Chapter 15
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The chief steward: “……”
After saying that His Highness is a good person, now he even warned His Highness not to offend people recklessly.
The chief steward’s expression cracked again.
It’s one thing for His Royal Consort to speak boldly, but for His Highness to actually heed his advice is quite unexpected.
He couldn’t help but mumble to himself, finding it hard to understand. Jiang Juan didn’t see anything wrong with his words. Hearing His Highness agree so readily, Jiang Juan couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Your Highness, you’re not a bad person at all. Why do people in the capital say such things about you?”
Xue Fangli asked knowingly, “Hmm? How do they describe me?”
Wary of hurting him, Jiang Juan chose his words carefully and vaguely responded, “They say you’re a bad guy.”
“So it’s like this,” Xue Fangli lamented, “Perhaps they have misunderstood me.”
Jiang Juan sighed, feeling the same way. With deep sympathy, he said, “It’s okay, Your Highness. We all know you’re not like that.”
By using “we,” Jiang Juan not only included himself but also the chief steward and others. After speaking, he glanced at the chief steward, indicating that he should say something to comfort His Highness as well. After all, being misunderstood is quite distressing.
The chief steward hesitated for a moment, then relented, his expression wooden. “Yes, Your Highness, we all know you’re not like that. Whatever they say outside, you don’t need to take it to heart.”
Xue Fangli smiled gently. “I understand.”
The chief steward: “……”
Sigh. It’s true what they say—money is hard to earn, and sometimes you have to swallow your pride. All for the sake of the young ladies from Hongxiu Pavillion.
Jiang Juan felt that Xue Fangli didn’t need to hold him anymore after Minister Jiang and Jiang Nian left. He said to Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, they’ve left, so you don’t need to hold me anymore.”
After a moment of thought, Jiang Juan added, “Or should I go back to the other courtyard now?”
He hadn’t rested well and wanted to go back to catch up on sleep. He felt cramped sleeping on the beauty’s couch, fearing he might fall off.
However, Xue Fangli seemed to ignore his words.
The young man sat in his arms, with a faint scent of herbs lingering in his breath. His mind was unusually calm for a long time, and he didn’t mind being so close to the young man. In fact, he even found it somewhat enjoyable.
After a moment, Xue Fangli finally spoke, but it was to Jiang Juan, saying, “Let’s talk after we finish our meal.”
Jiang Juan’s stomach also growled with hunger. Faced with the choice between returning to the other courtyard and filling his stomach first, he chose the latter without hesitation. “Alright.”
Hesitating for a moment, Jiang Juan reiterated, “Your Highness, I can sit by myself, really.”
Xue Fangli glanced at him and admonished, “Don’t move.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
Was he some kind of human-shaped cushion?
Jiang Juan felt awkward, but he didn’t dare to struggle too much. He could only comfort himself silently.
Forget it.
His Highness doesn’t have much time left, and what he says goes.
Being held for a while is nothing. Anyway, his tenure as the Royal Consort won’t last long. Just endure it, and it will pass.
Jiang Juan comforted himself, and the chief steward had already begun to prepare the table. The maidservants came in one after another, serving a variety of appetizers and fruits.
Jiang Juan glanced around and noticed lychees, but before he could reach for one, a maid hurriedly plucked one and softly said, “Your Highness, let me peel it for you.”
Jiang Juan was taken aback for a moment. Before he could say anything, the maid skillfully peeled the fruit and fed it to him. He could only open his mouth and take a bite.
The translucent flesh was bitten open, juices flowing out and staining Jiang Juan’s lips, making them appear even more lustrous.
Jiang Juan wanted to be a salted fish but having someone feed him food was a bit excessive. He was not adapted to having people serve him food. He shook his head and told the maid: “You don’t need to bother, I’ll do——” Before he could finish speaking, the maid had already peeled another lychee, hesitatingly looking at him upon hearing his words. Neither putting it down nor offering it seemed right.
Seeing this, Jiang Juan had no choice but to eat that lychee too. He said, “You don’t need to bother, I’ll do it myself.”
Xue Fangli seemed uninterested in the food on the table, instead staring at Jiang Juan’s lips for a long time. When the maid was about to feed Jiang Juan another lychee, he calmly said, “This one isn’t sweet. Eat this one instead.”
He also picked a lychee, elegantly peeled it, and extended it towards Jiang Juan.
The chief steward, witnessing this, was utterly bewildered.
They all looked the same, how could His Highness tell which one wasn’t sweet?
Moreover, these lychees were handpicked and swiftly transported from Southern Xinjiang to the capital upon the palace’s request, meticulously selected to ensure each one was ripe and sweet.
Of course, what shocked the chief steward even more was that their Royal Highness was willing to serve others food.
This was unheard of in the past.
Jiang Juan didn’t know what the chief steward was thinking, but he was also conflicted—he injured his foot, not his hand, so he didn’t need to be fed. However, Xue Fangli had already offered it, and out of social courtesy, Jiang Juan still opened his mouth.
The lychee flesh was translucent and sparkling, wetting Jiang Juan’s lips. His originally pale lips now glistened with a watery sheen, looking moist and inviting.
His lips, for some reason, seemed even more delectable than the lychee itself, appearing softer and sweeter.
Xue Fangli watched as Jiang Juan bit into the whole lychee. Without retracting his hand, he casually brushed against Jiang Juan’s lips, his fingertip lingering there as if by accident.
It’s really soft.
