While Xia Xi was still worried about whether assassins would appear again, a group of troops waited neatly by the door of the inn the next day. They were obviously there to ensure Chu Lan's safety. As a result, their return journey was much safer and faster.
Chu Lan didn't ride a horse this time but stayed with Xia Xi inside the carriage. Xia Xi was compliant on almost everything. Chu Lan was still injured, so he continued receiving special treatment¹. Xia Xi would take the initiative to come closer when he wanted a kiss and would bear with it whenever Chu Lan wanted to play with his chest.
Embarrassed, he untied his collar and let Chu Lan grope him. Chu Lan wanted to fuck, but... he had to wait until night. Chu Lan had now learned to exercise restraint, he could do it twice a night at minimum, but finishing a round always took a long time. Xia Xi always felt weak and out of strength, and he'd tease him before shooting into his body². Chu Lan obviously liked doing that kind of thing and had cooked up some tricks himself, such as: not allowing Xia Xi to flush out his semen, letting him hold it overnight before discharging it the next day.
After he was shot full of cum again, Chu Lan refused to let him flush it out. In a mischievous spirit, he found a handkerchief, twisted it into Xia Xi's entrance, and blocked the fluids inside. Xia Xi didn't struggle, he only felt that his abdomen becoming slightly swollen. If he suddenly moved around randomly, he could feel liquid sloshing inside him. He dived under the blankets in embarrassment, only revealing a pair of eyes and whispering: "Chu Lan, when we return to the Palace, can you... can you not do this anymore..."
Chu Lan hugged him in a very good mood, he moved to the quilt and kissed his eyelids. He played with Xia Xi's black hair, wrapping it around his fingers, "Don't do what?"
Xia Xi whispered: "It needs to be cleaned up in time, otherwise, we'll have to change the beddings every day..."
Chu Lan smiled happily, "Then change it, aren't there maids in the Palace? You're the Queen; it doesn't matter if you change beddings ten or eight times a day," Xia Xi guessed he was intentional and could only bear it. He stopped arguing with Chu Lan, his eyes fell on his arm instead. Chu Lan was naked and only had a bandage wrapped around his wound. Xia Xi felt relieved when he saw that the bandage didn't turn red, but he couldn't help asking: "Does the wound still hurt?"
Chu Lan said, "It's been a few days, the pain had ceased long ago," He didn't take the pain at heart at all, but seeing Xia Xi caring so much about him still made him very satisfied. He couldn't help but want to kiss him. Xia Xi tried to hide for a while and gasped out: "My Lord, the assassination this time must've been planned. Our whereabouts were a secret. If they knew, then there must've been an internal helper. You need to investigate this carefully."
Obviously, his attempt to change the topic had no effect. Chu Lan gave an indifferent "um" and continued to kiss him, kneading his soft lips, and petting him to the point where he could no longer hide.
Xia Xi was relieved because of their successful return to the Palace. Although the main forces of the two major factions of the Barbarians were based in Yudu, they were balanced and kept each other in check, Chu Lan was relatively safe here. Ever since Xia Xi's marriage, he wholeheartedly followed his mother's behaviour and strategies. He ignored previous affairs and spent his energy on serving his husband, only in his spare time will he find some other things to do. Chu Lan bought him a lot of things this time. There were a lot of seeds, some raw materials for food, and some recipes for making pastries. Ironically, Xia Xi didn't have much time to exercise make use of it. Dealing with just Chu Lan had already made it a little difficult to find the time.
The erotic picture book that was hidden in the Palace was found on the third night after their return. Xia Xi didn't wish for it to resurface. However, if his husband wanted to see it, he could only search for it. After he found it, Chu Lan immediately took the book. He hooked Xia Xi's waist and let him sit on his lap, he then spread the erotic picturebook on the table in front of them and began to take a closer look.
This posture made Xia Xi feel shy. When he first came to Yudu, he used to teach Chu Lan how to practice calligraphy. At that time, he was still a head taller than Chu Lan. Chu Lan was still a child and acted like one most of the time. He used to circle in front of him, holding his hand and then guiding him on painting the strokes. But now, the two of them had changed positions. Chu Lan had grown taller and stronger than him, and could easily hug him onto his lap and completely embrace him.
The erotic pictures were particularly attractive straight from the cover. Naked men and women laid sideways on a couch while having sex. The women were half-naked and had cheerful expressions on their faces, a penis was inserted between their raised legs. This was the erotic picture book given to Xia Xi back in the Palace. The painting was naturally of superb quality, all of the details were extremely realistic, even the pubic hairs on the groins of the men and women were clearly visible.
Xia Xi's face reddened with just a look at the cover, not to mention its contents. But Chu Lan wanted to force him to read it, he closed upon his earlobe and whispered: "Xi'er, let's look at this together. You should've told me about this erotic picture book earlier, that way, I could've made you enjoy happiness sooner," While Xia Xi was embarrassed, Chu Lan had already reached out and opened the picture book. He looked at each page carefully and commented: "Let's do this one. However, I noticed Xi'er also likes this one very much. Every time I push deep into you, you always squeeze me so tightly. Tsk tsk, excluding Xia Chao and other things, I actually admire Xia culture very much. Even such things can be painted so delicately, it's perfect but for a fatal flaw— this woman isn't as good-looking as my Xi'er." He kissed Xia Xi's lips, his eyes bright as stars, "My Xi'er is the best."
