Chapter 86: Ineffective

Rong Si was worried about letting Chu Yu attend the wedding.

Rong Si always felt that things might change before the person was completely inside his room.

However, even if we go to his room, things might still change.

After all, Rong Si knew perfectly well how someone had gone from being the Prime Minister's wife to becoming his wife.

His subordinates received the order and went to prepare the schedule for the marriage proposal and engagement.

Not far away, the grassland was still filled with laughter and joy.

Su Fang, who had originally planned to go hunting in the mountains, couldn't bear to leave. The group chatted idly, with bursts of laughter and commotion every now and then.

Rong Si leaned leisurely to the side and watched.

Two days later, Rong Si led his men into the mountains and hunted an autumn goose. After preparing his gifts, he formally entered the palace to propose marriage.

Yu Wanyin did not need to appear in the marriage proposal.

She slept for another half day in her room.

Early in the morning, a palace maid noticed that Yu Wanyin hadn't gotten up again and approached Qing Song with a puzzled look. "Aunt Qing Song, when the princess was with you, did she also get up in the morning and sleep until noon every day?"

Qingsong paused in her work of trimming the flowers and leaves, blinked, and was momentarily at a loss for words.

The maid was a little worried. "But the princess was waking up at 7 a.m. every day not long ago, and it's only recently become like this. Should we call the imperial physician to take a look?"

“No need.” Qing Song put down the scissors. “The princess usually loves books, and sometimes she reads so much at night that she forgets the time.”

"This has happened often before."

The maid nodded knowingly. "That's good."

Qing Song glanced a few more times in the direction of Yu Wanyin's bedroom, feeling uneasy.

When they were in the mountain stronghold, if Rong Si was around, he basically wouldn't allow anyone other than himself to get close to serve him.

Qing Song would squat down to look for Yu Wanyin when Rong Si wasn't around, and he figured out some patterns. Once Rong Si was there, Yu Wanyin would have a hard time getting up early.

Sometimes it goes too far; Yu Wanyin won't be seen leaving the house for a day or two.

Rong Si was responsible for getting her food and other necessities, and no one else was allowed in the house.

Unless Yu Wanyin asks someone to go find her.

Occasionally, when Qing Song was called over by her, she would see Yu Wanyin leaning against the boudoir, holding either a book or a letter in her hand, giving her instructions.

She remained gentle and graceful throughout, but she couldn't straighten her back, spoke softly, and seemed unable to exert any strength.

If it were really at this time, Rong Si would enter the door again.

Yu Wanyin would then reveal subtle, almost imperceptible emotions towards him.

I don't know why she got angry.

At noon today, Yu Wanyin was also filled with emotions.

The maid mentioned to Yu Wanyin, "The general came to propose marriage today, would you like to go and see him?"

Yu Wanyin said reluctantly, "I'm not going."

After he went there, he felt that she was giving him a hint.

Rong Si took the medicine and it gave her a couple of days to recover.

Last night, she kindly asked him if it wasn't good for him to keep taking medicine like this.

Rong Si then pinned her down on the bed and did everything he could to relieve the symptoms without medication.

He always liked to say those kinds of things to provoke her composed and dignified mind, and when she couldn't take it anymore, he would escalate the situation.

What did she say, "Wasn't it Yao Yao who hinted that I should do this?"

"Do you really like being..."

Yu Wanyin cried and begged him to calm down, saying that she had only asked out of kindness.

Who would have thought he would repay kindness with ingratitude and bully people like this?

Rong Si ignored all of this, and in bed he still exuded the same bandit-like aura.

"Oh, so it was the little princess who cared about me and was captured by us wicked people."

Yu Wanyin was persuaded by his words.

For some reason, I genuinely felt that I was acting out of kindness and caring for my subjects.

As a result, he was dragged into the wolf's den by the disguised wolf and bullied.

Biting him, kicking him, hitting him—it was no use.

Rong Si bit her ear, and no matter how she reacted, he never softened his grip.

He told her in a villainous manner, "Yaoyao should be less loving and tolerant of others, in case she encounters a scoundrel like me."

"That will happen."

