The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Chapter 184

"You are wrong," observed Shang Junlin, looking down at him with eyes that could freeze a man's soul, "Ah Yu is a person, not an item to be measured. I respect every choice he makes."

But he would never let go.

The laughter abruptly ceased. King Yue fixed his gaze on Shang Junlin and said evenly, "Do you believe in that statement yourself? Did you summon the Shen family into the palace not because of the burdens they carry?"

Shang Junlin suddenly reached out, grabbed King Yue by the throat, and lifted him up. "Don't think everyone is as dirty as you perceive. Your beliefs don't dictate mine. If I truly believed in fate, would I have ascended to this position?"

"Cough, cough." Struggling to breathe, King Yue's face turned an unnatural shade of red, unable to utter a single word except for coughs.

Shang Junlin frowned and released his grip, causing King Yue to collapse to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing violently.

Meng-gonggong carefully handed over a handkerchief as Shang Junlin wiped each of his five fingers, as if cleansing them of contamination.

"You summoned me just to say these things?"

"I met Shen Yu outside the palace. If I hadn't crossed a line with Shen Qingran, do you think he would have chosen to come to the palace out of spite? If he truly didn't care about me at all, why would he be so affected by this incident? Why would he abandon such a promising future just to spite me?"

The man's eyes grew darker, swirling with emotions that defied understanding.

Meng-gonggong, who was close by, keenly felt the oppressive aura emanating from the man. He couldn't help but sweat nervously. Would King Yue's words leave a negative impact on His Majesty regarding His Excellency Shen?

Meng-gonggong knew better than anyone how much Shang Junlin cared about Shen Yu. The more someone mattered to him, the less he could tolerate even the slightest betrayal. Especially now that Shang Junlin was an uncompromising emperor. If he truly believed Shen Yu harbored feelings for King Yue...

Meng-gonggong didn't dare speculate on the potential consequences.

Before leaving, Shang Junlin instructed the guards in the prison to "entertain" King Yue properly. Meng-gonggong followed him cautiously.

He could sense that His Majesty was in a very bad mood.

No matter what was said aloud, perhaps there would always be some resentment lingering in his heart.

Meng-gonggong was about to offer some advice when he heard Shang Junlin mutter in a low voice, "If I were to kill King Yue, would Ah Yu be unhappy?"

Meng-gonggong was taken aback, the words he was about to speak slowly swallowed back. Things seemed to be somewhat different from what he had anticipated.

Shang Junlin said only this one sentence, not expecting any response. On the way back to the palace, he remained silent, leaving everyone to wonder what was on his mind.

Suddenly, Shang Junlin spoke again, "Go to the dark prison."

Meng-gonggong dared not defy him and immediately instructed the carriage to turn.

Arriving at the dark dungeon, Meng-gonggong instinctively followed, but Shang Junlin stopped him. "You stay here. I'll go in alone."

Meng-gonggong didn't understand why Shang Junlin would go to the dark prison at this time, but he couldn't disobey the order and could only stand outside waiting.

Shang Junlin was clearly agitated, pacing anxiously in place, worried about what might happen.

After what felt like a long time, Shang Junlin emerged with a chilling demeanor.

Meng-gonggong hurried forward, "Your Majesty?"

"Back to the palace."

With that one sentence, it seemed to drain all the energy from the man. On the way back to the palace, they remained silent throughout the journey.

Meng-gonggong had no idea what had transpired in the dark dungeon, but he felt that Shang Junlin, coming out from it, exuded an even colder aura than when he had entered.

The night was dark and windy, with stars twinkling in the sky. The cold wind pierced through to the bone.

The lights were bright in Yuzhang Palace, bustling with activity.

Shen Yu sat on a soft couch, overseeing Mu Xi directing young eunuchs to paste up the couplets and blessings he had written. Skilled palace maids had crafted numerous window decorations and were busy placing them on the windows.

He caught a glimpse of someone outside and stood up, walking out.

"Why doesn't Your Majesty come in?"

It was Shang Junlin standing outside.

Shang Junlin remained in his black robes, a color seldom seen on him. As Shen Yu drew closer, he could sense the cold emanating from the man's body.

Shen Yu reached out, taking hold of Shang Junlin's hand that hung limply at his side, feeling somewhat surprised.

The man's hand was icy cold.

In Shen Yu's memory, Shang Junlin's touch had always been warm. During cold times, he would enclose Shen Yu's hands in his palms, gently warming them.

"Your Majesty, you've been standing outside for quite some time; your hands are cold. Come inside quickly and warm yourself," Shen Yu urged, pulling Shang Junlin's hand and leading him into the room.

Shang Junlin stood in the shadows, his expression unreadable to Shen Yu. Today, Shang Junlin seemed unusually silent.

Following Shen Yu, Shang Junlin entered the room step by step.

Shen Yu gently pushed Shang Junlin onto the soft couch and instructed Mu Xi to bring hot tea, feeding it to Shang Junlin's lips. "Your Majesty, drink some to warm yourself."

Shang Junlin stared at Shen Yu without blinking.

Shen Yu moved the cup closer.

With long lashes lowered, he drank the water in the cup held by Shen Yu.

Shen Yu turned with the empty cup, intending to place it on a nearby table, but as his body leaned forward, he felt his sleeve being tugged.

