Wife, I’m Afraid.
That evening.
Xian Yu carried a white porcelain bowl into the courtyard. His steps were hurried, yet his hands were steady, not a single drop of soup spilling from the bowl.
“Your Highness.” He knocked on the door.
Soon, Lu Ronghuai opened the door from within, took the bowl of minced meat egg custard, and shut the door again.
He returned to the inner chamber. Chu Yuan lay on the bed with his back to him, a soft quilt draped across his waist. His shoulders rose and fell faintly in a steady rhythm, as though he had fallen asleep.
Yet Lu Ronghuai knew, he was not asleep.
After a long silence, Lu Ronghuai sat at the edge of the bed. He set the porcelain bowl on the low cabinet. The bottom of the bowl met the surface with a light, crisp sound.
“Ah-Yuan, will you eat a little?”
The figure on the bed did not stir.
“You only ate a few mouthfuls at noon, and nothing at dinner. ou will have stomach pains from the hunger by the time night is over.” The man’s voice was low and a little rough, his cold, sharp brows and eyes filled with worry that would not fade.
Chu Yuan still said nothing.
“Baobao, I was wrong.”
Lu Ronghuai kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, pulling Chu Yuan into his arms. His long legs clamped tightly around Chu Yuan’s calves, and he buried his head into the crook of his neck. “You may hit me or scold me, but do not ignore me.”
Chu Yuan struggled and turned over. He pushed Lu Ronghuai’s head away, then grabbed his cheek in one hand, his gaze cold.
“Where was Your Highness wrong?”
“I should not have agreed to escort the marriage.” Lu Ronghuai did not mind having his face tugged at. Seeing Chu Yuan finally respond to him, the heart he had been holding up high at last settled.
“Wrong.” Chu Yuan showed no mercy, pulling his cheek outward and distorting that peerlessly handsome face.
With that bit of kitten strength, Lu Ronghuai let him pull as he pleased, even leaning closer on his own accord.
“If Your Highness cannot say where you were wrong tonight, then go sleep in the study.” Chu Yuan bit down on his words, the elegant line of his jaw tensing. Even with his eyes widened in anger, he remained beautiful.
And very adorable.
Lu Ronghuai’s throat moved. He tightened his arms around Chu Yuan, his large hand stroking his slender back. “Do not be angry. I should not have concealed it from you beforehand. That was my fault.”
“So Your Highness does know where you were wrong. Knowing and still committing it, the crime is doubled. Go sleep in the study tonight.” Chu Yuan released his hand and declared coldly.
Lu Ronghuai: “??”
He had already confessed. Why was he still being sent to the study?
Clinging like an octopus, Lu Ronghuai wrapped himself tightly around Chu Yuan. Lowering his voice deliberately, it became even more rich and alluring. Shamelessly, he used his beauty to his advantage.
“I did not conceal it intentionally. I simply did not know how to tell you.”
“When did Your Highness learn of it?” Chu Yuan did not believe him and continued to question with a cold expression.
“Half a month ago. Father Emperor told Fu Qing, and Fu Qing secretly sent word to me.”
“Half a month... Your Highness could have told me earlier, yet you waited until Father Emperor announced it at court, and only then told me upon returning.” Chu Yuan’s lashes trembled, his breathing grew slightly uneven, and his face turned somewhat pale.
“Do not be angry, do not be angry. Baobao, I was truly wrong. Hit me a few times to vent your anger.”
Grabbing Chu Yuan’s hand, Lu Ronghuai brought it up to his own face and slapped himself twice, the sound echoing softly in the inner chamber.
Chu Yuan had nearly been on the verge of tears, but seeing this display, he instead felt like laughing.
“Your skin is thick. It does not hurt even if I hit you.” He spoke with a hint of temper.
“Then I will fetch a vine branch. You may whip me with it.” Lu Ronghuai said as he moved to get off the bed.
Chu Yuan tugged on his belt. “My hand hurts.”
