From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 178: Control (R18)

The lanterns in Qianqing Palace were already lit by the time Liu Yao’s palanquin reached. The anxiety that gripped at his heart quickened his pace and he would have chosen to rush back on foot had Cao Mingbao not subtly reminded him that there was no telling whose eyes were watching him from the shadows.

On a night like this, with many people and many mouths present, an emperor had to work even harder to maintain his composure if he didn’t want to walk into someone else’s calculated trap.

In deference towards his preferences, the maidservants and eunuchs that tended to his daily needs waited in line outside his bedchambers, not one daring to step inside without his prior permission. But Liu Yao didn’t have to be told to know that there was someone waiting for him.

Once, when they had both been dawdling in bed on a rare occasion where Liu Yao hadn’t needed to attend morning court, his Ah Yun had joked about spicing up their intimate relations, shaking the thick golden curtains that framed their bed with a disdain that had made Liu Yao snort.

"There’s more fabric here than on the dowager’s formal robes," Ah Yun had commented, not caring that he was speaking without a shred of the propriety so expected of a member of the imperial family. He had every right to be bold; Liu Yao was hardly going to chastise him for it. "Without air-conditioning, it’s downright stuffy in here even if we’re just lying down doing absolutely nothing at all."

Liu Yao had asked what ’air-conditioning’ was, content afterwards to listen to his Ah Yun’s idealistic description of a contraption that could make the hottest of summers feel like the coolest of springs. He knew that his Ah Yun had ideas that he couldn’t wrap his head around, had opinions and strategies that a boy who was enslaved shortly after living a sheltered life should not be able to formulate on his own. There were too many things about Ah Yun that when considered as a whole, could not make sense.

And yet, in him, Liu Yao was finally reminded of what it felt like to be loved.

The curtains that Ah Yun had mocked had long since been swapped over for a silken set, its gossamer sheen delicate like the wings of a dragonfly under the moonlight. Behind it, Liu Yao could distinctly make out that beloved silhouette, stretching languidly from a recumbent pose before sitting upright.

Long dark hair, unbound from the intricate hairstyle it had been twisted into earlier that evening, cascaded down around that slender frame. Like an exquisite bird in a cage fanning out its feathers to delight its onlookers. The errant thought came unbidden to Liu Yao’s mind and just knowing that his Ah Yun was here, safe and within his reach, made his heart settle back into his chest for the first time this evening.

"Is Your Majesty just going to stand there admiring me all evening?"

There was an amused lilt in Ah Yun’s voice but underneath that, the slightest hint of a haughty edge, something that Ah Yun had always concealed well until he was certain that Liu Yao had fallen in love with him. He knew this to mean that Ah Yun was, well, displeased about something. Given what he was certain that Ah Yun had just been through, it was fairly warranted.

"What happened?" he asked, parting the curtains to reveal the beauty within, clad in a set of black night robes that Liu Yao was fairly certain belonged to his wardrobe instead of Ah Yun’s. The sharp contrast against his creamy skin made Liu Yao’s eyes darken but they had more important matters to discuss first.

Ah Yun’s mouth pulled into a flat line. "As we anticipated, they dared make their move on your birthday."

Liu Yao shrugged. "Same as any other day." There wasn’t a difference, at least not to him. But Ah Yun clearly thought otherwise and the realisation that someone cared enough about him to be indignant about ruining his celebrations brought on a warmth that he didn’t think he was capable of feeling tonight of all nights.

"If we had been less vigilant..." Ah Yun murmured before shaking his head.

There were all sorts of ’demons’ and ’monsters’ living within the palace but perhaps they weren’t aware of just how well Liu Yao knew of their existence, just how closely he had been monitoring their every move. No matter how cryptic their communications with those outside the imperial city were, slowly, over the weeks, the members of Kaiming had pieced together a semblance of their ploy.

As Ah Yun explained how he was ambushed in the courtyard of Imperial Concubine Pei’s palace, Liu Yao lay down next to him and patted his back soothingly, all the while admiring the unrestrained fury that blazed in his eyes, bright like imperial-grade onyx but equally cold.

"We were prepared for them," Liu Yao comforted at the end of his tirade. Even before his banquet had started, the secret guard had already received his orders to be on the watch for trouble.

In response, Ah Yun arched an eyebrow, making Liu Yao shift a little. He recognised that look, often directed towards Liu An whenever the little rascal went out of his way to try and wriggle out of his work. Did he...do something wrong?

"We were prepared for them indeed," Ah Yun said tartly. "So prepared that this consort wasn’t even aware that Your Majesty had sent an old familiar face to serve as my bodyguard during this time of unrest."

"..."

"Your safety is of utmost importance and there are few that I can trust with your life."

An elbow nudged him in the ribs with gentle admonishment. "Is that the point I’m trying to make? When were you going to tell me my closest friend in the Wu Estate was employed in your service a long time ago?"

Ah Yun was observant as ever, of course. There was no point in pretending that Fifth Official Wu was a recent recruit of Kaiming. No doubt, in his protection of Ah Yun, he had displayed an unquestionable skill with combat.

But Liu Yao had his reasons.

"Is that the point we should be making?" he retorted with a childish petulance that he knew Ah Yun was soft for. "If it weren’t for these extenuating circumstances, you still wouldn’t know."

Ah Yun blinked at that before sitting up and tugging Liu Yao’s head to rest on his lap. "Your Majesty...surely you’re not...jealous?"

