Ah-Yuan Is Truly Not Easy to Coax
When Chu Yuan awoke from his sleep, it was already noon.
Xian Shuang had the dishes laid out. Le Shu craned his neck for a look and broke into a grin. “Young Master, the dishes at Fuju Courtyard are so refined. They look delicious.”
“These were all carefully prepared for the Prince Consort,” Xian Shuang said. Realizing he had not made his point clear, he added, “His Highness specifically instructed the kitchen.”
Le Shu nodded repeatedly and went to help Chu Yuan sit up.
Xian Shuang looked toward the table, preparing to serve the dishes. “Prince Consort, today’s luncheon includes Three Delicacies Duck, Ginseng Black Chicken Soup, and Braised Four Treasures… What would you like first?”
Chu Yuan moved with difficulty. After settling him against the headboard, Le Shu trotted to the table. “Let this servant do it. I will bring some dishes over—”
“Leave them. This Prince will do it himself.”
Lu Ronghuai strode in. The first thing he did was remove his cloak and wrist guards.
Fuju Courtyard had never used underfloor heating in winter. Since Chu Yuan moved in, however, the heating had been kept burning. Chu Yuan was frail and prone to cold. The indoor warmth suited him well.
Lu Ronghuai, who ran hot at the best of times, had broken into a sweat across his back before he had even made it through the door.
He tossed his garments to Xian Shuang, rolled up his sleeves, and went to lift Chu Yuan from the bed.
Xian Shuang withdrew. Le Shu hesitated, then remained.
He was uneasy. Prince Li did not look like a man skilled at tending others. In the end, it would be his own young master who suffered.
Le Shu’s small calculations ran busily in his mind. However, Lu Ronghuai was unaware of them.
He settled Chu Yuan upon his lap, ladled a bowl of chicken soup, blew gently across the spoon, and held it to his lips.
“Come. Drink some soup.”
Enclosed in his arms, Chu Yuan’s expression remained still as deep water. “Your Highness, I will sit in the chair and eat by myself.”
“Yet this Prince wishes to hold you. I also wish to feed you.” Lu Ronghuai spoke without shame, the curve of his lips thoroughly exasperating.
“I am not accustomed to this. If Your Highness insists, I would rather not eat.” Chu Yuan’s brows drew tight. His resistance was plain.
Behind them, Le Shu scarcely dared breathe.
Since awakening, his young master had grown increasingly unguarded in speech toward the Prince.
If this continued, His Highness would surely take offense. His young master’s life would not be safe.
The smile on Lu Ronghuai’s face faded slightly. His voice remained gentle and composed. “You are ill and cannot see. Being cared for is natural. There is no need for embarrassment.”
“Le Shu can attend me. There is no need to trouble Your Highness.” Chu Yuan sat on his lap with his spine straight, both hands folded neatly in his lap, quietly maintaining every inch of distance he could manage between them.
The chamber was warm as spring. Le Shu broke into a cold sweat.
He dropped to his knees at once, not daring to look up at Lu Ronghuai. His voice trembled. “Your Highness, please forgive him. Y-young Master is simply accustomed to this servant’s care. There is no disrespect intended.”
“Is that so?” Lu Ronghuai set the bowl down. Porcelain met porcelain with a crisp sound. “What did you call him?”
“…Young Master.”
“This Prince will ask once more. What do you call him?”
Le Shu’s legs were shaking. Under the weight of that suffocating pressure, his mind sparked. “This servant misspoke. It is the Prince Consort.”
After a long silence, Lu Ronghuai let out a short laugh. “At least you possess a bit of wit.”
He circled an arm around Chu Yuan’s waist. His tone was light. “You were perfectly civil with me when I left yesterday. Why are you at odds with me again today?”
He reflected carefully, then curved his lips. “Is Ah-Yuan displeased because I did not return last night? It was my oversight. I left Ah-Yuan alone upon the pillow, worrying through the night.”
“……” Chu Yuan drew a breath. “Has Your Highness also sustained a blow to the head?”
Otherwise, how could he utter such absurd words.
