Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Song Jin, always perceptive, picked up on the tense, combative atmosphere in an instant.

Xie Yuan didn't even acknowledge his teasing, and instead badgered Imperial Physician Shen with a near-vindictive insistence on whether he "also liked" Prince Qi, who had not yet been the Crown Prince at the time.

Why was this happening?

He couldn't figure out what could've made the Fourth Prince and a young imperial physician clash.

To be fair, Song Jin had watched Xie Yuan go from a three-year-old in split-crotch pants to his current towering height. Although this young man possessed a nearly cold-blooded decisiveness in major matters, he was incredibly forgiving when it came to his own people.

Once someone was included in the category of family or friends, actually getting under Xie Yuan's skin was no easy feat.

What the hell could this Imperial Physician Shen have done to make Xie Yuan act so weird for three whole months?

The silence was crushing.

Seeing Xie Yuan's aggressive stare sharpen by the second, Song Jin nervously cleared his throat at Shen Lian, making exaggerated faces.

He wanted Imperial Physician Shen to say something soft to smooth things over with the newly crowned Crown Prince.

Shen Lian's face flushed from his cheeks all the way to his ears. He lowered his head, staring intently at his own thumbnail. After a few long breaths, he quickly glanced up at Xie Yuan, looking shy, and confessed in a low voice: "Of course I like him. As long as it's you—whether you're Dian Xia, Prince Qi, or the Crown Prince—I like you no matter what."

Xie Yuan kept his eyes down, still staring at him with a cold, piercing gaze: "So I get to hear Lord Shen's empty pleasantries again. So all my effort these past three months wasn't for nothing."

Shen Lian looked up at Xie Yuan in surprise. The eyes were familiar, but the look in them was a stranger's.

The indulgent, self-deprecating smile that used to linger even when the young imperial physician was tormenting him had completely vanished from the Young Male Concubine's eyes.

Now, he hated him.

Shen Lian grabbed his left arm with his right hand, squeezing hard. His lips trembled slightly and his eyes went red.

No.

Absolutely not.

He absolutely couldn't stand it—the Young Male Concubine showing him real hostility.

This was only to be expected, of course. Didn't he remember the awful things he'd written in that breakup letter before running off?

But he couldn't take it. His legs went weak, and he wanted to squat down and catch his breath. It wasn't fear—it just hurt too damn much.

Song Jin realized the problem was way more serious than he'd thought.

Though he could guess that a young imperial physician who could piss Xie Yuan off this badly was definitely no pushover.

After a moment's hesitation, Song Jin stepped between them, wrapping an arm around Shen Lian to block him from the furious Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan would never lay a hand on a defenseless scholar, and he wouldn't cause a scene at his own birthday banquet either.

But the man in front of him was the Tengri Heavenly Blade who'd swept through the northern deserts. He probably didn't even realize how terrifying his presence was when he was angry.

No matter what Shen Lian had done wrong, Song Jin couldn't stand to watch him face this unfamiliar side of the man he loved so deeply.

Song Jin believed Shen Lian genuinely loved Xie Yuan—maybe even as much as he himself loved Xie Hang.

If that was true, then whatever huge mistake Shen Lian had made, it wasn't meant to hurt Xie Yuan—or at least not on purpose.

He was dying to know what had happened between these two. Song Jin tried to keep his tone light: "Ha! Dian Xia, Prince Qi, Crown Prince—our Fourth Prince's got quite a few nicknames, huh? When did Imperial Physician Shen find out the Crown Prince isn't 'Xia'er of Prince Xi'?"

Song Jin turned to smile at Shen Lian: "I was worried you'd be scared shitless once you found out about Prince Qi's identity. I even told him back then not to just blurt it out, but to let you figure it out on your own, or else he'd scare you into falling to your knees. But Prince Qi told me, dead certain, 'No, the young imperial physician already dares to sit on my head now. Even if I were the Jade Emperor himself, he probably wouldn't climb down. Song Jin, have I been spoiling him rotten?'"

Shen Lian listened with panicked eyes, forcing a strained smile.

Please, don't bring up the Young Male Concubine he used to know so well anymore.

"I... I'm feeling a bit unwell." Shen Lian took a breath and pressed his hand to his chest: "I'm really sorry, can I..."

Song Jin quickly reassured him in a low voice: "It's fine, I'll take you to a quiet courtyard to rest, okay?"

"Um..." Shen Lian actually wanted to bolt home right then, but leaving the banquet before the toasts would be super rude. "I..."

"Take him to my residence," Xie Yuan said.

