It was not usual for the two people to go out for a trip, but they did in accordance with the Emperor’s will. Xiao QingYan, after all, was the prince who had gone through assassination before, so they were accompanied not only with the servants, but also a lot of Imperial Bodyguards.
Xu ChangAn was still sitting on the broad carriage of Wang Residence when they started the travel from the residence, but when they got out of the city wall and reached the next stop, the carriage he was riding on the next day turned into a very ordinary looking carriage.
“Wangye?” Although previously, their ranks were too ostentatious, now there were too few people, except for him and Xiao QingYan, there were only the two Wu brothers.
“It’s a long journey. It’s better not to be too ostentatious for unnecessary troubles. It will be a lot of inconveniences along the way without any extra followers. However, you can rest assured that we won’t make you too tired if we don’t rush along.” After explaining with Xu ChangAn, Xiao QingYan thought of their current dressed up and decided that since they needed to keep it low-profile then just keep it low-profile to the end. And they might as well simply change the form of address.
“ChangAn, from now on you can’t call me Wangye. Just call me by my name is fine, or… if you like, you also can call me husband."
“…” Xu ChangAn never knew that Xiao QingYan had such a side. Xu ChangAn just glanced at the person beside him and saw his playful smile on his face. He was practically a different person than usual!
“We’ve been married for so long, but it seems I’ve only heard you call my name only a few times.” Xiao QingYan knew that his Wangfei usually only called him Wangye in accordance with the rules. When they were very close, he called him Your Highness. As for the name… it was only when he was being assassinated by an assassin from the Southern Xinjiang, and when his sudden appearance frightened Xu ChangAn, who only called his name out of fear and excitement.
In fact, Xiao QingYan did not mind what Xu ChangAn called him, but since they left Wang Residence, he did not want to return to the usual rules and regulations. Moreover, by changing the names, their journey would be much smoother.
Xu ChangAn himself forgot when he called Xiao QingYan’s name. The name of the prince could not even be called by the formal wife. He didn’t know how it was possible for him to commit the crime knowingly.
“Your name, Your Highness, is not only known by the people of the Great Xiao, but also by people of other countries. And nobody in the world dares to share your name with you. If I call your name, what difference does this make other than directly reveal your identity?” Since they had chosen to avoid the public’s attention and go on their own way, Xu ChangAn naturally did not want to flaunt, but the title of Xiao QingYan was really a problem.
Xu ChangAn’s misgivings, Xiao Qingyan had long thought of it. When Xu ChangAn spoke out, Xiao QingYan sat close to him, and who knew what Xiao QingYan was thinking that he smiled slightly and then said, “Imperial Father chose QingYun for your courtesy name, then you give the name to me in the next few days. My name will be Yan QingYun in next following days, and I'll call you ChangAn and you'll call me QingYun. You don’t need to use honorifics with me either. We can get along just like ordinary married couples."
Xiao QingYan’s "ordinary married couple" still made Xu ChangAn felt a little uncomfortable. Although they did have such a relationship now, but as a man, when every time this kind of address was added to him, his heart felt as though it was twisted, but… since the words came from Xiao QingYan's mouth, he would neither feel awkward. He knew that Xiao QingYan had no other meaning. He was not the Madam from the noble rank who had mocked him before. He called himself so, just because they really had such a relationship. Xu ChangAn was not a coy person. Xiao QingYan’s words made sense to him, so he answered them directly. In order to prove that he remembered them, he immediately called out to Xiao QingYan.
“QingYun.” Xu ChangAn did not immediately move his eyes after calling. He wanted to reassure Xiao QingYan that he had committed it in his mind.
Xiao QingYan looked at his Wangfei's expectant eyes and raised his lips. He tugged the sleeves of the person beside him and gently pulled him into him arms. Then he kissed him on the forehead and dropped two words: “Pretty good.”
Although both of them had already done the most intimate things, Xu ChangAn still could not get used to Xiao QingYan’s intimate behavior from time to time. He could confirm that Xiao QingYan liked him, but he could not confirm to what extent Xiao QingYan liked him, and it was not worth taking risks to indulge himself.
Xu ChangAn hadn’t been out of the capital since childhood, and he didn’t know what route Xiao QingYan chose. It was just two days since that they went out for the trip. Although most of the time they were on the carriage, the journey had been relatively smooth, and their body was not too tired.
“Would you like to go out for a ride?” After being on the carriage for the entire day, he would likely be bored. Xiao QingYan could not bring Xu ChangAn’s white horse with them. Even his own horse was with other people on the separate road, so he could only let the Wu brothers drove the carriage and exchanged with their horses.
When Xu ChangAn first learnt to ride a horse, he went to the most extensive place, which was the forest in the outskirts of the Capital. Now he was very excited when he came to the mountain road near the end of his sight. Nowadays, although it was early spring, but the winter cold did not seem to dissipate at all. After mounting on the horse, the cold wind blowing on his face made Xu ChangAn stunned at once!
