Chapter 97 Hysteria is his bastard.
The banquet continued, and Gu Xi sat back down at the main table, continuing to eat the side dishes. Occasionally, she would squint and sip a little fruit wine, not daring to drink too much, but since she rarely drank alcohol, her face already showed signs of drunkenness.
Xiao Heng sat beside her on one side. When he saw her gaze linger on a particular dish, he would pick up his silver chopsticks and place the dish into her bowl. He quietly observed her preferences, only occasionally raising his glass. Watching her eat with a satisfied expression, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Xiao Xi, try this, it's something you like." Sitting on Gu Xi's other side, Xiao Che brought her a bowl of freshly served ice cream and handed it to her.
Gu Xi nodded and hummed in agreement. Her lips curved slightly, her face flushed, and her eyes were misty with the smell of alcohol. Xiao Che was momentarily mesmerized by her gaze. Gu Xi had already lowered her head to eat the newly served icing cheese and didn't notice his gaze, but Xiao Heng saw it clearly.
His face immediately turned cold, the smile on his lips vanished, and his cold gaze fixed on Xiao Che, making the atmosphere on the table freeze.
"Che'er!" Consort Xu, also seated at the main table, immediately called out to Xiao Che, her expression both tense and worried. Regardless of his usual demeanor, with so many princes and ministers present, she feared he might do something outrageous. Her son was always known for his impeccable manners and was praised by everyone for his gentleness, kindness, and uprightness. However, when it came to matters of concern, he completely lost his sense of propriety and reason.
Xiao Che withdrew his gaze at the shout, slowly turned his head to look ahead, silently picked up the wine glass on the table and brought it to his lips, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes.
Consort Xu stared intently at him, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that he had merely been drinking and had done nothing else. After all, it was an obsession she had held for so many years, and she knew it wasn't something she could simply let go of. She had watched the four of them grow up together; Gu Xiao and Xin Yao had finally become a couple, while he remained single, and as their mother, she felt deeply sorry for him.
She sighed inwardly, wondering how two brothers could fall for the same person.
There was an undercurrent of tension at the table, but Gu Xi remained oblivious, the effects of the alcohol slowing her reactions. She looked up blankly at Consort Xu and Xiao Che, finally turning to look at Xiao Heng. His expression was somewhat cold, but upon seeing her looking at him, it immediately softened. He picked up his chopsticks and discreetly added two more dishes to her bowl.
Gu Xi's attention was drawn back, and she lowered her head to continue enjoying her food. After a while, she suddenly realized something and muttered to herself, "This person is always getting angry." Why did she get angry when her brother Che brought her a bowl of shaved ice? This is her brother and Yao Yao's wedding banquet; she can't get angry here.
Her voice was very soft, so soft that only Xiao Heng could hear it, and her tone was a little dissatisfied and reproachful.
He was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, a wave of bitterness and helplessness washing over him. But when he saw her slightly pouting lips, the melancholy in his heart strangely dissipated a bit. In the end, he just gave her a quiet glance.
As the moon rose high in the sky, the guests at the wedding banquet gradually dispersed, the music in the hall slowly ceased, and the servants began to clear away the leftovers.
After seeing all the guests off, Gu Xi turned to walk towards the inner courtyard. Xiao Heng suddenly grabbed her hand and asked, "Where are you going?"
Gu Xi turned to look at him, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, and smiled sweetly, saying matter-of-factly, "I'm going to see my sister-in-law." Her voice was soft and slightly nasal.
Xiao Heng smiled helplessly: "You can't go now. Come back to the palace with me tonight." She has a low alcohol tolerance and although she looks somewhat sober, she is actually confused. If she stays tonight, she might cause trouble for Gu Xiao.
Gu Xi asked, puzzled, "Why? I want to sleep with Yao Yao tonight."
As expected.
Xiao Heng coaxed, "Listen to me, come see her again tomorrow." With that, he took her hand and walked out the door.
Gu Xi reluctantly followed Xiao Heng out of the Gu residence, turning back every three steps.
As the two approached the carriage and prepared to board, Gu Xi suddenly stopped, her fingertips gripping the carriage shaft tightly. She pouted and said, "I don't want to ride in the carriage." She didn't want to return to the palace so soon.
She suddenly tugged at Xiao Heng's sleeve and excitedly suggested, "Shall we walk back?" She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling like a child begging for candy.
Xiao Heng paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay." His eyes were full of indulgence.
Zhao Fuquan looked at the two of them in disbelief. It would take at least two or three hours to walk back to the palace from here. Did they really have to walk all the way back?
He tried to persuade them in his heart, but to no avail. So he quickly arranged for the palace servants accompanying him to catch up with the two who were already ahead.
Xiao Heng held Gu Xi's hand and strolled along. Having drunk some wine, she became more talkative today, chattering on and on about her joy.
"You know what? I'm so happy today, I finally have a sister-in-law..." Yao Yao was betrothed because of her, and her brother almost missed out on being with her. Luckily, luckily.
