"Princess, please get in the carriage." Ji Chu was a little worried and felt more at ease letting Qing'er sit in the carriage.
Looking at the bustling street and Ji Chu's calm and composed expression, Qing'er found it difficult to make a decision. She enjoyed the lively atmosphere, but she also knew that if someone harbored malicious intentions, she would have to find a way to protect her.
She had heard from the Emperor early that morning that things were not peaceful in the capital recently. Qing'er didn't want to cause them any trouble.
An Ke naturally noticed Qing'er's hesitation and conflict, after all, Qing'er hadn't had a very enjoyable time outside the palace last time. After a moment of hesitation, An Ke said, "No need, let's leave it at that. If the three of you can't protect us three girls, then you really should all go back to the camp and train some more." An Ke preferred to put pressure on them.
Anke immediately ignited his competitive spirit.
Yongqi said indignantly, "Who can compare to the three of us? You three can play without worry. With the three of us protecting you, not a single hair on your head will be hurt."
"Princess, don't worry, Ertai will definitely protect you." Ertai, like a big dog waiting to be praised by Anke, stood by, eager to claim credit.
Ji Chu's expression was also very calm, as if to say that with him there, everything was reassuring.
The three girls were in a better mood. After all, no one wanted to be stuck in the carriage the whole time. It wasn't like being in the palace, where they were still bound by rules and regulations.
An Ke raised an eyebrow at Xin Rong and Qing Er triumphantly, as if to say, "See, this is the result of my provocation."
Xinrong and Qing'er hadn't expected this trick to be so effective; the shock in their eyes was evident.
The three girls wandered among the stalls, their laughter echoing around them. Three handsome young men followed behind, seemingly protecting them.
He was making a fuss, she was laughing, everything was so beautiful!
At noon, Anke's stomach rumbled first, followed by Xinrong, who blushed with embarrassment.
I guess I never imagined that my stomach would one day be so uncooperative.
"It seems everyone is hungry. Let's hurry up and find a place to eat." Qing'er quickly stepped in to smooth things over. She knew An Ke well; An An naturally wouldn't care about these things. But seeing Xin Rong's embarrassed look, she naturally had to defend her.
Since all three girls said they were hungry, the three men behind them naturally had no objections. Besides, they were hungry too, but they didn't say so out of consideration for the girls' enjoyment of their stroll.
The six people walked into Baiweizhai with ease and chatter. They had heard that it was a newly opened restaurant with booming business, and that it was often impossible to book a private room. It was also said that the owner of the restaurant was a woman.
Driven by curiosity about the restaurant, the six of them came to Baiweizhai.
Fortunately, they were lucky today and were able to reserve an elegant private room.
"The environment here is truly wonderful, with winding paths leading to secluded spots," Yongqi remarked sincerely, clearly admiring the restaurant's hidden charm. "We had to pass through this bamboo grove in the backyard to reach our private room. Even if we said something here, the mingled crowd in front wouldn't hear us. It's really nice," he added, his eyes full of appreciation for the owner.
"Fifth Brother, doesn't this place feel somewhat familiar?" Ever since An Ke stepped into this restaurant, she felt a sense of familiarity. It was as if she had seen this restaurant somewhere before.
"Is An'an someone you met elsewhere when you traveled around with your uncle?" Yongqi wasn't surprised when he heard that An'an seemed familiar with the place, since An'an had been to places that none of them had.
After hearing Yongqi's words, Anke stopped worrying about whether she was familiar with the place. After all, she had been to countless places. If she really wanted to recall everything, she would have to think about it for three days and three nights. They were here for a meal, so things unrelated to food could be put aside for now.
After the six people were seated in the private room, a very elegantly dressed waiter came in with the menu. Yongqi ordered some of Anke's favorite dishes, while Anke ordered some of Qing'er and Xinrong's favorite dishes.
