Drinking
The night wind, mixed with strands of coolness, blew through the hall. It was already the end of August.
The crescent moon hangs high in the sky, and the lush branches and leaves sway continuously. A corner of the towering rockery is hidden in the darkness, leaving only its shadow that covers the passers-by, like a sleeping beast.
A stone path built by the water, with lights hanging high between the trees, reflecting the road under your feet and the dark and bottomless water.
Occasionally a fish would swim by and quickly disappear under the water.
Several palace servants led the way with lanterns in hand.
Qi Qinghe secretly encouraged himself and followed Xiao Junbai closely. In a daze, he did not notice that the person in front of him stopped and suddenly bumped into Xiao Junbai's back.
The man was tall and straight, and his broad back was not very soft, which caused some pain when he bumped into someone.
Qi Qinghe rubbed his forehead and looked up at the prince in confusion, "Why did your highness stop?"
Seeing her mumbling non-stop, Xiao Junbai looked at her silently and stretched out his hand towards her.
Qi Qinghe stared at the prince blankly, then raised her hand tremblingly to hold the prince.
The two of them held hands under the wide sleeves, their figures tightly leaning against each other under the moon.
Qi Qinghe lowered his head from time to time and looked at the two people holding hands.
The man's hands were broad and warm, dispelling the day's confusion.
Qi Qinghe's lips curled up, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace to catch up with His Highness.
Just as the palace maid led the two around the corner.
A pretty figure suddenly jumped out and bumped into Qi Qinghe.
Qi Qinghe was caught off guard and was unable to dodge, falling backwards.
At this moment, a pair of extremely strong hands wrapped around her waist and held her firmly.
When Xiao Junbai saw that she had stood firm, he lowered his eyes to look at the figure that had almost caused trouble.
Qi Qinghe stood firm, touched her hair bun, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was not messy. Then she looked carefully.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a little girl whose head reached her chest. She was wearing an exquisite light pink gauze dress, with a silver headband and a small pearl flower on her bun. The glass beads on her ears were shaking violently with her movements.
When the little girl saw Xiao Junbai, she immediately stepped back, wishing she could disappear there. She bowed reluctantly and said, "Imperial sister greets Second Imperial Brother."
Several palace maids had already knelt on the ground.
"What is this place? Is this where you usually play and laugh?" Xiao Junbai's tone was flat, but it made the little girl retreat even further. "You clearly bumped into someone, why don't you apologize?"
"This is the third princess, Xiao Juntang. She is the most naughty. If you can't discipline her, just call me." While the prince was disciplining the little girl, he did not forget to introduce and explain to the stunned Qi Qinghe.
"It's normal for a little girl to like to play. Your Highness shouldn't be too harsh on her..." Qi Qinghe understood. She had just entered the palace, so she shouldn't offend anyone for such a small matter. However, when she saw the Crown Prince's expression, she swallowed the second half of her words in disappointment.
Xiao Juntang's expectant eyes were instantly extinguished. He lowered his head and admitted his mistake obediently, "I'm young and ignorant, and I'm sorry for offending the emperor's sister-in-law. I hope the emperor's sister-in-law will forgive me."
As they were talking, several of them went to the water pavilion together.
In the courtyard by the water, several small tables are neatly arranged, and next to the exquisite snacks is the fragrant and intoxicating fruit wine.
They arrived quite early, and there were only two or three of them.
"Oh, Second Brother is here. This must be the Emperor's sister-in-law. She's truly extraordinary." A slightly frivolous voice approached from afar. "Oh, Third Sister is here too. Why do you look like this? Who bullied you?"
The man who was speaking was wearing a light purple brocade robe, a jade crown on his head, half of his hair was tied up, and his headband was casually placed on his chest, blending into the robe.
Xiao Juntang didn't dare to say anything. The second emperor kept asking her about her homework. She raised her eyebrows, glanced at her emperor secretly, ran quickly to her seat, and curled up into a ball.
"Third brother Xiao Junqi, greetings to the Empress Dowager." Xiao Junqi touched his nose and saluted respectfully before his brother's expression changed.
Qi Qinghe nodded and silently memorized the name and appearance.
Xiao Junqi was obviously not as frugal with words as his brother, and since they were sitting next to each other, they were quite familiar with each other. "If I remember correctly, the emperor's wife is from Minister Qi's family. Do you have any other brothers and sisters? Are they also from the capital?"
Qi Qinghe was bewildered by the string of questions. She pursed her lips and chuckled, "I don't have many brothers and sisters. I just have a companion. My father was originally from Jiangnan, and later moved to Beijing."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Junbai glanced coldly at his third brother and forcibly interrupted their chat.
Xiao Junqi choked, gritted his teeth and sat up straight.
Soon, the emperor and empress arrived one after another.
The emperor looked strong and healthy, with gray hair on both sides of his temples and a deep voice, which seemed to be a little lacking in strength.
"The Crown Prince has also married this year. I have finally understood one of my concerns. This is truly a joyous occasion." The Emperor said, sitting still and raising his glass lightly. "I congratulate the Crown Prince on your happy marriage and may you and your spouse love each other."
Everyone at the table raised their glasses and drank it all.
"I remember that your father was a Jinshi in the 14th year of the Kaiyuan reign, married in the 16th year, and was sent to serve as an official in a remote area. He married his mentor's only daughter as his principal wife and returned to the capital this year." The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and gestured to the Crown Princess to stand up. "You are from a family of scholars, after all. Why don't you say a few words?"
