LMY Chapter 169

Outside, the wind was strong, and the willow catkins were floating around annoyingly. Wang Dian pulled up his sleeves as he entered, “It’s related.”

Liang Ye, who followed behind him, instantly darkened his gaze, “Wang Dian.”

“I had Quan Ning use corpses to exchange for people,” Wang Dian spoke as calmly as if talking about someone else’s affairs. “I also helped him rescue the two children from the Jian family.”

Liang Ye almost laughed from anger. The fury instantly rose up, even sharper than the anger brought by Wei Wanlin’s betrayal. He grabbed Wang Dian’s shoulders and turned him around to face himself, trying to find some guilt or sadness or any other emotion on his face, but Wang Dian maintained a calm expression throughout, as if he had done something completely ordinary.

His temples began to throb violently, and his remaining rationality began to waver. Liang Ye tried to make his voice sound calmer, “Why did you do this?”

“I don’t like doing losing business deals. You should know very well what our situation was like then,” Wang Dian said, “I had to leave myself some backup plans. The Jian family had an intelligence organization in the jianghu, I wanted it, so I made a deal with Jian Ling. Nine Star Pavilion was originally the Jian family’s secret intelligence network in the jianghu. Their network covered all of Northern Liang, especially the capital. I had taken it over before you discovered it. If it weren’t for the Nine Star Pavilion, I wouldn’t have been able to control so many noble families so quickly after returning to the capital. Is this reason acceptable?”

Liang Ye completely refused to accept it. He naturally believed that Wang Dian should stand with him. All of Wang Dian’s power was the result of his tolerance and bestowal. Even though it later developed into influence, it was because he let go, not because Wang Dian had been concealing things from the beginning. If Wei Wanlin hadn’t said anything, Wang Dian had no intention of telling him at all.

Wang Dian had escaped from Northern Liang but was manipulated by him to return. Wang Dian loved him, helping him in the capital and on the battlefield with all his effort. Wang Dian should have had his heart and eyes full of only him, Liang Ye!

“Zhen does not accept this!” Liang Ye stared at him coldly, like a poisonous snake revealing its fangs after removing its gentle mask, tightly coiled around Wang Dian. “Why didn’t you tell Zhen earlier? Why wait until Zhen discovered it!”

“Your Majesty, do you understand what a backup plan means?” Wang Dian sighed, “If you discover it, it no longer counts as a backup plan.”

“You still want to run!” Liang Ye’s rationality was completely destroyed by this sentence. He tightly gripped Wang Dian’s shoulders, bloodshot eyes instantly spreading, showing rare fury. “Zhen has already done everything according to what you said! Whatever you want, Zhen gives you! Why do you still want to run!? What else do you want Zhen to do!”

Wang Dian frowned, his shoulders aching from the grip. “Liang Ye, calm down.”

“Zhen cannot calm down!” Liang Ye was so angry he wanted to crush him. “It’s one thing for others to deceive and betray Zhen, but why did you have to deceive Zhen too!? The Jian family killed Zhen’s wet nurse, killed Zhen’s study companion, killed all the palace servants around Zhen, why did you save him!? What right did you have to save him!?”

“I didn’t know,” Wang Dian’s frown deepened, he stared at Liang Ye almost harshly and said, “You never mentioned these things to me, and besides, your irreconcilable hatred with Jian Ling has nothing to do with me.”

Liang Ye froze, looking at him in disbelief, “What did you say?”

“Liang Ye, I’m not your appendage. Your hatred and responsibilities are your own affairs. I help you simply because I like you,” Wang Dian’s expression looked even cold. “Just as you would only choose what’s most beneficial to you, when I’m calm, I also only choose what maximizes my own interests. Sparing one Jian Ling and two children, getting Nine Star Pavilion and maintaining cooperation with Feixian Tower – this was my choice, not yours. Strictly speaking, these are two different matters.”

Liang Ye was already too angry to distinguish what he was saying, but the coldness in Wang Dian’s eyes made him so stifled he could barely breathe. He gritted his teeth and said, “But you clearly could disregard life and death for Zhen.”

“That’s why I said these are two different matters,” Wang Dian looked at his nearly frenzied appearance. “I love you and am willing to live and die with you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t leave when you hurt me, understand?”

Liang Ye’s breathing became heavy, and he said angrily, “Zhen would never hurt you!”

“I’m just taking precautions,” Wang Dian struggled a bit but couldn’t break free. “Calm down, we’re dealing with this matter now, not having an argument.”

His extremely calm, even cold demeanor made Liang Ye nearly break down. He couldn’t bear that such cold rationality existed in his relationship with Wang Dian. This breakdown even made him want to kill Wang Dian.

“Don’t make Zhen angry,” Liang Ye darkly uttered words that Wang Dian was very familiar with. The things in his bones were fundamentally unshakeable – obsessive, domineering, superior. Perhaps in some moments of deep love, affection would take the upper hand, but essentially, he was still a possessive madman.

Empathizing with a feudal emperor would only lead to death without burial. Absolute power mixed with human inherent suspicion would breed malice and invasion.

