Dance Of The Dragons-Chapter 388 : Xie Jianyu’s Chosen Husband

"I have to say, it was rather unexpected," Xie Jianshen, the Heavenly Emperor commented the next time he summoned Zhang Fengxi to Golden Dragon Palace. "I know that the twins grew up quickly in the past five years, but I never expected Mingrui to take a wife as soon as he turns five." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

A gasp escaped Zhang Fengxi’s lips, momentarily catching in his throat. He lowered his head, instinctively offering Xie Jianshen a deferential gesture by crossing his arm across his chest.

"It was a declaration made in the heat of the moment. No need to take it seriously, Your Majesty."

Xie Jianshen scoffed.

"Good, that’s what I want to hear, because various palace masters kept coming to either directly or indirectly submit a complaint."

Behind the facade of cordiality, whispers of ambition to breach the Golden Dragon Palace with their progeny simmered, a hidden current threatening to disrupt the fragile surface of peace.

Xie Jianshen tapped his fingers against the throne’s armrest and said, "Tell Mingrui and Junjie to at least wait until they differentiate before they start picking wives, hm?"

Zhang Fengxi chuckled in response.

"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty."

"How are your injuries?" Xie Jianshen suddenly switched the topic, prompting Zhang Fengxi to frown in confusion.

"They are healing well, thanks to the magical ointment you sent over to Fuxi Palace. It was really good."

"Naturally. The Snow And Silk Ointment was made personally by the Grand Tutor. He only makes three jars every year, and this year I sent you one of three."

"Is that so? I will cherish them and send the Grand Tutor a thank you note."

"...Do that."

Xie Jianshen leaned back on his throne, his eyes narrowed into obsidian slivers. Standing opposite him, Zhang Fengxi met his gaze unflinchingly, the silence a taut cord binding them.

Eventually, the alpha’s voice, low and measured, cut through the tension, slicing open a path for inquiry.

"I am sure that you have more to say to me than just tending to recent palace gossip and inquiring about my health. What’s going on?"

Xie Jianshen heaved a sigh.

"It has been a while since the monkey clan entered the Heavenly Empire, but so far they have failed to get along with the existing clans. I am starting to get worried."

It had been five years indeed.

It was not only about Mo Lihua, who was unable to get along with children from other clans.

Despite his astounding contribution to the empire, the Monkey King too struggled to forge connections with the palace masters, save for Wu Shenxia, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Jiang Muchen.

On the other hand, it was not entirely the palace masters’ fault.

The Monkey King, a creature of boundless pride, found little pleasure in the forced mingling of clans. Knowing him from his previous life, Zhang Fengxi reckoned that this was partly fueled by the fact that the other clans ostracized the monkey clan for hundreds of years.

Time had dulled the sting, but the scars remained.

"Thanks to my cute little nephew, I discovered a good way to forge alliances. This traditional method has yet to fail anyone," Xie Jianshen remarked.

"And that is?"

"Let the Monkey King marry a noble omega from one of the nine clans," Xie Jianshen stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "You are close to the Monkey King, Zhang Fengxi. What kind of person does he like?"

.....

Zhang Fengxi’s face darkened.

"Do you not know? Well, I don’t expect alphas to talk about this kind of topic. It’s fine if you don’t know."

"He likes Jianyu."

"..."

"Pardon me?"

"I said, the type he likes is the Crown Prince -- your younger brother, my wife -- Xie Jianyu."

The two men stared at each other.

Xie Jianshen’s gaze snaked down Zhang Fengxi, a silent assessment that sent shivers down the Alpha’s spine.

"Well, Little Yu chose you," he finally drawled, the words heavy with unspoken meaning. "...And what’s that supposed to mean?" Zhang Fengxi parried, his voice tight with a mixture of anger and apprehension. "Nothing," Xie Jianshen’s smile was as sharp as a blade.

"Thanks for the information. I don’t think that I can find another Little Yu among the existing omegas in the realm, but I will give it a try."

Zhang Fengxi closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

"If there is nothing else, please allow me to excuse myself, Your Majesty."

"You may go, Supreme General."

The conversation with Xie Jianshen left Zhang Fengxi restless.

Not interfering with Qiao Wei’s path of life was one thing, but he was allowed to stop him from crossing paths with other people, wasn’t he?

It was not necessary for Xie Jianyu to go around making new people fall in love with him, Zhang Fengxi decided on his own.

Bearing that thought in mind, Zhang Fengxi climbed atop his spiritual tiger and paced Xiao Huang toward Mount Wu.

Not wanting to attract unwanted attention, Zhang Fengxi had Xiao Huang transform into a tiger cub at the bottom of Mount Wu.

The alpha carried the little tiger in his arms as he hiked the long winding steps that lead to the top of the mountain.

He only had to wait for a while before Qiao Wei emerged from the opulent temple to greet his new friend.

The man was pleasantly surprised to see Zhang Fengxi.

"I didn’t expect to see you so soon," he said. "Welcome to Wushan Temple Sect’s residence, Brother Zhang."

"Hmm."

During the time they were separated, Qiao Wei seemed to have made up his mind to refer to Zhang Fengxi as a brother.

Zhang Fengxi disliked being referred to as "Sir Zhang", but he also cringed upon being called "Brother Zhang".

Then again, he could not call him "Jianbao", and the nickname "Wei Wei" made him want to throw up.

"I am thinking of staying around here for now," he announced. "So we are going to meet each other fairly often."

"Is that so? How wonderful. In that case, why don’t you stay here?"