Chapter 372 Stealing Wine
With Jiang Huan's tacit approval, Mingzhu withdrew with a mysterious expression and skillfully made her way to Shen Yi's private residence.
The servants who were guarding her saw her and their master playing around every day, so they all knew each other and didn't dare to stop them forcefully. They were easily fooled by her words.
She successfully infiltrated the wine cellar, where, as expected, many fine items were displayed.
Mingzhu quickly found several tightly sealed wine jars by recalling the scent.
She leaned closer and took a sniff; a strong, spicy aroma of alcohol wafted out, just what she wanted.
Mingzhu was overjoyed. She picked up a jar of wine, turned around, and quickly slipped out, running all the way back to Weiyang Palace.
Back inside the hall, Mingzhu proudly placed the wine jar on the table, raising her chin with a smug air.
"Here you go, this is a fine wine from Shen Yi's private collection, guaranteed in quality and quantity!"
Jiang Huan was looking at the fragrant wine jar when she heard this and almost burst out laughing: "You're incredibly bold to steal Shen Yi's private stash? Those wines are his lifeblood."
“What do you mean by stealing!” Mingzhu said, hands on her hips, completely righteous. “By the time he finds out, I’ll have already finished drinking it. There’s no evidence! It’s his fault for always tattling on me like a ghost. This is interest!”
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became of her point. She couldn't wait to break the clay seal, and an extremely strong and mellow aroma of wine instantly filled the air, spicy with the fragrance of fruit and wood.
She picked up a small wine glass and carefully poured a tiny bit of the wine, which was amber in color and crystal clear.
She took a deep breath, held it, and sipped it.
"Cough cough cough... cough cough!"
The liquor burned her throat like fire, making her cough instantly. Her face scrunched up, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Wow, this is so spicy! What kind of liquor is this? It tastes like drinking knives!"
Seeing her like that, Jiang Huan quickly handed her a glass of warm water: "I told you it's strong liquor, but you insisted on trying it. Drink it slowly and eat some food to calm down."
Mingzhu gulped down a few mouthfuls of water to catch her breath, but after the burning sensation in her throat subsided, she felt a strange sweet aftertaste.
She clicked her tongue, a little unconvinced: "Hmph, it's spicy, but... but it's actually pretty good!"
She decided to give it another try.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, accompanied by Shen Yi's unusually exasperated voice, completely devoid of his usual composure.
"Mingzhu, come out here! Did you steal my Flaming Delight?!"
It turned out that when Shen Yi returned to the mansion to retrieve something today, he noticed something was wrong as soon as he entered the wine cellar: one of the strongest wines he treasured was missing.
Based on the servant's stammering description, he immediately identified the culprit and, in a fit of rage, chased after him.
Upon hearing Chen Yi's voice, Mingzhu was so startled that her hand trembled, and she almost dropped her wine glass.
Feeling guilty, she grabbed the wine jar and tried to hide behind Jiang Huan, while trying to appear calm: "Oh no, oh no, the debt collectors are here! Your Majesty, save me!"
Jiang Huan quickly pulled her back: "Slow down, slow down, don't smash the wine jar and add fuel to the fire."
Before the words were even finished, Shen Yi rushed in like a gust of wind. His usually smiling eyes were wide open, and his face was flushed with anger from his hurried pace.
He immediately noticed the wine jar that Mingzhu was tightly clutching in her arms, as well as the small wine cup on the table that had clearly been used. He was so angry that his hand was trembling as he pointed at her.
"You still dare to run? That liquor is extremely strong. How dare a little girl like you steal a drink? Put it down right now!"
Seeing that her escape route was blocked, Mingzhu simply hid the wine jar behind Jiang Huan, poked half her head out, stuck out her tongue at Chen Yi, and made a face.
"Hehe, you stingy little thing, what's wrong with having a little bit of your wine? You didn't finish it, so what... I'll just pay you back, there's definitely something better in the Imperial Uncle's storeroom!"
"Compensate? Can you afford to compensate me? I went through a lot of trouble to get that from a merchant from the Western Regions!"
Seeing her shameless behavior, Shen Yi became even angrier and, disregarding all decorum, rolled up his sleeves and was about to grab her.
"Give me back my wine!"
"I won't give it to you! Come and take it if you dare!" Mingzhu shrieked, and with a nimble movement, she grabbed the wine jar and began running in circles around the central round table.
Shen Yi was in hot pursuit.
One ran like a startled rabbit, her steps swift and her skirt fluttering; the other chased after her, losing his usual elegance, his hair disheveled, and the scene became quite chaotic.
"Stop right there!"
"I won't stop here, come and get me."
"Stop running, or you'll fall flat on your face!"
"Even if I fall and die, it's none of your business!"
Jiang Huan was dazzled by the two of them. Seeing these people, who were usually very particular about their image, chasing and playing like children, she couldn't help but cover her mouth with her sleeve and laugh so hard that her shoulders shook.
Haha, Weiyang Palace Kindergarten is open for the new semester!
Meanwhile, after finishing his official duties, Huo Lin habitually headed towards Weiyang Palace, his pace slightly faster than usual.
As soon as he stepped into the palace, the sight before him made him pause, and his eyebrows unconsciously rose.
Inside the hall, Shen Yi was chasing after Mingzhu with his sleeves rolled up, while Jiang Huan leaned leisurely on the soft couch, watching with great interest, her eyebrows curving into a smile.
Why is Shen Yi chasing Mingzhu like this? Is he playing tag?
[What's with Mingzhu making a funny face every second? Is she doing acrobatics?]
[What if we disturb Jiang Huan? Wait, why is she watching this like it's a show?]
What's wrong with this world...?
Jiang Huan spotted Huo Lin at a glance, and upon hearing his inexplicable thoughts, she laughed even harder and waved to him.
"You're here? Come watch Shen Yi and Mingzhu race! I bet a bag of pine nut candy that Mingzhu will win!"
Upon hearing this, Huo Lin smiled and walked over to sit down next to her.
"Okay, then I'll be your opponent."
Never mind, as long as she's happy.
Thinking this, Huo Lin didn't stop her at all, and even helped her tidy her sideburns.
At this moment, Shen Yi, who was panting heavily from chasing, finally spotted Huo Lin. His movements froze instantly, and a hint of embarrassment at being caught in his own predicament by his friend flashed across his face, which quickly turned into a sense of resignation.
He stopped abruptly, hands on his hips, panting, and complained to Huo Lin, "You've finally arrived! Look at your good niece, stealing wine from me in broad daylight!"
Mingzhu also took the opportunity to slip behind Jiang Huan and peek out.
"You bully me every day, so what's wrong with me taking some compensation?"
Huo Lin looked at the two of them, and the corners of his mouth began to turn up again.
Well, those two clowns are together again.
[Why do I have this feeling of becoming a father prematurely?]
He cleared his throat and deliberately put on a stern face.
"What's going on? Where's your decorum and dignity? Have you both completely abandoned them?"
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