Chapter 117:
It turns out, being good is really hard.
Jiang Juan was still in a daze when Xue Fangli kissed him. Given what he had said, Jiang Juan was reluctant to let him kiss, pushing him away with his hands, but without success.
“We should talk things out, stop acting like this…”
Jiang Juan tried to resist, but Xue Fangli laughed lightly, easily pinning Jiang Juan’s hands above his head. He asked lazily, “What is there to talk about?”
Jiang Juan composed himself and replied, “We can talk about anything. During the days I was unconscious, did you do anything besides pray at the pagoda?”
His awkward attempt to change the subject was truly pitiful. Xue Fangli glanced at Jiang Juan and, with his free hand, removed his hairpin.
Jiang Juan’s dark hair fell, cascading around his neck. He looked dazed and innocent, lying on the soft couch, his breath sweet.
Xue Fangli lifted Jiang Juan’s chin and kissed him.
This time was different from before. Given the imminent danger, Jiang Juan bit his lips tightly, fearing that he might get carried away. But no matter how tightly he bit, Xue Fangli had a way to pry open his lips.
Their lips met, soft and warm, followed by a gentle, passionate kiss. The sensation was intensely intimate and even a bit ticklish.
Jiang Juan instinctively licked his lips.
That single action allowed Xue Fangli to deepen the kiss.
Jiang Juan: “…”
Damn.
Regret was futile. With his hands restrained and his chin gently lifted, Jiang Juan was forced to accept Xue Fangli’s advances, enduring the intimate intrusion.
Before long, Jiang Juan’s gaze grew soft and moist.
But Xue Fangli stopped kissing him and sat up.
Freed from the restraint, Jiang Juan’s hands were no longer held down, yet he couldn’t help himself.
“I still want to kiss.”
Jiang Juan loved kissing; for him, it was the best way to show affection and it made him happy.
However, Xue Fangli refused. Calmly, he said, “Did you not want to know what I did during the days you were unconscious?”
Jiang Juan: “…”
“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to know anymore.”
“I want to tell you.”
This bad guy was doing it on purpose.
Jiang Juan felt utterly hopeless.
He slowly got up, thought for a moment, then straddled Xue Fangli’s lap, looked up, and asked, “You really don’t want to kiss me?”
As he spoke, Jiang Juan licked his lips.
His lips were naturally pale, so once kissed, they turned a deep, noticeable red. After being kissed for a long time, Jiang Juan’s lips were now red and soft, with a hint of moisture, like rose petals touched by morning dew, subtly exuding a fragrant aura.
Xue Fangli knew exactly how sweet the young man’s lips were.
He looked down but did not respond. Jiang Juan had no choice but to lean in, mimicking Xue Fangli’s earlier actions, and rubbed his lips against Xue Fangli’s repeatedly.
Xue Fangli still showed no reaction.
After trying for a long while, Jiang Juan got tired. He felt that Xue Fangli was truly inhuman; he had insisted on kissing, only to abandon him halfway, with malicious intent.
Yet, despite the malice, it was Jiang Juan who was now seeking the kiss.
After looking at Xue Fangli for a long time, Jiang Juan lowered his head and took one of Xue Fangli’s hands, fiddling with his fingers, surrendering, “As long as you kiss me, you can do whatever you want.”
“But… if it’s too painful, then stop.”
Jiang Juan added nervously.
He said this, but he was genuinely shy. After speaking, he didn’t dare to lift his head, his eyelashes gently drooping, while his heart raced.
After waiting for a while, Xue Fangli still didn’t speak. Jiang Juan looked up curiously, only to find himself staring into Xue Fangli’s dark eyes, which were brimming with desire, almost scaring Jiang Juan.
“You…”
His heart skipped a beat, and Jiang Juan felt a bit of regret. At the same time, Xue Fangli tightly grasped his waist and asked, “You want me to do whatever I want?”
Even in this situation, Xue Fangli still asked. Jiang Juan, unwilling to answer, retorted, “You’re asking so much. Can’t you?”
In such a moment, Jiang Juan still dared to provoke, and Xue Fangli looked at him with a faint smile, his voice husky, “You’ll find out soon enough whether I can or not.”
