Chapter 2 - Mission: Secure the Future of the North
Shang Qinghua opened his eyes slowly, feeling like something was off. He was greeted by a familiar ceiling. A ceiling he hadn't seen in decades.
Shang Qinghua had once had the opportunity to go back home. Like, home home. (Though was it really? Shang Qinghua had never been accepted anywhere before, not really... Not before Mobei-Jun. Shang Qinghua's home was now Mobei-Jun.) Cucumber-bro was right when he said that Airplane was simply waiting for an apology. If Shang Qinghua had truly wanted to go back to his original world nothing would have stopped him (not even the thought of being dead in that world because at the time he hadn't felt like there was anything left for him in either one of them really). Truth be told he'd really really wanted Mobei-Jun to want him around. Then later on after they'd made up he simply wanted Mobei-Jun to want him. And Mobei-Jun did. Want him, that is. As it turned out, despite the fact that Mobei-Jun hadn't initially trusted him, a few things over the years had led to a misconception that had served him well.
Like when he told Luo Binghe that the way to a man's heart was to act pathetic. Honestly, he didn't really have any experience but in his original world, when he was Shang Qing, he knew that many men liked a girl who seemed to need them. Strong independent women? Please. Men only talked big. What they liked was for you to stroke their egos. Make them feel like you relied on them. It was ridiculous but it was what she observed. (PIDW Binghe consequently was born to save many women.)
Actual strong women intimidated men. They liked you to be a bit helpless. Made them feel manly. Shang Qing's step-mother had it down to an art (unlike her mother who was too 'strong' for her father's manly sensibilities). So when Luo Binghe talked about the way to get a man's interest and then Shang Qinghua got put on the spot well he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. It worked for his step-mother so it had to be effective to some degree, didn't it? (Shang Qing's family really did a number on what she thought about relationships.)
Little did he know that all the grovelling for his life and cowering in fear was now being reconsidered as signs of his interest in Mobei-Jun's mind. Shang Qinghua told Luo Binghe that acting pathetic would help you get a man. Mobei-Jun thought Shang Qinghua was acting pathetic around him all the time. So hence Shang Qinghua must have been trying to get Mobei-Jun's attention and affections all along. Satisfied with his conclusion, Mobei-Jun's heart softened a bit towards his spy.
Later on, some time after he saved Mobei-Jun and then was saved by him from Linguang-Jun, they sat down and had a long talk. It was difficult for both of them. Mobei-Jun was dismayed of course to learn that Shang Qinghua wasn't acting pathetic to get his attention but was actually afraid of him (previously he wouldn't have minded this at all but by that time, after being saved directly, twice, by someone he once considered a weak coward, he had already carved a distinctly Shang Qinghua space in his heart).
Shang Qinghua soothed him with the knowledge that even though he'd not been purposefully trying to get his attention, he did have feelings for him. It took them two years of learning how to be around each other in a more equal fashion before they'd decided to get married.
During that time Shang Qinghua confessed about his identity. There were too many things that he'd felt guilty for putting Mobei-Jun through as the author. And they were trying their best to communicate and to be open and honest with each other. Shang Qinghua wanted a healthy relationship. It would have hurt too much to be with Mobei-Jun and have a few brief moments of happiness and then to have it all come crashing down afterwards. If Shang Qing didn't learn anything else from her parents' trainwreck of a marriage, she'd learned the importance of both partners feeling equally secure. And huge secrets did not a good marriage make.
Shang Qinghua had a tendency to think out loud to himself sometimes. Mobei-Jun had asked him several times about things he'd overheard and Shang Qinghua did not know how to explain it without seeming like he was just hiding things. The straw that broke the camel's back was the time he'd mumbled about missing chocolate and Mobei-Jun had thought it was the name of a person; the hurt on his face had made Shang Qinghua realise that if he wanted to have a chance of happiness he'd have to take a leap of faith and hope that Mobei-Jun would catch him. If the system punished him he would accept it.
But it hadn't.
The fact was that his story was over. Everything else was post-canon. The system had been there to ensure that plot holes were filled and the story got a satisfactory ending. Now it was just there in the background, occasionally popping up with side-quests but nothing major.
He'd sat down with his then soon-to-be husband and told him about his previous life and about Proud Immortal Demon Way. About everything.
Well, everything except one major detail apparently.
(As he would find out five years into their marriage.)
Mobei-Jun blasted the door of their chambers open and stomped in with a dark look on his face, closing the door after him with a bang that had Shang Qinghua starting terribly.
"My King!" Shang Qinghua fretted, fluttering around him worriedly, making a few abortive hand movements as if he didn't quite know what to do with them. "What happened?"
Mobei-Jun snatched his hands and held them firmly but gently, running a thumb down one of them which helped him to calm down.
"The elders have been talking nonsense again," he said angrily, but then continued in a softer tone, "I have already dealt with it for today, Qinghua can put it out of his mind."
Oh. So it was about that again.
Shang Qinghua laughed nervously.
"Ah my King, that means they will bring it up sooner or later once more."
"It doesn't matter. I have already said my part. They can talk all they want. When the time comes I shall choose an heir from one of my relatives."
"But what if they go to your uncle next? If Linguang-Jun sires a child he can still try to infiltrate the court by presenting the child as the next heir. You know they would quicker accept a child of his than another."
It would give Linguang-Jun a measure of power within the court that is much more than he currently has.
"Are you suggesting that I take another spouse then?" Mobei-Jun demanded angrily.
"No! Of course not."
