The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits-Chapter 198

The haze that had shrouded his mind finally cleared. King Yue finally remembered the last fragment of his dream.

On the eve of his ascension, at the place closest to the throne, he was stabbed through the heart. He died without ever truly sitting on that seat.

At that time, Shen Yu had spoken the exact same words.

And now, those same words awakened the reality he least wanted to face.

So it wasn't that the dream happened to end at the most critical moment, but that he refused to believe the final outcome. His subconscious had chosen to forget this memory.

Shen Yu looked with satisfaction at King Yue's terrified and horrified expression, stood up straight, and turned away without a shred of pity.

The hem of his cloak was grabbed, hindering his movement. Shen Yu paused his steps but did not look back.

He heard King Yue's hoarse voice from behind: "How do you know? Those things are real, aren't they?"

"Whether real or false, the result is the same regardless," Shen Yu's voice was calm.

His purpose in coming here had been achieved. He could now confirm that King Yue had merely dreamt of events from the previous life; he was not like him, reborn back. He was all too familiar with King Yue from his past life. The man slumped at his feet now was not the same person.

"You betrayed me twice, Shen Yu. Why?" The hand clutching his cloak hem tightened fiercely. King Yue refused to let go; he wanted an answer.

In the previous life, their relationship had been so close. Shen Yu had poured all his heart into him. So why, in the end, was it also Shen Yu who destroyed everything for him?

King Yue couldn't understand. In the previous life, there was no Shang Junlin; Shen Yu hadn't entered the palace, had no connection to that person at all. So why was the final outcome his complete failure? He had been so close to the final step.

Shang Junlin stood not far from the two, hearing this exchange clearly. The aura around him turned icy cold. The Minister of Justice behind him felt his heart rise to his throat. Had he just heard some secret he shouldn't have known?

Shang Junlin knew Shen Yu held many secrets. For instance, why, despite being neglected by the Zhenbei Marquis, did he understand so many things he shouldn't? He had never probed deeply, because he knew Shen Yu did not wish to speak of them.

The willingness to reveal his uniqueness without concealment before him was an act of trust. Did Shang Junlin not wish to know the secrets on Shen Yu's person? No, he wanted to know more than anyone. But he was willing to wait, to wait for the day Shen Yu was willing to tell him voluntarily.

Shang Junlin had always believed he could remain indifferent. He had always been the most patient hunter. But at this moment, he found he could not.

He could not remain indifferent to Shen Yu and King Yue sharing a common secret, especially one concerning the dream King Yue had.

Shang Junlin had already obtained the full content of the dream from the Hidden Dragon Guards. He could not imagine Shen Yu dedicating everything to King Yue; he could not dwell on the possible intimacy between them. Even if it only happened in a dream, it was unacceptable.

Just thinking of those things caused the violence in his heart to surge like rolling waves, boiling incessantly.

Shang Junlin walked over and stepped on the hand King Yue used to clutch Shen Yu's cloak hem.

In pain, King Yue had to let go.

Shang Junlin embraced Shen Yu, like a possessive dragon declaring sovereignty: "Ah Yu is not someone you are qualified to covet. Someone like you—are you worth Ah Yu's betrayal?"

The thick mockery was like a sharp blade piercing the heart. King Yue laughed wildly: "He treated me this way. Sooner or later, he'll treat you the same, Shang Junlin. What do you have to be so proud of? I'll wait for the day you end up the same as me!"

Feeling the arm around his waist suddenly tighten its grip, Shen Yu felt somewhat helpless. He had thought Shang Junlin knew nothing. Now it seemed that was not the case.

King Yue began struggling frantically. Shang Junlin frowned. Seeing this, the Minister of Justice hurriedly ordered the accompanying guards to subdue the maddened King Yue.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" King Yue struggled, looking at Shen Yu. "Why did you betray me?"

If not for the guards holding him down firmly, he would have lunged at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu sighed. "What does King Yue want me to say? Apart from the deliberate approach based on deception from the beginning, what else is there to say?"

King Yue was stunned for a moment, then struggled even more violently, mumbling incoherent words through choked sobs.

The grudges from the previous life had been settled by Shen Yu in that life, albeit with a tragic outcome. In this life, King Yue would also pay the due price for his crimes.

"Does Ah Yu have nothing to say to me?" After returning to the palace, Shang Junlin dismissed all the palace attendants. In the vast hall, only Shen Yu and himself remained.

"Your Majesty knows the content of King Yue's dream?"

Shang Junlin nodded.

Shen Yu looked at the man. "Is Your Majesty afraid?"

"What do I have to fear?" Shang Junlin stroked Shen Yu's face, gently caressing it. "Even if Ah Yu is an immortal or a seductive spirit, you can only be mine."

Shen Yu's intended words caught in his throat. He had wanted to ask if Shang Junlin wasn't afraid he might treat him the same way he treated King Yue. Hearing Shang Junlin's words, he suddenly realized Shang Junlin and Shang Junyue were two completely different people. Whether Shang Junlin would fear him because of this—he already had the answer in his heart.

"Actually, I also had a dream similar to King Yue's, before I entered the palace," Shen Yu gently nuzzled Shang Junlin's hand. Once the first sentence was out, the following words became much easier.

"Since Your Majesty knows the content of this dream, I won't elaborate. I don't know if this dream was real or false, but that didn't stop me from detesting King Yue because of it. I, this person, hate being deceived and manipulated the most."

