Whether Wang Dian was beautiful or not, he didn’t know, but Liang Ye’s expression clearly showed he had been planning this for a long time.
However, cross-dressing… he really didn’t mind.
He picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board, “If you like it, just wear it.”
This Liang Ye, the more unwilling he was, the more excited he became. If he said one more word about not putting on makeup, his sense of joy would directly multiply several times. Wang Dian wanted him to be happy, but not too happy.
Liang Ye placed a chess piece on the board and raised an eyebrow, saying, “The palace maids have already prepared the dress and makeup. They’re in the side hall. Try them on tonight.”
Wang Dian curled his lips, “Tonight?”
A glint flashed in Liang Ye’s eyes, and he casually said, “During the day, Zhen still has to review memorials.”
Wang Dian picked up another chess piece, “Are you reviewing them or am I?”
“As long as you obediently wear the wedding dress for Zhen to see, Zhen will review them,” Liang Ye attempted to negotiate with him.
Wang Dian remained noncommittal, “It’s your turn.”
Liang Ye looked down at the chessboard, asking in confusion. “What kind of chess strategy is this?”
“Gobang,” Wang Dian shook the chess piece in his hand, smiling, “It’s much simpler than Go. I’ll teach you.”
Liang Ye had always been bothered by this—mainly because he was bothered that Wang Dian had taught others first.
Gobang was extremely simple. After one game, Liang Ye lost interest and started to disrupt Wang Dian’s play by not following the rules. Wang Dian put away the chess pieces and said, “Want to play something else?”
Liang Ye, lacking enthusiasm, played Go with him again. Just as they started, Wang Dian noticed something was off about his expression. He raised his hand to feel Liang Ye’s forehead, which was ice-cold. His hands were always cool in winter, but now Liang Ye was almost like an ice cube.
“Headache?” Wang Dian immediately became worried. He stopped playing and was about to call for the imperial physician, but Liang Ye covered his mouth.
“Zhen is fine,” Liang Ye slowly removed his hand and said listlessly, “Zhen has been drinking white jade soup for so many years. Now that Zhen has suddenly stopped, the headaches will recur for a few days. It will be fine soon.”
Liang Ye had always been able to endure pain. He could still exert himself even when he was nearly pierced through the heart by an arrow. But every time he had a headache, he looked like a frost-bitten eggplant. Wang Dian had experienced that terrible feeling, albeit briefly, and knew it was worse than death.
Thinking carefully, Liang Ye had already been restrained in his madness.
He sighed, allowing Liang Ye to bury his head in the crook of his neck. He embraced him and slowly massaged the acupoint at the back of his head, “Have you let Li Bu examine you?”
“Mm,” Liang Ye responded, biting a small piece of skin on his neck. He restrained himself from actually breaking the skin, only expressing his dissatisfaction by grinding it between his teeth.
“What did he say?” Wang Dian was truly worried. After drinking that stuff for so many years, suddenly stopping wasn’t just about headaches occurring from time to time. If there were any side effects that shortened one’s life or turned one into a fool after a few years, that would be truly terrifying.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Liang Ye suppressed the violent emotions rising from the depths of his heart, restraining the restless Gu worm in his wrist and some dark, malicious thoughts.
He wanted Wang Dian to suffer with him, to be in so much pain that he was on the verge of death, with tears in his eyes begging him… as if this unbearable pain could be slightly relieved.
But he couldn’t.
His remaining rationality stopped these dangerous thoughts. He had never completely subdued Wang Dian. It was hard enough to coax, trick, and threaten him into agreeing to be the empress. He absolutely couldn’t fail at the last hurdle with the Gu worms.
From the beginning, his only thought had been to keep Wang Dian by his side by any means necessary. As for whether Wang Dian was willing or not, he didn’t care. Sooner or later, he would clip all of Wang Dian’s wings, cut off all his escape routes, and make him willingly kneel at his feet, revering him as lord.
He was thinking these gloomy thoughts when Wang Dian gently stroked his head that felt like it was about to split open from pain.
He looked up, his gaze deep as he looked at Wang Dian. Wang Dian’s eyes were calm and gentle, with some emotions he couldn’t understand. It wasn’t happiness or sadness, almost worry but different, with an irresistible force that made one feel a bit lost.
He had seen this look in Wang Dian’s eyes many times before. He didn’t particularly dislike it, but he didn’t like it either. It even made him somewhat irritated.
Wang Dian sympathetically rubbed his head, then saw that he seemed to be lost in thought. Concerned, he waved his hand in front of his eyes, “What are you thinking about?”
Liang Ye’s head drooped listlessly on his shoulder, his voice extremely weak, “Don’t leave tonight.”
He was truly pretending, but he was also truly in pain. Wang Dian let him cling to himself, “Alright.”
