Chapter 16
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When the chief steward rushed to the other courtyard, Jiang Juan hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He was lying on the table while Lan Ting held a small brazier to warm his hair.
Relieved that Jiang Juan hadn’t slept yet, the chief steward hurriedly said, “Your Royal Consort, Your Royal Consort—!”
Jiang Juan lifted his head, his dark hair cascading down his shoulders as he asked blankly, “What’s wrong?”
“Yesterday, didn’t you give a sachet to His Highness?” the chief steward asked. “During the chaos last night, the sachet was lost. His Highness asked me to come and request another one from you.”
Jiang Juan naturally didn’t have it anymore. The one he had was taken off by Lan Ting to be worn by him, but Jiang Juan found the scent too strong and took it off again, which Lan Ting then put away.
Jiang Juan replied truthfully, “I don’t have more.”
Seeing the chief steward’s distressed expression, Jiang Juan asked, “Is His Highness okay?”
The chief steward himself hadn’t quite figured out what His Highness was up to, so he didn’t dare to speculate. He could only force a smile and say, “If there isn’t any, then forget about it. This servant will go back to report to His Highness.”
With that, the chief steward hurriedly left, leaving Jiang Juan to slump back onto the table, feeling worried despite his lack of energy.
His Highness needs another sachet?
Is he okay?
As Lan Ting finished drying Jiang Juan’s hair, she spoke softly, “Young Master, you can go to sleep now.”
Jiang Juan could have easily fallen asleep right away, but now he had something on his mind again. He lay down on the bed, but falling asleep proved to be quite difficult.
For quite some time, Jiang Juan sat up with the thin blanket wrapped around him. Due to his limited mobility, he asked Lanting, “Lan Ting, can you go and see what’s wrong with His Highness?”
“…Forget it.”
Jiang Juan sighed. He was just a “salted fish” after all, and he shouldn’t be trying so hard.
.
The chief steward returned empty-handed, quite shaken. He spoke softly, keeping his head low: “Your Highness, the Royal Consort said the sachet is no more…”
“Hmm.”
A faint response devoid of emotion. Glancing sneakily, the chief steward saw Xue Fangli leaning against the couch, looking indifferent. The ink-black hair cascaded, contrasting with his pale skin and crimson lips, exuding a cold elegance.
After a while, Xue Fangli suddenly asked the chief steward, “What kind of person do you think the Royal Consort is?”
“The Royal Consort, he…”
In just a few days, the chief steward’s perception of Jiang Juan had changed considerably. Coupled with his awareness of the special attitude Xue Fangli had towards Jiang Juan, he answered cautiously, “The Royal Consort has a pure and kind heart, and also… quite fearless.”
It wasn’t clear which word pleased Xue Fangli, but he suddenly chuckled softly. “He’s unafraid of those he should fear, but strangely afraid of those he shouldn’t.”
But this moment of amusement was short-lived. As the words fell, Xue Fangli’s smile faded, and he twirled the thin string of the sachet before speaking again, “Since he has a pure heart, do you think he will come back to see me?”
There was only one sachet, and Xue Fangli naturally knew that.
His excuse for asking for the sachet was merely to let the youth know that someone was suffering.
If the youth didn’t come, so be it. But if he softened his heart and did come…
Xue Fangli lowered his eyelids.
His words sounded like a question to the chief steward, yet also just something said in passing.
The chief steward was momentarily taken aback by his words, a strange thought rising in his mind.
——So, His Highness just wants to see the Royal Consort?
But considering the Royal Consorts mobility issues, the chief steward didn’t think he would come. Still, he hesitantly responded, “Perhaps?”
Xue Fangli remained silent, and the atmosphere in the pavilion fell into an uneasy silence once again, so quiet it was unsettling.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The next moment, without any warning, someone knocked on the door.
The chief steward abruptly lifted his head, while Xue Fangli still wore his indifferent demeanor, seemingly uninterested in who the visitor might be, until a faint voice came through.
“… Your Highness.”
Xue Fangli lifted his crimson lips, emitting a satisfied sigh. “My little Bodhisattva has come to rescue me from my suffering again.”
The chief steward dared not respond, merely standing in place with hands downcast.
“Your Highness?”
Outside the door, Jiang Juan called out once more.
He couldn’t walk, so he had to ask the guards to bring him over again. Jiang Juan felt hopeless. All he wanted was to be a carefree salted fish, but he couldn’t help worrying.
Jiang Juan decided to get over it.
After all, His Highness treated him well, and his care at the end was reasonable and heartfelt. A moment of effort, a lifetime of happiness. It was worth it.
With a “creak,” the chief steward opened the door. Jiang Juan didn’t even bother to greet him, just furrowing his brow as he asked Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Xue Fangli looked up at him.
The young man had fair skin, a delicate and almost translucent white. His eyelashes cast dim shadows on the bottom of his eyes, mingling with a faint bluish hue, revealing his fatigue without reservation.
