Only a dream

Liu Sumeng was still observing Yuan Xuelan's expression carefully. He wasn't sure how long he could keep a straight face.

The light in the cavern was warm, the hearth heating the otherwise damp air. The orange glow bounced off Xuelan's features, from the angle of his jaw to the elegant slope of his nose. He was growing up well, Liu Sumeng thought to himself, already knowing the features he would have when he was older.

But Emperor Taixu was insane; with eyes almost too wide and a grin that stretched his facial muscles taut. He wondered what kind of expression his cuter Xuelan might wear when he matured fully. 

Would he still fluster so easily? With red decorating his cheeks at such an innocent question? Emperor Taixu only flushed when he was quaking with rage. Or when he had too many bottles to drink and his words slurred with both insult and praise mixed together.