Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Three parts drunk and seven parts pretending...night night...
Sheng Puzhu was stunned, with a buzzing sound in his ears.
She couldn't believe what she heard. She felt a surge of heat rising to her head. She looked at the young lady on the bed and said angrily.
"Sheng Mingshu!"
"You are simply... I will tear your mouth apart."
Sheng Mingshu hugged the brocade quilt and pinched a candied fruit from the porcelain jar with her pale fingertips. Her cheeks were thin due to the continuous high fever, but her eyes had regained some of their spirit.
"Sister, you can't take my life while I'm sick."
"I just swallowed the bitter medicine with great difficulty, but now I'm going to vomit it out because of my elder sister."
She forced her lips into a smile, at least she wasn't as sickly and pitiful as she was at the beginning.
Sheng Puzhu reached out and pushed Sheng Mingshu onto the bed, rubbing her roughly, turning her straightened long hair into a messy bird's nest. She pretended to be calm and said, "You are an unmarried young lady, how can you understand the love between husband and wife!"
Sheng Mingshu was still stubborn: "I think my elder sister doesn't seem to understand much either."
"Okay, if you don't understand, then you don't understand."
"Lie back down and have a good sleep. Mingya will stay with you in the room. I'm going to Princess Duanyang's residence now."
Sheng Mingshu suddenly grabbed her hand, her eyes were red, her lips trembling as she wanted to say something, but all the sounds were stuck in her throat, and she just kept crying.
She and Sheng Puzhu had been at odds since childhood, and the sisters' quarrels and arguments often troubled the elders in the family.
In Sheng Mingshu's memory, Sheng Puju, who was only two years older than her, also loved to cry and was the most spoiled girl among the Sheng family girls by the old ancestor.
I don’t know when it started, but the most delicate girl in the Sheng family changed. She became calm and composed, and knew how to act.
Sheng Mingshu's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly thought of the day seven years ago when she heard the news of her great uncle's death from distant Dengzhou. It seemed that everything had changed.
"Don't be too moved. It's not the place for outsiders to bully the girls of the Sheng family." Sheng Puju stood up slowly and looked at Sheng Mingshu who was a little distracted. Although she spoke in a light tone, the coldness and mockery in her eyes seemed to have substance.
Princess Duanyang's Mansion.
"Why did you come here suddenly?"
"I heard outside that you didn't even take a carriage?" Princess Duanyang felt very guilty when she thought of the trouble she had caused because of her husband's dancing a few days ago.
Sheng Puzhu raised the whip in his hand, took a deep breath and said, "It's urgent. It's too late to take a carriage, so I borrowed a horse from my brother."
Princess Duanyang quickly stuffed a hand warmer into her arms and patted her chest with a lingering fear: "I was scared to death. I thought you came to settle the score with me."
"Good Puzhu, I was wrong last time. I shouldn't have abandoned you."
"Just forgive me this time, okay?"
Sheng Puzhu pursed her lips and said, "We'll talk about the reckoning later. Duan Yang, I came to you today to ask for a favor."
"What is your relationship with me? Do you even need to ask for something?"
Princess Duanyang shivered at the coldness of her body and waved to the attendants around her: "I have a private conversation with the Crown Prince's wife. You can go down first."
"Today's incident happened suddenly. I shouldn't have visited you rashly, but I was worried that the longer I stayed, the more hidden dangers would arise." After seeing that everyone had gone far away, Sheng Puzhu lowered his voice and recounted what happened at Princess Changning's flower-viewing banquet.
Princess Duanyang snorted coldly after hearing this: "Your second sister must have been framed."
"How could it be such a coincidence?"
Sheng Puzhu also nodded: "I think so too, but I am afraid of offending Princess Changning, so I can only ask you, Your Majesty."
Princess Duanyang narrowed her eyes and pondered for a moment: "It's not a big deal. I'll have someone harness the horses and we'll head to Prince Ning's mansion right now."
Sheng Puzhu immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You and I, who's following who?"
"In the entire city of Chang'an, apart from your cold-faced and heartless husband and the nobles in the palace, there is no one I dare not offend."
