Chapter 31: The Omen

Chapter 31: The Omen

Chen Shuo'an was too dense to notice the change in Yuan Rang's mood.

He gently placed the handkerchief at the corner of the wooden bed, his hands resting on Yuan Rang's soft, dry hair.

He was completely clueless about romance—before he even said a word, half his face was already bright red with embarrassment.

"I don't know. If you like someone, you just like them. There aren't that many demands or constraints." Chen Shuo'an had no idea how to broach the topic, tripping over his words.

Yuan Rang said nothing.

Just as Chen Shuo'an thought he'd fallen asleep on his lap, he heard Yuan Rang's soft chuckle.

"If I loved someone, I'd give them nothing but the best."

Yuan Rang lifted his face, a wild smile spreading across it.

"So good that later, when they look back, they can only think of me." Yuan Rang slowly rose to his feet, his left hand reaching out to gently caress Chen Shuo'an's cheek. "What I can't give now, I'll take by force later to win their favor."

Aside from that last line, which Chen Shuo'an found inappropriate, he agreed with the rest wholeheartedly.

"What's yours is yours; what isn't yours will never be. What sense is there in forcibly taking what belongs to another? The same goes for things as it does for people. If the person you love doesn't love you back no matter what, what's the point of forcing it or forcing yourself on them? If you love each other, then the sincerity you share is the most precious gift in the world." Chen Shuo'an got serious and spoke earnestly, sharing his thoughts with Yuan Rang.

With a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Yuan Rang slowly leaned in, boldly pressing his face against Chen Shuo'an's, and said, "That depends on whether they really don't like me at all."

His broad palm covered the back of Chen Shuo'an's head, pressing him backward.

Chen Shuo'an felt super uncomfortable with this move. Even as dense as he was, he could tell the Sixth Prince's words had a hidden meaning.

But he never liked to overthink, so he asked seriously, "What do you intend to do?"

Yuan Rang lay down beside him with a snicker, as if he found Chen Shuo'an's words adorably naive and pure.

"If there's even the tiniest place for me in their heart," Yuan Rang's voice dropped low, with a seductive, almost otherworldly quality, like a mountain spirit's, and he spoke slowly, "then I'll never let go in this lifetime."

Chen Shuo'an fell silent.

Then he brushed away the strands of hair that had drifted into his mouth, muttering grumpily, "Yeah, you have to be persistent. But Your Highness, could you scooch over a little? Your gorgeous hair is about to become my midnight snack."

Yuan Rang definitely wasn't going to move.

He wrapped a big arm around Chen Shuo'an's waist and pulled him into his embrace, then buried his head in the crook of Chen Shuo'an's neck, grinding his exposed fangs against the tender skin there.

Chen Shuo'an felt the skin itch where he was touched and curled deeper into Yuan Rang's arms, giggling: "Stop breathing! That tickles!"

For such unreasonable demands, Yuan Rang was happy to oblige.

The Sixth Prince obediently held his breath, and while Chen Shuo'an laughed freely, he cautiously, quietly, and gently brushed his cool, soft lips against the side of his neck.

No resistance. No rejection.

A hint of sweetness welled up in Yuan Rang's heart for no reason, as if Chen Shuo'an really allowed such kisses.

He was going crazy with joy.

Chen Shuo'an squirmed in his arms, tickled all over.

As if he'd finally had enough of the horseplay, he lifted his head, panting, and met Yuan Rang's gaze with doe-like eyes. Then he affectionately rubbed his forehead against Yuan Rang's chin—a submissive gesture.

Yuan Rang couldn't take this teasing anymore—teasing that no one else even noticed.

He pinched Chen Shuo'an's cheeks, forcing the heartless man's lips to pucker up, and looked at his completely innocent face. Finally, with helpless resignation, he coaxed in a low voice: "Enough messing around. Go to sleep."

Chen Shuo'an felt that even though he was several years older than this guy, he was always managed and indulged by him down to the smallest detail, and couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

He hummed softly in response, turned over in Yuan Rang's arms, and turned his thin back to him.

Yuan Rang immediately leaned over and wrapped his arm around his slender waist again, calling softly, "Shuo'an?"

Chen Shuo'an flipped back over in an instant, turning the tables by lightly patting Yuan Rang's back and coaxing, "Alright, alright, time to sleep. Do you really need your big brother to tuck you in?"

Yuan Rang: "...?"

Chen Shuo'an contentedly played the role of the older one.

Now he was the one spoiling Yuan Rang.

He'd finally gotten one back.

—

Late autumn. The days were dawning later than before.

Yuan Rang carefully pried the arm locked around his neck off, and looked at Chen Shuo'an, who slept sprawled out the moment he was no longer held. He let out a soft chuckle.