Lu Ronghuai immediately sat back down. He took Chu Yuan’s hand and gently blew on it, then carefully massaged it for quite some time.
“Baobao, I will explain everything in a moment. Will you eat something first?”
Chu Yuan looked at him with grape-like eyes.
Lu Ronghuai picked up the bowl of egg custard. “Zhengqing has fled.”
“Ah?” Chu Yuan’s lips parted slightly in surprise, rose-colored like fresh petals.
Taking advantage of the moment, a spoonful of egg custard was fed into his mouth.
“...”
Chu Yuan quickly pressed his lips together, yet a trace of broth still slipped from the corner of his mouth.
He hurriedly sat up, afraid it would drip onto the bedding.
Lu Ronghuai’s handkerchief appeared just in time, wiping the corner of his mouth clean.
“Your Highness is despicable.” After swallowing the custard, Chu Yuan spoke faintly, his entire face filled with grievance at being tricked.
Having succeeded in his scheme, Lu Ronghuai was in rather good spirits. “You may throw a tantrum with me, but you must not skip meals.”
His other hand rested on Chu Yuan’s slightly rounded belly, his gaze full of tenderness.
“I finally managed to fatten you up a little. Now you are carrying a child. if Ah-Yuan goes hungry, the baby goes hungry with you.”
Chu Yuan: “...”
He did not want the baby to go hungry.
Just now, he had been so focused on being angry that he had forgotten about the child in his belly.
Puffing his lips, Chu Yuan ordered him fiercely, “Your Highness, feed me.”
“Feed you, feed you, of course I will.”
Overjoyed, Lu Ronghuai quickly scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to his lips.
Chu Yuan obediently opened his mouth.
“My baobao is so well-behaved.”
“My baobao is wonderful.”
“The way my baobao eats is so pleasing to the eye.”
As he fed him, he praised him without cease, compliments pouring forth like a great river.
Chu Yuan lifted a hand to cover his mouth. After swallowing, he glared at him. “Do not think that by saying this, I will forgive you.”
“Ah-Yuan is so good. Surely you will forgive your husband, yes?” Lu Ronghuai set aside the now empty bowl, washed a cloth, and returned to wipe his hands and face.
He wiped carefully and attentively, cleaning each finger thoroughly.
Chu Yuan said, “Then tell me the truth. Why did you not tell me earlier?”
After all that bustling about, a sheen of sweat had formed on Lu Ronghuai’s forehead. Sitting cross-legged by the bed, he removed his outer robe and tossed it casually to the floor.
“If I had told you earlier, you would have suffered longer. I could not bear it.”
“Must the one escorting the marriage be Your Highness? Could it not be another prince?” Chu Yuan said with a trace of grievance, his nose turning slightly sour.
After speaking, he turned his face away and rubbed at his eyes.
When he spoke again, his voice was muffled and slightly hoarse. “I am sorry. My emotions ran high. An imperial order cannot be disobeyed. It is not Your Highness’s fault.”
“Foolish little thing.” Lu Ronghuai pulled him into an embrace and kissed his forehead. “When you are unhappy, do not swallow it. In this household, you come first. You may do as you wish. The only requirement is that you must not harm yourself.”
Chu Yuan twisted the loose threads of Lu Ronghuai’s collar between his fingers and said nothing.
“Ah-Yuan, Father Emperor’s health is failing.”
Chu Yuan sniffed. “Your Highness said earlier that Zhengqing fled. Is Father Emperor’s worsening condition related to this?”
“Mm. Zhengqing is one of the Empress’s people. He obeyed her orders and had been giving Father Emperor poisonous, addictive elixirs. Now that the Empress has been confined, he feared being implicated and bribed palace attendants to escape.”
“When Father Emperor learned of it, he was furious and collapsed. Now he suffers frequent headaches, his body is weak, and even speaking is difficult.”
“Then Zhengqing...”
