The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

We caught up with the bonus chapters! Regular updates will be 2 chapters per week and one donation will have additional 5 chapters for a total of 7 chapters! If there are two donations, there will be additional 10 chapters and so on and so forth. 

Again, thank you so much for the kofi <3 

Jiang Huaiqing, still confused, agreed nonetheless.

"Today, I noticed some strange things. Not all of those dancers are from Da Huan," Jiang Huaiqing began discussing business since He Chengyu wasn't drunk.

While He Chengyu conversed with the businessmen, Jiang Huaiqing didn't idle around. He appeared to wander out of curiosity but actually observed the entire banquet attentively.

"Additionally, some of the utensils used at the banquet weren't typical of Da Huan but resembled those used by the people from Beimo. I didn't notice anything suspicious about the attending merchants."

=

Two women have been added to the residence, seemingly not much different from before. Except when those two are present, Jiang Huaiqing needs to occasionally get angry at He Chengyu over trivial matters.

Every time those two women attempt to approach He Chengyu, their interactions are interrupted. After a few times, they sense something and no longer approach the two of them frequently.

He Chengyu continues to attend banquets occasionally, hosted by Boss Sun and others, while Jiang Huaiqing doesn't need to deal with these people. Instead, he observes in secret. When they return, the two of them lock themselves in the room to compare the clues they have obtained.

Time passes quickly.

After receiving an accurate reply from Shang Junlin, the Ministry of Public Works begins preparing for the assessment. Since this assessment is only to select people for entry into the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Rites isn't heavily involved.

"The specific procedures have been tentatively determined. I will personally report to the palace, and if there are no further changes, we can begin preparing for the assessment," the Chief Minister of Works gathers the ministry officials together to discuss the matter.

For the Ministry of Works, it's a significant event.

For the common people, too, it's a significant event.

"Have you heard about the recent events? This assessment is unheard of."

"You can enter the Ministry of Public Works without taking the imperial examination as long as you have a special skill. I'm kind of interested in giving it a try."

"Wasn't this news circulating for quite some time? Is it accurate this time?"

"It's been mentioned in the People's Daily newspaper. It must be accurate, but the exact dates haven't been announced. They just said that those interested should start preparing."

"Are you planning to give it a try? The newspaper says that as long as you have a particular skill, you can go."

"I only know woodworking. I'm not sure if that will work."

For a while, there is a flurry of discussions among the common people regarding the assessment. People's Daily newspaper provides clear information, and without any manipulation, the people are responding positively to this assessment.

Many have already started considering which skill they can showcase.

During the morning court session, the Chief Minister of Works discusses the assessment. Since this matter won't have much impact on the court's power, there aren't many opposing voices.

A date is set.

After the morning court session, several ministers catch up with the Chief Minister of Works.

"Minister, have you been busy with this matter recently?"

The Chief Minister of Works nods. "I've been busy with road repairs and construction. We're short of manpower. If any of you have the personnel to spare, you can send them to the Ministry of Public Works."

The people catching up sound embarrassed. "Everyone's been busy lately."

"I see," the Chief Minister of Works loses his enthusiasm visibly. "Never mind, I'll go talk to the Chief Minister of Rites about the assessment. They have more experience in this matter."

Ignoring the attempts to keep him there, the Chief Minister of Works strides away.

He didn't lie. He had indeed planned to discuss the assessment with the Chief Minister of Rites. If not for those people intercepting him, he might have caught up with the Chief Minister of Rites by now.

Compared to the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Rites has much more experience in this regard.

"If they knew that His Majesty intends to establish an independent force separate from the court, they wouldn't be so easily swayed."

Shen Yu and Shang Junlin sat at the stone table under the big tree, where some pastries and tea are laid out, all to Shen Yu's taste.

"For now, let's wait for the results of the assessment by the Ministry of Public Works," Shang Junlin takes a sip of tea slowly. Implementing it within the Ministry of Public Works and implementing it throughout Da Huan is not the same concept, and there are many more complex issues to consider.

Shen Yu understands this, and he believes that Shang Junlin can handle these matters well. With so many officials in the court, they weren't appointed without reason.

"Your Majesty, under my name, there is a publishing house that has developed a new printing method. If we can implement it throughout Da Huan, it will be more convenient than the previous method and won't result in waste like before. This method is called 'movable type printing.'"

This is also the technology that Shen Qingran provided to the King of Yue in his previous life. When Shen Yu was running the people's newspaper in the court, he remembered this matter but didn't have direct knowledge of it in his previous life. He could only extract the main points from his memory, so he didn't tell Shang Junlin directly but planned to show the results after achieving them.

He handed over the compiled method to the bookstore under his name. A few days ago, news came from outside the palace that they had achieved the desired effect, which prompted Shen Yu to mention it to Shang Junlin.

"Was it researched by the bookshop or based on Ah Yu's ideas?" Shang Junlin's question was straightforward.

"It's whatever His Majesty thinks it is," Shen Yu neither confirmed nor denied, "I'm also curious about the results. Would His Majesty like to take a look?"

"Summon them into the palace," Shang Junlin paused for a moment, then continued, "or we can go out of the palace to see?"

