matters. However, due to his interactions with those women, he had gained a general understanding of the situation within Beimo, which he shared in its entirety.

Afterward, he didn't stay long in Subei and continued southward with his caravan.

The information from the Hidden Dragon Guard reached the capital earlier than Yan Zheng and his caravan.

"Ironware, salt..." Shang Junlin pressed his fingers forcefully, leaving creases on the confidential letter. "These are all explicitly prohibited items from being sold to other countries. According to the information sent by the Hidden Dragon Guard, they have conducted more than just one or two transactions!"

"These people might be related to the Beimo individuals who stayed in Subei. Any progress from Fang?," Shang Junlin inquired.

"Fang Jiayi and other officials led the second round of negotiations with Beimo. This time, the outcome was favorable. They are willing to send back the goods. However, they haven't found any leverage yet on those hidden in Subei."

Subei had recently experienced a disaster. To stabilize public sentiment and avoid alerting the suspects, this matter was not made public. Only those involved knew the details.

"Speaking of which, the success of these negotiations owes much to Fang Jiayi. The news from Subei says that at the beginning, the Beimo side mocked the negotiator, thinking she was just a woman. However, Fang Jiayi silenced them with a few words, and she skillfully pushed them into retreat afterward."

Shang Junlin gently stroked Shen Yu's hair. "Thanks to Ah Yu's proposal, Da Huan has gained another formidable general."