The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits-Chapter 197

Last chapter update for this week! Again, I will revisit some chapters to revise some terms and edit inconsistencies. For now, any changes in the new chapters especially some terms will be used in the future so previous chapters' terms will also be change to accommodate the change. Ciaossss~

Shen Yu was lost in thought. He didn't notice the Minister of Justice withdrawing under Shang Junlin's signal, nor did he notice Shang Junlin walking over to him.

"Ah Yu, what are you thinking about?" Looking at Shen Yu, who had fallen silent halfway through listening to the Minister of Justice's report, Shang Junlin's expression was unreadable.

"I'm thinking about what the Minister of Justice said. I'm trying to figure out whether King Yue is feigning madness or playing the fool," Shen Yu snapped out of his reverie.

"Ah Yu thinks he's pretending?"

"What else? Your Majesty imprisoned him in the secret dungeon for so long before, and nothing happened to him. How could he go mad after just a few days in the Ministry of Justice prison?"

"Ah Yu makes a good point."

"Whether he's truly mad or pretending...wouldn't we know by going to see?"

Shang Junlin fell silent, looking at Shen Yu without speaking.

"Why is Your Majesty looking at me like that?" Shen Yu widened his eyes, his face a picture of innocence.

Shang Junlin raised his hand to cover Shen Yu's eyes, his voice carrying an inexplicable emotion. "So, Ah Yu wants to see King Yue?"

"I'm a bit curious about the dream he had," Shen Yu didn't deny it. "I want to know what exactly happened."

"I remember Ah Yu also had a dream before, waking up terribly frightened upon seeing me. What exactly did Ah Yu dream about that day?" Shang Junlin had never been able to forget this matter because the emotion in Shen Yu's eyes that day was something he had never seen before.

A person's eyes cannot lie. If someone truly fears a person, no matter how well they act on the outside, telltale signs can still be seen in their eyes. He was certain Shen Yu was not afraid of him. From their first meeting, Shen Yu's eyes held no trace of fear. Later, after being together day and night for so long, he still never saw fear in Shen Yu's eyes.

No matter how skilled a person is at pretense, it's impossible to maintain a flawless act over a long period without any slip-ups.

"I dreamed of some unpleasant things. Your Majesty wasn't in the dream, so I woke up frightened," Shen Yu said. Strictly speaking, that dream wasn't much related to his previous life. Rather than being connected to his past life, it was more that Shen Yu feared this life might follow a similar tragic end.

Shang Junlin was indifferent to what happened to King Yue, but if it might involve Shen Yu, he couldn't remain completely unconcerned.

Thus, he ordered the Hidden Dragon Guard to extract, by any means necessary, all details of the events in King Yue's dream.

Perhaps because thoughts during the day influence dreams at night, that evening Shen Yu had a long-awaited dream related to his previous life.

A raging battlefield, the clamor of battle shaking the heavens. He was held protectively against someone's chest, passing through a hail of swords and spears.

At first, he thought it was Gu Huai from his past life protecting him. But then he realized it was wrong. The time and place didn't match, and he had never had such intimate contact with Gu Huai before.

Their relationship was merely cooperative. Apart from necessary communication, Gu Huai rarely spoke to him voluntarily. But the man in the dream was different, his lips moving continuously, saying something.

Shen Yu tried to hear clearly, but the sound seemed muffled as if behind a barrier. No matter how anxious he felt, it couldn't reach his ears.

The weather was bitterly cold. It seemed to be snowing. He curled up in the man's embrace, drawing upon the only source of warmth.

In the darkness, Shen Yu's eyes snapped open.

His waist was restrained by an arm. A source of warmth pressed against his back, heat continuously flowing from it. Exactly the same sensation as in the dream.

Shen Yu smiled silently. No wonder he had such a dream.

In the dream, they were in an icy, snowy wilderness, isolated and without aid. Outside the dream, they lay embraced, asleep in a warm palace.

It was wonderful.

Shen Yu turned over, breathed in the man's soothing scent, and slowly closed his eyes.

The arm draped over his waist pulled him closer into the embrace.

