Night had fallen, and the two were quite drunk. Nian Gengyao was slumped over the table, unable to move. The Fourth Prince, slightly more sober, squinted and, supporting himself, ordered a servant to carry Nian Gengyao to a side room to rest.
The Fourth Prince sat at the table for a long time without speaking, his expression somber. Su Peisheng knew that the Fourth Prince was angry because of Nian Gengyao, so he dared not say anything and could only stand by his side. When the Fourth Prince stood up, he quickly stepped forward to support him, and the Fourth Prince was able to steady himself and not fall.
"Fourth Master, where shall we rest? When we went to pick up General Nian today, Madam Nian instructed that you must come to her place after your meal. Are you going to…?" Su Peisheng asked cautiously. The Fourth Master hesitated for a moment, then nodded. But as soon as he stepped out of the house, a gust of cold wind blew, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He stopped and said, "Let's go to the South Courtyard…"
Su Peisheng smiled and replied, "Okay!" He helped the swaying Fourth Master towards the South Courtyard. He knew that only the master of the South Courtyard could make the Fourth Master feel relaxed and comfortable at this moment, and even make him walk more cheerfully.
Lanqin had already gone to bed. She knew that Fourth Master was hosting a banquet for Nian Gengyao tonight, and guessed that Nian would definitely use this opportunity to invite Fourth Master to her place. So she was quite surprised to see Fourth Master drunk when she opened the door. Feeling sorry for him, she and Su Peisheng helped Fourth Master into the house. Smelling the strong smell of alcohol on him, Lanqin asked Su Peisheng reproachfully, "How much did you drink? Why didn't you try to persuade him to stop?"
Su Peisheng apologized guiltily: "My lady doesn't know, but General Nian said that Fourth Master's wine is delicious, and Fourth Master drank a few more cups with General Nian because he saw that he was in a good mood..."
While speaking, Lanqin struggled to help the Fourth Master remove his outer garment, and she and Su Peisheng staggered to the bedside. She instructed the maid beside her, "Go and prepare a hangover soup and a hot towel for the Fourth Master."
The maidservant responded and turned to run out, but Lanqin called after her, saying, "The hangover soup shouldn't be too bitter, and also prepare some porridge. It'll be good for the Fourth Master to warm his stomach if he wakes up feeling unwell at night..."
Su Peisheng looked at Lanqin and understood why Lanqin was so important to Fourth Master. Just as he was lost in thought, Lanqin called out, "Come... lift Fourth Master up a bit, be careful he doesn't bump into anything..."
Lanqin knelt down to take off Fourth Master's shoes, but Su Peisheng felt it was inappropriate and reached out to do it himself. Lanqin waved her hand and said she would do it herself, so Su Peisheng simply stepped aside. Lanqin hugged Fourth Master's calves, lifted him onto the bed, and carefully helped him take off his boots.
"Did General Nian say anything at the banquet that displeased the Prince?" Lanqin asked Su Peisheng as she quickly removed the Fourth Prince's clothes.
Su Peisheng hesitated for a moment before stammering, "This servant saw that Fourth Master and General Nian were chatting happily, but... but General Nian got a little drunk and asked about the cause of the Third Prince's death, which made Fourth Master somewhat embarrassed. Then... then I didn't hear what General Nian said to Fourth Master, it seemed like he was trying to curry favor, and Fourth Master was very grateful to General Nian, and the two of them drank too much..."
Lanqin was taken aback, then realized why Fourth Master had drunk so much. She turned to Su Peisheng with a smile and said, "Alright, you should go and rest too. Leave Fourth Master to me." Su Peisheng nodded and left.
Lanqin carefully wiped Fourth Master's body with a towel and hot water, her expression full of heartache. Her movements became increasingly gentle and slow, as if afraid of hurting him. After a while, a hangover remedy was brought over, and Lanqin fed Fourth Master sip by sip.
With everything settled, Fourth Master's breathing was no longer as heavy and rapid as before, and his face calmed down as he peacefully fell asleep.
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