Chapter 11 A Damp Rainy Night "The Engaged Bride."...
Even the dim-witted Guang Sheng realized something was wrong. He was so anxious that he wanted to check on Qin Jin, but he jumped up and grabbed Xue Rongyue, who was trying to escape: "You, you, you! Wait a minute, you're not allowed to leave!"
Xue Rongyue glared at her, "Why won't you let me leave!"
The thought of serving Qin Jin a bowl of hangover soup made Xue Rongyue feel ashamed to face her elders in Jiangdong. She only wanted to escape this place of trouble as soon as possible, return to her residence, hide for three days and three nights, and then come out to see people again.
She tried to pull her sleeve back, but Guang Sheng was too strong, and she couldn't win against him. Her face turned red, but she couldn't pull it back even a little bit from Guang Sheng's hand.
She glared at him angrily: "How dare you! Do you know who I am? How dare you be so disrespectful to me!"
Qin Jin was still vomiting into the spittoon, and Guang Sheng was also flustered and his face turned red: "You're not allowed to leave. Without you, would my husband have vomited like this?"
Jingnu had been eavesdropping on the sounds inside the door. When she heard Xue Rongyue stomp her foot, she immediately kicked the door open and burst in: "Who dares to be disrespectful to my mistress!"
Seeing that Guang Sheng was holding onto Xue Rongyue's sleeve, Jingnu became anxious and quickly reached out to push Guang Sheng away, while trying to help Xue Rongyue get her sleeve back.
With a "rip," the sleeves of the brocade robe couldn't withstand the tearing and a thin crack appeared. It looked like it was about to rip completely. Xue Rongyue couldn't bear it any longer: "Enough! Let go! I'm not leaving!"
Guang Sheng took a step back with some doubt, while Xue Rongyue withdrew her sleeves and sat down angrily.
Her face flushed with anger, her chest heaving with each rapid breath; at this point, she no longer cared about feeling uncomfortable.
Frowning in annoyance, Xue Rongyue thought resignedly, "So what if she sent it? Who dares to say anything to her? As for Qin Jin, he can't guess her intentions, so what if he's going to kill her?"
On the contrary, fleeing in disarray now would only invite Qin Jin's ridicule in the future.
With that in mind, Xue Rongyue simply sat down steadily.
After vomiting violently several times, Qin Jin's stomach finally felt a little better, and he barely managed to stop vomiting. Guang Sheng quickly ran over and poured a cup of warm tea, handing it to Qin Jin: "Are you feeling better, my lord? Should I go and call the doctor?"
After rinsing his mouth with tea, Qin Jin straightened up and collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily. Now that he was sober, he had no time to dwell on his worries. Hearing this, he weakly waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, no need for a doctor."
After drinking two cups of cold tea, Qin Jin rubbed his aching temples and sat up with Guang Sheng's help. Guang Sheng said, "My lord, I have detained the dancer who brought the hangover soup, but is there something wrong with her?"
Qin Jin got angry just thinking about it, kicked him, and said irritably, "Who's the dancer? Who's the dancer! You dare to have her bring my husband hangover soup? Are you afraid I'll die too slowly?"
After vomiting, the effects of the alcohol subsided, and Qin Jin's muddled mind cleared up considerably. He realized that unless Xue Rongyue had suddenly gone mad and didn't want to live anymore, why would she personally bring over a poisonous hangover soup?
But precisely because of this, a deep sense of unease rose from the depths of Qin Jin's heart, more terrifying than seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
He glanced at the beautiful figure sitting in the outer room, secretly pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, before standing up, lifting the crimson curtain and stepping out.
Xue Rongyue remained cold as always, her cheeks still flushed, whether from anger or annoyance. Hearing the noise, she glared at them angrily, then turned to the side, the tassels in her hair swinging loudly.
Qin Jin leaned against the landscape screen with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed, and his probing and suspicious gaze fell on her. He said bluntly, "Xue Rongyue, what kind of trick have you come up with to torment me now?"
Xue Rongyue was silent for a moment, then raised her head and said defiantly, "Young Master Qin is making a mountain out of a molehill. I'm just here to bring you a bowl of hangover soup. What trouble could possibly come of it?"
Qin Jin seemed to have heard a joke, a cold laugh escaping his thin lips: "You would be so kind?"
Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow, deliberately looking him up and down: "It's rare to see Prince Qin in such a sorry state. This bowl of hangover soup certainly wasn't a waste. Let me give you a piece of advice, Prince Qin: if you're not good at drinking, then don't force yourself. What's the fun in drinking it and then vomiting?"
That's not entirely untrue.
If she had known that a bowl of hangover soup would make Qin Jin look so disheveled and out of control, she should have brought over five or six bowls long ago, preferably enough to make Qin Jin vomit blood from disgust.
Qin Jin scoffed twice.
He couldn't figure out what Xue Rongyue was up to this time, and even suspected that she might have really gone mad and actually poisoned the hangover soup so that she could die with him.
But he hasn't bothered her recently...
Never mind, it's better to find a doctor to take my pulse later.
Just as Qin Jin was about to call Guang Sheng, who had gone out to empty the spittoon, back, he caught a glimpse of the carriage outside the window.
A pink dress flashed past from under the carriage curtain, and then a small face with light makeup peeked out, her expression revealing unease.
Qin Jin frowned: "You took Zhong Yuan away?"
Xue Rongyue was taken aback: "Why do you know her?"
On second thought, Qin Jin must be a regular at this tavern, so it's not surprising that he knows the dancers here.
Instead of answering, Qin Jin asked, "Why did you take her away?"
Xue Rongyue said impatiently, "Why should I tell you?"
Qin Jin raised an eyebrow and looked back at her with a hint of sarcasm.
