28 Husband
◎ "Is it a gift from the girl you like?"◎
In the duty room in the west courtyard of Prince Zhao's mansion, the documents on the desk in front of Gu Ningxi were divided into two piles, which seemed as high as a small mountain.
Most of them were picked out by her from the warehouse of the Ministry of Works, and a small part was found for her by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Gu Ningxi flipped through the books one by one. Although he had not found any useful ideas on how to improve the Jiangdong plow, he believed that reading is beneficial and it never hurts to read more books.
She looked at the sky outside. Today's lunch was to be had at Wangyun Tower, ostensibly to celebrate the great victory in the polo match.
Logically speaking, this battle had nothing to do with Gu Ningxi, but she had joked with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao about a celebration banquet the day before, and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao actually took her along.
Xie Qian also said, "It's okay to relax for a while and share in the good cheer."
After burying himself in paperwork for two consecutive days, Gu Ningxi thought that what he said made sense.
Moreover, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao chose the days when he was on duty, which would not take up his rest time.
After turning the last two pages in his hand, Gu Ningxi placed the book on his right hand.
She sat quietly for a while, and only she knew that there was another purpose for this trip.
It was always inconvenient to wear official uniform when going out for a drink, so Gu Ningxi specially prepared an extra brocade robe when he went out in the morning.
She closed the window and carefully bolted the door before changing her clothes in the duty room.
He only needed to change into his outer robe, fasten his leather belt, and get ready. When Gu Ningxi arrived at the front yard of Prince Zhao's mansion, he would be able to ride in His Highness Prince Zhao's carriage.
"Let's go." Lu Jing nodded slightly to him.
Gu Ningxi agreed with a smile, figuring that she would be back before noon for the lunch.
They arrived neither too early nor too late. Gu Ningxi observed that, apart from herself and Lord Wei, the remaining guests were all military officers serving under Prince Zhao, having fought alongside him in numerous campaigns and achieved remarkable military success. They all held official positions within the court, some even receiving titles. Among them, Xie Qian, Marquis of Wu'an, held the most prominent position.
As officials in the same court, Gu Ningxi knew most of them, though they weren't close friends. He even played polo with a few of them in the past.
She sat at the lower left of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and chatted with Marquis Wu'an and others without feeling too restrained.
Because it was a celebration banquet, the atmosphere was very relaxed and the seating arrangements were not particular.
Several jars of fine wine were prepared in the private room, all treasured from the cellars of Prince Zhao's palace. Gu Ningxi looked at the officers, each one more guzzler than the other, downing more than a dozen glasses of wine without batting an eyelid.
With few people offering to offer her wine, Gu Ningxi lowered her head and ate her meal, her gaze occasionally scanning the surroundings. She picked up her chopsticks, her mind racing back to the scenes from her dream, hoping to compare them for any new clues. However, after the coup, she had been imprisoned in the palace's secret chambers. The only people she saw were the servants who delivered her meals three times a day, and she had never heard even the sounds of fighting. As for the others, aside from Xie Qian, Marquis of Wu'an, she had no clear memory of them.
"What were you looking at this half?"
Hearing the voice, Gu Ningxi raised his eyes to look at His Royal Highness Prince Zhao who was sitting above him.
She did not attract attention at the table and her movements were clearly very careful.
Gu Ningxi pursed her lips and answered without a single leak: "I was wondering who would get drunk first. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Lu Jing smiled and said, "It's still very early."
Gu Ningxi poured half a glass of wine, toasted His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, and calmly passed on his question.
She couldn't help but think in her heart that those who had been to the battlefield were indeed perceptive. She hadn't done anything yet, but he had already noticed her.
With the previous experience as a lesson, Gu Ningxi could only be more obedient in the second half and did not dare to participate too much.
The banquet was already halfway through, and drinking alone was of course boring, so the guests prepared to play drinking games.
So the table was reserved and everyone moved to the side room and sat down at the long table.
The sun is shining brightly outside the window, and the ice in the ice jar brings bursts of coolness.
Each person was given a new wine cup, and two maids used silver spoons to scoop wine and record the punishment.
Most of the people present were military generals, so it was difficult to follow the elegant order. Gu Ningxi and Wei Fan followed the local customs.
Taking into consideration that they were civil officials, when others were fined five spoonfuls, they only had to be fined one spoonful.
Gu Ningxi readily agreed. With one spoonful against five, she could definitely hold out for a few more rounds. Wei Fan, more assertive than her, offered two spoonfuls to counter five.
When you are fined to drink, you don’t have to drink it immediately. You can keep it in the cup for a while and wait for three or five good friends to drink it together.
Gu Ningxi sat beside His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, her mind clear. With a surge of confidence, she waited for the show to begin.
The first round of drinking games involves rolling dice and guessing the number.
