The Salted Fish Has Gotten Over It Chapter 97

Chapter 97:

Liangfeng Courtyard.

In recent days, Imperial Physician Sun had been coming frequently, arriving so often that it was almost a routine. He set down his medicine box with a wry smile and said, “Your Highness.”

Xue Fangli sat at the edge of the bed, with Jiang Juan resting on his lap. Without lifting his head, he merely responded with a “Hmm” and said, “Take a look at him.”

Imperial Physician Sun stepped forward and spoke softly, “Crown Prince Consort, I apologize for the intrusion.”

He reached out, first checking Jiang Juan’s forehead temperature and then feeling his pulse. After a moment of concentration, Imperial Physician Sun sighed and said, “Your Highness, the Crown Princess is in a weakened state. He seems to have caught a chill, which has caused this fever.”

Xue Fangli asked, “Does he need to take medicine?”

Imperial Physician Sun nodded, “Naturally…”

Jiang Juan, caught between sleep and wakefulness, immediately became alert upon hearing about the medicine. He groggily said, “I don’t want to take medicine. It’s just a chill. It’s not serious. A good sleep will make it better.”

Imperial Physician Sun hesitated and said, “Crown Prince Consort, you shouldn’t think like that. While a chill can improve with rest and sweating it out, you also have a heart condition. If it drags on, it might even trigger a relapse.”

In the end, it came down to needing medicine, which Jiang Juan resisted vehemently. His eyelashes fluttered as he spoke with a hint of grievance, “Your Highness, I won’t take it. Please tell him I’ll get better on my own. My constitution isn’t weak at all; really, I’m as strong as an ox.”

Despite claiming he was as strong as an ox, Jiang Juan lay listlessly on Xue Fangli’s lap, his face flushed red. He felt so uncomfortable that he kept rubbing his eyes, making the corners of his eyes turn red and his eyes moist, as if he had just cried. He looked utterly pitiful.

Xue Fangli grabbed Jiang Juan’s wrist to prevent him from rubbing his eyes, “Take the medicine properly, or I’ll have to hear you complain endlessly.”

Seeing that Xue Fangli was not siding with him, Jiang Juan shook his hand, trying to break free, but he didn’t have the strength to escape. He could only give Xue Fangli a look of reproach.

Xue Fangli clicked his tongue, “Whining won’t help.”

Jiang Juan: “?”

Misunderstanding his intention, Jiang Juan wanted to clarify that he wasn’t whining, but he was feeling so dazed that he didn’t want to speak. He decided to hold a grudge and settle it with Xue Fangli another day.

So, Jiang Juan turned his head and went back to sleep.

However, this nap wasn’t very restful or deep.

In his hazy state, Bai Xuechao arrived. As an elder, and knowing Jiang Juan was suffering from a chill. He might inadvertently pass on some illness. So, Lan Ting quickly persuaded him to leave.

Jiang Juan heard their conversation and knew Bai Xuechao felt guilty, but he was too unwell to offer any comfort. He felt alternating waves of heat and cold—hot as if being roasted over a fire, and cold as if drenched in icy water.

Jiang Juan tossed and turned in discomfort until his hands and feet were restrained.

— Xue Fangli lay on the bed fully clothed, holding Jiang Juan tightly in his arms to prevent him from moving, pulling or kicking off the blankets.

“… So hot.”

Jiang Juan furrowed his brow and murmured in complaint. He wriggled in Xue Fangli’s arms, his hands roaming until they rested on Xue Fangli’s face.

This spot was cooler compared to the rest of his body.

Jiang Juan eagerly leaned in, pressing his face gently against it. For a moment, he felt a brief coolness, but then he felt hot again and moved to another spot, behaving like a small animal, rubbing and snuggling, a soft, furry ball.

Xue Fangli allowed him to move around, but soon Jiang Juan found that the brief relief wasn’t enough. He was still very hot and began trying to escape from the embrace, but couldn’t.

Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his black hair stuck to his neck, dampening several strands. Jiang Juan couldn’t stand it anymore and started fumbling with his clothes, slowly unfastening them.

Before long, he was almost bare-chested in Xue Fangli’s embrace, and he let out a gentle sigh of relief, “It’s not so hot anymore.”

“……”

Jiang Juan wasn’t hot anymore. Resting on Xue Fangli’s shoulder, he comfortably fell back asleep. Despite being held close in a state of complete vulnerability, Xue Fangli wasn’t comfortable at all.

He could only watch, unable to touch.

Xue Fangli lowered his eyes, his gaze dark and brooding. He restrained himself from touching any part of Jiang Juan’s skin, only reaching out to brush away the damp hair that had fallen onto Jiang Juan’s face and tucking it behind his ear.

The heat returned, beginning to intensify again.

It wasn’t long before Jiang Juan started moving restlessly. “Your Highness, I feel so uncomfortable.”

Xue Fangli suddenly squeezed his waist. “Stop moving.”

Even when fully awake, Jiang Juan wasn’t obedient, let alone in his current state. Burning with fever, he opened his eyes, which were misty and glistening with tears, as if holding back dew. “Your Highness, I’m really suffering.”

“……”

Xue Fangli’s resolve snapped completely. He grabbed Jiang Juan’s chin, almost intending to kiss him fiercely, wanting to make him cry and beg.

But he only almost did.

No longer confined in his embrace, Jiang Juan instinctively scrambled to the side, completely unaware that he had narrowly avoided another crisis.

Though he hadn’t fully escaped.

Whenever he moved to a new spot, it didn’t take long before the place became heated by his high body temperature. When Jiang Juan felt too hot, he would start searching for another cool place.

He once again burrowed back into Xue Fangli’s arms.