He got out of bed, straightened the man's posture properly, tucked the blanket snugly around him, and finally, unable to resist, leaned down to press a gentle, restrained kiss on his forehead.

From then on, he could no longer hold himself back.

Yuan Rang's wandering lips found Chen Shuo'an's neck, biting down on it lightly and urgently, then dragging his tongue across it in heavy licks, sucking hard.

In his sleep, Chen Shuo'an squirmed as if on the verge of tears.

"Mmph..." Chen Shuo'an pushed against the head buried against him, struggling beneath Yuan Rang.

Yuan Rang captured Chen Shuo'an's lips, pried open his teeth, and savagely tasted his tongue and saliva. His hand gripped with brutal force, pinning Chen Shuo'an's wrist above his head.

The air inside the bed curtains was scorching and charged, mingled with the sobbing cries of the one being kissed.

"Get lost..."

Chen Shuo'an's eyes blurred with tears from the kissing, his whole body going limp.

"Sweetheart..." Veins bulged at Yuan Rang's temples as he pecked hard at the corners of Chen Shuo'an's mouth.

Then, suppressing his discomfort, he stood up, ran his fingers over Chen Shuo'an's lips a few times, and finally left with reluctance.

————

Yuan Rang stood by the firelight, and kneeling beside him was none other than Jili.

"Your Highness." Jili pulled a confidential letter from his robes and raised it up to him.

Yuan Rang rubbed his brow and said expressionlessly, "Get to the point."

Jili quickly acknowledged, opened the letter, and after reading it carefully, said in a low voice, "It's news from the various offices in Bozhou. They say the batches of iron ore have all been prepared, awaiting Your Highness's command."

Yuan Rang's face was hidden in the darkness beyond the candlelight. Hearing this, he said in a deep voice, "How many of the people in the various offices are wearing the Fourth Prince's skin?" Jili understood and whispered, "Xia Jinggu and Song Jian."

Yuan Rang chuckled lightly and said, "Then let Inspector Xia take the men and deliver those batches of iron ore to the Shuobei border, letting a few clues slip along the way to give our Lord Yan a little taste of something sweet."

Jili replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Highness."

Feeling the Sixth Prince's wolfish ambition up close, Jili was startled into a cold sweat.

As the Sixth Prince's trusted confidant, he indeed knew more than others.

For instance, Xia Jinggu, Inspector Xia, was ostensibly one of the Fourth Prince's men, but his elderly mother was in the Crown Prince's clutches.

Others might not know this, but a closer investigation would easily reveal it.

A large shipment of the missing iron ore suddenly appears on the road to the Shuobei border—what is it for? Who is it for?

Was it a local prince with ill intentions, stockpiling iron ore to forge weapons and rebel?

Or was someone in the Great Rong Dynasty secretly shipping iron ore to the Xiongnu to strengthen their forces?

Who could say for sure?

Third Prince Yuan Wu had done nothing of note in his post. His Majesty would not let the missing iron ore slide, and dispatching Chief of the Imperial Guard Yan Bi to thoroughly investigate the matter was undoubtedly the right choice.

Because Lord Yan was His Majesty's man.

And that was exactly the arrangement the Sixth Prince wanted.

Any smart person could see that Yuan Wu had been set up by villains, yet right now, the Fourth Prince's men were leading this batch of iron ore north.

What did this imply?

It meant the Fourth Prince was the one who had framed the Third Prince.

So why was the Crown Prince backing the Fourth Prince's men?

What did that suggest?

It suggested that the Crown Prince was highly skilled in scheming, using someone else's knife to stab the Third Prince hard, then turning around and slapping the crime of secretly colluding with the Xiongnu onto the Fourth Prince.

In the end, what the Sixth Prince wanted His Majesty to see was that someone was using the Fourth Prince's name to do the Crown Prince's dirty work.

And that the Crown Prince was secretly up to no good.

Jili composed himself, his breathing growing a bit rapid.

After a long pause, he heard his master speak.

"Third Brother is mediocre and inept; Father will surely recall him before the year's end. Tell me, who do you think Father will put in charge of the Pingshuo iron office?"

Jili didn't dare guess what the emperor was thinking, so he lowered his eyes and replied, "This servant wouldn't know."

But nine times out of ten, it would be his own master.

Yuan Rang chuckled softly and did not bring up the matter again, instead asking out of nowhere: "A year's bond—how long will he cherish it?"

Jili looked up and followed his gaze to the resting quarters of the Sixth Prince.

Through the crack in the wooden door seeped a soft glow of firelight, shining in the pitch-black night, as dazzling as stars.

Jili understood and offered comfort, saying, "Young Master Chen is someone who values bonds of friendship; surely he will think of Your Highness at every moment."