24 After drinking
◎Lu Jing's breathing stagnated for a moment◎
Since you have accepted the birthday gift, it is only natural to return the favor.
Unlike the noisy luncheon, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao entertained only one person in the most luxurious private room of Wangyun Tower.
The moon rose above the willows, and layers of lights lit up in Wangyun Tower. A pair of octagonal glass lanterns slowly rotated, casting a dazzling light.
Gu Ningxi hadn't been to this restaurant in a long time, yet she knew its signature dishes by heart. In recent years, with Prince Zhao's military campaigns, Wangyunlou has gradually hired renowned chefs, becoming increasingly renowned in Kyoto, with seats scarcely being available.
Gu Ningxi wasn't wearing her official uniform today, so there was no need for them to be restrained during their private gathering. As usual, she selected her favorite dishes. After all, Wangyun Tower was Prince Zhao's private property, so there was no need to be polite.
There were three pots of different fine wines on the table. Gu Ningxi couldn't tell what kind of wine they were, but he knew that the one in the middle was probably Jiuyun sake, which was rare even in the palace.
Naturally, a few glasses of wine were necessary to celebrate His Highness Prince Zhao's birthday. Gu Ningxi took the silver pot and poured wine for himself and him. "But let me be clear, my alcohol tolerance is far inferior to that of Marquis Wu'an and his companions. I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy your Highness to your heart's content today."
Lu Jing smiled faintly. Gu Ningxi believed that his alcohol tolerance had improved over the years, so a few drinks would be fine.
The patterns engraved on the silver cup were very delicate. Gu Ningxi clinked glasses with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and drank from the first cup.
The wine has a mellow aroma and a sweet aftertaste.
As the dishes were served one by one, the waiters left for the outer room.
Gu Ningxi and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao were having a meal. There were eight exquisite dishes on the table, half of which were famous dishes from all over the world that Gu Ningxi had never seen before.
She tasted each dish with great interest, especially the peony bird's nest in the center. After taking three bites, she exclaimed in surprise, "This is actually white radish?"
The chef is an excellent carver. He uses shredded white radish to simulate bird's nest, and then adds ham, minced chicken and other precious ingredients to form a peony shape. The soup is clear and delicious, with a smooth texture, and is full of color, aroma and taste.
Lu Jing smiled and nodded. "This is the first dish of the Luoyang Water Feast. I heard that when Wang Xingman proclaimed himself emperor and held a banquet for his ministers, he specifically requested Peony Bird's Nest."
A peony cake was served on the side, and Gu Ningxi sampled it as well. She and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had known each other since childhood, and once they got the conversation started, they could talk about anything. Family anecdotes, court anecdotes, military insights, local scenery—it covered everything, and there was no need to worry about the other party not being able to keep up.
Another glass of wine was filled, and they talked about the Battle of Sishui Pass, where His Royal Highness Prince Zhao defeated Zhao Jianan's army of 100,000 with only 3,500 cavalrymen. The story had become legendary. With the real master sitting right in front of him, Gu Ningxi couldn't help but ask for confirmation.
She asked curiously, "Did Zhao Jianan really say this to His Highness after he was captured? 'If I don't come, I'll have to trouble you to lead the troops on a long expedition in the future.'"
"Indeed," Lu Jing said with a smile, "Zhao Jianan can be considered a hero of his generation."
Luoyang was under siege, and Wang Xingman sent envoys to request assistance. Zhao Jianan, a man of great loyalty, immediately led an army of 100,000 to reinforce, but was unfortunately defeated.
"It's actually true. When my cousin told me, I thought it was just a storyteller's rumor."
Gu Ningxi clinked glasses with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, and after three rounds of drinks, she became more talkative.
She talked about her recent troubles: "It's been over a month since I last showed His Highness the Jiangdong plow, and there's still no significant progress."
The idea was good. She wanted to control how deep the plowshare went into the soil, but she tried several methods and couldn't do it.
She was not asking for help from His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, but was a little drunk and complained to her friend.
"I'm not busy for the next few days, so I plan to go to the Ministry of Industry's library and take a look. Maybe I can find some ideas in the ancient books."
"That's an idea."
Lu Jing nodded. As for why Yuan Le was busy recently, he was probably busy preparing birthday gifts, right?
…
As dusk faded, Emperor Mingde had dinner in Fengyi Palace in the evening.
He remembered that among the dishes prepared by the kitchen today, two were Qi'an's favorites, so he specially ordered someone to send them to Prince Zhao's palace.
