Chapter 13 “Supreme Favor”

Chapter 13: "Imperial Favor"

The midday sun shone upon him, bringing some warmth to Jiang Wang's body.

He watched Ling Shan walk away before turning back into the house.

As soon as he stepped inside, he met Changle's panicked gaze.

Seeing him, Changle hurried over, and only when he touched Jiang Wang did the unease in his eyes gradually fade.

"Young master, where did you go? I just dreamed you disappeared, and when I opened my eyes, you really were gone..."

Changle's tone was full of lingering fear and blame, but shaking Jiang Wang's hand felt more like an act of petulance.

Jiang Wang smiled to comfort him: "Guard Ling came just now, so I went to see him off. Besides, how could a living person like me just vani..."

He cut himself off.

Would he disappear...

After all, he wasn't from this world. He had come from another time and space, occupying this body. Once his task was done, he still had to return...

When that time came, would only his soul depart, or would this physical body also vanish...

Jiang Wang felt conflicted. If he left, Changle would be sad, wouldn't he...

But he didn't remain lost in thought for too long, because a loud rumble interrupted the slightly melancholic atmosphere.

Jiang Wang chuckled: "Our Changle is hungry."

Changle straightened up, covering his stomach, and moved a little away from Jiang Wang in embarrassment.

Jiang Wang, taking the chance, took out a small box from the corner of the wardrobe. Inside were some bits of silver and copper coins.

This little box of his was the opposite of Changle's small case; his contained more broken silver and fewer copper coins.

Jiang Wang handed the small box to Changle and asked, "I already told you where I keep the money. Why didn't you use it today?"

But Jiang Wang didn't ask Changle where his money came from. He knew Changle had his own freedom and privacy; there was no need to report every single thing to him.

He mixed the money from the two boxes together and said, "From now on, we'll use it together, with no distinction between yours and mine."

Jiang Wang then took out two pieces of broken silver and handed them to Changle: "My mouth feels bitter. The sweet cheese pastries from that shop in the east city are quite good. Go buy some."

Changle also licked his lips, took the money, and ran out happily.

Jiang Wang smiled. He had originally planned to buy some for Changle on the way back from Longquan Temple, but who would have thought such a thing would happen. Still, now he'd fulfilled Changle's little wish.

Watching Changle dash off, he lowered his head and carefully counted the money in the box, sighing.

Jiang Wang felt he had grown a lot since he arrived here.

Before, not managing a household, he didn't know the cost of firewood and rice, accustomed to spending money lavishly. Now, not only did he have to work hard, but he also had to worry constantly if the little money he earned was enough for the two of them.

He fiddled with the remaining silver in the box, calculating silently.

He had dared to donate money earlier because he knew exactly how much money was left at home. Although it stung a little, it was still within an acceptable range.

But now it was different.

He had his salary docked by Xiao Yan!

This meant he would have no income at all this month...

The little money in this box seemed hardly enough to support him and Changle through the month.

Besides, New Year's Day was almost here; they had to buy some new things, right?

Suddenly, he thought of the system, but immediately dismissed it.

Given the system's unreliable nature, it definitely wouldn't give him things for free. Everything had to be exchanged with points. And his points were pitifully few. Unless absolutely necessary, it was better not to use them lightly, lest he land himself deep in debt again.

His still-tender head began to ache again. Jiang Wang put the box back in the cabinet and went back to bed to lie down.

His health came first. He needed to recover properly; he still had to take Changle away from Zhaojing.

Some time later, a noise at the door caught his attention.

Jiang Wang looked over; it was Changle returning.

However, he was carrying large and small bags, not like someone who'd just gone for pastries.

Entering the room and seeing Jiang Wang lying in bed, Changle thought he was asleep and tiptoed, but upon closer look, he wasn't.

He then happily held up the things in his hands to Jiang Wang: "Young master, I bought some good quality rice. I'll cook porridge for you later!"

"What about the pastries? Did you buy them?"

"Bought them, bought them," Changle took out a small paper package, "just bought a little less."

Good. Jiang Wang breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid Changle would skip buying the pastries to buy the rice.

Changle sometimes did neglect himself because of Jiang Wang, and he didn't want Changle to suffer any grievance.

A heavy drowsiness washed over him, and Jiang Wang fell asleep again. His body hadn't fully recovered yet, and he was still fatigued.

But this time, what woke him up wasn't the rich aroma of rice, but an unfamiliar face.

A kind-looking, gray-haired old man was standing before him. His clothes bore no other patterns, but that stone-blue round-collared robe was clearly not something ordinary people could afford.

However, the small case slung diagonally across his body revealed his identity.

He was a physician, and not an ordinary one at that.

Just as Jiang Wang was about to speak, he realized there was more than just this one extra person in his home.

Beside this physician stood two eunuchs, and also Ling Shan, who had just returned.

Their eyes met, and Ling Shan spoke first: "Lord Jiang, His Majesty is concerned about your illness and has specially dispatched Imperial Physician Wang to examine you."

Oh, so that was it.

Jiang Wang had guessed he was a physician but didn't expect him to be an imperial physician.

"Very well. Thank you for His Majesty's consideration."

Jiang Wang obediently extended his hand for the imperial physician to take his pulse.

A moment later, the imperial physician reached the same conclusion as the physician from last night.

Excessive fatigue had allowed wind-cold to invade his body; he needed proper rest and recuperation.

