Chapter 67: A Sleepless Night

Chapter 67: A Sleepless Night

Liang Zhen didn't return until midday. Zhu Yunxuan and Rong'er were already having their lunch. He joined them at the table, asking for an extra set of utensils to be brought over.

Zhu Yunxuan glanced at him briefly but didn't ask any questions. He lowered his head and continued eating. Rong'er blinked at Liang Zhen with anticipation, asking, "Can Rong'er go out and play with Father after I finish eating?"

Liang Zhen smiled and reached out, using his thumb to wipe away the grease from the corner of the child's mouth. "Not today."

Rong'er's face fell instantly. "Why not?"

"Today, we're staying here. Tomorrow, Father will take you and Daddy to another island to play."

"Really?"

Liang Zhen chuckled softly. "Of course, when has Father ever lied to my little treasure?"

Only then did Zhu Yunxuan speak up slowly, "Have you not finished dealing with the matters on the island yet?"

Liang Zhen's prohibition on leaving the house must have been due to unrest outside. Zhu Yunxuan could roughly guess the reason behind it.

Liang Zhen's lips curled slightly. "The main event hasn't even started. The Emperor's appearance merely hastened their plans. Desperate dogs will jump walls. Let's see what tonight brings, Your Majesty."

Noticing Zhu Yunxuan's furrowed brow, Liang Zhen winked at him with a smile. "Why doesn't Your Majesty ask me how I dealt with the one who leaked the information?"

Zhu Yunxuan glanced at him indifferently. "What's there to ask?"

He didn't care how Liang Zhen had handled the matter, nor was he interested in whether it was intentional or an unintentional mistake. All that mattered was that the person wouldn't appear before them again.

"Really not asking?"

Zhu Yunxuan shook his head slightly. "But aren't you worried that punishing your subordinate might estrange them from you?"

Liang Zhen waved off the concern. "What's there to worry about? If he truly can't distinguish right from wrong, then I don't need such a subordinate."

Zhu Yunxuan didn't need to be burdened with Liang Zhen's affairs. He didn't press further and instead lifted Rong'er onto his lap, coaxing the child to eat more.

Seeing a three-year-old still needing to be fed, Liang Zhen found it amusing and playfully pinched the child's nose. "Your father has spoiled you more than a princess. How will you manage in the future?"

Rong'er looked up at Zhu Yunxuan in confusion. "Father, what's a princess?"

Zhu Yunxuan gently brushed the soft hair on the child's head and smiled. "My dear baby isn't a princess but a prince. You'll understand that in the future."

The child blinked in confusion. What was a prince? Something delicious to eat?

Liang Zhen chuckled with hidden meaning. "A prince? How does His Majesty plan to explain the birth of this young prince?"

Zhu Yunxuan fell silent for a moment, a fleeting smile crossing his eyes. "He popped out from a crack in a rock."

Liang Zhen: "…."

For the entire afternoon until nightfall, the three of them remained in the room. Liang Zhen taught Rong'er how to make bamboo toys step by step, while Zhu Yunxuan leisurely read books and played chess, a rare moment of ease for him. Occasionally, when he saw the identical smiles on the faces of the child and himself, he felt a sense of daze. For a fleeting moment, he wished that time could stretch on like this forever.

After dinner, Liang Zhen showed no intention of leaving. He played chess with Zhu Yunxuan under the lamp until late into the night. Rong'er had long been tired and slept soundly in Zhu Yunxuan's arms like a little piglet. Seeing that Zhu Yunxuan had maintained the same position, Liang Zhen approached cautiously and gently took the child into his own embrace.

Staring at the child's sleeping face for a while, Liang Zhen's fingers lightly touched the flushed cheeks of the slumbering child. He murmured softly, "Back then, I thought this child would be born in the Year of the Pig. Unexpectedly, he was born a month premature, becoming a little dog. Now, looking at him, he still resembles a tiny piglet."

Zhu Yunxuan frowned. "…Who are you insulting?"

"I'm insulting myself," Liang Zhen chuckled, a hint of wistfulness flickering in his eyes. "At that time, I truly believed that the child was gone, as if the last connection between His Majesty and I had been severed… On the way south, I coincidentally encountered the Duke Ding's entourage. Not giving up, I sent someone to investigate, only to realize that Rong'er had already been taken to the Southern Border. We missed each other."

Zhu Yunxuan gazed down at the chess piece in his hand, lost for words. Liang Zhen shook his head and sighed softly, "The first time I saw this child, I knew he must be His Majesty's son. He looks almost exactly like him, and his temperament is similar too. I took an instant liking to him."

After a long silence, Zhu Yunxuan grumbled softly, "He's your son as well."

"Yes," Liang Zhen replied, holding Rong'er's hand with a smile, "He's my son too."

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Zhu Yunxuan took the child back into his arms and reminded Liang Zhen, "Alright, I'll take Rong'er to bed. You should go rest as well."

"His Majesty should sleep. I'll stay here and guard you both."

Zhu Yunxuan looked out the window at the ink-black night, his eyes dimming slightly. In the distance, there seemed to be faint flames flickering. After watching quietly for a moment, he gave in, "If you want to stay, then stay."