Song Jin turned, shocked: "What? Your place is even farther from here than his house."

"There's definitely gonna be a bunch of drunk guests crashing here tonight." Xie Yuan's gaze was locked on Song Jin, leaving no room for argument. "What about the ones who don't fit? They gonna squeeze into the same room as him?"

"That's true... but..." But if Imperial Physician Shen's not feeling well, why would he go to your place instead of his own? Song Jin didn't dare question the Crown Prince's logic, so he turned to Shen Lian with a questioning look: "Where do you plan to rest?"

"Take him to Li Shu," Xie Yuan said, stepping back and resting one hand on a tree trunk, looking sideways at the two of them. "I'll be heading back soon too. Don't touch my carriage—have Li Shu arrange one of Third Brother's carriages to take him."

Song Jin blinked and asked quietly: "Are you still pissed, Ah Yuan? I'm a little scared myself. Don't scare Imperial Physician Shen. Maybe we should just send him back to..."

"I want to rest at Dian Xia's place," Shen Lian suddenly said softly from behind.

Song Jin: "..."

Well then—so Imperial Physician Shen's timid act was just him being cute with his man?

Song Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd been worried that Imperial Physician Shen wouldn't dare face the enraged War God of Great Wei, but now the young couple was mutually willing. The one who started it should be the one to fix it—if Imperial Physician Shen was willing to personally resolve the conflict, that was naturally the best outcome.

As he saw him into the carriage, Song Jin still tried to probe for information about what had happened.

He wasn't trying to pry into their privacy, but rather worried that these two young people with no experience in matters of the heart wouldn't be able to handle a sudden conflict.

But Shen Lian didn't say.

That letter was too humiliating—he couldn't even bear for others to know the kind of shame Xie Yuan had endured.

He wanted to resolve the consequences of his own actions himself. Whatever price he had to pay, he had to bring down the darkening value.

So emotional wounds could also cause Xie Yuan to lose trust in the world.

How could an 8th-Rank Upright Imperial Physician possibly abandon the Young Male Concubine who had been his bosom companion?

For the second time, he was brought into Prince Qi's Mansion.

Strangely enough, Shen Lian found his way to the same courtyard as before with practiced ease, climbing the flower pavilion tower alone as if returning to his own home.

Back when he'd been sent on over a dozen errands to Prince Xi's Mansion, he'd still occasionally take wrong turns.

Now, he could almost find his way back to where the Young Male Concubine had formally confessed his love with his eyes closed.

His terrible sense of direction had been cured by his lovesick brain—fighting poison with poison.

The sun had not yet set when he went downstairs to ask the waiting eunuch if he could be taken to see the courtyard where Xie Yuan lived.

Based on his understanding of the young male concubine, he didn't seem like the type to enjoy living in such an ornate courtyard.

But the eunuch looked troubled and said that permission from the master would be required before he could go there.

Shen Lian felt a bit disappointed but quickly perked up and went downstairs to trim the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

His arms were getting sore, so Shen Lian put down the scissors and strolled into the main hall of this small garden. He caught sight of a massive map pinned to the north wall, which fit his stereotype of the typical "dragon-overlord" protagonist perfectly.

Although he didn't know much about military affairs, he still approached out of curiosity to take a closer look, and was startled by the first illustration he saw.

This wasn't a military map at all.

It was a giant blow-up of his Water Mill blueprint!

Every component and operating principle of the water mill had been transcribed onto this wall, but each section bore Xie Yuan's handwritten annotations, as if trying to translate his modern terminology into ancient mechanical jargon.

After checking several sections in a row, he found that Xie Yuan had actually managed to explain his messy, almost abstract notes with complete, clear logic.

Even Han Wangchuan had needed him to act everything out with hand gestures when looking at the diagrams.

Yet Xie Yuan, in the three months without him, had decoded the entire "encrypted file."

And had also gathered evidence of the eldest prince's treason and successfully seized the throne.

A real time-management genius.

Had he even slept during these three months?

Remembering how pale and sickly the young male concubine had looked, Shen Lian frowned and couldn't help but sigh.

"What's the matter? Did I get something wrong?"

Shen Lian turned his head, and he was sitting at the tea table not far away, teacup in hand, legs crossed, head tilted, staring at him with a blank face.

He was used to this guy appearing and disappearing without a sound.

Shen Lian pressed his back against the blueprint and asked in a very soft voice, "You're back early? Banquet over already?"

"No," Xie Yuan said. "But there's something more important I need to deal with."

