Lan Ming Yue

Wang Dian stood there with his usual expression, smiling slightly. It seemed as if in a moment, he had retracted all his sharpness and arrogance, bowing his head in submission.

But something was different.

Liang Ye frowned, mimicking his previous tone, “What’s wrong with you?”

Wang Dian looked at him, his smile unchanged, and said politely, “Your Majesty, if I — a commoner — have offended you in any way, I hope you will forgive me for my ignorance.”

Liang Ye reached out and tugged at his hair, uncertainly asking, “Did you hit your head just now?”

“If Your Majesty says I did, then I did,” Wang Dian replied respectfully.

Liang Ye was taken aback, and stubbornly pinched his cheek, discontentedly saying, “Speak properly to Zhen.”

“Yes.” Wang Dian tilted his head, slowly but firmly stepped back to avoid his hand, and stood silently on the side.

“You…” Liang Ye was unusually at a loss, “Zhen didn’t mean it just now.”

“Of course.” Wang Dian nodded with a smile.

“Then speak properly.” Liang Ye reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Wang Dian didn’t dodge, nor did he have the strength to dodge, he simply responded, “Yes.”

Liang Ye stared at him for a long time, a gloomy smile suddenly appeared on his face, “Zhen understands now, you are throwing a tantrum at Zhen. The pain from the Gu worm is over, you are being too delicate.”

“Your Majesty is right.” Wang Dian nodded in agreement, “I will definitely strengthen my body in the future, so that Your Majesty can feel more pleasure when the Gu worm acts up.”

Liang Ye’s smile faded slightly, “That’s not what Zhen meant.”

“It’s my ignorance, I misunderstood Your Majesty’s intention.” Although Wang Dian was smiling, there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.

“Wang Dian.” Liang Ye’s tone was slightly heavy, warningly looking at him.

The Gu worm that had just calmed down was starting to ache again. Wang Dian stood upright on the spot, his face pale, but still smiling, his voice trembling slightly, “Your Majesty, the common people is here.”

“Don’t make Zhen angry.” Liang Ye took a step forward, affectionately pulled him into his arms, lowered his head and rubbed his chin with his nose, his dissatisfaction mixed with a bit of grievance, “Speak properly to Zhen.”

Wang Dian pushed him away weakly, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You call Zhen Liang Ye.” Liang Ye held his waist tightly, wishing he could crush him.

“Your Majesty, I was presumptuous and ignorant of the rules before.” Wang Dian was in so much pain that his consciousness was somewhat blurred, but he hooked up the corner of his mouth in a cheerful mood where he couldn’t see, “Your Majesty is the monarch of a country, how can I directly call your name?”

“When did Zhen punish you for this?” Liang Ye buried his head in his neck, his tone was strong and undeniable, but also unusually gentle and compromising, “Next time Zhen won’t let you fall, don’t throw a tantrum with Zhen.”

Wang Dian flattened his mouth, “Your Majesty…don’t joke anymore.”

Liang Ye raised his head to look at him, but before he could see the expression on Wang Dian’s face, the person he was holding fainted from the pain.

“Master, he has neither internal strength nor martial arts, he can’t stand such a toss.” Chong Heng looked at Liang Ye who was stiff in place, couldn’t help but shout, “Master?”

Liang Ye held the fainted Wang Dian tightly, looking somewhat blankly at his pale face, “Where did Zhen upset him?”

Chong Heng shook his head, guessing, “Perhaps Master, you don’t listen to him?”

“Why should Zhen listen to him?” Liang Ye was puzzled, paused and said, “Zhen listened, he asked Zhen to stop the Gu worm and Zhen stopped.”

“Then you made him faint in pain again.” Chong Heng pointed at Wang Dian who seemed to have lost half his life, closed his mouth decisively after meeting Liang Ye’s cold gaze, and couldn’t help but say, “Anyway, I can’t bear to let my wife suffer so much pain.”

Liang Ye lowered his head and looked at Wang Dian thoughtfully, and very surely said, “Zhen has no romantic feelings for him.”

