Chapter 62 - The Fox And The Wolf Have Fun Deceiving Everyone

The following day, and armed with the information Hua Nanyi had managed to dig up, Chu Yun felt a lot calmer. 

He got himself dressed in front of the full-length gold mirror without asking for any servants' assistance. He needed to get his thoughts in order.

The situation wasn't ideal, but since Fan Jiang was already there, and likely going to report everything to the King anyway, Chu Yun just had to take advantage of that, and use it to his own benefit. 

This was just a minor setback in his overall plans, it changed nothing. How he reacted to it would dictate whether he sunk or swam.

The King thought he had glimpsed Chu Yun's weakness in that brief moment where he allowed his worry for Xiao Zai to shine through. Chu Yun wasn't yet sure what that was all about, but in any case, the King was probably imagining the two of them were in love, or something along that vein. 

Fan Jiang's presence could help set the record straight. He would tell the King the two of them were sleeping in separate rooms, and that there was no 'relationship', to drive a wedge between.

It made Chu Yun giddy just to imagine the King's frustration when he realised that his big trap basically amounted to nothing, except further estranging him from his own heir.

Maybe Fan Jiang would find out they spent Xiao Zai's rut together, and report it to the King, but that in itself didn't prove anything. It was just scratching an itch.

If the King thought he had found the opening he needed to put an end to Chu Yun's machinations he was sorely mistaken. 

Chu Yun looked at his own reflection in the mirror, inspecting the fall of the pale cream robes around his shoulders. He was only getting started.

---

It couldn't be said that Chu Yun didn't learn from his mistakes. Only children and lunatics did the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

He had identified a pattern that more often than not led to trouble, so, this time he was going to avoid going down the same road and would actually share his plans with the other person he needed to make them work.

His first order of business was to talk with Xiao Zai, who he found practising his swordforms in the courtyard outside his quarters.

Xiao Zai had stripped down to the waist, the sleeves of his robes roughly wrapped around his hips. Chu Yun's gazed snagged momentarily on the path a few adventurous drops of sweat trailed down his abdomen.

"What is it?" Xiao Zai asked, drying the back of his neck with the bandages wrapped around his wrists.

Chu Yun's eyes snapped up to his face. "We need to get into a fight."

"Now?" He asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you asking for my permission to get into a fight with me? You generally just do it."

He was being difficult on purpose and Chu Yun had no patience for it, plus the sunlight was shining in his eyes and distracting him, that the sun was positioned behind Xiao Zai was mere coincidence.

He tilted his head towards the pavilion beside them. "Not here, let's talk inside."

---

Xiao Zai listened in silence as Chu Yun explained the entirety of his plan, but by the end of it, he had to say something:

"So you want us to pretend to be on bad terms, so Fan Jiang can tell my father that, so my father will stop trying to sabotage our relationship," he had been drawing a straight line in the air, listing all these steps, but at this point we drew an arc returning to the beginning, "which doesn't actually exist, as per your own admission."

Chu Yun nodded stiffly, a faint red hue dusted his cheeks. "Exactly."

Xiao Zai crossed his legs and leaned his elbow on his knee, supporting his face sideways on his closed fist. He didn't know in what way he was looking at Chu Yun, but it must have made him uncomfortable because he looked away.

"Seems like a lot of trouble to protect a relationship that isn't even real," he shrugged, "why not let things go on as they normally do, and let Fan Jiang report to my father that there's nothing to see."

Chu Yun shot him one of his cold, narrow-eyed looks. Maybe he thought he looked intimidating when he did that, and perhaps he did, to other people. Xiao Zai just found him incredibly attractive.

"Will you help me or not?" He asked, getting up from the floor and making his way to the door.

He was in a hurry to leave. That was something Xiao Zai had noticed about Chu Yun -- he hated not being taken seriously. It made him bristly. Ready to flash his claws and teeth at the slightest provocation. The fact that he was holding himself back from being as vicious as he wanted on Xiao Zai's account was a little touching.

"I will," Xiao Zai said, watching with pleasure as the tight line of Chu Yun's jaw relaxed. "What do you want us to do?"

Chu Yun turned to him with a delighted smile, very much the fox basking in his own mischief. "Here's how we'll do it..."

---

Xiao Zai had to admit he was excited for supper that day. It was very uncommon for him and Chu Yun to share meals, but in order to put his plan into action Chu Yun wanted to make a public spectacle out of it.

So, they were having supper in the dining hall, with most of the servants attending to them, which was also a rarity.

Chu Yun had instructed the kitchens to prepare a lavish meal because Lady Tan would be joining them for supper -- the very excuse behind why they were suddenly dining together.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to attend on account of not having been invited.

Xiao Zai was feeling almost giddy by the time he sat down at the table opposite Chu Yun, who barely met his eyes.

The food was brought in, and the two of them stared at it in silence as the incense sticks around the room burned down, ticking down the time.

When most of them had burnt nearly to the quick, Chu Yun let out a growl and slammed his closed fan against the tabletop. "This is all your fault," he said, glaring at Xiao Zai.

Xiao Zai ignored him and filled his own cup with wine. "Please tell me how this is my fault."

"You were standoffish when I invited Lady Tan to join us, the other day."

Xiao Zai nodded, taking a sip of his wine. "I was standoffish," he agreed mildly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Chu Yun glared at him, his beautiful features arranging themselves in a mask of petulance. He looked unbearably spoiled, like he expected the rain to stop falling at his command, and the rivers to stop running so he could cross them. It was a good look on him.

"She must have thought I was only extending her an invitation out of politeness and not out of a genuine desire to spend some time in her company," his voice rose, "You did it on purpose because you hate the idea of me fitting in better than you!"

Xiao Zai returned his glare for the first time, and slammed down his wine cup, making its contents spill over. "What I hate is having my peace and quiet disturbed by countless social obligations! I've seen more ministers and nobles since I married you than in my entire life in the royal palace!"

A great number of servants, including Fan Jiang, were kneeling by the far wall. Ostensibly so they were ready to serve their masters at any time, but in this particular case, to play captive audience to their domestic spat. 

Xiao Zai had to restrain himself from looking in their direction. He wanted to see the effect their performance was having on them, but he ran the serious risk of losing his cool and start laughing if he did. 

Chu Yun was still going on, his eyes blazing with indignity, "What do you want me to do? Do you expect me to waste away in this ruin with you until I die! I used to be invited to all the social gatherings in Lanzhou, I refuse to be a pariah just because I had the bad luck of marrying you."

At this point he got up from the table as well, and told the nearest servant. "Take all this food to the kitchens and share it with the rest of the servants, I'm no longer in any mood to eat."

He left the dining hall in a flurry of light, swaying robes. Xiao Zai chased after him, spitting recriminations until they reached his own quarters and walked inside, closing the door behind them with a loud bang.

Chu Yun waited only for a moment before crumpling to the floor in a fit of laughter, holding his hand over his mouth to prevent the sound from escaping him.

He looked up at Xiao Zai in smirking triumph.. The bright amusement in his mesmerising fox eyes made something inside Xiao Zai's chest constrict painfully.