Chapter 90 - The Fox Gets An Unwelcome Surprise

Min Sezhui was still waving at Chu Yun from behind a group of guests, standing on her tiptoes to make her hands visible above their heads.

Chu Yun approached her with a smile but stood at some distance. It wasn't just the two of them now, it wouldn't do for people to see an omega and an alpha being so close. Min Sezhui wore flowing pink robes under a thick white fur cloak which reached down to her elbows.

"How has Sezhui been?"

She leaned against the whitewashed stone wall behind her with a sigh. "There are a lot of people here, which I don't like. But his Majesty said I had to come too." She tilted her head to the side against the wall behind her, discreetly eyeing some of the people in the crowd. 

"Uhm, that's very unpleasant," Chu Yun said nodding. "Being honest, I wish I didn't have to be here either," he said, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.

That made Min Sezhui giggle and hide the lower half of her face behind her billowing sleeves. "Maybe no one will notice if we leave?"

Ah, wouldn't that be nice? They spent a few moments in quiet companionship, until the sound of whispered voices reached them.

Chu Yun turned towards the sound and found a group of lavishly dressed men and women talking with their heads close together. The moment they noticed his gaze a few of them laughed, before moving on to join the rest of the guests.

Behind him, Min Sezhui sighed despondently. "I hate when they do that. Maybe they aren't even saying anything, and just do it to make me seem crazy and stupid when I confront them."

That was most likely the case. This type of petty, childish mindgame was exactly the kind of bullying spiteful concubines were said to engage in.

Min Sezhui was the King's favourite at the moment, which meant she was the recipient of everyone's jealousy. Of course having the King of Zui's favour didn't mean having is love, so he was completely indifferent to how much the other concubines belittled her.

"Sezhui should ignore them," Chu Yun said, fully aware that was completely useless advice.

A sudden wave of nausea hit Chu Yun again. He clutched his stomach and hissed thorough his teeth, bowled over by the pain.

Min Sezhui shot him a worried look, bending down to look into his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Chu Yun waved her concern away and straightened up with a groan. "I've been unwell the last couple of days."

She nodded in understanding, her thin eyebrows lowered over her large humid eyes. After a moment she perked up. "Oh, maybe you're pregnant!"

Chu Yun couldn't help smiling indulgently at her. "Silly girl, alphas can't get pregnant," he said, patting her head.

Min Sezhui nodded again, the frown returning to her sweet face.

A familiar, slightly sullen voice, reached Chu Yun's ears, coming from a nearby direction.

Feeling suddenly overcome with much more than a bout of stomach pain he made his excuses to Min Sezhui and followed the sound of the voice -- all the way into Chu Hean's back.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice lowered.

Tan Ruo's head popped up from the side of Chu Hean's shoulder immediately. She shot Chu Yun an aggrieved look.

"I can explain, but you're not going to like it."

Flanking her, Minister Song nodded curtly. "Frankly, I don't like it either."

Chu Yun started fanning himself in a desperate bid to lower his quickening blood pressure. "It's precisely because I won't like it that I need to hear it."

---

While talking with his dam Xiao Zai had been approached by some of the ministers he and Chu Yun had visited. Many of them gracious, although Xiao Zai couldn't help noticing how they exchanged only the most perfunctory of greetings with Gu Wei.

It made him grit his teeth in annoyance. 

When he became King no one would ever disrespect his dam ever again.

After the Minister of Finance left, Gu Wei smiled cryptically at his retreating back. "Chu Yun's efforts must be commended. A few months ago I wouldn't think these many ministers would have been able to pick you from a crowd."

Xiao Zai chuckled. "He's very industrious." He appreciated everything Chu Yun did for him, even if it seemed they had hit a wall. "Too bad everyone who might consider supporting me seems fixated on my lack of an heir."

"Oh, I don't expect that to be a problem for long," Gu Wei said, his gaze fixed somewhere in the crowd of guests.

"What do you mea-"

Right at that moment a red-faced Chu Yun approached the two of them, dragging behind him a stone-faced Chu Hean.

Xiao Zai was immediately alert. "What is he doing here?"

Chu Yun let go of Chu Hean's sleeve with a growl of frustration. "He was invited by the King."

"What?" 

Chu Yun scowled, shooting his brother a glare. "Apparently, somehow, the King found out about his presence in Haolin and decided to extend him an invitation to Xiao Yuan's wedding."

Chu Hean remained motionless, his beautiful face a mask of neutrality. "How would I know he would invite me?"

Xiao Zai frowned. He might not have known, but the timing of his visit was suspicious. What an enormous coincidence that he would learn about his own impending engagement just in time to run away to Haolin less than two weeks before the First Prince's wedding.

He didn't want to bring any of it up here, and he was still a little worried that Chu Yun might think he harboured his brother animosity after the events of the hot springs.

Gu Wei observed this discussion in silence, but after a time hummed to himself, his keen gaze narrowed in reflection. "The most pertinent question is why would the King invite him?"

Chu Hean looked mildly affronted. "I'm his son-in-law's brother."

One corner of Gu Wei's lips ticked up in amusement.. "Of course, but please forgive my bluntness, his Majesty doesn't really care about close family members, let alone distant relations."