The Salted Fish Has Gotten Over It Chapter 91

Chapter 91

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In Liangfeng Courtyard, the lights were bright.

By the time Xue Fangli arrived, Imperial Physician Sun had already arrived with his medicine box. He wanted to check Jiang Juan’s pulse, but Jiang Juan kept shaking his head and refused to cooperate.

Lan Ting stood by with a worried expression. As soon as she saw Xue Fangli, she quickly greeted him, “Your Highness…”

Imperial Physician Sun also turned around upon hearing this. “Your Highness, please persuade the Crown Prince Consort.”

Xue Fangli merely lifted an eyebrow.

Jiang Juan, who had been reclining on the cushion, immediately lay back down when he heard Lan Ting call out to the prince. He turned to his side, clearly showing his resistance.

Suppressing his irritation, Xue Fangli said slowly, “Let Imperial Physician Sun check your pulse.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Don’t you feel unwell?”

“Why should you care?”

As if irritated by his presence, Jiang Juan pulled up the thin blanket and covered himself entirely.

“Do you think a heart condition is a joke?”

Xue Fangli’s face turned cold, and he stared at Jiang Juan for a few seconds before reaching out to grab him.

The thin blanket covering Jiang Juan was yanked away, and Xue Fangli grasped Jiang Juan’s shoulder, trying to pull him over. However, due to the nightmares from the afternoon, Jiang Juan shivered violently the moment Xue Fangli’s hand touched him.

“……”

He was afraid.

This realization made Xue Fangli pause. After a while, he finally released his grip and said with a detached expression, “Get up.”

Jiang Juan covered himself with the blanket again. “I won’t.”

With one being cold and the other being curt, the tension between them was palpable. Imperial Physician Sun exchanged glances with Lan Ting, who shook her head gently. Imperial Physician Sun immediately understood.

They were arguing.

Imperial Physician Sun hurriedly reminded, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince Consort has just had a heart relapse. He’s in no condition to be upset right now.”

“He doesn’t even care about his heart condition; why should I?”

Xue Fangli said, “Let Imperial Physician Sun check your pulse. I didn’t want to scare you before, so I tried to coax you daily. Did you really think I wouldn’t do anything about it?”

Xue Fangli’s voice was icy, nearly frigid enough to form ice shards. As he spoke, it approached a tone of warning.

While others might have felt terrified and begged for mercy upon hearing such words, Jiang Juan was not intimidated at all. Instead of being afraid, he dared to argue back.

Xue Fangli’s tone was harsh, which only made Jiang Juan fiercer. “What’s the point of checking my pulse? It’s always about me not being allowed to be angry, but people keep making me angry. What can I do about that?”

After a brief pause, Jiang Juan continued, “You can speak plainly, but why do you have to be so fierce?”

Xue Fangli glanced at him, and his tone softened slightly. “What are you angry about?”

Jiang Juan, still upset, replied, “You’re asking me? Aren’t you the one who can’t face the consequences?”

Xue Fangli replied calmly, “There’s no need. I told you, you could have just slept and forgotten about it. Nothing would change.”

“But…”

How could he forget when he had seen everything?

And he had been deceived so thoroughly.

The once-noble prince had suddenly turned into a fraud.

Thinking about this, Jiang Juan felt even more dejected. He sat up and asked Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, if I hadn’t seen it for myself, how long would you have kept it from me?”

Xue Fangli answered, “Forever.”

“……”

Jiang Juan said slowly, “You’re full of lies, like about trying new perfumes or the water on the floor. Why don’t you just lie to me now?”

Xue Fangli replied, “It’s unnecessary. Previously, I had concerns and had to tolerate you and indulge you. Now, that’s no longer the case.”

“Since you already know what kind of person I am, don’t expect me to repeat myself.”

His Highness had started again.

He was threatening him again.

Jiang Juan had used his heart condition as a way to get Xue Fangli to comfort him or at least apologize, but not only did Xue Fangli refuse to comfort or apologize, his attitude was even worse.

He was the one who was frightened.

He was the one who had made a mistake.

How could this jerk be so fierce?

Already angry, Jiang Juan found that Xue Fangli’s visit only made him more upset. He said, “If you’re not going to say it a second time, then I don’t want to see you again.”

“Get out.”