"Do you have time to leave the palace?" Shen Yu calculated the dates and realized they hadn't left the palace for quite a long time. Shang Junlin had been busy during this period, and Shen Yu didn't want to go out alone, so he had been staying in the palace.

"I'll see if I can spare an afternoon."

Shang Junlin was somewhat interested in what Shen Yu mentioned. The production of the People's Daily newspaper relied entirely on the court's funds and efforts, and because it was published every couple of days, it consumed a considerable amount of resources. The Minister of Revenue had complained about it many times.

"If this method can alleviate the Minister of Revenue's constant complaints about the high cost of the people's newspaper, that would be even better."

"Is the treasury running short on money lately?" Shen Yu roughly estimated that the People's Daily newspaper shouldn't be spending so much money to the extent that the Minister of Revenue complained every day.

"Not currently. With the method Ah Yu previously thought of, the majority of the disaster relief funds come from the people, so the treasury's depletion is minimal. It's just that the Minister of Revenue himself, whenever something doesn't generate profits, will complain about it." Speaking of the Minister of Revenue, Shang Junlin also felt somewhat helpless.

It was unclear if it was an issue with the position of Minister of Revenue or some other problem, but Shang Junlin had never seen him act so...

Stingy.

"The nature of the People's Daily newspaper determines that it cannot be used for profit, but there are still ways. His Majesty can simultaneously publish a newspaper different from the people's newspaper, just like how Yan Zheng sponsored the Ministry of Public Works. Interested merchants can provide sponsorship fees, and then a dedicated section can be opened in the newspaper to introduce the goods they sell." Shen Yu thought for a moment and made a suggestion.

"Ah Yu and the Minister of Revenue would probably have a lot to talk about, especially when it comes to making money."

"I'm just trying to alleviate His Majesty's worries. If it weren't for His Majesty, I wouldn't bother thinking about these things." Shen Yu tilted his head and his eyes sparkled with a glimmer of light.

Shang Junlin's heart was filled with tenderness.

"I understand Ah Yu's intentions. I will never let you down."

His tone was solemn, leaving Shen Yu bewildered. He didn't quite understand why Shang Junlin suddenly changed the topic, but he continued along with Shang Junlin's words, "His Majesty's words are as good as gold. In the future, he must never go back on his words, or else, I'll be angry."

"How could I bear to do that?" He cherished and loved him more than anything else.

"How are things going in Subei? When will Official Fang be able to return?" Shen Yu had been reading reports with Shang Junlin for the past few days and saw many discussions about the allocation of another position in the Cabinet.

Entering the Cabinet was almost every scholar's dream. It represented not only power but also recognition. Every scholar had a deep-rooted desire because who wouldn't want to accomplish something great and leave their mark on history?

"I also hope he can come back soon. With the vacant position in the Cabinet, the courtiers are almost fighting over it."

Finding Beimo spies who had been lurking in Subei for many years was not that easy.

Based on the clues provided by Yao Ji, Fang Jun dispatched people to conduct a thorough search in the main city of Subei and the surrounding small cities. However, they couldn't find the house that Yao Ji had mentioned. It seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

"Do you really think the woman's words are trustworthy?" someone raised a doubt in the study.

It wasn't that they wanted to doubt anything, but after searching for so many days and not finding any clues, they wondered if this whole thing was a lie from the beginning.

If that were the case, everything would make sense. Why couldn't they find the house even after searching the entire main city? Because there was never such a house.

"Regardless of whether it's trustworthy or not, this matter needs to be taken seriously. They have been able to infiltrate Subei for so many years without being discovered by anyone, which indicates that they can integrate well into Subei. It's normal for us to have difficulty finding them." Fang Jun spoke calmly.

"You're right, I was just overthinking."

"In the future, refrain from making such remarks."

"Yes."

Fang Jun has had his suspicions about what Yao Ji said, but based on the information brought back by the merchant from Beimo and delivered by the Hidden Dragon Guard, Yao Ji's words have a high degree of credibility.

They haven't found any useful clues on their end and are hoping that He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing can uncover some leads.

Jiang Huaiqing has been feeling uneasy lately, especially when attending banquets with He Chengyu. The way those people look at him, although discreet, carries a hidden meaning that he can perceive.

Moreover, in the residence, those two women have stopped approaching them.

Feeling bored, he sits on one side while He Chengyu engages in a business discussion with Boss Sun. If this deal goes through, they will have successfully infiltrated the inner circle of the Su Bei business community.

"Previously, I didn't know about your relationship, and I apologize if the two individuals I sent caused you any trouble," Boss Sun brings up the matter of the two dancers after concluding their business talk.

"It caused a bit of a fuss, but it's been handled," He Chengyu lifts his wine cup, concealing a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I should have consulted with you first. How about this? I will voluntarily reduce my share in this collaboration by ten percent, considering it as compensation for the earlier incident," Boss Sun expresses his remorse.

"It's also my fault for not speaking up. Don't blame yourself, Boss Sun."

The movements of He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing have also been promptly reported to the palace through the Hidden Dragon Guard.

"Their plan is progressing smoothly, and they are likely to find clues about the people from Beimo earlier than Fang Jun," Shang Junlin sets aside the confidential letter and says.

Shen Yu's attention shifts to another matter involuntarily. "Is Zhaoyuan intentionally manipulating Huaiqing?"