"Stop pretending! Master, she's faking it all!" Irgen shouted at Hongshi.

Hongshi looked at the nearly collapsing Irgen clan member in astonishment, but Ulanara clan member beside him kept shaking her head and saying, "Madam, I really won't compete with you, I won't."

"Shut up!" Irgen wanted nothing more than to rush forward and tear off Ulanara Shuzhen's mask.

"Hua'er, this is a sacred Buddhist site. Can't we talk about this back at the manor?" Hongshi said quickly when he saw them like this.

"Yes, Madam, let's go back and talk about it. Let me help you to rest first," Chunqin quickly advised. She felt that Irgen's attack at this moment, without any evidence, was completely unwarranted, and shouldn't be spreading rumors in front of the men. Chunqin was much more clear-headed than her mistress, which was why Irgen had brought her along as part of her daughter's dowry.

Seeing that Hongshi didn't believe her, Irgen's anxious heart sank. Just then, the Fujin and Xueying walked over, and she immediately composed herself.

"What are you arguing about?" The princess's stern voice came from behind them.

"It's nothing, Hua'er is just feeling a little unwell. Mother, let's go back," Hongshi said quickly.

“Yes, Madam wasn’t feeling well just now, Mother, let’s go back as soon as possible,” Shuzhen quickly added.

The princess consort disliked Irgen to begin with, and when she heard that Irgen was unwell, she said with a long face, "If you're not feeling well, then don't come out with me. I wanted to try some of the vegetarian food here."

Seeing that the Fujin was blaming her, and thinking that Ulanara was the Fujin's own niece and would definitely protect her, she could only say, "It's all my fault. It's nothing serious. I'll go have a vegetarian meal with my mother."

Chunqin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped her up. The Fujin's expression softened slightly as she said, "Then let's go."

Seeing that his wife was displeased, Hongshi quickly stepped forward and personally took her hand to help her walk forward. Xueying and Shuzhen naturally followed closely behind, while the Irgen clan and their servants lagged behind.

Meanwhile, Hongli and Hongzhou were naturally not in a good mood when they saw that the matter had not been accomplished. After leaving Tantuo Temple, the two went to the most famous tavern in the temple.

Hongli knew Hongzhou was upset, because judging from Xueying's reaction, she seemed unable to accept it. Anyone with feelings for her should be able to tell how Hongzhou treated her!

Hongli couldn't say these things directly to Hongzhou, for fear of hurting his feelings!

“Hongzhou, I heard that the food at this restaurant is excellent. Let’s try it. Although Mother says we’re too young to drink alcohol, it’s okay to give it a try.” Hongli put his arm around Hongzhou’s shoulder and pulled him into the restaurant.

The waiter was slightly taken aback when he saw the two well-dressed young men enter, but he immediately greeted them with a big smile.

"Young masters! Please come in. Let me find you a good spot," the waiter said as he led Hongli and Hongzhou inside.

"Find us a quieter spot; it's too noisy here," Hongli said, glancing at the people in the hall with a frown.

"Of course, young masters, please come upstairs with me!" The waiter took a closer look at the clothes and accessories on Hongli and Hongzhou and knew that they were both like jade, raised in a wealthy land.

As the two ascended the creaking stairs, they saw that the entire upper floor had been partitioned by the shop owner into numerous "private rooms," though not like individual rooms. Clearly, the shop owner was a shrewd businessman; the "private rooms" were much smaller, but there were many more, allowing him to accommodate more guests simultaneously.

Hongli and Hongzhou were led to a room and sat down. The waiter quickly brought up the menu.

"Just bring out your most famous dishes, and also a bottle of your best wine," Hongli said generously, then took out a certain amount of silver from his sachet and gave it to the waiter.

The waiter's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the silver, and he said, "Alright, I'll bring it over right away."

“Mother forbids us from drinking alcohol.” Hongzhou, who had been listless, finally spoke up when he heard Hongli say that he wanted to serve wine.

“It’s nothing. It’s just a little bit. If you’re unhappy, a little drink will make you feel better,” Hongli said.

After the waiter brought out all the food and wine, Hongli poured a cup for Hongzhou first, pushed it in front of him and said, "She's just a woman. There are so many women in the world. Is there no one better than her?"

A shadow crossed Hongzhou's eyes as he looked at Hongli and said, "Hmm, I shouldn't be thinking about these things all day. It's more important to focus on my studies."

After saying that, he picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp.

Hongli said, "That's right. Marriage is also a matter of fate. If there is no fate, it is useless to force it. Besides, she didn't say anything, so you don't need to be so discouraged."

"Let me pour you a cup!" Hongzhou had also come to terms with things a bit, and quickly picked up the wine cup to pour it for Hongli.

This was the first time the two brothers had ever drunk outside. They were both young men, and it would have been impossible for them to do so in the mansion; no servant would dare to give them wine.

Because they had something on their minds, the wine tasted quite good, and the two brothers ended up drinking a little too much.

By the time they finally decided to stop drinking and ride back, they were already quite steady on their feet. They had come out naked, without even a servant.

"Hey, waiter, come here!" Hongli was already slurring his words. He saw the waiter who had been greeting them was attending to other guests, so he called out.

"Young master, is there anything else you need?" Seeing that Hongli was so generous, the waiter quickly left the other table of guests and ran to Hongli's side.

"I need you to do something for me." Hongli felt like the person in front of him was doubled. Hongzhou had already slumped onto the table.

"Then please give your instructions, young master!" the waiter said hastily.

"Go and hire a carriage for me. My brother and I can't ride horses anymore. Have that man take us back to the manor." Hongli took out another silver coin from his sachet and handed it to the young shop assistant.

"Alright, I'll get it done for you right away!" The young waiter was overjoyed. He had finally met a big customer today, who had given him several taels of silver as a tip.

After the young waiter had hired a carriage for Hongli and Hongzhou, he called another young waiter to help the two brothers down the stairs. Hongzhou seemed to be even less able to hold his liquor than Hongli, and was already so drunk that he could barely keep his eyes open. The two were put into the carriage, and the horses they had ridden were tied to the back of the carriage.