Lan Ting, sensing the situation was going awry, hurried over and patted Jiang Juan’s back gently. “Young Master, don’t be angry.”

Imperial Physician Sun, disapproving, said cautiously, “Your Highness, please speak with the Crown Prince Consort properly.”

With no intention of continuing the conversation, Xue Fangli, who knew Jiang Juan was scared and angry, closed his eyes briefly and turned to leave.

“Don’t go.”

Seeing that Xue Fangli was really about to leave, Jiang Juan bit his lip and spoke up again.

But his plea had no effect; Xue Fangli merely paused his steps for a moment before continuing to walk out.

Jiang Juan turned his head to watch him and, in a fit of anger, ripped the beaded bracelet off his ankle and threw it onto the floor. The beads scattered with a clattering noise, the thread snapping and high-quality small-leaf red sandalwood beads rolling everywhere.

“You…”

Jiang Juan was truly furious. Normally, he was skilled at using his emotional manipulation to make others angry, but that was when he himself didn’t care. Now, he cared deeply, and though he wanted to speak harshly like Xue Fangli, he had already said his most cutting words.

— Get out.

It was already a sign of weakness, but Jiang Juan still couldn’t control himself, trembling with rage.

“Don’t cry, Young Master.”

Lan Ting, watching anxiously, tried to comfort him. If she hadn’t spoken, Jiang Juan might not have realized that he was crying.

He felt pathetic, he truly felt pathetic.

His Highness was leaving, and he was getting so worked up that it only made him more upset. What was the point in crying?

Jiang Juan lowered his head, using the back of his hand to wipe away his tears, but the more he rubbed, the more tears came. Large drops of water fell down his pale fingers, soaking his outer garment and the thin quilt.

“Young Master…”

Lan Ting called out softly, pulling out a handkerchief. Jiang Juan didn’t take it, so she could only worryingly clasp her hands, unsure of what to do.

The next moment, the handkerchief was taken from her.

Lan Ting was stunned and looked up to see Xue Fangli, who had returned.

Jiang Juan covered his eyes with the back of his hand, unable to stop the tears. Xue Fangli began to wipe away the moisture from his fingers. Jiang Juan glanced at him and tried to push him away. Xue Fangli, who was about to hold Jiang Juan as he usually did, hesitated mid-motion.

The young man was scared of him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Juan had retreated to the farthest corner, his eyes and nose reddened from crying, with tear-streaked lashes still holding onto bits of moisture, threatening to fall.

It was the second time today.

In just one afternoon, Xue Fangli had made the young man cry twice.

Xue Fangli looked at Jiang Juan and, after a long pause, said slowly, “Everyone else, leave first.”

Lan Ting, understanding the core of the issue was with Xue Fangli, bowed and left the room, glancing back three times before departing. Imperial Physician Sun followed without saying a word.

And soon, everyone else had been dismissed, leaving only Jiang Juan and Xue Fangli in the room.

Jiang Juan kept his eyes lowered, silent and still, though tears continued to fall occasionally. Xue Fangli watched him like this.

He just watched him.

He didn’t dare to get close to him.

After a long period of silent crying, Jiang Juan could no longer endure the tension. He asked irritably, “What are you staring at? Can’t you help me wipe away my tears?”

“…”

Only then did Xue Fangli extend a hand, gently wiping away the tears from Jiang Juan’s face with the pads of his fingers. His movements were soft and careful, starkly contrasting with the cold tone he had used earlier.

Xue Fangli merely wiped Jiang Juan’s tears without attempting to embrace him or pull him into his arms. Jiang Juan looked at him several times but ultimately gave up on further resistance.

After the outburst of tears, Jiang Juan felt somewhat relieved. As he looked down at the broken beads scattered on the floor, he slowly rolled up the edge of the quilt and said, “…The bracelet broke.”

“It’s just a broken bracelet, not something important.”

The beads were sacred relics from the Zhao An Temple. The Empress Dowager had requested them under the pretense of exorcising evil, making Xue Fangli wear them daily. He didn’t believe in such things but wanted to test whether this so-called sacred item could truly control his own demons.

On Xue Fangli’s wrist, it was meant to ward off evil; on Jiang Juan’s, it served as a protective charm.

Xue Fangli lowered his gaze and said, “…I’m sorry.”

