Chapter 50: Peach Blossom Wine
The moonlight was as cool as water, quietly flowing over the bluestone alley.
The rustling sound of footsteps echoed in the empty alley.
Yun Yuan followed Feng Yanyuan three steps away, remaining silent in tacit understanding.
His face was as calm as the moon, neither sad nor happy, but his eyes were always looking at every alley, as if a familiar figure would suddenly appear at any corner.
The lanterns at the inn swayed in the night wind.
The shop owner behind the counter was dozing off, his head nodding. Feng Yanyuan tapped the countertop three times, startling the old man.
When Feng Yanyuan learned that Feng Jiu had neither returned nor sent any message, he was silent for a long while. Then he asked, "Do you have any peach blossom wine left?" When the shop owner heard he wanted to make some wine, he sent a young man upstairs to get it for him.
After sending Yun Yuan to the door, Feng Yanyuan raised his hand to brush away the messy hair on her cheek: "Rest well."
He smiled wearily, a hint of fondness in the corners of his eyes. Yun Yuan stood in front of the door, watching his back disappear into the corridor. She remained there for a long time, stunned. It wasn't until she heard the sound of a waiter entering and leaving the room next door that she came to her senses.
She hesitated for a moment with her fingertips on the door latch, but eventually turned and walked towards his room. She raised her hand to knock on the door but paused, her fingertips trembling slightly in the air - but she finally pushed open the half-closed door.
The candlelight in the room was dim.
Moonlight streamed through the window panes, illuminating the desk. Two red lacquer-handled cups sat facing each other on the square table. Beneath a three-legged bronze cauldron, where wine was boiling, a red clay stove occasionally sparkled with sparks. The wine in the cauldron was already warm, with thin, wispy white vapor curling up, its aroma permeating the air.
Feng Yanyuan stood by the window, gazing at the dark blue night. He didn't turn around, only curling his lips slightly. "Pushing open a man's door late at night, do you know what that means?"
"Sir, if you wish to drink, I shall serve you warm wine."
Feng Yanyuan smiled and shook his head, then turned and walked in front of her. His large figure blocked the view in front of her, making it completely dark.
"I don't want to drink anymore. Yuan'er, please undress me."
"Sir, are you going to bed?"
"There are beautiful women undressing, why not?"
Yun Yuan smiled and said, "I will help you undress now." As she spoke, she reached out to unbutton his clothes.
Feng Yanyuan held her hand and said, "You look so calm and innocent, do you really think I won't do anything to you?"
Yun Yuan looked up at him, her eyes full of light. "Young Master, you are troubled and can't sleep at night. What will you do to me?"
Feng Yanyuan's playful face froze for a moment, and he let go of her hand. After a while, he smiled and sighed, "What a pity. I thought Yuan'er had finally realized her feelings during the day and was finally willing to give herself to me."
Yun Yuan didn't expect him to say such nonsense. Her face flushed and she said angrily, "My lord, you are teaching me that I shouldn't open the door of a playboy so late at night."
After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave, but he reached out and grabbed her.
"If you're not short of words...talk to me."
There was no longer any pretentious uninhibitedness in his tone, only a faint tone, and a hint of pleading.
Yun Yuan broke free from his hand, turned around, knelt down in front of the table, picked up the wine spoon, and scooped a spoonful of wine into the ear cup.
Feng Yanyuan sat down and drank it all, and Yun Yuan filled his cup again.
"You don't want to drink?" Feng Yanyuan saw her hesitation and said, "Come, I'll pour you some wine." As he spoke, he took the wine spoon from her hand and filled her glass.
Yun Yuan paused, and finally took the glass of wine, put it to her lips and frowned, then closed her eyes and drank it in one gulp, imitating Feng Yanyuan.
Feng Yanyuan was staring at her intently. He was startled when he saw her gulp down the drink, but then he was amused by her panting from the spiciness. He wiped her mouth with his sleeve and said, "Don't be impatient. Drink slowly."