"We'll go there now, and then send someone to the Fuguogong Mansion to fetch that drunk young lady."
Princess Duanyang gave the order in just a few words, and the group got on the carriage in an orderly manner.
Inside Prince Ning's mansion.
Princess Changning was awakened by her maid while she was sleeping. She didn't even have time to choose new clothes and hurried to the flower hall.
"Aunt, why are you here?"
Princess Duanyang pointed at Sheng Puzhu and slowly raised her eyebrows: "Good Ning'er, it's not your aunt who's looking for you, it's the wife of the prince of the Jingguo Mansion who wants to ask you something."
Princess Changning had seen Sheng Puzhu before, but she had only seen this beautiful lady of the Sheng family from afar.
"My princess is well." Sheng Puzhu bowed to her first.
Princess Changning was so fascinated by the beauty so close to her that she felt dizzy. It took her a while before she hurriedly reacted and tried to return the gift.
"I wonder what the eldest sister of the Sheng family wants to see me about?"
"Excuse me, Princess. I came here today to ask if you have the list of guests for the flower viewing banquet that day?" Sheng Puzhu asked.
"When I sent invitations to each prefecture, I left a list of names. I'll have someone get it right away."
"A few days ago, the Sheng family's grandmother and Madam Sheng II also sent someone to inquire about it. I saw nothing wrong with the guest list. I wonder if Mingshu is feeling better?"
"I went to see her the day before yesterday. She was delirious with fever and kept holding my hand and crying."
Sheng Puzhu sighed, "She's still having a recurring high fever and it's not getting better. Yesterday, the wife of the Marquis of Changxing came over and said she wanted to cancel the engagement, and my sister's illness has gotten even worse."
"Cancel the engagement?" Princess Changning was shocked.
"Falling into the water isn't a big deal, so why did you have to cancel the engagement for no reason?"
Sheng Puzhu pretended to be surprised: "Don't you know, Princess?"
"What?" Princess Changning looked puzzled.
"Yesterday, the wife of the Marquis of Xingping told my grandmother that many people saw my second sister's disheveled appearance when the princess was enjoying the flowers at her residence."
"It is said that he did not fall into the water at all, but was seen having a secret meeting with someone." Sheng Puzhu said in a faint voice.
"How is that possible!" Princess Changning turned to look at Princess Duanyang, "Aunt, is what the eldest sister of the Sheng family said true?"
Princess Duanyang snorted coldly: "Of course, why would I lie to you for no reason?"
Princess Changning's face turned pale: "Impossible."
"Before Sister Sheng left that day, I warned the maids in the palace not to gossip about her or mention her drowning to anyone else. Besides, the guests I invited were all in the Plum Garden watching the fireworks, so very few people knew about her drowning."
"How could there be such a reckless rumor?"
Just at this time, the nanny who went to the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion to pick someone up arrived, followed by a young lady in pink.
"I wonder why the princess is looking for me?" Song Zhuyi started to tremble before she could finish her words.
Sheng Puzhu glanced at the girl in front of him who looked very timid.
Princess Duanyang spoke first: "Don't be afraid, I just want to ask you about what happened on the day of the flower viewing banquet."
"Yeah." Song Zhuyi lowered her head. She was so nervous that the handkerchief in her hand was almost torn into pieces.
"Do you drink alcohol on weekdays?" Sheng Puzhu suddenly asked.
Song Zhuyi was stunned for a moment, and said in a thin voice: "I don't drink."
"I accidentally got drunk that day and that was my fault."
She bit her lip and mustered up the courage to explain, "When the princess invited me to the flower viewing banquet, I had no idea the cups were filled with wine." "Just like the other sisters who don't drink, I was drinking the tea prepared in the garden. But I was the only one who got drunk and lost my composure. If Sister Mingshu hadn't held me back, I would have fallen into the lake."
The atmosphere in the flower hall suddenly became tense.
Princess Changning frowned, her expression not looking very good. "Go, call the maid who was in charge of the tea service in Taoyuan that day."
After a while, the nanny came in with four maids.
Sheng Puzhu glanced at them coldly, and the four of them all lowered their heads and knelt on the ground, with varying degrees of nervousness.
