The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

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Thank you so much for the kofi! Here's 5 chapters for you1 <3

"What made you think that?" Shang Junlin's focus was clearly not on this matter.

"With so many available options, why did He Chengyu choose the one that would make outsiders misunderstand his relationship with Jiang Huaiqing?" Shen Yu pointed to a certain passage in the confidential letter.

Shang Junlin couldn't deny it, "But we cannot ignore that the subsequent impact of doing so is minimal."

Shen Yu nodded, "Indeed, after such a misunderstanding, it can reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Especially when the other party wants to insert spies around them, at least as long as the surface relationship is not torn apart, the other side's behavior will be somewhat restrained.

As expected, since that banquet, Boss Sun found an excuse to take the twins away. At other times, he would not deliberately mention having someone attend to them.

It's not uncommon for men to be together with men. Boss Sun has been in the business for many years and has seen all sorts of things. He wouldn't be surprised by this incident, except for not suddenly sending them dancing girls. Otherwise, he behaves normally at other times.

The twins were taken back to Boss Sun's residence, and Boss Sun met with them alone.

"Did you discover anything at the Gu's residence?"

A previously unheard-of merchant suddenly emerged in Subei, and it happened to be at a time of turmoil in the Subei officialdom. Their protective umbrella was too busy to take care of themselves, and many businesses were hindered. At this time, they urgently needed new blood with clean backgrounds and sufficient wealth to join in.

He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing appeared at this time, so even if there may be issues with their arrival, Boss Sun still found a way to establish a connection with them. After a few tests, confirming that they were not problematic, he decided to bring them in.

The first banquet was a test. Everyone present at the banquet was a local merchant from Subei, so even if those two were truly problematic, it wouldn't affect them. Sending the twins was to further investigate the background of those two.

They appeared to be dancers on the surface, but in reality, those two were specifically trained to gather intelligence.

"In response to your question, everything at the Gu residence remains the same, and the relationship between those two is true as previously mentioned. They are constantly together, and whenever we try to get close to Boss Gu<sup data-mfn="1">He Chengyu to do something, Young Master Gu<sup data-mfn="2">Jiang Huaiqing would get angry with Boss Gu," one of the twins replied.

"And at night, do they stay together?"

"Yes, although Young Master Gu has his own room, many times they would stay in Boss Gu's room, and the next day, they would often appear tired."

The twins were unaware that they appeared tired because they spent most of the night gathering clues.

"I knew it. Those two don't even resemble each other. It's clear they're not real brothers. The term 'brothers' has a different meaning here," Boss Sun suddenly realized.

"My sister and I have pretended to accidentally witness their interactions many times, but we haven't noticed anything suspicious."

"I understand. You may leave now."

After the twins left, a well-built man, noticeably different in appearance from the people of Subei, appeared in the study.

"You need to act faster. The deadline given over there is approaching."

Boss Sun smiled bitterly, "Do you think I don't want to? You've seen the situation in Subei now. That new official, Fang, isn't as easy to deceive as the others."

"I know, that female official among them is also formidable. Doesn't Da Huan usually look down on women? How can he allow women to hold official positions?" The man of another ethnicity furrowed his brow.

Boss Sun had heard about the negotiations. It was precisely because of the failure of those negotiations that the other side became so desperate. They had already conducted a transaction, but later, a batch of goods was snatched away. Even with the incident in Subei, those officials should not be so anxious. They could have temporarily gone into hiding.

But those officials who came from the capital were not easy to dismiss. They insisted on giving a statement from Beimo. After the first failed negotiation, they came for a second time, and it was their underestimation that led to the massacre by a woman during the second negotiation.

"Now we have this emperor who acts in ways that defy common sense. Who knows what he's thinking? It is said that the court has now allowed women to hold official positions." Boss Sun felt troubled when he thought about all these matters.

Their network of relationships with Beimo had actually been established during the previous emperor's reign. After more than ten years of development, it had become very solid. But it was precisely at this time that a drought occurred, followed by events that spiraled out of control, completely beyond their control.

"I've been saying it all along, don't underestimate women. Those people didn't listen, and now look at the big mess they've made," the man of another ethnicity scoffed. "They've messed up on such a grand scale, and now I have to clean up after them."

"No one could have predicted such a situation," Boss Sun gave perfunctory advice.

"Forget about those fools. In any case, we can't drag this on any longer. Since you have selected your people, get the job done quickly. It seems those officials who came from the capital are searching for our traces."

Boss Sun was startled. "Have they discovered something?"

"Who knows if one of those fools has slipped up. This Fang person is not easy to deal with. Be careful."

The night is long, and there are many dreams. Boss Sun also felt that this matter couldn't be delayed any longer.

Without the twins in the residence, Jiang Huaiqing let out a sigh of relief. He no longer had to argue with Chengyu over trivial matters.

