The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

"Mu Xi, when it's someone's birthday, what do you usually give them?" Shen Yu held a teacup and asked the maid who was tying up his hair.

Mu Xi thought a little. She couldn't think of anyone but His Majesty who could make Shen Yu ask this sentence. "Is the young master going to give His Majesty a gift?"

"That's right." Shen Yu didn't deny it.

"But… Didn't the young master already decide on a gift list?"

When Mu Xi mentioned this, Shen Yu remembered asking her to handle some things related to the birthday ceremony. "Bring me the gift list. I want to take a look."

"Very well."

Mu Xi finished her work and personally went to get it. "Young master, this is the preliminary list."

Shen Yu took the list and read it from beginning to end. He didn't see anything wrong with it, but he still wanted to give something in addition to what was there.

His knuckles tapped on the table. Shen Yu sorted through his memory and tentatively decided on a few things.

One specific thing would require more thought.

Early the next morning, Shen Yu felt the warmth at his side and opened his eyes in confusion.

"Your Majesty?"

Shang JunLin was holding an official report, half-reclining against the head of the bed as he looked through it.

"Awake?"

The low voice came from above Shen Yu, who rubbed his ears. "Your Majesty isn't going to morning court today?"

Usually by the time Shen Yu woke up, Shang JunLin had already gone to court. If it wasn't for the sunlight outside, Shen Yu might have thought it was still early.

"This emperor took a rest day," Shang JunLin said. He put down the report in his hand. "Didn't you say you wanted to visit the Zhenbei Marquis' residence today?"

Shen Yu's puzzlement gradually cleared. He sat up, holding the quilt. "If Your Majesty hadn't reminded me, I almost would have forgotten."

It was obvious he didn't care much at all about going to the Zhenbei Marquis' residence.

"…" Shang JunLin was speechless. "This emperor told you last night."

Shen Yu thought back to the previous night. It seemed that Shang JunLin really did mention it, but Shen Yu had been preoccupied with something else lately and hadn't paid attention.

Seeing that Shen Yu was awake, Shang JunLin called someone in to serve him. After washing up, they changed into their traveling clothes.

Shang JunLin didn't wear the formal robes that represented the emperor's dignity, but chose a black robe that didn't reveal his status. Shen Yu wore a light-colored robe with a snow-white fox fur.

"Is Your Majesty going to hide your identity when you leave the palace?" When Shen Yu looked at the man dressed as an ordinary person, his eyes lit up.

Shang JunLin had an impeccable face—sword brows, starry eyes, sharp features. Nothing about his appearance was less than perfect. When he took off the sumptuous formal robes of the emperor, he looked even younger and more handsome.

A large part of the reason Shen Yu decided to accept staying in the harem and cooperated with Shang JunLin was because of his face. The more he looked at Shang JunLin, the more he thought this face fit his aesthetic ideal.

"Mm," Shang JunLin agreed, explaining, "It's not convenient for this emperor to leave the palace with my true identity."

Shen Yu understood that although the case of Imperial Censor Zhang was closed, there were still a lot of unspoken doubts about it. In fact, there was no need for Shang JunLin to accompany Shen Yu to the Zhenbei Marquis' residence at such a time.

The carriage drove out from the side door of the palace in a low-key manner. Shen Yu was sitting across from Shang JunLin. "Your Majesty didn't have to go to the marquis' residence with me."

"This emperor made you a promise. How can I change my mind?" The carriage wasn't spacious, but Shang JunLin still sat perfectly upright.

Despite the carriage's lack of size, the interior was quite comfortable. Shen Yu sat on a thick blanket with a hand warmer in his arms. He didn't feel the cold at all.

The Zhenbei Marquis' residence received the news of Shen Yu's return early in the morning, and the entire household prepared for Shen Yu's arrival.

The modest carriage slowly approached the marquis' residence. The Zhenbei Marquis heard that Shen Yu's return to the house was not considered a formal visit to his family, which meant he wouldn't arrive in a ceremonial carriage. When the marquis saw the small carriage he didn't dare to neglect it at all.

After entering the yard, the carriage stopped. The first to exit was a tall man.