The screams were all broken.

Until no sound can be made.

She doesn't know how she fell asleep.

It seems like I fell asleep as soon as I stopped.

Yu Wanyin had no recollection of how she was cleaned and brought back.

Therefore, as soon as Yu Wanyin woke up, she had a lot of opinions about Rong Si's bad behavior.

Rong Si usually took good care of her.

They become even more unrestrained at night.

She thought that even if he said he was sick, he couldn't stay by her side and endure it forever.

That must be done step by step.

You can't just eat whatever you want every time you're allowed to.

Yu Wanyin felt weak all over and couldn't help but order, "Go and call the imperial physician to see if I have a minor illness."

The maid and Qing Song exchanged a glance and agreed, "Okay."

They left Qing Song to help Yu Wanyin with her toilette, and a maid went to fetch the imperial physician.

After Yu Wanyin had lunch, the imperial physician arrived.

The imperial physician took her pulse for a while, then bowed with a cheerful tone, saying, "The princess is in good health, everything is fine, and her blood circulation is much better than before."

Yu Wanyin pursed her lips gently, "Is there anything wrong with it?"

The imperial physician pondered for a moment, seemingly carefully considering the wording.

"The downside is that the princess is still a bit cold-sensitive. Now that it's autumn and the nights are cool, she still needs to be careful to keep warm."

"However, the princess's chills are better than before. Has she been keeping a hot water bottle by her side to keep warm lately?"

Yu Wanyin choked up.

A maidservant honestly replied, "We haven't prepared a hot water bottle for the princess yet."

"Then I will go down today to prepare for the princess."

Qing Song summoned the imperial physician back, then returned to find Yu Wanyin biting her knuckles, seemingly lost in thought.

Qing Song was very considerate. "After the marriage proposal tonight, there will be a banquet. It might be very late. Would the princess like to rest a little longer?"

Yu Wanyin snapped out of her daze and answered.

The marriage proposal ceremony in the previous dynasty was very lively.

Such a joyous occasion was rare in the royal palace, and the palace servants all found excuses to go and watch.

A grand procession of people carrying gifts emerged from the main hall and stretched all the way to the palace gate.

The palace path was covered with newly laid red velvet carpets, and the procession of officials waited inside and outside the main hall.

Since Yu Wanyin has agreed, the marriage proposal is nothing more than a formality.

No one will make things difficult for Rong Si.

After the formalities, the royal banquet was held that evening.

This dinner was like a family dinner; there weren't many people, and they were all family members.

Yu Wanyin rested in the house until evening, and it was not yet time to set off.

Her seat was placed next to Shan Chenjun, and opposite Rong Si.

Yu Wanyin entered the hall and made an unexpected eye contact with Rong Si, who was sitting on the other side, before looking away.

She walked straight toward Shan Chenjun's location.

Shan Chenjun hasn't arrived yet, nor have his aunt and uncle.

Seeing that there were only servants around to deliver dinner, Rong Si got up.

Yu Wanyin felt inexplicably nervous because of his action of standing up.

It was probably an instinctive reaction to the oppressive and aggressive feeling that body left on her.

As he drew closer, Yu Wanyin held her breath slightly.

Rong Si stopped opposite her table, still maintaining the proper distance and etiquette one would show in public.

Rong Si pondered for a moment, still somewhat dissatisfied with the constraints of these rules that he wanted to follow but couldn't, "The wedding date is still a bit long."

Yu Wanyin looked at him, "When did you set it?"

September 16th.

Rong Si calculated that the earliest he could choose to go through the three letters and six rites was September 16th.

It's definitely not as convenient as bandits kidnapping brides.

Whoever gets it that day, it's his.

At least when dining out at banquets, you can stay close together instead of sitting far away across from each other.

It seems that Chu Yu is really patient.

Yu Wanyin was still thinking about yesterday's absurdity and didn't really want to talk to him right now. "It's alright."

Rong Si noticed something amiss upon hearing this and raised an eyebrow slightly. "I heard you summoned the imperial physician today?"

He sat down next to her before she arrived. "What's wrong?"

Yu Wanyin felt guilty whenever the imperial physician was mentioned.