“We won’t review memorials today either,” Liang Ye mumbled.
Wang Dian nodded without principle, “We won’t.”
Although his head was hurting terribly, Liang Ye visibly cheered up. He whimpered and ordered him to do this and that, asking for grapes one moment and snacks the next, complaining of cold and wanting a cloak, then feeling hot and wanting a fan, extremely difficult to serve.
When Wang Dian wasn’t angry, his temperament was extremely good. He patiently satisfied all of Liang Ye’s reasonable and unreasonable requests, and in the end, even managed to coax him to sleep for a short while.
He held Liang Ye, gently kissing the corners of his eyes. He hesitated for a second between waking him up and letting him continue to sleep, then said, “Liang Ye.”
Liang Ye’s headache was severe, and after fussing all afternoon, he had little energy left. He lazily moved his eyelids and made an unclear sound of acknowledgment.
“It’s evening now. Do you want to see me in the wedding dress?” Wang Dian kissed from the corner of his eye to his ear, gently nuzzling his earlobe with the tip of his nose. “Come, let’s go to the side hall.”
Liang Ye opened his eyes wearily, struggled for a moment, then imperiously held him tight in his arms. “Another day.”
“I want to wear it,” Wang Dian’s voice was gentle with a hint of enticement, like lightly brushing a feather across his eyelids. “Do you want to see or not?”
Liang Ye became alert almost instantly, his voice hoarse as he said, “See.”
In the vast, empty side hall, the luxurious crimson wedding dress was placed on a clothes rack in the center, gleaming under the bright candlelight. The golden phoenix crown atop it had its wings spread as if about to take flight, exquisite yet grand. Golden hairpins, jade rings, silks, and jewels almost filled the entire palace, showing that Liang Ye had indeed put a lot of thought into it.
Wang Dian stood before the Empress’s wedding dress. The gold patterns embroidered on the fiery red dress subtly echoed those on the Emperor’s wedding attire. Liang Ye had even had a small, delicate lotus flower embroidered on it.
Although he didn’t particularly like lotus flowers, since Liang Ye had put thought into it, he could make lotus flowers his favorite.
“How is it?” Liang Ye smiled at him proudly, though his face was a bit pale.
“It’s very beautiful,” Wang Dian squeezed his palm, “Help me put it on.”
“Alright,” Liang Ye agreed readily.
Unfortunately, they both underestimated the complexity of the wedding attire. After fumbling for nearly a quarter of an hour, they had only managed to put on half of the dress. Wang Dian patted his hand, “Forget it, I’ll do it myself. You go put on yours.”
Liang Ye, whose hands had been pushed away, was very dissatisfied, “Zhen doesn’t need to change.”
“I want to see,” Wang Dian scratched his chin, “Put it on.”
So Liang Ye dazedly went to put on his own wedding attire. He had just finished fastening his belt when he heard Wang Dian call his name.
Liang Ye looked up to see Wang Dian standing on the steps in a fiery red wedding dress. Though it was the same face, he clearly knew it was Wang Dian, completely different from himself.
Wang Dian’s expression was cold and solemn, his chin slightly raised. When his eyes met Liang Ye’s, a hint of a smile appeared in them, and the coldness and distance around him instantly dissipated. “Do I look good?”
Liang Ye was stunned for a long while, his gaze almost obsessively lingering on him before he said hoarsely, “Beautiful.”
Wang Dian chuckled softly, watching as Liang Ye, dressed all in red, walked to the bottom of the steps. He looked down at him, hooking his chin, “Do you want to see me apply lip rouge?”
Liang Ye’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He was still not used to being looked down upon. He grabbed Wang Dian’s wrist and with a slight tug, pulled him down from the steps and into his arms. He raised his hand to press against Wang Dian’s soft, warm lips, his eyes dark, “Yes.”
“You help me,” Wang Dian took his finger into his mouth, biting it gently.
As his fingertip brushed across Wang Dian’s lips, it left a bright color. Liang Ye’s movements were clumsy and awkward. Wang Dian wrapped his arms around his neck, sitting on his lap and laughing so that his earrings swayed lightly.
At this moment, Liang Ye no longer cared about his headache. One hand tightly gripped Wang Dian’s waist, while the other held his chin. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Don’t laugh.”
Wang Dian’s eyes curved in a smile as he leaned down to plant a kiss on Liang Ye’s cheek, leaving a clear lip print that could be seen clearly in the bronze mirror. Liang Ye only glanced at it once before awkwardly averting his gaze, his ears visibly turning bright red.
This made Wang Dian laugh even more unrestrained.
Liang Ye, embarrassed and angry, directly pushed him down onto the dressing table.
Wang Dian’s face still held a trace of a smile, but he faintly caught a whiff of a familiar scent, causing his expression to suddenly become complex. “Liang Ye, what were you originally planning to do tonight?”