After calling everyone forward and questioning them one by one, there was nothing wrong. It seemed like Song Zhuyi was careless and took the wrong cup.
"Where do you usually serve and what are your responsibilities?" Sheng Puzhu suddenly leaned down, his clear eyes swept across the four people's clasped hands, and finally landed on a pair of smooth and delicate hands.
"My lady, I am responsible for sweeping the plum garden on weekdays."
"I will help the princess take care of the flowers in the plum garden all year round."
When it was the third person's turn, the maid shuddered visibly: "This maid... This maid is the personal maid of Concubine Liu in the mansion."
Sheng Puzhu and Princess Duanyang exchanged a glance: "Liu Yiang's maidservant, why is she being sent to the Plum Garden to serve tea?"
Princess Changning's face darkened, and her voice was cold: "There are people specifically serving in the Plum Garden. Who did you ask for this job?"
"That day, I was a sister in the Plum Garden who was in charge of serving tea. She had a stomachache and asked me to take her place."
"Let someone call those who have a stomachache and question them." Princess Changning was obviously angry.
After a while, the nanny was brought in.
After some interrogation, it turned out to be just as he had said before. He had a stomach upset and asked the maidservant next to Aunt Liu to do his job for half a day.
This plot was so complicated that not even a shred of evidence could be found, and the whole thing was done perfectly.
"Then call Aunt Liu for questioning!" Princess Changning was about to send someone to call her, but was stopped by Sheng Puju.
"My Lady, that's not necessary. I'm afraid you won't get anything out of me."
There was confusion in Princess Changning's eyes.
Sheng Puzhu smiled and said, "Please let them leave first. I have something to say to the princess."
"I wonder what the eldest sister of the Sheng family wants to say?"
"My princess, do you know who the man was who set off fireworks in the plum garden that day?" Sheng Puzhu slowed down her voice.
Princess Changning thought for a moment and said, "If I remember correctly, it should have been brought by the Marquis of Changxing."
“That’s right!”
She slapped her head and said excitedly, "I hadn't noticed, but there was a young lady who kept pestering the Marquis of Changxing to set off the fireworks himself. A young man in the audience, who knew he was already engaged, even teased him a little."
"At that time, the Marquis of Changxing said that the girl was his younger sister."
"I didn't recognize her face, but the Marquis of Changxing had many concubines, so I figured one of the concubines had given birth to a young lady and he brought her along to enjoy the plum blossoms, so I didn't take it seriously."
The eldest son of Marquis Changxing?
Sister at home?
Sheng Puzhu felt a chill in her heart, because although the Changxing Marquisate had many concubines, this prince had no sisters except for his elder sisters.
Ever since the wife of Marquis Changxing gave birth to a legitimate son, the concubine has never been able to give birth to a living child. She learned about this by chance from her grandmother.
Thinking of this, Sheng Puzhu knelt and saluted to everyone: "I am sorry for being so abrupt today and disturbing your rest. I also trouble the Princess and Miss Song to accompany me on this trip."
She controlled her emotions very well, with a gentle and calm smile at the corners of her eyes, as if nothing had happened.
Princess Changning shook her head and said, "It was my fault for not managing my servants well and causing Mingshu to suffer."
Song Zhuyi hurriedly returned the gift, blaming herself: "I was careless that day. Sister Mingshu was trying to save me, so she accidentally fell into the lake."
Before leaving, Sheng Puzhu suddenly turned and looked at Princess Changning: "I wonder...where is Concubine Liu from?"
Princess Changning was stunned. Fortunately, the nanny beside her knew more: "Madam, Concubine Liu's ancestral home is from Yizhou. She was taken into the palace by the prince six years ago."
"Yeah, I understand."
When Sheng Puzhu returned, Sheng Mingshu had just woken up.
"Big sister." She sat up nervously.
Sheng Puzhu curled up her cold fingertips and said softly, "Don't worry, everything will be resolved soon."
Sheng Mingshu bit her lip and nodded heavily: "Sister, have you found out who it is?"
"Myeong-sook, let me ask you something."