Especially when I recall what the imperial physician said.

It promotes better blood circulation and warms the body daily to relieve coldness.

If Rong Si knew this, things would get very bad.

Yu Wanyin pondered for a moment, then said, "They said I have qi and blood deficiency and am too weak to take tonics."

Rong Si pondered for a moment, "But it only happened three times last night."

"You fell asleep a little after midnight, less than two hours later."

This is the level of frequency they've experienced.

Moreover, this happened several days later.

How could we still be losing money?

Yu Wanyin felt a tingling sensation in her ears and gently pinched him.

Coincidentally, welcoming voices came from outside the hall. Rong Si could no longer linger with Yu Wanyin and could only stand up to greet Yu Wanyin's family.

Gu Hong gestured that there was no need for formalities, but still said a lot of polite words.

We'll be family soon, no need to be so formal.

Shan Chenjun took his seat and placed a jade pot on the table, gesturing to Yu Wanyin, "Look what good things I brought you."

Yu Wanyin's attention fell on the things Shan Chenjun had brought.

She pinched the lid of the pot, opened it, and took a look.

It was white inside, emitting a peculiar milky aroma.

Is this milk tea?

Yu Wanyin really liked the milk tea that Shan Chenjun had prepared for her.

Later, I became very interested in milk soup drinks from the Western Regions.

With a smile, Shan Chenjun poured Yu Wanyin a cup of "Su Lao" (a type of sweet rice wine).

“Su Lao.” Yu Wanyin repeated the name, which sounded a lot like the crispy cheese from the Central Plains.

Yu Wanyin took the cup and sipped it lightly.

The cool, sweet sensation went down my throat and rolled over my stomach, quickly giving way to a feeling of warmth.

This is followed by a stimulating sensation that rushes straight into the nasal cavity.

"Is this wine?"

"Su Lao, a wine made from milk." Shan Chenjun leaned against the side. "How is it?"

Yu Wanyin nodded; she rarely drank alcohol.

To be honest, the last time I drank alcohol was on the night of my wedding with Chu Yu, when we drank the wedding wine.

That one time, she found the wine bitter and spicy.

It's not a very good drink.

But this one is a little different.

Yu Wanyin took another sip; it tasted very fresh.

Shan Chenjun watched as Yu Wanyin cautiously tried it, her eyes sparkling as if she had tasted something she liked, and he smiled, "Do you like it?"

Then she heard her well-behaved younger sister softly admit, "I like it."

Yu Wanyin said that the feeling of liking something is even more delightful than this sweet rice wine.

The cool, sweet sensation melts in her heart, always making her want to say more about how much she likes it.

I wanted to feed her everything.

Shan Chenjun poured her another cup, saying, "If you like it, drink more. I have plenty more."

Besides them, the family banquet also included two or three of Gu Hong's trusted advisors and important ministers, as well as Aunt Duan and the others who came from the village.

They were all meritorious officials in the war, and they had all been rewarded one by one.

There were no unfamiliar people among them, so she was able to relax a lot.

Yu Wanyin drank two more cups of sweet rice wine after a few visits.

Halfway through his drink, Shan Chenjun felt the sweet fermented rice wasn't strong enough, so he added another pot of strong liquor to the side.

Yu Wanyin knew she couldn't handle strong liquor, so she just focused on drinking her own sweet rice wine.

But it seems she can't drink too much sour rice wine.

Halfway through the banquet, Yu Wanyin sensed something was wrong with herself.

A subtle heat began to rise in my body.

The heat emanated from the waist and abdomen, spreading to every part of the body.

It felt as if a surge of heat filled her body, pushing her away, leaving her feeling light and weak.

Yu Wanyin sat blankly at the table, holding a cup of sweet fermented rice wine in her hand.

They are probably trying to figure out who the culprit is that has turned them into this.

Inside the hall, wine cups were clinked and wine was poured, and singing and dancing were in full swing.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air.

Yu Wanyin has always been a woman of few words.

So no one paid special attention to her unusual behavior.

On the other side, Rong Si noticed that Yu Wanyin hadn't spoken for a long time and looked over.

