The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Chapter 168

Update for this week <3

In the candlelight, the two figures gradually merged together.

At some point, Shen Yu changed his position, and the documents on the table were swept away by his sleeves. But at this moment, neither of them cared.

Shen Yu sat in Shang Junlin's lap and tilted his head slightly.

His slender, fair fingers rested on the dark-colored robes and clenched as they followed the man's movements.

Like lotus leaves swaying in a storm, they rose and fell.

The night grew darker.

The imperial wanted posters were distributed throughout the land, and news of them reached Hanzhou as well.

To avoid being discovered, King Yue and his party had been hiding in the remote property since their arrival. They received the news through the Cheng family head.

"The court has issued wanted posters. At this point, there might be no safe place left for King Yue, even in his fief. Can Your Highness return there?" The Cheng family head, despite his composed exterior, was filled with anxiety.

He knew that King Yue had escaped from prison and understood that this day would come sooner or later. However, he hadn't anticipated it happening so quickly. While the Cheng family no longer had any choices, he was having a hard time reconciling with openly aligning himself with an outsider who, in the eyes of the world, was a rebel.

"As for the fief, I have soldiers stationed there, and I've already sent a message for them to join us. I can't return to the fief for the time being. Since the Emperor has officially accused me of treason, he won't allow me to return to the fief afterward."

King Yue was truly caught between a rock and a hard place. Most of his forces were in his fief, and he had no usable allies by his side now. With the charge of treason hanging over his head, he couldn't return to the Imperial City either. Going back would only be walking into a trap with no way out.

If Shang Junlin acted unfairly, then he shouldn't blame King Yue for acting unjustly in return.

The label of rebellion had been placed upon him, and what could he do about it? It was all because Shang Junlin had forced him into this position. Wasn't he just trying to protect himself?

"How many men do you have on your side here?" King Yue turned to the middle-aged man who had remained silent by his side.

"What does Your Highness intend to do?" The middle-aged man's eyes flashed with a glint.

"Isn't it what you've been hoping I'd do all along? Why bother pretending, Mr. Qin?" King Yue replied irritably.

"Your Highness, it's best if you come to terms with your decision on your own. I and the forces behind me will be at your service," Mr. Qin smiled as he stroked his beard.

"As for my family, we're also willing to serve Your Highness loyally," the Cheng family head expressed his loyalty.

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With the decision to rise in rebellion, King Yue's camp swiftly sprang into action. The Cheng family held considerable influence in Hanzhou, with many officials in the region having intricate connections with them. They acted decisively, seizing control of most of the local power structures. The Imperial officials sent to Hanzhou were detained, and King Yue's group officially took over the local government, making Hanzhou their stronghold.

Their reinforcements, informed of the situation, began streaming into Hanzhou. This force numbered in the thousands. The highest-ranking commander of the Hanzhou garrison was the son-in-law of the Cheng family and had long been loyal to them. With the Cheng family's support for King Yue, he joined their rebellion. Those who opposed him were publicly executed, instilling fear and quashing any dissent.

Hanzhou had undergone a complete transformation.

King Yue had sent messages to his supporters, who were individuals he had arranged long ago and were not all stationed in his fief. Upon receiving the news, they discreetly made their way to Hanzhou.

Mr. Qin's associates also began arriving in Hanzhou, and in no time, the city had gathered tens of thousands of troops.

This winter was destined to be anything but peaceful.

The news from Hanzhou to the Capital had been blocked, but Shang Junlin received the information through the Hidden Dragon Guards.

"King Yue has rebelled," Shang Junlin said, crushing the paper note in his hand into fragments that fell to the floor.

"What?" Shen Yu stood up in surprise. "King Yue has openly rebelled?"

After the initial shock, Shen Yu realized it wasn't entirely unexpected. King Yue had harbored rebellious intentions for some time, and now he was simply acting on his long-held plans.

"When they arrived in Hanzhou and learned about the Imperial warrant for their arrest, they allied with the Cheng family and took control of Hanzhou directly. The Imperial officials sent there have gone missing, and half of the Hidden Dragon Guards were lost before they could send the message out," Shang Junlin said with a cold tone.

"What's the current situation in Hanzhou?" Shen Yu asked with concern, furrowing his brow.

"The garrison in Hanzhou has all defected, and with reinforcements coming from an unknown source, Hanzhou now has an army of eighty thousand troops. The Hidden Dragon Guards report that there are continuous arrivals of reinforcements," Shang Junlin replied.

King Yue had outmaneuvered them with a time delay, and if it weren't for the Hidden Dragon Guards risking their lives to send the message, they would have been even later to learn of it.

Shang Junlin immediately summoned his ministers for a council.

Inside the study, upon hearing the news from Hanzhou, the ministers collectively gasped in disbelief. None of them had expected that King Yue would actually have the audacity to rebel.

"Where did King Yue get so many troops and horses?" one minister asked, visibly puzzled.

Princes had the right to maintain private armies, but the scale was typically limited, even for a prince of King Yue's status, who could maintain up to two thousand troops. The current situation, however, involved a force of over eighty thousand troops, and their numbers were still increasing. The question remained: where did all these troops come from?

Many ministers had this question in mind.

"Since he harbored disloyalty for some time, it's not surprising that he secretly raised a private army. Our concern now should be how to handle the issue with King Yue," the Prime Minister interjected, refocusing the discussion.

"That's a valid point," another minister added, "King Yue's guilt has been established, but the situation in Subei is still ongoing with Beimo. Who should we send to suppress this rebellion?"