When he awoke the next day, a light rain was falling outside.

Spring rain fell softly. Plants sprouted new branches and leaves, lush and verdant. White wildflowers dotted the roadside grass. Shen Yu held an umbrella in one hand, strolling leisurely in the rain.

"The orchids planted by the Young Master have bloomed. Would you like to go see them?" Mu Xi followed behind him, speaking softly.

Shen Yu changed direction. "Two days ago, they had no buds. They've bloomed already today?"

"Yes indeed. Several plants have bloomed. This morning, the auntie in charge of tending the flowers came to tell me," Mu Xi knew her young master enjoyed cultivating flowers and specially mentioned it.

"Alright, let's go take a look."

The greenhouse wasn't far from where they were. After walking for about fifteen minutes, they arrived.

Rather than a greenhouse, it was more like a flower hall. Most of the flowers inside were gifts from Shang Junlin. Shen Yu's flower cultivation was merely a hobby; he wasn't particular about whether the flower varieties were rare or expensive. The flowers Shang Junlin sent were the same—whatever was suitable or he thought Shen Yu would like, he had sent over.

"It's truly strange. This flower sent by Prince An has been blooming for nearly half a year now, and shows no sign of withering," Mu Xi noticed that conspicuously placed flower as soon as she entered.

Shen Yu glanced up. "It blooms quite beautifully."

As if understanding Shen Yu's praise, the flower branch swayed gently.

Shen Yu's gaze swept around, spotting the flowers Mu Xi mentioned, and moved over to them.

"When His Majesty first sent these flowers, they were quite wilted. Look, Young Master, how vibrant they are now."

The flowers in the greenhouse were meticulously cared for. Even if Shen Yu didn't tend to them personally, the fact that these flowers belonged to Shen Yu alone ensured the palace servants wouldn't dare be negligent.

Nowadays, who in the palace didn't know the extent of the Noble Consort's favor? Serving well by the Noble Consort's side offered far greater prospects than serving elsewhere.

Shen Yu walked a circle around the greenhouse, asking as he went, "How are things outside the palace?"

"At the Marquis' mansion, everything remains the same. The Zhenbei Marquis meets with his confidants in the study daily for secret discussions. The Yinghuos' found a way to infiltrate and discovered they only discuss how to get the Zhenbei Marquis reinstated to an official post."

"The Zhenbei Marquis has always placed great importance on the development of the Marquis' household. Now that he himself has been stripped of his position, and Shen Qingran cannot be relied upon, of course he must find a way to return to the court."

Mu Xi replied, "The Zhenbei Marquis's confidants seem to want him to seek help from you, Young Master. They say given your level of favor, as long as you are willing to speak up, the difficulties facing the Zhenbei Marquis' household could be easily resolved. Not just the Marquis' household, other officials say the same."

After the Zhenbei Marquis fell from power, not everyone immediately distanced themselves from him. Some felt that no matter what, the Zhenbei Marquis was Shen Yu's biological father, and Shen Yu couldn't possibly ignore him. Moreover, if His Majesty truly cared for the Noble Consort, he wouldn't let the Zhenbei Marquis' household decline so much.

Therefore, initially, a few aristocratic families who had attempted marriage alliances with the Marquis' household didn't give up on the idea because of this incident. It was only after Shen Yu sent word down that these families quieted down.

Shen Yu: "What they say is indeed not wrong. His Majesty's actions were originally just to vent anger. Once that anger is vented, won't he naturally have to reinstate the Zhenbei Marquis?"

"Then... Young Master, will the Zhenbei Marquis truly be reinstated?" Mu Xi didn't want the Zhenbei Marquis to benefit from any advantages brought by Shen Yu at all.

"I have no control over court affairs. Whether the Zhenbei Marquis can be reinstated is known only to His Majesty."

Regarding this matter, Shen Yu was also quite curious about how exactly Shang Junlin would handle it.

Speaking of major offenses, the Zhenbei Marquis hadn’t actually committed any serious ones. The matter of adopting an heir was merely mentioned verbally and never put into action—though, of course, Shen Yu wouldn’t give him the chance to do so anyway.