I found her still sitting upright in her seat, but at some point, she began to stare at the cup beside her, glaring at it with a resentful look.

Her eyelashes drooped.

The misty light in her eyes was obscured, and there was a barely perceptible blush at the corner of her eyes.

It resembled a light, translucent blush, like a flower that had been moistened with water.

But Rong Si knew that she rarely used rouge.

Rong Si gently twirled the cup between his fingers, staring intently at the person opposite him.

Soon, Shan Chenjun turned to Yu Wanyin to say something, but upon closer inspection, he seemed to notice Yu Wanyin's unusual behavior. He leaned on the table and looked down at Yu Wanyin, "Yaoyao?"

"Huh?" Yu Wanyin looked up at her.

Shan Chenjun's heart fluttered at her slightly slow reaction. "Are you drunk?"

"No." Yu Wanyin slightly tilted her eyes, her reaction revealing a subtle reluctance to admit anything. "I'm just tired."

Shan Chenjun's eyebrows curved into a smile, as if he had discovered something amusing, and he moved even closer.

Yu Wanyin noticed that she was being scrutinized. After a moment of hesitation, she retorted again, "I'm perfectly sober."

Shan Chenjun laughed even more heartily.

Yao Yao is a younger sister who remains dignified and gentle even when she's a little tipsy.

The delicate and refined look that had previously lingered at the corners of her eyes was now tinged with a blush.

It gives rise to a magnificent shimmering beauty.

"Okay, you're awake."

Yu Wanyin felt like she was losing her senses, and she was even contradicting herself, "How could this be intoxicating?"

Shan Chenjun also found it novel, saying, "We've never heard of anyone getting drunk from drinking su lao."

She originally thought that the sweet rice wine wouldn't make people drunk, which is why she dared to openly give it to Yu Wanyin to drink.

Soon, someone got up and went forward to offer a toast to the king and queen.

Yu Wanyin leaned on the table and sat quietly to the side.

Even if people looked over, they could hardly tell that she was somewhat drunk.

Aside from people who truly understand her every move and every reaction.

After paying his respects to the two high-ranking officials, the minister quickly approached Shan Chenjun and Yu Wanyin.

Since it was not proper to use sweet wine for toasting, the attendant, following the usual custom, poured wine into the cups prepared for the two of them.

Yu Wanyin knew at a glance that it was a strong, bitter liquor.

Shan Chenjun stood up.

Yu Wanyin had no choice but to get up as well.

No matter what, the proper etiquette must still be observed.

Yu Wanyin didn't listen carefully to what the minister said to Shan Chenjun.

Yu Wanyin had no interest in listening to what was said in front of her; she only felt increasingly dizzy.

It was probably a congratulatory message for her upcoming engagement and wedding.

The minister raised his wine cup.

The wine cup next to Yu Wanyin remained untouched. She was still hesitating, but after a moment of hesitation, Yu Wanyin knew in her heart that she definitely couldn't drink this cup of wine.

If you drink, you'll most likely lose your composure at the dinner party.

She didn't want to lose her composure.

But not drinking it seems like I'm being disrespectful to others.

Yu Wanyin hesitated for a moment, her thoughts drifting to Rong Si opposite her.

Rong Si was looking at her when suddenly her rosy, light gaze fell on him.

Her watery eyes were filled with difficulty, and she looked at him without flinching, looking at him pitifully, her eyes almost hooked.

Rong Si's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he stood up almost instinctively.

He strode over to them.

There aren't many rules at the dinner in Shigan. Everyone is already chatting happily on their own when people start toasting each other.

Even so, Rong Si's standing up still attracted considerable attention.

Ultimately, the reason for today's banquet is their wedding.

Hearing footsteps behind him, the minister turned around and saw Rong Si, and quickly greeted him.

Rong Si nodded briefly and walked over to the two of them.

Yu Wanyin said very softly, "You drink it for me."

Rong Si picked up the wine cup beside him and turned to the minister, saying, "Princess is weak and cannot hold her liquor. I will return this cup on her behalf."

The minister quickly replied, "There's no need for such politeness."