When it was Ertai and Jichu's turn to receive the menu, they both declined, indicating that these dishes were fine. They weren't picky; after all, when they were on the move, they couldn't afford such exquisite food, and being able to eat anything at all was already good enough.
But just looking at this table of dishes, it was already quite expensive. Luckily, they also had their sucker, Yongqi, who came along.
The six of them ate and played drinking games, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Midway through, a servant even brought over a jar of fine wine.
"We didn't order any drinks, is that why?" An Ke asked cautiously. Could it be that there was already a bundled consumption arrangement from this early on? After all, they were afraid of being late for their return to the palace, so they didn't order any drinks.
Upon hearing this, Yongqi also looked suspicious, wondering if someone was monitoring their every move. That's why he specially brought a jar of wine to test them.
Ji Chu and Ertai also looked tense, as if they could detain the servant at any moment if things went wrong.
The waiter, with a calm expression and without batting an eye, continued, "This is one of the specialties of our shop. Today, our owner happens to be here, and seeing such patrons, he instructed us to open all these fine wine jars so that our guests can drink to their heart's content." After saying this, he poured a cup for each of the six men.
Smelling the rich and mellow aroma of the wine, An Ke dared not be careless, but was very grateful for the owner's kindness. After apologizing to the servant, he waved for the servant to leave.
Then, she took a silver needle from her personal collection and stirred it in the wine in front of her. Finding nothing amiss, she brought it to her nose and sniffed it gently, but still found nothing wrong. She then took a small sip and discovered that she could only taste the wine's aroma.
"This is a fine wine, everyone can drink to their heart's content. However, this wine is too mellow and might be intoxicating, so please be careful with your drinks." After taking a sip, An Ke smiled and explained, looking at the others who were staring at her intently.
The other four breathed a sigh of relief. Ertai firmly believed in the princess, so when she drank, he drank with her.
Yongqi patted his heart and said, "An'an, you really scared your fifth brother to death! You were so cautious just now. I almost thought there was something poisoned in the wine."
Qing'er also gave her a light reproachful look, but Qing'er's look had no intimidating power at all, after all, An Ke knew Qing'er's character.
Ji Chu gazed at Qing'er with a deep look in his eyes, and seeing Qing'er's adorable appearance, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
Xinrong used to enjoy drinking at home, but her mother always restrained her from drinking too much. Now that her mother is no longer around to hang out with like-minded people, she can naturally drink to her heart's content.
Xinrong picked up her wine cup, took a small sip, and then downed it in one gulp. "This wine is indeed good, even better than the jar of wine my father treasures."
Upon hearing Xinrong's words, Anke suddenly had a mischievous idea. She said, "Oh, so you're saying you drank your father's wine jar?"
Xinrong was a little tipsy for a moment, but not yet drunk, so she immediately became alert and said, "No...no, I just had a few bites." She even held up her hand to show how much of a bite it was.
"This wine is good, but judging from its mellow aroma and alluring quality, it's probably quite strong. It's fragrant on the palate, but it has a very strong aftereffect. You'd better drink less, or you'll have a splitting headache tonight and we'll have to summon the imperial physician to see you," An Ke said kindly to Xin Rong, raising his wine cup.
Xinrong nodded blankly, and then actually poured herself a small amount of wine. She sipped it slowly, as if afraid that she would drink the whole cup in one gulp.
The atmosphere among the crowd rose again, and they discussed the topic enthusiastically, even more so than the storyteller in the teahouse.
After lunch, the girls' faces were all flushed, especially Xinrong and Qing'er. The two of them couldn't hold their liquor and had drunk a few cups. They were not only tipsy, but their faces were also flushed.
There was no other way but to rest for a while in the restaurant. Fortunately, there was a soft couch in the private room. There was still a place to rest. Although Qing'er was a little flushed, she was still somewhat conscious. Xinrong, on the other hand, was so drunk that she was staggering around. She had just fallen headfirst into Yongqi's arms, which was when people realized that Xinrong was drunk.
