Wolf King And His Fox Consort [BL]

Chu Yun and Hua Nanyi parted on bad terms, which was to say that Hua Nanyi left without another word, to do whatever it was she did when she was on her own.

He wasn't too proud to admit that he hadn't considered Hua Nanyi's point. Only briefly did it cross his mind that the same questions that made the news of Xiao Ziyi's engagement to a human from Su very divisive and unpopular would also apply to her relationship with Hua Nanyi.

He still maintained that they needed to make some decisions regarding the nature of whatever relationship they had that they were still keeping under wraps.

When Xiao Zai returned to their quarters some time later he found Chu Yun angrily drinking tea and looking out the same window Hua Nanyi had been sitting under.

"I take it the conversation didn't go well?" he asked, coming up behind Chu Yun and wrapping his hands around his waist.

"No, she seems to be under the impression I failed to consider the unfortunate implications of having all the palace servants speculating about Xiao Ziyi's engagement to a 'lowly human' within her hearshot." His fingers tightened on the teacup. "Perhaps because I did fail to consider them."

Xiao Zai let out a sympathetic hum and slotted his chin into the crook of Chu Yun's shoulder.

"We don't need to go forward with it, you know," he said, "we can come up with an alternative. I'm sure you can come up with an alternative."

The thing was, Chu Yun wasn't sure he could.

Chu Hean claimed he could lure Ru Long, but Chu Yun thought his perception of his previous relationship with Ru Long might be skewed. He was fairly certain that Ru Long had taken advantage of his brother to get closer to his true goals.

Minister Hu proved to be a dead end. It made sense Ru Long would wash his hands off of him as soon as he had learned of his arrest.

He was very adept at hiding in the shadows -- maybe an useful skill he picked up from Chu Hean and Harmonious Resonance, maybe an innate talent.

There was still the matter of Xiao Zai's uncle and how all of this related to Ru Long.

He had been in love with someone, and discussed this person with Gu Wei.

He had been on friendly terms with the King of Su.

How did all those things tie up together? Did he think Ru Long would be safe in Su because he and the King were friendly? But how had Ru Long ended up being the Crown Prince?

What if Chu Yun was looking at the situation backwards? What if the King of Su had had a child while in Zui, and entrusted him to Xiao Yao's care?

Chu Yun sighed and rested his head against Xiao Zai's shoulder. "I think Gu Wei knows more than he says, I think he's keeping things from us."

He had decided, long ago, that he wasn't going to jeopardise Xiao Zai's relationship with his dam. And that whatever issues he had with Gu Wei would stay between the two of them.

He turned around to face Xiao Zai, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. He was about to go back on that decision.

"He won't tell me anything else, but he might tell you."

He was convinced that Gu Wei wouldn't be able to lie to Xiao Zai's face if pressured.

Maybe.

At least he hoped so. Otherwise, he really would be risking damaging his relationship with his son, and Chu Yun would have to live with the guilt of knowing he had pushed them both into it.

He felt the brush of soft lips on his forehead, and when he looked up at Xiao Zai he brushed a kiss against his lips, tilting his head back with one hand cupping his neck.

"I'll talk with him," a kiss, "I'll make sure he knows how important this is," another kiss, "tomorrow."

Chu Yun sagged against his lips. "Tomorrow," he agreed. "Now, take me to bed."

---

Xiao Zai woke up the next day feeling much more rested than the day before after he woke up disoriented and weak after the effects of the corpse powder.

He would perhaps have woken in an even better mood if Chu Yun hadn't deemed him not well enough to have sex yet, just because Xiao Zai winced in pain when a careless movement pulled at the scabbing wound on his chest.

Not even his best attempts at sweet talk had changed Chu Yun's mind.

Even so, every morning he woke up next to Chu Yun was a good morning.

He left Chu Yun in bed, after covering his sleepy face in drowsy, lazy kisses.

It was early out, the sun barely blushing the horizon with its rays, but Xiao Zai knew his dam would already be awake. He had always been an early riser.

He was still in his old quarters in the palace, but he had told Xiao Zai when they were having tea the previous day, that he and Jin Luan would be returning to the Second Prince's estate. There was no longer a reason for him to stay in a place that brought him so many bad memories now that Xiao Zai was recovering.

All the more reason for Xiao Zai to hurry.

He was almost out of the door when he noticed the missive on top of the decorative table by the doors of the reception room before their bedroom.

Some servant must have left it there for them the previous day.

Xiao Zai knew who it was from even before he saw Xiao Ziyi's seal in the corner of the creamy paper. "We can go ahead with it."

No need to elaborate on what.

Xiao Zai left the note there for Chu Yun to find when he got up.

He wondered why his sister had ultimately decided to help them, almost as much as he wondered what his dam was going to tell him when he asked him about his uncle directly.

---

Gu Wei was surprised to see him so early.

"Did something happen?" he asked, his keen gaze flying over Xiao Zai's face in search for obvious signs of injury.

"Everything is fine, but I'd like for us to talk," he smiled at his dam. "Perhaps outside?"

Gu Wei still looked apprehensive, but he put on outer robes and followed Xiao Zai out of his quarters. Xiao Zai didn't know where he was going, he just wanted some privacy.

When he saw the deserted Pearl Courtyard through the open sliding hallway doors, it seemed like as good a location as any other.

He took a seat on a wooden bench built into the curved viewing bridge over the decorative pond. Gu Wei sat next to him.

For a moment the two of them just looked at the carps swimmingly lazily in the crystalline waters below.

"I have some questions about uncle."

Gu Wei's mouth twisted into a sharp line and he let out an annoyed huff. "Did Chu Yun put you up to this?"

Something about his tone annoyed Xiao Zai. "He didn't put me up to anything, but this might be related to the attack against me, and the internal conspiracy between the ministers."

That surprised his dam. His eyes going wide. "How? How can your uncle who has been dead for so long have anything to do with that?"

Xiao Zai tried to keep his own counsel in that matter, measuring his words. "Did you know if ever had a child?"

His dam looked away. "I have no idea, we weren't close," he said, voice clipped.

Another spark of annoyance went up Xiao Zai's spine. Chu Yun had told him that Jin Luan had said otherwise. That his dam and his uncle had been so close to the point that he had felt jealous.

"That's a lie," Xiao Zai said, direct, and with no further elaboration. He was looking into Gu Wei's eyes when he asked, "why are you lying to me?"

"There are some things you don't need to know," he let out an exasperated sigh, the kind he hadn't since Xiao Zai was a small, demanding child. "Am I not allowed privacy? Can't I choose to keep my own counsel regarding certain matters?"

"What do you know about the Crown Prince of Su?"

Gu Wei's eyebrows pitched down his eyes in confusion. "I don't understand why we're changing the subject?"

Xiao Zai gave him accessing look, and finally said, "we're not. Ru Long, the Crown Prince of Su, is the same child that for some reason, was under uncle's care before his execution, and who he entrusted to someone in Su." His eyes narrowed as he took in his dam's pale complexion. "We found the letters from the person he delivered the child in uncle's estate.

The description of a birthmark confirms the child and Ru Long are the same person."

Gu Wei was silent for a long time, and then finally closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "You have to promise not to draw any hasty conclusions after what I'm about tell you."