The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Chapter 146

"Why would the Prime Minister say such things?" Shen Yu couldn't recall any interaction between himself and the Prime Minister.

"I didn't hide the methods you provided from the Prime Minister," Shang Junlin said, setting Shen Yu down. "The Prime Minister must have seen talent and taken a liking to it."

Shen Yu remained noncommittal about this outcome and instead asked about another matter. "Has there been any progress regarding the interrogation of Minister Feng and the mysterious force that was captured?"

Shang Junlin replied, "Feng Pingqi has yielded results. This time, he was only following orders from that force and didn't have much knowledge about the situation in the North."

Shen Yu asked, "He didn't know about the people from Beimo?"

"That's correct. After several interrogations, that was the result. He only provided information about the court's disaster relief efforts and, 'incidentally,' obstructed the reports coming from Subei," Shang Junlin explained.

Shen Yu inquired, "What benefits were promised to him?"

"Hmph," Shang Junlin scoffed. "Just the usual: wealth, power, or something else. There's always something that can entice him."

Once greed takes hold, it doesn't easily disappear.

"Back when Feng Pingqi entered the Cabinet, people were helping him. In return, he had to do tasks for them, such as spreading rumors unfavorable to me. The matter in Subei was one of those tasks," Shang Junlin said, stroking Shen Yu's long hair, adding further.

Hearing this result, Shen Yu wasn't particularly surprised. The rumors that were detrimental to Shang Junlin had been circulating from the beginning. The other side had lurked for many years, and Feng Pingqi was still an influential minister. Even though Shang Junlin didn't have a habit of explaining things to others, Minister Feng shouldn't have been unaware of the situation.

The more one knows, the easier it is to find manipulative points from within. Half-truths and half-lies are the most difficult to debunk because, with inside knowledge, the "truth" fabricated for the people can appear highly credible.

"What about the King of Yue? What connection do they have with him?" Shen Yu hadn't forgotten about the relentless attempts to tarnish Shang Junlin, as well as the King of Yue.

"There is currently no evidence to prove any connection between them. Feng Pingqi also refuses to admit any communication between him and the King of Yue. Without sufficient evidence, the Ministry of Justice can't force him to confess. He readily admits to other charges with concrete evidence," Shang Junlin replied.

"What about the other captured force? Have they revealed anything?" Shen Yu inquired.

Shang Junlin shook his head. "That person is extremely stubborn. Despite being interrogated by the Ministry of Justice for many days, we couldn't extract any information other than their attempts to tarnish me and the situation in Subei."

"Was Minister Feng also acting under their orders when he drugged me? Was it their doing when I fell ill outside the palace?" Shen Yu had the same suspicions as Shang Junlin. Once they captured the person, Shang Junlin had them immediately interrogated about this matter. The results were as they had expected.

"They admitted to that, but when asked why they did it, these people shifted the topic. I'm very interested in the real reasons behind it. When they initially chose you to enter the palace, Feng Pingqi played a part in it. If they truly didn't want you in the palace, they should have excluded you from the beginning."

When selecting candidates to enter the palace, Shen Yu, as the only legitimate son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, shouldn't have been on the consideration list. However, his name ended up on the list and eventually made it into the palace.

"What exactly happened back then? Your Majesty had always been reluctant to select candidates for the harem. Why did you agree that time?" Shen Yu was quite curious. Throughout their two lifetimes, Shang Junlin had only agreed to it once.

"I can't explain it clearly either. The court was in a great uproar at the time, and it was getting on my nerves. I let slip a few words, and now, looking back, it's a good thing I did. Otherwise, you wouldn't have entered the palace." Shang Junlin expressed a hint of relief at this point.

"If someone else had entered the palace instead of me, Your Majesty, what would you have done? Would you have treated them the same way you treat us now?"

"How could that be?" Shang Junlin laughed. "Originally, I planned to find a random palace for them to live in. Since they wanted to send someone in, I could have gone along with their wishes. However, I wouldn't have had any control over their lives in the palace, and I certainly wouldn't have treated them like I treat you."

In this world, only Shen Yu was special.

Shang Junlin thought to himself that those people probably hadn't expected that the person they went to great lengths to send into the palace not only didn't fulfill their wishes but also caused them quite a bit of trouble.

The Minister of Public Works borrowed a few people from the Ministry of Rites to help with the assessment. This was the first time the Ministry of Works had undertaken such a task, and the Minister of Works was meticulous by nature. To ensure that every step was flawless, he had been closely monitoring the process.

Those who intended to participate in the assessment were eagerly awaiting the final day.

Several friends gathered together and discussed the assessment.

"If we pass the assessment, we will become people of the Ministry of Public Works. It will give us a lot of face when we tell others."

"Have you seen the assessment procedures? I initially thought it would be similar to the imperial examinations, but it turns out to be completely different. I remember one item requires us to demonstrate our expertise during the assessment. Do you have any ideas about that?"

"Expertise? I'm quite skilled at blacksmithing. Do you think they'll ask us to forge something during the assessment?"

Everyone was filled with anticipation for the assessment.

The court was still busy with the affairs of Beimo and Minister Feng.

Upon learning that Minister Feng wasn't colluding with the people from Beimo, the people in the court breathed a sigh of relief. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shang Junlin vigorously purged the influential forces within the court. His actions were so significant that the ministers' attention was focused on this matter, and they didn't pay much attention to the changes occurring among the common people.