She wrinkled her nose, looking somewhat displeased: "Brother is such a coward! He's liked Yao Yao for so many years, but he doesn't dare let her know..."
Do you know how I found out?
She answered her own question: "Once I went to my brother's study and saw him staring blankly at Yao Yao's portrait. When I found out, he was so nervous that his face turned bright red... It's like," she gestured wildly, "like the red lanterns in the house tonight!" She laughed non-stop as she said this, her clear laughter echoing at the street corner.
Xiao Heng listened patiently. The streets of the capital city were sometimes quiet and sometimes noisy at night. She was always by his side, and the night suddenly became exceptionally beautiful.
Meanwhile, the protagonist Gu Xi mentioned was in the new room of the Gu family mansion, keeping watch over the red candles and spending an unforgettable wedding night together.
A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold.
“Ah Yao…”
"Gu Xiao! Be gentle with me!"
...
In a magnificent and prestigious mansion in the capital, a man who was once dignified and upright was now leaning against the corner of the courtyard wall, completely drunk, muttering to himself.
"Congratulations... Congratulations on your marriage! May you grow old together in happiness..."
"Xiao Xi... as long as you're happy... I'm fine with anything..."
"Xiao Xi..."
*
Xiao Heng and Gu Xi walked for almost half an hour before finally reaching Chang'an Street. At this moment, Gu Xi stopped and suddenly squatted down on the ground.
Xiao Heng also squatted down beside her, stroking her hair and asking with concern, "What's wrong?"
She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of grievance and embarrassment: "I can't walk anymore."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng gently patted the top of her head, his worry turning into a tender smile. He suddenly turned around, slightly bending his tall back, and said with his head tilted to the side, "Get on, I'll carry you back."
Gu Xi was stunned for a moment, her fingertips gripping the hem of his dragon robe. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly got up and leaned against his back.
Xiao Heng steadily supported her knees, slowly stood up, and walked forward step by step along Chang'an Street, his steps extremely slow and steady.
Gu Xi put one arm around his neck and pointed to the shops along the street with the other, starting to introduce them.
"The plums at this shop are delicious! Zhuyin loves them the most!"
"And this wine shop, Father and Brother love their mulberry wine the most..."
"That family's roasted chestnuts are the most fragrant. Every time Dad passes by, he always brings some back for Mom and me..."
"I'm greedy and don't eat properly, so my dad gets angry and says he'll never bring me food again, but he still brings it to me every time..." He sounded quite smug.
Her voice was soft and sweet with a hint of huskiness from the alcohol, sometimes bright and sometimes muffled, the scent of wine wafting into his ears like feathers, tickling him and making his heart itch.
Gu Xi said she was tired, so she pressed her cheek against his warm back. The cool scent of his body lingered around her nose. The aroma of ebony and sandalwood mixed with the spring evening breeze and the faint smell of alcohol on both of them made her feel as if she had been transported back to the nights when she first met him in Bihe Garden. Her nose tingled slightly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice low, like a whispered dream: "You know what? I'm still really sad..."
Xiao Heng's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he slowed his pace, wanting to hear her continue. However, Gu Xi's voice suddenly stopped, and her gaze fixed on a music hall on the side of the street.
Noticing her unusual behavior, he turned his head to ask her something, when he suddenly saw the name of the music hall—Yanyu Tower. All the surrounding shops were already closed, but Yanyu Tower was still brightly lit and bustling with people.
He suddenly understood something, and a trace of guilt flashed in his eyes.
He had already sent people to investigate why she went to the Misty Rain Pavilion, and he knew it was a frame-up, but he still chose to stand by and watch, leaving her to face the difficulties and criticisms alone.
Gu Xi suddenly looked up and bit down hard on Xiao Heng's shoulder, her teeth digging into the fabric of his clothes.
Xiao Heng groaned in pain, enduring the agony as he tightened his grip on her knees, not daring to loosen his hold even slightly. Beads of blood seeping from her shoulder soaked his clothes, clinging stickily to his skin. The dampness gradually intensified, soaking his clothes in patches.
Those were her tears.
Xiao Heng froze, his back stiff.
She loosened her teeth, clung tightly to his neck, buried her face in his shoulder and neck, and sobbed softly. Tears slid down his collar to his chest, and the pain in his shoulder suddenly pierced his heart, making his fingertips tremble.
At first, her cries were suppressed and broken, but gradually the sound grew louder and louder. Her hands, crossed in front of her chest, gripped his clothes tightly, and she lay on his back, wailing unrestrainedly.
The crying was exceptionally clear in the night. The doormen outside the Misty Rain Pavilion and the occasional passersby would glance over from time to time, all wondering why the woman was crying so sadly.
Xiao Heng's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes were bloodshot, and he suddenly turned around to look behind him.
He suddenly remembered that she had been drinking, and that crying in the wind like this might make her catch a cold.
