Chapter 174: The Wolf Meets Someone He Already Knew

Xiao Zai didn't know what Gu Wei meant, but he still followed him out of the throne room. They started threading familiar paths towards Gu Wei's private quarters in the royal palace, the same suit of rooms and small courtyard in which Xiao Zai had grown up.

Walking these hallways as a King, or nearly one, gave him an intense sense of vertigo. It felt unreal that he'd revisit the place he'd spent so many years living in fear after deposing his father.

He'd waited so long for this moment that now it had come he could only feel a deep sense of unreality.

That feeling multiplied when his dam opened the doors to the reception room in his quarters, to reveal a guard Xiao Zai had seen many times before, sitting at the table wearing casual robes that Xiao Zai recognised as belonging to Gu Wei.

The man put down the teacup and got up to his feet.

He bowed deeply to Xiao Zai with his arms circled in front of his chest, and then dropped to his knees in deep prostration.

"I apologise for all these years of deception," he said, eyes fixed on the floor. "This lowly one has shared a bed with Concubine Gu for years, and yet wasn't able to protect him from the indignities he suffered. This one deserves death."

Gu Wei let out an extremely long-suffering sigh, and rubbed his temples. "Why did you have to say all that in the most embarrassing way possible?" He bumped the man's side with his foot. "Get up, think about my thin face. I'm too old for this."

The guard did get up to his feet, not looking at all remorseful for what he'd said. "My name is Jin Luan."

Gu Wei gestured towards him, still shielding his eyes in embarrassment with his other hand. "He is your sister's sire."

To say that Xiao Zai was deeply uncomfortable was an understatement. 

Despite not having been crowned yet, it could be said that he had just become King, and yet, in a matter of seconds, Gu Wei had made him feel like a child again. He had never talked about any matters of a romantic nature with Gu Wei, and he assumed his dam never had any reason to discuss them, considering his unhappy marriage.

The matter of A-Xiang's sire had always been a sore subject, and Gu Wei instructed him not to mention it. Fearing that it meant that his dam had suffered some awful abuse -- either at Xiao Yuan's hands, like the rumours said, or someone else's -- Xiao Zai respected his wishes.

But it turned out that his dam had had a lover for years. A man who Xiao Zai had seen at his side often, and assumed was only a palace guard his dam had managed to sway into being loyal to him instead of his father.

He looked at Jin Luan with renewed eyes. The man was clearly a beta, as well as wolf. He was handsome in an almost feral way. His eyes were sharp as blades, and his high cheekbones seemed carved from jade, the only hint of softness on his face was the bow of his generous lips.

"Say something, you're making me nervous." His dam's tone was light, but Xiao Zai knew he was probably truly anxious.

Xiao Zai cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "Thank you for keeping my dam company during his years of strife in the royal palace."

"Oh, heavens," Gu Wei groaned and rubbed his temples with renewed vigour. "Anyway, I'm sorry to have kept our relationship from you, but I didn't want to implicate you, in case we were ever found out."

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That sobered Xiao Zai, and shook him right out of his embarrassed stupor. That's right, the two of them had been risking death if their affair was found out.

Luckily that would never come to pass now. Xiao Zai let out a shaking breath and asked his dam:

"What are you going to do now?"

As much as Xiao Zai would never begrudge his dam his hard-won happiness many others would. Regardless of his father being deposed in disgrace, royal concubines weren't supposed to remarry, or enter into any sort of relationship. The fate of the concubines of late kings was usually a Daoist nunnery. In rare cases they were allowed to return to their family homes with their dowries.

Gu Wei shrugged breezily, and then smirked at Xiao Zai. "Your husband went to great pains to restore Xiao Yao's estate, and with the two of you moving into the royal palace soon, it's going to be sitting empty." His smirk widened. "I think A-Xiang will love it there. And obviously we'd need some protection, out there just the two of us, Granny Han and a handful of servants."

Xiao Zai should have known his dam would have already thought of everything. And despite his shock, Xiao Zai was genuinely happy for him. 

No one deserved happiness more than Gu Wei. Xiao Zai would spend the rest of his life trying to repay his dam for everything he had done for him.

---

He stayed for a few more minutes with Gu Wei and Jin Luan, sharing tea over stilted conversation, and then left to go back to Chu Yun -- still "convalescing" in the Queen Dowager's private quarters.

Xiao Zai told him everything his dam had revealed, to which Chu Yun reacted in typical Chu Yun fashion.

"I knew there was something odd about the way he praised all the renovation work on the estate!" His eyes narrowed in wariness. "He was scoping out the place for himself!"

Xiao Zai chuckled at Chu Yun's outrage and took his hand. "Take it as compliment of your incredible good taste."

Chu Yun was unimpressed. "That goes without saying."

Xiao Zai couldn't stop his fond smile even if he wanted. "Well, at least it won't sit empty, that would truly be a waste of your incredible good taste." 

That didn't seem to mollify Chu Yun, so Xiao Zai switched tactics. "Anyway, I remember you making some really enthusiastic promises about the two of us and the throne..." he trailed off suggestively.

Chu Yun's sour expression melted into a seductive smirk.

"But you haven't been crowned yet." He walked his fingers over the back of Xiao Zai's hand and then closed them around his wrist, pulling him forward until their noses almost touched.. "Get that done, and then we'll talk."

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