Shen Lian took a deep breath, forced himself to stay calm, and turned around, raising his hand to trace the handwriting Xie Yuan had left on the blueprint. "Did you write all these notes yourself? That's seriously impressive."

Xie Yuan gave a scoffing laugh, watching the young imperial physician's astonishing acting: "Impressive, is it? That useless Prince Qi actually got the fully-established Prince Duan stripped of his title and confined behind high walls—doesn't that mean I let Lord Shen down?"

Shen Lian really tried to keep his emotions in check.

But the young male concubine no longer called him "wife."

He was back to being Lord Shen, and the young male concubine was now the Crown Prince.

Shen Lian lowered his head and said softly, "I didn't have a choice. I know you can't trust me right now, and yes, I wrote that letter with my own hand. I'm willing to accept the consequences. Dian Xia, what can I do to make you not so angry?"

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment, then stood up, walked over to stand before him, looked down into his eyes, and said, "Dian Xia? Didn't Lord Shen already get rid of that useless Dian Xia? Who am I? Didn't Lord Shen get a good enough look at me during the investiture ceremony?"

Shen Lian lowered his head and croaked out, "But you said it yourself. Right here in this courtyard, you carried me over to that stone table, held me in your arms, and told me you'd keep being my Dian Xia. You said that. Dian Xia never breaks his word to me."

A heavy silence.

He didn't dare look up at Xie Yuan.

Every breath felt impossibly long.

"After everything, you're still pulling this one trick on me?" Xie Yuan lifted his chin with his left hand. "You think acting a little cute is gonna make me lose my head again? Who do you think you are—Daji or Baosi? Do I look like King Zhou to you?"

Shen Lian tried hard not to look hurt: "I'm just reminding you of what you said. If you're not gonna keep your word, at least tell me straight. I'm not clinging to you—how is that being cute?!"

Xie Yuan laughed in disbelief, tilting his head and staring into Shen Lian's eyes: "Am I the one not keeping my word? Should I keep being Lord Shen's Dian Xia? Didn't Lord Shen say he'd save up enough silver to buy me out? So why did you decide I was useless and run off with your whole family in the middle of the night?"

"I told you, I had no choice. That letter was meant to light a fire under you to go for the throne, but it's not like I needed you to become the Crown Prince—"

"Then who else needs it?"

"The people of Great Wei need it!"

"I don't think they need it as much as Lord Shen does."

"Dian Xia, please think about this carefully. If I wanted you to be a male favorite I'd spend my whole life saving up to buy out of contract, how could I possibly be mad at you for not getting the Crown Prince position!"

"Didn't you spell it out clearly enough in your letter? Afraid I'd lose to the eldest prince and drag you down with me. Forget it? I can recite it for you word for word. I only read it once and I've got it memorized. I've been replaying it in my dreams, to the point I was scared to fall asleep."

Silence.

Shen Lian calmed himself, rubbed his eyes, and looked closely at the young male concubine's face.

He quickly reached for his wrist, but Xie Yuan slammed his right hand against the wall!

Both of them froze.

That old defensive instinct had kicked in again around Shen Lian.

Shen Lian's heart twisted painfully.

The young male concubine had clearly stopped flinching at his sudden touches before, but now...

The trust was gone.

"What do you think you're doing?" Xie Yuan asked.

"You look terrible. Let me take your pulse, okay?"

Xie Yuan looked at him, then slowly let go.

Shen Lian immediately grabbed his hand and frowned, feeling for his pulse.

He looked up at the young male concubine, pained: "Oh my god... how long have you been awake?"

Xie Yuan replied, "Been busy with the rituals and getting ready for the ceremony these past few days. Haven't slept much."

Shen Lian lowered his head, closed his eyes, and slowly let go, but Xie Yuan grabbed his hand back: "That's it?"

Shen Lian looked up, confused: "Then what am I supposed to do? You don't trust me now—would you even let me treat you?"

"Can I even trust you?" Xie Yuan let out a scoffing laugh, then suddenly bent down and hoisted him off the ground.

He pressed his hips forward, pinning the scheming ex-wife who pretended to care about him against the wall. Their eyes met, and Xie Yuan narrowed his eyes threateningly: "I took that kidney tonic you gave me back then. Guess I gotta test it out to see if it's worth trusting, right? Let's see if my kidneys are fixed."

"Mmm..." Shen Lian's lower belly was pressed painfully, and he frantically patted Xie Yuan's chest: "Dian Xia... can you put me down first? I didn't bring that stuff with me today..."