Rong Si finished the wine in his cup in one gulp, put it aside, and turned to see Yu Wanyin staring blankly.

After the minister left, Rong Si took a closer look at her.

Looking at it this way, the blush at the corner of her eyes is even more noticeable.

Rong Si had a vague guess in his heart, but he still asked knowingly, "What's wrong with you?"

Yu Wanyin spoke vaguely, deliberately avoiding mentioning that she was drunk, "I'm a little tired, can you take me home?"

Yu Wanyin turned around and greeted Shan Chenjun. She probably wanted to greet Gu Hong and Shan Yun as well, but Shan Chenjun stopped her.

Shan Chenjun gestured to Rong Si, "Alright, you should take her back now. I'll talk to them about what to do."

Rong Si agreed and took Yu Wanyin with him.

Yu Wanyin did not insist. She glanced at the high platform leading to her aunt and saw that there were more than a dozen steps.

She probably can't get up there now.

Even after leaving the main hall, Yu Wanyin maintained impeccable manners and remained calm and composed.

There is nothing unusual about it.

Only Rong Si, who was standing right next to her, could sense it.

She's become incredibly spoiled.

After taking only a few steps, Yu Wanyin reached out her hand and offered it to Rong Si, saying, "Help me."

Rong Si took her wrist and asked, "Have you been drinking?"

"A little bit."

Rong Si asked, "What kind of wine did you drink?"

"Smooth rice wine".

"Don't touch these next time."

Yu Wanyin's mind was still relatively clear. She knew what he was talking about and that Rong Si thought she couldn't hold her liquor. "I'm fine."

"I'm still perfectly sober. Don't think that just because I've had a little to drink, I'm not fully conscious..."

"What can I do?"

Yu Wanyin paused for a moment, then said, "You can do whatever you want with me."

Rong Si raised an eyebrow. "When have I ever manipulated you?"

Yu Wanyin looked up at him, her eyes filled with obvious reproach and resentment.

Rong Si spoke in a rare low and calm tone, "That's not manipulation."

How can having sex multiple times between a husband and wife be considered manipulation?

"Yes." They'd already manipulated her like that...

"Fine, I won't do anything to you." Rong Si didn't argue with the drunk man.

He knew she was stubborn, and right now she was being stubborn without any attempt to hide it.

Yu Wanyin gained the upper hand in the argument for a moment, and naturally felt pleased with herself.

The cool autumn breeze brought a slight chill, which eased the stuffiness and dizziness that Yu Wanyin had felt in the palace.

She remembered the culprit that had made her like this tonight, "but that sweet rice wine was actually quite delicious."

Would you like to try some?

"I won't taste it."

"Try it." Regardless of what he said, Yu Wanyin told someone to ask her elder sister for some and have it sent to her room.

Rong Si helped her back to her room, and Qing Song also took a pot of sweet rice wine from Shan Chenjun.

Yu Wanyin kept giving him a taste, as if once he tasted it, he would know that her excessive drinking today was not her fault.

"It's all because it tastes so good."

Rong Si hesitated for a moment as he looked at the wine cup that Yu Wanyin handed him.

Seeing that he didn't take it, Yu Wanyin directly held the wine cup to his lips.

Rong Si's thin lips touched her fingers directly.

The taste is sweet wine and milk, mixed with a faint lily of the valley fragrance.

Rong Si grasped her palm and, through her hand, fed her the wine into her mouth.

Even after finishing the drink, she didn't let go, her fingertips gently rubbing her fair and smooth white fingers against her palm.

"Is it good?"

Rong Si's voice deepened, "Mm."

Yu Wanyin poured him another cup, "You didn't want to drink it just now."

Rong Si hesitated for a moment, then squeezed her palm. "It's not that I don't want to drink."

Yu Wanyin's bones felt weak from his grip, and when she looked up, Rong Si happened to be leaning over.

Then she heard him tell her in a hoarse voice, "The medication I'm taking will lose its effectiveness if I drink too much alcohol."

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I've already decided on Chu Yu's meal! [doge emoji with rose in hand] For all the babies who want it, I'm trying my best to cook it.