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

A Reunion, of a Sort

Luncheon was a bountiful affair - more a showcase of good food, tables filled with dishes and delicacies the region is known for. That such bounty could be had this time of winter was testament to how the lord and lady of the land took care of the demesne.

The main table was where the Imperial Heirs sat with their hosts, Gu Hai and Fei Long at the center while Bai Luoyin and Lady Shihui are seated beside them. Gu Yang sat next to Bai Luoyin while Jin Lulu sat beside Lady Shihui, leaving the ladies to continue catching up over luncheon. The rest of the tables were placed facing them, affording the rest of the guests to see the Imperial Heirs.

The setup more than pleased Gu Hai, as he shared a trencher with Bai Luoyin, occasionally glaring over the Second Prince's head at Gu Yang. The fourth heir was thankfully oblivious, sharing conversation instead with Fei Long's brother and the other dignitaries seated around the main table. Gu Hai stared in amusement though, as Bai Luoyin scarfed down on his food, not really shedding the bad habits he'd already picked up way before he became Second Prince.

"Relax," Gu Hai finally said to Bai Luoyin in an undertone, discreetly pulling at the underside of Bai Luoyin's sleeve closest to him. "Nobody's going to steal your food."

Bai Luoyin was in the middle of shoving food into his mouth when Gu Hai stopped him so all he could do was glare up at Gu Hai when he turned to face the First Prince, nearly sloshing Gu Hai with what remained of the noodle soup in the bowl he'd held up. He made quick work of slurping down the noodles he already had in his mouth. "What? The food was just delicious."

Gu Hai could only sigh and shake his head. Without thinking about it, he reached for Bai Luoyin's table napkin and gently wiped off the dregs around Bai Luoyin's mouth. Granted, they weren't young anymore for Gu Hai to still be cleaning up after Bai Luoyin, but well, he'd picked up some habits of his own. He'd leave Bai Luoyin to be as messy as he wanted, but not in polite company. It was either that or let Bai Luoyin endure a wallop from his tutor or attendant, but Gu Hai could never tolerate anybody laying a hand on Bai Luoyin, not after it happened the first time. It was also the first of many of their tutors or servants being reassigned or ejected from the palace on the account of Gu Hai not liking how they treated Bai Luoyin ever since his friendship with the First Prince made him a regular visitor to the Palace.

Gu Wei Ting once endured a political headache having to dismiss the lady in waiting who made the mistake of slapping Bai Luoyin, thinking him as one of the palace servant's child sneaking into the Mei Po palace when she came upon the boy without Gu Hai's company. But the boy was Gu Hai's guest, and anything of the First Prince was inviolable. That he's also the same boy who found Gu Hai when he got lost, and whose father took care and protected the First Prince until the Palace Guards could fetch Gu Hai and return him to the Palace, it weighed more than the support of the lady's northern clansmen. Almost overnight, Gu Hai fully learned what it meant to be king/emperor/brother, using his privilege to protect Bai Luoyin. Ignoring the servants, he helped Bai Luoyin up from where he fell on the ground, and led Bai Luoyin away from prying eyes. In his quarters, he tended to Bai Luoyin's red cheek, gently washing his face, hands and legs. The water mixed with the tears Bai Luoyin tried to keep, but came out anyway, and all through his sniffles and hiccups, Gu Hai stayed quiet as he patted Bai Luoyin clean and dry, leaving him a cloth to dry his eyes while Gu Hai applied salve to the scrapes on his palms and knees.

Since then, he'd taken it upon himself to teach Bai Luoyin what constitutes palace manners, though not the entirety of it. And when Bai Luoyin lapsed, Gu Hai headed off any reaction by cleaning up after Bai Luoyin himself, something a First Prince wasn't supposed to do, but which they couldn't stop the First Prince from doing by virtue of his being the First Prince. It wouldn't be the last of the unorthodox things he did as First Prince, most notably becoming a soldier and becoming Imperial Army General.