Wolf King And His Fox Consort [BL]

Hours later, Chu Yun found himself in a narrow barge in one of Haolin's many canals, in the company of Xiao Ziyi, Ru Yumei, and the boater sailing them past other barges and through the busy water traffic.

The three of them sat on the barge's simple wooden benches, Xiao Ziyi and Ru Yumei in front, Chu Yun behind them, and the boater behind him steering the barge.

Behind them, Xiao Zai and Han Guilan followed on another barge, not close enough to hear them perhaps, but close  enough to see everything happening in theirs.

That was as much as Chu Yun had gotten the Queen Consort to compromise to.

For his role as "chaperone" to be believable he had to seem uninterested in what Xiao Ziyi and Ru Yumei were discussing, while seemingly keeping an eye on their behaviour.

He had told Xiao Ziyi beforehand that it fell to her to steer the conversation towards what they wanted to know.

The problem was whether she would succeed, considering her enormous inability to talk with anyone who wasn't a soldier or a family member, about anything that wasn't military strategy.

Chu Yun could hear her now, broaching such exciting topics such as: "I hear there are a lot of lakes in Su," and "they say that all the horses in Su are tame, even the stallions, and don't need to be broken in."

To which Ru Yumei replied in monosyllables.

Chu Yun was going to scream.

He hadn't seen Hua Nanyi all day, but he hoped she'd done as Xiao Ziyi asked and tried to worm herself in into the Queen Consort's and First Princess' rooms -- in fact, he hoped she was there now. At least that would make this pointless outing worth something, instead of just being a scenic boat tour through Haolin's canals.

He wondered if he said something it would be too obvious to Han Guilan that he was trying to talk with Ru Yumei and whether she'd try to shut everything down immediately or if they would have some time before she came up with a suitable excuse.

He hadn't yet made up his mind when he heard Ru Yumei's melodic voice say quietly, "I hear that Zui's previous King was executed for treason."

Xiao Ziyi and him went tense at the exact same time.

"Well, he died in prison of an unknown illness before he could be executed," Xiao Ziyi said, her tone halting, "but he would have been executed...yes."

"It is a blessing...to die quickly," Ru Yumei said, just as quietly as the first time she spoke.

It took all of Chu Yun's composure not to let his eagerness show.

Ru Yumei was clearly hinting at something. Her own father's condition, his mysterious 'illness', perhaps?

Why did she think a quick death was a blessing? Why lead with that in particular?

"Yes, certainly prolonged suffering is cruel, which is why we look down on all forms of torture in the army. The righteous thing to do is give all enemies a quick and clean death, and hope they extend us the same dignity."

Chu Yun wanted to throw something at her head. What did her principles have to do with the conversation at hand? Right now Chu Yun wasn't opposed to some torture if it would keep her on track.

He could see Ru Yumei's veil flutter with her laughter. So at least one of them was having a good time.

She sobered quickly after, straightening her back. "That is for the best, yes. But I'm afraid some people, on the other hand, prefer protracted, and unusual means of torture." The way she put emphasis on the word protracted drew Chu Yun's attention.

A slow, unusual torture. Like the corpse powder. That permanent state of stasis Xiao Zai would have fallen into if they hadn't tried the antidote.

The King of Su's 'mysterious' illness.

Maybe it wasn't an illness after all.

Maybe he had been poisoned.

Maybe by the same person who poisoned Xiao Zai.

Unlike in Zui, corpse powder was commonplace in Su -- so it made sense that Ru Long would want to murky the waters when it came to a diagnosis. Maybe it was even the experience with his own father that inspired his attack in Xiao Zai.

He had been successful once. Why not try it again?

Chu Yun could bet his right arm that the King of Su was right now in a coma, just as Xiao Zai had been, completely unconscious from the perspective of every physician treating him, but actually trapped inside his own mind.

A fitting punishment, Ru Long might think, for a man he held responsible for what -- his dam's death? For making a bastard out of him?

His motives were irrelevant.

Chu Yun had his explanation for the King of Su's complete absence from matters of state.

Ru Yumei was trying to warn them that her father was King in name only.

But why the warning about her mother? The Queen Consort wasn't Ru Long's mother, it would have been in her best interests to expose Ru Long's actions. Was she defending him?

Those would have all been pertinent questions to ask, or to allude to, at the very least, but instead Xiao Ziyi said: "Well, some people aren't fit for the war theatre, that's true. Which is why as a General, it is my role-"

Chu Yun couldn't listen to any more of this, he stood up and said: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I've become nauseous and have to stop for now." As soon as the boatman stopped the boot, Chu Yun hiked his robes up to climb up into the paved street, not waiting to be helped up. "I apologise to her Highness' for interrupting such a pleasant moment."

Xiao Ziyi climbed out after him, and extended a hand to Ru Yumei, and then turned to him with a confused frown. "I didn't think that happened so late in the pregnancy."

Chu Yun just cut her a withering glare.