Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"065"

Lu Ao's expression shifted sharply. He reached for another glass of bayberry juice and tasted it, his brow furrowing. It really was fruit wine.

Xiao Lancui was a total lightweight.

Words of concern were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back. Right now, he didn't know anything about Xiao Lancui.

He pivoted, "It's fruit wine. Brother doesn't drink?"

The lighting in the private room was dim, yet a faint, unusual flush was still visible on Xiao Lancui's fair face. He traced his thumb along the rim of the glass, already a bit tipsy.

The bayberry wine was sweet-tart with a refreshing aftertaste. Xiao Lancui paused, then took another sip and said, "I do drink, just not much."

Lu Ao's brow twitched.

The last time Xiao Lancui drank was on the day of his enthronement. He had instructed the eunuch to replace Xiao Lancui's wine with water, but there was still a slip-up.

One glass was all it took for Xiao Lancui to get drunk.

He was a graceful drunk—no fuss, no bother, just very quiet. But he was stubborn as a mule. When Lu Ao tried to keep him in the warm pavilion, Xiao Lancui was adamant about going home.

Forgetting that he couldn't walk.

"I need my own pillow." Xiao Lancui shook his head at him and began to get up from the wheelchair.

"Fine." Lu Ao smiled, crouching down in front of him and saying, "I'll carry you back so you can sleep on your pillow."

Xiao Lancui pushed him away. "Don't rely on others for everything." His dark eyes were clear. "I can walk on my own!"

But he couldn't get up. He lowered his head, tapping his unresponsive legs in confusion, muttering to himself, "Strange, why won't they move?"

Lu Ao's heart ached for him. He immediately grabbed Xiao Lancui's hand and said, "You're drunk. You can't walk. Let me carry you, okay?"

Xiao Lancui slowly raised his head, locking eyes with Lu Ao. He was silent for a long while, during which Lu Ao's Adam's apple bobbed countless times, before he finally nodded. "Alright."

He spread his arms wide and, before Lu Ao could react, lunged into Lu Ao's embrace.

His movements were small, and his breath, tinged with the scent of wine, brushed against Lu Ao's neck. Lu Ao froze. Xiao Lancui waited patiently for a moment, then made a soft "Huh?" sound and said, "Xiao'ao?"

A nickname he hadn't heard in ages.

Lu Ao's throat tightened. He slipped his hands under Xiao Lancui's armpits, steadied him, swung him onto his back, and hoisted him up securely.

"Yeah, we're going back."

He shot a glance, and the eunuch quickly pushed the wheelchair away, murmuring, "All of you, follow me."

In a flash, they were alone in the corridor.

Xiao Lancui lay quietly on Lu Ao's shoulder as Lu Ao carried him toward his palace, but he corrected him, "That's wrong. I need to leave the palace."

Lu Ao said quietly, "Do you really have to leave? Can't you stay and let me keep you company?"

Xiao Lancui refused firmly. "Those not of the palace must not remain in the palace past midnight. Violators are executed."

Lu Ao walked slowly toward the palace gate with him on his back. "You're the exception. You can come and go as you please."

Xiao Lancui was silent. Then he suddenly reached out and touched Lu Ao's head, murmuring, "Oh, Xiao'ao is the emperor now." He let out a soft laugh. "Still, no. A ruler must lead by example. No exceptions for anyone..."

Lu Ao called out to him, "A Lan?"

"Mmm—" Xiao Lancui paused, then lightly tapped his head. "That's wrong. It's 'Beloved Minister.' Xiao'ao has grown up. You're the emperor. You must lead by example, you must—"

"Beloved Minister." Lu Ao cut him off, steadying him as he said, "Hold on tighter. You'll fall."

"Oh." Xiao Lancui replied, glanced ahead, and frowned. "We can't walk in the middle. That's for the emperor and empress."

Lu Ao laughed. "I'm the emperor. I can walk there."

"No, you're not." Xiao Lancui thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head firmly. "I'm not. I can't walk there."

"Yes, you are."

Seeing Lu Ao about to step onto the imperial path, Xiao Lancui panicked. He moved his hands, hesitating for a moment before figuring out what to do—he wrapped both arms around Lu Ao's neck, clinging tightly as he urged, "No, don't walk the imperial path..."

His soft, feeble strength had zero effect on Lu Ao, but Lu Ao still gave in. He turned onto the right-side path, still moving slowly. "Don't you want to be empress, my Beloved Minister?"

