Chapter 53: Brother Heng

Chapter 53: Brother Heng

Xiao Hang's gaze turned evasive, and he threw the question back at her.

"What do you think?"

Xiao Hang stared intently at Liu Yun, his eyes burning into her.

Under such scrutiny, Liu Yun's mind felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and for a long while she stammered, unable to get a coherent word out.

"I—I don't know."

This was Liu Yun's usual tactic for escaping awkward situations—playing dumb, which had always worked in the past.

But it didn't work on the Crown Prince.

"You don't know?"

The Crown Prince let out a cold snort, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Liu Yun's heart clenched. She lay frozen, not daring to move or meet his eyes.

Xiao Hang couldn't stand seeing anyone act so spineless, so he immediately pulled Liu Yun up to face him directly.

But her body was still weak from what they'd just done, and as her limbs felt like jelly, she began to fall backward.

Seeing this, Xiao Hang swiftly caught her and pulled her back into his arms, settling her on his lap again.

"Tsk..."

"Absolutely useless."

Despite his complaint, he held her tightly, afraid she might fall and bruise her face.

Then, lifting her delicate chin, he pressed a firm kiss to her lips and pushed on relentlessly, "Hmm? Speak up."

"What should a wife call her husband?"

Backed into a corner, Liu Yun could no longer evade. Turning her face away, she murmured in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Husband."

Though it was soft, Xiao Hang heard it clearly.

But he wasn't satisfied. Pinching her soft cheek, he urged, "Louder. I can't hear you."

It was a common term between husband and wife, yet Liu Yun found it almost impossible to say, especially under the Crown Prince's gaze, as if he might devour her whole at any moment.

With nowhere to run, Liu Yun blushed and called out, "Husband, husband, husband!"

"Happy now?"

Hearing her call him that repeatedly softened Xiao Hang's expression, and he felt a wave of satisfaction settle in his chest.

"Good, nice and loud."

"From now on, call me that in public."

Hearing this, Liu Yun automatically asked, "And in private?"

The instant the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

Sure enough, the Crown Prince grinned slyly and pushed further.

"In private, it's simple—call me whatever you used to call Third Young Master Yang."

Liu Yun's expression turned troubled; she could barely bring herself to speak.

Since childhood, she had called him Brother Xiuyuan, always treating him as an elder brother. She'd been doing it for so long it was second nature.

Now, being asked to suddenly call the Crown Prince that way—Liu Yun found it way too hard.

"Ah? Do I really have to?"

"Isn't 'husband' good enough?"

In Liu Yun's view, "husband" was already intimate enough. If the Crown Prince hadn't insisted, she wouldn't have thought of it and would have simply continued addressing him formally as "Your Highness."

Xiao Hang noticed her subtle reluctance. His expression darkened, and he said coldly, "What, so only Third Young Master Yang gets to be called that by you, and no one else?"

"He gets to, but I don't?"

This was something Xiao Hang couldn't stand.

Seeing the Crown Prince about to lose his temper, Liu Yun panicked, hesitated for a moment, and finally gave in.

"Brother... Brother Heng."

Her voice was even softer than before, but it sounded even sweeter.

Xiao Hang was thoroughly satisfied. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, then coaxed, "Good, say it again."

Kissed into a daze, Liu Yun's thoughts were muddled. Under his coaxing, she called him several more times, and then, without warning, he pressed into her again.

Even though they'd already done it once before, Liu Yun still let out a startled cry.

She couldn't fathom how he was made—it was simply too much to take.

It was quick again, but far more intense than the night before. Liu Yun felt like a doll about to fall apart, as if one more push would break her into pieces.

She underestimated herself—she lasted until the end, leaving the Crown Prince completely spent.

Back in Cheng'en Hall, Liu Yun immediately got into the pool to bathe, washing away the mess clinging to her thighs until she felt completely clean.

Once she was dry and refreshed, lying on the bed, she slowly realized what a scandalous thing they'd done today.

Having sex in Lizheng Hall—it was utterly improper.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it, until she gradually drifted off to sleep.

Though those two times had been brief, the force had been intense, and the pace at least twice as fast.

She was supposed to be the one absorbing yang energy, yet each time afterward she felt utterly drained, as if she were the one being drained instead.

When she woke again, it was dusk. The setting sun spilled golden light into Cheng'en Hall.

Feeling completely at ease, both physically and mentally, Liu Yun lay on her side, lifting the bed curtain slightly to gaze at the peaceful scene.

Maybe this isn't so bad after all.

The Eagle Guard worked fast, and by the next nightfall, the Crown Prince returned with the results of the investigation.

Dropping a thick stack of papers, Xiao Hang said briskly.

"Got the info you asked for."

The papers barely hit the table before Liu Yun grabbed them.

The Chen family was in a hurry to find Zhen Zhen a husband, so she had to move fast too.

"Thanks, Your Highness!"

She said cheerfully, but before she could turn, the Crown Prince's cold voice stopped her.

"Thank who?"

"Say that again."

Liu Yun was stunned for a second, staring at Xiao Hang for a good while before remembering what she'd almost forgotten.

Her eyelids twitched as she glanced at the palace attendants around her, then said reluctantly, "Thank you, husband."