Getting sick caused not only his own suffering but also considerable distress for those around him. Yet, because he was ill, he couldn’t move even a finger.

Xue Fangli took Jiang Juan’s hand, lifting it to his lips, gently biting down and leaving a mark on Jiang Juan’s pink fingertips.

Jiang Juan, nestled in his embrace, mumbled something indistinct. It wasn’t a cry of pain but rather a complaint.

“It’s so hard, it’s uncomfortable to sleep.”

Xue Fangli almost laughed in frustration. He was reluctant to bite him even before, and now, when he did, it carried a hint of punishment.

Thus, Jiang Juan tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. During this time, the medicine prescribed by Imperial Physician Sun was finally ready. Lan Ting hurriedly brought it over and lifted the curtain, “Your Highness, the medicine is here. Quickly, give it to the young master while it’s still warm.”

“Put it down.”

Xue Fangli nodded, sitting up while still holding Jiang Juan. The blanket slipped off Jiang Juan, exposing his nearly naked back.

Lan Ting was taken aback, her thoughts momentarily distracted. She hesitated to speak, until a pair of pale hands pulled the blanket back over Jiang Juan. Nestled in Xue Fangli’s embrace, Jiang Juan shook his head, murmuring, “I don’t want it. It’s too hot.”

Despite the heat, Xue Fangli wrapped Jiang Juan tightly, making sure no part of him was exposed, and then settled him back into his arms. Seeing this, Lan Ting sighed with relief, her worries easing slightly.

She had said that, given how much the prince cared for the Young Master, it was impossible for him to do anything to hurt him at this moment.

Holding Jiang Juan’s hands, Xue Fangli began to feed him the medicine. Although Jiang Juan was dazed, he recognized the unpleasant smell of the herbal medicine immediately. The moment he caught a whiff of it, he turned his head away, refusing to cooperate.

After several attempts, Jiang Juan still wouldn’t take the medicine. Lan Ting suggested, “Your Highness, perhaps… I could help hold the young master, and you could feed him?”

Xue Fangli looked down at Jiang Juan, seemingly lost in thought, and said：“Forget it. He doesn’t like being held down while taking medicine. Last time I did that, he cried.”

“He’s already uncomfortable, and if he cries more, I…”

He couldn’t bear it.

Xue Fangli’s gaze fell on the medicine bowl. In the end, he drank a mouthful himself, then leaned down and kissed Jiang Juan.

Jiang Juan was particularly responsive to kisses. Having experienced them often, he had developed a habit. Whenever Xue Fangli came close, Jiang Juan would instinctively open his mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

This time was no exception.

Their soft lips met, the familiar sensation and warm breath. Jiang Juan’s lips parted slightly, and Xue Fangli held the back of his head. But instead of the expected passionate kiss, Jiang Juan was met with the bitter taste of the medicine, which he swallowed instinctively.

In an instant, the intimate atmosphere vanished, and Jiang Juan’s foggy consciousness was jolted back to reality. He slowly opened his eyes, the acrid bitterness on his tongue making his scalp tingle.

“You…”

He intended to complain, but Xue Fangli passed another mouthful of medicine to him. Jiang Juan tried to push him away but couldn’t, and he was held tightly. Unable to hold his breath for long, Jiang Juan had no choice but to swallow again.

After a considerable amount of time, Xue Fangli continued to transfer the medicine by mouth, finally feeding Jiang Juan the entire bowl.

Lan Ting took away the empty bowl, having watched the entire process with a face almost as red as her neck. She almost fled from the scene.

After drinking a whole bowl of medicine, Jiang Juan was a bit more alert, but he still lacked the energy to be angry. He could only lie dejectedly on Xue Fangli’s shoulder and complain.

“How could you do this…”

He continued, taking advantage of his drowsiness, accusing Xue Fangli of using kisses as a pretext to make him drink such bitter medicine.

After a pause, Jiang Juan said again: “You aren’t human. I’m already sick, and yet you… you…”

Before taking the medicine, Jiang Juan had been uncomfortable lying on Xue Fangli, but it was even worse when he was fed the medicine. The prince actually reacted.

Jiang Juan’s voice was muffled, “You aren’t human.”

He was enduring so much yet was still accused of being inhuman. Xue Fangli lowered his gaze, not arguing with Jiang Juan. Instead, he wrapped his arms around him through the blanket and casually said, “I didn’t do anything, yet you say I’m not human. Once you recover, you’ll really see what being inhuman means.”

Jiang Juan’s breathing was heavy and hot. “Then I’d rather not recover.”

Xue Fangli gave him a warning look and lightly pinched Jiang Juan’s chin, “If you say such things again, I won’t wait for you to get better.”

Jiang Juan immediately buried himself deeper into Xue Fangli’s embrace. “I won’t say it again, I promise.”

Seeing this, Xue Fangli patted Jiang Juan’s back gently, coaxing him to sleep. “Then sleep quickly.”

Jiang Juan mumbled an “Okay” and nuzzled around until he found a comfortable position. Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

Xue Fangli’s eyes were lowered as he watched Jiang Juan sleeping in his arms. He didn’t find it boring, until Steward Gao pushed open the door.

“Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

Xue Fangli’s gaze made Steward Gao lower his voice instinctively. “The Emperor’s condition has worsened. He has decided to stay at the temporary palace for a few days. He sent someone to ask if you and the Crown Prince Consort would like to go there as well.”

“Not going.”

Xue Fangli’s refusal was straightforward. Steward Gao sighed, knowing that the Emperor’s request was really to have him accompany him for support.

However, Steward Gao shook his head. “I will report this.”

Steward Gao closed the door quietly. As he walked away, he looked up and realized that what had been a fine sunny day was now covered by a dark, ominous cloud, as if a storm was about to come.

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