He placed his son on the bed, and Rong'er stirred, half-awake. Zhu Yunxuan patted him gently, "Go back to sleep, my good baby."

The child rubbed his eyes and noticed Liang Zhen still sitting on the side of the couch. He whispered to Zhu Yunxuan, "Father, aren't you sleeping with Daddy and Rong'er?"

Zhu Yunxuan kissed the soft cheeks of his child, "Father will sleep later. Go to sleep first, okay? Be a good boy."

Lying down, he turned to face away from the bed, gently patting his son as he lulled him back to sleep. Despite closing his eyes, he couldn't drift off, acutely aware of the occasional gaze that fell upon him from behind.

In the dead of night, faint cries suddenly pierced the tranquility of the darkness. Liang Zhen put down his book and walked over to sit by the bed. Zhu Yunxuan instantly opened his eyes, his bright gaze meeting Liang Zhen's in the dim candlelight. Liang Zhen smiled, lowering his gaze, and tucked the blankets around him. "Has His Majesty not fallen asleep yet?"

Hearing Liang Zhen's gentle, hoarse voice, Zhu Yunxuan was momentarily lost in thought. "... Are you going out?"

"Not yet. We'll wait a little longer."

Zhu Yunxuan came back to his senses, nodding with a frown. He only reminded him, "Don't frighten the child."

"Relax, it'll be fine."

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes again, still unable to sleep. Liang Zhen's fingers played with his loose hair, wrapping it around his fingertips. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the side of Zhu Yunxuan's face. Zhu Yunxuan didn't move, only his eyelashes fluttered slightly.

The sounds of fighting and clashing swords grew closer, as if someone had already charged into the general's residence. For some reason, Zhu Yunxuan recalled that night at the Ganlin Palace. Amidst the chaos outside, they had been unusually calm, talking all night and revealing their true feelings for the first time.

Once, he thought there would be no future, but time had passed and they were here now. The world was always full of unexpected surprises. Zhu Yunxuan smiled silently with his eyes closed, and Liang Zhen's voice was right next to his ear. "What is amusing His Majesty?"

".... Nothing."

Zhu Yunxuan refused to say. Rong'er, in his arms, rolled over and began crying softly in her sleep. Zhu Yunxuan held her tightly and comforted her gently, "Good baby, don't be afraid. Daddy is here..."

After a few sobs, the child fell asleep once more. Liang Zhen sighed, "Caring for a child is no simple task."

"One gets used to it," Zhu Yunxuan murmured softly, "I'll make up for everything I owe him."

Liang Zhen didn't say more. He tucked the blanket around them once more. "Sleep."

After roughly half an hour, the commotion outside gradually subsided. Liang Zhen extinguished the last flicker of candlelight and rose to exit the room.

Zhu Yunxuan turned his head, catching only a fleeting, distant silhouette before he stood transfixed for a moment. Only after a while did he close his eyes and gradually drift into slumber.

When Liang Zhen returned, dawn was just breaking. He shed his outer robe and, with great care, slipped into bed behind Zhu Yunxuan. Zhu Yunxuan stirred at the sound but remained with his eyes closed. He detected the faint scent of blood on Liang Zhen and croaked, "Is everything taken care of?"

"Mm, all those who needed to be dealt with have been. I'm rather exhausted, Your Majesty. May I rest here for a while?"

Hearing the weariness in Liang Zhen's voice, Zhu Yunxuan didn't move further. Gently pinching the hand that rested on his waist, Liang Zhen leaned in, nuzzling against Zhu Yunxuan's earlobe. After a moment, Zhu Yunxuan asked again, "Are you injured?"

"No, I just got some other people's blood on me."

Zhu Yunxuan scoffed softly, but his tone unconsciously lightened a bit. "How long have you been planning this?"

"It was simply taking advantage of their plans. Uncle Rong and Old Chen conspired together, instigating others to snatch power from my hands. Initially, I had no intention of contending with them. I was willing to give them what they wanted. But now that His Majesty is willing to allow these islanders to return to the Great Yan, I must first rid ourselves of those with ill intentions, so as not to cause trouble for His Majesty in the future."

He chuckled softly. "If not for their discovery of His Majesty's true identity, things wouldn't have progressed so smoothly. I was actually worried about how to deal with them promptly, and here they came knocking on their own door."

"You predicted they would act tonight?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. They couldn't wait any longer."

Zhu Yunxuan sighed softly. "You're always like this, as if you have everything under control..."

"Not always," Liang Zhen leaned closer, kissing the hair behind Zhu Yunxuan's ear. "I've never been able to predict His Majesty's heart."

Zhu Yunxuan didn't reply, falling silent as if he had dozed off again. Liang Zhen held him tighter and whispered into his ear, "Your Majesty, you promised Rong'er yesterday that you'd take us to explore another island, broaden our horizons. Would you like to go?"

After a moment's pause, Zhu Yunxuan murmured, "Shall we go today? Aren't you afraid of more unexpected changes on the island?"

"No, the rest can be handled by those beneath us. Heading south from here for a day, there's a Rainbow Island. It's very beautiful, Your Majesty and Rong'er will love it there."

"Alright... let's go then."

Liang Zhen chuckled softly. "Very well, then sleep a little more. When Rong'er wakes up and has breakfast, we'll set off."