Chapter 55 Cherry Wine: "Is it Lovesickness?"

The emperor slammed the memorial on his desk, slumped into his chair, and looked sullen.

Wang Xu said softly, "If Your Majesty wishes to see the Empress, this servant will have a sedan chair prepared immediately."

The emperor glanced at him and sneered, "You're quite adept at guessing my thoughts. When did I ever say I wanted to see her?"

Wang Xu immediately knelt down and said earnestly, "How dare this servant presume to know Your Majesty's intentions? It's just that you've been handling state affairs in the Dongming Palace these past few days, often staying up late into the night. Your health must be suffering. This servant only thought that Your Majesty would be happier and more at ease when you're with the Empress. Although state affairs are important, in this servant's heart, Your Majesty's health is even more important."

The emperor said calmly, "Get up."

He let out a breath and asked, "Wang Xu, do you think I've been too lenient with her?"

Wang Xu got up and bowed his head, saying, "How could that be? His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine are of one mind. If His Majesty is willing, it is not too much to dote on her, especially since the Imperial Concubine is so good, she is certainly worthy of His Majesty's favor."

In fact, Wang Xu was right. Over the years, he always loved spending time with Consort Xue. The two of them would discuss poetry and painting, play the xiao and qin, and even go out to enjoy music and entertainment, which was the most comfortable and pleasant thing for them.

No one will ever be like her again, and there will never be another like her.

Xue Lanbi is simply Xue Lanbi; there is no one better, and he is irreplaceable.

He was delighted to have the bird imprisoned, but also felt a pang of jealousy and apprehension.

"If I don't go to see her, can't she come to me?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a palace attendant announced, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has sent someone to deliver soup and drinks."

Wang Xu said, "You're right, Her Majesty and the Emperor are truly of one mind. The Emperor was very tired after reading memorials all day, so Her Majesty had someone bring him soup and drinks. It's clear that Her Majesty is very concerned about the Emperor."

The emperor leaned back casually in his chair, remaining silent.

Wang Xu beckoned to the eunuch to bring in the soup and drink, which he then presented himself, saying, "Your Majesty, please accept the Empress's kindness."

The porcelain bowl was opened, and a sweet aroma immediately filled the air. It was freshly stewed barley, lotus seed, and lily bulb soup, which is excellent for nourishing the lungs.

Seeing the emperor drink the soup, Wang Xu couldn't help but lower his head and smile.

The emperor glanced at him and saw him laughing at him with his sleeve. He kicked Wang Xu in annoyance and said, "Laughing, laughing, all you do is laugh! Hurry up and prepare the sedan chair!"

Wang Xu cried out "Ouch!" and, while laughing, rubbed his buttocks and ordered someone to prepare a sedan chair.

The sedan chair landed at Funing Palace.

However, upon entering the palace, he learned that Consort Xue was not in the palace, but rather enjoying the moon and listening to the zither at the Jichun Pavilion behind the Funing Palace.

The emperor walked around the palace, looking at the crown and hairpins on the dressing table, and then his gaze fell on the pages of paper on the small table.

There are two copies in total: one is "Ode to Dongyang", and the other is a eulogy.

He remembered that "Ode to Dongyang," which was written a few years ago at a spring banquet when the Empress was still alive. Deng Hui's daughter wrote the ode on the spot, drinking wine in the Shisi Tower.

He also remembered that the author of this article was named Deng Run, who often taught him in the Empress's palace, and Consort Xue also admired his talent.

I heard that after that spring banquet, the Deng family's daughter became famous throughout the capital.

Later, however, his father became involved in a corruption case in Tongzhou with Huayang. He confiscated the Deng family's property, exiled them, and confiscated the women's household registration.

The Deng family were all talented people. Deng Hui's book, "Taiyin Lu," was not completed when he encountered an accident. Even though he had been working on it for several years, it was far inferior to Deng Hui's work, so he eventually gave up.

Unfortunately, Deng Hui died during his exile.

It's a pity about her too.

The emperor then picked up the eulogy, which was written by Consort Xue. It was so poignant and sorrowful that all who saw it wept.

Was she heartbroken when she met him that day?

The palace maids didn't know what he was asking, so the emperor said, "Was she heartbroken when she met Shiyu that day?"

"Of course I'm sad."

The emperor closed his eyes, and then he heard the palace maids speaking to him.

"When Her Majesty saw Lord Jiang's daughter that day, she said that she was very sad if the Ninth Princess could still grow up."

Indeed, he felt sad upon seeing Jiang Yao, let alone Consort Xue.

The emperor let out a long sigh, put down the eulogy, and slowly walked out of the hall.

A melody of a piano came from behind.

She walked away shyly, leaning against the door and turning back to smell the green plums.

