Chu Yun' heart rate picked the moment Xiao Zai's lips touched his palm. The mood was very ambiguous, and they had both spent hours surrounded by omegas, especially Chu Yun.
It was odd that not all of them were mated, and yet Chu Yun hadn't been able to pick up on that at all. Maybe it was due to the sheer amount of them under the same roof -- maybe it dulled his senses in the same way a busy street filled with alphas, betas and omegas, did.
He cleared his throat with an anxious grimace and pulled his hand away from Xiao Zai's lips. "Good, that's good."
Xiao Zai looked up at him, his eyes were very dark, filled with something heated. Chu Yun shuttered his gaze. "You should go now, it's getting late."
"Or maybe I could stay."
Chu Yun's heart skipped a beat, wrenching painfully inside his chest. "I don't know if that's a good idea."
Chu Yun: let's focus on the political theatre and ignore my messy, confusing feelings
Xiao Zai: but I want to talk about feelings.
Chu Yun: no, shut up, you want to be king
---
About the ministries, I'm mixing and matching with the "real" historical timeline here. I mentioned this is vaguely inspired by the warring states period, but once again don't expect historical accuracy from this! The ministries are mostly inspired by the Han dynasty, but again, creative liberties are being liberaly taken! Not an accurate depiction of the warring states period, or the Han dynasty! Especially the a/b/o of it all haha.