Snow fell continuously for five or six days.
Wang Dian didn’t notice it much during spring and summer, but when winter came, he finally understood why Northern Liang had “Northern” in its name.
On a whim, he accompanied Liang Ye to watch the snow, but even wrapped in a thick cloak, he couldn’t escape catching a cold. He curled up in the back hall, eating and sleeping, wishing he could tie hot water bottles and braziers to his body.
In just five or six days, Liang Ye was already moving about normally, prancing around in front of him every day wearing that thin robe made of rabbit fur, as if afraid others wouldn’t know he wasn’t cold.
Wang Dian sniffled and picked up the medicine bowl, drinking the medicinal soup in one gulp. He quickly popped a piece of candy into his mouth, chewing it with a frown. It still tasted bitter.
“Your body is too weak, far inferior to Zhen’s,” Liang Ye sat cross-legged on the couch reading letters, most of which he threw into the brazier after a single glance, filling the room with smoke.
Wang Dian coughed twice from the smoke, “If your body is so good, go look at the snow outside. Stop bothering me here.”
Liang Ye lazily glanced at the letter in his hand, “Zhen is reading confidential letters. Do you know what confidential letters are?”
“No,” Wang Dian reached for another piece of candy from the plate. Liang Ye stretched out his arm and pressed down on his hand, not lifting his head as he said, “Li Bu said you can’t eat too much candy. It will make you cough and prolong your cold.”
Wang Dian pretended to put it down, but quickly reached with his other hand, only to grab air. Liang Ye was holding the plate, pouring all the remaining candy into his mouth. He arrogantly raised an eyebrow at Wang Dian, crunching the candy loudly in his mouth.
“… Hope you choke on it,” Wang Dian picked up a handkerchief to wipe his hands, then immediately tucked them back into his sleeves.
“This bedroom is the warmest place in the entire palace with its floor heating,” Liang Ye reached into his sleeve to feel his cold hands. “Why are you so afraid of the cold?”
“I’m not used to the climate,” Wang Dian lazily crawled onto the bed, wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, yawned, and closed his eyes.
“How long have you been in Great Liang to still not be acclimatized?” Liang Ye walked over and poked his shoulder, cautiously saying, “Don’t sleep, get up and help Zhen with work.”
With Cui Yuxian dead, along with so many officials, although Wang Dian hadn’t been paying much attention these past few days, he vaguely knew that Liang Ye had killed quite a few more people. As for who those people were, he didn’t know and didn’t want to know.
He just used the excuse of being seriously ill with a cold to avoid all government affairs.
Liang Ye, despite being severely injured, was busy to the point of exhaustion. At first, he indulged Wang Dian, considering himself “thoughtful”. But as he saw that Wang Dian was almost recovered yet still showed no intention of helping, not even reacting when he reviewed memorials and read confidential letters in front of him.
“Sleepy,” Wang Dian grunted, burying half his head under the blanket.
“No sleeping,” Liang Ye scooped him up, blanket and all, complaining, “Don’t you like working overtime? Get up and work.”
“Do your own work,” Wang Dian drooped his head, wanting to lean onto the soft pillow. “I’m delicate and weak— Ouch!”
Liang Ye lifted the blanket wrapped around him. Wang Dian quickly grabbed it, refusing to let go. Neither of them would back down, glaring at each other.
“Zhen has appointed you as Assistant Councillor of State Affairs, concurrently serving as Minister of Revenue,” Liang Ye said. “The marquis titles in Northern Liang are honorary positions without court duties. Zhen chose one for you with good pay and a nice-sounding name. Your fief is in Liyang, with three imperial estates in the outskirts of the capital. When you have time, go choose for yourself. Zhen selected the mansion closest to the palace for you. For other miscellaneous things, you can check them yourself… If you’re dissatisfied with anything, tell Zhen, and Zhen will grant additional rewards.”
Wang Dian lifted his eyelids to look at him, “You’re really not afraid I’ll be criticized to death.”
“Who would dare?” Liang Ye sneered coldly, his gaze falling on him. “If you’re willing to be Zhen’s empress—”
“Stop.” Wang Dian let go of the blanket and sighed, getting out of bed. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
Liang Ye’s gaze clung to him tightly, embracing him from behind. He gently nuzzled Wang Dian’s neck with his nose, lowering his eyes as he said, “Zhen hasn’t been sleeping well these past few days. Wound hurts, and so does the head. Besides you, Zhen has no one else to rely on.”
“Oh, so all those civil and military officials in your court are just for show.” Wang Dian didn’t believe his nonsense.
Liang Ye held him and laughed, casually kissing down his neck. Wang Dian raised his hand to cover Liang Ye’s mouth, his expression indifferent as he said, “I can’t help but keep guessing your thoughts now.”
“Right now, Zhen has no other thought besides wanting to sleep with you.” Liang Ye’s face was full of sincerity.
“…” Wang Dian was at a loss for words.
Liang Ye dragged him to the desk, making him sit in the chair. He pointed at the confidential letters on the table and asked, “Do you think we should kill Cui Qi?”
Wang Dian started cursing inwardly but kept a wooden face as he said, “You’re the emperor. Kill if you want to kill, don’t if you don’t want to.”
Liang Ye leaned against the table, arms crossed, smiling at him. “That’s perfunctory. It’s the same as not saying anything.”
Wang Dian glanced at him. Liang Ye bringing up Cui Qi was nothing more than a veiled hint for him to return the child he was holding. By not mentioning that Wang Dian had taken the child, it was as if the matter had never happened, lightly brushed aside.
“Then kill him,” Wang Dian leaned back in his chair.
Liang Ye’s eyebrows twitched slightly. “Zhen remembers you admired Cui Qi quite a bit. Now you’re willing to let Zhen kill him?”