He also remembered this tune, which was composed by Lady Yu for the Empress when they first met in their youth. It was called "Green Plum Melody." The Empress loved it and often played it, but later she stopped playing it, and after her death, the sound of it was never heard again in the palace.

Wang Xu asked, "Who is playing the piano?"

The palace maid replied, "He is a musician from the Music Bureau."

Wang Xu: "Name?"

"It seems to be... named Deng Run."

A gentle breeze and bright moon pass by, and the tall buildings are shrouded in emerald green.

Jiang Ce, holding a wine cup, walked to Xiao Huaiting's side and said with a smile, "You're riding high on the spring breeze, so why is our young master Xiao so full of worries now that you've passed the imperial examination?"

Xiao Huaiting smiled faintly, "Before, all I cared about was studying and hoping to pass the imperial examination. Now that I have achieved my goal, I feel empty inside."

Jiang Ce: "His Majesty and the Marquis of Mingyi are both very happy."

Xiao Huaiting laughed and said, "Bo Zhou, do you know why I was friends with you when we were kids?"

Jiang Ce didn't know why he suddenly asked this question, but he still answered, "Why?"

"Because of envy."

"You are carefree and full of passion. You have an older brother, so even if you get into trouble, someone will clean up your mess."

"You envy me?"

Jiang Ce couldn't help but chuckle: "Young Master Xiao, if we're talking about family background, His Majesty is your maternal uncle, and the Mingyi Marquis's family is of high status and prestige. If we're talking about appearance, he's handsome and refined. With parents and sisters by your side, your future is bright and promising. How could you possibly be so perfect? ​​Why are you envying me?"

He turned his back and leaned against the railing with his arms outstretched.

"This carefree attitude stems from the fact that few people interfere. My father passed away early, and my mother lived in a Buddhist temple, devoted to music. As for my passionate spirit, it's because I was incredibly unruly and impatient as a child. I was scolded, beaten, and punished countless times. Not to mention anything else, His Majesty's thirty strokes of the cane almost killed me."

Jiang Ce raised an eyebrow teasingly, then raised his wine cup and said, "What? Are you envious of me getting beaten up, or are you envious that I was beaten half to death and still had to travel all the way to Liangzhou?"

Xiao Huaiting laughed, clinked glasses with him, and said, "From childhood to adulthood, the words I've heard most often are from the people of the Mingyi Marquis's Mansion saying to me, 'The Mingyi Marquis's Mansion is counting on you.'"

“Through the changing seasons, there was no rest. I learned slowly in school and did not do well in my studies. I was scolded by the teacher in school, and I still had to listen to his lectures when I got home.”

He spoke slowly, smiling but appearing extremely weary.

Xiao Huaiting thought of something, and suddenly his eyes lit up, his spirits high: "When I was little, what I looked forward to most was you, Su Yun and Zheng Shaoyu climbing up my wall and taking me out to play."

He couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, a relaxed and cheerful laugh: "Although I always get into trouble and get scolded every time I go home, I'm still very happy."

Jiang Ce said in a lighthearted tone, "I heard from Zheng Shaoyu that the Earl of Mingyi and his wife are looking for suitable daughters for you, and His Majesty is going to arrange a marriage for you."

He mentioned that at this moment, Xiao Huaiting closed his eyes in discomfort, secretly exhaled, and then forced a helpless smile.

"Where did Zheng Shaoyu find this information from to tell you this?"

"But," Jiang Ce sighed, seeing his dejected yet forced smile, "it's really not true, is it?"

Xiao Huaiting remained silent, which was taken as acknowledging the truth of the matter.

He silently tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp, but whether it was because he drank too fast or because he felt choked, he choked on the wine as soon as it entered his mouth.

"Cough cough cough cough"

Jiang Ce quickly patted his back. Xiao Huaiting put his hands on the railing and coughed for a long time before he recovered.

"You wouldn't..." Jiang Ce patted his shoulder lightly and asked in a low voice, "You're still thinking about that girl, aren't you?"

"I..." Xiao Huaiting looked up at him, feeling a surge of bitterness. He opened his mouth, but his throat felt choked with phlegm.

He covered his face with his hand before smiling bitterly, "What the Mingyi Marquis's mansion needs is a matriarch who can stand with me."

"As for whether I like it or not..." The bright young man looked up at the high-hanging moon, his eyes filled with moonlight but devoid of any spirit.

"It's not important. I've been used to it since I was a child."

"I'm fine with it, but what about you?" Xiao Huaiting leaned closer to Jiang Ce, his words a mixture of comfort and concern: "Do you know what's on your mind?"

Jiang Ce: "What is it?"

Xiao Huaiting smiled and said, "You have an illness."

"..." Jiang Ce glanced at him and frowned. "Xiao Huaiting, when did you learn to be so wicked? Why are you cursing me for no reason!"

