“Am I Not More Useful Than a Tangpozi?”
Lu Ronghuai returned to Guanghao Palace with Chu Yuan.
Xian Shuang and Xian Feng worked efficiently and had already prepared the hot water. After the two finished washing, they returned to the inner chamber.
Chu Yuan stepped onto the soft bedding and climbed to the inner side of the large bed.
His body was weak and sensitive to the cold. Even though it was already the third month of the year, a tangpozi still rested beneath the quilt. The warmth and softness spread through the bedding. Feeling the heat near his feet, Chu Yuan’s brows softened and a gentle smile appeared.
“What has you so pleased?” Lu Ronghuai raised a hand to cover the luminous pearl, lowered the bed curtains, then lifted the quilt and lay down.
Chu Yuan let out a soft, satisfied murmur. “It is so warm.”
Lu Ronghuai laughed quietly. Stretching out his long leg, he hooked the tangpozi toward himself, pulled it out with one hand, and tossed it onto the display cabinet.
Chu Yuan’s smile froze.
“?”
The next moment, Chu Yuan’s feet were wrapped by a pair of warm feet. Lu Ronghuai opened his arms and pulled him close, gathering him into his embrace. His palm slid down from the back of Chu Yuan’s head and rested against his slender spine, stroking it gently.
“Am I not more useful than a tangpozi?”
The two wore only thin inner garments. Warmth flowed steadily from Lu Ronghuai’s body, spreading over Chu Yuan from head to toe. This large “tangpozi” would not grow cold and remained warm throughout the night.
Aside from being somewhat firm, it had no other shortcomings.
“…Mm.” Chu Yuan responded softly, somewhat embarrassed.
“Ah Yuan seemed to have something he wished to say to me on the way back,” Lu Ronghuai said as he continued stroking the smooth hair scattered down Chu Yuan’s back.
Chu Yuan raised his head and fixed his gaze upon the man’s jaw. “Mm. How did Your Highness notice?”
Lu Ronghuai chuckled and kissed his forehead. His hand slid to Chu Yuan’s waist and gave it a light squeeze.
“When you are at my side, your every movement draws my eye. How could I fail to notice?”
“Your Highness!”
Like a startled rabbit, Chu Yuan quickly pressed both hands against Lu Ronghuai’s chest and tried to retreat.
Last night’s events were still vivid in his mind. Tonight he had not drunk wine. He would not allow Lu Ronghuai to take such liberties with him again.
A flash of panic and helplessness appeared in those beautiful, clear eyes, along with a trace of fear hidden deep within.
“I was only teasing you. I meant nothing by it.”
Lu Ronghuai stopped moving. Once Chu Yuan relaxed again, he continued.
“Ah-Yuan still does not like me touching you?”
Soft light fell across the bed curtains. Chu Yuan lay on his side in the crook of Lu Ronghuai’s arm, his large eyes open as he looked at him in confusion.
There was no accusation or anger in Lu Ronghuai’s tone, only calm inquiry. Yet the gentler Lu Ronghuai was, the more a quiet unease stirred in Chu Yuan’s chest.
“It is not that.”
He was simply unaccustomed to it and somewhat a little afraid.
Moreover, after last night, the way he had behaved… it had been far too unrestrained.
“That is good,” the man said gently.
“Your Highness is not angry with me?”
Lu Ronghuai’s voice remained warm. “For what reason would I be angered?”
“Because…” Chu Yuan bit his lip. His voice was light as a breeze, soft and slow. “Because this subject is Your Highness’s wife, yet I do not… do not…”
“Ah-Yuan has already done very well.” Lu Ronghuai gathered both of Chu Yuan’s hands together and held them in his own. “We shall take it slowly. There are long days ahead of us yet. Look at you now, you have already grown used to to my kisses and my embraces. That is no small progress.”
Hearing these comforting words, Chu Yuan felt a slight ache in his heart. At the same time, courage rose within him and he finally voiced what he had kept hidden.
“This subject does not dislike Your Highness.”
“I know.”
“Your Highness treats this subject very well.”
“Not well enough. I will treat you even better in the future.”
