Chapter 177 Do you want to drink with me next time?

At dusk, the lights in the capital were lit one after another, and the lights in the Linjiang Tower were as bright as day.

When the musician finished the song, only the laughter of the noble ladies remained in her ears. Song Lingyi rubbed her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand, and finally found a chance to catch her breath. She got up and went to the bathroom to change her clothes.

There were many maids waiting outside. When they saw Song Lingyi coming out, they immediately led the way and followed her.

There was singing and dancing in the Linjiang Tower, and many gorgeously dressed women could be seen on the corridors, creating a decadent scene everywhere.

In just half a cup of tea, when Song Lingyi came out again, not only had the maid waiting outside disappeared, but the building was also much quieter.

"Cui Xin?"

Among the maids who had accompanied her to the hut just now was Pei Ling's personal maid.

The corridor is quiet, the courtyard is deserted, and no one responds for a long time.

The night was cool and the temperature was just right, but Song Lingyi felt unusually hot and stuffy.

The aftertaste of sake still lingered on the tip of my tongue, and the dizziness brought on by the alcohol had not subsided, and the scenery in front of me was slightly shaking, leaving afterimages.

After standing there for a while, Song Lingyi slowly walked back along the corridor.

That's strange too.

When I arrived, there were many noble ladies and courtesans laughing and playing on the corridor, but now there was not a single person in sight.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

puff--

There was a very faint sound of a candle going out.

The candlelight went out completely, and the corridor fell into darkness.

"Um?"

Song Lingyi's slightly heavy footsteps paused, her dark eyes became a little clearer, and a faint sense of fear gradually came over her heart.

"... Cui Xin?"

Before she could finish her words, a tall dark shadow flashed by, covered her mouth with one hand, protected her back with the other, and pressed her against the wall.

The black shadow came against the moonlight with great force.

The scream was drowned out between her lips and teeth. Song Lingyi was dizzy and couldn't dodge at all.

Xiao Mingyi lowered his eyes to look at the girl in his arms, with her rosy lips and rosy cheeks and drunken eyes. His chest felt tight. To scare her, he even imitated those slicked-back playboys, lifting her chin and making teasing remarks.

"It's a beautiful night tonight, why are you here alone, girl? Why don't you come with me——"

The girl in his arms hugged his waist tightly, her dark eyes closed, not looking at all defensive.

The imagined struggle turned into being at the mercy of others. Xiao Mingyi's face darkened and he narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction.

“…Your Highness.”

The familiar woody aroma filled her nostrils, and her brain recognized the man in front of her before her eyes. She rubbed her cheek against his warm chest and murmured, "Why are you here?"

“…”

The tightness in my chest disappeared instantly.

Xiao Mingyi lost his temper. The hand that was lifting her chin turned to pinching her tender cheek flesh, "You little heartless person, you don't allow me to have three wives and four concubines, but you come to Linjiang Tower to have fun."

"No." She denied confusedly.

"Nothing?" His deep voice echoed from the darkness. "You didn't come to Linjiang Tower, didn't drink, or summoned a prostitute?"

The girl in his arms was silent for two breaths before she spoke: "Not as handsome as you."

The hazy moonlight poured into the corridor, illuminating the wooden floor with a silver glow.

Xiao Mingyi looked at Song Lingyi's flushed face and curled his lips slightly: "Would you like to drink with me next time?"

"……don't want."

Song Lingyi was not yet drunk and unconscious. Tonight she was drinking with Qingguan and Wenxuan and the others. With maids and guards guarding them, nothing would happen. It was a vegetarian banquet. If she was drinking with Xiao Mingyi, that would not be certain.

"Why?" Xiao Mingyi frowned slightly.

Sensing the dissatisfaction in the man's tone, Song Lingyi slowly opened her eyes, stood on tiptoe and gently kissed his chin.

"I want to go home. Your Highness, please take me home."

