Jiang Yinjin hid her smile and choked up as she said, "Mother, I am satisfied with your words. But... let's wait a little longer for that matter. I am currently fasting and copying scriptures. If I give up halfway, I'm afraid it would be an offense to Buddha."
"I see." Ding was a devout believer in ghosts and gods, and upon hearing that she had offended Buddha, she immediately backed down.
On second thought, we've already married her, what's a few more days?
Can a daughter-in-law copy scriptures for a lifetime? At most, she can copy for 81 days. Besides, Qingzhou said she wants to take the imperial examination, so she can calm down and prepare for the exam.
After a while, once Qingzhou finished his exams and his daughter-in-law finished copying the scriptures, they lived happily ever after.
...
Shen Mianmian thought that the prince, who had gone to inquire about the registration time, would return soon, but she didn't see him until dark, and he smelled of alcohol.
As soon as she entered the room, Bai Qingzhou collapsed onto the soft couch.
While hurriedly checking, Chen Mianmian turned her head and asked, "Guanshui, weren't you going to the capital's government office? Why are you drinking?"
Hanrong hurriedly followed in and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, should we prepare some hangover soup?"
Shen Mianmian then remembered that there was such a good thing as hangover soup, and hurriedly said, "Yes, please go and prepare it quickly, thank you."
Hanrong was taken aback, "Auntie, you don't need to thank me..." but she still quickly went to do her business.
This is the first time Shen Mianmian has dealt with an alcoholic, so she doesn't care about her persona at all.
"Your Highness, how are you? Can you speak? Do you feel nauseous?" She vaguely remembered reading something similar before, saying that when taking care of an intoxicated person, you shouldn't let them lie flat, otherwise they might choke to death on their vomit; they should be placed on their side.
Bai Qingzhou opened her eyes with difficulty, her voice barely audible, "...I'm alright..."
"You should lie on your side," Chen Mianmian said, flustered.
Guan Shui hurriedly stepped forward and helped the prince lie down on his side.
After a long while, she realized something and thought, "Hey, what are we doing lying on this couch at a time like this? Why don't we just take off our clothes and lie on the bed?"
"No..." Bai Qingzhou said with difficulty, "I'll feel better in a bit... I need to go to... the main courtyard."
"It's so late, why are you still going to the main courtyard?"
"Hmm... Mother... is probably still... waiting for news."
Seeing that Fengchu was having difficulty speaking, Chen Mianmian stopped him from speaking and, together with Guanshui, helped the prince lie down on his side until he was stable before asking him questions.
Guan Shui replied, "That's right. Today we went to the rites office to inquire about the candidates for the imperial examinations, only to find that the registration period has already passed. The examinations will be held in ten days, and the next registration will be in three years."
After leaving the capital's government office, the young master became increasingly anxious. He then decided to seek out a friend of the Marquis and found Lord Liu of the Ministry of Revenue. He invited Lord Liu to lunch and asked him to help resolve the matter.
Lord Liu was in a dilemma, since the imperial examination was a matter for the Ministry of Rites, not the Ministry of Revenue, and the Crown Prince's father-in-law was the Vice Minister of Rites. Lord Liu advised the Crown Prince to go directly to Vice Minister Jiang.
The prince refused, so he begged and pleaded... This was the first time the prince had ever asked for help. In the past, he rarely even saw anyone, let alone asked for help.
Later, perhaps moved by the prince's determination to improve himself, and… guessing other reasons, Lord Liu decided to help find a solution.
Guan Shui didn't explicitly say what "guessing other things" meant, but Chen Mianmian could roughly guess—throughout history and across the world, there have been conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, and the relationship between fathers-in-law and sons-in-law is also very delicate.
Anyone with a brain knows how much Minister Jiang despises his son-in-law, who is utterly useless and the weakest of all. Just thinking about his excellent daughter marrying such a coward probably makes him sit up in the middle of the night and curse.
Lord Liu must have imagined that the young master didn't seek out Minister Jiang because he was afraid of being looked down upon by his father-in-law.
Who could have guessed that there was more to the story?
Guan Shui continued, "Lord Liu found Scholar Ma, a member of the Qingliu faction, who was on good terms with him. Scholar Ma then contacted the Minister of Rites. After finishing his shift, Lord Liu organized a gathering and invited all the officials to a banquet. Only then did the Minister of Rites agree to help mediate the matter. To show his sincerity, the young master kept toasting people throughout the night until he got drunk."
Chen Mianmian listened quietly, her gaze fixed on the prince, who was lying on his side on the soft couch, his face pale.
She had heard that there are three types of drunk people: one type can drink without changing color; another type has a flushed face and can also drink a lot; and the third type has a paler face the more they drink, and this type has a slightly weaker constitution and is most susceptible to the damage caused by alcohol.
She didn't know if the theory was true or false, but a pang of sadness welled up in her heart.
Shen Mianmian pressed for more details about the dinner table, just then Hanrong came in with a hangover soup.
"Auntie, the hangover soup is ready. I just fanned it outside to cool it down, so it's perfect to drink now."
Chen Mianmian said, "Guan Shui, you drink it down for the young master."
"Yes." Guan Shui took the bowl and, together with Han Rong, poured the hangover soup down the young master's throat.
It wasn't that Shen Mianmian was unwilling to serve others, but rather that modern young women rarely had the opportunity to take care of others, and she was afraid that she would become rusty and only cause trouble.
.
Hangover soup is quite effective.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the prince was noticeably more awake. A while later, he sat up with Guan Shui's help.
Looking over, Chen Mianmian saw that the prince's originally pale face had finally turned red, not particularly red, but a bit deeper than rosy, and somewhat... beautiful.
The boy's skin was firm and smooth, as delicate as a woman's. Normally, it was like a piece of beautiful jade, but now it was like a peach-colored agate, charming and alluring.
Chen Mianmian shook her head—it's such a waste to see such a handsome young man become cannon fodder.
Bai Qingzhou panicked when he saw the woman shake her head. "Mianmian, are you angry? I...I promise I won't drink...this much next time."
Although he was conscious, his tongue was still swollen, and he spoke intermittently and unclearly.
Shen Mianmian immediately got into character, "Your Highness has misunderstood. My shaking my head wasn't because you were drunk. It's common for men to get drunk when socializing. It's just that I felt sorry for you and felt a little guilty. If I had more experience, I would know how to take care of you when you're drunk. I will definitely learn from you in the future."
Bai Qingzhou was slightly taken aback, her confused eyes gradually clearing up, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon. "You will never blame me."
Chen Mianmian blinked. "The young master did nothing wrong, so why should I blame him? Besides, what is my status? How could I possibly have the right to blame the young master?"
After thinking for a moment, she couldn't help but add, "I think the Crown Prince's courage and perseverance in the face of difficulties today are truly commendable. The Crown Prince has really amazed me today."
These words are not meant to deceive people; they are Shen Mianmian's true thoughts.
According to the character's description in the novel, the crown prince musters up the courage to do things, but when he encounters difficulties, he immediately retreats into his shell.
But he didn't. He actually went against his established persona, overcame his timidity, and for the first time ever, shamelessly approached his father's friend. That night, he drank heavily in hopes of getting the chance to take the exam.
Regardless of whether he passed the preliminary examination or not, in Shen Mianmian's heart, he had already won.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com