The Zhenbei Marquis was about to open his mouth when he saw the man's profile. With a "plop", the marquis instantly fell to his knees. "This minister…"

"Keep quiet," Shang JunLin said coldly.

"Yes." The Zhenbei Marquis wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and stood up again.

Fear of Shang JunLin was seared into his heart. The Zhenbei Marquis had seen Shang JunLin's cruel and merciless bloodshed in the imperial court. Since then, his fear of Shang JunLin had never decreased.

The curtain of the carriage opened, and a pure white hand stretched from it. The Zhenbei Marquis stared as the emperor who frightened him so greatly reached out and gently helped the young man down from the carriage.

"Why doesn't Father seem happy to greet me?"

As if in a trance, the Zhenbei Marquis looked at Shen Yu and Shang JunLin and wondered if his eyes were working correctly.

His Majesty not only accompanied Shen Yu back to the mansion, but personally helped him out of the carriage?!!

Hearing Shen Yu's words, the Zhenbei Marquis twitched the corners of his mouth. "This minister was overly surprised."

It wasn't like he hadn't heard how much his son was favored in the palace, but hearing it was nowhere near as powerful as seeing it with his own eyes. The Zhenbei Marquis did his best to steady his mind and led his guests into the hall.

With Shang JunLin present, the Zhenbei Marquis couldn't ask about Shen Yu's feelings towards the marquis' residence. The three chatted in the hall for a while, and Shen Yu quickly grew bored. He pulled Shang JunLin's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, do you want to see the place where I grew up?"

The three weren't far from each other, and the Zhenbei Marquis naturally heard these words. He was about to reprimand his son when he met Shang JunLin's cold eyes and hastily swallowed back what he was going to say.

The Zhenbei Marquis abruptly realized the emperor was the exact same emperor he'd always been. This unique accommodation was for a specific person only.

"What the noble monarch said is quite right. This minister will take the two of you there."

Shang JunLin got up. "No need."

Shen Yu stood up with him, and he and Shang JunLin walked out together. The Zhenbei Marquis automatically wanted to follow, but he was intercepted by Meng Gonggong who was behind them.

"Lord marquis, remain here."

Meng Gonggong's face wore a smile, but his attitude was firm.

Meng Gonggong was the emperor's closest servant. The Zhenbei Marquis knew these were the emperor's wishes and didn't dare to disobey.

As he watched the two people leave, the Zhenbei Marquis was full of deep regret. If he'd treated Shen Yu better from the beginning, would he be so worried right now about the future of the Zhenbei Marquis' house?

Perhaps because they didn't know Shen Yu was coming back, the courtyard where Shen Yu used to live was no different from when he left.

Shen Yu took the emperor in a slow walk around it and pointed to the small frozen pond. "In summer this pond is full of lotus flowers. They're beautiful, and the lotus seeds are delicious."

"There's also a lotus pond in the palace. If you like it, when summer comes this emperor will take you to pick them."

"Your Majesty, why are you so kind?"

They talked a while longer, and Shen Yu yawned lazily.

"Go to bed if you're sleepy." As he caught the young man who almost fell, Shang JunLin frowned.

"Will Your Majesty join me?" Shen Yu half-squinted his eyes and looked up.

"… Mm."

After an hour's rest, Shen Yu was refreshed and remembered there was still one thing left to do.

"I heard my shu brother broke his leg. Your Majesty, do you think I should go and see him?" Shen Yu rubbed his chin with a trace of worry on his face.

If someone who didn't know the truth saw this, they might really think he was worried about his shu brother's health.

Shang JunLin sat at the table, reading a book Shen Yu had read before. His wide sleeves were spread out on the table. When he heard Shen Yu's words, he looked over.

Shen Yu's eyes were as black as a bottomless abyss. At the moment, those eyes were tinted with the warmth of the sunlight, giving the illusion of deep affection and doting.

"Didn't the noble monarch come just to ‘visit' your shu brother? I hope you won't be disappointed when you see him."

"How can Your Majesty think of me like that?" Shen Yu paced over to the man and leaned slightly closer. He lowered his head to the emperor's ear and said in a voice as soft as an orchid, "Your Majesty will make me feel sad."