Lu Ronghuai sighed. Neither softness nor firmness had yielded results. Ah-Yuan was truly difficult to coax.
He yielded at last. He carried Chu Yuan to the chair and pinched his pale earlobe. “Eat quickly. The dishes will grow cold. You, come serve the Prince Consort.”
Receiving the order, Le Shu rose and brought the soup.
Chu Yuan lowered his gaze slightly and sat upright, silent.
Lu Ronghuai looked at him for a long moment before turning to leave. “This Prince has remembered a matter requiring attention.”
Xian Feng and Xian Shuang stood outside. Seeing him emerge so soon, they were puzzled. “Your Highness has finished dining?”
Lu Ronghuai strode forward, teeth clenched. “Finished what? I am full of anger.”
“……?!”
The two of them fell into step behind him. “Where does Your Highness intend to go?”
“To drink. Do not follow. It’s irritating.”
He mounted his horse and struck the reins. The horse shot forward at once.
Upon reaching Fuxian Tower, he went straight to a private room on the second floor. He kicked the door open, startling Zhao Lu, who was drinking inside.
“Your Highness, what brings you here today?” Zhao Lu rose with a smile, ingratiating. “Will Your Highness not go to the third-floor suite? The second floor is of lesser quality. You seldom come here.”
Lu Ronghuai possessed a private room on both the second and third floors. He rarely visited the second. It had become Zhao Lu’s favored gathering place.
Lu Ronghuai’s face was cold as he sat. His gaze moved to the peanuts and a jug of wine upon the table. “Has Fuxian Tower fallen so low? You drink such poor wine?”
Zhao Lu protested. “Poor? When we were stationed along the northern border, this was what we drank.”
It was a strong northern liquor from Gansu. Bitter on the tongue, it scorched the throat and burned in the belly yet warmed the body at once. The soldiers favored it greatly.
Lu Ronghuai’s mood was foul. His tone grew sharper. “We are not at war now. Fuxian Tower offers fine wines. Why drink this?”
Zhao Lu scratched his head. “This subordinate has lingered in the capital for a month. Restless all over. With no battles to fight, I come to drink for relief.”
Lu Ronghuai poured himself a cup of Gansu and drained it. Bitterness spread across his tongue and heat flared within.
Irritation weighed upon him. He drank several cups in succession.
Zhao Lu seized the jug, concern evident. “Your Highness, what has happened?”
Since when does he drown sorrow in wine?
“Sit. This Prince has a question.”
Lu Ronghuai turned the wine cup slowly between his fingers. After a long pause, he spoke. “This Prince has a friend. His… wife once treated him coldly because of a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding has since been resolved. Yet he remains distant and keeps his boundary. Why?”
“This wife of his, likely does not favor Your High— Highness’s… friend.”
Lu Ronghuai’s expression darkened at once. His gaze grew dangerous. “Consider your wording carefully. Speak again.”
“……”
Zhao Lu thought silently, you demanded honesty yet dislike the answer. Difficult indeed.
Who could endure such temper.
“This subordinate believes sincerity moves even stone. Your Highness’s… should use his true heart to win the wife over.”
Lu Ronghuai’s expression remained stern. “This Prince said it concerns a friend. Not this Prince.”
“Ah. A slip of the tongue.” Zhao Lu corrected smoothly. “There is also a saying: persistence wears down even the most resistant heart. If one’s skin is thick enough, Your Highness’s… friend will surely win the beauty.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu Ronghuai: It seems this Prince’s skin is still not thick enough.
Yuan-Yuan: Get a hold of yourself!
After discussing with the editor, this novel will enter VIP this Wednesday! A large chapter will be released that day. Readers who leave comments will receive red envelopes. Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement.
IsitRo: Why does he think the “friend” excuse makes it less embarrassing? I think it actually doubles it!! 😭😭😭 The more he insists, the worse it gets. I cannot survive this level of delusion!!!! This also happened in other stories, and it will never be not funny to me but at the same time I just wanna hide coz em embarrassed for them lmfaooo.
P.S. The next chapter is VIP as the author mentioned, please support the author if you can~ Here is the guide! Tysm <3
0 Comments