Wolf King And His Fox Consort [BL]

It was immediately obvious to Chu Yun that while Xiao Zai appreciated his company, and was very glad not to be blamed for Gu Wei's actions, that he needed some time on his own.

Chu Yun left him with a kiss and an assurance that he would be back later for the two of them to eat a meal together. In the meantime, Xiao Zai should reflect on what he had learned -- and on whether he wanted it to change anything.

"You don't need to go," Xiao Zai said, holding Chu Yun when he got up to his feet.

"I know, but I'm not going far. You don't need me here right now."

Xiao Zai tugged on his fingers with a wan smile. "I always need you."

Chu Yun returned the smile. "Just remember that sometimes it's better to forget and not bear any recriminations," he added, "for your own sake. We have too much going on already."

Xiao Zai let go of him and nodded quietly.

That was all Chu Yun was going to say on the matter. Everything else, should be Xiao Zai's decision -- whether to never talk with Gu Wei again, or forgive him immediately -- Chu Yun didn't want him to think he expected him to act one way or another.

But he did regret that things had come to this.

---

Xiao Ziyi had left the palace for the army barracks in Haolin, so Chu Yun got a horse from the stables and a retinue of guards to escort him there. He was almost out of the palace grounds when he saw two familiar shapes, also on horseback just ahead of him.

He kicked his horse into a gallop and caught up to Lieba Chun and Chu Hean easily.

"Our for a stroll before lunch?" he asked his brother mildly. "Nice weather for it."

Predictably, the back of Chu Hean's ears took on a red tint. "The Wise Prince wanted to see more of Haolin, before he left."

Chu Yun smirked. "And you are almost a local," he said, taking a jab at Chu Hean's past behaviour.

"I did spend a considerable amount of time here," Chu Hean said, "Ru Long was fixated on Haolin, and the former King."

"Speaking of which," he came to stop in front of them, pulling on the reins of his horse, while tilting his neck to the side, indicating that the guards escorting him should move away, "we now know exactly why that was."

Both of them deserved to know the truth behind Ru Long's motivations -- Lieba Chun because he had almost been implicated in his crimes, and Chu Hean to understand the extent of his manipulation. And hopefully to put an end to any lingering feelings he might still harbour as well.

One day, Chu Yun would have a talk with him about Harmonious Resonance, but today was not that day. One thing at a time.

Chu Yun omitted the entirety of Gu Wei's hand in getting him pregnant, but Lieba Chun's eyes still drifted down towards his abdomen at points during his account, even though he made no comment.

"He is out for revenge," Lieba Chun said, rubbing his chin and looking from Chu Yun to Chu Hean. "He probably only found out the truth recently."

Chu Yun's eyes flew to Chu Hean. "Not that recently."

His brother lowered his eyes. "When we first met, he said he was in Zui looking for a missing family member. He never elaborated, he said he wasn't entirely sure on their identity either," he frowned, his beautiful features twisted into a mask of humiliation. "I followed him everywhere, whenever he got a new 'clue' we'd leave whatever we were doing so he could look into it."

"He lied to you," Chu Yun said, his gaze unwavering. "He was looking for a twin sister. There's no way he knew about that Xiao Yao was his dam but not that."

Lieba Chun's gaze drifted over to Chu Hean and the complicated expression taking over his face. "You aren't to blame for trusting what someone told you."

Chu Yun bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying that Chu Hean was maybe making a habit of trusting the wrong people. Harmonious Resonance didn't inspire Chu Yun with any more confidence than Ru Long had.

"Well, I agree that Ru Long is a problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible," he turned his horse towards the road. "I'm going to talk with Xiao Ziyi about our plan to draw the Queen Consort and the Third Princess here."

As expected, Chu Hean frowned. "I thought I was the one who was going to draw him here."

"We'll do that later, for now we need to know more about the situation in the Su palace," he looked meaningfully at Chu Hean, "like why the King of Su hasn't been seen in months, and doesn't seem aware of what Ru Long is doing."

His brother shrugged. "He rarely talked about his father, but it didn't seem like the two of them had a good relationship."

Yes, Chu Yun wagered they didn't.

"What about his mother and siblings?"

Another shrug. "He really didn't like talking about his family, and I didn't press him."

And this was the 'love for the ages' that his brother had smugly tried to rub in his face when he and Xiao Zai tracked him all the way to Harmonious Resonance.

Lieba Chun chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "You foxes sure know how to find trouble."

And he sure knew how to rile Chu Hean up, who shot him a heated glare. "Speaking of which, you keep saying 'you foxes this', and 'the wolves that', but what exactly are you? I don't think the Wise Prince has ever told us."

Lieba Chun winked at him. "Maybe I'll show you on our wedding night."

Chu Yun's groan was drowned out by Chu Hean's loud curses. He told them he was leaving, but he didn't think either of them heard him.