Lu Ronghuai curled his lips, a cold light flashing in his eyes. “Like Liu Mingyue, Zhengqing is now wanted across the land. If caught, he is to be killed without pardon.”
Chu Yuan paused, then lifted his head and looked at him directly. “Is Your Highness changing the subject? I was speaking about the escort.”
Lu Ronghuai rubbed his face, lifted his chin slightly, and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“I am not changing the subject. Father Emperor’s body has been too deeply eroded by poison. He... at most has one year left. Lu Kingdom will not remain peaceful for long.”
Chu Yuan’s quiet eyes widened little by little.
“Prince Qi is crippled, the Crown Prince has been deposed, and Lu Rongze is frail and sickly. The duty of escorting the marriage can only fall to me.”
“And this journey of mine is not solely for the escort.”
Chu Yuan clutched at the fabric in his hand and asked anxiously, “What does Your Highness intend to do?”
Lu Ronghuai opened his mouth. Looking at Chu Yuan’s concerned gaze, the words reached his lips yet would not come out.
“Your Highness?” Chu Yuan urged.
Lu Ronghuai drew in a deep breath and clenched his hand, his palm damp with sweat. “Ah-Yuan, do you remember when I told you I once dreamed of the future?”
Chu Yuan hesitated, then nodded.
“I dreamed that before long, war would break out in the Northern Frontier.”
Chu Yuan froze.
“The northern tribes are large and fierce. I saw... many of Lu Kingdom’s people, men, women and children, thrown into boiling cauldrons, becoming the food in those northern barbarians’ bowls.”
Chu Yuan suddenly covered his mouth and rushed to the bedside, retching. He nearly vomited up the egg custard he had just eaten.
Lu Ronghuai patted his back, his face devoid of any trace of a smile. “The northern tribes worship strength. They believe human flesh grants them power. Thus, whenever autumn and winter come and food grows scarce, they launch large-scale attacks on Lu Kingdom.”
“This year, their lands suffered harsh conditions, with almost no harvest. They will advance early, taking the border people as food supply.”
“Ah-Yuan, those people are the empire’s subjects. I cannot leave them to their fate.”
Chu Yuan retched until tears filled his eyes. Lifting his head, the corners of his eyes were red like smeared rouge, fragile and pitiful. “Does Your Highness intend to lead troops to defend the Northern Frontier?”
“Mm.” Lu Ronghuai gathered him into his arms, wiping away his tears with tenderness and feeding him a little water.
“Your Highness, go.” Chu Yuan grasped his wrist. The mist in his eyes had yet to fully clear, his gaze dark and clear like jade washed with water.
“I have heard from Xian Yu that the Northern Frontier is bitterly cold, the land frozen hard as ice. The people living there already suffer greatly. If what Your Highness saw in that dream comes to pass, then those people... how would that differ from living in the underworld?”
“Your Highness, go save them.”
Lu Ronghuai looked at his resolute little face, trusting his words without question. His arms tightened, pulling Chu Yuan fully into his embrace.
“Ah-Yuan, once war begins, it may last months, or even years. I dared not tell you before, I...”
“I understand. Your Highness need not worry about me.”
Chu Yuan lifted a finger and pressed it against his lips. His gaze softened. “Your Highness possesses great ability. You are a hawk of the heavens, meant to soar across vast lands, not to be confined within this small prince’s residence, wasting your days accompanying me.”
Lu Ronghuai rubbed his cheek against his, his tone low and reluctant. “I do not wish to be any hawk. I only wish to remain by Duofu’s side.”
Duofu: “...”
“Say ‘Duofu’ one more time and see what happens.” Chu Yuan said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
“... This time in the north, I will end the war as swiftly as possible. You are with child. I cannot feel at ease leaving you alone.”
Chu Yuan was not too worried. “Did Your Highness not say I would go to the Nie Residence? With Father and Ah-Die there, Your Highness need not worry.”
