Wang Dian remained calm as he spoke, “Since Eastern Chen has sent the princess over for a marriage alliance with Northern Liang, Your Majesty marrying the princess not only stabilizes Eastern Chen but also secures Cui Yuxian’s position.”
Glancing at Liang Ye’s nonchalant expression, he continued, “If Your Majesty does not wish for her to become empress, she could still be honored as a consort.”
Liang Ye smirked faintly, “Wang Dian, are you suggesting Zhen marry someone else?”
Wang Dian paused slightly, raising his eyelids to meet his gaze. “Your Majesty, the bigger picture is at stake.”
“The bigger picture,” Liang Ye leaned back with a smile, looking down at him disdainfully. Slowly, he said, “Are you pushing Zhen just like the others, like Wen Zong?”
“There’s little difference,” Wang Dian replied. “For one who rules, not everything can always go as desired.”
“Very well, if you want Zhen to marry, then Zhen shall marry,” Liang Ye fixed his eyes on him intensely, his expression dark and forbidding. “Let Zhen ask you again, do you want Zhen to marry her?”
“Your Majesty,” Wang Dian smiled faintly, “Ultimately, I am merely a subject, offering suggestions. I have no authority to influence Your Majesty’s decisions. If Your Majesty wishes to marry, then marry; if not, I cannot force Your Majesty’s hand.”
“But you are clearly forcing Zhen to make an apology,” Liang Ye gritted his teeth.
“We were discussing the alliance and marriage,” Wang Dian calmly continued, “not personal matters.”
Liang Ye stared at him for a while, then chuckled ominously, “Perhaps Zhen has indulged you too much, to the point where you’ve lost sight of your position.”
“Yes, I have been arrogant and deserve death,” Wang Dian said expressionlessly, “If Your Majesty finds me tiresome, you are free to exile me from Northern Liang.”
“You wish!” Liang Ye suddenly stood up, grabbing his neck and pinning him against a pillar. Wang Dian, caught off guard, instinctively grabbed the curtain. The black gauze fell messily to the ground between them.
Wang Dian was choked by him and had difficulty breathing, yet his gaze remained eerily calm. He placed his hand on Liang Ye’s tense hand, pressing downward.
Liang Ye instinctively loosened his grip slightly and followed his lead but kept his hand firmly around Wang Dian’s neck. His eyes were bloodshot, giving him a menacing and furious appearance. “You are Zhen’s person, except Zhen’s side, you are not to go anywhere.”
The words sounded clichéd to Wang Dian, reminiscent of countless TV dramas. Yet, hearing them spoken with such dark intensity sent a chill down his spine—even though it was Liang Ye, he felt an urge to call the police and have this madman locked away.
But here, Liang Ye was the law.
It’s both absurd and pitiable.
Having provoked this kind of madman, he couldn’t shake him off at all. The only comfort he could find was that this madman seemed to like him—staring into Liang Ye’s eyes, he noticed his own reflection, seeing his own expression gradually becoming similar to Liang Ye’s.
“If you don’t want me to leave, then use your abilities to keep me here.” He smiled, speaking softly and slowly, his palm covering the hand of Liang Ye that was squeezing his neck, forcing him to increase the pressure. “If you strangle me… I won’t be able to go anywhere.”
The air around them suddenly became thin. As he struggled to breathe, veins bulged on his forehead due to the lack of air. Yet, he continued to exert force against Liang Ye’s hand. Finally, when he felt his vision darkening, Liang Ye abruptly withdrew his hand.
Wang Dian coughed violently, leaning against the pillar, laughing between coughs.
Liang Ye stared at him intensely. The fingers beneath his wide sleeves twitched unnaturally. Just moments ago, that hand had effortlessly crushed someone’s throat, but now, covering Wang Dian’s neck, it took considerable effort to keep it from trembling.
“Zhen—” Liang Ye started to speak, but Wang Dian promptly punched him in the cheek.
He used his tongue to push against his throbbing cheek and frowned at Wang Dian.
Wang Dian calmly rotated his wrist, waving his hand towards him.
Liang Ye instinctively turned his head, then angrily turned it back, glaring at him with both grievance and anger. “How dare you hit Zhen?”
“I’m just returning the favor for you choking me earlier,” Wang Dian said calmly, looking at his slightly swollen cheek, gently placing his palm on it and asking with a smile, “Does it hurt?”
“Not at all.” Liang Ye instinctively rubbed his cheek against his palm. Then, realizing his reaction, he grabbed Wang Dian’s wrist, his voice cold, “Wang Dian, do you really think Zhen can’t deal with you?”
“You indeed can’t deal with me,” Wang Dian smirked. “If you could, why didn’t you just strangle me earlier?”
Liang Ye sneered softly, “Heh, dead people aren’t as entertaining as the living.”
“Then why did you try to kill someone earlier? Keeping them alive isn’t more entertaining?” Wang Dian pinched the cuff of his inner robe where blood had splattered, looking disgusted. “The smell of blood just now almost made me sick.”
Liang Ye squinted his eyes irritably.
“Your Majesty, as an emperor, you need not personally resort to killing,” Wang Dian raised his hand to touch his own sore neck, sighing as he looked at Liang Ye’s restless and angry expression. “I know you want reconciliation.”
“Reconciliation?” Liang Ye’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He pulled his sleeve away from Wang Dian’s grasp and sneered, “Zhen doesn’t need it.”
“Fine.” Wang Dian nodded briskly and turned to leave.
He had taken a step and a half when his jade pendant tassel was seized, and Liang Ye coldly snapped, “Since when did Zhen permit you to leave?”