Yun Yuan looked at Feng Yanyuan. His smile curved his eyebrows, and the corners of his lips curved into two faint curves, which was very beautiful. The night was hazy, and the flickering candlelight reflected in his eyes, which was fascinating...
She hurriedly withdrew her gaze and stared at the double-handled wine cup.
What was she thinking? Was this drunkenness?
She only saw the Jianghu people quaffing the wine in one gulp with great delight, and wondered how strong the peach blossom wine could be. Little did she know that the peach blossom petals were merely sprinkled on the warm wine to enhance its flavor, while the wine itself was actually a chu liquor that had been brewed four times and was the color of a red peach.
Yun Yuan stared at the wine cup for a long time before finally calming down. She saw Feng Yanyuan had finished another cup without her knowing when, and was scooping wine with a spoon.
"When the young master was at the Feng family, he always drank tea. Now he drinks wine. He's becoming more and more like the young master Xuan."
She knew he didn't want to mention Feng Yanxuan, and she also knew he was fuming about Feng Yanxuan. If he couldn't speak, then she would speak for him.
Feng Yanyuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "People in the Jianghu usually drink when they meet. They drink at home too, otherwise, if they were to enter the Jianghu and get drunk in one gulp of wine, wouldn't that make people laugh?"
Yun Yuan didn't say anything. Seeing him finish another cup, she refilled it for him.
Feng Yanyuan looked at Yun Yuan's full wine cup and said after a while: "But you are right, my drinking capacity was trained by my second brother." After saying that, a wry smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
The wine in the cauldron was boiling and surging, the flower petals were floating up and down with the waves, white mist was curling around the mouth of the cauldron, and fine beads were condensed along the edge, and it was about to fall.
Yun Yuan said, "Before, it was Young Master Xuan who was responsible for the murder. Although he felt sad, he didn't show such sorrow. But now at the Shouchun Banquet, after witnessing this disguise technique, he guessed that the perpetrator was not Young Master Xuan, and he became worried instead."
Feng Yanyuan raised his head and drank the entire glass, swallowing the bitter taste with a rolling motion of his Adam's apple. He stared at the empty cup for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Today, when I think that the person who killed me wasn't my second brother, I'm naturally happy..." His heart was filled with resentment, and he couldn't bring himself to say, "My second brother is missing, and his life or death is unknown." He only frowned further.
"Mr. Xuan will be fine." Yun Yuan said with a firm tone, holding the spoon in her bare hands and filling his wine cup again.
"So sure..." Feng Yanyuan said with a smile: "Could it be that you can also tell fortunes?"
Yun Yuan was slightly tipsy, her body warm, her breath fragrant, and she unconsciously relaxed a little. She looked at Feng Yanyuan's handsome face, which was pretending to be happy, and said with a smile, "I can't tell fortunes, but I can read people's hearts. Would you like to listen?"
Feng Yanyuan was touched by her expression and couldn't help but smile. He took a long spoon and poured her half a cup of sake, offering it with both hands: "I'd like to hear more about it."
Yun Yuan tapped the wine cup lightly with her fingertips, and said thoughtfully, "Young Master, have you noticed something strange? Since leaving Bagong Mountain, no one has bothered you and the King of Changshan anymore. Especially the King of Changshan..." Her eyes flickered, "Young Master, you were so worried about his safety when you were on the mountain, but it's clear that those people's blades are aimed at you."
"That's right." Feng Yanyuan paused for a moment, his hand holding the cup. "They've been watching the prince for a long time. If they really wanted to take his life, they should have done it long ago. That man has disguised himself and is hiding, but he hasn't made a move yet..." He raised his head and drank the remaining wine in the cup. "What they really want to prevent the prince and I from attending the Shouchun Banquet is that they're afraid the fake Yue Nancang will be exposed."
"This proves another point," Yun Yuan leaned forward. "These disguised assassins are nothing more than pawns that can be discarded at any time. The people behind the scenes have no intention of letting them replace them."