It was just a slap in the face and a sweet treat, but Xiao Mingyi didn't buy it. He held her cheek with one hand and bent down to kiss her.

In the dim light, vision is limited.

The ambiguous gasps were particularly amplified, the bodies were pressed tightly together, and the friction of the fabric made a rustling sound.

Song Lingyi still hugged his waist and abdomen, tilting her head back and half-reclining, half-responding. Her already drunken thoughts were completely swept away by this lingering and seductive kiss. If Xiao Mingyi had not tapped her waist, she would have collapsed to the ground with her hands and feet going limp.

"Sister Song?"

"cousin?"

Two soft cries sounded at the same time from around the corner.

Seeing that Song Lingyi had not returned yet and even the maids had not returned, Pei Ling and Lu Yu were worried and went out together to look for her.

Song Lingyi, whose thoughts were drifting, suddenly became alarmed and struggled to push the man in front of her away, but Xiao Mingyi did not give her the chance to "hide". He directly picked her up and walked slowly forward.

"Watch~"

Seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly appear in Linjiang Tower, Lu Yu immediately fell silent, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she said blankly: "Oh my God..."

If I'm not mistaken, the person in the Crown Prince's arms is my cousin, right?!

Pei Ling was surprised, but she still remembered the etiquette and hurriedly pulled Lu Yu to salute.

"Your humble servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Xiao Mingyi paused for a moment, his expression unwavering. "A-Li is drunk, so I'll take her home first. You two should return home soon as well. Also, tell Wenxuan to stop drinking."

The two girls gritted their teeth and said "yes".

He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the tall figure left.

"I was scared to death."

Pei Ling frowned, her eyes filled with worry: "Will His Highness embarrass Sister Song?"

"You have to be willing to give it up." Lu Yu said with a smile.

A luxurious black, flat-roofed carriage was parked outside the Linjiang Tower, and around it were many strong men with swords and riding tall horses.

Song Lingyi buried herself in Xiao Mingyi's arms like a quail, letting him carry her into the carriage.

After a while, the carriage wobbled towards the Duke's Mansion.

The dim candlelight on the side platform made the atmosphere ambiguous and tender. The carriage was quiet, as was the girl who was dozing with her eyes closed in his arms.

Xiao Mingyi pinched her cheek and coaxed her softly, "Are you still pretending to sleep?"

Song Lingyi's eyelids twitched slightly, and she opened her eyes to suppress a smile. She met that deep gaze, and her voice was still a little lazy, a little drunken, "You should have hidden yourself a little bit earlier. A-Yu is very clingy. She will definitely ask me some irrelevant questions when we get back."

"Just ask, the imperial decree has been issued, we are an engaged couple, the only thing missing is the canonization ceremony, why hide?" Xiao Mingyi said calmly.

The two looked at each other.

The passion that had just been forcibly interrupted was rekindled at this moment. Perhaps it was the intoxication that drove Song Lingyi tonight, but she was very obedient. They didn't separate until the carriage stopped at the gate of the Duke's Mansion.

Their breaths intertwined and their foreheads touched.

Xiao Mingyi's fingers were still on her waist, kneading it gently, neither too lightly nor too hard. "The Imperial Astronomical Observatory sent us a few auspicious dates this afternoon. What do you think of the seventh day of the seventh month, Ah Li?"

It’s less than two months away from the seventh day of the seventh month. Isn’t it too hasty?

Song Lingyi expressed her thoughts to the man, who smiled and kissed her cheek. "I still think it's too late. I want to take you to the Eastern Palace as soon as possible."

Her thick eyelashes trembled slightly. She wanted to say something, but felt too shy to do so. It wasn't until she heard the doorman's voice outside the carriage calling her that she felt as if she had been granted amnesty. "I should go back."

Xiao Mingyi hummed softly and let the person in his arms get up and leave. The ginger-yellow walnut-patterned curtain fell again, and the slender fingertips curled up, as if there was still a soft touch left.