The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Uhmm... I almost forgot to update. Been busy with processing my requirements for graduation lol. And I stayed up late for The Tortured Poets Department release XD. Anyways, here's your chapter.

If anyone is willing to sponsor me a kofi, https://ko-fi.com/serafintranslations 😉

Hanzhou launched its attack without any warning. If the army stationed outside hadn't been prepared to respond at a moment's notice, they would have been in serious trouble.

The two sides were evenly matched, and the situation remained in a stalemate until another force, whose origin was unknown, joined the fray and attacked the Da Huan army from behind.

Caught between two enemies, they found themselves at a disadvantage.

The appearance of the first unknown force seemed to trigger something, and in the days that followed, more unexpected armies appeared one after another.

The court estimated that King Yue had around one hundred thousand soldiers, and the attacking forces were prepared based on this number. However, now the situation has changed drastically. Suddenly, a large number of troops loyal to King Yue emerged, seemingly increasing their numbers to one hundred and fifty or even two hundred thousand. Da Huan's forces were struggling to keep up.

"General, this can't go on like this. We need to report to the court immediately."

"We've already sent the report. The court has dispatched reinforcements, but it will take some time for them to arrive. In the meantime, we must hold our ground!"

"Yes!"

War is never child's play, and the territory of Hanzhou on the battlefield was almost completely destroyed.

The sounds of roars and cries echoed endlessly.

The snow was cold, the blood was hot.

Countless fell, countless rose again, behind them were thousands of people, they must use themselves to build the strongest wall.

The news reached the court in no time, causing a huge uproar.

"Weren't there only a hundred thousand men? Where did the extra hundred thousand come from?"

"Send reinforcements from the surrounding areas quickly, we must not let King Yue succeed!"

Countless orders were issued and executed at the fastest speed. At this moment, everyone stood on the same battle line.

On the road, Gu Huai received a secret order from the Hidden Dragon Guards, along with a tiger token, which could mobilize troops along the way. It was now in Gu Huai's hands, handed over by Shang Junlin.

When he left Subei, Gu Huai brought five thousand troops, but now he held no less than a hundred thousand.

Shang Junlin instructed him to change course to Hanzhou. Few people in the court knew about it. On the surface, Shang Junlin also sent other generals to lead troops to reinforce.

The sudden outbreak of war disrupted the lively atmosphere of the New Year. For a while, the entire capital became tense.

Enough garrisons had to be kept there to prevent any trouble in the capital. The number of troops that could be sent out was limited. Compared to directly mobilizing troops from the capital, Shang Junlin preferred to mobilize them from near Hanzhou.

During this time, Shang Junlin was very busy. His time in the Yu Zhang Palace was greatly reduced, either discussing matters in the court or in the study.

"Aren't you worried, Young Master?" Mu Xi vaguely understood some of the enmity between his young master and King Yue. Now that King Yue had rebelled, not to mention the ministers, even the palace residents were somewhat uneasy.

As for Shen Yu, he remained unchanged, dealing with things as he always did, showing no difference from before.

"There's nothing to worry about; I trust His Majesty," Shen Yu said, fiddling with the branches of the "Jun Ling" plant without lifting his head.

After a few days in the bed chamber, the "Jun Ling" plant regained its vitality. However, it began to wilt again after a couple of days back in the flower room. Shen Yu had no choice but to bring it back to the bedchamber for care.

"The matters you ordered to be investigated have been looked into. There's some progress now. It seems that King Yue has a connection with Beimo. As for the other side, we haven't found out yet."

"Indeed, it's no surprise that King Yue would establish a connection with Beimo. Are there Beimo people among the troops coming to Hanzhou?"

"Not at the moment. The message from there is that the negotiations have not yet concluded."

"For Da Huan, this is good news."

Beimo is currently preoccupied and has no time to help King Yue cause trouble. It all started with the Beimo Emperor wanting to send troops to help King Yue. However, other members of the royal family disagreed. Unable to persuade the Emperor, they contacted ministers who opposed the idea and killed the Emperor. Now, Beimo is in turmoil, fighting for the throne, and cannot afford to meddle in the affairs of Da Huan.

The masterminds behind the scenes didn't expect such a turn of events. Their people finally managed to convince the former Beimo Emperor to send troops, but they were killed in turn. Consequently, they ended up in prison, and their plans were ruined.

King Yue and Tan-xiangsheng were still waiting for a response from Beimo. Unfortunately, no matter how many messages they sent, they received no reply.

Fortunately, they didn't rely too much on Beimo's assistance, so the lack of response didn't affect them much.

After waiting anxiously for a long time, King Yue finally welcomed his subordinates, and his confidants also arrived.

"At last, we meet, Your Highness."

In the study, the confidants bowed to King Yue.

"Please rise, all of you." King Yue first congratulated them warmly before inquiring about the situation in Yuezhou.

"Fortunately, Your Highness sent someone just in time. If it had been any later, we would have been trapped in Yuezhou. The officials sent by the court were exceptionally difficult to deal with. If it weren't for  Min-daren and Tang-xiangsheng, we wouldn't have been able to leave."

"And where are they?" King Yue had a faint idea in his mind, but he held onto a fraction of hope, hoping he was wrong.

"They stayed in Yuezhou to ensure our safe departure."

Staying behind at this time would likely result in more harm than good.

The study fell into a long silence, and a few people's eyes became slightly red.

After a long while, King Yue spoke hoarsely, "I will remember the kindness of the two gentlemen Someday, I will avenge both of them!"

It was time again for Physician Gu to diagnose Shen Yu's pulse.

