Chapter 114:
Jiang Juan frowned, asking very seriously.
Even though he said, “Can you carry me?” and “Do you have the stamina?” and “Can you handle it?” Jiang Juan genuinely believed that Xue Fangli couldn’t manage any of it.
Xue Fangli: “…”
He lifted his eyelids, too lazy to respond, and simply pinched the young man’s face to stop him from talking.
“Your mouth used to be so sweet, full of pleasant words,” Xue Fangli said, “but now you say whatever you think will annoy me.”
“You’re so annoying.”
Jiang Juan, his speech muffled by the pinch, tried to pry Xue Fangli’s hand away. “I’m worried about your health. How is that annoying? I’m just concerned that you might get exhausted.”
Xue Fangli, angered to the point of laughter, his lips curling into a dangerous smile, said, “What if I really am so useless?”
“What can we do,” Jiang Juan said, “even if you can’t manage, we’ll just have to make do.”
Not catching the sarcasm in Xue Fangli’s words, Jiang Juan paused, then comforted him, “It’s okay. You’re just not well right now, a bit weak.”
Once my grandfather’s friend, that divine doctor, arrives, he can help you. Maybe then you’ll get better.
But Jiang Juan didn’t say any of this out loud because he was afraid that even the divine doctor might not be able to help. He didn’t want to tell Xue Fangli about the doctor or his plans just yet, fearing that if his hopes were raised and then dashed, his condition might worsen.
Xue Fangli glanced at Jiang Juan with a half-smile. “You’ll find out sooner or later if I’m capable.”
Jiang Juan sighed, thinking Xue Fangli was just being stubborn. He nodded, giving Xue Fangli some face, and said perfunctorily, “Yes, yes, you’re right. You’re very capable.”
“Want some ice milk curd?”
Jiang Juan raised his hand, offering the ice milk curd to Xue Fangli’s lips, trying to change the subject. “Have a bite, it’s delicious.”
Xue Fangli looked at him for a few moments, thinking the young man was reckless, but ultimately, it was he who had spoiled him.
No matter how irritating Jiang Juan could be, Xue Fangli couldn’t really do anything about it.
He could only remember this moment and plan to teach the young man a lesson once he was well again, letting him know just how vengeful he could be.
Lowering his head, Xue Fangli casually ate the ice milk curd Jiang Juan offered.
Is it delicious?
The young man’s taste should be sweeter and softer than this ice milk curd.
He was the real treat.
When they returned to the palace, the sedan chair stopped in front of Lingguang Hall. Before Jiang Juan could step out, he heard a commotion.
“Empress, please forgive me!”
“Empress—!”
A woman’s sharp voice, tinged with tears, made Jiang Juan pause. He quickly lifted the curtain and saw Chief Steward Wang, sweating profusely, trying to lift Imperial Consort Mei off the ground, repeatedly apologizing. “Imperial Consort Mei, please don’t kneel here. I will report to the Empress later, but please don’t do this.”
Jiang Juan looked confused, unsure why she was seeking his forgiveness. He turned to Xue Fangli, “What’s going on with her?”
Xue Fangli smiled slightly, “Nothing major.”
On the day of the coronation, because Jiang Juan fainted, the ceremony was interrupted, but many things had been prepared in advance, such as the edicts for the princes’ titles and the placement of the consorts.
Imperial Consort Mei’s visit was because Xue Fangli had decreed she should go to Zhao An Temple to accompany the Empress Dowager in a life of meditation and prayer. However, she was unwilling to leave the palace.
As for the Eldest Prince, Xue Fangli had given him a title as usual but sent him far away, with orders not to return to the capital without a summons.
Imperial Consort Mei knew well that her father had already been dealt with, and now it was her and Xue Chaohua’s turn—back when the Eldest Prince was being named, they had instigated Minister Li to speak ill of Jiang Juan.
But Imperial Consort Mei was not willing to accept this fate.
Why should Imperial Consort Ning, another consort, be allowed to remain in the palace, enjoying all the luxuries and rising in status, while she was sent to a temple to live a life of austerity?
And then there was the sixth prince. While her son, Xue Chaohua, had also been granted a title, his fief was not only far away but also impoverished. In contrast, Xue Congyun had been assigned a very wealthy territory and didn’t even have to leave immediately.
It was truly infuriating to compare their situations.
For several days, Imperial Consort Mei had been restless, tossing and turning at night, regretting her actions. She could only watch helplessly as Imperial Consort Ning and Xue Congyun enjoyed the benefits of their connection to Jiang Juan.
Tomorrow, Xue Chaohua was to leave for his fief, and Imperial Consort Mei was also to depart the palace for Zhao An Temple.
