The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

16

Shen Yu knew the adage about quitting while you were ahead. He withdrew his hand and returned to his usual soft appearance. "Can Your Majesty tell me about Imperial Physician Gu? After all, my health is much better thanks to his care."

His words explained why he was concerned.

"This emperor learned that some relevant people tried to contact him, so I asked someone to look into it," Shang JunLin said. He gave Shen Yu a deep look. "This emperor is a little curious. Why is the noble monarch so certain that Imperial Physician Gu is involved with Imperial Censor Zhang's case?"

No matter how good Imperial Physician Gu's medical skills were, he was a doctor with little power. Most of the people connected with the case of Imperial Censor Zhang were court officials. They shouldn't have anything to do with a palace physician. Why did Shen Yu think Doctor Gu was associated with them?

That was the main thing Shang JunLin couldn't figure out.

Shen Yu seemed not to notice Shang JunLin's probing. He approached Shang JunLin and said, "Your Majesty, I'm a little cold."

The man's body was warm, like a large stove providing a constant source of heat. This was also the reason Shen Yu tacitly allowed Shang JunLin to stay overnight in his bedroom.

Shang JunLin looked around and found that the window had been blown open by the wind at some point. He closed the window with his internal strength and wrapped Shen Yu in a fox fur cloak.

"Is that better?"

Shen Yu held onto the cloak and nodded.

His body was frail, and Imperial Physician Gu said it was best if he avoided cold drafts. Ordinary people could recover from a chill in a few days, but for Shen Yu, it might kill him. Shang JunLin had seen Shen Yu fall suddenly ill once before. Maybe it had shocked him, because he gave specific orders that Shen Yu's chambers must be kept warm.

Shen Yu was the type who never treated himself badly. The comfort level of Yuzhang Palace was much higher than the other palaces. Sometimes Shen Yu suspected that Shang JunLin worked and rested here because it was so much more comfortable.

Seeing that Shen Yu's face was pale, Shang JunLin poured him a cup of hot tea. "The only person in the world this emperor serves is Noble Monarch Shen."

"Your Majesty is very kind." Shen Yu took a few sips and felt his body warm up. His face relaxed.

"Your Majesty hasn't told me about Imperial Physician Gu yet." Shen Yu held the cup and looked at him.

Shang JunLin was surprised he was still thinking about Imperial Physician Gu when he was unwell, but since he insisted, Shang JunLin had no choice but to tell him.

"There's a chess piece the Zhang family planted in the palace many years ago. They wanted to use Imperial Physician Gu to relay information from this person. If it hadn't been for your brazen order telling Imperial Physician Gu to refuse all other duties, he would have fallen into the trap they laid for him the very next day."

Shang JunLin gave Shen Yu a meaningful look. "Imperial Physician Gu is devoted to medicine. When those people came to his door and asked him to treat a patient, he definitely would have agreed if not for your order. But thanks to you, he declined the invitation and abided by your words."

"Isn't it only because of Your Majesty's influence? If Your Majesty didn't favor me, Imperial Physician Gu wouldn't have listened to what I said." Shen Yu knew better than anyone that if he wasn't "Noble Monarch Shen" and hadn't given a suitable reason, Imperial Physician Gu wouldn't have obeyed him.

"You can make anything sound good." Shang JunLin shook his head. "It's better this way. Thanks to your kindness, Imperial Physician Gu will only be more attentive to your condition."