The dice cup holds three dice. First, you roll them once to determine the number—for example, five plus two plus two equals nine. Then, everyone guesses whether the next number will be higher or lower than nine. If you guess wrong, you'll be fined. Each player takes a turn rolling the dice. The dealer determines the fine, which can be doubled at will. Although this often backfires, the players never tire of this game.
The sum of the points in this round is sixteen. In terms of probability, the next round of points shaken by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is more likely to be smaller than it.
But this is the secret of the game. Gu Ningxi acted on his intuition and resolutely bet on big.
Seeing that Lord Gu was so confident, Xie Qian also began to waver and changed his answer at the last moment.
Then the numbers came out: one, three, two, only six. Gu Ningxi rubbed his forehead, not knowing where this feeling came from.
Lu Jing smiled softly: "How did you calculate it?"
Gu Ningxi smiled bitterly: "I just made a wrong bet." This time, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao ordered even more wine as punishment, a total of twenty-five spoonfuls, a full two cups.
The maid poured more wine for Lord Gu. Xie Qian, who was dragged into the water, raised his glass and shared the same punishment with Lord Gu.
Lu Jing looked at the person beside him. His fair face was already stained with a layer of radiant crimson, and his eyes were sparkling.
"Come again." Gu Ningxi took the dice cup from His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
The dice kept rolling, and everyone on the field slowly took their turns. Gu Ningxi lost more than she won, but since she was only fined one spoonful, she naturally drank the least of all the people.
The atmosphere was much more lively than when we first arrived, so someone suggested playing hidden hook.
The rules are simple. A dozen or so players are divided equally into two teams. A jade hook is taken. One team selects a player and hides the hook in their hand. The other team then takes turns guessing whose hand the hook is hidden in, the left or right. If a player guesses incorrectly, they drink a penalty. If no one on one team guesses correctly, the other team wins.
A small and exquisite jade hook was first handed to Gu Ningxi.
The eight people opposite were very graceful, all waiting with their backs turned.
Once the jade hook is hidden, the game officially begins.
One after another, people guessed wrong, and as they drank glass after glass of wine, there were fewer and fewer people around Gu Ningxi who seemed to have the correct answer.
Finally, it was His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's turn, and Gu Ningxi met his gaze.
"Here." Lu Jing pointed to her right hand.
"Your Highness, are you sure?" Gu Ningxi did not open his left hand, but held it loosely.
She continued, "Your Highness, why don't you look at other people? Perhaps the jade hook is on someone else."
There was a smile in her eyes, but Lu Jing did not change his answer.
"Right hand."
"Okay."
Gu Ningxi seemed to sigh, but when he opened his right hand, it was empty.
She proudly placed her empty palm next to her cheek so that the person opposite her could see clearly and accept the punishment.
She raised her eyebrows cheerfully: "Your Highness lost, but I did remind you."
All is fair in war, and it is a hint that is difficult to distinguish between true and false.
Her palms were as white as jade, her fingers long and beautiful. As she moved, her sleeves fell slightly, revealing a small section of her slender, white wrist.
Lu Jing's movements hesitated slightly, he knew how delicate and soft that hand was when he held it.
In broad daylight, Lu Jing was shocked when he realized what he was thinking, and then smiled silently to himself.
What on earth is he thinking about?
No maid was needed, and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao poured himself a full cup of wine.
He tilted his head back and drank it, his Adam's apple rolling, suppressing the heat in his heart.
…
It was almost noon, and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao still had government affairs to attend to, so he had to leave first.
Gu Ningxi left with him and drank one last glass at the table, which also cleared the remaining wine in the glass.
Little by little, it adds up. Gu Ningxi looked at her half-full glass of wine. She'd been fined more than she'd drunk, and before she knew it, she'd accumulated this much.
The wine was a bit strong, and Gu Ningxi's face turned bitter. According to the rules of the table, there should be no leftover wine after leaving the table.
Lu Jingben restrained himself from looking at him, but when he caught a glimpse of the man's worried look out of the corner of his eye, he felt a little helpless.
He said nothing, but placed his wine cup in front of Gu Ningxi.
Gu Ningxi's brows lit up when she realized what Prince Zhao meant. She poured out the entire amount of wine in her glass, leaving the last three spoonfuls for herself.
"alright?"
"Um."
Lu Jing raised his wine cup, and everyone toasted, respectfully bidding farewell to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. The drinking game continued in the private room, and Lu Jing ordered his attendants to bring a few more jars of fine wine, allowing them to enjoy themselves to their heart's content.
Laughter and cheers filled the corridors, and Gu Ningxi was in a good mood. They didn't have to work today, after all, one of the prizes for the winner of the polo match was a two-day holiday.
Back at the duty room in Prince Zhao's mansion, Gu Ningxi hadn't drunk much at the banquet, so she could still get on with her work. She opened a book and quickly became absorbed in it.
In the study room in the east courtyard, Sun Jing was ordered to bring a bowl of sobering soup.
