Chapter 24
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Xue Fanglei was taken aback.
An indescribable emotion surged within him. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, intense and yet burning.
At this moment, the wind was calm, the banners unmoved, yet something seemed to be in turmoil.
Jiang Juan, unaware of this, suddenly remembered something. “Ah,” he exclaimed, “Your Highness, you don’t seem to believe in spirits and gods, so let’s forget about it.”
Xue Fanglei just stared at him for a long time before finally asking Jiang Juan, “Does it hurt?”
“What?” Jiang Juan blinked, then quickly realized he was asking about the pain in his hand. He hesitated for a moment before replying, “It’s fine, doesn’t hurt.”
“You’re lying again.”
Xue Fangli’s tone was light and steady, his expression inscrutable. “If it doesn’t hurt, why are you crying?”
Jiang Juan, not feeling guilty about being caught on the spot, replied very confidently, “I’m naturally afraid of pain.”
After a pause, he stopped pretending and earnestly pleaded, “Your Highness, can you be gentler next time?”
Due to his heart condition, Jiang Juan had undergone several surgeries, large and small. After the effects of anesthesia wore off, he would often be in excruciating pain, causing him to lose his senses and grab onto anything nearby, often the hands of his family members. Therefore, he could empathize with Xue Fangli very well.
After he finished speaking, silence fell, a long and enduring silence.
“Okay.”
After a long while, Xue Fangli finally spoke up. He said calmly, “I don’t believe in ghosts and gods, but… this is your good fortune.”
“I want it.”
Jiang Juan looked at him, raised his hand, and gently touched Xue Fangli’s hair. He said softly, “I’ll give you all my blessings. Your Highness, you’ll have no worries in the future.”
As for a prosperous future, it was probably unlikely given His Highness’s current condition. They could only hope for better luck in the next life.
Jiang Juan sighed. He had finished counting the Buddhas. He then said to Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, we can leave now.”
“Okay.”
Xue Fangli didn’t take Jiang Juan elsewhere but directly to the quarters in the Miaoling Temple.
Unlike the luxurious bedrooms in the residence, the temple quarters were much simpler. Jiang Juan sat on the bed, and suddenly heard Xue Fangli instructing the steward, “Bring the abbot here.”
Jiang Juan: “….”
He froze for a moment. He hadn’t forgotten that the abbot was proficient in acupuncture. If the abbot came over, he might be in big trouble.
After pondering for a while, Jiang Juan said slowly, “Your Highness, my heart condition isn’t very serious. There’s no need to trouble the abbot, right?”
“You often complain of chest pains,” Xue Fangli said softly. “And with your recent foot injury, you haven’t been doing the medicinal baths. Let him give you some treatment.”
Jiang Juan shook his head desperately. “I can do the medicinal baths in a few days. There’s really no need for the abbot to come and treat me.”
His resistance was too obvious. Xue Fangli glanced at him thoughtfully. “I’ve been suffering from splitting headaches recently. Having the abbot come could also help me.”
Jiang Juan: “…. Fine.”
His illness was feigned, while His Highness’s was genuine. Reluctantly, Jiang Juan had to agree to the abbot’s visit.
Xue Fanglei smiled gently. “Acupuncture isn’t that painful.”
“But the needles are so long…”
Jiang Juan felt hopeless. Then, suddenly, he remembered something and asked Xue Fangli, “Would you like me to give you another massage?”
Jiang Juan had massaged Xue Fangli before, and he felt like it had worked reasonably well. He figured he could give it another try.
Seeing Jiang Juan’s enthusiasm, Xue Fangli didn’t refuse. He nodded. “Yes.”
Jiang Juan looked around, trying to find a convenient spot. He patted the space beside him. “Please sit here, Your Highness.”
Xue Fangli complied, taking a seat as Jiang Juan leaned in.
He didn’t immediately start, considering himself only an amateur in massage. He hadn’t practiced much. Jiang Juàn lowered his gaze, pondering the positions of various pressure points.
Xue Fangli watched him closely.
His eyelashes were quite long.
As they fluttered, it seemed they would softly brush against him the next moment, evoking an inexplicable sense of itchiness.
