Chapter 27 The Regent Prefers Men
As soon as Zhou Chuan arrived, all the court officials and guests stood up and bowed.
Zhou Chuanxing, unusually setting aside his ruthless and authoritative demeanor, spoke in a very amiable manner: "Today is the joyous occasion of the Crown Prince of Chu. I have come to join in the festivities. Please, everyone, make yourselves at home."
If the emperor lying on his sickbed was a benevolent ruler...
Then the person in front of you is a ruthless and bloodthirsty demon.
The one who massacred tens of thousands of enemy soldiers was this very person.
He had no mercy in his eyes.
He didn't even flinch at the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
Anyone who hears about this will think to themselves that he's too murderous.
However, the Great Zhou Dynasty was like a ferocious beast about to enter old age, supported only by its skeleton, its body empty, and it was already on the verge of collapse.
Many dynasties were already on the verge of collapse by this time.
But the emperor and the regent managed to pull the dying Great Zhou Dynasty back to life.
After quelling the internal strife, it also instilled fear in neighboring countries, causing them to retreat thousands of miles away.
The Great Zhou Dynasty will have no worries about its borders for at least thirty years.
Many people say that the emperor was a restorer of the dynasty.
Those who know the inside story know that this regent is the pillar of the revival of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
...
The fact that the Regent himself attended the Crown Prince of Chu's wedding banquet today suggests that some of the rumors may not be unfounded.
For example, he took a fancy to the handsome Prince Chu.
When Prince Duan heard this gossip, he almost coughed up blood.
But she soon smiled to herself.
Second Brother did indeed have his eye on Prince Chu, but she was his cousin.
"Second brother, we haven't seen Miss Cousin yet."
Zhou Chuanxing understood that with so many people around today, the Crown Prince of Chu would definitely be on high alert.
It won't be easy for Miss Tang to escape.
"Send someone to keep an eye on it."
Prince Duan replied without hesitation, "Don't worry, we were prepared."
The bride's sedan chair arrived at the Marquis's residence at noon.
Chu Yannuo, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, waited with a smile as the sedan chair curtain was lifted, and then reached out to help the bride.
Next, the two smoothly completed the wedding ceremony.
Afterwards, Chu Yannuo escorted the bride back to the bridal chamber.
The banquet officially began.
Zhou Chuanxing sat at the head table, accepting toasts from everyone, which he drank one by one.
Seeing Chu Yannuo come over, he said sincerely, "You've married the most beautiful girl in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so you must cherish her."
Chu Yannuo hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, yet he was already somewhat drunk.
He raised his wine cup to Zhou Chuanxing, saying, "This humble official thanks the Regent for his assistance. Without Your Highness, this humble official would not have been able to achieve my wish. This humble official will drink it, Your Highness, please."
He tilted his head back and downed the drink in his glass.
Zhou Chuanxing was unusually happy and personally filled his wine glass.
"I've been fighting enemies all these years and don't know much about the wedding etiquette of newlyweds in the capital. But I think that wedding wine shouldn't be drunk in just one cup. Come on, I'll drink this in one go, you can drink as you like."
Zhou Chuan could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
He drank most of a jar of liquor with Chu Yannuo.
With him as an example, how could anyone else possibly let Chu Yannuo off the hook?
They kept drinking him until he was completely unconscious before they stopped.
As darkness fell, Zhou Chuanxing instructed the Chu family, "Take the young master Chu to the bridal chamber; the bride is still waiting for him."
Chu Yanqing served him the whole time.
For a fleeting moment, she suspected that the Regent was deliberately getting her elder brother drunk.
Everyone knows that the Regent is not a person who likes social interactions.
Attending the wedding banquet today was unexpected.
Why are you dragging her older brother into drinking and it just won't stop?
Could it be true, as the rumors suggest, that he likes her older brother...?
Once Chu Yanqing had this thought, her gaze towards the Regent became more complicated.
The Regent Prince is not the Prince of Duan.
She dared not be presumptuous.
He helped his elder brother up, nodded politely to the Regent, and then left.
"Big brother, the wedding room is over here..."
She could have stopped her brother from drinking so much.
But the thought of her elder brother going to the bridal chamber with Miss Wei made her feel uncomfortable.
Drinking too much is good, but if you drink too much, you won't be able to drink anymore.
Ever since Prince Duan was slapped by Chu Yanqing, he has been wearing a long face.
They didn't talk much at the table, but they did make Chu Yannuo drink quite a lot of alcohol.
This caught his second brother's eye. He stood up, grabbed Chu Yannuo's arm, and casually took the waist token from his body.
Chu Yanqing was surprised to see it was him and called a maid to take over.
Having succeeded, Prince Duan naturally handed Chu Yannuo over to the Chu family.
"Young Master Chu has had too much to drink; it's time for me to return to my residence."
Zhou Chuanxing finished his drink and, slightly drunk, got up. His guards helped him into the sedan chair.
If people had just suspected that the Regent had feelings for the Crown Prince of Chu, now it's almost certain.