However, what differed was that Imperial Physician Wang voluntarily left him several doses of herbal medicine, along with two bottles of Ephedra Pills to dispel the cold.

He advised, "Taking the pills alongside the decoction will yield better results."

Just as the party was leaving, Jiang Wang called them back. He moved closer to Ling Shan and whispered a question.

"Guard Ling, the cost of seeing the imperial physician isn't on me, right?"

He couldn't afford the consultation fee. If he had to pay, not only would his current funds be gone, but likely his salary for the next few months would vanish too.

"Of course not, Lord Jiang."

Jiang Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Good, good.

"The imperial physician also said I need proper rest. So, for my sick leave, my salary won't be deducted, right?"

This time, Ling Shan remained silent, as this matter truly wasn't within his authority to decide.

Jiang Wang sensed Ling Shan's hesitation. He sat down at the desk, writing furiously. Moments later, he folded the paper twice and handed it to Ling Shan.

"Guard Ling, please deliver this to His Majesty."

＊

Holding the letter in his hand, Xiao Yan smiled meaningfully.

Jiang Wang's handwriting was beautiful—elegant and refined. Although the strokes were slightly hurried, betraying the writer's rush, each character remained clear and legible, making the content easy to understand.

In simple terms, the letter stated that he wasn't the only one responsible for his falling ill today, he needed to follow the doctor's orders and rest properly, and during his sick leave, his salary should not be deducted.

It was also interspersed with phrases like "I am truly pained that I cannot serve Your Majesty," "This illness occurred suddenly, truly not my wish," and "Your Majesty, with your benevolent heart, will surely understand my difficulties," effectively blocking any avenue Xiao Yan might have to punish him.

With a minister being so considerate, as the emperor, he was left with little to say. It seemed he had no choice but to agree.

But was Xiao Yan someone to be so easily manipulated?

A few words of praise weren't enough to turn his head. Moreover, these words likely weren't even sincere.

Xiao Yan kept stroking the letter, his fingertips gently tracing circles.

Suddenly, he stopped, the corners of his mouth curling upward into a smile.

Ling Shan, who had been standing nearby the whole time, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He had seen Xiao Yan smile like this before.

The mouth curved, but the eyes held not a trace of warmth.

Someone was about to be in trouble.

And at the moment, that someone was quite obvious.

Xiao Yan cast the letter aside and spoke calmly, "Minister Jiang has always been loyal and capable. Now that he is absent from court due to illness, I feel deeply concerned, as if I have lost a right arm. I hereby bestow upon him a red coral from the Southern Sea, hoping he can rest peacefully and recover soon."

Ling Shan acknowledged the order and once again set off for Jiang Wang's home. In just this one day, he had already gone there three times.

The coral wasn't large, only about half an arm's width, but its texture was lustrous, red as ox blood, perfectly presenting a natural branch-like form without a single crack on its surface. Paired with a rosewood base carved with wave patterns, even a blind person could tell this object was of immense value.

The red coral was placed in a box of golden nanmu wood and carried by eight people in a grand procession toward Jiang Wang's residence.

Almost the moment the red coral was carried out of the palace gates, all the court officials learned the news: the Emperor valued this newly appointed Court Diarist highly.

First, he made an exception by allowing Jiang Wang to attend the palace banquet. Now, he sent an imperial physician for a personal consultation and even bestowed an extremely rare and priceless coral.

It seemed this new Court Diarist had won the Emperor's great favor. Otherwise, how could he receive such supreme favor?

If one asked why, perhaps it was because Jiang Wang was better-looking than the previous two, more to the Emperor's taste?

No one could quite grasp Xiao Yan's true intentions, but they all thought they must cultivate good relations with Jiang Wang in the future.

Having already eaten porridge and taken his medicine, Jiang Wang was lying comfortably in bed, recuperating. But when he saw this spectacle, he nearly coughed up blood.

What was that dog emperor Xiao Yan up to now!

Others might believe the nonsense about him being favored, but he, the person involved, didn't believe it at all.

First, Xiao Yan treated him no differently from others, and there was even a sense that he was being targeted—was that being favored?

If he were truly favored, wouldn't he get whatever he wanted? Would he still have had to run around all day?

Second, this spectacle was just too grand.

The Emperor had rewarded ministers before, but it was usually just gold, silver, and jewels. Now, giving him such a precious red coral—he couldn't figure out why Xiao Yan was doing this.

Could it simply be a reward?

Jiang Wang didn't believe it. There must be a deeper purpose behind Xiao Yan's actions.

Moreover, rewards of this scale were only for ministers who had rendered significant service or were highly respected and virtuous, such as the Three-Dynasty Veteran Chang Wenji.

He was just a minor Court Diarist with no notable achievements to his name. How did he deserve such a precious reward?

Wait, Chang Wenji?

Mentioning this name made Jiang Wang somewhat sensitive.

It wasn't that he looked down on himself, but in the strictly hierarchical ancient times, receiving such a heavy reward merely for being ill was truly bizarre.

It was as if he was stealing Chang Wenji's spotlight...

As an emperor, even if Xiao Yan did as he pleased, he shouldn't make such a mistake.

Or did he know something?

Author's Note:

The onlookers: Lord Jiang is greatly favored by the Emperor!

Jiang Wang: Only I know the bitterness in my heart.