Wolf King And His Fox Consort

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Chu Yun didn't know what to make of Hua Nanyi's discovery. He took the waist token with him to hide in the vanity in his bedroom, but the image of the beautifully engraved crane soaring above the clouds didn't leave his mind.

First the Crown Prince of Su at the royal palace, apparently a guest to Xiao Yuan's wedding...and now this. Ever since the war, many centuries ago, Su had been very quiet. The neutral presence between Xin and Zui's frequent tensions. They avoided taking any sides with the argument that humans were inherently different from divine beasts, and therefore they should not take part in any conflicts.

Now Chu Yun was wondering if that oddly neutral position was a cover for some hidden agenda.

The matter was taking up so much space in his mind that Xiao Zai even made note of it that night, while moving his belongings back into the master bedroom.

"You seem distracted," he said, after Chu Yun had spent five minutes in the same spot looking out the window at the darkness in the courtyard outside, reflecting.

Chu Yun couldn't even name what exactly he had been thinking for the past minutes, except that he felt like something big was coming.

"I get the impression I'm just a stone in someone's weiqi board."

He almost jumped when Xiao Zai came up behind him and wrapped his hands around his waist, resting his chin on the crook of his neck. 

"I have felt like that my whole life," Xiao Zai said, his breath ghosting over Chu Yun's sensitive skin.

He was intimately aware of how close Xiao Zai's lips were to his scent glands, it would take barely nothing for Xiao Zai to open his mouth and sink his canines into him. 

Chu Yun shivered and stepped away from Xiao Zai's embrace. "Well, I never have," he hugged his arms around himself, lowering his eyes.

He hated being vulnerable. It was a completely alien feeling to him.

Xiao Zai gave Chu Yun his space and stayed back, watching the tense line of his spine. "Somehow things don't feel so hopeless now that I have you," he said, meaning every word.

Chu Yun went very still, and then slowly turned sideways, giving Xiao Zai a narrow-eyed look over the curve of his shoulder. "Maybe you're giving me too much credit."

Xiao smirked. "No, I don't think I am."

His easy confidence settled something inside Chu Yun. He didn't want to admit it, but he liked the idea of Xiao Zai trusting him to get them out of danger, to find a way to avoid the incoming danger that announced itself like a dark cloud in the horizon.

It made him feel like being generous too, so when it was time for bed and Xiao Zai wanted to wrap his arms around him in a stifling hug Chu Yun only fought him a little before conceding.

---

The next day actually saw Chu Yun wake up in a good mood, and feeling well-rested for once. Xiao Zai was no longer in bed, but breakfast had been brought in to the bedroom and left on the low table for Chu Yun, something which had Xiao Zai written all over it.

After eating and dressing himself, Chu Yun was ready to go about his day, still trying to think up of ways to fix the whole Chu Hean situation that didn't require him to reveal his condition.

He was crossing the main courtyard, intent on finding Hua Nanyi to ask her to go into the city and find out more on the mysterious Su person paying visits to Chu Hean, when Fan Jiang intercepted him.

"This one apologises for bothering his Grace, but," he bit his lower lip, chancing a look around the courtyard to ensure no one was watching them, "I have some important news I think his Grace should hear."

He started by admitting to Chu Yun that he was keeping in touch with the First Prince. Something Chu Yun had long known about, and was actually counting on him doing, but had kept quiet on, for this express purpose.

It was obvious from his expression that Fan Jiang felt reluctant about admitting whatever it was that he was going to say, but he felt he owed some loyalty to Chu Yun. Nothing bad had happened to him since joining the Second Prince's estate. And after their last uncomfortable conversation about Gu Wei, Chu Yun had never sought him out again.

"As long as it doesn't put you in an uncomfortable position," Chu Yun said, mildly.

That was all it took to tip the scales of Fan Jiang's indecision. "I was keeping his First Highness company when we heard a commotion. His First Highness went to see what it was, and found his concubine, who his Grace met during the feast, unconscious on the floor. The fresh tea she had been drinking was still steaming on the teapot."

"I hope it wasn't anything serious." Chu Yun's words were completely insincere, he could barely recall the woman's face.

Fan Jiang sighed. "Well, she survived, but she lost the child she'd been carrying."

That got Chu Yun's attention. He remembered the rumours about one of the First Prince's concubines being pregnant, but he'd put it out of his mind -- too busy with his own crisis.

"Does his First Highness suspect it was done on purpose?"

Fan Jiang nodded. "He knows it was done on purpose. The tea she was drinking was one of the wedding gifts from his royal highness' wedding to the royal consort."

Well, that could be troublesome. "Was it poison?" He sincerely hoped it was, because then the culprit could be anyone.

"No, a royal physician was immediately called to examine the tea and concluded it was very strong abortive mixture. It would only be effective on a pregnant person."

Chu Yun had a really bad feeling about this. 

Apparently so had Fan Jiang, which was why he had decided to tell him. "His Grace and His Second Highness should be careful," his expression grew dark, "I don't think his First Highness believes his brother is to blame, but no one has yet found out who gifted the tea. This all happened yesterday, so it's too early to tell."

"Thank you for letting me know," Chu Yun said, smiling benevolently and patting Fan Jiang twice on the shoulder.

Fan Jiang had given him a lot to think about, but he didn't want to say anything that could put him in a delicate position.

He needed to find Xiao Zai as soon as possible and tell him about this.

---

Chu Yun searched the entire estate without finding trace of Xiao Zai until finally asking the servants if anyone had seen him. They told him he had taken his horse into the city early in the morning, but it didn't look like he was going to be long.

Chu Yun waited the entire morning.

And then the afternoon that followed it.

When night was about to fall he instructed Hua Nanyi to go looking for him. 

She returned about an hour later, looking pale as a funeral offering. Chu Yun who had been pacing in front of the gates the entire time she was gone rushed to her side. 

"Where is he? You didn't find him?"

"His Highness...he....he's been detained in the royal family's jail."

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