The usually gentle and polite person was provoked to anger, which finally satisfied Liang Ye. He reached out to pat back the curtain that had been accidentally blown open by the wind, keeping the wind and snow outside.
The fine brocade was nailed into the carriage wall by wooden branches, with spider web-like patterns cracking around it.
Wang Dian, being easily restrained in his embrace, gritted his teeth and said, “Take the money for fixing the carriage from your private treasury.”
Liang Ye’s eyes brightened as he pulled out a string of keys from somewhere and stuffed them into his hand, smiling, “Take as much as you want.”
Wang Dian clutched the keys, remembering why he was so trusting with them, and couldn’t help feeling annoyed again. But regardless of his anger, there was no reason to refuse money. He put the keys in his sleeve, and his mind, which had been clouded by anger, finally cleared. “You don’t plan to go to Shouyun County… so you came to have Xu Xiude change the grain transport route? No, you could have just sent a message—there are spies in the court?”
Liang Ye gave him an approving look, and Wang Dian almost couldn’t resist slapping him.
“Zhen did not mean to hide it from you, it’s just that Zhen wasn’t certain before,” Liang Ye said seriously.
Wang Dian twitched his lips, “You just weren’t certain whether I would return to Northern Liang.”
Liang Ye held him earnestly and said, “Zhen had no such intention. Wang Dian, you are truly narrow-minded.”
“Then move your hands away,” Wang Dian’s temple throbbed.
Liang Ye brazenly moved closer instead of retreating, and said concisely, “Before the new year, when Zhen went to Southern Zhao to catch you, there was already betrayal among the secret guards. But before Zhen could root out the mastermind, Imperial Preceptor Wen died, followed by Wei Wanlin’s rebellion. Zhen had to dispose of all those secret guards. The battles at Ziyan City have been going smoothly since then, but as soon as news spread of Zhen heading to Shouyun, Kashi Duolu counterattacked like a madman. There must be issues with Xu Xiude’s grain transport as well. Zhen has no time to catch the spy now, and sending messages isn’t safe, so Zhen had to make this trip personally to tell you… Zhen plans to meet with Jiao Yan in Anhan.”
“This person must have been involved with the grain supply,” Liang Ye reminded him. “Catch him quickly. Zhen isn’t comfortable with such a person by your side.”
Rarely did he say something sensible. Wang Dian’s morning anger from being awakened gradually dissipated. He touched the rough stubble on Liang Ye’s chin. He had lost weight, with his eye sockets somewhat sunken. Although he spoke of the battles in the northern frontier as if they were easy, it had been extremely difficult for him to reorganize the defeated troops and rebuild defenses at Ziyan City. He hadn’t even had time to catch his breath before having to lead troops to Anhan to face the armies of Yu Polu and Kashi Lianxue. Even with his extraordinary talent, the odds of victory were extremely low.
They both understood what kind of battle this was.
They would probably lose, or at best achieve a pyrrhic victory.
But he wouldn’t try to dissuade Liang Ye.
“I understand,” Wang Dian looked down at him. “How long will you stay?”
Liang Ye’s head drooped lazily on his shoulder as he yawned, “Half an hour.”
Wang Dian ruffled his hair, “Want to sleep?”
Liang Ye didn’t want him touching his head and dodged to kiss his neck. Wang Dian sighed, pulled him up and kissed him, carefully feeling their gradually quickening breaths and rising body temperature.
Wang Dian’s methodical kisses always tested Liang Ye’s patience. His breathing became somewhat labored as his arms tightly encircled Wang Dian’s waist. Finally running out of patience, he pressed him into the soft fur and kissed back roughly and dominantly.
The howling wind outside the carriage grew fiercer. If they continued, things could easily get out of hand. Wang Dian pressed his hand against his neck to push him up slightly, his voice unsteady as he said, “Don’t go too far.”
Liang Ye stared at him with eyes that seemed to blaze with fire. Being able to look but not touch was truly frustrating. He gritted his teeth hard, “Zhen wants to take you away.”
Wang Dian leaned against the carriage, fixing his clothes that had been messed up, and laughed lazily, “I actually want to go with you.”
Liang Ye grabbed his slender fingers and put them in his mouth, his canine teeth grinding over the knuckles, leaving round tooth marks. He seemed eager to bite the fingertips, but Wang Dian pressed his teeth and pulled towards himself, narrowing his eyes in warning.
Liang Ye arrogantly raised an eyebrow, looking as if he wanted to chew up his fingers and swallow them.
“Anything else to say?” Wang Dian pulled his hand from his mouth, “Make it quick.”
Having finally met, he had already prepared his thoughts about the current palace situation to discuss with Liang Ye.
“Zhen dreams of you at night,” Liang Ye frowned, “You keep calling for Zhen in the dreams, it’s annoying.”
Wang Dian’s mind, full of state affairs, stuttered, and he couldn’t help laughing, “You’re crazy.”