In the next moment, Jiang Juan was pressed back onto the soft couch, and Xue Fangli kissed him again.
In the daze, his clothing was pulled open, and his clothes scattered across the floor.
……
That day, Xue Fangli physically demonstrated whether he could or not.
Jiang Juan also realized that he had thought he had been mistreated badly before, but compared to today, it was nothing. When Xue Fangli really started to mistreat him, Jiang Juan could only lie in his arms, whimpering and biting his shoulder.
That day, Jiang Juan also cried for a long time.
He was already afraid of pain, and it was genuinely painful. Jiang Juan was on the verge of breaking down, his eyes and lips turning an alarming red from crying, and even his fingers gripping the thin blanket were reddened.
In the end, Jiang Juan, with tears in his eyes and a choked voice, said to Xue Fangli, “You just want to hurt me to death.”
He had initially planned to end things with Xue Fangli, but after being thoroughly worn out, Jiang Juan really didn’t want to continue with him.
Once everything was over, when Xue Fangli picked Jiang Juan up again, Jiang Juan had developed a reflexive reaction. He was so frightened that his eyelashes trembled, and his whole body conveyed resistance, “Go away.”
Xue Fangli lowered his eyes, “What are you afraid of?”
How could he even ask? Jiang Juan pursed his lips, turned his head away, not wanting to respond. Xue Fangli smiled slightly and asked with a tone almost mocking, “Are you afraid I’ll hold you again—”
“Don’t say that.”
Jiang Juan hurriedly covered his lips, almost in a fit of embarrassment and anger.
Xue Fangli chuckled softly. His dark hair fell loosely, and his lips were bright red. Under these intense colors, his complexion appeared extremely pale, but there was no trace of illness in his eyes, only endless joy and satisfaction.
He was satisfied, but Jiang Juan felt wilted.
After all, he had been overworked.
“I’m just taking you to bathe. What are you imagining?”
Xue Fangli leaned down to kiss Jiang Juan’s eyelashes. Jiang Juan had truly been mistreated and excessively pampered, his face still misty with moisture, his color strikingly vibrant, and he looked wilted like a crumpled begonia petal.
“You said it’s just a bath, nothing else.”
Jiang Juan emphasized again, but his voice still carried a sobbing tone, lacking any deterrent force.
As for whether he was truly only going for a bath or if there were other activities, who knew? In any case, for the next several nights, the new empress insisted on staying at Prince Li’s Royal Consort and refused to return to the palace.
The new emperor had to sleep alone for several days.
This was a hard time for Chief Steward Wang, who had to come over several times a day and also inquire about the situation.
Had the new empress calmed down?
Would the new empress return to the palace?
Would the new emperor continue to sleep alone?
After five days, Jiang Juan had calmed down and was finally preparing to return to the palace.
Before leaving, he first went to visit Bai Xuechao and then specifically sought out Divine Doctor Hua to apologize.
At that time, Divine Doctor Hua was fishing. Seeing Jiang Juan arrive, he quickly put down his fishing rod and was about to greet him when Jiang Juan stopped him, “There’s no need.”
Divine Doctor Hua didn’t refuse and stood up, looking at Jiang Juan, and asked understandingly, “Are you going back to the palace?”
Jiang Juan nodded, awkwardly saying, “He’s waiting for me.”
“It’s good to return early,” Divine Doctor Hua nodded, “You shouldn’t pretend to be ill in the future; it’s inauspicious.”
Since Divine Doctor Hua had brought it up, Jiang Juan felt embarrassed and said, “I’m really sorry about that day.”
“I was too impatient, so I forgot to have someone report it first and just kicked the door open and barged in.”
Having apologized for himself, Jiang Juan didn’t forget Xue Fangli. He explained to Divine Doctor Hua, “He—His Majesty is the same. Every time I don’t want to do something, I pretend to be ill, but I have so many things I don’t want to do that the pretense happens quite frequently…”
Jiang Juan’s voice grew softer and softer, “He’s always very worried about me, so as soon as he heard you were coming, he rushed over immediately, and then he… wasn’t very polite.”
