WangXian Forever Book 10

Chapter 52: Routine

Lan Zhan teleports them back inside the Jingshi, and Wei Ying sighs in relief as he pulls the covers over them.

"I'm glad Hui Gai has control over that sabotager. Though he might have had a bit too much fun, him and Zago."

"Mn." Lan Zhan begins to stroke his hair gently.

"And what about Porta Daven?" Wei Ying yawns, mostly asleep now. "She's late. Wasn't she supposed to do stuff by the full moon...when was that again?"

"Three nights ago. Sleep, Wei Ying," Lan Zhan kisses his forehead. "It can wait until the morning."

"I love the way you say my name." Wei Ying snuggles closer. "Will you sing for me, my love?"

"Mn." Lan Zhan smiles as he begins to hum quietly.

It's their song. The bridge between them, the one they've always walked upon together.

The little warm puffs of air at his neck tell him Wei Ying is asleep now, and the peacefulness of that lets Lan Zhan close his own eyes, too.

*************

Prince Wu and Rumi are still sleeping when Li XiWang wakes up, and when she hears the faint noises of people up and about in the next room, she quietly slips out of bed, grabs a blanket and goes to join them.

"Good morning, fathers." She bows and sits between them, resting her head against Wei Ying's shoulder.

"Good Morning, Little Rabbit. Did you sleep well?" Wei Ying kisses the top of her head, smiling.

"Yeah...but I'm worried about A-Wu." She's still sleepy, not fully aware of what she's saying with none of the guarded thoughts that come with lucidity.

Wei Ying catches Lan Zhan's eyes over her head at the affectionate name, smiling.

"Why are you worried?" Lan Zhan asks her gently.

"Yesterday, I could tell he was listening to Healer Fei when he was checking his father. Healer Fei said it's going to get worse before it gets better."

"Well, Healer Fei knows what he's doing," Wei Ying reassures her.

"I know, but I don't think A-Wu has ever seen anyone this sick before. I just...I just wanna make him feel better, that's all." Her small face is full of worry. "Do you think there's anything I can do?"

Wei Ying cups her face, and slides his thumb up to rub at the tiny crease between her brows.

"Maybe he needs a dose of normal..." Wei Ying says slowly, and the more he thinks about this, the more he gets the feeling that it's right. "What if you show him around Cloud Recesses today, you and Rumi? Don't tell him what you're doing, because then he will insist on staying with his father, and he might feel guilty if we tell him he doesn't have to stay there for now. He's only twelve. A sick room is no place for healthy kids."

"My age," Li XiWang blushes while her eyes are closed.

"Yeah, but girls are more mature than boys," Wei Ying snickers.

"Yeah?" She opens one eye to check he's telling her the truth.

"Yeah," Wei Ying nudges her shoulder a little. "Don't worry, though. They catch up a bit later."

"Wei Ying hasn't." Lan Zhan says unexpectedly, the hint of a smile in his lovely golden eyes, and his lips twitch.

"Ah...Little Rabbit, see how your father is being mean to me?" He hugs her far too tightly.

She squirms uncomfortably, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. "He's right," she beams, as Wei Ying wails and drapes himself across both of them dramatically.

"Nevermind, I'm sure Rumi still loves me!" Wei Ying whines, watching them both with a cheeky grin.

"I'm going back to bed," Li XiWang declares and stands up, letting Wei Ying's legs collapse onto the ground.

They watch as she hauls the blanket behind her, dragging it on the floor. The door of the children's bedroom closes.

Wei Ying buries his face in Lan Zhan's tummy, wrapping both of his arms around his strong waist.

"We raised her well, didn't we?" He murmurs.

"Mn." Lan Zhan cards his fingers through thick and glossy hair, smiling at his husband's antics. "She will look after both of them."

"Yeah. What's on the agenda today?" Wei Ying turns so that he's resting his head on a famously strong Lan thigh.

"Since everything depends on the Emperor's Good health, I was thinking we could help Healer Fei look through the books belonging to Bai Hua. The faster we find something to cure the Emperor, the better." Lan Zhan pours more hot, fresh tea for both of them, helping Wei Ying sit up a little so he can feed him.

"You're right, Sweetheart. The longer the Emperor is away from Chang'An, the more dangerous this situation becomes. A throne must not remain empty for too long, plus the threat of assassins coming here is a real one. It's only a matter of time before word gets out, no matter how careful we're all being. Secrets have a nasty way of coming out at the worst times." Wei Ying chews thoughtfully. "You know what else is weird? Or maybe it's not and now I'm making connections by lumping two same things together."

"Wei Ying. Explain."

Wei Ying grins sheepishly. "It's just that, as I was falling asleep last night, I remembered there was a poetry book in Cheng Maoji's office, too. And it looked like the one Prince Wu had. The one he gave us." Suddenly excited, Wei Ying sits up and gulps down the rest of his breakfast. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hands and then grabs Lan Zhan's face, looking deeply into his eyes.

Lan Zhan can see the tumultuous storm of thoughts swirling too fast in his husband's beautiful eyes, and somehow, he knows what Wei Ying is going to do, so impatient he is with getting results.

"I'll be right back, promise!" He gives Lan Zhan a smacking kiss on his pink lips, and a three fingered salute to his own temple, and then he vanishes.