“Since you’re asking, you must have murderous intent,” Wang Dian pulled down Liang Ye’s crossed arms, his face expressionless as he said, “Stop with this sarcastic probing. I said I don’t want to guess at your convoluted thoughts. The child is with me. I’m not letting him go.”
Liang Ye was taken aback for a moment, then narrowed his eyes in displeasure. “Why won’t you release him?”
“Why won’t you kill Cui Qi?” Wang Dian asked back with a half-smile.
Liang Ye stared at him meaningfully for a long time, then spoke in a sinister tone, “Zhen is not discussing this with you.”
“Well, I’m open to discussion here,” Wang Dian tapped the back of Liang Ye’s hand with a brush. “If you want that child, remove the Gu worm first.”
“You don’t trust Zhen?” Liang Ye said in a deep voice. “Zhen promised you, Zhen won’t use the Gu worm again.”
“If you won’t use it again, why not remove it directly?” Wang Dian twirled the brush between his fingers, lightly tapping it on Liang Ye’s chest. “Do you trust me?”
Liang Ye gripped the brush. “Once the Gu worm is removed, you’ll leave Zhen.”
Wang Dian smiled. “You don’t trust me yet demand that I trust you. Liang Ye, be reasonable.”
Liang Ye’s brows furrowed slightly, his tone suddenly turning cold. “Zhen—”
“I know,” Wang Dian interrupted him, tossing the brush onto the table. He pulled Liang Ye over to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around Liang Ye’s waist and burying his head in Liang Ye’s chest. “I’ve never experienced anything so intense in my life. Let me catch my breath first.”
Liang Ye stroked the back of his neck. “Intense?”
Wang Dian took a deep breath, still holding Liang Ye. “You almost f*cking died.”
Liang Ye was startled, not expecting that this was what Wang Dian meant by intense. Then he heard Wang Dian say, “I keep feeling like I’m in a dream.”
“It’s not a dream.” Liang Ye squeezed his shoulder hard. “Zhen didn’t die.”
Wang Dian took Liang Ye’s hand and slowly kissed it twice, then looked up to meet Liang Ye’s inquiring gaze. “In the future, speak directly. Don’t test me.”
Liang Ye grinned, leaning in to nuzzle Wang Dian’s nose. “What if Zhen doesn’t?”
“Then I…” Wang Dian smiled, stroking Liang Ye’s face, and sighed contentedly. “I can’t do anything about it.”
His lowered eyes well concealed the fleeting shadow and obsession within them.
“Zhen understands.” Liang Ye awkwardly imitated Wang Dian’s earlier action, gently patting his back, then complained, “Can you help Zhen with overtime work now?”
Wang Dian was silent for a moment, then chuckled. “If Your Majesty commands, this minister naturally obeys.”
Liang Ye bit his earlobe and got up from his lap. “When you refer to yourself as ‘this minister’, it always makes Zhen feel like you want to rebel.”
As his arms suddenly emptied, Wang Dian’s hand hidden in his sleeve rubbed uncomfortably. He strongly resisted the urge to pull Liang Ye back into his arms, forcing himself to calm down. “Not at all. Being an emperor is exhausting. What do you want me to do?”
Liang Ye immediately looked relieved, pointing to a thick stack of memorials on the ground. “Read the memorials.”
“Alright.” Wang Dian unusually didn’t take the opportunity to mock him, instead picking up a stack of memorials and starting to read, trying to stabilize his teetering sanity on the brink of madness.
Liang Ye didn’t die.
Look, he didn’t die.
Wang Dian kept repeating this in his mind, somewhat regretting why he had to bring up how Liang Ye had almost died. He clearly knew his current mental state was unstable, but he didn’t want to let this uncontrollable state dominate him. He forced himself to ignore certain sensitive words, using this to maintain his rationality. Just a little more time, and he could desensitize himself.
But Liang Ye kept moving around in front of him with his injury every day.
And he kept testing him in roundabout ways.
Wang Dian knew he couldn’t take any more stimulation in his current state. He had to… Wang Dian looked up at Liang Ye, who was writing.
Despite claiming to be in good health, a person who had suffered so much had lost a full circle of weight and didn’t even have extra energy to act wild with him.
The person writing with the brush seemed to sense something and looked up at him. Wang Dian lowered his eyes casually, scanning the characters on the memorial, but they didn’t register. In his mind, Liang Ye’s deathly pale face and his beautiful profile in the sunlight just now kept alternating, distorting into countless grotesque faces on the memorial.
Snap.
Wang Dian suddenly closed the memorial. The feeling of suffocation was too real, the fear of imminent death engulfing him completely.
Hearing the sound, Liang Ye didn’t look up, asking lazily, “Which idiot’s memorial angered you so much? Zhen will deal with him for you.”
“It’s nothing,” Wang Dian closed his eyes hard, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The snow has stopped. It’s not proper for me to stay in the palace constantly. I should leave the palace today.”
The writing brush paused, then was thrown onto the table. Liang Ye got up and walked in front of him, picking up the memorial he had just closed. His voice was cold as he said, “Which bastard is meddling in affairs that don’t concern them? If Zhen lets you stay, you should stay properly—”
He suddenly stopped speaking. This memorial was about taxation and didn’t mention Wang Dian staying in the palace at all. Liang Ye looked at him. “You want to leave the palace yourself?”
“Yes,” Wang Dian smiled. “There are so many eyes watching you inside and outside the palace. Staying here just gives them ammunition. I’ll enter the palace during the day and return to my residence at night. There’s no difference.”
There was a huge difference.
Liang Ye frowned gravely, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty. “Has Zhen…angered you?”
