Chu Lan became a benevolent father today. After dinner, he played with his two sons and taught the little Prince to write. When Xia Xi finished bathing, he happened to see his eldest son sitting on Chu Lan's lap, Chu Lan was holding his hand and teaching him how to write. Chu Lan was seldom so intimate with other people, and Xia Xi was a little surprised. He inevitably stood a little longer and was soon noticed by Chu Lan, he raised his head and looked at him with a smile. He said, "Jin'er, your Ah-Ma taught me how to write back then, it's the reason why my characters are written so well."
The little Prince widened his eyes in surprise and said, "Really? But Ah-Ma's so thin, how could he hold father?"
Chu Lan said, "Because I was young at that time, your Ah-Ma did everything for me, he even brushed my teeth every morning." His tone was very proud, and while talking, he looked at Xia Xi and turned to blink at him.
Xia Xi's face flushed a bit and he said: "I didn't hold you, I just held your hand, and your writing was already very good at that time, in fact, you didn't need me to teach you." Chu Lan smiled: "If only to be held by you."
The small prince who was playing with the pony next to him hurriedly said, "I want my Ah-Ma to hold me, I'll write." He ran over and asked Xia Xi to hug him, but when Xia Xi really hugged him, he refused to write and pestered Xia Xi to play with him. It was already too late to play and he couldn't help but want to sleep. Xia Xi asked the maid to take him back to take a bath and sleep. The little Prince also stood up properly, saluted them, and then left.
The maids all withdrew, Xia Xi was a little flustered, not knowing how to face Chu Lan alone. When the man approached him, he whispered: "The King should also go bathe."
"Yes." Chu Lan reached for his hair, pushing the long strands aside and kissing his lips. He ignored Xia Xi's slight dodge and got up to take a shower. Xia Xi was still felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, he couldn't sleep peacefully while lying on the bed, he kept paying attention to the movements outside. When he heard the footsteps coming in, he quickly turned to the wall and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
The man didn't hesitate to drill into the bed, blowing out the candle on the bedside midway, leaving the room with only a dim light. As soon as he went into bed, Xia Xi's heart tightened. After an unknown amount of time, something was gently stuffed into his hand. The touch startled him, without thinking about it, he instinctively knew that it was the golden hairpin.
Unable to pretend to sleep any longer, and unable to face Chu Lan at this time, Xia Xi could only remain silent. Chu Lan allowed him to remain silent, skillfully touching under his clothes with his broad palms, opening his collar, touching his chest, and using his fingertips to fiddle with his nipples. Xia Xi trembled all over and finally couldn't bear it, he gently grasped the man's hand and whispered: "Chu Lan..." He wanted to ask something, but he didn't know how to ask it. The answer was obvious, there could be no other possibility.
Chu Lan cut off his words and suddenly asked, "Does Xi'er know why I'm stricter with Jin'er?" His hand was still on Xia Xi's chest, Xia Xi couldn't stop him, so he could only let it go. Xia Xi replied: "Because he's the Prince heir, of course you have to be stricter."
Chu Lan's tone was brisk, he said: "It's not just that." He forcefully turned Xia Xi and then domineeringly circled him into his arms. This time he separated his clothes more smoothly, revealing the snow-white chest. He said: "Xier's breasts originally belonged to me, and your milk was mine, but it was snatched by him. I held a grudge so I became more strict with him."
Xia Xi didn't expect this to happen, the incident was already seven or eight years ago, if it hadn't been for Chu Lan, he would've forgotten it completely.
How could this man still remember that in his heart? Xia Xi looked at him in amazement. Chu Lan leaned over to grab one of his nipples and sucked, it hardened as he licked. After licking enough, he said, "I'm very petty, any person who touches you will make me jealous, even if that person is my son. I'll never let go of a person who has harmed you."
This was the first time Xia Xi found out that his husband was actually like this, he whispered: "You... why did you promise me back then?"
Chu Lan kissed his lips and said: "I didn't want to make you feel sorry because of this. I know you're kind and can be generous even to those who have harmed you, but I can't; I can only protect your kindness. Blame me, you can be angry with me, but don't be angry for too long. If the anger hurts your body, I'll feel very distressed. Not only will I feel distressed, but our two sons will also feel distressed.
He kept pushing his two sons in front of Xia Xi today. How could Xia Xi not understand his intentions? Xia Xi squeezed the golden hairpin in his hand and said softly: "I don't blame you, my decision back then was inappropriate. I just... I just couldn't bear to see her..."
Chu Lan hugged him tightly and said softly: "I know what you're thinking, my Xi'er is the kindest person in the world, I've always known it."
Xia Xi pressed himself against his chest, and the unidentifiable emotions in his heart slowly dissipated. He said: "I'm not worthy to be your Queen, Chu Lan, I had fooled you for years¹, and I... I also get jealous..."
Chu Lan raised his eyebrows, he pinched his chin and asked him to raise his head to look at him. He smiled happily: "I used two cute meat shields today, hoping that you wouldn't hold too much of a grudge against me. Why are you still thinking about it now? Are you jealous? Where are you jealous? Did I just make you jealous right now? Tell me in detail so that I can make corrections."
Xia Xi's face flushed with his teasing and he whispered: "I meant the past..."