Shang JunLin took Shen Yu by the wrist, pulled him into his arms, and bowed his head to look at him. "This emperor thinks you'd only feel sad if that shu brother of yours isn't hurt as badly as you think."

"Your Majesty understands me so well." Shen Yu blinked. "Will Your Majesty come with me?"

"Since the noble monarch invited me, this emperor will not decline."

The news of Shen Yu's return to the Zhenbei Marquis' residence couldn't be concealed. In a little more than the time it took to drink a few cups of tea, everyone from the front courtyard to the back courtyard knew Shen Yu had returned to the mansion.

The Zhenbei Marquis didn't have an official wife, and his concubines weren't qualified to welcome guests in the front hall. If it was Madam Ru, she might barely be able to do so, but after the incident with Shen Yu, her status in the marquis' residence had plummeted. She wasn't even doing as well as the other concubines.

When Aunt Ru heard about Shen Yu's return, she was with Shen QingRan in a side courtyard.

After Shen QingRan broke his leg, he was ordered to rest by the Zhenbei Marquis. He called it rest, but in fact Shen QingRan was under house arrest in disguise. The courtyard he lived in was also changed.

Shen QingRan couldn't figure out how things had developed this way. It was clear that Shen Yu was no longer in the marquis' residence. Why did he still have such a great impact on what happened here?

Shen QingRan grabbed Aunt Ru's hand. His face was gloomy. "Mother, did he really return to the mansion?"

"Yes, but I heard he came back in an ordinary carriage. I guess those rumors outside aren't really true." Every time Aunt Ru heard how much Shen Yu was favored in the palace, her regret increased even more.

If she'd known what would happen, she never would have pushed the opportunity to enter the palace onto Shen Yu.

"I knew he couldn't have it so good, mother. What should we do now?"

"Ran Er, you said before that you befriended a nobleman." Aunt Ru forcefully grabbed her son's hand. "We don't have many opportunities now. You must seize this chance!

"Tell your mother, what's the status of that nobleman and how far have you gotten?"

Shen QingRan's face changed. For the time being, he could only guess the man was royal. The man had never told him his true identity. As for the relationship between them…

Thinking of the man he hadn't been able to contact lately, Shen QingRan's face grew even uglier.

Aunt Ru saw Shen QingRan's unpleasant expression and had a bad feeling. Hesitating, she said, "Ran Er…"

"Mother, don't worry." Shen QingRan gritted his teeth. "I'll make sure Shen Yu suffers!"

"Ah, I didn't know that QingRan Didi would think of me even when he's ill. How touching."

When they heard the amused voice, Shen QingRan and his mother looked up and saw Shen Yu and a man dressed in black standing close together, with a servant cowering behind them. It wasn't clear how long they'd been standing there.

"Didi is so tongue-tied, but be careful of your other leg." Shen Yu's voice held a smile, but the malice in his tone was undisguised.

"Shen Yu!" Shen QingRan was so angry that his eyes darkened. He looked at the two men standing together so intimately, and he suddenly smiled. "So you left the palace to have a private meeting with your lover. Does His Majesty know about this?"

"A private meeting with my lover?" Shen Yu tilted his head. "Do you mean him?"

Shang JunLin, who was now being stared at strangely by everyone thanks to Shen Yu's words: "…"

TL Notes:

sword brows – 剑眉 – straight eyebrows slanting upwards and outwards; dashing eyebrows

closest servant – 红人 – a favourite with sb. in power ; fair-haired boy

Shen Yu's eyes were as black as a bottomless abyss – 他的眼瞳很黑，仿若看不到底的深渊 – The raw just says "he", but based on context and grammar I assigned it to Shen Yu. His eyes were described in a similar way at the beginning of Ch 17

the time it took to drink a few cups of tea – 几盏茶功夫 – An old-timey way to describe a period of time. In modern terms, the time it takes for a cup of tea to cool down enough to drink might be 5-15 minutes (Baidu)

Transliterated names, places, and titles—new in this chapter:

Mother – 娘 – Niáng – ma; mum; mother

Ran Er – 然儿 – An affectionate nickname for Shen QingRan

Didi – 弟弟 – younger brother. Also a way to address a younger man of the same generation as you

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