Chapter 92 A Difficult Night

Lou Jin's eyes narrowed, and he exchanged a glance with Ye Xunyang. He gestured for Ye Xunyang to stay still, then quietly walked to the door and suddenly flung it open.

Lou Yue, dressed in her nightgown, stood somewhat helplessly at the door. Behind her, the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince peeked out, their faces showing embarrassment and trepidation at being caught red-handed.

"Third...Third Imperial Brother..." Lou Yue explained, feeling looked down at by Lou Jin, "I noticed that my sister-in-law, the Princess Consort, has been unhappy these past few days, so I wanted to sleep with her..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the two behind her nodded quickly: "Third brother, us too!"

Before Lou Jin could react, the three little ones exchanged glances, slipped through the gap beside him into the room, and headed straight for the bed.

"Nonsense!" Lou Jin frowned, turned to look at the three people who had already scrambled onto the bed, and said with an unquestionable authority, "Go back to your rooms and rest immediately. What kind of behavior is this!"

Lou Yue was so frightened that her eyes instantly reddened. Lou Ting and Lou Wu also lowered their heads, but their bottoms seemed glued to the bed, not moving at all.

Looking at the three children, Ye Xunyang's heart softened, and he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the children meant well."

“I appreciate your kindness, Your Highnesses. However, this bed, though large, cannot accommodate all of us, and it would be improper. Perhaps…”

Before he could finish speaking, Lou Yue interrupted, "We sleep very well! We only take up a tiny bit of space!" She even gestured with her hand as she spoke.

"Yes! We promise we won't move!"

Lou Jin looked at this scene, a vein throbbed on his forehead, and he felt a headache coming on.

Ye Xunyang shook his head slightly at him: "Your Highness, they're just confused because they're worried. How about... we wait until they're asleep before we talk about it?"

Lou Jin looked at the lingering worry in Ye Xunyang's eyes, then glanced at the three pairs of expectant eyes on the bed, and sighed helplessly, which was tantamount to acquiescing.

"This is a one-time exception, and there will be no next time," Lou Jin said sternly. "Lie down properly, no noise allowed, and go to sleep immediately."

"Yes! Third Brother." The three little ones were overjoyed and immediately cheered. They quickly scurried into the quilt, lay down obediently, and only their three little heads were sticking out.

The room was quiet, with only the soft breathing of the children.

Just as Ye Xunyang was about to say something to Lou Jin, Lou Yue, whom he thought was already asleep, suddenly opened her eyes and whispered:

"Princess sister-in-law, why have you been unhappy these past few days?"

At this question, even those who should have been asleep secretly opened their eyes, clearly listening intently.

Lou Jin frowned slightly, not wanting the children to know about these complicated adult troubles, so he casually said, "It's nothing, just some trivial matters of the court. You children don't need to worry about it. Go to sleep."

However, Ye Xunyang's heart stirred, and he said in a gentle but serious tone: "Actually, I did something, something very important, but I didn't tell my father in time. Now he knows and he's very angry, so I'm very sad and don't know how to make him forgive me."

He paused, then asked softly, "If your closest person had kept something very important from you, and you only found out later, what would you do?"

“I would be very angry! But if he bought me my favorite sugar figurine, apologized to me properly, and promised never to lie to me again, then I might not be so angry.”

"It depends on what it is. If he stole my snacks and won't admit it, then I'll definitely fight him! But if it's something important, maybe he won't say anything at first because he's afraid I'll be angry or upset?"

"Like last time when I accidentally broke the inkstone that my father had given to the Grand Tutor, I didn't dare to say anything immediately, for fear of the Grand Tutor's punishment and my father's disappointment. If he did it for my own good, or had his own reasons, although I would still be unhappy, I think I could understand a little bit?"

Their words, without the many considerations and worries of the adult world, directly touch upon the core of emotions.

Because I care, I get angry; and because I care, I can't bear to stay angry.

Ye Xunyang was stunned. Lou Jin tightened his grip on Ye Xunyang's shoulder and whispered in Ye Xunyang's ear.

"Did you hear that? The children understand this principle. What General Ye needs is perhaps not just an explanation, but an attitude, an attitude that shows you are truly repentant and still cherish this father-son relationship."

“Escape and waiting will only deepen the gap between us.”

The mist in Ye Xunyang's eyes gradually dissipated. He gripped Lou Jin's hand tightly in return and nodded.

"Thank you, you've done me a huge favor. Go to sleep now."

Soon, the sound of the children's even, long breaths came from the bed. They were obviously tired from playing all day and were now relaxed and falling asleep very quickly.

"Looks like there's no place for us here tonight." Lou Jin lowered his voice, a hint of helpless teasing in his tone, as he glanced at the bed that was completely filled by the three little bodies.

Ye Xunyang curved his lips into a smile and pointed to the not-so-spacious soft couch by the window: "Your Highness will have to make do there for the night."

“Tomorrow,” Ye Xunyang said softly to Lou Jin, “I will go back to the manor, not to test him again, but to formally apologize to my father. I will accept whatever punishment he may give me. I want him to know that I will always be his son, and that will never change.”

Lou Jin kissed the top of his head, his voice steady and powerful: "I'll go with you. Whatever we face, we'll be together."

The two lay fully clothed on the soft couch, their bodies inevitably pressed tightly together.

Ye Xunyang had his back to Lou Jin, who wrapped him up in his arms from behind. His back was pressed against the other's warm chest, and he could even clearly feel the outline of the strong muscles and the steady heartbeat beneath the fabric.

The soft couch was cramped, making it difficult to even turn over, and every slight adjustment brought even closer friction.

The clothes for early summer are already thin, and body heat is continuously transmitted through several layers of fabric, quickly making both of them feel a thin layer of heat.

Lou Jin's arm was around Ye Xunyang's waist. At first, it was just a loose embrace, but as time went on, the arm gradually tightened.

Ye Xunyang could feel that the person behind him was breathing more heavily than usual, and the warm breath brushed against his sensitive nape, causing a slight shiver.

He himself felt a little uncomfortable and tried to move forward slightly to leave some space for this overly intimate contact.

The moment he moved, Lou Jin's deep voice rang in his ear: "Don't move..."

Ye Xunyang immediately froze, naturally understanding what the changes in the man's body and his tense state behind him meant.

A surge of heat uncontrollably crept up his cheeks, and even his ears felt like they were burning.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, and the air seemed to thicken, filled with a silent ambiguity.

Ye Xunyang could feel Lou Jin's body pressing against his back getting hotter and hotter, its presence so strong that he couldn't ignore it.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm his own somewhat disordered breathing. "...Why don't you go to the study?"

Lou Jin didn't answer, but buried his face deeper into his neck and took a deep breath, the breath hot and burning.

"...No need."

He paused, then tightened his arms around Ye Xunyang, almost completely embedding him in his embrace, before saying in a low voice, "Sleep like this. We have important business to attend to tomorrow."

Even so, both of them knew in their hearts that this night was likely to be difficult.