Lu Minghe got completely drunk at the tavern. As night fell and the tavern was about to close, the manager, seeing that he was an extraordinary person, dared not kick him out and could only try to find out where he lived.
Lu Minghe rarely got drunk before, but ever since Zhaozhao married into the Prince of Qin's mansion, he has been unable to relieve his frustrations and can only seek out street taverns where no one knows him to drown his sorrows.
The shopkeeper asked him several times before Lu Minghe, feeling dizzy and disoriented, finally managed to look at him and reply in a muffled voice, "I don't want to go back."
The innkeeper thought to himself, "This is terrible. I can't just lock someone up in the tavern all night, can I?"
Just as he was getting anxious, a carriage stopped at the door. The shopkeeper was at his wit's end and hurriedly went to close the door: "Sir, please wait, our shop is already closed."
A man dressed as a servant stepped down from the carriage. He cupped his hands and said, "Please forgive me, sir. I am here on the orders of the matriarch of my family to fetch our young master."
The innkeeper was overjoyed upon hearing this, finally able to get rid of this hot potato. He quickly stepped aside, smiling obsequiously, and said, "This young master has been drinking here all day and is completely drunk. I was just trying to find out where he lives so I could take him home..."
The servant helped the drunken Lu Minghe up, then tossed a silver ingot to the shopkeeper, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, shopkeeper. I'll take the young master back now."
The shopkeeper, beaming from ear to ear, held the tip money and politely saw the person out.
Lu Minghe was helped into the carriage. He was very drunk and in his delirium, he thought that his mother had sent someone to pick him up. He pushed the servant away and said in a cold tone, "I'm not going back. Take me... back to the yamen."
Seeing this, the servant looked at the other person sitting in the carriage. Lu Yi waved his hand and said, "You can get off now."
The servant then exited the carriage and drove it in the opposite direction from the Lu residence.
Only two people remained inside the carriage. Lu Yi sized up her cousin, who was both talented and virtuous, and recalled what had happened before.
She was doing needlework with the maids in the courtyard when she returned to her room to rest. Suddenly, she found a letter and a small bottle on the table. The letter was brief, but it told her that Lu Minghe was drunk and unconscious in the tavern. If she was interested, she could go and pick him up. The pills in the bottle could help her succeed.
The letter and pills arrived out of the blue. Lu Yi was startled, but not out of fear; rather, she felt excited and thrilled.
Her mother was only from a collateral branch of the Ye family, and later married poorly, suffering endless torment in the Lu family, which also affected her, the legitimate daughter. So from a young age, she knew that being submissive like her mother would not end well.
If you don't want to be trampled underfoot and if you want to live a good life, you have to fight and strive for it yourself.
So after becoming an orphan, she took stock of all the relatives in the Ye family and chose to seek refuge at the Lu family mansion.
Originally, she only wanted to use the Lu family's influence to find a good marriage, but after meeting this cousin, she had other ideas.
This cousin comes from a noble family, is quite talented and has a bright future, and is gentle, respectful of rules and etiquette, making him easy to control. Although his mother is difficult to deal with, during her stay at the Lu residence, she had already discerned that this cousin hated his mother and wanted to get rid of her but could not.
And this gap between mother and child can be put to good use.
As for Lu Minghe having someone else in his heart, what does it matter?
Lu Yi stared intently at the drunken Lu Minghe, leaned forward slightly, and tentatively called out, "Cousin?"
Lu Minghe's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes, looking at her blankly: "Zhaozhao?"
When Lu Yi heard that he had called the wrong person, she knew that he was confused. Her smile became even brighter. She imitated the mannerisms of the Princess Qin, whom she had once seen from afar, and deliberately softened her tone, saying softly, "Cousin, would you like to come back to the manor with me?"
Lu Minghe's thoughts were in a daze. He frowned painfully at the mention of returning to the manor. He almost pleaded with Lu Yi to take her hand: "Zhaozhao, I don't want to go back. Let's not go back, okay?"
Lu Yi held his hand and gently comforted him, "Okay, then we won't go back."
"Cousin, you've had too much to drink. Does your head hurt? How about you drink some tea to sober up a bit?"
As she spoke, she released Lu Minghe's hand, took out a teapot and cups from the hidden compartment of the carriage, and, under the cover of her sleeve, dissolved the pill into the tea. She then slowly poured out a cup and fed it to Lu Minghe's lips: "Cousin, have some tea."
Lu Minghe treated her as his beloved, completely unguarded. After finishing his tea, he gazed at her earnestly and murmured, "Zhao Zhao hasn't been this close to me in a long time." He missed the soft touch in his hand and wanted to take her hand again, but he was afraid of something and timidly withdrew.
Seeing this, Lu Yi took his hand and tentatively asked, "Cousin, are you feeling better? Is anything bothering you?"
She was actually a little nervous. The letters and pills that had suddenly appeared were of unknown origin, but she was not willing to give up such a good opportunity and had no choice but to take a chance.
The letter didn't describe the pill's effects very clearly, but Lu Yi guessed it was mostly an aphrodisiac. Before coming, she was worried and even had a stray dog test the pill on it, but she could only confirm that it wasn't poison.
She had no idea how effective the pills were.
Lu Minghe looked somewhat vulnerable, holding her hand affectionately and refusing to let go: "I'm alright, just a little dizzy."
Lu Yi boldly stroked his face and continued to coax him, "We'll be there soon. I'll cook you a hangover soup later, and you'll feel better after a nap."
Lu Minghe nodded, a rare, hearty smile on his face.
Looking at him, Lu Yi felt a pang of pity. She thought that such a handsome man was a good match for the Princess of Qin, but it was a pity that such a good person had such a mother.
The carriage arrived at the inn quickly. The room had been booked in advance. Lu Yi ordered the servant to help the person upstairs, while he himself put on a veil and followed behind.
Once they arrived at the room, Lu Yi dismissed the servant and looked at Lu Minghe, who was lying on the bed in a daze, wondering when the effects of the medicine would kick in.
Just as she was pondering, she heard Lu Minghe complaining that he was hot. Lu Yi brought him some tea to feed him, but Lu Minghe suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. The teacup in her hand overturned, wetting Lu Minghe's clothes, but Lu Yi didn't care. She realized that Lu Minghe had already reacted.
She didn't struggle. Looking into Lu Minghe's chaotic and burning eyes, she softly called out, "Cousin."
Lu Minghe's rationality snapped at that moment.
*
The next day, Lu Minghe woke up from his hangover with a splitting headache.
He propped himself up, but his hand touched another soft, warm body. Lu Minghe stiffened and turned around very slowly, only to see Lu Yi nestled in his arms.
Lu Yi was still asleep, completely naked, and the marks on her body clearly showed what had happened.
Lu Minghe's already not fully clear mind felt as if a hot coal had been stuffed into it, causing him a splitting headache.
He hurriedly got out of bed and dressed, but his movements were so loud that they woke Lu Yi. Lu Yi opened her eyes groggily, looked at him blankly, and called out, "Cousin."
The word "cousin" suddenly froze Lu Minghe. He stared blankly at Lu Yi, fragments of his chaotic memories surfacing.
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