Feng Yanyuan nodded. "If they were to replace him, the consequences would be too extensive. They just want to clear the way and avoid any complications."
Yun Yuan's eyes were slightly drunken, and her slender fingers played with the empty cup. She sneered, "Besides, those who can be disguised are just like Yuan'er, some slaves who are not allowed to see the light of day. The ones who can pull off such a big plan..." She raised her eyes slightly, with a hint of sarcasm, "They must be those high-ranking aristocratic families. Just ask, why would they let a rat from the gutter sit at the table?"
These words were both impudent and harsh, but Feng Yanyuan's eyes lit up when he heard them, and he couldn't help but smile, "What a 'rat on the table', so penetrating and cutting to the heart." He took the kettle and filled two cups, pushing one in front of Yun Yuan, "Here, let me offer a toast to the heroine!"
When Yun Yuan heard the word "heroine", she felt in a good mood. As the alcohol started to take effect, her cheeks flushed and she smiled with her eyes curved: "Okay!" After saying that, she raised her head and drank it all in one gulp.
Feng Yanyuan's outstretched hand paused in mid-air - he wanted to dissuade her, but seeing the rare joy in the girl's eyes and brows, he couldn't help but be distracted and let her drink the glass of liquor.
Yun Yuan put down her wine cup and continued, "Prince Changshan is a prince after all, while Young Master Xuan is just a dandy. What's the point of replacing him? Is it to reward that slave with wealth and glory?" She propped up her heavy, flushed face with one hand and continued, "If the young master were truly dead, Young Master Xuan would still be in danger. But now that he's alive and well, they will treat him well."
Feng Yanyuan was stunned and asked, "Why?"
"They disguised themselves as Young Master Xuan for only one purpose, and that was to assassinate you. Now, not only is he not dead, he also knows this disguise technique. Moreover, the traps set today by the right time and place are useless. If they still want to kill you, they can only resort to the same old tricks."
Feng Yanyuan pondered, "But if that disguised person comes looking for me again, I will definitely be on guard. My second brother and I grew up together, so if we test him a few more times, we will definitely find the flaw."
Yun Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, I believe they would think so too."
Feng Yanyuan added, "But if they let Second Brother really appear in front of me, I will gradually let down my guard..."
Yun Yuan smiled, nodding drunkenly as she spoke, "It's so hard to tell what's real from what's fake! If Young Master Xuan is truly in their hands, not only will he be fine, he might even appear before you soon. If he's not in their hands... although I don't know why he disappeared... well... based on my understanding of Young Master Xuan, he's even better at surviving than you. Second Young Master Feng Yanxuan is probably even better at surviving than most people in this world!"
Indeed, my second brother is a master of the ways of the world and an expert at concealing his presence. His swift escape skills are unmatched. How could anyone possibly capture or trap him?
As he thought about it, Feng Yanyuan's expression gradually relaxed: Second brother should be fine.
He raised his eyes to look at Yun Yuan, who was in drunken state.
A blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, and a faint trace of perspiration trickled down her cheeks, like a peach blossom dipped in water. A few strands of black hair fell around her neck, her skin, white as snow, translucent and rosy, like warm white jade.
He was so distracted by what he saw that he lowered his eyes in panic. After a while, he muttered in a low voice, as if talking to himself: "What about you? How real and how fake are you?"
Yun Yuan blinked hazily, trying to focus her vision, only to see Feng Yanyuan moving closer and farther away, his shadow overlapping. With a start, she sat up abruptly, but the clarity was fleeting, quickly submerged in chaos again.
"I'm... I'm drunk. This wine is so strong... I need to sleep..."
She stood up unsteadily and was about to leave, but she felt the ground was uneven in depth, and she stepped on empty air. Suddenly, the world was spinning around her, and in a panic she grabbed Feng Yanyuan's neck. When she came to her senses, she realized that he had picked her up by the waist and she didn't know where she was going.
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