Chapter 355 Drinking
Huo Lin froze, even his breath caught in his throat.
[That traitor Shen Yi! Wasn't it he who led me astray in the first place!]
[I, I, I read those books only to maintain harmony in my marriage; I had absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever!!]
What if she misunderstands me and thinks I have dirty thoughts?!
He forced himself to remain calm, his glare so sharp it could have ripped Shen Yi apart, and gritted his teeth as he said, "They're just miscellaneous books about strange tales of mountains and seas and the secret realm of Penglai. If you like them, I'll give you a whole box!"
Shen Yi narrowed his eyes and dropped another bombshell: "Oh, so all that time the Emperor was up late at night, with the lamp burning and his head covered by a brocade quilt, was just watching gods and monsters?"
He shook his head mysteriously and looked at Jiang Huan: "I don't believe it, Your Majesty, do you believe it?"
Come on, let's hurt each other!
Sure enough, before Jiang Huan could do anything, Huo Lin almost jumped up.
【Shen Yi! Are you going to ruin me?!】
The veins on his forehead throbbed as he racked his brains to smooth things over: "Didn't you want a book? I'll take you to the study right now, so you can see for yourself. Is that alright?"
Shen Yi smiled and said, "Remember to bring some good wine. I want the most fragrant jar from your private stash."
Huo Lin was furious. He took a deep breath and turned to Jiang Huan, trying to explain in a natural tone.
"He suffered some grievances today. I will accompany him to the side hall for a couple of drinks. You rest first, I will be right back."
Jiang Huan looked at his angry and guilty expression, and then at Shen Yi's sly smile.
To be honest, this scene of friends tearing each other apart is really putting her nasolabial folds to the test!
Oh dear, we're all adults now. Reading some erotic books and learning new tricks can be a fun activity, can't it?
After all, the actual experience was quite good, cough cough...
She didn't show it on her face, only nodded, and even considerately added, "Okay, go ahead, but drink less, it's bad for your health."
Seeing how understanding she was, Huo Lin cursed Shen Yi in his heart even more.
Look, look, how considerate she is. Then look at Shen Yi, all he knows is how to trick me.
Just wait, I'll settle the score with him sooner or later!
He glared at Shen Yi, then stood up and walked towards the side hall first.
Shen Yi curled his lips smugly, bowed to Jiang Huan, and quickly followed.
Inside the side hall, wine and dishes had already been prepared.
Huo Lin sat down with a sullen face, looking at Shen Yi's face, and felt a surge of anger: "Are you a three-year-old child? You were bullied, and you expect me to help you heal your wounds?"
Shen Yi stopped acting, plopped down opposite Huo Lin, and poured himself a full glass of wine.
"This isn't about healing, it's about settling scores!"
He touched the back of his neck, which was throbbing slightly, and felt like crying but couldn't. He didn't even bother to drink the wine; he just started complaining.
"I've devoted myself to you, risking my life, venturing into danger to meet those Western Region spies, putting my life on the line to gather information for you, and what did I get in return? I was stabbed in the back by one of my own people! And it was just a little girl! Can you believe how wronged I am?"
Huo Lin gave him a disgruntled look.
"Stop playing the victim here. Haven't I already sent the culprit to serve you tea and water as atonement? What more do you want?"
Mentioning this only fueled Shen Yi's anger. He swiftly picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp, raising his voice several decibels.
"Make amends for my sins? Don't even mention it. You didn't see it. That girl was scared like a quail in the side hall, sobbing and choking. Before I could even say anything, she suddenly bowed three times to me, each bow deeper than the last. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was mourning my death. My injuries hadn't even healed, and she almost sent me to my grave first!"
Hearing his exaggerated description, Huo Lin imagined the scene and couldn't help but twitch his lips, almost bursting out laughing. He quickly turned his head away and coughed twice.
These two are such a pair of lovable clowns.
When Shen Yi saw Huo Lin still laughing, he angrily pointed to the plaster on the back of his neck.
"Look at this spot, look at this shady location! If it were any more off-center, would I still be here drinking with you? I'd be lying on the floor by now!"
Huo Lin looked over and saw that the redness and swelling had not subsided, which was somewhat shocking.
He knew that being tempered by countless trials was one thing, but being in pain was another.
The schadenfreude had faded somewhat, but the words still wouldn't hold back.
"Stop exaggerating here. The imperial physician said it's just a skin wound and will heal in a couple of days. Go to the private treasury and pick out some rare herbs and fine wines yourself. Consider it my apology on behalf of Mingzhu. As for that brat, I'll reprimand her later."
