Plum Blossom Inn

" Minister Zhao, are you here to meet someone?" A'Xian asked seriously, a hint of mystery in his eyes. He needed confirmation to ensure Zhao was the one who had sent the letter.

Caught off guard by A'Xian's sudden appearance, Zhao choked on his candy, coughing violently as it lodged in his throat.

With a hand covering his mouth, Zhao subtly pointed toward the inn at a distance, his gesture barely visible beneath the folds of his cloak.

So he was the daring one..

A'Xian patted his straining back a little, and a small piece of candy choking him fell on the ground. Zhao supported his arm on A'Xian's shoulder, looked up pitifully to look at him.

"What?" Zhao asked looking at A'Xian staring fearfully in a certain direction.

Something made Weiran freeze. It was the man standing beside him.

Crown Prince Ji Haoyu.

Dressed in deep indigo robes, his presence was unmistakable, silver embroidery glinting beneath the lantern light, his posture relaxed but assured. Those sharp amber eyes gleamed with amusement, catching every flustered movement Minister Zhao made. The slight quirk of his lips spoke of restrained laughter, as if he were enjoying a private joke.

Weiran's breath hitched.

This was bad.

The letter in his hand suddenly felt like a burning paper.

He couldn't risk being seen. If Ji Haoyu caught him outside the palace at this hour, clutching a letter from a potential traitor, the implications would destroy him.

His body moved before his mind could catch up. A'Xian turned, slipping seamlessly into the flow of pedestrians.

He thought of running away once and for all. Let traitors conspire, when would he get a change to escape like this?

Minister Zhao's voice suppressed in the bustling market.

A'Xian was free from golden cage. The happiness was more than what he could contain. He felt like a free, cold breeze taking a leisure stroll out in the night.

Almost free.

But a hand curled around his wrist.

"What—?!"

There was a sharp pull, his balance tipped and suddenly, he was off the ground.

The world spun. Before he could react, he was hoisted effortlessly over a broad shoulder.

Whack!!

His own shoulder slammed into solid muscle, the force knocking the breath from his lungs.

A humiliating position. Undignified and infuriating.

"Put me down!" A'Xian hissed, kicking furiously in air. Ji Haoyu's grip didn't falter much.

"If I did that, little fox, you might run again," the Crown Prince mused, his voice rich with amusement. "And I'm not done playing with you yet."

Weiran twisted in protest, his struggles only earning him a firmer hold. Ji Haoyu adjusted his grip with ease, carrying him like an unruly cat refusing a bath.

The market already lively fell into a hushed murmur. A few passersby gawked at the sight, eyes widening in scandal. Some covered their mouths, whispering behind their sleeves.

#The Crown Prince of Yonglan, abducting a man in the middle of the night? Utterly improper.#

Ji Haoyu, of course, did not care.

"Your Highness—this is—this is completely improper—!" A'Xian ranted.

Ji Haoyu merely chuckled.

"Ah, but you were being improper first, weren't you?" He tapped the parchment still clenched in A'Xian's fingers.

"Sneaking off to meetings you shouldn't be having."

A'Xian stiffened.

He knew. He was caught.

And worse..Ji Haoyu found it amusing.

"Your Highness," Minister Zhao finally stammered, his eyes darting anxiously between the Crown Prince and A'Xian, who was still slung over Ji Haoyu's shoulder like a sack of stolen grain.

"This—perhaps we should.....move elsewhere," Zhao whispered urgently, his gaze flickering to the growing audience.

He had a point.

This was hardly an appropriate place for a private discussion. Let alone when the Crown Prince was currently holding a foreign prince hostage.

Ji Haoyu let out a thoughtful hum, as if he had only now noticed their surroundings.

"Mm. You're right," he admitted easily.

A'Xian twisted his head just enough to glare at him. Oh, so now he's concerned?

But instead of setting A'Xian down, Ji Haoyu did something even worse.

He turned to Minister Zhao. "Come along," he ordered.

Zhao blinked. "Come…? Your Highness, where—?"

Ji Haoyu started walking, A'Xian still in tow.

"The Plum Blossom Inn, of course," the Crown Prince said. As if it were obvious.

A'Xian nearly choked on air, "You—you cannot possibly be thinking of dragging me into an inn like this!"

Ji Haoyu laughed, the sound utterly unrepentant. "Oh? And here I thought you liked sneaking into places you shouldn't be."

"That is not—!" A'Xian's face burned.

Minister Zhao, meanwhile, looked like he was on the verge of collapse.

"This—Your Highness...this is not..appropriate—!" Zhao whispered furiously, his eyes glaring toward the crowd, whose murmurs were growing louder.

"Then walk faster," Ji Haoyu said simply.

Zhao, realizing he had no choice, followed hastily.

Luckily, not most people knew what hostage prince looked like. And coupled with the little effort he had put into his disguise, he saved his image at least as a peace hostage.

They entered the Plum Blossom Inn and the whispers from the night market were already spreading like wildfire.

Ji Haoyu strode through the doors like a man completely unbothered by the rumors he was surely creating.

The innkeeper was a round-faced man polishing a teapot. He gawked, watching his esteemed Highness walking in through the gates of his inn, that too with a man on his shoulder. The teapot almost slipped from his hands like water through sieve.

His eyes bounced between the Crown Prince, the disheveled strange man his arms and the jittery minister trailing behind them.

There was a very awkward silence.

Slowly, the innkeeper set his teapot down.

"Your Highness," he said carefully, giving a pause, "Would you like… separate rooms?"

A'Xian made a strangled sound.

A what!?

Ji Haoyu smirked.

"A private one will do."

A'Xian kicked him in the stomach.