Chu Yun and Xiao Zai spent the next days until the Queen Consort and the Third Princess' arrival, smoothing the field.
As expected, the remaining ministers didn't take it well. "I don't think his Majesty should look into any marriages alliances so soon after the attack on his person," one of the ministers said, a mousy man who previously barely raised his voice above a whisper, but now, due to their reduced numbers, found himself being one of the most senior members of the court.
He chanced a look at the people standing next to him in search of support. "In fact, his Majesty's first priority should be to find replacements for all the traitorous ministers," he looked up at Xiao Zai on the throne, but his gaze drifted to Chu Yun sitting by his side. "Most ministries have very depleted resources."
Chu Yun smiled down at him, and answered in Xiao Zai's stead. "That is already being addressed."
He didn't elaborate.
He had proposed a series of daring reforms, which Xiao Zai agreed with, but for now they were keeping things quiet.
Chu Yun's planned reforms would lead to some dramatic changes to Zui society, and it was better for everyone if Ru Long was neutralised before they went into action.
That course of action was also something the court didn't need to know. Chu Yun wondered if he would ever look at the remaining ministers without suspicion. Even though all of them had been cleared of any involvement in Minister Hu's schemes, Chu Yun still didn't trust them.
"And what about the Xiongnu?" asked a woman standing towards the back of the throne room. "They're still camped out in the royal grounds," she twitched her nose in distaste, "will they still be here when the Su Queen Consort and Third Princess arrive?"
Now it was Xiao Zai's turn to throw the woman a dismissive smile. "Does Minister Liu have anything against foreign diplomacy? Would she prefer Zui to have a bad relationship with neighbouring nations and neighbouring peoples?"
Chu Yun leaned towards Xiao Zai, their elbows almost touching over the armrests of their respective thrones. "Perhaps Minister Liu thinks her family's forgery business would benefit from the increased demand for swords if there were more border skirmishes?"
The Minister went pale immediately, almost shrinking into herself, which only became more apparent when everyone around her moved away.
The court was dismissed soon after. Xiao Zai waited for all the ministers to leave before pulling Chu Yun down onto his lap on the throne.
He pulled Chu Yun down into another dirty kiss, and then whispered against his lips, "And you love me."
What could Chu Yun say to that? It was the truth.
But instead of admitting it he sat astride Xiao Zai's lap, facing him, holding onto the back of throne on either side of of his neck.
"Maybe I just love your cock," Chu Yun said sidestepping the intimacy, and shoving one hand between them to tug Xiao Zai's robes open.
Xiao Zai gripped the back of his thigh with one hand, running the other over his ass. "Maybe you love my knot stretching you wide."
Chu Yun lowered his head close to Xiao Zai's ear and whispered, "I think we're about to have company."
Xiao Zai's eyebrows knitted in confusion as Chu Yun climbed off of him, smoothing down his rucked up robes as he went.
When a polite knock sounded outside the throne room's door, Chu Yun was already standing by the throne as still as lake water.
Xiao Zai leaned forward awkwardly, his forearm folded over his middle as he said, "enter."
Chu Yun was delighted by his scowl of frustrated arousal. Maybe if he managed to wind up Xiao Zai some more, he would just lose his mind and mark him, without Chu Yun having to beg for it, which he felt closer to doing every day.
Xiao Ziyi walked into the throne room after the servants stationed outside opened the doors for her, but stopped in her tracks as she took stock of the two of them, "maybe I can come back at a later time?"
"Now is as good a time as any," Chu Yun said, meriting another angry glower from Xiao Zai.
Xiao Ziyi cleared her throat awkwardly. "Right," she took a folded piece of paper out from between her waist sash and held it up between two fingers, "We just got another letter from Su."