章節 19: The Wolf wants to get the Fox naked

They managed to get through the rest of the day relatively unscathed, although Chu Yun sequestered himself in a suit of rooms he called his "offices" citing some book he had been meaning to read. In truth, Xiao Zai was well aware that his only intention was hiding from the white kitten, now terrorising the entire estate.

Xiao Zai was happy to give Chu Yun his space, and spent a pleasant enough day in his own company. There was a small, sad-looking plot of tilled land near the back of the estate that used to serve as the servant's vegetable garden. He amused himself by asking for some seeds and fertiliser and trying to make it grow again.

He was now a member of the unemployed nobility, whose ranks swelled every day under his father's rule. Without an official post either in a civil or military capacity, there was nothing much for Xiao Zai to keep himself busy with.

He entertained the idea of tending to the courtyards, overlooking the planting of new flowers and decorative bushes. Maybe even designing the landscape. There was no easy way for him to reach the throne, he might as well keep himself busy in the meantime.

His good mood lasted him all through the day and until the next morning, when Chu Yun's sour face greeted him in front of the main gates. Waiting for him to get inside the carriage that would take them on the journey to Xin.

"Let's go, or are you trying to add even more days to our journey?" he snapped, before climbing inside the carriage.

One of the servants approached Xiao Zai, as he was climbing inside after him. "Informing his Highness: his Grace stepped on cat droppings this morning. His mood has been most foul."

The serious way the man delivered his message, as if he was a currier rushing into a General's tent with important news from the frontline made Xiao Zai smile.

The servant had neat hair and widely spaced eyes, that made it seem as if he could see in more directions than a regular person. Xiao Zai clapped him on the back. "What's your name?"

"This one is surnamed Pan," the servant said, standing up straighter.

"Then, Little Pan, from now on, please keep me informed of his Grace's moods. I expect a daily report in a scale of 'most foul' to 'most agreeable'."

Little Pan bowed, his expression set. "This servant will endeavour to do so."

When Xiao Zai sat down opposite Chu Yun he was still smiling to himself at the servant's diligence despite being given such a silly task.

"What are you smiling at?" Chu Yun asked, stewing in his own bad temper.

Xiao Zai shook his head and looked out the window. At the same time the carriage started moving. The horse's hooves kicked up dust in their wake as the carriage made its way towards Haolin's gates.

Xiao Zai thought to himself that Chu Yun wasn't much different from that little ball of fluff and claws his dam had gifted them.

---

By the time they stopped at a roadside inn to rest for the night, Chu Yun was no longer in such a bad mood. He had even been making conversation with Xiao Zai.

All of that changed when they entered the inn, and the innkeeper informed them with a chagrined smile, "there's only one room left."

All the servants and the small private guard Xiao Zai hired for the journey had all been settled in communal rooms already. Xiao Zai considered the merits of calling everyone back and looking for another inn at such a late hour, and decided that Chu Yun could suck it up.

"We'll take it," he said, depositing a small pouch of silver taels on the counter.

Chu Yun glared at him from the corner of his fox eyes, but said nothing. Xiao Zai could tell he was bottling it in for when they were both alone.

The innkeeper escorted them up to the room.

"Bring us dinner and a bath tub," Xiao Zai said, before she could leave.

Chu Yun glared at him as soon as the door closed behind the innkeeper. "Are we supposed to bathe together? Shall one of us look at the wall while the other bathes?"

Xiao shrugged. "I don't see why we shouldn't bathe together. You invited me to join you in the hot springs before our wedding."

Chu Yun turned his back with a haughty roll of his shoulder. He faced the small copper mirror over the vanity and took off his hairpin and haircrown, making his hair cascade down his back in a sleek curtain.

"If I remember correctly, you were extremely disconcerted about that, called me shameless once or twice."

Xiao Zai nods. "But we're married now."

There were no arguments Chu Yun could make against that, so he fell silent, which brought Xiao Zai great pleasure. These little verbal spars of theirs could be amusing sometimes, especially when he came out on top.

Dinner was served, Chu Yun picked at his food listlessly while Xiao Zai ate his fill, knowing that as soon as they crossed the border he would have to go without the taste of home for a while.

The bath was brought in and filled with buckets of scalding water. Xiao Zai let it cool for a moment before standing up from the table and letting his outer robes drop to the floor.

Chu Yun gave him an unimpressed look from below his curling lashes. "I see you'll stop at nothing to see me naked."

It was more accurate to say that Xiao Zai would stop at nothing to rile him up. Chu Yun had been nothing but insufferable since they met, he deserved all the payback Xiao Zai dished out.

He rose to his feet and met Xiao Zai's eyes. "Very well," Chu Yun said, his hands drifting down to his waist sash. "Let's measure swords."