Xiao Lancui didn't respond. After walking for a while with no sound from him, Lu Ao stopped and glanced back—all he saw was a head of dark hair and a single simple jade hairpin.

Xiao Lancui had fallen asleep.

A silent smile curved Lu Ao's lips. He didn't change course back to the bedchamber. With Xiao Lancui steady on his back, he walked on very slowly along the path.

That night, none of the guards on night duty at the palace gate dared to look up, as the young emperor in dragon robes carried some unknown beauty out of the palace on his very first day on the throne.

...

Xiao Lancui finished the glass of bayberry wine, and his fair face was now flushed pink—the color of a ripe peach, as if a single squeeze would release rich, sweet juice.

Lu Ao, just like that time, crouched in front of Xiao Lancui. But this time, Xiao Lancui's legs were healthy.

Lu Ao's throat ached. He gently took Xiao Lancui's hand and looked up. "A Lan, let me carry you home, okay?"

Xiao Lancui wouldn't remember. Not only was he a lightweight, but he also blacked out.

Xiao Lancui's head spun. His mind was still on what he'd just figured out. Xiao Liqin had trained Cheng Peng six months in advance, so Cheng Peng was very good at imitating Xiao Anfeng, earning Xiao Jingli's affection...

Next, Xiao Liqin would—

Xiao Lancui shook his heavy head slightly, and the blurred vision cleared, settling on the young man's handsome face.

Xiao Lancui stared at Lu Ao's face for a long moment, then raised his hand to cover his eyes.

He called out, "Xiao'ao?"

Lu Ao's whole body jolted. His smile froze for a second. Even his private nickname had been stolen by this body...

His fingers clenched and released. In the end, he answered, "I'm here, Brother."

Xiao Lancui shook his head in disappointment. He withdrew his hand, fell back onto the sofa, sinking into the soft cushions. He looked up at the ceiling of the private room—an ornate crystal chandelier, light flowing like water. He closed his eyes, lifted his hand, and draped it over his face, murmuring, "Which home do I go back to?"

Lu Ao said, "Anywhere you want."

Xiao Lancui shook his head, his voice even softer. "I can't go back..."

"Where?" Lu Ao didn't catch it. He leaned in, close to Xiao Lancui's lips, trying to hear more clearly.

Xiao Lancui went quiet again. The light caught his lips, still moist and rosy in the dimness, with a faint hint of bayberry. Looking down at those slightly parted lips, Lu Ao's throat tightened into a hard, frozen knot.

He nearly kissed him, stopping just a centimeter from Xiao Lancui's lips.

Just like the night he was crowned, when he'd laid Xiao Lancui on the bed and wanted to kiss him, he'd also stopped a centimeter short.

Lu Ao stared hard at the palm turned toward him. At the base of the left ring finger sat a tiny red mole—pale, more pink really, about half a sesame seed in size.

No one had ever noticed that mole on Xiao Lancui's left palm. Lu Ao had caught it the very first time, when he'd held Xiao Lancui's hand to his face and seen it in a flash.

This Xiao Lancui had it too.

Lu Ao's mind went blank for a second. The mole shifted away, and a pair of deep, dark, bottomless eyes watched him quietly. Those ridiculously long lashes brushed against Lu Ao's. Xiao Lancui's voice sounded distant, tinged with alcohol.

"You want to kiss me."

Not a question. A statement.

Lu Ao knew Xiao Lancui would black out. His hot, heavy breath hit Xiao Lancui's nose bridge, and he rasped, "Mm, I do."

At almost the same time, that faint pink mole flickered in Lu Ao's peripheral vision. A cool hand hooked the back of Lu Ao's neck and tugged him down. Xiao Lancui's head came off the sofa back, and he tilted his face up and pressed his lips to Lu Ao's.

With the alcohol warming his body, his lips carried a faint heat.

Lu Ao's head buzzed, his vision going red. Just as Xiao Lancui's strength was failing and he began to fall back, Lu Ao's left hand shot around the back of Xiao Lancui's neck, cradling his slender neck with one hand, and dipped his head to deepen the kiss.

His tongue easily slipped past the damp lips. Lu Ao ruthlessly swept away every last trace of bayberry. Xiao Lancui's hand still dangled limply at his nape. Lu Ao lowered his hand, kissing Xiao Lancui as he pushed him into the soft down pillow. A thin silver thread slipped from the corner of their sealed lips, and Xiao Lancui let out a low moan that got swallowed whole.