It wasn’t just a lack of politeness.
Xue Fangli had acted directly.
Jiang Juan lowered his head, feeling quite guilty. After all, Divine Doctor Hua was a friend of Bai Xuechao and had come all the way to the capital. Yet, they had caused such a scene, which was truly embarrassing.
“The empress need not worry. There is no need to blame yourself.”
After hearing Jiang Juan’s words, Divine Doctor Hua smiled gently and said, “Actually, it’s also my fault. At first, I didn’t know His Majesty’s identity and just thought he was difficult to deal with. I didn’t want to get involved in trouble, so I claimed that my medical skills were not proficient. I said if you really needed me to come, I would have to prepare a coffin in advance. Upon hearing this, His Majesty was immediately furious.”
Divine Doctor Hua shook his head and then comforted Jiang Juan, “Moreover, His Majesty has already apologized to me.”
He sighed contentedly, “Not only did His Majesty reward me with a lot of precious medicinal materials, but he also sent me many good things. It was enough for me to make some trades. I would be happy if he called on me again. Empress need not worry about it any longer.”
Seeing that Divine Doctor Hua genuinely didn’t mind, Jiang Juan felt relieved and said goodbye, “Then… I’ll be leaving now?”
Divine Doctor Hua nodded, but as Jiang Juan was about to leave, Divine Doctor Hua suddenly remembered something and called him back.
“Wait a moment.”
Jiang Juan turned around, and Divine Doctor Hua smiled, “Originally, I didn’t want to come to the capital. After all, it’s too far away, and it’s summer, with frequent rains, making it very busy.”
Jiang Juan didn’t understand why he was saying this and asked, “Then why did you come to the capital?”
“Because of you.”
Divine Doctor Hua bowed to Jiang Juan and explained, “Every summer, the south experiences heavy rains. When luck is good, only a few villages are washed away. When luck is bad, not only villages but also large areas of farmland can be submerged. So every summer, I travel around to treat illnesses for villagers.”
“This year, the rains in the south have been even heavier than before. If not for the empress, many places in the south would have suffered disasters. I would have been unable to leave for the capital. I am currently rushing around everywhere.”
Jiang Juan was confused and asked, “Huh? How does the south’s situation relate to me?”
Divine Doctor Hua praised, “The empress truly has a discerning eye. You discovered Lord Xie at the Imperial Stables and repeatedly recommended him. That’s why Lord Xie went south to manage the water control.”
Jiang Juan was taken aback and realized he was referring to Xie Bai Lu when he said Lord Xie.
Jiang Juan said, “I just… happened to be there?”
Divine Doctor Hua waved his hand, “The empress need not be modest. Your concern for the world and your deep understanding of righteousness are great blessings for our great Ming!”
Jiang Juan: “……..”
How could he explain this?
There was no way to explain it.
Jiang Juan was dumbfounded.
Divine Doctor Hua continued, “So, Brother Bai said that the empress needed me, and I rushed to the capital immediately, hoping to do my small part to repay the empress.”
Jiang Juan blinked, never expecting such a reason. After a long pause, he said, “Sorry for troubling you with the trip.”
Divine Doctor Hua replied, “It’s no trouble. As long as you’re well, that’s enough.”
Jiang Juan thanked him again before leaving Prince Li Residence.
Outside the residence, the sedan chair had been waiting for a long time. Chief Steward Wang was looking around anxiously. When he saw Jiang Juan come out, his face brightened, and he hurried over to assist him.
Jiang Juan shook his head, indicating that it wasn’t necessary, and climbed into the sedan chair by himself.
As soon as he got into the sedan chair, he was pulled into an embrace. Without needing to look, he knew who it was. Jiang Juan glanced at him, and Xue Fangli lowered his gaze, “Going back?”
Jiang Juan nodded.
Although he had calmed down, he still tried to maintain a cold demeanor when facing Xue Fangli. However, Jiang Juan couldn’t stay cold for long. As soon as he made eye contact with Xue Fangli, he couldn’t help but smile.
Jiang Juan’s eyes curved softly, and his lips also curved up. He looked at Xue Fangli with bright eyes and said, “Yes, we’re going home.”
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