The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

62

"It's because it happened in front of me. It was someone from my palace that hurt them." Shen Yu looked down, suppressing the coldness in his eyes. "The best thing to do with that kind of scum is dispose of them."

"Ah Yu can decide everything." Shang JunLin stroked the hair on the young man's forehead. "This emperor said you could deal with the matter yourself. This emperor won't interfere."

Shen Yu had already made a decision, and he turned to something else. "Your Majesty, how is the Grand Commandant's matter proceeding?"

"After being interrogated, the Grand Commandant confessed. Apparently, the King of Yue told him to do it."

Shen Yu looked up and exchanged glances with Shang JunLin. He smiled and said, "The King of Yue probably wasn't expecting such a big 'surprise' during his stay in prison."

"Someone will accidentally reveal it to him in a few days. When that happens, he'll be even more anxious to get out."

After all, while he was in prison, he was at the mercy of his enemies.

The King of Yue waited anxiously for several days. Instead of hearing that Shang JunLin had decided to release him, he heard from a jailer with a loose tongue that he was the one who'd given instructions to the Grand Commandant to commit fraud.

"What did you just say?!" The King of Yue clenched his fists. His widened eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Ah..." The jailer, realizing he'd spoken out of turn, went pale. His superiors had specifically ordered him not to give the King of Yue any news from outside.

"How could anyone believe such an outrageous story?! I gave orders to the Grand Commandant, really? How could I tell him to do anything?" At first the King of Yue thought it was absurd, but the more he considered it, the worse his face became.

He'd done a lot of little things in secret, but this was something he hadn't touched at all. None of his major plots had succeeded yet. There was no way he'd left such a big opening for Shang JunLin!

"He did it on purpose." The King of Yue squeezed his fingertips white. "He's deliberately framing me. That way he can ignore Imperial Father's last orders and attack me with impunity!

"I want to see His Majesty! I didn't do it. I won't admit to anything!"

The King of Yue made a fuss in his cell. Eventually, the guards had no choice but to report it to their higher-ups.

"The King of Yue is a determined man. He went on a hunger strike and even tried to harm himself." Shang JunLin put down the confidential report with an obvious chill in his eyes.

Shen Yu walked over, picked up the report, and looked at it. "It's not surprising. He knows that Your Majesty won't let him die in prison under unclear circumstances. If he fights hard enough, he might be able to free himself, but if he sits and waits for death, it really is the end for him."

Rumors were flying, and the King of Yue's people weren't able to contact him. With no instructions, all they could do was run around in circles.

"What should we do?"

"Is His Highness really responsible for that?"

A few members of the King of Yue's inner circle exchanged glances with each other, then shook their heads.

"If His Highness did it, he wouldn't have hidden it from all of us. There's only one conclusion—His Highness has been framed!"

"His Highness has always had a good reputation. He's gentle and polite to everyone. There are no faults whatsoever in his deportment. Who could have such a big grudge against His Highness that they want to force him to his death?"