That sound was what made Lu Ao completely lose it.

His right hand slid down the satin shirt to the hem. His big palm easily wrapped around that waist. Lu Ao gave it a couple of light squeezes before slipping his hand under the hem.

The second his fingers grazed the warm skin, a soft "uncomfortable..." slipped out. Lu Ao's bloodshot eyes instantly went cold, and he let Xiao Lancui go at once.

"Where does it hurt?" His left hand still held the back of Xiao Lancui's neck. He pulled back a little, scanning Xiao Lancui's face with worry.

Xiao Lancui's eyes were half-closed, with a sheen of moisture at the corners. The second Lu Ao pulled away, the hand on his neck dug into his skin, like someone just dragged out of water, gasping for air.

His lips, kissed raw, were even more wet, red, and swollen—obviously puffy.

He'd been kissed too hard, starved of air.

Lu Ao relaxed. His right hand stayed on Xiao Lancui's waist, the skin warm and soft—a rare heat after the drinking. He took a deep breath, pulled his hand away, and bent down to press two more kisses to the corner of Xiao Lancui's mouth. "It's fine. Go to sleep, I'll take you home."

Xiao Lancui stared at him, his eyes slowly going unfocused, until he finally slipped into darkness.

Xiao Lancui dreamt of Lu Ao again.

In the dream, Lu Ao was still a scrawny kid, swinging his hand back and forth.

"A Lan, teach me to write your name. I wanna learn it!"

The first three characters Lu Ao ever learned to write were Xiao Lancui's name.

Crooked and shaky, the kid's writing was a real struggle.

Then the scene shifted to the emperor, tall and commanding, brush in hand, writing his name on an imperial decree.

This time, he was announcing to every official, to the whole world, that from now on, Xiao Lancui was Dali's youngest Chief Grand Secretary—not second to anyone, but the supreme ruler standing beside him.

The young emperor's handwriting had long since turned bold and graceful.

"A Lan, why do you never get it?"

With a sigh, Xiao Lancui's eyes opened. The familiar ceiling slowly came into focus. He sat up with a jolt, chest heaving. He pressed a hand to his thumping heart, taking small, shallow breaths.

His head cleared, and his memory cut off at the bar's private room.

He'd drunk—

bayberry wine.

He was drunk. Did Lu Ao bring him home?

Xiao Lancui's heart settled quickly. He kicked off the covers and got up. His slippers were lined up neatly at the foot of the bed. He looked down—he'd been changed into comfortable pajamas too.

He opened the door and stepped out. There was noise and the smell of food coming from the kitchen. He glanced at the clock—almost seven.

He walked to the kitchen, and sure enough, Lu Ao was there cooking.

Xiao Lancui stared at the broad back, the dream's overlapping figures, and those words...

"What didn't he get?"

"What was he supposed to get in the dream?"

Xiao Lancui rubbed his temple, leaned against the doorframe, and called, "Lu Ao."

Lu Ao turned at once, his face blurred in the steam. "Go sit down, the hangover soup's almost ready."

Xiao Lancui went to the dining table and sat. In no time, a bowl of hangover soup and a steaming bowl of wontons came out together.

Lu Ao stood across from him, hands clasped in apology. "Sorry, brother. I didn't know it was bayberry wine, and I didn't know one cup would knock you out."

Xiao Lancui took a sip of the soup—sour, sweet, and warming. He took another sip and shook his head. "Not your fault. I wanted to drink it."

He savored the sweet-and-sour taste and asked offhandedly, "I didn't cause you any trouble drunk, did I?"

He'd only been drunk a few times, and never heard any complaints, so he probably handled it fine.

"Yeah, there was."

At the unexpected answer, Xiao Lancui's long lashes flickered. He looked up into the young man's dark, deep eyes. "What did I do?"

Lu Ao tapped his lips. "You insisted on kissing me, brother."

Time stopped for a second. Xiao Lancui looked away calmly, lowering his eyes to keep drinking his soup. "And did you?"

"Obviously."

Xiao Lancui took another spoonful, swallowed, and only then said calmly, "Next time I ask, learn to say no."

The next second, the young man used his long legs to lean across the table and pressed his forehead gently to Xiao Lancui's.

"I was lying, brother. But if you want a kiss, I'm down."