“So why the need to spar?” Changling asked Qinghe as he sheathed his sword. Qinghe did the same, then threw a towel at Changling to wipe off the sweat.

He walked over to his brother and sat down on the floor at his feet. Changling raised a brow and sat down beside him. He looked at his brother and asked, “What is bothering you?”

Qinghe looked at his brother and said, “Mei Yuan is expecting.”

“Expecting what?” Changling scoffed.

“Our child,” he answered and watched as Changling’s face distorted.

He was stunned momentarily, then said, “Oh shit, I am going to be a grandpa.”

Qinghe burst out laughing, leave it to Changling to turn an unpredictable situation into a stress reliever. 

Changling placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder firmly, saying, “Congratulations brother, I did not think you could do it, but you did. When is the baby due?”

“We just found out that she is one month along. I don’t know how to deal with this. Her father doesn’t even like me, well he used to, but not anymore. I don’t even think he will love my child when it’s here,” he said with a sigh.

Changling looked at his brother and said, “When did you ever care about someone who does not care about you?”

Qinghe’s gaze saddened as he explained, “Imagine growing up knowing that your grandfather is the emperor, but he wants nothing to do with you because of your father?”

“I don’t know about grandfather but he is my father,” Changling answered, amused.

Qinghe sighed, “Must you always use that smart mouth of yours?”

“How else will I speak if not with my mouth?” He answered, and they saw the twins walk over.

“They need to get married soon too, you as well,” he said.

Changling turned to him saying, “I have Youxian. I do not need marriage to bind us together. He’ll be mine for as long as he lives.”

“You need treat him well. He is not your sex object and don’t forget, you’ll be the crown prince soon with a crown princess,” he advised. 

They accepted the tea from the twins as Changling asked, ignoring his brother’s words. He had other plans for that crown princess of his, “What is Youxian doing?”

Qian Luse looked at him as she answered, “He said he was going to visit Qiang Wu, then return before dinnertime.”

Changling raised a brow. ‘Youxian has been acting strangely since he returned from the physician.’

Qinghe looked at his brother and asked, “What are you planning by having Qiang Wu lay his eyes on Rucheng?”

Changling looked at his brother and smirked, “At first I wanted Rucheng to fill the position of Empress but now that I am to be the crown prince, I have to change my plans.”

Qinghe shook his head, “Who she marries is up to her to decide, not you. We agreed we would not force marriage upon our sisters, so do not start. I want the twins to marry first before her and after you. I am willing to marry you and Youxian, but I need to know that you are not just playing around like you always do.”

“I’ve fallen for him,” Changling admitted. Qinghe looked at him, surprised, and couldn’t help but smirk.

“I decided to take Mei Yuan as mine, seeing that we were eventually going to get married as punishment for dragging us all into this situation. Mother always said; the only time a child is conceived is when adults have fun and she was right. At the beginning, it was all to show her she is weaker than me but she showed me that night that I am the weaker one and she got everything she wanted — me,” he said disheartened.

Changling looked at his brother and said, “We take after our mother in that sense. She was always the one in charge of the house.”

“Do you think father will be disappointed that she is pregnant?” He asked.

Changling shook his head, “I don’t know. Father barely showed anger when you told us about her.”

Qinghe ran a frustrated hand over his face and lied down on the ground, “Ah-Ling, I don’t know what to do anymore. Our lives were calculated and carefree. Now we are behind palace walls under a roof with rules that don’t agree with us.”

Before he could say anything, Youxian came walking in, looking exceptionally handsome. He had a smile on his face when he saw Changling looking at him. He skipped towards the brothers and hopped into Changling’s lap.

Kissing him on the lips, he smiled asking, “Why are you all sweaty?”

Changling fondled his butt and said, “We’re getting married after my coronation.”

“What?” Youxian asked and climbed off of him.

Changling stared at him and nodded. He could tell that he was being serious and looked at Qinghe, who, as usual, held his poker face. He turned back to Changling and said, “Why would you decide that on your own and aren’t you marrying Kim Haeun?”

Changling stared at him, noticing the anger on his face and just shook his head, “Didn’t I tell you not to worry about her? Why are your first words mentioning her? Aren’t you happy?”

Youxian’s heart started beating fast. What was going through Changling’s mind thinking he can just do as he pleased? Shaking his head, he said, “But it’s the truth.”

Changling sighed and looked at his brother. Qinghe was silent and looking in the other direction, not observing them.

Looking back at his lover, he took Youxian’s hands in his and smiled, pulling him down to his knees, cupping his face and kissing him on the lips. Youxian focussed on him as he said, “I know this is too much so soon, but things will be okay. I just need you to go along with this for me and if you don’t want to do this for me, then do it for the baby.”

Youxian was stunned. He couldn’t know, and it wasn’t confirmed just yet.

“What baby?” He asked.

Changling smiled down at him as he embraced him, saying, “There’s at least one good thing coming from all this dishevelled life. Mei Yuan and Qinghe are expecting a baby.”

Youxian’s heart dropped to the pits of his stomach. Placing his head against Changling’s chest, he nodded his head, “Okay.”