Seeing his expression, Xiao Huaiting found it both amusing and helpless: "It's lovesickness."

"Hehe," Jiang Ce chuckled insincerely, teasingly saying, "You wouldn't happen to be like Zheng Shaoyu, reading too many storybooks, would you?"

Xiao Huaiting: "I think you should borrow a few of Zheng Shaoyu's storybooks to read."

He started with a joke, then said seriously, "Bo Zhou, haven't you noticed?"

Jiang Ce didn't reply, he just looked at him with an expression that said, "Let's see what you can say now."

Xiao Huaiting gazed at the moon and said softly, "Do you know that as long as Miss Xue was around, your eyes never left her? Bo Zhou, in this life, it's rare to have someone you like. And it's even rarer to be with someone you like."

Jiang Ce snorted: "Does looking at her mean you like her? I look at you when you're around, and I look at Zheng Shaoyu and You Yu too."

Xiao Huaiting was truly helpless: "Who is this hypocrite? His surname is Jiang, his given name is Ce, and his courtesy name is Bozhou."

Jiang Ce punched his shoulder and said angrily, "Stop joking with me, I'm going to get you drunk with them today!"

Zheng Shaoyu ran over and pulled the two of them towards the table.

He linked arms with one of them, complaining as they walked, "Why did it take you two so long to enjoy the breeze? You made Su Yunchi and I wait for ages!"

During the banquet, glasses clinked and laughter filled the air.

High up in the building, the young people sang joyfully, composed poems, and danced with swords.

The pavilion is filled with flowers, a truly elegant and romantic sight.

The group got very drunk and were helped into carriages by the staff of Ningcui Tower to go home.

Jiang Ce and You Yu waited for someone to bring the horse over. Zheng Shaoyu climbed halfway up the carriage, but then, feeling dizzy, climbed down again and ran to Jiang Ce.

He rummaged through his pockets and stuffed the small wooden plaque into Jiang Ce's collar: "This is yours, I'm returning it to you."

Jiang Ce was also very dizzy and couldn't hear what he was muttering.

The waiter brought the horses, and he and Youyu slowly rode across the Bright Moon Bridge.

The evening breeze is cool as water, and the willow branches are crimson.

A couple stood side by side by the bridge. The woman, with tender affection, tiptoed and tucked a flower into her husband's hat.

Jiang Ce was momentarily lost in thought.

Yu said softly, "Actually, Miss Xue is quite a good person."

Jiang Ce: "Are you very familiar with her? Do you know what kind of person she is? Why are you speaking up for her like this?"

His smile was as bright and tender as ever, but his words were cold and sharp.

Yu Yu was too lazy to argue with this drunkard, and simply said, "Intuition."

Perhaps it was because of her kind face, but he subconsciously felt that Xue Chan was a very good person.

After crossing Chang'an Street, Jiang Ce did not continue forward.

Youyu asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Ce turned his horse around and whipped it in the opposite direction.

Yu shouted, "Aren't you going home?"

"Tomorrow is my day off, I'm going to Jixiang Temple!"

Jiang Ce rode his horse all the way to Jixiang Temple. He stumbled and staggered through the halls and corridors until he arrived outside Yu Niangzi's Zen courtyard.

It seems the alcohol is kicking in again; I'm feeling dizzy and lightheaded, and even the moon appears as three separate moons.

He sat on the ground against the wall outside the courtyard and slept curled up under a tree.

The little maid who came out of the courtyard to fetch water was startled by him, but when she got closer and saw him, she was surprised and said to the courtyard, "Oh my! Aunt Lan, it's Erlang!"

Lanxi, carrying a lantern, came out with Lady Yu and helped him to sit upright.

"Why did you drink so much and still run up this mountain?"

Lady Yu: "Please have a monk help him into the side room, fetch water to wash his face, and put him on the bed."

"yes"

After giving her instructions, she turned to walk back and added, "Go and make him some hangover medicine so he can drink it before going to sleep, so he won't have a headache tomorrow."

The monk helped him into the room to wash up. Jiang Ce was very drunk. In his dazed state, he sat up by himself, wiped his face and washed his hands, and then collapsed onto the couch with a thud.

Lanxi said softly, "Erlang, drink this hangover remedy before you go to sleep. My wife said that if you don't drink, you'll have a headache tomorrow."

Jiang Ce sat up with a groan, drank some hangover medicine, and then collapsed back down with a thud.

Yu Niangzi covered him with the quilt and prepared to get up, but she stepped on a piece of wood as soon as she stood up.

She picked it up and saw that it was a flower fortune stick from a temple. She put the flower fortune stick under her pillow and left.

The candles inside the room had all gone out, and the moonlight streaming in through the small window was surprisingly bright.