unedited

Meng Huan let Lin Bozhou carry him up and boiled warm water to wash his body clean.

Deep into the night, Lin Bozhou wrapped his arms around him and sat in the courtyard. Both seemed reluctant to sleep or to go.

“It’s time to go back,” Meng Huan said.

Lin Bozhou stroked his hair. “There’s no rush.”

“Why are you so clingy?” Meng Huan’s voice was also clingy and petulant. “We can still sleep for a few hours if we return now. Aren’t we going out of town to the military training ground?”

“Do you dislike that I’m clingy?” Lin Bozhou kissed his eyelids. “I’ll tell Chen An tomorrow to let you sit in the carriage and not walk with them. I’m afraid it’s not convenient for you to walk.”

“Mm-hmm.” The young man’s voice was obedient.

After he finished, Meng Huan wrapped his arms around him with a mushy trailing voice, “Husband.”

Lin Bozhou pinched his face, and his voice was very soft. “Hmm?”

Meng Huan kissed his face, and without even realizing it, his voice was so soft. “Husband is so awesome.”

“……”

There was a brief silence as if he hadn’t reacted yet.

His jaw was then pinched, and Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows. “Awesome? Is that what I think it means?”

Meng Huan didn’t hold back a laugh, smiling out snow-white teeth, especially cute. “Well, it means that sleeping with Husband is awesome.”

“……”

Lin Bozhou quietly gritted the tips of his teeth in the dark, seemingly smiling but not smiling.

He had always wanted Meng Huan to say these words in bed, but he refused. Now he started mumbling it.

Lin Bozhou was helpless, feeling his heart collapse piece by piece, and he was firmly grasped in his hand. “Huan Huan has to be obedient during the march, okay? A military order must be obeyed. This husband cannot attend to you. You won’t make a mistake if you listen to Chen An’s words as much as possible. He won’t let you be bullied.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You should behave. Be good, understand?”

Repeating these few words over and over again.

Meng Huan felt he was especially like a worried old father sending his child to college.

He nodded. “I know.”

“This husband is worried about you, but when the time comes, this husband will be busy with military affairs–”

Lin Bozhou had a grim expression and wanted to say something, but Meng Huan interrupted him. “Okay, okay, okay. You go back quickly. I will certainly listen, behave, and will not let you have time to worry about me.”

The air had a rare sticky smell of unwillingness to be separated.

Lin Bozhou stood for a while with long eyebrows furrowed. “This husband is leaving.”

“Go, go, go, go!”

Meng Huan looked at him for some time before Lin Bozhou finally left. The eunuch was waiting not too far away, extinguished the lantern, and led him towards the bed chamber of the front residence.

A cool breeze blew in the air. Meng Huan looked at the disappearing lights for a while, bowed his head, and yawned, his eyes hazy with tears.

Then, Meng Huan returned to his compartment and pulled on the quilt to sleep.

–

In the afternoon, he left for the barracks.

The carriage and horses stopped at the entrance of the prince’s residence. An endless stream of people heard that the regent was going to war, and people came to see him off outside the prince’s residence; the atmosphere was very warm.

Meng Huan grabbed his bag and was unsure how to go when Chen An came over. “Nephew, you and I will ride in a carriage later.”

Obviously, it was Lin Bozhou’s arrangement.

Meng Huan went up.

He had just sat down when a voice sounded in his ear, “Why do you get to ride in the carriage? I can only walk.”

“……” Meng Huan turned his head and saw Zhu Dong.

He had to find an excuse. “I didn’t sleep well two days ago and caught a cold.”

“Oh,” Zhu Dong walked beside his carriage. “We have a long way to rush to the barracks. It’s probably evening when we arrive, so it’s time to sleep and rest. How about we both sleep next to each other?”

Meng Huan: “Huh?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Zhu Dong said, “Of course, we will sleep in a communal place in the march. One tent can shelter many people. Do you want to sleep with someone you don’t know? I don’t want to, and we can take care of each other together.”

Meng Huan nodded. “All right.”

Zhu Dong looked at him curiously, “What can you do?”

Meng Huan said, “I can draw.”

“I know military strategies.” Zhu Dong said, “When the time comes, I will definitely be the most capable strategist in front of the prince.”

Meng Huan thought he was talking quite interestingly and listened along. This Zhu Dong was right by his ear and kept chanting, lifting the carriage curtain from time to time all the way out of the city and running to chat with him.

Meng Huan was somewhat apprehensive, and chatting with him greatly improved his mood.

The weather gradually warmed up. When they arrived at the post pavilion outside the city, the carriage stopped first, and the prince went to the pavilion to rest.

The group of advisors found a cool tree to sit under. Meng Huan took out his water bottle to drink water and saw Lin Bozhou enter the pavilion to join a wave of the Marquis of Zhen Guan’s men. The two sat down to drink tea, and the attendant behind them beat the fan.

Zhu Dong squatted next to Meng Huan. “Do you know that man? Marquis of Zhen Guan and the prince are politically at odds, but they are now as cordial as brothers.”

Meng Huan puffed out a laugh.

It was enjoyable for him to chat with straightforward and quick-witted people.

“This time, many of the men in the prince’s march are not from the prince’s residence, and they will definitely make trouble in secret,” said Zhu Dong. “This Marquis of Zhen Guan is one.”

Meng Huan nodded in understanding.

The break was brief, and it was time to move on.

“Your Highness, please.”

“Please.”

After a couple of words, Lin Bozhou walked out of the pavilion. The attendant waited for him to enter the carriage, and his eyes intentionally scanned the crowd momentarily.

Everyone was standing or sitting, talking and eating something, scattered, with a decent posture.

The only two teenagers hid under a tree. Not sure what they were talking about, but they were particularly happy. Meng Huan could not help but laugh with his teeth showing.

–They seemed to hit it off.

“……”

Lin Bozhou retracted his gaze without a trace.

His gaze was cold, with something weighing them down.

“Your Highness.”

Shan Xing, who was speaking beside him, was caught off guard and glared at by him.

“……”