After saying that, half her body went numb, but she saw the Crown Prince's eyes full of smiles, clearly enjoying it.

Eager to check out the four candidates, Liu Yun pushed the thought aside and hurriedly started flipping through the papers.

The food was already on the table, and Xiao Hang sat across from her, but Liu Yun stayed glued to the papers.

The more she read, the deeper her frown got, and the more annoyed she looked.

Frustrated, she couldn't help blurting out her complaints...

"What is this? Every single one has problems—what a letdown!"

"The Lu family's eldest son seems all proper and refined, but he's secretly got a mistress?"

"Ugh, gross!"

"Not marrying that!"

"The Chang family's eldest son likes to beat the maids in private—violent and cruel. Who in their right mind would marry a guy like that?"

"Not marrying that!"

"The Censor-in-Chief's family isn't bad—they're proper and strict—but Fan Ninth Son is a pushover, doing whatever his bossy, sharp-tongued mother says. Marrying him would mean endless grief from the mother-in-law."

"Not marrying that either!"

"As for the Wu family's seventh son from the Ministry of Rites... psh, he's even got a childhood sweetheart cousin he plans to bring in as a concubine after the wedding. Sigh..."

Four families, each with their own flaws—all serious problems that couldn't be ignored. Liu Yun was really worried for Zhen Zhen.

She was so upset she barely ate a bite.

At the same time, she was glad she'd asked the Crown Prince to look into it; otherwise, she might've picked one of them without knowing, and suffered for it later.

But with all four carefully picked families turning out like this, Liu Yun fretted for Zhen Zhen.

She spread her hands on the table and let out a few heavy sighs.

Xiao Hang couldn't stand seeing her like this. He pushed the heaping bowl of food toward her and said with disapproval, "Stop worrying about other people's business and eat first."

Liu Yun, annoyed, rarely talked back: "Zhen Zhen isn't just anyone—she's my good friend. With all four candidates having problems, how am I supposed to eat?"

"I'm not eating! I need to write back right now!"

With that, she made to jump up from her seat and leave.

Xiao Hang quickly reached out to stop her, saying with disapproval, "You can't skip meals—you'll be hungry later tonight."

"Yanjing is vast; there's no shortage of suitable husbands. No need to rush like this."

His tone was calm but carried absolute steadiness and confidence, which gave Liu Yun an idea.

Immediately, she circled behind Xiao Hang with a fawning smile, her hands quickly kneading and massaging his shoulders.

"Is the pressure alright, husband?"

After saying it a few times, Liu Yun found the word "husband" wasn't so hard to utter anymore.

"Hmm... passable."

Glancing sidelong at Liu Yun, who was eagerly flattering him from behind, he cut to the chase: "Alright, what do you need from me this time? Let's hear it."

Xiao Hang was happy to trade small favors for Yunniang's delight.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was straightforward, Liu Yun didn't hold back. Tugging at his sleeve, she said, "I'd like to trouble your Eagle Guard to investigate again—what other fine young men are in Yanjing, to help my Zhen Zhen find a match..."

Xiao Hang found it amusing and teased with a smirk, "You're fussing like an old nursemaid—even the Chen matriarch isn't this diligent."

Liu Yun shot him a glare but kept tugging his hand back and forth, saying, "So, husband, will you agree or not?"

Having grown up without ever being coaxed like this by a woman—especially one he had sought as his wife—how could he resist?

"...Fine."

He answered with a deep, lingering gaze, feeling a gnawing hunger in his stomach and downing several cups of cold tea.

Overjoyed, Liu Yun failed to notice her husband's unusual state and immediately began eating.

After the meal, she promptly took out paper and brush and started writing.

Curious, Xiao Hang leaned over to look and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

The man's family must be of clean background and well-off.

The man must be handsome.

The man must be of good character and conduct.

The man must be capable of supporting his wife and children.

The man's parents must be kind and generous, with a simple household.

Each condition alone wasn't difficult, but combined, they posed a challenge.

"Husband, the family background requirement can be relaxed a bit—lower is fine, but not too poor. As for the rest, I'll leave it to your care."

Xiao Hang picked up the paper, pretending to be aloof: "What do I get out of doing all this for you?"

Like a ghost come to collect a debt, the moment Liu Yun met his eyes, she knew exactly what Xiao Hang wanted.

That night, Liu Yun gave in to him three times, during which he got really into it, studying some illustrated manual he'd picked up from who knows where.

But it was tough on Liu Yun, who sometimes had to do some of the work herself, leaving her more tired than usual.

The next day, Liu Yun first sent a letter to the Chen family about the four young men, and mentioned her plan to ask the Crown Prince to help investigate.

After sending the letter off, Liu Yun got back to her important tasks.

In the mornings, she worked on her storybook; in the afternoons, she continued sewing a little lamb plushie for County Princess Kangning.

As dusk fell, Liu Yun stitched the final stitch on the lamb's ear—and it was done.

Just as she was beaming with joy while holding up the little lamb, Xiao Hang returned from work and immediately spotted the new plushie.

Upon learning it was newly made for his niece, a pang of envy rose in Xiao Hang's heart.

Couldn't she make one for him too?

Author's note:

None