He turned back to see Shang Junlin gripping his sleeve, speaking his first words of the day.

"Don't leave."

Shen Yu glanced at the nearby table and then at the determined man holding onto his sleeve, reluctantly sitting back down.

Mu Xi approached and took the cup from Shen Yu's hand.

Shen Yu finally realized that something deeply troubled Shang Junlin.

He reached out and cupped Shang Junlin's face. "Your Majesty, what happened? You seem so distraught."

He knew Shang Junlin had been busy lately, but even with all the busyness, he had never seen him like this, almost as if he'd lost his mind.

He looked into Shang Junlin's eyes, seeing his own reflection in those deep, dark pupils.

Suddenly, Shang Junlin's hand wrapped around his waist, pulling him tightly into his embrace. "Today, I went to see King Yue."

"Why did Your Majesty go to see him?"

Seeing no unusual tone in Shen Yu's voice, Shang Junlin's heart steadied somewhat. In a place Shen Yu couldn't see, a complex emotion flickered in his eyes.

"He said some things to me. He said you chose to come to the palace because you were upset with him."

As Shang Junlin spoke these words, he wasn't sure what he was thinking. Perhaps he wanted to keep this in his heart forever, never to utter it aloud.

Regardless of why Shen Yu entered the palace, as long as he was content now, that was what mattered. Shen Yu's previous life, Shang Junlin had not been involved and had no right to judge. He thought he could handle it, but at this moment, he realized he couldn't.

Whether it was before he met Shen Yu or after, Shang Junlin couldn't help but care about everything that happened to him. He longed for answers yet feared them.

He kept telling himself that it was a past he couldn't participate in, that he shouldn't dwell on it. But King Yue's words were like a festering sore, the more he tried not to care, the more they echoed in his mind.

He asked himself, "Can I really not care?"

The answer was no. He couldn't. He wouldn't blame Shen Yu for anything, only resent King Yue for deliberately getting close to Shen Yu for a word.

Shen Yu felt a deep unease from Shang Junlin. He wanted to look up at him, but he was held tightly in his arms, unable to move.

Sighing deeply, Shen Yu wrapped his hands around the man's slender waist. "Your Majesty, what does it matter what King Yue said? He's now a prisoner below the ranks, knowing he's powerless to change the past. He said those things only to upset you. When I entered the palace, if you must know, it did have something to do with King Yue, but—"

The man suddenly exerted force with his arm, a sharp pain shot through his waist, and Shen Yu patted his lower back, soothingly saying, "Listen to me first."

The man's arm relaxed a bit, but still imprisoned Shen Yu, not giving him any chance to leave.

Shen Yu continued, "Although it was related to King Yue, it wasn't for the reason he mentioned. If it was just to vent anger, I had a thousand ways. Why would I choose the most unpopular route of entering the palace? I entered the palace for you, Your Majesty. From others' mouths, I had heard much about you. In truth, I really wanted to see what kind of person you truly are. If I hadn't been confined by the Zhenbei Marquis at his manor, I might have seen you much earlier."

Shen Yu joked, "If I had met you first, how could there be anything with King Yue? Every part of Your Majesty is ingrained in my heart."

The heavy fog of unease in Shang Junlin's heart dispersed with Shen Yu's words. He lowered his head and rubbed his face against Shen Yu's.

"Speaking of King Yue, he truly is a nuisance. He thinks I know nothing, pretending to be like that in front of me. It feels fake; I have no interest in watching his performance. Your Majesty should have investigated the matter between me and King Yue. I have always been indifferent to him. After knowing his true identity, I thought entering the palace was a good way to get rid of him."

Shen Yu wasn't lying. Before his rebirth, he didn't know King Yue's true identity, but that was no longer verifiable. After his rebirth, he didn't want any entanglements with King Yue, so he chose a completely different path from his previous life.

If King Yue liked Shen Qingran, he would facilitate their relationship.

"Your Majesty, don't think too much about what King Yue said. If Your Majesty wants to know about me, you can come directly and ask me."

The closer he got, Shen Yu felt more and more uneasy about Shang Junlin. He didn't know what was bothering him, but he was willing to do everything he could to put him at ease.

Shang Junlin quietly held the person in his arms. He wished time could stop at this moment forever.

"Will Ah Yu always stay by my side?"

As he spoke, a kiss was imprinted on his forehead.

"If I'm not by Your Majesty's side, where else can I go?"

Shang Junlin's arm loosened slightly, and Shen Yu struggled to free himself from the man's embrace, grabbing his neck and forcing him to lower his head, pressing his forehead against his. "I have to clear my name. I really, really don't like King Yue. Whether it's in the past, present, or future, the only person I like is Your Majesty."

After saying that, he kissed the lips that were so close.

"There are some things I wouldn't do if I didn't genuinely like them. Perhaps King Yue has told Your Majesty something else, but don't believe him."

If it was just King Yue, Shang Junlin wouldn't care so much. What really troubled him was what the person he saw in the dungeon said.

He said that Shen Yu was destined to stand by King Yue's side, that fate was set and human effort couldn't change it, even if the process deviated a lot, but they would still end up together.

At that moment, Shang Junlin's desire to kill King Yue reached its peak.

Shen Yu's initiative resolved the unease in Shang Junlin's heart. He hugged Shen Yu, taking control and kissed him fiercely, as if to show his determination.