Liang Ye feigned innocence, “What do you mean?”
Wang Dian narrowed his eyes, “This fragrance is exactly the same as the one from a few days ago. You really haven’t changed your ways.”
“You can still smell it?” Liang Ye furrowed his brow, sniffing hard, but still couldn’t detect any scent.
Wang Dian was almost amused by his behavior, “Are you really that impatient?”
Liang Ye pressed down on him, staring at him with an ambiguous smile. His hand, however, mischievously lifted Wang Dian’s skirt, his palm slowly sliding up his thigh as he said nonchalantly, “Zhen knows you’re not honest. Your agreement to marry Zhen isn’t sincere either. Whatever scheme you’re plotting, you must become Zhen’s person.”
Wang Dian let out a muffled groan, “Forceful acquisition?”
Liang Ye’s pale face was flushed with an unnatural redness as he grinned, “You and Zhen… at most, this could be considered mutual seduction.”
When Wang Dian was thrown onto the wedding quilt, he felt dazed from the impact. Liang Ye somewhat irritably tried to undo his wedding attire, but the garment was so intricate that he only managed to create a knot. Wang Dian grasped his cold hands, attempting to calm the heat within his body, and frowned, “Why don’t we just forget it? Your head—”
“Zhen is fine,” Liang Ye didn’t want to tear the wedding attire, after all, it was needed for next month’s grand wedding, and damaging it would be inauspicious. Wang Dian couldn’t bear to watch and helped him undo it.
However, the next moment, he saw Liang Ye pull out an exquisite small box from his sleeve, emitting a faint, fresh fragrance.
Wang Dian’s expression changed from confusion to silence, “Are you serious?”
Liang Ye raised an eyebrow, “Zhen won’t let you feel pain.”
The air was filled with a subtle, enticing fragrance. Wang Dian felt hot and dizzy, mixed with anger at being schemed against again and frustration at Liang Ye’s unchanging nature. He snatched the box from Liang Ye’s hand and flipped him over, pinning him down.
Liang Ye, now underneath, was still a bit dazed. Clearly, his headache was severe, and he had no extra strength to resist the fragrance. He was equally affected. He looked at Wang Dian with displeasure, “Give it to Zhen.”
“Is your head not hurting anymore?” Wang Dian lowered his head and gently kissed the corner of his eye, his voice low and alluring, “I’ll do it myself.”
Liang Ye stared at him skeptically, his mind in a haze. He instinctively wanted to resist, but soon he was pleased by Wang Dian’s actions. Wang Dian rarely used his mouth, and this stimulation was no less than Wang Dian kneeling before him. He reached out to grab Wang Dian’s hair. The irritation of his splitting headache intertwined with intense pleasure, making the fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose even more intense.
At some point, a sudden chill came over a certain area. Liang Ye instantly sobered up and became furious. He instinctively wanted to struggle, but was constrained by the fact that his vital area was being controlled. He could only angrily whisper, “Wang Dian!”
Wang Dian raised his head. His elaborate and luxurious bridal gown was a fiery red, as if about to burst into flames. He stared at the angry and shocked Liang Ye beneath him with a frenzied and focused gaze, revealing a sinister and mischievous smile almost identical to Liang Ye’s. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Take it out…” Liang Ye’s forehead veins bulged, but he let out a muffled groan with Wang Dian’s movements. This strange sound made the usually high and mighty emperor’s face contort slightly. He gritted his teeth and said, “Wang Dian… Zhen thinks you must be tired of living…”
Wang Dian’s lips, still with a hint of rouge, curled up frivolously. He lowered his head to kiss Liang Ye’s slightly sweaty hair, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Ziyu, you’re so beautiful.”
Liang Ye gritted his teeth, his eyes full of murderous intent. The completely unfamiliar pleasure and stimulation made him quite flustered. “Zhen will kill you!”
Wang Dian grasped his ankle, which was wrapped with a red cord, and brazenly yet tenderly kissed it.
On the bright red bridal gown, phoenixes spread their wings as if about to take flight. The beautiful, translucent jade pendants swayed slowly or quickly in the candlelight. Candle tears dripped and accumulated on the candlestick. The soft, fluffy wedding quilt was pressed into wrinkles. Long, slender fingers tightly grasped it, then let go, the knuckles turning white from excessive force, revealing small blue veins, only to be forcibly held down again, tied behind with the red veil.
The small wooden box, hollowed out by half, was knocked onto the carpet, making a crisp sound. A short cry was swallowed by lips and tongues, leaving only suppressed, deep breathing.
Layer upon layer of curtains fell, leaving only indistinct, swaying shadows.
The candle shadows flickered red, the spring night was short.
Yet the winter nights in the capital were always very long.
