Chapter 89 Whatever You Say

Chapter 89: I'll Listen to You

"Host, please prepare to awaken."

The familiar voice of the system echoed from the depths of his mind.

Beep, beep, beep—

After three soft tones, Jiang Wang opened his eyes.

He felt like a leaf slowly rising from the darkness, drifting upward through deep water.

The intermittent chirping of cicadas penetrated the thick doors and windows, reaching his ears, and he began to perceive the outside world.

A strong medicinal odor assailed his nostrils, making him nauseous.

His eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and it took immense effort to open them just a crack.

Outside was a reassuring brightness, not the blue fluorescence from the previous darkness.

A rasping sound scraped from his throat, a hoarseness unfamiliar even to himself.

A weak gasp accompanied his heavy, labored breathing.

"Wh-where am I..."

Then, Jiang Wang heard a commotion nearby—a gasp of surprise and the sound of a teacup toppling over on a table.

Immediately after, hurried footsteps approached from a distance, and a figure cast a shadow over his face.

Jiang Wang turned his stiff neck with extreme slowness and saw that familiar face, finally feeling a wave of relief.

He smiled, his eyes curving as he mustered the strength to show a faint smile, yet a sudden wave of overwhelm made his nose sting, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Xiao Yan, what happened to me..."

*

Upon hearing that almost imperceptible voice, all sound in the world seemed to vanish instantly.

Xiao Yan wasn't sure if it was a real sound or just another hallucination in his mind.

But his body moved before his consciousness could catch up.

He hurried toward the bedside, bumping into the table and knocking over the teacup.

When he saw Jiang Wang's open eyes, a scalding surge of heat rushed from his chest to the top of his head, instantly piercing through the exhaustion and fear that had built up over the past few days.

Jiang Wang was finally awake.

This wasn't his imagination.

Scalding tears welled up without warning, blurring Xiao Yan's vision.

But he didn't wipe them away; he hadn't even realized he was crying.

He just gazed fixedly at those familiar eyes, wanting to look at them a little longer, and longer still.

"...You're awake?"

He wasn't the sick one, but Xiao Yan's voice was no better than Jiang Wang's.

It was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own, each word spoken with extreme care, as if afraid of shattering this hard-won scene before him.

He gently helped Jiang Wang sit up and pulled him into a tight hug, nuzzling his cheek against Jiang Wang's neck repeatedly, as if trying to brand Jiang Wang's scent into his memory.

This was the first time Jiang Wang had seen Xiao Yan so undone.

Jiang Wang, having just regained consciousness, hadn't yet figured out what had happened to him. The sting in his nose hadn't faded when Xiao Yan's actions made his face flush bright red.

He wanted to push Xiao Yan away but couldn't bring himself to do it. In the end, he just hugged him back, patted his back, and mumbled softly.

"Clearly, I'm the one in worse shape, so why are you so worked up..."

As his consciousness gradually cleared, the previous images began to resurface in his mind.

He remembered being rescued by Xiao Yan from Chang Tong's clutches and then passing out.

He was aware of the system in his mind, but he truly didn't know why the scenes of a blizzard and a desert had appeared.

"Your Majesty, it seems I had a dream—I dreamed of a blizzard and a desert."

At these words, Xiao Yan froze for a moment, and then Jiang Wang felt himself being held even tighter.

"It's nothing. You just had a minor illness. You just need to rest and recover now."

The past few days had been nothing short of a nightmare for Xiao Yan. He didn't want to talk about it or even think about it again.

As long as Jiang Wang was safe and sound, that was enough. He wouldn't let Jiang Wang fall ill again, nor would he allow him to be placed in such danger.

Jiang Wang also sensed something was off with Xiao Yan. Since he was awake now, if Xiao Yan didn't want to talk about it, so be it. There would be opportunities to find out later.

Just as he was thinking this, Xiao Yan's sudden words interrupted his thoughts.

"Don't call me 'Your Majesty.'"

"And don't refer to yourself as 'your subject' to me anymore."

Jiang Wang's body stiffened for an instant. Finally understanding why, he couldn't hold back a smile.

But he deliberately asked, "Then what should this subject call Your Majesty?"

"Call me Xiao Yan. Call me by my name."

Since ancient times, the phrase "there is a distinction between ruler and subject" seemed engraved in everyone's mind, especially within the royal family.

From a young age, he had been taught by his tutor that, as a member of the royal family, he must maintain a distance from others and uphold the authority and dignity of the monarchy.

From childhood to adulthood, he had indeed acted accordingly.

But Jiang Wang was an exception.

He didn't want to maintain that so-called distance between ruler and subject with Jiang Wang.

He only wanted to be with Jiang Wang at all times.

He would even give the throne to Jiang Wang if he wanted it.