They locked eyes, worry and unease almost spilling out from Jiang Juan’s gaze.
The youth had come for him.
His eyes were filled with him.
It had to be said, at this moment, Xue Fangli was enjoying it.
He smiled faintly, not answering directly, but maintaining his usual demeanor. “Weren’t you supposed to rest? Why have you come again?”
Pausing for a moment, Xue Fangli seemed to recall something, and asked with a hint of apology, “Did I disturb you by sending someone to fetch the sachet?”
“Not really, I haven’t slept yet,” Jiang Juan shook his head, furrowing his brows as he asked, “Why do you need the sachet?”
“Just an old weakness,” Xue Fangli replied casually, “The scent of your sachet is refreshing. I wanted to subdue it a bit.”
An old weakness?
Was it coughing up blood?
Jiang Juan was just thinking when Xue Fangli suddenly coughed lightly, his cough sounding urgent, and crimson blood stains seeped from between his pale fingers.
Jiang Juan was startled, “Your Highness…”
Xue Fangli closed his eyes lightly, his tone flat, “It’s nothing.”
He didn’t seem like it was nothing at all. Worriedly, Jiang Juan said, “There’s a lot of blood. Please call Imperial Physician Sun to take a look.”
“It’s not necessary,” Xue Fangli insisted, “Whether he takes a look at it or not, it’s all the same.”
Jiang Juan persisted, “It is necessary.”
“If the cough persists, I can call Imperial Physician Sun later,” Xue Fangli said, lowering his eyelids, “Let’s forget about the sachet. You should go back and rest.”
“But…”
Jiang Juan couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being brushed off. After hesitating for a moment, since he was already here, he asked Xue Fangli, “Can I not go back? Could you spare me some space on the bed?”
“You don’t allow anyone to watch over you when you sleep. So if you cough up blood again, I’ll notice.”
Upon hearing this, Xue Fangli didn’t immediately respond. Jiang Juan added, “Just a little space is enough. I won’t take up too much… Sleeping on the couch is really uncomfortable.”
After a while, Xue Fangli lightly pressed his bitten tongue against his upper palate, then sighed and smiled faintly. “As you wish.”
He had repeated it many times; he wasn’t a good person. But the youth didn’t believe, so he had to play the role of a good person.
In reality, he was cruel, impatient, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
He didn’t cough up blood; his only ailment was madness, something only the youth could cure. But Xue Fangli didn’t mind letting the youth continue to misunderstand.
Let it be seen as compassion.
It was the youth’s own soft heart, and it was the youth’s own choice to save others from suffering.
.
Yongning Palace.
Xue Congyun sat with his legs crossed on the grandmaster’s chair. Xia Gonggong summoned some servants to bring several boxes and opened them one by one. He smiled obsequiously at Xue Congyun and asked, “Master, how about these?”
Xue Congyun glanced over them. “No good.”
Xia Gonggong paused, then lifted a pink lotus cup. “Master, is this one also not suitable?”
“I said no,” Xue Congyun replied impatiently. “These are nothing special. Can’t you find something more unique that even bumpkins haven’t seen before?”
Since the last time he encountered Jiang Juan in the palace, Xue Congyun had been feeling quite upset. If he looked down on this country bumpkin, Xue Congyun was determined to find some treasures to broaden Jiang Juan’s horizons.
Xia Gonggong pondered for a moment and asked, “Master, how about the coral tree that the Empress Dowager rewarded you with last time?”
Xue Congyun sneered, “Who hasn’t seen coral before?”
Xia Gonggong: “Then… what about the golden-inlaid jade bowl you obtained from His Majesty?”
Xue Congyun: “No good!”
Xue Congyun glared at him. “I have so many things in my warehouse, and you can’t think of a few interesting ones?”
“There are indeed some,” Xia Gonggong hesitated, “Master, you have the golden cicada with jade leaves, and a jade peacock. These two items, I think, are quite good, but…”
Upon hearing this, Xue Congyun also remembered them, immediately agreeing, “Those are the ones. Quick, fetch them for me. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go and show that country bumpkin a thing or two!”
However, Xia Gonggong remained unmoved. Xue Congyun urged him, “Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?”
Xia Gonggong had to remind him, “Master, did you forget? The Second Young Master’s birthday is coming up soon. Weren’t you keeping those specifically as a gift for him?”
Xue Congyun indeed forgot about it. He complained, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Xia Gonggong was truly innocent, but he had no choice but to accept it. “Shall I go to the warehouse and see if there’s anything similar?”
For Jiang Nian’s birthday, Xue Congyun naturally prepared the finest treasures. After some consideration, he decided, “Forget it, there’s still a month until Brother Nian’s birthday. Let’s put it aside for now. Go and fetch the Golden Cicada Jade Leaves and the Jade Peacock for me.”
The world was vast, and he had to make that country bumpkin impressed first.
His cursed competitiveness!
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