“Oh.” Chong Heng touched his nose, “Then if he doesn’t listen, let him hurt, if he hurts more, he will learn a lesson, just now he looked more obedient.”

Liang Ye looked at him expressionlessly, carried Wang Dian on his shoulder, Wang Dian moaned in pain in his coma.

Chong Heng wanted to say something but stopped, then ran forward under Liang Ye’s cold gaze, “Master, I’m going to prepare the mechanism to go up.”

Not until Chong Heng disappeared, did Liang Ye carry the person slowly forward, his figure slowly disappearing into the darkness.

****

When Wang Dian woke up, he couldn’t tell where exactly his body was hurting. He felt as if all the bones in his body had been gnawed by insects, making him wish he could find a doctor to give him a full-body anesthesia.

There was no one in the large sleeping chamber. He looked around carefully, and it didn’t look like the room he had stayed in before. The air had a stale, decayed smell, and even the curtains on the bed seemed faded.

He lay on the bed for an unknown amount of time until someone finally pushed the door open.

It was Chong Heng.

Chong Heng was holding a bowl of soup in his hand. Seeing him awake, he looked somewhat surprised, “You woke up so early?”

Wang Dian propped himself up on the bed and heard Chong Heng say, “The master has ordered that you rest well for the next two days. He will attend the remaining ceremonies himself.”

“Okay.” As soon as Wang Dian spoke, his voice was already hoarse. He leaned against the bedpost, squinted at the bowl of soup in his hand, and understood, “White jade soup?”

Chong Heng’s expression was slightly conflicted, “The master said he will watch you drink it when he comes back.”

“Okay.” Wang Dian pointed to the small table next to the bed, “Put it there first.”

Chong Heng put the bowl of soup on the table and looked at him, “The master has never taken anyone to that cave before, nor has he ever given the jade seal and the secret token to anyone else. The master actually trusts you very much—”

Wang Dian raised his hand to stop him, his expression calm, “He took me to the cave and gave me these things because he needed my cooperation. I can’t run away or betray him because my life is in his hands. It has nothing to do with trusting me.”

Chong Heng looked at him, wanting to say something but stopped.

Wang Dian didn’t intend to say more, he leaned against the head of the bed and closed his eyes to rest. After an unknown amount of time, Chong Heng silently left, and someone sat down next to him on the bed, the sound of breathing getting closer and closer.

He slowly opened his eyes, and met Liang Ye’s smiling eyes.

“Zhen trusts you so much, but you don’t appreciate it, it’s really heartbreaking.” Liang Ye sighed in a seemingly genuine manner, lowered his head and pinched his fingers, somewhat regretfully saying, “If Zhen had known, Zhen wouldn’t have taken you to the cave.”

Wang Dian didn’t move, glanced at the bowl on the table, “Your Majesty, if I don’t drink the soup, it will get cold.”

“You dare drink it?” Liang Ye reached out and touched the corner of his forehead where he had applied the medicine, “Zhen applied the medicine for you.”

Wang Dian automatically ignored his latter sentence, smiled slightly, “As long as Your Majesty lets me drink, I naturally will.”

“Zhen doesn’t like you like this.” Liang Ye picked up the soup bowl and put it in his hand, his smile faded and his face expressionless, “Drink it.”

Wang Dian steadied the bowl, without hesitation, he put it to his mouth. Just as his lips touched the warm soup, the bowl was suddenly taken away.

Liang Ye stared at him, and drank all the soup in the bowl without changing his face. Wang Dian subconsciously raised his hand, and clenched his fist in his sleeve.

“You get a little hurt and get stung by the Gu worm a couple of times and you throw a tantrum at Zhen. If you drink this soup, won’t you be in so much pain that you’ll break off relations with Zhen.” Liang Ye finished the soup, sighed somewhat helplessly.

Wang Dian bit his teeth hard, and didn’t move.

Liang Ye looked at him with a smile, then leaned down and rubbed his nose with his nose, “Don’t be angry anymore.”