For example, several major bookstores in the public jointly published a basic literacy book mainly sold to ordinary people. In addition to the popular "People's Daily," another type of newspaper quietly emerged in the capital.

Unlike People's Daily, this new newspaper covered various folk stories and also included some serialized stories, clearly leaning more towards entertainment. The price of a newspaper wasn't expensive, and many literate commoners bought it out of curiosity. Storytellers in taverns and teahouses even developed a new side professionnewspaper readers.

These changes hadn't yet attracted the attention of the noble families. Their focus was on the court. Minister Feng was a towering tree, and when the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. The downfall of Minister Feng caused significant changes in the court's power dynamics.

In such a situation, everyone hoped to gain greater benefits for themselves.

Shang Junlin coldly observed their open and hidden struggles. This wasn't the first time such a situation had unfolded before him.

The conflicts in the capital didn't affect Subei.

Based on the clues provided by Yao Ji, Fang Jun carefully investigated those several merchants and discovered that they all had one common pointthey had suddenly risen to prominence during a specific time period and quickly gained control over Subei's business sector.

Subei was located in a remote area, and its commercial development was far behind that of the south. This resulted in other than these several major businessmen who had intricate connections with Boss Sun, the rest were relatively insignificant small merchants.

Fang Jun shared the information he found with He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing.

He Chengyu had already gained Boss Sun's trust and had recently met several merchants, all of whom were introduced by Boss Sun.

After comparing the information received secretly from Fang Jun with the information they had obtained, the two realized that the overlap between the two was very high.

"It seems that these people are also insiders," Jiang Huaiqing commented, tapping the table lightly.

"The third transaction went smoothly. Boss Sun's guard against us has also reached a minimum level. It's almost time to close the net."

Before the fourth transaction, Boss Sun paid a visit.

"This time, they need some different goods," Boss Sun said.

He Chengyu poured tea for the two and pushed one cup toward Boss Sun. "What is it?"

Boss Sun lowered his voice and uttered a few words. Seeing He Chengyu's slight change in expression, he patted his hand. "I know you have connections, and the price they offer is high. If this works out, we can earn enough for three years' worth."

"It's not that I'm not willing, but these things are not easy to obtain," He Chengyu showed a troubled expression. "Moreover, the risks are significant. I do have some connections, but they are asking for too much, and the risks are too high..."

Boss Sun continued to observe He Chengyu's facial expression. Seeing this, he lowered his voice once again, "That's why they're offering such a high price. If you cooperate with someone else, not only will you have to bear the same risks, but what you'll receive in return will also be far less than the quantity this time. You have done business with them a few times before, and you can feel their generosity. If it weren't for truly considering you as a friend, I wouldn't have specifically invited you."

He Chengyu seemed swayed by his words and hesitated, his face showing a contemplative expression. "I need to think about it."

"Sure," Boss Sun didn't press too hard, "Let me know when you've made up your mind. They are still waiting for a response."

After seeing Boss Sun off, Jiang Huaiqing sat in the seat where Boss Sun had just been. "It's a pity to waste such good tea on him."

"If Huaiqing likes it, I'll have someone send more over."

"No need to go to the trouble. I was just saying it casually. It's finally all coming to an end."

After they arrived in Beimo, they changed their identities and approached Boss Sun directly. To avoid unnecessary complications, all official documents and notifications were temporarily entrusted to Fang Jun. If this went on any longer, Jiang Huaiqing would almost feel like a wealthy young man traveling with his older brother to broaden his horizons.

Everything in Beimo was proceeding methodically. The turmoil caused by Minister Feng's downfall in the capital was gradually settling down.

As the weather turned cooler, the annual autumn hunt drew near.

The autumn hunt was a tradition in Dahuan and a rare event that continued after Shang Junlin ascended the throne. The court began preparations for the hunt.

Before the autumn hunt, it was Shen Yu's birthday.

The Marquis of Zhenbei hadn't given up on using this opportunity to repair his relationship with Shen Yu. He had written several letters to the palace, but Shen Yu had piled them all aside without opening them.

"The Marquis of Zhenbei hasn't given up yet?" Shang Junlin asked, glancing at the letters casually tossed by Shen Yu in a corner.

Shen Yu curled his lips mockingly. "As long as I'm still favored, he won't give up. The one he valued, Shen Qingran, was abandoned by him. The only one who can bring benefits to the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence now is me."

"You can ignore him if you want. He's just the Marquis of Zhenbei. How can he compare to your happiness?" Shang Junlin sat next to Shen Yu and handed him a small booklet.

"What's this?"

"It's from the fief of the King of Yue. Take a look and see if there's anything else you want."

Shen Yu opened the booklet, revealing a well-organized roster inside. It was a list of birthday gifts sent by various regional princes.

To cater to his preferences, the list mainly consisted of various precious treasures. Just as Shen Yu was about to say something, an unexpected visitor entered the room.

The leader of the Hidden Dragon Guards half-knelt on the ground, his voice devoid of any emotional fluctuations. "I failed in my duties. After bringing that person to the capital, they managed to escape. I willingly accept punishment."

Author's Note: There will be an extra chapter. Please provide me with some nutrition (3)?