The meaning is obvious, so what gives him the right to tell her?
Xue Rongyue was speechless. She rolled her eyes, stood up, and decided not to get entangled with Qin Jin any longer.
Zhong Yuan has already been taken to the carriage. The special mission is complete. After this incident tonight, it's not suitable for her to try to win over Qin Jin. So why waste her breath on him here?
To avoid Qin Jin, who is so petty, getting into a fit of impotent rage and causing her favorability to drop further, would be a greater loss than gain.
—Although she now deeply suspects that Qin Jin's favorability towards her is already negative and cannot be lowered any further.
Putting aside her desire to compete with Qin Jin, Xue Rongyue glanced at him lazily, stood up, and was about to leave when Qin Jin suddenly spoke up: "Wait."
Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow: "What, does Prince Qin have something else to say?"
With his back to her, Qin Jin stared at a corner of the tavern with his peach blossom eyes. After a moment's pause, he said in a low voice, "For the sake of your brother, I also advise you to come to this tavern less often in the future."
Xue Rongyue was taken aback: "Why?"
"There's no reason," Qin Jin said lazily. "That's all I have to say. Whether you listen or not is up to you. Besides, the dancers in this tavern sell their bodies. Such a place of pleasure shouldn't be suitable for someone like you..."
He turned around, perhaps because someone had brought up old memories again tonight, and couldn't help but recall the playful words his elders had uttered when he was a child. He said with a half-smile, "The young lady who's engaged."
Xue Rongyue was taken aback; she truly did not know.
When I arrived, I only knew it was a tavern, and the hall was full of guests. I never imagined that the owner would be so bold as to run a brothel right under the emperor's nose.
"No wonder Prince Qin is such a distinguished guest here..."
Xue Rongyue glanced at Qin Jin with disgust, then looked away from his front and scoffed, "After all, he's an unruly and unfilial person who is still unmarried."
Qin Jin tensed his jaw, gritted his teeth, looked down at her, and sneered, "Critical."
Xue Rongyue gave a forced smile and looked back defiantly, saying, "You flatter me."
Her hair, damp from the drizzling rain, was still wet, with a few strands of black hair hanging loosely by her ears. Xue Rongyue's skin was as white as a pear blossom, and beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows were a pair of bright, round almond-shaped eyes that always exuded a hint of indomitable pride.
There is no denying that her face is breathtakingly beautiful, and under the wind and rain, it exudes a resilient and vibrant energy.
Like bamboo shoots emerging after the rain, they represent the evergreen springtime vitality amidst lush life.
Unconsciously, his fingertips gripped the wine glass tightly, and the slightly cool pear wine overflowed as he gently swirled, slowly sliding down his fingertips with their prominent veins.
Qin Jin realized what was happening, quickly looked away, turned and pointed to the door of the room that had been kicked open, and said succinctly, "Please."
Xue Rongyue snorted coldly, turned around and left the tavern with Jingnu without looking back. The coachman saw Xue Rongyue and quickly went to greet her: "Madam, you're finally out. Luo Zhen left suddenly for some reason, and Madam Zhong has been trying to leave, and I can't stop her anymore."
Xue Rongyue nodded: "Don't worry about him, I've ordered him to take care of other matters."
Once inside the carriage, Zhong Yuan, hearing the commotion, huddled in a corner, looking timidly at Xue Rongyue: "I wonder who you are, madam, what you want to talk about, and why you insisted on taking me out of the tavern."
Xue Rongyue did not press the matter directly. She glanced at Jingnu and immediately understood. She stepped forward and bent down to pour Zhong Yuan a cup of tea: "This matter is a long story. It is really inconvenient to go to a tavern. Madam, your clothes are thin. Have a cup of tea to warm yourself up first."
Zhong Yuan didn't dare touch the teacup, but seeing Jing Nu add another cup of tea for Xue Rongyue, he shakily picked up the teacup and drank a few mouthfuls after Xue Rongyue took a sip.
Although it was early spring, the rainy night was still chilly. Her dress was thin when she performed the dance, and her lips had already turned white from the cold. After taking a couple of sips, she heard Xue Rongyue ask, "Your name is Zhong Yuan, and you have an older brother who works in the Jiang family named Zhong Wei?"
Zhong Yuan was taken aback: "Did...did my brother do something wrong?"
Xue Rongyue smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes: "That's good. If I don't take you away tonight, I'm afraid you will have a hard time surviving."
Zhong Yuan was shocked. A few drops of scalding tea landed on the back of her hand, but she didn't notice. "Why is this happening? Could it be that my brother really did something wrong? Where is my brother now?"
Jingnu said, "This matter is of great importance, and I suppose the authorities haven't contacted you yet. Your brother is dead; he was hanged from the roof beam."
The cup in her hand shattered on the ground, scalding tea spilling onto her embroidered shoes. Zhong Yuan abruptly stood up, her eyes red, and roared, "What are you saying... nonsense!"
She excitedly tried to get off the carriage, but her body suddenly went limp, and the world blurred and turned upside down before her eyes. She leaned against the carriage wall and slowly slumped to the ground, her eyes closed, completely unconscious.
After swallowing the antidote handed to her by Jingnu, Xue Rongyue lifted the curtain and said calmly to the coachman, "Let's go, don't go back to the manor yet."
A note from the author:
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To avoid any misunderstanding, I have been entrusted by Prince Qin to speak out and refute the rumors on his behalf. I hereby announce that Prince Qin adheres to male virtues, is pure in body and mind, and has absolutely no bad habits other than cockfighting.
Currently in the top lane, we'll be practicing soon, focusing on mid-jungle synergy [doge][droopy-eared bunny]
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