Qi Qinghe stood up trembling, his heart beating extremely fast and cold sweat all over his body.
What she said, what she wanted to say, what she could say.
She blinked slowly. "The Crown Prince and I are married. This is not only a joy for our family, but also a blessing for our country. I would like to take advantage of this feast to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for his great grace and to thank you all for your sincere hospitality. I have nothing to offer in return, but I wish to share your joy and stand by your side."
After he finished speaking, Qi Qinghe didn't dare to breathe, and lowered his head, not daring to look directly at the emperor.
Fortunately, she likes to read some storybooks, so she can use some of them.
The emperor hummed, and it was unclear what he was thinking. He ordered the palace servant beside him to serve the meal.
"This little girl is just well-read, and I really enjoy listening to her talk." The Queen said with a smile, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is already married, so the Fourth Prince should also hurry up."
The young man who had been kneeling in the corner without saying a word from beginning to end, the Fourth Prince Xiao Junhui stood up and bowed to express his gratitude.
Qi Qinghe had turned the page. She staggered to her seat and took a sip of wine.
When the fruit wine enters your throat, the sweet and sour fruit flavor is followed by a slightly spicy and sweet aftertaste.
In the aftertaste, she just came back to her senses and looked at the taciturn young man.
That night, just remembering the names and appearances of these royal relatives was enough to give her a headache, and the emperor even called on her. She subconsciously clenched the wine cup in her hand.
"Drunkness is harmful to your health." Xiao Junbai's voice came from the side.
Qi Qinghe was stunned and silently let go of the wine cup.
The wine in the silver cup swayed and blurred his face.
Most of the people at the banquet were drunk and allowed themselves to be supported by the palace servants as they returned to the palace.
A few who were sober did not forget to greet and say goodbye to their father, the emperor, and their mother, the empress, including Xiao Junbai.
Seeing His Highness's actions, Qi Qinghe followed suit, bowing and saluting. His expression was normal, but his round almond-shaped eyes were dazed and silly, and it was obvious that he was drunk.
The drunken princess could not even stand steadily. In a flash, she fell on the table, mumbling something inaudible and poking the bright red fruit with her fingers.
The fruits couldn't bear her tossing and turning, and were punctured one after another.
After Xiao Junbai sent his father and empress away, he turned around and saw that they had become like this, and he was immediately overwhelmed.
He was angry and annoyed, and walked away, "Send him back."
Yun Tao and Yun Xing responded and bent down to support the empress.
The Empress was frail and felt quite heavy to carry. Two maids were holding her and she was not very stable, but she could barely walk. A group of palace servants, holding lanterns, led the way and slowly went to the East Palace.
When he was about to leave the pavilion, he bumped into His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who had returned.
Xiao Junbai ignored the palace maids who were kneeling in a panic around him, bent down, picked up Qi Qinghe, and strode away.
The prince had never done such a thing. The little girl was light as a feather, her cheeks flushed and her eyes blurred. Fortunately, her hands and feet were still honest and did not move around.
Xiao Junbai quickly got into the sedan chair, and the lowered curtain blocked out all the prying eyes around him.
The prince originally wanted to do this so as not to lose his composure, but he was in trouble now.
Qi Qinghe couldn't sit still, his head was always tilted, and there wasn't enough space for him to lie down.
Xiao Junbai put his arms around the Crown Princess's slender waist, trying to corner her so that she wouldn't move.
Still no use.
In desperation, he had to hold the person in his arms.
The girl pressed herself against him, her soft hands resting faintly on his chest, her beautiful eyes half closed, her thick eyelashes trembling slightly, her rosy little face close at hand.
Xiao Junbai suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands.
He had studied for so many years but had never written a book. No one had ever taught him how to deal with such a situation.
They were frozen in place for a moment, and then they arrived at the East Palace.
A look of ease flashed across Xiao Junbai's dark eyes. He picked up Qi Qinghe and walked quickly towards Mingcheng Palace.
Until he put the person down, the Crown Princess's long black hair slid down his arms, feeling a little itchy.
Xiao Junbai swept his hand across the arm that felt like it was being scratched by a feather, and then fell on the Crown Princess's well-behaved face. Her water-red palace dress was rather disheveled, and a corner of her snow-white shoulder was exposed under her slender neck.
His Adam's apple rolled, he withdrew his gaze, told the maid to take good care of the person, and left.
Qi Qinghe, who was drunk and fell asleep, was completely unaware of all this. She only felt that she had a good sleep, no one was disturbing her, and she had no dreams all night.
She just had a slight headache. She propped herself up and sat up. Her confused mind recalled last night and she hurriedly called for someone to come in. "How did I get back last night? Did His Highness say anything?"
Yun Tao recounted what happened last night in detail, "It's a good thing Your Majesty didn't see it. His Highness was so gentle last night, he hugged Your Majesty all the way."
As Qi Qinghe listened, her heart sank. She remembered clearly that His Highness chose her only because she was obedient and polite, but last night, she had only had two glasses of wine.
Who would have thought that the wine would be so strong.
She had no time to think about how gentle His Highness was, her mind was filled with the thought that she was doomed.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must teach her a lesson!
"What time is it now, Your Highness? Is he awake yet? What will the imperial kitchen prepare for breakfast today?" After thinking it over, he decided to take the initiative to show goodwill, so as not to end up in such a miserable state.
Qi Qinghe changed out of her drunken palace dress and picked out a gentle lake blue gauze skirt from the many palace dresses she was given as a reward. She took Yuntao Yunxing and the prepared food box with her and walked nervously towards the elegant residence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
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