However, when the eunuchs came back to report, they said that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was not at home, so they could only hand over the gifted dishes to the steward of the palace.
"Not in the palace?"
Emperor Mingde immediately noticed something unusual. Today was Qi'an's birthday, and he had no official duties, so why was he not at home?
Li Ji reported, "Your Majesty, the gatekeeper of Prince Zhao's palace reported that Your Highness has an appointment tonight."
As for who it is with, no information has been found yet.
Li Ji asked, "Shall I send someone to find out more?"
"No need." Emperor Mingde had already figured out some tricks and was afraid of alerting the boy.
After his birthday this year, Qi'an would have been twenty-three. If he hadn't been away on military campaigns, he would have married a princess long ago. Emperor Mingde had been preoccupied with this matter for the past two years, secretly keeping the most outstanding girls from the noble families in Kyoto for Qi'an. He had originally planned to formally discuss his marriage with Qi'an in the near future, but he was caught off guard by this news.
Seeing Emperor Mingde's expression of being unable to speak, Empress Yao smiled and shook her head, reminding him, "What if Qi'an is just having a small gathering with friends in the capital? Your Majesty, you are being too suspicious."
Emperor Mingde trusted his father's intuition: "Didn't all his friends gather at the luncheon?"
That being said, to be on the safe side, Emperor Mingde still summoned his attendants and gave them some instructions with concern.
Qi'an had grown up, and his thoughts were full of hidden secrets. Emperor Mingde didn't expect to get any information from Prince Zhao's palace, so he planned to start from other places.
Empress Yao gestured to the serving maid to serve the soup to His Majesty. She smiled and said, "The lotus flowers in Penglai Pond are in bloom. I was originally thinking of inviting the young ladies of marriageable age from aristocratic families to the palace to enjoy the flowers. I would like to ask Your Majesty's opinion."
"You arrange it," Emperor Mingde readily agreed. "The Crown Prince married the Crown Princess two years ago, and Qi'an and Chengyu are also at the age to start their own families."
After dinner, the couple chatted under the window and discussed the list of noble ladies for the flower-viewing banquet.
The black and white pieces fought back and forth, and it was difficult to tell who would win for a while.
While Emperor Mingde was holding his son in deep thought, the attendants he had sent out earlier had returned to report.
The emperor, under the pretext of bestowing fresh fruit, sent his men to visit several of the residences. To avoid any disturbance, the officials of the Eastern Palace, Emperor Mingde, also treated them equally.
Several young ministers received the emperor's grace at night and felt the blessing of the royal family.
Emperor Mingde had a son, but he was not Marquis Wu'an, nor was he the nephew of the Zhen family. They all came out in person to express their gratitude.
His smile was meaningful. What an extraordinary guest he was, worthy of a private invitation from King Zhao.
Empress Yao couldn't bear to see her son crying for food: "If Your Majesty is curious, why not ask Qi'an directly?"
"It would be pointless to expose it too early."
The Crown Prince shared the burden of state affairs, so Emperor Mingde had a lot of free time.
But what Zi Tong said made sense. The emperor said, "I'll ask him when the opportunity arises."
…
A crescent moon hangs in the sky, shining brightly.
The wine jug on the table was empty. Gu Ningxi drank two kinds of wine together and was a little drunk at this moment.
However, she was a good drinker. Even when drunk, she just lay there quietly and continued to ask His Royal Highness Prince Zhao to tell her about the customs and cultures of different places.
Her eyes sparkled after drinking. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had been on the march and had visited countless places, and had also seen the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Great Jin.
Unlike her, she has been serving as an official in the capital and has not found a suitable opportunity to be transferred to other places.
With her current official position, even if she were promoted to a higher rank, her salary would probably not be enough to support her mother.
That's why she thought of saving more money, so that when she had enough experience and could become a fourth-rank prefect, she could take her mother away.
She really didn't want to get involved in any dispute over who would be the crown prince or who would be the heir to the throne.
"Have you ever been to Jiangnan Road, Your Highness?" she asked.
Lu Jing shook his head: "But I heard that the scenery of Jiangnan is the best in the world and it has been prosperous since ancient times."
Gu Ningxi replied slowly, "My cousin has been there, and he told me the same thing. The misty waters of Jiangnan are vast and boundless, and there is great potential for hydrology. The misty and rainy Jiangnan..."
Lu Jing took a moment to react before she remembered that the cousin she was referring to should be Meng Ting, the eldest son of the Meng family.