"So, Ah Yu chose a course of action completely opposite to the dream, is that it?"

"Yes. Originally, after Shen Qingran and his mother plotted against me, I was bound to retaliate. Now I'm actually grateful for the decision I made impulsively back then. Otherwise, how could I have met Your Majesty?"

"I am also very grateful," Shang Junlin embraced the person in his arms. "Having Ah Yu, I cannot imagine life without you."

"The 'me' in the dream was blind, unable to see King Yue's true nature, deceived by him for so long," Shen Yu leaned against the man's chest, his voice somewhat muffled.

"Later, what did Ah Yu say to King Yue that caused such a strong reaction?" Shang Junlin lightly patted Shen Yu's back. In a place Shen Yu couldn't see, his eyes were dark and turbulent.

"Naturally, I shattered his beautiful dream. King Yue believed he successfully ascended the throne in his dream, but in reality, he did not. I merely made him realize that, whether in the dream or in reality, his ambitions would ultimately come to nothing."

Shang Junlin was an emperor himself. He knew exactly how much effort was required to thwart King Yue's plans under such circumstances.

His heart was torn in two. One half was madly jealous of the King Yue in the dream; the other half was intensely pained by the hardships Shen Yu endured in that dream, even if it was only a dream.

This resulted in Shang Junlin's actions that night being particularly fragmented, oscillating between roughness and extreme tenderness.

Shen Yu was thoroughly exhausted.

He kicked out with his foot: "Stay away from me..."

Unsurprisingly, his ankle was caught in the man's palm. Under the delicate, feather-light kisses, his body couldn't help but tremble.

Tears slipped down his cheeks beyond his control, only to be patiently kissed away by the man. His movements were incredibly gentle, as if the earlier storm had been Shen Yu's illusion.

Lost in the tenderness, Shen Yu's resistance grew weaker and weaker.

"Ah Yu, you can only be mine..."

The same words were repeated over and over in Shen Yu's ear, as if they were to be engraved into his very marrow.

"Ah Yu, tell me, who do you belong to?"

Shen Yu answered incoherently: "I belong to Your Majesty..."

"Ah Yu is so obedient..."

The next day, when Shen Yu awoke, that sentence still lingered in his mind, refusing to fade. It was like a unique imprint etched upon him, a constant reminder that he belonged only to Shang Junlin.

Thinking of the events of the previous night, Shen Yu felt a flush of heat on his face. A jealous man was indeed not to be provoked. Fortunately, Shang Junlin didn't press further about the dream.

His body felt as if it had been taken apart and reassembled. Shen Yu lay face down on the bed and sighed. Initially, he had considered whether to take this opportunity to tell Shang Junlin about his rebirth. After a moment's hesitation, he decided against it, only mentioning that he had had a similar dream as King Yue.

He didn't know if Shang Junlin believed him. Rubbing his sore lower back, Shen Yu was simply grateful he hadn't told the truth. If a mere dream could provoke such a strong reaction from the man, had he revealed it was something that truly happened, he might very well have been done to death in bed.

Two days later, Shen Yu could barely manage to walk normally again, just in time for the day of the stone tablet unveiling outside the palace.

Shang Junlin had promised to take him to see it.

The auspicious time for the unveiling had been calculated in advance by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. It was scheduled for the morning. To not miss it, Shen Yu made a point to wake up early.

Shang Junlin stood behind him, tying up his hair. "Why is Ah Yu so enthusiastic about this?"

His tone carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

Shen Yu pretended not to hear it, focusing on selecting his clothes for the occasion.

The location was chosen on East Street. Early in the morning, commoners who had received advance news put aside their tasks to come and watch.

Nobles and officials, wealthy merchants, common citizens—the spectators spanned all social strata. Vendors spotting the opportunity moved their stalls nearby to do business, and thanks to the large crowds, business was booming.

Because the number of spectators far exceeded expectations, the Capital Prefecture had to borrow personnel from the Imperial Guard to maintain order.

When their carriage reached a corner, it could proceed no further. The guards responsible for maintaining order knew the identity of the person inside the carriage and dared not be negligent. They led them through a small path directly to the very center.

"Who is in that carriage? I thought carriages weren't allowed past this point?"

"It must be some high-ranking dignitary. Quite a few officials came today. I heard the Ministers of Works and Revenue, Official Fang, and several other high officials are here."

After the carriage swayed along for a stretch, it stopped.

Shen Yu and Shang Junlin alighted from the carriage and, led by the guards, ascended a pavilion tower.

This was a viewing location specially prepared for the nobility and officials. After all, they couldn't have all the dignitaries mingling with the commoners. If any accident occurred, no one could bear the responsibility.

As the Emperor of Da Huan, Shang Junlin naturally had the best spot. Shen Yu and Shang Junlin entered an inner room. Through the window, they had a clear view of everything happening outside.

"Such a huge crowd," Shen Yu remarked with feeling.

At the very center, surrounded by the masses, a massive stone tablet was covered with red cloth. At the auspicious hour, officials from the Ministry of Rites would unveil it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Attendants served tea and various pastries. Shen Yu picked one up, tasting it while looking down below.

"Hmm? Your Majesty, look, what's happening over there?"

Shang Junlin looked in the direction Shen Yu pointed. Below their tower, several guards were surrounding a middle-aged couple, seemingly in discussion.

"That woman—isn't she the one from the household where we took shelter from the rain last time?" Shen Yu recognized the woman among the couple.