Meanwhile, with each of Jiang Juan’s breaths, a sweet scent lingered in the air, fresh like the grass after a spring rain, creating a serene atmosphere.
Suddenly, Jiang Juan lifted his head, his thick lashes gently fluttering. Xue Fangli watched him for a moment before extending his hand towards him.
The hand, pale and slender, possessed a certain elegance. It brushed past Jiang Juan’s temple and seemingly accidentally grazed something.
Jiang Juan paused, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Xue Fangli replied calmly, “There’s incense ash here.”
As his hand lingered, Jiang Juan felt an itch and couldn’t help but move back, though he allowed the hand to continue its movements. He asked, somewhat oddly, “Is it still not gone?”
After a moment, Xue Fangli withdrew his hand. “It’s gone.”
Jiang Juan nodded, “Alright, thank you.”
Xue Fangli didn’t say anything, just looked thoughtfully at the hand he had pulled back.
The soft touch at his fingertips lingered.
The young man’s eyelashes were even softer than he had imagined. When they brushed past his fingertips, it was even itchier than he had anticipated.
He lightly flicked a few times, brushing away the nonexistent incense ash.
Jiang Juan roughly recalled the acupoints and began his massage.
Due to the height difference, even when Xue Fangli sat down, he was still a head taller than Jiang Juan, so Jiang Juan had to lift his hand to apply pressure. It didn’t take long for him to feel tired.
“Raising my hand is so tiring.”
Jiang Juan, known for his aversion to hardship and fatigue, felt it keenly. Thinking for a moment, he then said to Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, would you mind resting your head on my leg?”
Xue Fangli didn’t immediately respond. By the time he did, Jiang Juan had already positioned himself. Afraid that Xue Fangli would refuse to let him continue massaging, he reassured him, “It won’t take long, I’ll be finished in a moment, really.”
Finally, he allowed him to proceed, and Jiang Juan didn’t want Xue Fanglei to leave. His tone unintentionally softened.
Why was he acting so coquettish?
Xue Fangli casually thought to himself and simply responded with an “Hmm,” then lay his head on Jiang Juan’s leg as requested.
Jiang Juan lowered his head. This position was indeed more convenient than before. He began to search for the acupoints, albeit with less proficiency. His touch was very light.
But in reality, massage required some force. Jiang Juan’s approach not only lacked effectiveness but also resembled a cat incessantly rubbing against something.
During the first few days at Miaoling Temple, Xue Fangli had been resting alone in another courtyard. Naturally, he had spent many sleepless nights again.
With Xue Fangli lying on him, surrounded by the faint scent of medicinal herbs, he felt a sense of calmness having returned. Slowly, Xue Fangli closed his eyes.
As soon as Xue Fangli fell asleep, Jiang Juan noticed. He attributed it to his massage, feeling satisfied that even His Highness could fall asleep so comfortably.
Jiang Juan was quite pleased with the results of his practice, but he still insisted on finishing the massage, ensuring that he covered every acupoint.
Just as he withdrew his hands, Steward Gao knocked on the door.
“Your Highness…”
“Hush.”
Jiang Juan shook his head and gestured for him to be quiet, but it was too late. Xue Fangli had already been awakened by the disturbance.
His temples throbbed with pain, and he lifted his head expressionlessly, his gaze so fierce that it startled Steward Gao. “Y-you… your highness…”
Xue Fangli couldn’t be bothered with his rambling. “What is it?”
Steward Gao hesitated before speaking, “The abbot is unavailable for now and can only come later. Also… there’s Beauty Yu’s memorial service. Will Your Highness be attending?”
“No.”
Xue Fangli uttered the words impassively, prompting Steward Gao to nod hastily and attempt to leave. However, before he could depart, he heard Jiang Juan ask, “Your Highness, won’t you attend your mother consort’s memorial service?”
“Then… can I go?”
Jiang Juan would ask like this because besides sympathizing with Beauty Yu, he also wanted to take the opportunity to escape and wait for the abbot to finish treating Xue Fangli’s headache before returning.