It was nearly two years, but his health was no difference than when he was younger. In winter, he was most susceptible to cold. Not to mention the cold wind blowing like this, even if he occasionally passed through the cold wind, he was also prone to fever. It didn’t matter if he was still in the Capital, he could take a good rest when he returned to Wang Residence. But now they were on a journey. If he was to fall sick, would not he be dragging on Xiao QingYan?
“Wang… QingYun, now the weather is still cold, so it is easy to get cold with the cold wind blowing. I’d better go back to the carriage first, and then come out to ride when the weather is warmer."
Xiao QingYan also knew the state of Xu ChangAn’s body, so he did not delay to get off the horse, and then stretched out his hand to help him. Xu ChangAn hesitated for a moment and then put his hand on Xiao QingYan. Although he had not reached the level of being unskilled to get off the horse, but there were no outsiders here, so he had no embarrassment to receive help from others.
Only after getting out of the carriage that Xu ChangAn found that they were walking along an official road, which had been spacious and flat. No wonder they hardly felt bumpy all the way.
Once again, they changed position with the Wu brothers. After returning to the carriage, Xu ChangAn got a layer of cold air on his body and his clothes became a little ice-cold. He touched the clothes on his body; he was afraid and regretful. He knew clearly that his body was useless in winter. How could he still not learn the lesson? “Come next to me and get warmer.” Although it was a lot easier without the people that followed them, but neither was there Wang Residence's broad carriage with everything needed available on it. Xiao QingYan put a heater in Xu ChangAn’s hand. What he told the other was to move next to him. But in reality, he sat down next to the other and directly held the other into his arms to lean on him.
Xu ChangAn did not resist Xiao QingYan’s action, but in the end he sighed in his heart, and then whispered to Xiao QingYan: “Your Highness, although I am not in good health, but in the end I am a man, you do not have to pay too much attention to me.”
“What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter whether a person is a man or a woman. It only has something to do with him in his own heart. Are you saying, was it because this Wang suffered from a woman that day, the first you thought about was a strange woman?"
“Your Highness, you…” Xu ChangAn just wanted to say that he was a man, no need to take care of him everywhere, or treated him as a weak woman, but Xiao QingYan’s answer made him not to know whether to laugh or cry. But when he thought about it carefully, he really didn’t know how to refute. His heart was helpless but his mouth directly said it out.
“What? If you don’t reply to this Wang, could it be that in your heart, this Wang is really inferior to a strange woman?!!"
"Your highness! You… You are really…” He did not expect Xiao QingYan would argue with him about this. Xu ChangAn was amused, but when he looked at Xiao QingYan's solemn face, he did not laugh at all. He could only turn his face at the side to make Xiao QingYan happy.
“Naturally, Your Highness is important.” Not to mention just a strange woman, Xu ChangAn also thought of the important person in his heart and the first person in his mind was the person beside him. He himself could not believe it. When did Xiao QingYan begin to be so important to him?
Xu ChangAn did not see Xiao QingYan’s satisfied smile after he finished talking. When they lay down to sleep at night, Xu ChangAn was stunned by Xiao QingYan’s revealing inner clothes.
Xiao QingYan was wearing the one he made for him… Was it stitched together into worn-out clothes? Although the cloth used for that clothes was not worn-out, but compared with Xiao QingYan’s well-crafted clothes, his own made clothes indeed was just like a worn-out clothes.
As Xiao QingYan said, they were really not in a hurry to travel, so when they came to rest at a town, they would stay and rest until the next day. If the neighboring town was far away, they would rest in someplace at night and would not continue to travel.
On this day, they stayed in an inn in a small county town. They went on their way in the name of husband and wife, naturally sleeping in the same room. As soon as he saw Xiao QingYan’s inner clothes, Xu ChangAn was stunned. Until he saw the person who made him foolishly stared blankly began to take off his clothes, only then Xu ChangAn did respond. He quickly took off his outer clothes and all of a sudden drilled into the quilt.
Seeing the person had just buried himself in the quilt, even without revealing his head, Xiao QingYan looked downed at his clothes and knew why, but he did not know why Xu ChangAn had such a big reaction.
“Well, practice more if you know you’re not good at it… But, it doesn’t matter if you do it like this all the time. You’re the only one who can see the ugly clothes anyway." Xiao QingYan once saw his Imperial Father wearing a very strange clothes when he was very young. At that time, he did not know why he was wearing that kind of worn-out clothes. Now he knew.
“Your Highness, we have to rush tomorrow, let's go to bed earlier.” Xu ChangAn’s face felt so hot that he did not dare to look up at the person beside him. He could only bury himself in the quilt as far as possible, and then pretend to be sleepy, so that person could put off the lights and go to bed quickly.
"Your highness! This is the inn. We have to go tomorrow!” When the familiar touch came, Xu ChangAn tightened his body in a frightening moment. He did not know the sound insulation of the inn, if it was heard by others…
“Don’t be afraid, just want to sleep with you. It’s not home, the weather nowadays is still cold. Sleeping in each other arms can make it warmer.”
The originally rigid body, because Xiao Qingyan’s words "home" had magically relaxed. In the darkness, Xu ChangAn knew Xiao QingYan could not see the look on his face, so he was not persistent. He turned around and embraced the person beside him. Then without another word, he went to sleep with the warmth all over his body.