“No. Ye Jing cannot be stayed in for long. It is not safe here.” Lu Ronghuai’s expression grew grave. “Once Father Emperor collapses, someone will be appointed to oversee the court. If I am not mistaken, he will have Lu Rongze handle state affairs.”
“Prince Rui? But he is not in good health.”
Lu Ronghuai’s thin lips pressed tight. “Consort Xu now holds the phoenix seal in authority. She will not let this opportunity pass. The Xu family has been moving frequently with Prince Rui of late. Ah-Yuan must be cautious.”
Chu Yuan said, “The Xu family are Prince Rui’s maternal kin. Close contact between them is to be expected. Why is Your Highness uneasy?”
“Grand Tutor Xu is not like Marquis Xuanning. The Marquis is blindly arrogant, but Grand Tutor Xu is cautious and calculating. Every action he takes has a purpose. If one path fails, he cuts his losses at once and seeks another.”
“I fear he intends to support Prince Rui and place a puppet emperor upon the throne.”
Chu Yuan’s eyes darkened. “If Prince Rui seeks the throne, he will first remove Your Highness.”
“The Xu family has cultivated considerable forces in secret. With me absent from the capital, if they act, they will seize you to threaten me.”
“They will not catch me nor will they be given the chance to threaten Your Highness.”
Lu Ronghuai kissed his cheek, his tone softening. “Do not fear. I will leave Xian Feng and the others to protect you.”
“Then what of Your Highness?”
“Do not worry. I have other shadow guards, and Zhao Lu has already gone in secret to the Northern Frontier. He was once my personal guard.”
“Xian Yue and the others are well informed. If Ah-Yuan misses me, you may write a letter and give it to them. They will find a way to deliver it to me.”
Chu Yuan turned his face away deliberately, stubbornly saying, “I will not miss Your Highness.”
“Very well, Ah-Yuan will not miss me.” Lu Ronghuai gently bit his ear, his tongue brushing along the curve of it. His hand slipped to his pregnant belly, his voice low and husky. “It will be Duofu and the baby who miss me.”
Chu Yuan’s ears flushed red. Lowering his head to look at his belly, and hearing this teasing at his ear, he grew embarrassed and kicked him straight off the bed.
“Your Highness will sleep in the study tonight!”
“I will not.”
Chu Yuan got off the bed, blocking him from climbing back on, and pushed him straight toward the door.
Lu Ronghuai did not dare use any force. He protected Chu Yuan with one hand and let himself be steadily driven backward.
With a creak, the door to the bedchamber opened.
Lu Ronghuai was shoved outside.
“Ah-Yuan! Ah-Yuan, let me in.” Prince Li pressed against the door, his expression pitiful.
Chu Yuan ignored his aggrieved look and shut the door cleanly.
Lu Ronghuai: “...”
Still unwilling to give up, he knocked again. “Ah-Yuan, baobao, I have not even put on my shoes.”
“Wife, wife, I am afraid. It is too dark outside.” Lu Ronghuai shamelessly spoke nonsense.
The barefoot Prince Li pressed his ear to the door and listened for a while. Not a single footstep sounded within.
After standing there a moment, he suddenly remembered that the inner chamber window had not been latched. He could climb through it. His expression brightened, and he turned at once.
Then...
He saw Xian Shuang, Xian Yu, and Le Shu standing in the courtyard, all three staring at him in stunned silence.
And at his bare feet.
Lu Ronghuai: “...”
Xian Shuang held his sword and calmly looked away, as though admiring the scenery, strolling toward the phoenix tree near the courtyard gate. With a swift movement, he slipped into the dense foliage and concealed himself completely.
Le Shu scratched his head, turned around, and muttered, “I think I may have forgotten to lock the courtyard gate. I will go check.”
Only Lu Ronghuai and Xian Yu were left staring at one another.
Xian Yu’s lips twitched. He swallowed and forced out a smile that was three parts ingratiating, seven parts cautious.
“To-tonight’s moon is quite lovely.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu dog: I will give you five seconds to leave this world.
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