Liang Ye came closer to embrace him. His armor was cold and hard, carrying an unpleasant smell of blood. Wang Dian wanted to push him away but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He leaned in to kiss Liang Ye’s dry lips, “What did you mean by burying the imperial edict under the orange tree?”
Liang Ye bit his ear, his voice full of excitement, “Zhen wanted to take you there.” (TL: or ‘to have my way with you there’)
The warmth that had just risen in Wang Dian’s heart instantly vanished, especially when he remembered how this beast Liang Ye had pressed him against the tree before, his face immediately darkened.
Liang Ye said proudly, “Zhen knew you would like it.”
“Like hell,” Wang Dian wanted to throw him out of the carriage.
Liang Ye held him and laughed brazenly.
But soon, before he could throw him out, the carriage stopped. Liang Ye lifted the curtain to look outside, then frowned at Wang Dian, “Zhen must go now.”
“Go then.” Wang Dian appeared calm, leaving the carriage before him, his face stiffening from the blowing sleet.
Liang Ye came out a step later, jumped down from the carriage and unfolded his fox fur cloak to wrap around Wang Dian, tying the hood strings and making a pretty knot under his chin.
Wang Dian lifted his eyelids to look at him.
“Leaving now.” Liang Ye touched his face, the armor on his body bone-chillingly cold with a thick layer of frost.
“Mm.” Wang Dian’s mood was low, feeling that this sleety weather was more annoying than any other, and the road was terribly muddy.
Liang Ye lowered his head to tie the modified sleeve arrow to his forearm, then unceremoniously half-knelt in the mud to tie a jade pendant with bright red tassels around Wang Dian’s waist, taking the opportunity to pat his bottom.
“Don’t throw it back to Zhen in anger again,” Liang Ye stood up, his hair wet and clumped from the sleet. “When Zhen lost it before, it fell into Shen Yueli’s hands. It was meant for you originally, one half for you and one for Zhen.”
Looking at the red tassels barely visible at his waist, Wang Dian’s nose stung from the cold, “I understand.”
Liang Ye stared at him persistently through the wind and snow. Wang Dian sighed and pulled out a safety charm from his sleeve, “I got this for you originally, take it.”
He didn’t really believe in such things, but when he saw it on the street, he still bought one for just a copper coin. He hadn’t originally planned to give it to Liang Ye, since he didn’t know when they would meet again. Who knew Liang Ye would suddenly appear – he must have felt it in his sleeve earlier and was just waiting for him to give it.
Too embarrassed to ask for it directly, he had to drop hints tactfully by offering the jade pendant first.
Wang Dian exhaled a white mist, “Come back safely.”
Even if he went crazy every day, it would be better than watching him face life and death uncertainties on the battlefield.
Liang Ye flashed him a brilliant smile, happily tucking the safety charm into his front collar, then raised his hand to whistle loudly. A hideously colored spotted horse ran out from the snowy ground.
Wang Dian felt his eyes sting slightly.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Liang Ye proudly showed off to him, “Zhen found it in the mountains.”
Wang Dian found it hard to convince his conscience to say the horse was beautiful, and could only reluctantly nod.
Liang Ye mounted the horse and cracked his whip, both horse and rider quickly disappearing into the vast sleet.
Wang Dian’s nose ached from the cold as he openly exhaled a hot breath, but his hands hidden in his sleeves were tightly clenched. Before Liang Ye’s presence had completely faded, unwillingness and irritation had already silently crept into his body.
He didn’t want to let Liang Ye leave, wanting to keep him by his side. Even if it meant killing him and freezing him, it would be better than not being able to see or touch him like this.
What did it matter if the whole world resented him? Liang Ye should have been his alone.
Wang Dian’s eyes gradually darkened, and in a daze he saw Liang Ye’s figure again, before being heavily pressed against the carriage the next second.
Liang Ye’s urgent, hot breath still carried the coolness of rain. Wang Dian’s eyelashes were wet with snow, trembling twice before he kissed back without the slightest restraint.
This kiss was far more intense than the previous one in the carriage. Both of them wanted nothing more than to devour each other. The accumulated snow on the carriage edge melted from their heat, dampening the fluffy fur of the cloak.
“Your Majesty, it’s time to go,” someone suddenly reminded them.
Wang Dian turned his head at the sound, looking over with a grim and cold expression, possessively holding Liang Ye within the heavy cloak.
Even though the person hiding in the shadows knew Wang Dian couldn’t see them, they still shuddered at his threatening and murderous gaze.
Liang Ye squeezed his nape, fiercely kissed his earlobe, and chuckled softly, “Wang Dian.”
Only then did Wang Dian reluctantly turn his head back, forcefully suppressing the irritation in his heart, hugging him tightly one last time before slowly letting go.
The sound of hooves gradually faded away, and silence finally fell around them.
Wang Dian entered the carriage without lingering. Chong Heng appeared silently, and the carriage drove through the sleet in the opposite direction, heading towards the capital.
