Chapter 57: Consuming the Bad Fruit "Brother Heng, you seem a little off tonight."
After sunset, the lights come on.
A row of palace maids hurried in from the outside of the courtyard, carrying plates and lowering their heads, and walked straight towards the magnificent palace. The door of the palace was wide open at this moment, and several nobles in brocade clothes could be vaguely seen sitting inside.
Tonight is the Qin family's family dinner. Fortunately, the current emperor has only one wife, the Queen, and his only children are the eldest princess who married to the Jiangnan area, the late Crown Prince Qin Moshu, and the young prince Qin Yanheng. Therefore, not many people came to the dinner, only the Qin family's direct relatives and the Queen's maternal brother - the uncle Song Haisheng, and his son Song Yutai.
On the table in the hall, the chessboard was scattered and seemed to have no rules on the surface, but a closer look revealed a confrontation between black and white pieces, with the black pieces clearly having the upper hand.
"Uncle, please let me win. You've already won once!"
A child with twin buns on his head danced back and forth in front of Qin Yanheng, a white chess piece between the fingers of his right hand. He pouted and twisted his head against Qin Yanheng's waist, shouting, "Uncle Emperor—you taught me chess. If you hadn't let me win, how could I have beaten you?"
Qin Yanheng silently raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. Then he sighed with satisfaction. He grabbed his nephew Qin Jici by the back of his collar with his right hand and without even turning his head, he brought him to him. Looking at the struggling child in his arms, Qin Yanheng tilted his head and forced a smile: "How can a man beg others for mercy every day? The emperor's uncle named you Jici, isn't it to make you a little more ruthless and make a move without regrets!"
"But you're so good, regretting your moves at every turn." Qin Yanheng put Qin Jici on the ground, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and glanced at him. "Just say, the emperor's uncle lets you regret your moves every time, so how can that not be a way of letting you win?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Jici opened his arms and ran towards the empress sitting beside him, shouting, "Grandma, I don't want to play chess with the emperor's uncle anymore. When will the emperor's uncle marry an aunt? I want to play chess with the aunt!"
"You'll have to ask the Emperor's uncle about this. Even the Empress can't do anything about him." The Empress smiled as she picked up Qin Jici, holding him in her arms and handing him the cakes. As she spoke, the Empress raised her eyes and glanced at Qin Yanheng, who was sitting in the hall below. The hint in her eyes was particularly clear.
Qin Yanheng ignored him and continued drinking. Before long, he was tipsy, his snow-white cheeks flushing slightly. He couldn't tell if the blush was caused by the strong liquor or something else.
In his dream last night, he saw the Taoist master and several elders from the Heavenly Palace sitting under a tree and chatting.
"Tell me, which one was moved first, the gold or the jade?" The old man in red made a move.
"I'm betting on gold and stone. After all, gold can change its shape at will, but jade cannot. Since ancient times, gold has adapted to jade. When have you ever seen jade adapt to gold?" Taoist Master looked gossipy.
"That's right," another immortal agreed, "it must have been the gold and stone that was moved first."
The short dream made Qin Yanheng's heart skip a beat.
From the moment he woke up today until now, Qin Yanheng's mind has been filled with the immortal's words "It must be the metal and stone that are moved first". He couldn't forget it when he was playing chess with his nephew Qin Jici, and he thought of it again when chatting with his mother. It really made him scratch his head.
The gold and stone are definitely his, but that jade... can't be Luo Qingling, right?
Qin Yanheng took a deep breath, picked up the wine cup again, put the spout of the pot on his lower lip, slightly opened his thin lips, then tilted his head back and drank the wine in the cup, trying to dispel the heat around his body. Unexpectedly, it was a strong liquor, and the more he drank, the thirstier he became, and the hotter he became.
Luo Qingling, as white as jade and as fair as a jade ball, gradually appeared before my eyes...
He is really crazy.
How could the dignified Prince Rong An be affected by a dream? If this were to get out, people would laugh their heads off.
The wine cup was placed on the table with a dull sound. Qin Yanheng leaned his head back on the chair and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes.
Why is it that when I close my eyes, all I see is Luo Qingling’s face?
Qin Yanheng didn't want the Queen and others to notice anything, so he leaned back in his chair and pretended to be drunk. The corners of his mouth that sometimes raised and sometimes drooped revealed his uneasy heart.
He asked for a city for Luo Qingling just so that she could go south with a legitimate reason.
Of course, Qin Yanheng didn't think at all that he wanted Luo Qingling to accompany him on the southern tour. He just wanted to give General Luo a chance to clear his name for the sake of the Prince's Grand Tutor Duan. After all, the Jiangnan area was General Luo's last main battlefield.
Yes, that's right, he's not crazy, he just means well.
He is the most kind-hearted little prince in the world!
"Your Highness, Your Highness——"
Who is making noise in my ears?
Qin Yanheng frowned and turned his head away, but the noise continued. He put his hands over his ears, annoyed. Can't you see he's drunk? Why is he still so annoying?
"Brother Heng, how long has Madam Luo been here? How did you fall asleep?"
Hearing this, Qin Yanheng opened his eyes abruptly, and Song Yutai's large face came into view. He slapped him away, squinting his eyes and said unhappily, "If it weren't for the family dinner tonight, I would have asked Xu Sheng to give you a few more cases, keeping you busy all day and all night!"