Wang Dian took a deep breath, turned back, and grabbed Liang Ye’s wrist, slamming him against the pillar. His other hand swiftly pressed against Liang Ye’s throat, pinning him firmly, and he spoke harshly, “Two options: either you apologize properly to me, or you’ll take another punch. Your choice.”
Liang Ye blinked, reluctantly muttering, “Zhen apologizes.”
Wang Dian stared at him silently. Liang Ye remained equally silent. After a while, Wang Dian’s patience wore thin. “And then?”
“That’s it,” Liang Ye grumbled, kicking at the black gauze on the ground in annoyance.
“…” Wang Dian couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “Have you never apologized or admitted fault to anyone in your life?”
Liang Ye glared unhappily at him, his eyes swirling with certain dark, damp emotions. Once again, Wang Dian strangely sensed his emotions, though it didn’t bring him much joy. He paused and asked softly, “Did Cui Yuxian force you?”
Liang Ye frowned, trying to break free. He seemed unwilling to let Wang Dian get too close, but Wang Dian persisted in staying near, enveloping him in a warmth and pleasant scent that seemed impenetrable.
“Did she force you to admit fault?” Wang Dian frowned alongside him. “Admit what fault?”
More bloodshot appeared in Liang Ye’s eyes. His jaw tightened, his expression wary and defensive, like a trapped and frustrated beast pushed to its limits. He stared fiercely at Wang Dian and said, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t.”
Wang Dian couldn’t quite explain his feelings at that moment. He simply grasped him firmly by the back and muttered fiercely, “I don’t know about these.”
Liang Ye’s brows furrowed deeply, his gaze sinister and dark, barely registering what Wang Dian was saying. He stubbornly repeated, “You look like Zhen, and you are also similar to Zhen, you are Zhen’s thing and can only be Zhens. Zhen won’t let anyone else touch you. Why should he make you laugh? You belong to Zhen, yet you don’t know your place. Zhen is not wrong, why should you force Zhen to apologize…..Zhen is not wrong. You’re Zhen’s only treasure, yet you call others ‘Your Majesty’, laugh at others, and intentionally ignore Zhen. Why? Why should Zhen apologize?”
Wang Dian forcefully patted Liang Ye’s back. “Liang Ye?”
“Zhen is not wrong!” Liang Ye stared at him with bloodshot eyes, his voice trembling slightly.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this.” Wang Dian exerted all his strength to try to pry open Liang Ye’s clenched fist, but it was futile. He watched blood seep through Liang Ye’s fingers and raised his voice sharply, “Liang Ye!”
Liang Ye gasped for breath, slowly loosening his fist from Wang Dian’s prying fingers.
Wang Dian hastily wiped away the blood from his palm with his sleeve, his face turning pale with fear. Liang Ye withdrew his hand nervously, chuckled nervously, and whispered, “Wang Dian, Zhen wants to drink white jade soup.”
“You can’t drink it.” Wang Dian lowered his head, grabbed his arm, and vigorously wiped off the remaining blood. “If you drink it, you’ll forget about me.”
Liang Ye smirked. “Even if drinking it, Zhen won’t forget. Zhen always remembers you, just forget some trivial things.”
“Forgetting trivial things isn’t good either.” Wang Dian cleaned his palm, but blood quickly welled up from the wound again. Annoyed, he used his sleeve to wipe it away. “I’m afraid that one day you’ll go completely mad and actually kill me.”
Liang Ye looked at him with reddened eyes and smiled silently for a moment before restraining his smile and furrowing his brows. “At the time, Zhen didn’t intend to use the gu, but…Zhen couldn’t control himself.”
“I know.” Wang Dian wrapped his hand with a cloth, speaking in a low voice. “But I don’t want to live in constant fear and watch your every move.”
Liang Ye watched as he neatly tied the cloth into a beautiful knot, and said in a muffled voice, “Then stop making Zhen angry all the time. Zhen is terrifying when Zhen loses control.”
If it hadn’t been for the pain just now, he wouldn’t have sobered up so quickly.
“Yeah, you’re quite terrifying.” Wang Dian sighed. “But it’s been two months without white jade soup…I pushed you too hard.”
Liang Ye tugged at the corner of the cloth hanging from his hand, nearly tearing it apart. Wang Dian took his hand away, bent down to pick up the fallen curtain from the floor, and set it aside on the nearby table. “If there’s a next time, I won’t force you to apologize. Just stand there and take a punch from me.”
Liang Ye paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. He sat down in the chair, lowered his eyes, and said, “All those things Zhen said earlier… were nonsense. Don’t take them to heart. Zhen doesn’t treat you like an object.”
Wang Dian reached out and rested his hand on the armrest, leaning slightly forward to stare at Liang Ye’s slightly reddened eyes. “Really?”
The madness in Liang Ye’s eyes was not completely concealed, yet his gaze seemed eager to imprison and devour Wang Dian whole, tearing apart bones and swallowing the flesh. Despite his words, spoken sincerely, “Really.”
Wang Dian smiled gently and whispered near his ear, “Whether it’s nonsense or not, we both know in our hearts.”
Liang Ye almost involuntarily turned his head, his lips brushing against Wang Dian’s warm earlobe. The hand hidden in his sleeve clenched fiercely, soaking the clean cloth with blood.
Wang Dian’s hand slipped into his wide sleeve, gently and irresistibly prying open his fingers and enclosing his bloodied hand in his palm.
“But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Liang Ye heard him say.