Yongqi was discussing the task his father had given him with Ertai when, caught off guard, a soft body suddenly fell into his arms. Yongqi instinctively wrapped his arms around Xinrong's shoulders.
The woman's cheeks were flushed, and she kept murmuring about the wine, occasionally letting out a smile. The wine made her lips appear even more vibrant red. Although Xinrong had only drunk two cups, the wine was quite potent; her lips parted slightly, exhaling the rich aroma of the wine. Yongqi felt as if he too was a little drunk.
Anke was the least drunk of the three girls, or rather, the most sober. She could still tell who was who, and even directed Ertai to accompany her for a walk in the bamboo forest outside to dissipate the effects of the alcohol.
Seeing the princess's beautiful appearance, how could Ertai possibly disagree? Although Yongqi was the princess's brother, he didn't want others to witness her beauty.
Then, he helped the weak and delicate An Ke up with both hands. As An Ke was helped up, a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
After the two left the private room, only four people remained. Although Qing'er was usually dignified and virtuous, she became a little mischievous when she wasn't drunk.
Instead of lying properly on the soft couch, she would ask someone to pour her a cup of tea one minute and then ask someone to bring her a wet towel the next.
Fortunately, Ji Chu always kept his word when it came to Qing'er's requests, and he was always willing to do whatever Qing'er asked of him. Ji Chu wasn't annoyed; he just smiled as he watched the little girl bossing him around.
Unexpectedly, Princess Qing was so charming and adorable when drunk; she was truly irresistible. Ji Chu looked at Qing with a pained expression, knowing that she must constantly remind herself of her proper demeanor as a princess in the palace.
She always adhered to those rules and regulations, always striving to present the most perfect image to others. Now, drunk, she seemed to have let down all her guard. This made Ji Chu feel extremely sorry for all that Qing'er had gone through.
Ji Chu was still looking at Qing'er, who was drunk and passed out on the soft couch, with affection, when suddenly Qing'er reached out and hooked her arm around Ji Chu's neck. Caught off guard, Ji Chu was pulled right in front of Qing'er.
Ji Chu was so startled by Qing'er's sudden action that her heart almost stopped. She didn't dare to move or even breathe heavily, and just carefully looked at Qing Gege in front of her.
Fortunately, Qing'er only stretched out her hand and didn't do anything else. Ji Chu couldn't describe how she felt; was it bittersweet? Or happy?
She must feel both. She's happy to be so close to Qing Gege, but bittersweet because she can only get this far and can't go any further. Going any further would be a desecration of Qing Gege. But this is good too. At least when Qing Gege is drunk, she has someone by her side to watch over her, and only she has seen this side of Qing Gege.
Ji Chu gazed intently at the sleeping girl before him, as if trying to etch Qing Gege's image into his heart.
At that moment, Qing'er muttered unintentionally, "Ji Chu, no... Ji Chu,"
Ji Chu cautiously brought his ear close to Qing'er's mouth, but what he heard sent a shiver down his spine. Ji Chu was incredulous, yet also felt an overwhelming sweetness in his heart; he never expected to appear in Qing'er's dream.
Xinrong accidentally fell into Yongqi's arms, and Yongqi had no choice but to carry her to the soft couch himself.
However, this also meant that Yongqi was unable to break free from Xinrong's embrace and could only kneel on the soft couch.
Yongqi wanted to get out of her embrace, but as soon as he moved, Xinrong let out a soft moan and slept very restlessly.
Yongqi froze, then reached out and patted her back. Xinrong twitched her lips, pursed them, and then drifted off to sleep again.
Yongqi was immediately caught in a dilemma. If he broke free from her embrace, she would not sleep soundly and might even wake up. Once she woke up, he didn't know how this drunk girl would cause him any trouble.
But if he didn't break free from her embrace, he would have to kneel awkwardly beside her, and besides, such intimate contact with her would be bad for her reputation.
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