However, given Jiang Wang's carefree attitude, even if he offered it, Jiang Wang wouldn't accept it.

In that case, he would manage the country well himself, leaving Jiang Wang free to eat, drink, and enjoy himself.

He no longer used the imperial "We" when speaking to Jiang Wang, and Jiang Wang no longer needed to call himself "your servant" in return.

As a forward-thinking young man, Jiang Wang had no ingrained sense of hierarchy like the ancients, nor any notion of "great disrespect." Instead, he accepted it quite readily.

Besides, it was Xiao Yan who had told him to call him that. If Xiao Yan himself didn't mind, what right did anyone else have to comment?

Jiang Wang cleared his throat and spoke the two words aloud.

"Xiao Yan, I'm hungry."

*

More than half a month after the coup, the palace had finally returned to its previous state of calm.

But if one looked closely, things were still a little different.

The emperor, who had previously been sporadic and unreliable in his duties, now attended court daily and on time, humbly listening to the opinions of his ministers—a complete transformation from before.

Xiao Yan's former partner in crime, Fang Fengshi, had also changed dramatically. No longer idling in brothels, he instead organized the imperial guards for daily drills in the camp, showing a strong determination to strive for improvement.

Just as everyone thought these two had been shocked by the coup and were now trying to mend their ways, an insider suddenly stepped forward.

He claimed to have been present during the coup and said that His Majesty and Fang Fengshi were not at all as they usually appeared.

The two of them had been pretending to be wastrels, lying low and enduring hardships, waiting for the final moment to deliver a fatal blow to that scoundrel Chang Wenji.

Hearing this explanation, the penny dropped for all the ministers.

So that was the truth of the matter. No wonder the two had succeeded in the coup and undergone such a great transformation.

The ministers' attitudes toward the two shifted one after another, and their reputations reached a peak.

Xiao Yan served a bowl of soup for Jiang Wang before finally looking up at Fang Fengshi beside him.

"That insider was a stooge you hired, wasn't it?"

"You... you, you, you, you..."

Fang Fengshi even stopped eating, uttering several "you"s in a row as if expressing his shock and displeasure.

However, after saying "you" for a long time, he couldn't come up with a proper retort and finally only managed to blurt out one sentence.

"How did you know?!"

Xiao Yan didn't answer. Instead, it was Jiang Wang, who had finished the bowl of soup in front of him, who gave a smiling reply.

"Who knows who has such a deep obsession with changing everyone's impression? One could figure it out just by thinking with their toes."

Fang Fengshi looked at Jiang Wang in shock. "Xiao Yan even told you this?!"

Jiang Wang spread his hands, looking quite helpless himself.

"I didn't want to know, but Xiao Yan insisted on telling me, saying he wouldn't keep anything from me."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Fang Fengshi wore an expression of disdain. He hadn't eaten any plums, so why did his teeth feel so sour they were about to fall out?

"Oh, I just remembered, Lord Jiang's reputation as the 'Favorite Minister' is becoming more and more widely known."

Seeing the two of them acting in perfect harmony, ganging up to bully him, Fang Fengshi began to stir the pot with a sarcastic, "bad-intentioned" tone.

"Before, it was only quite famous within the court. Now, even the common people of Zhaojing know about it."

"Lord Jiang, your pristine reputation is about to be ruined."

Fang Fengshi's head-shaking, sighing demeanor was clearly deliberate.

He was subtly trying to sow discord for Jiang Wang.

Upon hearing Fang Fengshi's words, Jiang Wang indeed frowned.

He stroked his chin, scrutinizing Xiao Yan, and even refused the food the latter had picked for him.

Seeing that Xiao Yan was about to get scolded, Fang Fengshi rubbed his hands excitedly. He finally got to watch this big drama.

With a serious expression, Jiang Wang said, "If that's the case, I might as well retire. Being the Court Diarist means having to get up early every day—it's too tiring."

He showed a cunning, fox-like smile and looked at Xiao Yan.

"Commander Fang's 'injustice' has been cleared. Why don't you just solidify your reputation as the 'Foolish Emperor'?"

"Alright, whatever Minister Jiang says, I'll listen to you."

Xiao Yan obediently put on the same rogue, playboy act from the beginning, once again using the address "Minister Jiang."

"Now that the position of Prime Minister is vacant, why doesn't Minister Jiang fill it?"

Seeing this familiar act again, Jiang Wang finally couldn't hold back his laughter.

Xiao Yan was as good at acting as ever, and playing such a feckless role was even more effortless for him.

Meanwhile, Fang Fengshi, who had thought his provocation was successful and was ready to watch the show, suddenly realized—

Were these two about to argue?

This was just them showing off their affection!