"They must be getting impatient." He Chengyu sat across from Jiang Huaiqing in the courtyard. A small table between them was brewing tea, and steam rose gently.

"They seem quite anxious. Although we don't know the reason, it's undoubtedly extremely advantageous for us."

When people are in a hurry, they are prone to making mistakes or overlooking things. They had gradually released their bait, waiting for the fish to bite the hook.

"What Huaiqing said is correct. Based on their behavior in recent days, it's clear that their suspicion of us has been minimized. If they weren't in such a rush, they could have used a more gentle approach to probe, rather than sending spies directly to the mansion. If my guess is correct, they should come knocking on our door in the next couple of days."

He Chengyu's prediction was accurate. Within two days, Boss Sun visited again, this time accompanied by a friend. He asked if He Chengyu was interested in a lucrative business deal that was guaranteed not to incur any losses.

Instead of immediately accepting, He Chengyu deliberately hesitated for a while, effectively dispelling the last of Boss Sun's concerns.

"We have worked together before, and you know my character. Rest assured, if it wasn't a good opportunity, I wouldn't have specifically called you."

"Boss Sun, you're worrying too much. It's just that this business deal is quite significant, and I don't have that much cash on hand. It will take some time to prepare. Will it inconvenience you?"

"Hahaha, you can rest assured about that. I don't have that much cash on hand either. They don't require all of it at once; the transactions can be done in batches. We'll trade as much as we have available."

After some discussion, He Chengyu agreed to the deal.

"It seems they are even more impatient than we imagined." He Chengyu looked at the list of goods left by Boss Sun, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.

Jiang Huaiqing said, "They still don't fully trust us. The goods listed on the paper don't pose significant problems, but having this transaction demonstrates that our efforts have not been in vain. We are heading in the right direction."

He Chengyu added, "Initially, I thought it would take some effort to establish this connection, but it turns out Boss Sun happened to be the right person in the network. We can't afford any mishaps in this transaction. Boss Sun is cautious, and we need to gradually earn their trust, making them see us as genuine allies. Only then can we access the core information."

What they needed was precisely that core information.

"With such a large quantity of goods, can you prepare in time, Chengyu-Xiong? This time it's not like the minor confrontations we've had before. What they want to trade is equivalent to the entire foundation of a small influential family."

"Don't worry. Since I've chosen this identity, I can naturally accomplish everything that comes with it."

To prevent leaks, only Fang Jun knew the progress of He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing's plan in Subei. Only Fang Jun knew their plan. As soon as they established a connection here, Fang Jun received the news.

He Chengyu's plan was to remain still, for now, waiting for the other side to reveal more of their cards before taking action. Fang Jun didn't oppose it and secretly arranged a large-scale trap based on the information passed on by He Chengyu.

This time, they intended to completely uproot the tumor that had been growing in Subei for many years.

After instructing He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing to be cautious, Fang Jun asked if He Chengyu needed any assistance. He shared the same concern as Jiang Huaiqing, worried that He Chengyu wouldn't be able to produce such a large quantity of goods.

He Chengyu declined the offer. As he had said, if he didn't have full confidence, he wouldn't have chosen this identity. He had indeed lived up to his words, not allowing the other side to find any discrepancies.

"I didn't expect He Chengyu to have such a substantial background," Shen Yu sighed as he looked at the information provided by Fang Jun.

"He Chengyu's family has a long-standing heritage. It's not surprising to have such wealth. In the capital, many influential families can easily produce these goods. The majority of the resources transported to Subei were provided by these families," Fang Jun explained.

Even though Shang Junlin wasn't pleased with the actions of the influential families, he couldn't recklessly go after them. His previous actions were carefully planned, striking with precision, leaving the families with no time to react and no chance to unite.

"Didn't Ah Yu mention taking me to see the new printing technique?" Shang Junlin said.

He ordered someone to bring a carriage and took Shen Yu out of the palace. They headed to the same place they had visited before.

This time, they didn't go to the shop. Instead, they went directly to the backyard. Boss Ye had already prepared everything, knowing that they were coming.

Shang Junlin casually glanced at Boss Ye. Seeing the tension in his body, he furrowed his brow slightly. His memory was never wrong. After he felt that Mr. Ye looked familiar last time, he had the Hidden Dragon Guard investigate the person, and the result showed no issues.

Shen Yu scratched Shang Junlin's palm. "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Shang Junlin held Shen Yu's hand firmly. "Nothing."

Passing through a long corridor, the three of them arrived at a more secluded backyard. This was the place for printing books. Shang Junlin witnessed the "movable type printing" technique that Shen Yu had mentioned for the first time.

Feeling the sudden increase in the grip on his hand, Shen Yu turned his head to look at Shang Junlin. "Your Majesty?"

"Ah Yu always brings me great surprises," Shang Junlin's voice was hoarse.

Author's Note: Wishing you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival! (*^▽^*)

There will be two updates. Please give me some nourishing feedback!