Shen Yu's recovery was going well, and his condition had improved a lot compared to before. He needed fewer medicines, and although his condition couldn't be cured permanently, Shen Yu was already satisfied with the results.

After taking his pulse, Physician Gu adjusted the prescription slightly. "Take the new medicine every other day. In a while, Your Excellency can stop taking medication."

Nothing made Shen Yu happier than hearing these words. After his rebirth, he had been drinking medicine for almost a year straight, and he felt like he was marinating in it.

"Thank you, Physician Gu. Mu Xi, bring the small box I prepared earlier and give it to Physician Gu."

Mu Xi nodded and soon returned with a small box.

"This is a token of appreciation for Physician Gu's care over the past year. Physician Gu, please accept it."

"I can't accept it. Your Majesty and Your Excellency have already rewarded me generously, and it's my duty to take care of you. Your Excellency doesn't need to do this."

In the end, Physician Gu accepted the gift from Shen Yu.

Thinking about the strange behavior of the "Jun Ling" plant recently, Shen Yu mentioned it to Physician Gu.

"I haven't encountered this situation before... I'll go back and see if I can find out the reason."

When Shang Junlin returned, it was already dark. Shen Yu was writing something under the lamp, and he stopped the palace attendant's announcement, walking over slowly.

Shen Yu looked up when he heard footsteps. "Your Majesty is back."

"What are you doing, Ah Yu?" Coming closer, Shang Junlin realized that Shen Yu had been writing his name repeatedly on the paper in front of him, and he paused for a moment.

Shen Yu lowered his head, his face turning red as he looked at the paper filled with the three characters "Shang Junlin."

He had actually been lost in thought and unconsciously wrote so many names of Shang Junlin. Now he was caught by the person himself...

Shen Yu panicked and tried to cover up the "evidence."

But his hand was grabbed by the man.

Shang Junlin snatched the paper from Shen Yu's hand and set it aside to dry. The ink on the paper was still wet because of Shen Yu's earlier movements.

"I..."

Before he could say another word, Shen Yu's eyes widened suddenly.

A warm sensation enveloped his lips.

The man's kiss was fierce and urgent, carrying an overwhelming dominance as if he wanted to devour him whole.

His teeth grazed against the softness of Shen Yu's lips, causing a sharp pain and a faint taste of blood to spread. Before the blood could drip, it was swallowed by the man's tongue.

Tasting the blood, the man's actions eased slightly.

Shen Yu's waist was tightly held, the man's other hand behind his head, leaving Shen Yu unable to escape. He was forced to tilt his head back, enduring the man's deepening kiss.

His vision seemed to explode into a burst of white, all senses focused on his lips. He felt his lips being ground and the pain from the bite fading away, replaced by another sensation.

After what seemed like an eternity, Shen Yu was finally released. His vision darkened, and he had to rely on the man's strength to stand.

Resting his forehead against the man's shoulder, Shen Yu breathed slowly.

The man's breathing was slightly heavier than usual. One of his hands encircled Shen Yu's waist, while the other, which was originally behind Shen Yu's head, moved to his face, gently caressing his skin.

"That paper, give it to me."

"What does Your Majesty want with it?" Shen Yu just wanted to destroy the evidence.

Naturally, he wanted to collect it.

Shang Junlin didn't answer, tilting his head to kiss Shen Yu's forehead. "Can I have it?"

The man's voice was low and magnetic, Shen Yu's favorite tone. In a daze, Shen Yu agreed.

Following the order, Meng-gonggong carefully put away the paper on the table.

When Shen Yu came to his senses, the paper was gone.

Shang Junlin quickly changed the subject to divert Shen Yu's attention. "There's news from Beimo. The Beimo Emperor is dead."

"Was he killed?" Shen Yu's attention shifted as expected, no longer concerned about where the paper with Shang Junlin's name had gone.

The Beimo Emperor wasn't old, nor was he ill. His death in this turbulent time most likely meant he was murdered.

"Yes, now several eligible members of the royal family are fighting for the throne. I want to stir up this mess even more."

"The turmoil in Beimo is a great opportunity. If we can eliminate King Yue as soon as possible, Your Majesty might even gain control of Beimo."

Civil unrest is extremely draining on a nation's resources. Beimo has just experienced a failed invasion war, needs to pay large reparations to Da Huan, and hasn't had time to recover before facing internal strife.

It would be a waste not to take advantage of this opportunity.

The situation with King Yue should also be resolved now.

In Hanzhou, with twice the military strength, the balance of victory gradually shifted towards King Yue's side.

The brief victory restored King Yue's confidence. His mental state seemed almost the same as before he was thrown into the dark dungeon, except now he was even more ruthless in his actions.

"Today is the final battle. We will break through the empire's blockade and begin a new journey!"

King Yue looked at the neatly arranged soldiers below with great ambition. His dream, his wish, was about to come true!

"Charge!"

Everything went as King Yue had planned. The Da Huan army was outnumbered and outmaneuvered, unable to compete with them. With attacks from both inside and outside, the government's troops sent to aid the city were retreating steadily.

King Yue stood on the city wall, surrounded by his men. Originally, he didn't need to be there, but he wanted to witness the moment when the empire's troops were defeated with his own eyes.

It was almost there.

The smile on King Yue's lips grew wider and wider.

Suddenly, his smile froze.

He saw, in the distance, thousands of troops galloping towards them.

He turned to look at Tan-xiangsheng, whose expression had become unusually grim, his voice trembling slightly, "Are those the reinforcements coming for us?"

Translator's comment:

Did not expect the plot twist there 😂