Wang Dian didn’t like to clash head-on with him. They were too similar, so similar that sometimes they knew they should yield but stubbornly refused to, two equally selfish people who wouldn’t stop until they perished together.

“Liang Ye, my shoulder is about to break,” Wang Dian felt his fingers were numb.

“Good if it breaks,” Liang Ye sneered, “You deceived Zhen, so Zhen will crush every bone in your body, making you unable to live or die.”

“Do you know why you’re so angry?” Wang Dian’s expression finally showed subtle changes, like the smile of a victorious person, or like the barely noticeable heartache of a lover. He moved closer to Liang Ye and curled his lips, “Because you can’t bear to kill me, because you love me, because you know those dark and twisted thoughts in your heart are wrong.”

Liang Ye coldly laughed, “Zhen is not wrong.”

“You are wrong,” Wang Dian’s smile slowly widened. “Feels terrible, right? I feel just as awful watching you scheme to manipulate me every day. You’re allowed to use any means to scheme my return to the capital, but I’m not allowed to keep a backup plan? I didn’t care about your blood feud because you’re too stubborn to trust me, I didn’t even know about this matter and now you’re blaming me?”

His pain-numbed fingers fiercely grabbed Liang Ye’s collar. “You’ve hidden plenty of things from me, have I ever thrown tantrums at you? If it hurts, just endure it. Everything I have now is what I deserve. Don’t act like a three-year-old throwing a fit when you lose. Let go.”

Liang Ye stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Let go!” Wang Dian suddenly raised his voice.

Liang Ye angrily breathed heavily several times, and the hands gripping Wang Dian’s shoulders slowly loosened their force, but his gaze remained firmly fixed on his face.

Wang Dian’s fingers were trembling with pain. He slowly released Liang Ye’s collar and lowered his eyes to smooth out the wrinkles on it. His voice suddenly became gentle, “Next time when discussing matters, just discuss properly, remember?”

Liang Ye’s jaw was tense, like a fierce beast forced to accept being chained, filled with anger and unwillingness after struggling in vain, wanting to tear apart the enemy who insisted on chaining him, only to find that the other person had also tied the other end of the chain to his own neck, and was still gently stroking his fur and kissing him.

He was angry, yet so captivated.

“I know you won’t hurt me,” Wang Dian’s coaxing skills came naturally – just a gentle, soothing kiss and a simple sentence made the furious Liang Ye gradually relax, the bloodshot color in his eyes slowly fading.

But Wang Dian was cruel enough to force someone into a corner before saying the words Liang Ye wanted to hear.

Liang Ye stood still with a cold face, allowing him to kiss himself.

Wang Dian stroked his face, sighed and smiled, “How did I end up with you?”

If it had been anyone else, they would have been completely controlled by Liang Ye.

Liang Ye turned his head away, refusing to look at him. Wang Dian gently kissed his eyebrows, eyes, lips, and nose, then straightened up after a moment and narrowed his eyes, “Liang Ziyu, my patience is limited. If you don’t make up now, I’m leaving.”

He turned to leave, but after just two steps, someone grabbed his waist from behind and fiercely pressed him against the wall. Urgent and angry kisses stopped all his words.

Liang Ye bit his lip vindictively until it bled, saying harshly, “This mouth of yours talks too much, how about Zhen sews it shut?”

“How would I argue with you if it’s sewn shut?” Wang Dian leaned against the wall and smiled lazily. “You always have to argue, yet you can’t win and can’t justify yourself. Isn’t that embarrassing?”

Liang Ye glared at him, grinding his teeth. Wang Dian raised his aching arms to embrace him and spoke softly, “When you can’t win an argument and get upset, I still have to comfort you myself. Even raising a son isn’t this troublesome.”

Liang Ye was about to bite him when Wang Dian said quietly, “My shoulder is killing me. If you dare bite, I’ll knock your teeth out.”

Liang Ye looked up, his eyes almost shooting fire. Except for Wang Dian, he had never felt so frustrated with anyone else, and he could only endure it.

In his mind clouded by anger, only Wang Dian’s words “you love me” remained.

Unable to bite, hit, or scold, he might as well make him die in his bed. Liang Ye thought darkly, but just as he rolled his eyes, Wang Dian grabbed his hand.

With just one look, Wang Dian knew what he was thinking and sneered, “Don’t be reckless, we came to the capital for important business.”

Liang Ye didn’t care about any of that. He reached out and lifted him up, forcing him to wrap his legs around his waist, pinning him firmly against the wall, and said fiercely, “Even if the capital explodes tomorrow, Zhen will f*ck you up today first.”

Wang Dian was caught off guard, “Watch your f*cking language.”

“Not as vulgar as you,” Liang Ye gripped his waist and thrust hard, clearly intending to vent his anger.

Wang Dian’s back was unexpectedly jabbed by a protruding brick. Before he could curse, the wall behind him suddenly rotated, taking Wang Dian who was leaning against it and Liang Ye who couldn’t stop his momentum directly inside.