Lu Ronghuai lifted a hand to touch his face and spoke to him as though he were a treasured jewel.
“Do not trouble your mind with such thoughts. Such matters are only meaningful when both hearts are willing. I can wait. What was it you wished to ask me on the road?”
Chu Yuan said, “At that time, this subject was thinking about Miss Bai.”
Lu Ronghuai’s expression darkened immediately. “Why dwell on her?”
Chu Yuan looked at him in confusion. “What Miss Bai said tonight felt somewhat strange when this subject thought about it again. Something seemed wrong.”
“What seemed wrong?”
Chu Yuan shook his head. “This subject cannot say precisely. It only felt strange.”
Bai Yi’s reaction had also been unusual.
“Miss Bai spoke of the crime of deceiving the emperor. Has the Bai family hidden some secret?”
A faint smile appeared on Lu Ronghuai’s sharply defined face. Pulling Chu Yuan closer, he leaned toward his ear and murmuring a few low words.
Chu Yuan’s eyes widened instantly.
“Truly?”
“Mm.”
Only after a long moment did Chu Yuan recover from his shock. Suddenly he thought of Lu Rongshen.
“Then Eighth Brother…”
“Let Bai Qingyu explain it herself. We shall simply watch.”
Chu Yuan fell silent.
Looking at the gloating expression on Lu Ronghuai’s face, he began to sympathize with Lu Rongshen.
“Tomorrow there will be a poetry contest. Does Ah-Yuan wish to participate?”
Chu Yuan disliked drawing attention to himself and refused immediately.
“I cannot compose poetry. It seems Lu may lose tomorrow.”
Chu Yuan disagreed. “Young Master Nie should be able to take first place.”
Lu Ronghuai closed his eyes.
All evening it had been Bai Qingyu or Nie Siran. Why was his beloved always thinking about other people?
Lu Ronghuai ground his teeth. “Do not be misled by that air of gentle modesty of his. At his core, he is more loftily proud than anyone. Such a contest of scrambling after names and glory is beneath his notice.”
Chu Yuan gave a small sound of understanding. “Oh.”
“Then… if truly no one participates, this subject might try,” Chu Yuan said cautiously.
Lu Ronghuai smiled at once. “Then it is agreed. Ah Yuan must not go back on his word.”
“Mm.”
“Rest early. We must rise early tomorrow.”
“All right.”
Early the next morning, Lu Rongshen ran to Guanghao Palace, intending to go together with them.
He sat in the hall and finished a cup of tea before Lu Ronghuai and Chu Yuan finally appeared at the palace entrance.
“Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, you two rose rather late today!”
Holding a plate of pastries, crumbs clung to his lips as he greeted them with cheerful energy.
Lu Ronghuai said, “It is only the third quarter of the Mao hour. Why are you up so early?”
Lu Rongshen grinned foolishly. “Heh heh. I could not sleep.”
“Eighth Brother, come eat with us,” Chu Yuan said, beckoning him.
Lu Rongshen hurried over and sat at Chu Yuan’s left side, accepting the handkerchief Chu Yuan offered to wipe his mouth.
“Third Sister-in-law is the best.”
Chu Yuan thought of what he had learned the night before, and the gaze he turned upon Lu Rongshen now carried a thread of quiet tenderness.
Lu Ronghuai snatched the handkerchief away. “You are about to take a wife. You are not allowed to use my wife’s handkerchief.”
Lu Rongshen froze. Then his delicate face slowly flushed red.
After hesitating for a long time, he spoke shyly. “When I marry, my wife will also make handkerchiefs for me.”
Chu Yuan set down a bowl of shrimp congee before him and asked gently, “Does Eighth Brother like Miss Bai?”
Lu Rongshen’s face flooded scarlet all at once.
He stammered for a long time, though no one could quite understand what he was saying.
Lu Ronghuai filled another bowl of congee for Chu Yuan. He glanced up, his brow furrowing. “Speak plainly. All that squirming and fidgeting like a shy bride, what kind of bearing is that?”
Lu Rongshen straightened his back, though he still dared not raise his head. His face reddened further.
“Miss Bai… she is very beautiful. I like her eyes.”