Imperial Consort Mei was very reluctant, so when she heard that Jiang Juan had woken up, she gritted her teeth and decided to visit him.
After all, it was her who had offended Jiang Juan, becoming a thorn in the new emperor’s side. Imperial Consort Mei had no choice but to apologize to Jiang Juan, hoping that if he softened, the new emperor might change his decision.
“Why is she crying like that?”
Jiang Juan wasn’t stupid. Besides, he now understood Xue Fangli’s true nature. For Imperial Consort Mei to be crying like this, Xue Fangli must have done something behind the scenes.
Xue Fangli, in a nonchalant tone, said, “I’m just sending her to Zhao An Temple to accompany the Empress Dowager.”
Given Xue Fangli’s poor relationship with the Empress Dowager, he would never be so kind as to send someone to keep her company. Jiang Juan, displeased, said, “If you lie again, you’ll be sleeping elsewhere tonight.”
Seeing that Jiang Juan was about to get angry, Xue Fangli clicked his tongue and said, “When the crown prince was appointed, she, my eldest brother, and Minister Li dared not criticize me, so they had someone speak ill of you instead. Naturally, I had to settle the score with them.”
“Taking her life is something you wouldn’t agree to. Since she gets along well with the Empress Dowager, she can serve her at Zhao An Temple.”
Jiang Juan blinked. “Oh, I see.”
Xue Fangli looked at him. “You heartless little thing.”
Jiang Juan complained, “How am I heartless?”
Xue Fangli chuckled softly. “I help you deal with those who bullied you, and you immediately want to send me away to sleep elsewhere.”
Feeling guilty, Jiang Juan said, “Well, I didn’t know you did it for me.”
No matter what, Xue Fangli always had an excuse. He glanced at Jiang Juan and said leisurely, “I dislike her so much, but I didn’t take her life and even allowed her to leave the palace safely. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
These words sounded reasonable, even making Imperial Consort Mei feel grateful to Xue Fangli.
But in reality, sending Imperial Consort Mei to a temple, where life was hard, was almost like taking half her life. Temples didn’t support idle people; if she wanted to eat, she’d have to work.
Moreover, with Xue Chaohua sent to his fief, mother and son would be separated, rarely seeing each other. Imperial Consort Mei would spend her days pining for her son.
However, Jiang Juan didn’t know these details. He was genuinely fooled and felt very guilty. “…I’m sorry.”
Xue Fangli lowered his eyes. “Just ‘sorry’?”
Jiang Juan: “…”
Feeling it was his fault, Jiang Juan sighed, resignedly straddled Xue Fangli’s lap, and then kissed him awkwardly.
Xue Fangli turned his head aside, not allowing Jiang Juan to kiss him, and said casually, “Just a kiss, and you think you can dismiss me?”
Jiang Juan asked innocently, “…Is that not allowed?”
“Not enough.”
Jiang Juan could only ask, “Then what do you want?”
Xue Fangli extended his hand, holding Jiang Juan by the waist. His gaze was intense, filled with desire. Xue Fangli leaned close to Jiang Juan’s ear, his voice soft and seductive.
“Next time, let me kiss you.”
Jiang Juan’s lashes fluttered, and his fingertips started to flush red.
When Xue Fangli mentioned kissing, it wasn’t just a simple kiss. Previously, when Jiang Juan had been moved to tears by him, Xue Fangli’s kisses had shown a more passionate intent. But Jiang Juan, too shy, had refused him.
If he was to kiss him, then he should be allowed to kiss him all over.
“But…”
“I spared her life out of kindness, and yet you nearly chased me away.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
He didn’t know what else to do but look away, his eyes moist, and said, “Alright then.”
Xue Fangli smiled subtly. He was already taking advantage but still couldn’t resist demanding even a kiss from Jiang Juan.
With the youth sitting in his lap and voluntarily offering a kiss, there was no reason not to accept it.
Xue Fangli held Jiang Juan’s neck and leaned down to kiss him.
Outside the carriage, Imperial Consort Mei continued to wail.
“Empress, I was wrong in the past. They say you are kind-hearted; please forgive me.”
“Empress, you’ve been unconscious for days. I’ve been praying for you. I realize my mistakes, and I truly do.”
Imperial Consort Mei’s words were sincere and seemed heartfelt, but her desperate strategy was bound to fail.
Inside the carriage, the two dignitaries remained silent throughout, and Chief Steward Wang’s face went pale. He assumed they were too annoyed to exit the carriage and hurriedly signaled.
Unable to move her himself, he had to call the Imperial Guards for assistance.
The guards stepped forward, saying “Excuse us,” and hoisted Imperial Consort Mei like a sack of grain, marching her out.