After all the anger and tears, Jiang Juan finally received an apology. However, he didn’t readily accept it. He asked, “What are you apologizing for?”

Xue Fangli: “For deceiving you.”

Jiang Juan: “Then what about deliberately feeding me grapes, talking harshly to me after my heart disease just flared up, and leaving when I told you not to?”

Xue Fangl: “It was my fault.”

Jiang Juan shook his head, still not ready to forgive, “You’re still two apologies short.”

Xue Fangli: “…”

After Jiang Juan had listed all the grievances, he felt somewhat better. He said slowly, “You knew I was angry and still deliberately provoked me, making me even more upset. If not for the betrothal, you wouldn’t have a chance to be with me in this lifetime.”

“You keep angering me. What good does it do you to make me so mad that I might die? Are you going to just get a new Crown Prince Consort?”

Jiang Juan commented, “In your dream.”

After a pause, Jiang Juan continued, “And by the way, you came once in the afternoon and again at night. Aren’t you going to ask me what I’ve been thinking?”

Xue Fangli looked at him, his expression dark, and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to ask; it’s… that I’m afraid to.”

Jiang Juan was surprised, “You’re afraid? I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”

Xue Fangli didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed on Jiang Juan. Jiang Juan then asked, “Then… why did you deceive me?”

Xue Fangli’s answer was consistent. He calmly said, “I didn’t dare to let you know.”

Jiang Juan looked at him in confusion. Xue Fangli continued slowly, “You’re like a little bodhisattva, who likes to save others and can’t bear to see any suffering. But I only know how to bring suffering to others.”

“…I’m afraid I can’t keep you, and I’m afraid you’ll be scared.”

Jiang Juan was taken aback and replied slowly, “I’m not that timid.”

Xue Fangli: “Is that so?”

He gazed at Jiang Juan, his eyes heavy and deep, filled with emotions Jiang Juan couldn’t decipher. Xue Fangli gave a faint smile, speaking casually, “But I am afraid.”

In the past years, he had been fearless and indifferent, without any attachments. Even when poisoned daily or locked with Jiang Qingmei’s corpse for fourteen days, he never felt fear—only disgust. He despised everything in the world, and even more, he despised himself.

But later, he began to feel fear, and it grew increasingly intense. His concerns multiplied.

He feared Jiang Juan’s heart disease would recur, that Jiang Juan’s life would be in danger, that Jiang Juan would fear him, and most of all, that Jiang Juan might not want him.

All his fears were tied to Jiang Juan; everything he feared was Jiang Juan.

“You’re a bodhisattva. I’m different. I’m a demon who crawled out of hell.”

Xue Fangli closed his eyes, “I’m too greedy. I want my little bodhisattva to care for me more, to cherish me more. If I’m not a good person, if I don’t pretend to be a suffering good person, how can I win the pity of the bodhisattva? How can I make him spare me more of his attention?”

His crimson lips curled into a smile, but it only conveyed a sense of desolation.

“I…”

Jiang Juan stared blankly at Xue Fangli. After a long pause, he asked in confusion, “Why do you think this way?”

“I’m not that good. All this talk of a little bodhisattva is just what you imagine. I’m really not one.”

Jiang Juan furrowed his brows, “I’m prone to sympathy, but it’s not always out of sympathy. At the teahouse, when you lied and said you killed someone, I thought you were wrong, but… I couldn’t blame you. I even thought you must have been suffering at that time.”

“I saw Minister Li’s eyes being gouged out and had nightmares all afternoon. You were still wrong in what you did, but… I thought you did it for me.”

“I…” Jiang Juan bit his lip, “You’re always wrong, but I can’t help but make excuses for you—because you were forced to, because you had reasons.”

“You’re so smart. You saw through my pretense of blindness so easily, so why can’t you see what’s happening now?”

Jiang Juan looked at Xue Fangli and grasped his fingers, saying softly, “I don’t pity you, and I don’t need you to pretend to be a good person to keep me. I just…”

“I just like you.”

Jiang Juan continued gently, “No matter how unpleasant, annoying, or awful you are, I want to be with you. Even if you make me angry and make me cry, I still want you to stay.”

“I’m not some bodhisattva. If I were, I’d have been done for a long time. I don’t want to save everyone; I only want to save you.”

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