Motu Proprio (The King and the Neko) - Volume HaiYin

Gu Hai's Campaign

Gu Hai momentarily paused at the threshold of the Second Prince's bedchamber, causing his escort troop to falter a few steps behind him when they realized he had stopped instead of just usually striding into His Highness Bai Luoyin's residences with utter disregard for protocol.

Of course, they didn't hear what Gu Hai's sharp ears heard. With a gesture, they obeyed his silent command to stay, as he strode into the Second Prince's bedchamber without waiting to be announced.

Bai Luoyin was moaning again, even as Gu Hai watched while the Head Eunuch Xiao Long's head bobbed somewhere above the Second Prince's crotch. Gu Hai's initial anger hearing Bai Luoyin give out that sensual sound was replaced with amusement seeing as how Xiao Long ge struggled to keep Bai Luoyin's legs still while he administered salve to the Second Prince's bleeding feet. Hence the moan.

"Will you keep still, Your Highness?! I need to finish putting this on!" The long-suffering servant mildly scolded his charge, never mind it was the Second Prince he was talking to.

The pair still hadn't realized Gu Hai was in the vicinity, judging from the way Bai Luoyin drove his fists onto the abused servant's arms, moaning and whining as Xiao Long ge heaved Bai Luoyin's legs up, and slapped on the last of the salve onto the Second Prince's feet.

Only then did they notice Gu Hai - Bai Luoyin's robes pooling by his thighs as his legs were bared to Gu Hai's view. Gu Hai had to look around the servant's ass to get a good look at Bai Luoyin's suddenly embarrassed face.

Bai Luoyin hissed when Xiao Long ge hastily dropped Bai Luoyin's legs, causing his feet to bump onto the mattress. It wouldn't have been an issue if the now kowtowing servant hadn't been treating his feet because it was bleeding in the first place.

"I see you are terrorizing your head eunuch again," Gu Hai commented lightly, watching as Bai Luoyin struggled to sit up and arrange his robes before greeting him.

"O Great Army General and First Prince, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Xiao Long ge cringed on the floor, not mistaking the acrimony in the Second Prince's greeting. By first mentioning the First Prince's lesser title, Bai Luoyin was dangerously dangling his Second Prince title in front of the Imperial Presumptive-Heir's face. And the way he gritted out "pleasure" was anything but.

Although Xiao Long should have been long used to the way these stepbrothers treated each other, he could not help but tread around Gu Hai. Gu Hai was nothing if not formidable, and it gave Xiao Long endless worries with the way Bai Luoyin just barely accorded the First Prince the respect owed to him. What bewilders Xiao Long is that Gu Hai lets Bai Luoyin.

"And here I thought I was about to save your sacred chrysanthemum from your Head Eunuch's evil clutches."

"Your Highness! I would never...!" Xiao Long groveled by Gu Hai's feet.

"As if he would be interested given his harem... and really, save my chrysanthemum? Not my cucumber?" Bai Luoyin interjected, causing Xiao Long to lift up his face and glare at the Second Prince. Of course, it was no secret that the Second Prince's Head Eunuch wasn't exactly a eunuch, and that the Head appellation held an entirely different meaning for the palace's actual eunuchs.

"Yes, well, with the way I heard Xiao Long ge had plowed through the palace's suddenly happy eunuchs, I thought it wouldn't be long before he serves you," Gu Hai wryly commented, watching with amusement as Bai Luoyin bristled at the innuendo while Xiao Long tried to bury his face further onto Bai Luoyin's floor.

"You were applying salve to his feet - why are they bleeding?" Gu Hai chose to ask Xiao Long this time, keeping from further antagonizing the Second Prince.