Lu Ronghuai mocked him. “How shallow of you.”
Lu Rongshen protested, “Did you not also covet Third Sister-in-law’s beauty first? How can you criticize me?”
Chu Yuan turned to look at Lu Ronghuai.
Lu Ronghuai: “……”
Lu Ronghuai said sharply, “Eat your meal! Afterward go find your Miss Bai.”
Lu Rongshen shrank again. “I… I do not dare go. Miss Bai is beautiful, but she rarely smiles. I am a little afraid.”
“Gutless. One day you will surely be afraid of your wife.”
Lu Rongshen defended his dignity fiercely. “Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Miss Bai only appears cold on the outside, but her heart is warm within. After she marries me, she will surely become a gentle and virtuous wife.”
“Cough, cough!” Chu Yuan choked slightly. Setting down his bowl, he covered his mouth and waved a hand. “It is nothing. Continue.”
“Lu Rongshen. One should not speak while eating.”
Lu Rongshen craned his neck with stubbornness. “You spoke first.”
After finishing breakfast, the three set out together for Hanfang Garden on the southern side of the traveling palace.
The garden was filled with blooming flowers. Peach blossoms and pear blossoms were the most abundant. Red and white mingled among clustered branches, their fragrance lingering in the air.
Beneath every flowering tree stood a low writing table and a cushioned seat. Plates of fruit and pastries were set upon the tables. The pastries themselves were shaped like peach and pear blossoms, matching the scenery and adding refined elegance.
Lu Rongshen wandered about while Lu Ronghuai led Chu Yuan beneath a flowering tree. The place he chose was rather secluded. No one else had yet occupied the nearby trees.
“Would you like to try one?” Lu Ronghuai picked up a plum-blossom-shaped pastry and held it to Chu Yuan’s lips.
Chu Yuan had already eaten breakfast and was not hungry, yet the pastries from the imperial kitchen were tempting. He parted his lips and took a small bite.
It was soft and sweet, with a faint fragrance of tea.
“Prince Li and the Prince Consort have arrived quite early.”
A man approached from the right, holding a folding fan and smiling as he greeted them.
Lu Ronghuai tossed the remaining pastry into his own mouth and did not so much as lift his eyelids.
Chu Yuan wiped his lips gently with a handkerchief and returned the greeting with a faint smile. “Young Master Nie has also arrived early.”
Nie Siran raised his brows. “Arriving early makes it easier to select a comfortable place for idleness.”
After speaking, he walked to the tree across from Chu Yuan, swept his robe aside, and sat down beneath it.
Lu Ronghuai looked over with a smile that held no warmth. “So many empty places, yet Young Master Nie chooses the one directly opposite. You obstruct this Prince from enjoying the scenery.”
Nie Siran smiled pleasantly. “I cannot be troubled to move. Your Highness will have to bear with it.”
“Cousin.”
Ning Yuqiang also arrived.
Xian Shuang stepped forward and blocked him from approaching.
“Young Lord Ning, please stop there.”
“This young lord has words to speak with Cousin.”
Lu Ronghuai replied coldly, “This Prince has no words for you. Do not stand here and offend the eyes.”
Ning Yuqiang looked embarrassed. Though he had already been rejected many times, he still refused to give up.
His eyes moved toward Chu Yuan. After casting him a dark glance, he turned and sat beneath Nie Siran.
Yesterday’s archery contest had offered no opportunity to speak with his cousin. Today he could not miss the chance.
Soon afterward, Su Ruhe arrived with his hands tucked into his sleeves. After observing carefully for some time, he chose a seat behind Lu Ronghuai’s right side.
Lu Ronghuai’s eyelid twitched.
Then Han Ruiqi and Fang Shuyu also seated themselves nearby.
Finally, the Crown Prince arrived.
Looking at the growing crowd around him expressionlessly, Lu Ronghuai pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
It irritated him greatly.
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu the Dog: So annoying. They are interrupting my date with Ah-Yuan.
Nie Siran: Heh.
Ning Yuqiang: I refuse to let you two have a date!
Su Ruhe silently picked up his brush.
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