"Discipline? Absolutely!" Shen Yi downed another glass, leaned closer to Huo Lin, and began to ramble on, reeking of alcohol. "I'm so miserable. I'm so handsome and dashing, when have I ever suffered such humiliation? If word gets out, how will I ever face anyone again?"
Huo Lin just mumbled "uh-huh" to appease him, occasionally offering a few words of comfort.
Until after several rounds of drinks.
Shen Yi was unhappy, so he got drunk very quickly. He was already dazed and hung on Huo Lin's arm, the wine cup in his hand swaying, spilling the remaining wine, which splashed onto the sleeves and front of Huo Lin's black dragon robe, soaking the area.
The strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the air, and both of them were stunned.
Shen Yi, slightly drunk, glanced at his empty cup, then at Huo Lin's soaked clothes, blinked, and seemed not quite in a state of shock.
"Uh...it spilled?"
Huo Lin, his face dark, squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.
"fine."
Forget it, he won't bother arguing with the drunkard who was injured!
He stood up, disgustedly shaking his soaked sleeves; the smell of alcohol assaulted his nostrils.
"I'm going to change my clothes." Huo Lin's tone was cold and hard, but he still helplessly instructed, "You, stay here obediently and sober up before you get out! Wang Degui, keep an eye on him and make sure he gets to your residence safely."
After saying that, he strode away from the side hall, reeking of alcohol.
Shen Yi watched his angry back, and before he could say anything, he tilted his head to the side, slumped onto the table, and fell into a deep sleep.
Upon returning to his bedchamber, Huo Lin's first action was to instruct the palace servants to prepare water for his bath.
He scrubbed himself thoroughly several times, paying particular attention to cleaning the areas where the wine had been spilled, until he was certain that there was no trace of alcohol left on his body, only the refreshing scent of soapberry. Only then did he change into a clean nightgown and head towards the inner palace.
At this moment, Jiang Huan was leaning against the soft couch reading a book. When she saw him come in, she looked up.
Huo Lin walked over and sat down next to her: "Not asleep yet?"
Just as he was about to pull her into his arms, he saw Jiang Huan suddenly frown.
She wrinkled her nose, leaned back quickly, and raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose.
"Hmm...wait a minute, there's a smell of alcohol."
Jiang Huan felt her stomach churning every time she spoke a word.
It's like motion sickness, will it ever end!
Huo Lin froze, and subconsciously raised his arm to smell it.
【No? I'm practically skinned alive, I should be very clean by now.】
As he was wondering, he saw Jiang Huan's face turn noticeably paler.
She pushed him away abruptly and bent over to gag.
"vomit……"
Although he didn't vomit anything, his discomfort instantly panicked Huo Lin.
"I will summon the imperial physician." He patted her back helplessly, about to raise his voice to give the order.
After recovering from a bout of nausea, Jiang Huan leaned back weakly on the cushion, her breath coming in short gasps, and tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
She waved her hand, her voice weak: "No need, it's just morning sickness. I can't stand strange smells for long. I'll be fine in a bit..."
Honestly, no one ever told her that a person's nose evolves into a dog's nose during pregnancy.
I guess I've figured it out. Sometimes having too sharp a sense of smell isn't a good thing, ugh...
Huo Lin looked at her weak and pale face and felt extremely distressed.
[If I had known, I would have firmly refused and wouldn't have drunk that lousy wine with Shen Yi!]
[She suffers so much; if only I could take her pain away.]
He carefully helped Jiang Huan to lie down on the bed, tucked her in, and stayed by her side until her breathing gradually became steady and she seemed to have fallen asleep. Only then did he get up quietly.
Stepping into the outer room, Huo Lin grew increasingly angry, a cold, malicious glint flashing in his eyes.
Just then, Wang Degui arrived to report back, having already safely delivered Shen Yi to his residence.
"You've come at the perfect time."
Huo Lin narrowed his eyes.
Fifteen minutes later, Shen Mansion.
Shen Yi had just finished bathing and changing clothes and was about to rest when a servant came to report that someone from the palace had arrived.
He went out to greet them with some confusion, only to see Wang Degui standing in the courtyard with two eunuchs, and a huge wooden basin beside them.
The wooden basin was about half a person's height, filled with a clear, transparent liquid, and its rich aroma of wine could be smelled from a great distance.
When Wang Degui saw him, he put on a smile: "Lord Shen, His Majesty has decreed that a basin of imperial wine be specially bestowed upon you to calm your nerves."
Shen Yi's smile froze instantly when he saw the full basin of wine.
One...one pot! ?
Is Huo Lin going to make him soak in a vat of wine?
Shen Yi's lips twitched violently as he looked up at the sky.
Well, this is blatant retaliation!
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