He dust doesn’t know how it tastes.
Jiang Juan was startled. He couldn’t even bite into the lychee properly, puffing out his cheeks. He glanced at Xue Fangli and asked in confusion, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Xue Fangli’s tone remained calm. “It’s got juice on it.”
Jiang Juan replied with an “Oh” and didn’t think much of it. But as he subconsciously tried to lick his lips, his tongue suddenly touched something, and Jiang Juan’s eyes widened abruptly.
Xue Fangli also froze for a moment.
The soft tip of Jiang Juan’s tongue licked his fingertips, moist and warm, the sensation so soft that it tickled his heart.
Xue Fangli didn’t say anything. He calmly withdrew his hand. But Jiang Juan felt utterly embarrassed. In his mind, he blacklisted the lychee. Yet, just after finishing one, Xue Fangli brought another one over.
Jiang Juan: “…”
Xue Fangli: “Eat.”
No. He couldn’t take it anymore. Jiang Juan tried to remind him, “Your Highness, my hands are fine. You don’t need to feed me.”
“Alright,” Xue Fangli nodded, not paying much heed to his words. “Eat this one.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
The two exchanged glances, but Jiang Juan still complied. He slowly took a bite, unsure of how to express that he really didn’t need to be fed.
Almost the entire plate of lychees was fed to Jiang Juan by Xue Fangli. When his fingers reached into the empty tray, Xue Fangli clicked his tongue lightly, with a hint of regret.
He asked Jiang Juan, “How were the lychees?”
Jiang Juan replied happily, “Very sweet.”
Xue Fangli glanced at the chief steward, and the chief steward immediately understood, saying, “I will have someone send more from Nanjiang.”
Xue Fangli responded with a simple “Hmm.”
Jiang Juan had eaten quite a few lychees, but by the time the table was set and the dishes were served—abundant in both variety and flavor— he found himself full after just a few bites.
Full and satisfied, Jiang Juan only wanted to catch up on sleep. He said to Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, I want to go back to sleep.”
Xue Fangli casually replied, “Sleep here.”
Jiang Juan shook his head. “The couch is too narrow. I’m afraid of falling off.”
Xue Fangli suggested, “Then sleep on the bed.”
Jiang Juan shook his head even more vigorously at the suggestion. If he slept on the bed, Xue Fangli couldn’t possibly sleep on the couch. That meant they would have to share the bed, and Jiang Juan disliked sharing a bed with anyone. He insisted, “I’ll go back to sleep.”
“You didn’t sleep well last night…”
Xue Fangli lowered his eyelids, not answering. Jiang Juan waited for a moment, and when he got no response, he gently removed Xue Fangli’s hand from around his waist and moved away from his embrace.
In that moment, the emptiness filled the space once occupied by Jiang Juan, and the sweet fragrance faded away to nothing. The suppressed restlessness and frustration surged back into Xue Fangli’s heart, and he closed his eyes for a moment.
He didn’t really want Jiang Juan to leave.
But he was supposed to be a “good person.”
Knowing Lan Ting was just a girl, Jiang Juan couldn’t expect her to carry him back. He casually pointed to one of the guards and asked, “Can you escort me back to the other courtyard?”
The guard could escort Jiang Juan back, but without Xue Fangli’s approval, he didn’t dare to leave on his own. He asked for Xue Fangli’s opinion, “May I escort His Royal Consort back to the other courtyard, Your Highness?”
Xue Fangli remained calm and nodded, “Yes, escort him.”
Following the command, the guard lifted Jiang Juan onto his back, with Lan Ting trailing alongside. Throughout the journey, there was a watchful gaze on Jiang Juan, but he remained oblivious.
Once the door was closed, Xue Fangli withdrew his gaze with a sigh.
Inside the pavilion, only the maids stood quietly with hands folded, and the atmosphere was quiet and empty.
Despite the elaborate spread on the table, Jiang Juan had barely eaten, and Xue Fangli hadn’t touched his chopsticks much either. Glancing over the food, he still had little appetite and spoke softly, “Clear the table.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the maids immediately got busy. Xue Fangli felt restless throughout. He added, “Light the incense.”
Before long, the familiar scent filled the air, a fragrance he had grown accustomed to. Yet, at this moment, Xue Fangli found it unsettling.
The scent was too strong, too chaotic.
Xue Fangli had relied on this incense to soothe himself through many days and nights, but now it failed to quell his restlessness. Even a moment of peace seemed beyond reach.
The simmering agitation from within surged forth, and the restless feeling permeated his very being, leaving Xue Fangli devoid of tranquility. With a weary sigh, he lifted his hand, and from within his robes, his pinky finger hooked onto a sachet of incense.
A vermilion sachet.
It was given to him by Jiang Juan last night.
Xue Fangli lifted the sachet and gave it a light sniff. The scent of the youth had long faded, leaving behind only the original fragrance of the sachet—a mix of peony, orchid, and cassia seeds.
It’s still chaotic.
He tightened his grip on the sachet, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, he couldn’t fathom why he was trying to be a good person, or why he should bother being one at all.
Absurd and laughable.
After who knows how long, the chief steward finished his tasks and gently pushed open the door, only to be met with a pair of blood-red eyes. He jumped in fright, stuttering for a while before managing to say, “Y-your Highness…”
Xue Fangli toyed with the sachet in his hand, his tone teasing, “Go to the other courtyard.”
“Tell the Royal Consort that his sachet from yesterday is lost, and ask him for another one.”
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