"If I want to cancel the engagement, can you accept it?"
Sheng Puzhu raised his eyes and looked at her with a serious gaze.
Sheng Mingshu's hands on her side froze. She seemed to have guessed something, tried hard to hold back her tears, and nodded with a trembling voice.
"If that's the case, there's nothing I can't do."
"Well, do you know where the wife of Marquis Changxing is from?" Sheng Puzhu sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I heard from my grandmother that he seemed to be from Yizhou."
"Liu family of Yizhou?" Sheng Puzhu sneered.
"Yes." Sheng Mingshu's black eyelashes drooped, and her voice was muffled and low.
"Then cancel the engagement."
"The prince of Changxing Marquis's Mansion is not a good man." Sheng Puju stretched out her hand and lifted Sheng Mingshu's chin with her cold fingers. She looked at her seriously and spoke in a light tone.
Because of the rushing of the horse, her cheeks were red from the wind, like rouge, or like the mist reflected on the lake. "We proposed to cancel the engagement because you kicked the Changxing Marquis's son."
"As for the evidence, I will find it for you."
Sheng Puzhu said firmly.
*
At night, the Mingde Marquis Mansion was brightly lit.
The whole family, except Sheng Mingshu who was still unable to get out of bed, even Sheng Puju's mother, the widowed eldest lady of the Sheng family, Shen Yu, came.
Because there were so many people, we divided the table into two and used only a four-panel rosewood screen inlaid with shells and flowers.
After three rounds of drinks at the men's table, Sheng Puzhu was already half full with a bowl of Sushan.
She held the silver spoon and caught a glimpse of her grandfather filling Xie Zhiyan's glass with wine again. The white jade porcelain cup pressed against his thin lips, and the wine swayed into a soft amber color. His slender knuckles clasped the bottom of the cup, and he tilted his head slightly, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he drank.
Sheng Puzhu was shocked. Not only was her grandfather a heavy drinker, but she also had two older brothers who were also heavy drinkers.
The wine for tonight's banquet is the Yingzhouchun that my grandfather secretly stored in the cellar.
Not only is it very old, it is also a rare liquor.
Sheng Puzhu watched Xie Zhiyan drinking cup after cup of water until his two brothers fell down drunk.
With his personality, he probably doesn't like socializing, but tonight he accepted everyone who came.
At this moment, the man's dark gaze looked at her over the screen. A faint layer of red floated on his cold white neck, and his long eyelashes were half-drooped. Although his eyes were still clear, the corners of his eyes were red with the effect of alcohol, like fireworks rising in the snow.
"Teacher, this cup is for you." Xie Zhiyan turned around, his black hair tied up high with an ink crown, not a single strand of hair out of place, only the jade pendant on the leather belt around his waist made a crisp sound.
Sheng Baiya, the old Marquis of Mingde Marquisate, was once the teacher of the sage before he ascended the throne, and now serves as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. Xie Zhiyan used to be the Crown Prince's companion in the palace, so he calls him teacher just like the Crown Prince.
"Zhiyan, you should change your address." Sheng Baiya smiled and patted Xie Zhiyan's shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhiyan silently refilled his drink and raised his hands: "Grandfather."
"Okay, okay, okay." Sheng Baiya said three "okay" words in a row, and there was obviously drunkenness in his eyes.
The midnight bell struck three times, and the lanterns in the corridor were wrapped in heavy night dew.
Xie Zhiyan leaned on the edge of the table, supporting his forehead with one hand: "If I drink any more... I'm afraid I'll be being rude."
He raised his hand, covered his lips and coughed lightly, and his steps seemed to be staggering.
Sheng Baiya laughed loudly: "Forget it."
"It's dark and the road is long. Since you've married my Puzhu, you should stay home tonight."
Xie Zhiyan supported Sheng Baiya. Under the dim light, he curled his lips, and there was no sign of drunkenness in his eyes.
The two looked at each other through a screen.
Sheng Puzhu heard his low and hoarse voice, his words were slow and clear, and his slightly raised eyes showed a bit more lust than usual.
"That student."
"It is better to obey than to be respectful."
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