The voice of the person lying on the table gradually weakened and his breathing became longer and longer.
Fell asleep?
Lu Jing smiled helplessly and moved the wine cup that Gu Ningxi was still holding away.
Sleeping here wasn't appropriate, Lu Jing thought, trying to wake him first. The candlelight in the room flickered softly. The candlelight reflected on the sleeping figure's face, casting a warm glow on his jade-like features. It was a beautiful and tranquil scene, like a painting.
Lu Jing's breathing stagnated for a moment, and his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.
He lowered his eyes to look at the sleeping person. Although they had grown up together, it seemed like this was the first time he had looked at him like this. He had always known that Yuan Le was a good child. When his mother saw him in the palace, she fell in love with this jade-like little child.
Later, when he entered the Imperial College, there were always some ignorant classmates who mocked Yuan Le, who was only eleven or twelve years old, for being handsome and even more delicate than a girl.
At that time, he and Yuan Le happened to pass by, and without a word, Yuan Le rolled up his sleeves and went forward to fight, punching the leader in the face. The other side was outnumbered, and he saw that Yuan Le's skills were definitely going to be a disadvantage.
So what else could he do besides stepping forward to help?
As long as the guards are not called, this fight can be attributed to the mischief of teenagers.
He also has to help Yuan Le vent his anger.
In this battle, they defeated seven or eight opponents, and from then on there was no such voice in the Imperial College.
Of course, punishment was inevitable afterwards, and he took all the responsibility on himself in front of the school principal.
When his father wanted to discipline him personally, he had his own excuses: "I fought with my bare hands, I didn't bully anyone; I won, I didn't bring shame to you, my father."
To be honest, the other side is outnumbered and bullying the minority.
Mother knew the whole story and protected them first. This fight was indeed justified and had not tarnished the reputation of the Prince of Jin's Mansion.
In the end, he and Yuan Le were each punished to copy the third volume of Er Ya Zhu Shu eight times, while the other group was punished to copy twice as much. Yuan Le silently copied the ancient book's annotations seven times for him.
Coincidentally, when Yuan Le took the imperial examination, the content of this volume was included in the test questions.
Seventeen-year-old Yuan Le was a top scholar in the imperial court, full of ambition and vigor. Three years after their separation, his memory of him remained stuck on the day he rode his horse through the streets, Yuan Le in a crimson robe, his arms filled with bouquets and sachets.
Looking at him now under the lamplight, the twenty-year-old Yuan Le's face had become even more vibrant. The jade crown holding his dark hair was slightly askew, but it seemed to add a touch of elegance. Yuan Le's eyebrows and eyes were each exquisitely refined, and his embroidered green robe was slightly wrinkled, making the skin at his neck appear even more dazzlingly white.
Lu Jing suddenly felt a little hot. He looked away and looked at the empty wine jugs piled on the table.
He seemed to have drunk too much tonight.
Lu Jing withdrew his hand, stood up, and pushed open a window to the east. The cool night breeze blew away the heat in the room.
The room was silent for a moment or two. After Lu Jingxin calmed down, he turned around and looked at his sleeping friend silently.
I still can’t drink as much, he thought.
In the silence, Gu Ningxi seemed to sense his disgust and suddenly woke up.
Perhaps she knew subconsciously that this was not a place to sleep peacefully.
She looked blankly at the sky outside, her gaze fixed on His Royal Highness Prince Zhao standing by the window: "Should we... go home?"
She thought cowardly in her heart that if she didn't go back, her mother would scold her.
Lu Jing didn't say much, just nodded: "Okay."
Sun Jing was already waiting outside, and ordered his attendants to harness the carriage.
After drinking five or six glasses of wine, Gu Ningxi was now in a state of being neither drunk nor sober, and he walked fairly steadily.
Her mind was full of random thoughts, especially when she reached the stairs. Gu Ningxi kept repeating in her heart, "I can't step on empty space, I can't step on empty space, otherwise His Royal Highness Prince Zhao might have to catch her."
It was written like this in the script, and Gu Ningxi felt embarrassed just thinking about it.
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had obviously drunk much more than her, yet he walked ahead as if nothing had happened.
Gu Ningxi took one deep step and one shallow step down the stairs, then paused silently. She looked at the bony hand stretched out in front of her.
Lu Jing spoke calmly, thinking that he was just caring about his friend, just like before.
He said, "Be careful."
【Author’s words】
Classmates laughed at the girl for looking like a little girl. Xiao Lu said: They are blind.
Xiao Lu several years later: ...
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