"How dare you make fun of me—"
The words suddenly stopped, and Qin Yanheng's gaze fixed on the pastel-colored figure by the palace door. Perhaps because he was drunk, he couldn't move his eyes away. Seeing this, Song Yutai, who had just been pushed away, came closer. He leaned in close and followed Qin Yanheng's gaze. The next moment, he raised his head and laughed out loud, turning to the Queen and speaking.
"Aunt, I think you and uncle can start preparing for the wedding now," Song Yutai said with a playful smile, winking at Qin Yanheng, "Don't you agree, Brother Heng?"
Qin Yanheng didn't answer, staring intently at Luo Qingling, who stood outside the palace, awaiting the Saint Queen's summons. His mind was a bit confused. Why was Luo Qingling here at the family dinner tonight? Could it be that she had something urgent to talk to him about?
With this thought, Qin Yanheng kicked Song Yutai, who was standing in his way, away and stumbled towards Luo Qingling. He had just finished two pots of wine and was now a little drunk. He didn't care if his actions were inappropriate. He walked up to Luo Qingling in full view of the Saint Queen and the others, leaning over to her.
"Why is Madam Luo here? Is there something wrong?" Qin Yanheng asked in a gentle voice.
Luo Qingling had been standing there in a daze since the beginning, watching Qin Yanheng walk towards her step by step. The aroma of wine in her nose became stronger and stronger. She raised her eyes slightly and looked at Qin Yanheng in front of her. The latter had narrow and long eyes, and her appearance was reflected in his black and white eyes.
"It was the Queen who summoned me," Luo Qingling pursed her lips, but felt that was not enough, so she added, "I didn't come here specifically to see you."
have to.
He was just being too sentimental.
Qin Yanheng turned his head and sneered, his expression mocking. He was laughing at the sudden heartbeat he had just experienced. The old men in his dream last night were right. Since ancient times, metal and stone have always complimented jade. How could jade ever compliment metal and stone?
Seeing this, Luo Qingling took a step back. The aroma of wine made her face flush. She had a feeling that something was not right with Qin Yanheng tonight, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She asked softly, "Is the young prince waiting for me?"
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Qin Yanheng frowned, stood up straight, and stared at her for a long time. Just when Luo Qingling felt the heat rising to her cheeks, Qin Yanheng suddenly turned around and sat back in his original seat, waved at her, and motioned her to sit over.
"You are the young lady from the Luo family, right?"
A graceful and elegant woman in the hall looked at her with a gentle smile, as if she were looking at a junior. Luo Qingling's heart warmed, and she stepped forward to greet him, but Qin Yanheng suddenly grabbed her wrist and brought her to his side.
"Brother Heng, you're not feeling well tonight, are you?"
Song Yutai appeared behind the two of them with a smile on his face. He continued, "Could it be that he was possessed by an evil spirit last night..."
"You're the one who's been possessed." Qin Yanheng looked back coldly. He'd simply dreamed of the Golden Jade Marriage Stone again, and had just drunk some wine, so he couldn't control the reckless evil spirit within him.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing," the sage waved his hand to stop the two brothers from playing around, then smiled and said to Luo Qingling, "Madam Luo, there's no need to worry about etiquette. Tonight is just a family dinner, so enjoy your meal. Tomorrow you and Heng'er will set off on your southern tour."
Leaving tomorrow?
Luo Qingling looked at the saint with wide eyes, but still nodded, then sat beside Qin Yanheng and ate snacks.
Although she also felt that as an outsider, she was not suitable to attend tonight's banquet, but since the saint said so, he must be considering that she and Qin Yanheng were about to go on a southern tour and wanted to give them a farewell banquet.
But why did she want to sit next to Qin Yanheng? Isn't this seat usually for princesses?
Luo Qingling's bewilderment grew. She secretly glanced at Qin Yanheng, who was leaning against the back of his chair, pretending to sleep with his eyes closed. He hadn't seen her since when, and she couldn't tell how long he'd been staring at her. His eyes were dark and filled with emotion. Luo Qingling's heart suddenly leaped into her throat, and she turned back, not daring to look at Qin Yanheng again, not even for a moment.
"Sister and Saint have been waiting for a long time!"
Another person walked in from outside the hall with a loud voice and a smile on his face.
Luo Qingling looked over when he heard the voice. A man wearing a black hat strode in. Seeing Qin Luo and the others sitting together, he raised his eyebrows and smiled: "When did a young lady appear at the family banquet? Congratulations!"
Misunderstood again!
Luo Qingling glanced at Qin Yanheng angrily. Qin Yanheng lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid. This is the emperor's uncle Song Haisheng. He loves to joke just like his son Song Yutai."
Then he should explain it to the uncle of the emperor... Luo Qingling said nothing, but his meaning was written in his eyes. However, after Qin Yanheng finished speaking, he actually raised his head and fell back, with no intention of explaining at all.
Song Haisheng saw the two of them flirting with each other. He picked up a wine pot from the table and walked straight to the saint and the queen to pour a glass of wine for them.
Song Haisheng smiled and said in a loud voice: "It seems that the two nobles have good things coming this year. Haisheng offers a toast to the two of you!"
Song Yutai clamored to toast as well, but was pressed down by Qin Yanheng with a finger. Qin Jici, who was curled up in the arms of a palace maid not far away, had already fallen asleep soundly and was completely unaware of what was happening in the palace.
The family banquet in the palace was as relaxed and joyful as that in an ordinary family.
This was Luo Qingling's only thought tonight.
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