Given the dearth of capable military leaders after the prior emperor's downfall, the choices for leading the campaign were quite limited. Sending the Emperor himself into battle was not an option unless the situation grew much more dire.

"In regards to suppressing the rebellion, there's someone in mind," Shang Junlin said, "Apart from Hanzhou, we need to be concerned about the situation in Yuezhou as well."

Yuezhou was part of King Yue's domain. Shang Junlin had dispatched officials to oversee Yuezhou temporarily. However, with King Yue's rebellion, Yuezhou might not remain peaceful for long.

"Yuezhou is prosperous and was originally given to King Yue by the late Emperor. King Yue won't give it up easily. The court needs to make early preparations."

"We should start by carefully guarding the surrounding areas, and if anyone is found trying to stir up trouble, they should be dealt with on the spot. The court also needs to send reinforcement troops as soon as possible."

Yuezhou, an area that had long been under King Yue's rule, was thrown into turmoil following his rebellion. He had deep ties with the local power structures, and if the accusations against King Yue turned out to be true, they wouldn't escape post-rebellion repercussions.

"Now, what should we do?" Leaders of various factions in Yuezhou gathered to discuss their options.

"It turns out the reason His Highness has been absent for so long is that he's been trapped in the capital. Now, the capital has forced him into rebellion. We have benefited greatly from His Highness's kindness, so we can't abandon him at a time like this."

"That makes sense. His Highness has been diligent and fair all these years, and Yuezhou has thrived under his rule. Without King Yue, we wouldn't be where we are today. Regardless of the circumstances, we must stand behind King Yue!"

The concerns voiced by these local factions were not without reason. Their loyalty and self-interest were closely tied to King Yue. Fortunately, the court had acted swiftly to quell any minor uprisings.

Shang Junlin appointed a general from the court to lead an expedition against King Yue.

"The war with Beimo should be ending soon, right?"

Shang Junlin approached from behind and wrapped his arms around the chilly figure of his beloved. "It's close. As the weather gets colder, it becomes harder for Beimo to hold out."

The battle with Beimo had been in a stalemate for over a month, and it was high time it concluded.

"It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since I met His Majesty," Shen Yu said as he extended his hand, letting a snowflake settle there, melting quickly.

Shang Junlin held Shen Yu tighter. "It's been only a year so far. In the years to come, Ah Yu will spend them all with me."

Shen Yu asked, "How is the situation in Hanzhou?"

Due to the incident in Hanzhou, members of the Xu family, who should have been dealt with by now, were still imprisoned, awaiting their final judgment.

Shang Junlin replied, "The city gates are closed, and King Yue has remained holed up inside, refusing to come out and engage in combat."

Shen Yu pondered, "With the addition of so many people in Hanzhou, how long can they sustain themselves regarding food supplies? King Yue can't possibly remain holed up indefinitely."

Shang Junlin replied, "That is his concern. I just want to uncover the people hiding behind him."

The lingering threat left by the late Emperor was always a thorn in Shang Junlin's side.

In Hanzhou, King Yue had not anticipated Shang Junlin's swift actions. It happened so fast that he hadn't had time to prepare, and now he was trapped inside Hanzhou. They say, "Feed the horses before moving the army." At this moment, King Yue was being backed into a corner. He had soldiers, but he had nothing else.

Fortunately, the Cheng family was willing to support him, and they had control of Hanzhou, so food supplies weren't an immediate concern. However, it was not a long-term solution. Hanzhou was under siege, with no one coming in or going out. His main forces were in his own territory, and the situation was uncertain.

"Your Highness."

"It's you, Tan-xiansheng<sup data-mfn="1">It can mean a doctor, a teacher or sir. In this case, Sir is the best context here.," King Yue greeted with a dignified nod. The people around him were more respectful to him now.

"How is the situation outside?"

"It remains the same," Tan-xiansheng shook his head.

"Your Highness."

"I said from the beginning that we should leave as soon as possible, while the court hadn't reacted. But Tan-xiansheng, you never agreed. Did you anticipate that we would end up trapped in Hanzhou like this?"

King Yue's anger could no longer be contained, and he vented his frustration at Tan-xiansheng.

After the appearance of the Hidden Dragon Guards in Hanzhou, King Yue was prepared to leave with his troops but was stopped by Tan-xiansheng, who told him to wait a little longer. He waited and waited until the court sent a large army.

If he hadn't been rescued by Tan-xiansheng and the others, he would have suspected that Shang Junlin's people were playing games with him.

"Why the hurry, Your Highness? The court is currently tied up with the situation in Beimo. How many troops can they spare to come here? Our scouts have reported that there are at most fifty thousand troops outside, which is less than half our numbers. Can they really stop us with just that?

"Your Highness, I advise you not to underestimate Shang Junlin. He has plenty of examples of winning against the odds. It was his victory with fewer troops against a larger force that brought him years of peace after defeating the late Emperor.

"Your Highness, have peace of mind. If you want to succeed, will our troops alone be enough? Your message to your people has been delivered, and once they all arrive, the real show can begin."

King Yue's gaze flickered, and he replied, "Tan-xiansheng is right. I'm being too impatient. I'm just worried that the people of Hanzhou might become dissatisfied with being trapped for so long."

Up until now, King Yue hadn't figured out how many cards these people had up their sleeves. They seemed to be helping him, but their motives were evidently not entirely pure.

King Yue was brought out of prison hastily, and he had too few loyal followers by his side. To achieve their goal, he had to rely on Tan-xiansheng and the people behind him. As for what happened afterward, they could decide when the mission was completed.

"Trivial pests. Those who don't obey can be killed," Tan-xiansheng said indifferently.