[[忘羡 | WangXian 3]] : Our Flesh And Bones

[109.] Her Majesty.

Wei Ying was cuddled comfortably into Hanguang-Jun's embrace up until now, opening his mouth with pleasure, letting him feed him, but now he suddenly turned, saying:

- A-Yuan, you must tell us about what you couldn't write down in your letter. It is good that all your uncles are here so that we can hear it firsthand.

- Mmmm.  –  Lan Wangji agreed, but his arm held him closer, reminding him that he needed him. Wei Ying smiled and hid his face in his husband's neck, kissing there a little, and making him blush.

Lan Sizhui was watching them carefully; he sighed and shook his head  –  it was hopeless. 

Anyway, he stood up and said in a loud and clear voice:

- It is serious. I am not sure whether by telling you this I am not committing treason.  –  he said, growing very pale again.

Everyone in the room looked up at him, worried. Miao Lu ventured to ask quietly:

- Master, should I leave?

He looked at his dads, and seeing them nod slightly, he said:

- Mistress, please stay. This concerns you too.

Jiang Cheng frowned. This didn't sound good at all. 

Lan Sizhui started:

- I have told you before that we rarely see His Highness, he is a very private person. But Her Majesty, the Empress, is vividly interested in all Generals in the army, as they are almost all cultivators.  –  he frowned.  –  In the last year it has become known that Her Majesty is quite interested in astrology and prophesies. She too has a small army  -  of wise men  -  who read the stars and predict her future, and the future of the country.

- But this is stupid!  –  Wei Ying exclaimed.

- Ha!  -  Jiang Cheng miraculously agreed.

- I know. But when one has too much free time on one's hands – dangerous ideas are often born. You know this.  -  Lan Sizhui said sadly.  –  And now, obviously, the astrologers have predicted the return of the Qilin,  a magical beast that lives among the stars.

- But... -  Lan Xichen interrupted.  –  Those are myths. Aren't they?  –  he looked at his brother, confused.

- I have been reading through anything I could find in the Library, but it seems that History and Folklore got intermixed through the centuries. What worries me is how a simple country girl could possibly dream a prophetic dream about something she had never heard about before in her life.  -  Hanguang-Jun cast a deadly glance at Miao Lu, which scared her.

- The thing is...  -  Lan Sizhui continued.  – ...that the Qilin  has a dual nature: it might appear for punishment, or as a token of a period of prosperity and good fortune. Also, it might mean the birth or the death of a great ruler. Her Majesty believes in the optimistic version  –  she thinks a Great Sage  is about to be born, an advisor to her husband, a counselor. She is planning to search the country and find that baby!  –  he gasped, running out of breath.

Wei Wuxian went very pale. He bit his lips, but said nothing.

- And I think the worst thing is...  -  Lan Sizhui almost choked on these last words.  –  I suspect she is planning to use cultivation magic to summon the Qilin.  And I cannot think of a scenario in which this goes well...

He made a pause, upset, and catching his breath, and then he finally mumbled:

- I thought of all this as an old wives' tale, but now... Hearing all the stories... taking place in my own home, nonetheless. 

He looked at Miao Lu, a little scared. She instinctively placed her hands on her belly to protect her baby; she was very pale as well.

Wei Ying said nothing, but stood up and went to sit next to her, placing his warm palm on her belly too. 

He said:

- Never to worry, Mistress. We will protect this baby, even if it's the last thing we do.

He then turned to the room:

- No one can know about this conversation.

He was pleased to see nods all around.

- Wei Gongzi, I think this baby will need more protection than you are entrusting me with...  -  Wen Ning said sadly. – There is also the problem of you staying too close for too long.

Wei Ying reached out and took his hand – he was sitting close to Miao Lu, and he had placed himself between the two, knowing well that this meant he would be very weak for the rest of the day. 

He smiled:

- I trust you with my life, A-Ning. I know you will never abandon me. Abandon us.

- Lao-Tzu must be protected. At all costs.  –  the Ghost General grumbled.

- And what about me? What am I  –  chopped liver?  -  Jiang Cheng grunted, irritated that he wasn't his brother's first choice.

- A-Cheng...    

Wei Wuxian turned towards him, saying very softly:

- A-Cheng, you have just found happiness... I cannot ask anything from you. I wish you and Zewu-Jun would get married, so that you can be together forever, and have a lot of nephews for me to play with, and be happy, always! You two should return to Lotus Pier and enjoy your time together... I am truly sorry I dragged you into all of this...  -  he said sadly.  –  Maybe you won't believe me, but I do want you to be happy, Jiang Wanyin.

Jiang Cheng was blushing deeply, but said nothing. 

Instead, Lan Xichen said it for the two of them:

- Thank you kindly, Master Wei. We appreciate your words. But I think this is bigger and more important than any of us. Perhaps the future of not just our family, but the country, is at stake. We will do whatever it takes to help. The Mistress is welcome to stay at Yunmeng at any time.

He looked at his loved one shyly, and Jiang Cheng nodded, blushing again.

- What he said.  –  he grumbled.

Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji bowed again. 

Miao Lu was flushed and a little thrilled. She had never before been such a center of attention.

**

The cultivators stayed to discuss matters further. 

Lan Wangji left Miao Lu with the choice to stay or retire to rest in her chamber, but he most definitely saw that Wei Wuxian was close to fainting, so he took him in his arms and excused himself. His husband's head swayed and relaxed on his chest – he was extremely exhausted.

He carried him to the bedroom, laying him down to rest. He thanked Bai Li in his head for warming up the room again, and he took off most of his clothes.

- Let me see...  -  Wei Ying said weakly.

Hanguang-Jun raised an eyebrow but said nothing, he just joined him in bed. Wei Ying opened his shirt a little to look at the wound from yesterday  –  it had closed up, but was still healing.

- You are crazy, my husband... I have married a madman.   -   he said with a faint smile on his lips. – You would have killed yourself for me, silly boy...

He closed his eyes, but his hand stayed on Hanguang-Jun's chest. 

He heard him murmur softly:

- I would do anything for you, Wei Ying. But it seems I need to bring you one of the big books so that you can check the word "anything" there.  –  he smiled too.

- I hate you...  -  Wei Ying grinned and opened his eyes to place a small kiss on his neck.

- Mmmm...

- Our family is here, Lan Zhan... We need to do something to celebrate... What do we do?  –  he looked up, hoping his husband will approve too.

- Today we rest. I can ask Brother to stay for a couple of days... We could go for a hunt, when you feel better... How about that?

- Mmm... fresh meat... sounds lovely...  -  Wei Ying's mouth started salivating and Lan Wangji was too quick to lean in for a deep kiss. 

They kissed slowly, getting lost in each other, merging again. 

Finally, Lan Wangji said:

- I need to talk to Bai Li. We need to talk to A-Yuan... Darling...

Wei Ying pulled him in for another kiss, mumbling discontent:

- You talk too much, Hanguang-Jun...