“How is Madam Ru doing these days?” Shen Yu realized it seemed like a long time since he had heard any news about her.

“She keeps to herself, rarely leaving her quarters, as if she has completely lost hope in the Zhenbei Marquis. Why does the Young Master suddenly ask about her?” Mu Xi showed a puzzled expression.

“If I recall correctly, Madam Ru came to the Zhenbei Marquis’s residence while my mother was still alive. Have the Yinghuo investigate over there and see if they can uncover anything about my mother.”

“Yes.”

At the beginning of his rebirth, Shen Yu had simply wanted to know the identity of the woman who gave birth to him. But as various events unfolded, he discovered that this matter held many secrets behind it—the assassination attempts in his childhood, the false accusations during the New Year’s banquet… If he didn’t clarify these matters, no one knew what might happen on some future day.

Shen Yu disliked being in a passive state.

Knowing someone wanted to act against him and harm Shang Junlin, he could not remain indifferent. No matter what, he had to uncover the truth of the matter and expose those who wanted him dead.

And as for Zhu Wang, they had to find a way to make him talk.

Shen Yu had a unit of Hidden Dragon Guards given to him by Shang Junlin. In investigating Zhu Wang’s affairs, he did not hide it from Shang Junlin, so he did not use his own agency. Instead, he entrusted the task to this unit of Hidden Dragon Guards.

He knew that after issuing the order, Shang Junlin would receive the message, so he simply took the initiative to discuss the matter with him.

“Your Majesty, I wish to investigate Zhu Wang’s past. Perhaps we can find some useful leads.”

The clues they had were too few. Shen Yu knew that investigating this matter would be difficult, but without clarifying it, he and Shang Junlin would remain in a passive state indefinitely—something he absolutely could not tolerate.

“Ah Yu, do as you wish directly. There is no need to specially inform me. I have given you the Hidden Dragon Guards; you have the authority to command them.”

“I am telling Your Majesty because I also hope for Your Majesty’s assistance. I wish to investigate all events in Zhu Wang’s life, and it may be quite challenging to uncover.”

Zhu Wang had been imprisoned in the secret dungeon, passing a long stretch of time in neglect. Boundless solitude was the most torturous. Having no one to speak with for so long made him eager to talk to anyone he saw.

He was even willing to be interrogated.

After Shang Junlin received the dream-related information from the Hidden Dragon Guards, he remained silent for a long time. For some reason, he did not immediately tell Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was still concerned about King Yue’s dreams and proposed to Shang Junlin that he wanted to see King Yue.

“He is near death. Does Ah Yu still wish to see him?” Shang Junlin stroked Shen Yu’s cheek, his eyes unfathomable.

“Has the Ministry of Justice already set the execution date?” Shen Yu was momentarily stunned.

In the end, Shang Junlin still brought Shen Yu to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Shang Junlin’s behavior was somewhat unusual. Shen Yu only thought he was jealous of King Yue and did not dwell on it further. He wanted to quickly clarify the events surrounding King Yue.

King Yue had become increasingly muddled. Upon seeing Shen Yu and Shang Junlin, his first words were, “Aren’t you dead?”

It was hard not to suspect he was doing it on purpose.

Shen Yu tilted his head to look at Shang Junlin. The man’s face was completely calm, showing no ripple of emotion at King Yue’s words.

“Your Highness King Yue, can you recognize me?” Shen Yu lowered his voice slightly, approaching the tone he used when speaking in his previous life.

“Ah Yu?” King Yue turned his head to look at him.

The same form of address, coming from King Yue’s mouth, felt utterly disgusting.

A flicker of disgust passed through Shen Yu’s eyes. Feeling the arm around his waist suddenly tighten, Shen Yu turned his head. “Your Majesty, I wish to say one sentence to him. Just one.”

Though dissatisfied, Shang Junlin did not refuse.

Shen Yu walked up to King Yue, half-crouching down, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. “Your Highness, how does it feel to be pierced through the heart by a sword?”

The confusion on King Yue’s face was replaced by horror. “No—”

Dying on the eve of his ascension—that was King Yue’s true ending in the previous life.