Zhao Fuquan, who was following not far away, immediately understood. He raised his hand and waved, and the sound of wheels rolling over the floor came from the street. Then a carriage came to a steady stop in front of the two of them.
Zhao Fuquan quickly stepped forward, placed a wooden ladder over the car, and lifted the curtain of the carriage.
Xiao Heng tightened his grip on her knees, carried her on his back, and slowly walked towards the carriage. He stepped onto the ladder, bent down slightly, and led Gu Xi into the carriage.
He carefully placed her on the cushioned couch, and instead of letting go immediately, he sat down beside her, putting his arms around her shoulders so she could lean against him.
Gu Xi buried her face in Xiao Heng's neck, her sobs still escaping, her shoulders shaking violently, quickly soaking his clothes.
The carriage moved slowly forward, and the slight bumps came from the soft cushions. Gu Xicai suddenly realized that she was in the carriage. She suddenly raised her hand and pounded on Xiao Heng's chest, crying and shouting that she did not want to go back to the palace.
She screamed, "I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back!" Her voice suddenly lowered, choked with sobs, "You'll bully me, I don't want to go back..."
"Gu Xi, I know I was wrong, I will never do it again..." Xiao Heng rested his head on the top of her head, his arms around her tightened, his eyes bloodshot.
"I don't want you anymore! I never want to like you again... Waaah..." But she was pathetic and went back to him.
Xiao Heng didn't speak, but simply lowered his head and kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"You're the one who wouldn't let me go to the Qing Palace... Now you're asking me why? I'll never go to you again..." she said, enunciating each word clearly, "Never again!"
Xiao Heng's back stiffened. So this was why she didn't want to come to him.
He's a bastard.
He should have told her everything long ago. He didn't trust her, he even hated her, hated that she didn't love him, so he let himself hurt her in that way, trying to see the same pain on her face as he did, to prove that she actually cared about him.
He held her tightly, trying to explain, but he knew that the hurt was like a brand, leaving a mark on her heart that he could never erase no matter how hard he tried.
Seemingly having taken it to heart, Gu Xi's sobs subsided a little. With tears streaming down her face, she asked, "That night..." the night she was poisoned, "Were you with her?" She cared deeply, even if it was a lie.
"Who?" Xiao Heng didn't hear an answer. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his voice hoarse: "Gu Xi, I was thinking of you in the painting studio. I didn't go anywhere else..." He didn't know which night she was talking about, nor who she was talking about, but during that time, even when he was acting, he never stayed overnight in those women's chambers.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. Xiao Heng carried Gu Xi into the carriage and they finally returned to Kunning Palace. She was still crying uncontrollably.
Those tears were like molten lava poured onto his heart, burning him so much that even breathing hurt.
That night, under the influence of alcohol, Gu Xi poured out the bitterness buried deep in her heart that she had never spoken aloud.
When she talked about her sad moments, Gu Xi bit and punched Xiao Heng, and he didn't dodge. He just hoped that she would hit him harder to relieve some of the pain in her heart.
This drunkenness seemed to have given her an outlet, a way to vent all the grievances she felt when misunderstood, the disappointment when she was treated coldly, the sadness when she was humiliated, and the despair when she faced life and death alone.
Listening to her sorrowful sobs, Xiao Heng felt utterly despicable. She had been pampered by her family since childhood, yet he had never asked her if she wanted to be brought into the palace, causing her to suffer betrayal and harm, and putting her through life and death several times, all while failing to cherish her.
She cried all night long, almost passing out several times, and finally stopped just before dawn, falling into a deep sleep in Xiao Heng's arms.
Xiao Heng held her in his arms, unable to sleep all night, his eyes bloodshot.
*
When Gu Xi woke up, it was already bright outside, and it seemed that it was quite late.
Her throat was hoarse, her eyes were a little sticky, and her head was throbbing. She blinked, and what came into view was Xiao Heng's shirt, and the crisp scent of his body reached her nose. Memories of last night suddenly flooded back like a tide.
She actually cried all night last night, and even cried all the way back to the palace from outside! She thought of the way the pedestrians on Chang'an Street and the palace servants looked at her, and she thought of how she was hysterical in front of Xiao Heng. She suddenly felt extremely ashamed!
I should have gotten drunk!
Why can't I remember anything like last time?!
She shoved Xiao Heng away abruptly, her cheeks burning red, and stammered, "You...you...you...why haven't you gone to court yet?!" She didn't know that court time had long passed.
Gu Xi quickly sat up, and Xiao Heng followed suit, his gaze fixed on her.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze. She was too ashamed to see anyone and only wanted to get rid of Xiao Heng. With all her might, she pushed him away from the bedside, quickly tidied his clothes and hair ornaments, pushed him out of the room, and then slammed the door shut.
Xiao Heng stood outside the door, letting out a very soft sigh.
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Author's note: The next chapter should mark a complete reconciliation. I originally intended to finish this chapter, but I ran out of time, so I'm updating it now.
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