"Hn. Is that so surprising? Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how he feels about you."

A sigh escaped Ah Yun’s lips, which were curved upwards in amusement. It was the first genuine smile Liu Yao had seen from him all evening and it made him relax, reassured that Ah Yun truly was all right despite intentionally playing bait for their enemies.

"I’m not the one who obtained a new prized beauty this evening," Ah Yun quipped. "I believe congratulations are in order."

Liu Yao reached up to hook an arm around his neck and haul him down. "What do you mean? I’m just taking care of our younger sister," he mumbled against the soft plushness of Ah Yun’s lips, before tangling their tongues together again in a lazy dance that they were both familiar with by now.

"Mmh, you sound like a fuckboy..."

There was a time and place to clarify what exactly a ’fuckboy’ was but now clearly wasn’t it.

"By tomorrow, another thorn will be removed from Your Majesty’s side." The heat between Ah Yun’s legs was scorching. Liu Yao could hardly concentrate on his words, revelling instead in the suppleness of his inner thighs as he spread his legs across Liu Yao’s lap, splaying himself on top of Liu Yao’s chest.

"No undergarments?" Liu Yao asked as he palmed at the generous swell of Ah Yun’s rear, hitching it forward to grind against his length, already painfully hard in the confinement of his formal garb. From over Ah Yun’s shoulders, he could once again admire the view, especially when Ah Yun reached down to hike the hem of his robes up with a tantalising slowness that could only be described as coy. Not that Liu Yao was complaining.

"I have something else tonight," he heard Ah Yun mumble before pulling slightly away, a long strip of cloth an arresting splash of crimson against his neck as it dangled down from lips that were curved upwards with cheeky delight.

Liu Yao swallowed. "What does Ah Yun expect me to do with that?" he asked, taking pride in the way he managed to keep his voice relatively steady.

The question wasn’t actually necessary. Just like how Liu Yao could tell that there was more to Ah Yun than met the eye, that the effortless way he took charge of Liu An’s education or whatever other task Liu Yao assigned to him was more than just him proving that he was empress material, Ah Yun had learnt to read him like a book. As emperor, Liu Yao should feel threatened.

But these days he only felt gratitude instead. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Pale fragile wrists bound in red, the arch of Ah Yun’s back when Liu Yao slid back into his body with an ease that made him sigh in contentment.

"It’s like you’re welcoming me home," he murmured, thrusting upwards lazily into that tight heat, even as he reached behind Ah Yun to grasp at his bound hands and tangle their fingers together.

Ah Yun let out a breathless huff of laughter. "Everyone choosing today of all days to pick on their illustrious liege..." There was a bite to his words that gave away the undercurrent of anger flowing beneath his usual calm veneer. "The least I could do is let you take as much as you want, isn’t that so?"

Liu Yao’s breath grew unsteadier as he realised what Ah Yun was doing. Noted the way he leaned back, ever so certain that Liu Yao would take his weight, bared his neck and spread his legs so wide that Liu Yao could see his swollen red length pumping in and out of that delectable hole, already slick with the preparation Ah Yun had done on his own. The soft helpless noises he made when Liu Yao’s pace turned brutal, the way he canted his hips forward to try and rub his neglected manhood against Liu Yao’s abdomen in a desperate bid to obtain some relief.

He knew Ah Yun’s body better than Ah Yun knew, had these subconscious habits of his lover engraved in the deepest of his memories, the ones kept under lock and key in a corner of his mind, the yearning that they invoked too painful for him to confront them in the light of day.

"Ngh, harder," Ah Yun panted, his beautiful eyes glazed over with such mindless lust that Liu Yao knew he was close. Suddenly, he wanted to push Ah Yun’s limits, see just how much desire he could unleash within this mesmerising man.

Instead of doing as he was commanded, Liu Yao ran his hands leisurely over the smooth lines of Ah Yun’s thighs before lying back down against the sheets. He relished in the wave of emotions that washed over Ah Yun’s face, that perfect little mouth parting in confusion before pulling down into a dismayed moue when he realised that Liu Yao was in the mood to play.

He tucked his hands behind his head and grinned up at the sight of the pretty flush spreading across Ah Yun’s cheeks, the fire searing in his eyes warring against the brightness of frustrated tears, just a modicum of teasing away from being shed.

"Ah Yao," he bit out, "fuck me, please."

Liu Yao’s smile turned plaintive. He rolled his hips up just as he saw Ah Yun open his mouth—no doubt to admonish—and had the pleasure of hearing his scolding turn into a garbled whine. "This sovereign is so tired, Ah Yun."

This brought Ah Yun up short. He eyed Liu Yao critically, chest still heaving, shiny now with beads of sweat and bruised by the marks Liu Yao sucked into his skin. There it was again, that evaluative look that was at odds with Ah Yun’s wide-eyed innocence. Somehow, even bound at the hands and speared open on another man’s length, his Ah Yun managed to retain a measure of composure, a constant reminder that he was only in this position because he allowed himself to be. Even in the past, whenever he fell to his knees to pleasure Liu Yao with his mouth, Liu Yao had sensed an indestructible dignity.

It made men want to try. But as Ah Yun caved and started riding him, first with reluctance and then with increasing wanton, Liu Yao knew that he wouldn’t.

His Ah Yun was loveliest with his pride intact. Perched on the phoenix throne in robes of red and gold, this was the future Liu Yao had determined for him and the time for it was soon upon them.