Chapter 66 - The Wolf Accompanies The Fox On A Social Call

Xiao Zai knew, the moment Chu Yun's shadow fell over the plot of land he had been working on that his peace and quiet was over.

"The Minister of Works has invited us for supper at his residence," Chu Yun announced, smugness radiating from him in waves. "Come with me to the main hall so we can make a scene about how much you don't want to go."

Xiao Zai wouldn't even have to try to act convincing -- he really didn't want to have a meal at the Minister of Work's estate.

"Must we?" he asked, through gritted teeth.

"No, I'm just fucking with you," Chu Yun said with wide grin. The next moment his face fell and he grit out, "of course we must! What do you think I've gone to all this trouble for? Now let's have a screaming match about it!"

With great consternation, Xiao Zai let the spade he was holding fall to the ground and stood up. "You know, I'm being very accommodating, but one day you're going to have to start making all this worth my while."

Chu Yun arched an eyebrow. "Isn't becoming King worth your while?"

Xiao Zai bridged the distance between them, whispering the words into Chu Yun's ear, "there are many roads to the same destination. Who says your way is the best?"

Chu Yun pushed him away with a jab to the ribs. "Don't expect a repeat of the other day," he warned, although there was a pink flush on his smooth earlobes.

As always, Xiao Zai couldn't help noticing how good he looked with his features pinched in annoyance like that. He wished only that Chu Yun's fluffy fox ears were out so that he might see them flatten in exasperation against his silky hair.

Xiao Zai kept his thoughts to himself, and Chu Yun departed with one last, mistrustful glare. Xiao Zai followed after him at a distance. Feeling a little like he was stalking his prey in a hunt. The thought sent a little thrill down his spine.

---

They had their public screaming row in front of the poor servants, who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there. 

Hopefully, Fan Jiang would relay all of this to the King soon enough and he and Chu Yun could stop putting their servants through emotional turmoil. As much fun as it was, he knew no one wanted to work for people who hated each other.

After spending the afternoon in their own quarters, they left together for the Minister of Works' residence.

Xiao Zai didn't like the man. And hated the idea of rubbing elbows with him.

"He's an incompetent Minister, you know?" he told Chu Yun while the two of them were seated in the carriage. "If he's displeased with my father in any way, that's actually a credit to my father, unfortunately."

Chu Yun sucked in an annoyed breath. "Well, the King can't be all that competent either, or he would have gotten rid of him."

"His family is very powerful, his father controls almost an entire province to the north." Xiao Zai would usually agree with any negative assessment of his father, but the current Minister of Works, was...a piece of work.

Chu Yun still wasn't impressed. "So? He's the King, he can always strip his family's land, recall his private army's commission, have them all assassinated," he shrugged, "I can keep coming up with ideas."

Xiao Zai couldn't help the little rueful smile that stole across his face. "You're ruthless, uh? Is that what you'd do? Just kill your enemies?"

Chu Yun shot him another of his unimpressed looks. "Of course not. It isn't the best strategic option, more often than not, and if you're going to do it you need to be committed to it." 

He looked out the moving carriage's window, watching the street go by. "You can't just kill the person you want to. You need to eliminate their entire clan, or you're opening yourself up to having someone come after you years down the line to claim the blood debt."

He spoke of it very dispassionately, but it was that distance that told Xiao Zai there was a story there. Something Chu Yun didn't like remembering.

After a prolonged moment of silence Chu Yun cleared his throat. "Anyway, but if my Minister of Works, responsible for all public works in the nation, was using money from the royal purse, meant to improve the infrastructure in disaster prone areas, but instead pocketed half of it, commissioning only subpar dams, which led to flooding and the death of thousands of peasants each year...."

He grinned without humour. "Maybe I could be persuaded to drown his entire family in front of him and tell him that he was now experiencing what the families who lost their relatives in the floods he was tasked with preventing must have gone through!"

Xiao Zai shouldn't have been surprised that Chu Yun was so well informed about the situation in Zui. But he was surprised that he felt so intensely about it. The truth was that under his spiky exterior hid a surprisingly soft middle. 

--- 

They arrived in the Minister's house and Chu Yun took Xiao Zai's arm as soon as he came down the carriage.

Xiao Zai shot him a questioning look. "Are we in good terms again?"

Chu Yun sighed. "Of course, in public I'm a well behaved spouse, a meek little fox who defers to his wolf husband's authority," he sighed rolling his eyes.

Xiao Zai was in no hurry to tell him that he preferred it when he was a little bit of an asshole.

In any case, it still felt good to have Chu Yun's fingers wrapped around his upper arm, and feel the heat of his body through the many layers of their robes.

The Minister's estate was grand, and luxurious -- a testament to all the money he had embezzled.

"I can't believe this motherfucker has a better house than us," Chu Yun said, hiding his whispered complaints behind his fan.

Xiao Zai chuckled but then did a double-take when he realised the fan in Chu Yun's hand, was the one depicting a wolf pinning a fox to the snowy ground by the neck.