He was worried about how much His Highness had drunk at the banquet and whether he needed to sober up, but when he saw His Highness's clear-headed expression, it seemed that it was not as bad as he had expected.
"Put it here."
"Yes." Sun Jing saluted and said, "Would you like to send a bowl to Lord Gu?"
He remembered that Lord Gu had a moderate alcohol tolerance. Lu Jing was silent for a moment and said, "Alright."
Sun Jing excused himself, and the study returned to silence. The hangover soup gradually cooled until it was only a little hot, but no one touched it.
Lu Jing stared at the bowl of light-colored soup for a long time, thinking that he must be drunk.
Otherwise, how could I have such beautiful thoughts?
…
In the height of summer in June, the lotus flowers are beautiful.
The Empress Dowager is hosting a Fenghe Banquet in the palace, scheduled for the fifth day of June, and invitations have been sent to each residence.
The Xuanping Marquis's residence was naturally among the invited guests. The palace's intention was clear: to select princesses for the princes. After discussion, the Marquis's residence selected two young ladies of appropriate age from the eldest son's family to attend the banquet.
Gu Ningxi returned home after finishing her shift and found that the matter had been handed over to his mother. Madam Shen had pleaded ill health and was unable to attend to the matter. His mother was in charge of the Third and Fifth Young Misses' attire and jewelry for the banquet, taking care of everything and even asking the Nanny to teach them the etiquette and rules of the palace.
"Mrs. Shen doesn't seem very happy." Gu Ningxi accompanied her mother to drink tea and heard the maid in Qinlan Courtyard say.
Gu Ningxi could somewhat guess the reason. Her elder sister was already engaged, and her chosen one was the son of the Duke of Ning. The Duke of Ning's mansion was the maternal family of the current emperor, even more prestigious than the Marquis of Xuanping's. If this marriage went through, her elder sister would become the Crown Prince's wife, in charge of the household.
Madam Shen was originally very satisfied with this marriage and had been in contact with the Ningguo Mansion for three years. However, she never expected that after the fate had been decided, the royal family would spread rumors that they would choose a princess.
There is absolutely no reason for the Xuanping Marquis' Mansion to go back on its word. Madam Shen only has one daughter, so the matter of her entering the palace to be selected as a concubine will be left to others.
Thinking that her legitimate daughters might be outshined by concubines in the future, especially since the third and fifth daughters were born to the favored concubine Ye, Madam Shen felt unhappy. She simply let it go, believing that out of sight, out of mind.
Gu Ningxi lowered her head to sip her tea. Her elder sister's marriage to the Ningguo Mansion was already one in a million. How could Madam Shen have everything?
"Did Mother say so?"
Mrs. Meng smiled gently. She didn't think marrying into a wealthy family was a good marriage. A large and noble family had its own hardships. She only hoped her daughter could find a gentle and considerate husband and live a peaceful and smooth life.
…
As the sun set in the west, Sun Jing led his men to prepare utensils and clean water according to the instructions of His Royal Highness King Zhao.
Lu Jing studied the red sandalwood waterwheel before him. He'd been feeling rather uneasy for the past two days. Perhaps it was the midsummer heat, making him a bit restless. He found a reason and tried to reason it out.
Not wanting to deal with the remaining government affairs, Lu Jing simply tried out the waterwheel given by Yuan Le.
It would be best to choose a pool of running water, but I am in a hurry today, so I can only wait until I have free time another day to go to the other garden.
Lu Jing turned the mechanism, and the intricately carved buckets on the waterwheel began to rotate in sequence. It would be even more interesting once it was filled with water.
He was concentrating on this, and the maid outside the study bowed silently.
"How old are you, and you're still playing this?" Emperor Mingde watched with interest for a long time at the door.
"Father." Lu Jing stood up.
Today, Emperor Mingde had nothing to do, so he went to visit Prince Zhao's mansion without informing anyone in advance.
He waved his hand to signal Lu Jing to excuse himself from the formalities and sit in his seat.
After Sun Jing served tea, he and his attendants withdrew from the study, not wanting to interrupt the conversation between His Majesty and His Highness. Emperor Mingde gently moved the teacup, surveyed the waterwheel, and remarked, "This ornament is quite exquisitely crafted."
He remembered that the palace had also made several new rosewood carvings, but they were far less interesting than the one before him.
"If you like it, you can go to the palace storehouse and pick it out when you have time."
"Thank you, Father."
Emperor Mingde took in his son's expression and understood his intention even more. Prince Zhao's palace was filled with treasures, but Qi'an had never cherished them so much, even placing them on his desk every day.
Tsk tsk tsk.
The emperor smiled meaningfully: "Is it a gift from the girl you like?"
Being teased by his father, Lu Jing smiled and shook his head: "No, it's——"
When the words came to his lips, he was suddenly startled.
【Author’s words】
Coming, coming
I'll fix it later, muah!
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