Chu Lan kissed him, "That's all in the past, don't think about it anymore. Take care of this golden hairpin well and don't give it away so easily. If you give it to someone who doesn't deserve it, I'll get it back for you."
Xia Xi gave a soft "um", he put the golden hairpin away and tried to endure, but finally couldn't help but ask: "Did she... end in pain?"
Chu Lan said carelessly: "Not painful." Then he said, "If she had succeeded in those evil deeds, you'll suffer a thousand times more than her, and your two lovely sons would never come to this world."
Xia Xi trembled all over, he whispered: "I know, I won't think about it anymore. If I encounter this kind of thing again, I won't be so soft-hearted." Chu Lan heard his words, but his tone became more intense: "You'll never encounter that kind of thing again, never!"
Seeing his tense and serious look, Xia Xi's depression finally disappeared, he couldn't help but smile and said softly: "Well, I won't." Chu Lan's expression eased a lot, he went to kiss his lips, lick his neck, and stroke his skin inch by inch. He suddenly said, "Xi'er, there's one more thing I want to tell you."
Xia Xi asked, "What's the matter?"
Chu Lan looked at him and calmly said: "The Emperor of Xia... died."
Xia Xi's body had originally gotten hot because of him. Hearing those words at this moment, it felt like he was suddenly splashed with a basin of cold water. His whole person was stunned. After a while, he recovered and asked in a daze: "My father... passed away?"
Chu Lan nodded, "It was only twenty days ago that I received the news, I heard that the 12th Prince had succeeded the throne."
Xia Xi's feelings for his father were weak. Hearing this news, he was far less sad than when he knew that his mother had passed away. There was no despair, only a bit of discomfort. He sighed and felt a little unbelievable. Chu Lan saw it and asked, "Are you not sad? I originally wanted to comfort you."
Xia Xi rubbed against his chest and whispered, "I don't have much affection for him. He has too many children, I have such a physique. I should've been put to death when I was born. Even after he knew my existence, I didn't have much contact with him. I haven't seen him more than ten times in my life, so I can't fool myself, I really don't feel sad."
Chu Lan said: "That's good."
Xia Xi said: "He wasn't very good to my mother, and he wasn't responsible enough for the common people. Although I didn't see the whole picture, I still saw some of the common folk's lives along the way from Xia Palace to Yudu. He wasn't very wealthy, many lived in humble places, and have no surplus for their families, he has so many beauties in his harem alone, and always liked to host luxurious banquets. Extravagant and wasteful, not a good Emperor."
Chu Lan chuckled: "It turns out that my Xi'er would criticize others in such a way. What kind of person is the twelfth Prince? Do you know?"
Xia Xi gently shook his head and said: "Our contact wasn't much. He was a bit stubborn as a child." The twelfth Prince was younger than him. After he began living alone, he was the leader of those who took the lead to bully him, but they probably gradually felt that it was boring and troublesome to see him, so they stopped coming after a few times.
Chu Lan said, "So, you don't need to worry about anything. Xia has suffered from floods, droughts, and plagues this year. However, there are still a few factions that are getting bigger and bigger, the political climate had gradually turned messy." His tone was relaxed, but Xia Xi was a little frightened when he heard this. He didn't know of these things at all, and Chu Lan didn't tell him anything normally. He didn't know why this was suddenly mentioned today.
The man looked at him with a calm expression, no different from usual, but what he said shocked Xia Xi. He asked, "Xi'er, if I rally up my troops now, would it be a good time?"
Xia Xi stared at him blankly. It took a long time for him to find his voice. He asked, "You want to raise troops? Attack... Xia?"
Chu Lan held his hand. He kneaded and played with it, there was a smile on the corner of his mouth, "Yes, I've always told you that I want to unify the world, I want to include Xia in the territory of the Barbarians. The current Emperor of Xia isn't benevolent and change is welcomed. Isn't this the best time for both natural and man-made disasters?"
Xia Xi couldn't speak. Although he knew that Chu Lan had such a plan, he had hoped that he would dispel his thoughts, or at least postpone the matter. But at this moment, Chu Lan had already spoken out. Everything was ready, maybe the army was already stationed at the border. Images of horse-backed Barbarians trampling on the corpses of Xia folk flashed through Xia Xi's mind. He trembled all over, closed his eyes, and whispered: "The King must've already made a decision, n-no need to ask me. I am the master of the harem. The harem mustn't be involved in any political liaisons."
Chu Lan stared at him and said: "Now we are on the bed, not on any formal occasion, this is just a couple's night talk. Xi'er, I just want to know, if I send in troops, will you support me?"
Xia Xi groaned in pain and said in a trembling voice: "My Lord, please forgive me. On one hand is my homeland, and on the other is my husband. How do I, and how could I, choose..."
Chu Lan smiled softly but there was no smile in his eyes, "I know, Xi'er doesn't support me, right?" Xia Xi refused to answer, but buried his head in his arms, as if enduring something. Chu Lan patted his back lightly, his voice softened and he said: "Good Xi'er, I was wrong, I shouldn't have embarrassed you like this."
<b>_____</b>
<b>Notes:</b>
1- Not very sure about it. It said something about persecution (?)
<b>______</b>
<b>PastTimer: Just realised, when Xia Xi was sent to the temple he was 23 (?), he stayed there until 25 (?), Jin'er is 7 or 8 so he's probably 32/33 (?/?) </b>