“Let go of me! Let go of me!”
Receiving no response, Imperial Consort Mei, unwilling to leave, started hitting the guards fiercely. Whether it was her struggling too hard or she hit a sensitive spot, one of the guards lost his grip. With a loud thud, Imperial Consort Mei fell heavily to the ground.
The fall caused her face to contort in pain.
Since she had already been thrown outside, the guards ignored her and turned back to the palace. The palace doors slowly began to close.
Imperial Consort Mei was stunned for a moment. She tried to stand but was too injured from the fall to get up. She could only crawl away.
“Empress! Empress——!”
With a loud bang——!
The palace doors shut completely.
Imperial Consort Mei’s plans were thoroughly thwarted.
Staring blankly at the closed doors, Imperial Consort Mei felt all her strength drain away. She nearly collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed with regret.
Why hadn’t she left a way out back then?
But no matter how much she regretted now, it was already too late.
From now on, she would have to stay at Zhao An Temple, constantly surrounded by the dim light of oil lamps, eating only simple meals and reciting Buddhist scriptures.
With Jiang Juan having awakened, everything was expected to return to normal.
After Jiang Juan had rested for a few days, Xue Fangli returned to handling state affairs and was determined not to let Jiang Juan off the hook. He wanted him to come along as well.
Jiang Juan was very reluctant. “But I want to sleep.”
It turned out that Jiang Juan’s excessive sleeping was somewhat related to his unstable state of mind. However, even though his mind was now stable, he still slept a lot.
“It won’t take long.”
Jiang Juan shook his head while sitting on the bed, his brows tightly furrowed, clearly unwilling.
“You’re looking at the memorials. I have nothing to do, so I might as well sleep.”
Xue Fangli said calmly, “Sleeping in my arms is the same.”
Jiang Juan replied, “But why would I choose to sleep in your arms when I have a perfectly good bed?”
“You need to keep me company.”
“I don’t want to.”
Jiang Juan shook his head vigorously, refusing to comply. Seeing this, Xue Fangli looked at him thoughtfully and stood up.
“Then so be it.”
So easy to persuade?
Jiang Juan stole a glance at him, feeling a bit relieved. Just as he was about to lie back down, with his head not yet touching the pillow, he heard a few light coughs.
“Cough, cough.”
Xue Fangli frowned, covering his mouth with his hand, and continued to cough lightly.
Jiang Juan was startled. He practically leaped off the bed and rushed over, “Are you alright? Are you coughing up blood?”
Xue Fangli glanced at him and said in a flat tone, “I’m fine.”
Upon hearing him cough, Jiang Juan’s heart tightened. Even though Xue Fangli said he was fine, Jiang Juan still grabbed his hand. Fortunately, there was no sign of blood, a small relief amidst the misfortune.
“Luckily.”
Despite saying so, Jiang Juan still couldn’t shake his worry. Reluctant to accompany Xue Fangli to read the memorials, he finally said dejectedly, “Fine, I’ll come with you. At least I can keep an eye on you.”
Xue Fangli replied, “There’s no need. I’m not coughing up blood, and Wang Gonggong is here. If anything happens, he will call for the imperial physician”
Jiang Juan said, “Wang Gonggong is Wang Gonggong, but since you say it won’t take long, I’ll stay with you for a while.”
“Anyway……. I can’t sleep now.”
Xue Fangli gently said, “If you don’t want to go, don’t go.”
Jiang Juan was annoyed by his persistence, “I want to go. Wait a moment, I’ll have someone make—” Before he could finish saying “make medicine,” Jiang Juan was lifted off the ground. Xue Fangli smiled slightly and said pleasantly, “You can drink it later.”
Since he said it wouldn’t be long, Jiang Juan didn’t insist, “Alright.”
“Don’t carry me.”
Though Xue Fangli had just finished coughing and hadn’t coughed up blood, Jiang Juan was still worried and didn’t want him to carry him, fearing it might drain his strength too much. “Put me down.”
Xue Fangli knew exactly what Jiang Juan was thinking. “I’m strong enough to carry you.”
Jiang Juan reassured him, “Yes, I know you can carry me. Just put me down first. Once we’re there, you can carry ne properly, so it won’t be hard on you.”
Xue Fangli: “………”
He slowly lowered his head, looking into Jiang Juan’s eyes. Jiang Juan sincerely said, “Don’t overexert yourself.”
After a few seconds of silence, Xue Fangli did not release him. With no expression, he carried Jiang Juan and walked away.
To Jiang Juan, this only proved one thing.
— The prince, or rather, His Majesty, really had a strong sense of pride.
Why did he always have to be so stubborn?
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