Shang Qinghua… did not like that idea at all. But the truth was that Mobei-Jun did need an heir. He was content to choose someone from any of his distant relatives but the fact of the matter was Linguang-Jun was the closest relative to him and the elders and advisors would probably pull something to get a child of his blood rather than let the seat of the Northern King pass to a relative further down the line from Mobei-Jun.
It could be the opportunity that Linguang-Jun needed to infiltrate the court and eventually usurp and kill Mobei-Jun. While Mobei-Jun was stronger than Linguang-Jun, that was one on one. If his uncle had help behind the scenes there was no telling what could happen. Shang Qinghua was well aware, thanks to the system, that Mobei-Jun was expendable to the plot, and now even the plot was over.
Of course according to Mobei-Jun's elders, he was expendable. They might even reward Linguang-Jun for killing him (Linguang-Jun knew what this would mean to Mobei-Jun, the elders would just think well now he could marry a demoness, but Linguang-Jun knew better.) The only reason the elders haven't truly tried to kill him yet is because they still thought they could persuade Mobei-Jun to sire an heir. (Also recently their relationship with Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu had improved and even Mobei-Jun's elders knew better than to cross Luo Binghe who would undoubtedly brutally murder anyone who made his shizun upset. )
"I know you don't want to kill your uncle but…"
"If it comes down to you or him, you know that I would choose you," Mobei-Jun said firmly.
Shang Qinghua couldn't help the smile that broke out at the easy declaration.
"I know my King," he said, a bit red in the face.
But it wasn't himself he was worried about (well he was but he was worried about Mobei-Jun more).
"Would you promise me that if it comes down to him or you that you would choose yourself?" he said, looking pleadingly at Mobei-Jun.
Mobei-Jun's face softened perceptibly and he put his hand on top of Shang Qinghua's head, patting it gently, "I promise."
Shang Qinghua felt a rush of affection for his husband and dashed into his arms, tucking his red face into his chest and hugging him tightly.
They stood there hugging in the middle of the room for what seemed like an hour but in reality couldn't have been very long. Shang Qinghua never thought that he would ever be in that position and savoured every moment he got (you never know when things could go south after all).
Mobei-Jun broke the hug and carried him over to get ready for bed.
"I have no problem passing over the throne at my death to another relative and there are no laws against it, the elders are just being biassed," Mobei-Jun said as they lay snuggled up that night, knowing that the topic was still weighing heavily on Shang Qinghua's mind. It wasn't the first time the elders badgered him about an heir of course.
"The only person I'd ever want to have a child with is you. If it can't be with you then it won't be with anyone. This King is content. The future of the North may be a bit uncertain but there will always be someone waiting to take up the reins."
Sheng Qinghua laughed a bit shyly, "Ah my King, you're so good to this husband. I wonder if there's a plant that could help us out? Cucumber-bro surely would know. I should ask him." He didn't remember writing any magical baby plants in PIDW but then again he didn't remember writing a lot of things.
"If there is then that's great, if there isn't that is also fine. This King does not need a child to be happy with his Qinghua."
Shang Qinghua squirmed in his arms, embarrassed but pleased. "Now I really wish I could give you an heir. If we were back in my old world I could have. Unfortunately it's not possible anymore but I also do not need a child to be happy with you, my King."
Mobei-Jun was happy for a moment that they felt the same but his train of thought halted abruptly when he really registered what Shang Qinghua said.
"Qinghua, what do you mean you could have given me a child in your old world?"
"Oh don't you remember I told you about my past life and where I was from before this?" Shang Qinghua said, surprised, "We would have been able to have babies if we were there."
"This King remembers that Qinghua mentioned advancements in medicine. But this King did not realise that men could have babies themselves. Truly Qinghua's old world must have been amazing."
But before Shang Qinghua could say anything else (there seemed to have been a miscommunication somewhere along the line) there was the glow of a bright screen along with an annoying notification sound that Shang Qinghua had not heard in a long time.
[User has unlocked a special mission with the keyword: Babies]
[Mission Available: Securing the Future of the North]
[User Shang Qinghua and Character Mobei-Jun must work together to Secure the Future of the North. Mission is compulsory.]
[Start: Yes No]
Mobei-Jun had startled and clutched Shang Qinghua to him protectively. Since Shang Qinghua did not seem surprised or worried, he figured he knew what was going on and did not attack the glowing thing in front of them. He didn't sense anything from it. It did not have any energy of its own, demonic or otherwise.
"Qinghua knows what this is?" he questioned.
It was Shang Qinghua's time to be startled.
"My King, you can see it?!"
"Am I not supposed to?"
"No! Well, you've never seen it before. This is the system."
"The system? The thing that controlled your life and made you do things you didn't want to do on penalty of death?" Mobei-Jun said, voice tightening with repressed rage.
[ヾ(。><)シ This system is merely doing its job.]
Upon feeling Mobei-Jun's aura turn murderous it quickly added
[This system promises it will not cause harm to User Shang Qinghua. This system believes the mission will be an enjoyable one for the both of you.]
Hm. Maybe this was another wife plot that he'd forgotten about? Usually they went to Cucumber-bro but on occasion he did get one or two of them.
Maybe there really was a plant that made babies and the system was going to lead them to it? The system had said the mission was for both of them and since it was showing itself to Mobei-Jun it meant this time he could have help and would not have to make up excuses.
"What do you think My King, should we try it?"
[Reminding User that Mission is compulsory.]
"It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice," Mobei-Jun grunted, then glared back at the screen, "But if so much as one hair on Qinghua's head is harmed…."
[This system promises it won't be.]
[Start Yes No]
They looked back at each other then and Shang Qinghua apprehensively hit Yes.
They fell asleep still holding each other.