Jiang Juan said sincerely, “I haven’t finished copying scriptures for her, so I want to go to the memorial service and take a look.”
Xue Fangli’s tone was flat as he said, “You’re not going either. Come here and sleep.”
Jiang Juan responded with surprise, “But I’m not sleepy, I don’t want to sleep.”
Xue Fangli glanced at him. “Keep me company and sleep.”
Jiang Juan: “?”
How did he suddenly add another service to accompany him to sleep?
Jiang Juan hesitated to speak, while Xue Fangli glanced irritably at Steward Gao. “Why aren’t you leaving?”
Steward Gao bowed and quickly left, but Jiang Juan still wanted to struggle a bit. He said, “Your Highness, I really am not sleepy.”
Xue Fangli looked at him and suddenly said, “Do you know that during the fourteen days when I was forced to kneel by the Empress Dowager, she was also there.”
Jiang Juan was startled. Xue Fangli lowered his eyelids and said expressionlessly, “I witnessed her decay.”
Jiang Juan exclaimed, shocked. Xue Fangli, with a weary expression, said, “Every time on her memorial day, I always dream of those fourteen days, repeatedly witnessing her decay.”
It was so terrifying that Jiang Juan didn’t know what to say. He looked at Xue Fangli, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how, so he simply climbed onto the bed, using his actions to convey everything.
“Alright then, I’ll accompany you for a while.”
Jiang Juan sympathetically added, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here. If you have another nightmare, you can call me.”
Xue Fangli simply responded with a nonchalant “Hmm.” He looked at Jiang Juan’s furrowed brow and slightly raised crimson lips, smiling casually.
How did he become so easily swayed?
How did he end up in his hands like this?
He had nothing but an abundance of suffering, enough to be broken down into pieces and shared with the youth, letting him hear about it day after day, breaking his heart and then softening it again.
Jiang Juan reluctantly found himself offering a “sleeping companion” service.
In fact, he had risen a bit early in the morning and had been running around twice in a row, only realizing he was a bit tired after getting into bed. Jiang Juan decided to take a nap, but he couldn’t get comfortable no matter how hard he tried.
He struggled to endure it, but eventually couldn’t bear it anymore and sat up in bed.
Xue Fangli asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Juan didn’t say anything, just reached out to pull back the cotton cloth covering the bed. As expected, a corner of it was folded up, and he said, “It’s scratching my back badly.”
Jiang Juan smoothed it out and lay back down, but after a while, he couldn’t settle again. He tossed and turned, feeling utterly miserable, like a salted fish.
“Your Highness, I can’t sleep.”
Jiang Juan complained, “The bed is so hard.”
Xue Fangli glanced at him. Jiang Juan pursed his lips, one hand propped up behind him. The discomfort of the bed made him feel a bit frustrated, but oddly, it brought some liveliness to his expression.
“Such a delicate one.”
After a while, Xue Fangli spoke. He reached out and pulled Jiang Juan’s waist, then exerted a bit of force, pulling him into his arms until Jiang Juan was almost lying on top of him.
Jiang Juan widened his eyes, “Your Highness…”
Xue Fangli said softly, “Sleep.”
The bed was still hard, and Jiang Juan hadn’t softened much either, but it was still more comfortable than before. Jiang Juan felt a bit embarrassed and suggested, “Maybe I shouldn’t sleep…”
But fate intervened again, with a gentle pressure on the back of his neck. Jiang Juan’s face buried into Xue Fangli’s chest, while Xue Fangli remained calm and repeated, “Sleep.”
Jiang Juan shifted a few times, unable to lift his head, so he reluctantly yielded. He had claimed not to be sleepy, yet he was the first to doze off. Xue Fangli continued to massage the back of his neck, slowly closing his own eyes.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard very faint breathing.
Someone encircled his neck, biting into his shoulder, their crying reminiscent of a cat’s wail. Xue Fangli opened his eyes.
The young man’s face was flushed, his eyelashes dampened by tears, and his countenance exuded a breathtaking beauty.
He was completely naked, his snow-white skin adorned with a red mole on his neck, seeming almost to pulsate.
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