His straightforward compliment made Xia Xi's heart race. His chest was filled with sweetness, but his face turned even redder. Chu Lan stared at him again and asked, "What does Xi'er think? Do you think I look good? How do I compare to the men in Xia Chao's kingdom?"
Xia Xi shyly replied: "Of course my King is the best-looking. Xia Kingdom's men... I haven't seen many men from there. Almost all of the eunuchs coming from in and out of the harem don't look like most men either. My father... used to be handsome, but he later got pudgier..." Chu Lan pouted and said in a sour tone, "How could you mention your father in the same breath as me in terms of looks? How does your brother, Li Yuan, compare to me?"
Xia Xi felt a little helpless and a little amused, "Of course Li Shoubei isn't as good as you. Moreover, this is just a title used by Cai Huan. I've never called him that before so don't wrong me, Chu Lan." Chu Lan was satisfied but suddenly asked: "What about Sang Sangmu? Everyone says that Sangsangmu's the most beautiful man of the Barbarians. What does my Xi'er think?" Xia Xi gently shook his head, "I didn't notice anything."
His answer was witty and Chu Lan was obviously very happy, "That's good, my Queen's only allowed to look at me, not at other men." He turned the page again and carefully looked at the painting above. However, he soon became stunned. The two protagonists on this page were obviously different from the previous ones. The strangeness began from their outfits: the person in the front had a flat chest, unlike the previous paintings that boasted of full breasts, but the partners' bottom parts were hidden by their clothes, blocking further details from the viewer.
Xia Xi already knew that this picture showed two men practising homosexuality, and his heart became tense. When he saw that Chu Lan was about to turn to the next page, he stammered out: "Chu Lan, w-we have seen enough for today, right? Rest, we should rest early..." Chu Lan saw that his expression was weird and refused to obey his words. He reached out and turned to the next page. After that, everything became clear and he said, "It turned out that they were just two men. What was Xi'er afraid of? That they're two men? Huh, this man's far inferior to you," He obviously thought that Xia Xi was the best-looking in the world. The face of the bottom in the picture was as beautiful as a jewel in a crown, but even though he was extremely handsome, Chu Lan didn't feel anything.
Xia Xi's whole body tensed, he only hoped that his young husband didn't look too carefully. Chu Lan truly didn't look too carefully at the beginning. He only thought that the two people in the painting was in the same situation as him and Xia Xi, but then his eyes fell on the junction where the two people intersected. After a moment of observation, he realised something was amiss. He was startled and said: "This person, it seems that he's not like you. He isn't intersex? So how did they do it? The place where they're connected is..." When he finally realised it, his eyes widened. It was like he suddenly gained access to a whole new world. He looked at the picture suspiciously and then looked down at Xia Xi who was nervously fidgeting in his arms hesitating: "Where or what were they using?"
Xia Xi's breath was chaotic, his ears were hot, and his voice trembled a little, "My lord, shall we rest now?"
Chu Lan stared at him, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his already stiff lower body became even more excited. Shaking from excitement³, he leaned closer on Xia Xi's ear and asked in a low voice: "So this is where men have sex? Is it alright to use Xi'er's as well?"
Xia Xi saw that his worries had become a reality and knew that he might not be able to escape, but he still tried to struggle. He whispered: "The man in this picture, yes... it's because there aren't many women⁴... W-we really don't have to..."
Chu Lan obviously disagreed, "These two people look very comfortable, we can try," He almost immediately wanted to try it. He held back the restlessness in his heart and turned another page. This page explained in detail how two men could have sex, the pictures and texts were full of illustrations, even the details of expansion were carefully drawn. Chu Lan read it carefully. While Xia Xi was shy, he reached out and hugged him, carrying him to the large bed. He laid him down and stared at him with bright eyes, "I know now. Xi'er, let's give it a try."
"Ah..." Xia Xi saw that the scenario couldn't be stopped but still tried to negotiate, "Your Majesty, I've used up all the grease my mother gave me. Tonight... tonight isn't an appropriate time..." Chu Lan said, "I've bought another from the Xia." He really went and got a bottle, its weight was more than twice as much as the one Concubine Yu prepared. Xia Xi was both shy and nervous, but he couldn't find a reason to stop Chu Lan, so he could only have his clothes taken off obediently.
After his socks were stripped off, Xia Xi was completely exposed in front of his young husband, like a newborn child. His slender legs were separated and the experienced female entrance was exposed. It was plump and soft, looking particularly delicious. Chu Lan resisted the restlessness inside his heart. He moved up and separated Xia Xi's hips, this time, he saw another entrance on his Queen.
Beautiful, pink, and tightly closed, it didn't look like it could bear his girth, but Chu Lan couldn't wait to push his cock in immediately to forcibly occupy it; shuttling inside it, and leaving his imprint behind.
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Notes:
1- Not literal but it has the spirit\n2- Take with a jar of salt\n3- Added for clarification \n4- Take with a spoonful of salt
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<b>PastTimer: IDK why, but ppl seemed weirded out when I use </b><b>PastTimer</b><b> instead of </b><b>Translator</b><b> in the endnotes lol. In case you missed the meaning of the chapter title: chrysanthemum = </b><b>asshole</b>
<b> p.s. Sorry for the late update, our WiFi went down</b>