After the three finished appreciating the poems, they returned to the stone table. Hongzhou noticed that Mingyu was not in high spirits and was only drinking, so he asked, "Sister-in-law, why aren't you composing poems? Why are you just drinking?"
Mingyu's eyes were glazed over. She couldn't remember how much she had drunk. She felt dizzy and lightheaded. Moreover, Ulanara Xueying standing there was particularly conspicuous, making her feel like an unwanted presence.
"I don't know why, but I drank a bit too much today. Hongli, would you like to take me back to my room? I feel a little unwell." Whether it was jealousy or something else, she didn't want Xueying and Hongli to be together.
"I'll have someone help you back to your room. I still need to talk to Hongzhou." After saying that, he had a servant help Mingyu back to her room. Before leaving, Mingyu glanced in the direction of the three of them, but didn't say anything, and then left.
Standing to the side, Xueying felt inexplicably happy when she heard that Hongli wanted to stay a little longer; they could spend more time together now.
Although Hongzhou and Hongli weren't completely drunk, they were already tipsy. Hongzhou picked up a glass of wine and placed it in front of Hongli. "Hongli, let's continue drinking."
Seeing that it was getting late and Hongzhou had drunk quite a bit, and that he was still worried about Mingyu, Hongli wanted to refuse.
“Hongzhou, that’s enough. We’ve had enough to drink today, and I want to rest early. I have to go out for training with the Thirteenth Prince tomorrow. You can rest here too,” Hongli said.
Hongzhou persisted, "Hongli, I'm getting married in a few days. Tonight we must drink until we drop, just to keep me company."
Hearing Hongzhou's firm stance, they had no choice but to agree. Xueying watched the two brothers argue from the side and found it amusing. However, after a few rounds of drinks, the two gradually became unsteady on their feet and their speech began to become slurred.
“Hongzhou, no matter what happens in the future, we will always be... brothers for life. Do you understand?” Hongli thought of the intrigue and backstabbing in the palace and was a little worried that he and Hongzhou would lose their brotherly bond in the future.
"Yeah, brothers for life." With that, the two raised their glasses again. Xueying quickly stepped forward to stop them; these two had drunk far too much and should go back to rest. But Hongzhou disagreed, "No way, we agreed we wouldn't leave until we were drunk! Xueying, get out of the way!" Seeing the two so stubborn, like children, she felt both helpless and fond of them, and could only wait for them to finish their drunken antics.
"Huh? What happened?" Hongli shakily picked up the wine jar and turned it upside down. It was already empty. Hongli's displeased voice came from inside.
"I want more, Hongzhou, why is it all gone?" Hongzhou heard his words and went to check; it was empty. He comforted Hongli, "Let's drink again next time. We've had too much; we'll throw up if we drink any more."
At this moment, Xueying appeared before Hongzhou. "I'll have someone escort you back to your rooms." Having finished his drink, Hongzhou found Xueying even more beautiful and captivating. He shook his head vigorously to regain his senses. "No need," Hongzhou replied, "My courtyard is just ahead. You escort Hongli back!"
Xueying's bright black eyes widened. "Should I escort Hongli back? Isn't that inappropriate?" Although the two were husband and wife, she had never been to Hongli's sleeping quarters before, and this was the first time she had even entered the front yard. She felt somewhat conflicted.
Hongzhou grinned at Xueying, who had always loved his smile; it seemed to melt the ice of winter. "What's wrong with that? You're his concubine, what's wrong with sending him back to his room to rest?"
Xueying thought about it and realized that what Hongzhou said made sense. So she said goodbye to him and helped Hongli back to his room.
Hongzhou stood behind, his heart filled with mixed feelings: This is all I can do to help you. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself.
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