He drank so much wine just now, and deliberately got Prince Chu drunk, clearly because he didn't want Prince Chu to share a room with a woman.
Once the Crown Prince of Chu left, he refused to stay a moment longer.
It's just that I'm sad and upset!
Everyone watched him leave with expressions of utter pity for the regent.
As soon as Zhou Chuanxing entered the sedan chair, he returned to his Qingming appearance.
Clothes were prepared in the sedan chair. He took off his clothes, which were stained with the smell of alcohol, and put on the carefully prepared brocade robes.
After his second brother left, Prince Duan also got up unsteadily.
"Cough, I... I can still drink. I'll go out and take a piss, then I'll come back to find you all. You'd better wait, none of you are allowed to leave."
Tonight, the Marquis's residence is the most bustling place in the entire capital.
Even inside the Marquis's mansion, every nook and cranny was filled with a festive and noisy atmosphere.
Except for the Green Bamboo Garden.
The place was surrounded by layers upon layers of guards, led by Qing Ning, with at least thirty soldiers.
Xiaoqian had tried three or four methods, but none of them could get Tang Xinuan out of the village.
She's so anxious she's about to cry.
"Miss, what do we do now? We can't get out tonight, and we'll never have another chance."
It was Xiaoqian who came up with a quick idea. She discussed with Tang Xinuan, "Miss, now you wear my clothes, style your hair in my bun, and just keep your head down as you walk out. If anyone asks you, just say you're asking for some wedding candy for the young lady."
It's getting dark now, and Qing Ning might not be able to find it.
Tang Xinuan disagreed: "What about you?"
Xiaoqian said anxiously, "As long as you escape, I'll think of something else."
Tang Xinuan couldn't bear to leave Xiaoqian behind.
If her cousin finds out, he'll beat Xiaoqian to death.
"We'll either go together or none of us will leave."
Xiaoqian understood that her mistress was worried about her, even though her mistress couldn't express it.
“Miss, the Lady of the Marquis and the Third Miss are here. Even if the Young Master finds out, he can’t do anything to me. Just go, and I’ll find a way to find you.”
Tang Xinuan disagreed with everything she said.
"Let's go together."
The master and servant were arguing when they suddenly heard a commotion of war outside.
Xiaoqian looked out the window and was surprised to see that the guards had all left.
She didn't dare to delay, so she slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed Tang Xinuan's hand, and headed outside.
"Miss, we need to hurry."
The guards did indeed leave, including Qing Ning.
Prince Duan swaggered over and ordered them to help find a jade pendant.
The guards dared not delay and hurriedly bent down to search.
Feeling that something was amiss, Qingning quickly called everyone to stop.
Unexpectedly, Prince Duan produced Chu Yannuo's token, "You bastards, I lost something in your Marquis's residence, and instead of looking for it for me, you want me to go into the bridal chamber and drag Prince Chu out!"
With Chu Shizi's token, Qing Ning dared not stop him anymore.
"Your Highness, where did you lose your things? Let me help you find them."
Prince Duan casually pointed: "It seems to be over there."
The guards rushed over and searched the lawn inch by inch, but there was no jade pendant to be found.
Prince Duan shook his head vigorously and pointed casually again.
"Over there, it looks like over there."
Seeing Tang Xinuan and Xiaoqian run out, he blocked Qing Ning's view.
"I've only had one pot of wine, and someone has already stolen my things. It's obvious that Prince Chu is stingy and can't bear to part with such good wedding wine. I'm going to drink to my heart's content."
After making a scene, he figured that Tang Xinuan had already met up with her second brother, so he simply lay down in the corner.
"I want to drink more, drink more, drink more..."
Hearing the commotion, Chu Yanqing rushed over to check.
Upon seeing Prince Duan lying in the grass, they hurriedly ordered the guards, "You two help him to the guest room, fetch him a basin of water, and take care of him so he can rest."
Prince Duan wasn't really drunk. He glanced at Chu Yanqing and saw her forcefully push the guard away and fall onto Chu Yanqing.
Chu Yanqing dodged away with a look of disgust on her face.
Noticing that Young Master Han was about to leave, they hurried over to see him off.
"Young Master Han, please take care."
Young Master Han politely bowed with his hands clasped.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Chu. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. See you another day."
Chu Yanqing bowed and watched him leave.
Prince Duan felt a pang of jealousy and let out a sour snort.
"Your eyes are practically glued to him. What, the Han family doesn't take concubines? I've heard that the Duke of Han has taken more than twenty concubines, and this youngest son was born to his seventeenth concubine."
Chu Yanqing said unhappily, "Even if you drink too much, you can't shut up. Go and get some rest."
After the guards helped Prince Duan away, she gave Qing Ning and the others some stern instructions.
"No one is allowed to tell anyone about Prince Duan's visit tonight. It would be an insult to the royal family's dignity, and anyone who does so would risk their life."
Qing Ning was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe. "This servant thanks Third Miss for reminding me."
Chu Yanqing glanced at the courtyard and sighed silently.
Brother, I hope you won't regret it someday!
A note from the author:
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