And he was the one being played, the one who tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice, the one being fed a mouthful of dog food...

Fang Fengshi angrily slammed the table and left in a huff.

He wasn't going to stay here and be a third wheel. Staying here was just asking for trouble!

He couldn't outplay Xiao Yan to begin with, and now it seemed Jiang Wang's knack for getting under people's skin was above his too.

These two together had an effect greater than the sum of their parts!

As Fang Fengshi left, Jiang Wang was still watching his retreating back, cackling with laughter.

So teasing Fang Fengshi was this fun. No wonder Xiao Yan always teased him.

When he finally stopped laughing and turned his head, he found Xiao Yan looking at him gently.

"What, are you really going to make me the Prime Minister?"

Xiao Yan calmly took away the soup bowl in front of Jiang Wang and replaced it with a small plate of his favorite pastries.

"Well? Do you want to be it?"

Jiang Wang's hand, which was holding the pastry, gave a violent tremble, causing the cheese tart to fall and shatter instantly on the ground.

Only after making sure Xiao Yan wasn't joking did he realize Xiao Yan was truly serious.

"What are you thinking! I have neither the seniority nor the achievements to deserve the position of Prime Minister! Do you really want to cement your reputation as the 'Foolish Emperor'?"

"You made significant contributions during the disaster relief in Lingnan, so that counts."

"At most, that merits a promotion by one rank and some gold and silver rewards, not a first-rank position."

Xiao Yan was in no hurry, which only made Jiang Wang anxious.

"Besides, I think the position of Court Diarist is quite good. It would be even better if you could go easy on me. The higher the position, the greater the responsibility—I don't want that kind of headache."

Xiao Yan chuckled softly and gave in to Jiang Wang.

"Alright, whatever you say."

Again, "whatever you say." Jiang Wang felt that since he woke up, Xiao Yan had been acting strangely.

No matter what he asked for, Xiao Yan would fulfill it.

Even if the request was downright strange, Xiao Yan wouldn't ask a single question.

For example, when he asked for exactly one hundred drops of morning dew to brew tea—no more, no less.

Xiao Yan agreed and even fetched them personally.

Or when he returned from Lingnan with a tan and wanted fist-sized South Sea pearls ground into powder for a body mask.

Xiao Yan agreed again, and within half a month, dozens of large pearls of various colors, each the size of a fist, were placed before him.

Just as Xiao Yan was about to have these invaluable treasures ground into powder after showing them to him, Jiang Wang hurriedly stopped him.

He had only mentioned it offhandedly, assuming Xiao Yan’s agreement was equally casual.

Who knew Xiao Yan would actually go and get them all?

If these priceless treasures were turned into powder because of him, it would be an outrageous waste!

Or like the other day when he saw Xiao Yan’s dragon robe lying off to the side and wanted to try it on for fun—Xiao Yan even helped him put it on.

A palace servant happened to see and was so shocked he dropped and shattered a teapot.

Only then did Jiang Wang belatedly realize that in this era, his behavior might have crossed a line.

In these times, privately using bright yellow was a capital offense, yet Xiao Yan let him wear his own dragon robe.

Jiang Wang even felt that if he asked for Xiao Yan’s throne, Xiao Yan would give it to him.

This was too weird.

Why was Xiao Yan so good to him?

It was indulgence with no limits.

However, when he raised the suspicion that "Xiao Yan was hiding the truth—that his illness wasn’t actually cured, and he was instead nearing the end of his life"—he saw Xiao Yan’s face darken for the first time.

The change in expression was faster than shrimp being scalded.

Even though Xiao Yan’s demeanor had turned frosty, he still didn’t lose his temper with Jiang Wang.

Xiao Yan simply quietly called for the imperial physician to examine Jiang Wang, proving that Jiang Wang was in perfect health.

So, why was Xiao Yan so good to him?

Jiang Wang also wanted to ask: how did the wound on Xiao Yan’s wrist come about?

Xiao Yan had hidden it well; Jiang Wang only noticed it by chance these past few days.

And it was precisely Xiao Yan’s evasive attitude that made Jiang Wang even more suspicious.

Xiao Yan seemed to be deliberately keeping it from him—did that wound have something to do with him?

Moreover, he overheard palace servants at Cangwu Hall say that the Master Abbot of Longquan Temple had visited.

Did the Master Abbot say something to Xiao Yan that led to his current state?

In short, since he woke up, there had been too many strange things.

Xiao Yan’s kindness made him indulge in it, yet it also left him suspended in mid-air.

It was as if he had walked into a fog—he could no longer see himself clearly, nor could he see Xiao Yan clearly.

Author's Note:

Lately, I’ve been stuck in a serious writing rut ahhhhhh. It’s almost finished, so why am I suddenly hitting a block?