Chapter 106: Drunken Incident
I thought that the drinking party between the men would just pass by as they got drunk.
Unexpectedly, when Prince Chen woke up the next day, a careless remark made the princess angry, and she even had a drink with Wen Ning, causing a small disturbance.
The morning light filtered into the inner room through the window lattice.
Xiao Jinyu held his forehead and struggled to get up. The dull pain of the hangover wrapped around his temples like a tide, and the pain made his vision go black.
He closed his eyes and relaxed for a moment, fragments of last night coming back to him intermittently.
Shen Yunshu came in with a bowl of sobering soup. There was a faint shadow under his eyes, obviously because he had not been able to sleep well last night.
She placed the soup bowl on the bedside table, her tone calm but unable to conceal her displeasure, "Your Highness is awake? Give me some more hangover soup."
"Thank you, Princess." Xiao Jinyu's voice was hoarse. When he took the bowl of soup, the feeling of something wrong in his heart surfaced again.
He was probably really drunk, or maybe his splitting headache made him less cautious than usual. He didn't think much about it, and with a bit of drowsiness and grievance after a hangover, he blurted out resentfully:
"Alas, Marquis Anyuan's behavior last night was clearly a deliberate attempt to intoxicate me... I have a feeling it's because the princess left his beloved in the mansion, and he felt reluctant to let her go, but couldn't bring himself to express it to you and Miss Wen. I'm afraid he's taking all this 'resentment' out on me."
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.
Shen Yunshu's hand paused slightly as she was about to tidy up the messy bed for him.
She raised her eyes and looked at her husband who was rubbing his forehead, looking uncomfortable and unaware of it.
A trace of disbelief flashed across those eyes that were always gentle and smiling, and then settled into a look of resentment and helplessness.
She laughed in anger, "Your Majesty, what you said is really unreasonable."
The woman stood up straight, her demeanor still dignified, but her tone was a little more angry.
"You men were out drinking, and when you came back, we women had to clean up the mess. We had to listen to your nonsense all night and couldn't sleep. Your Highness couldn't handle the alcohol, and he was suffering from a hangover. Instead of reflecting on himself, he suspected that it was me who had caused the trouble by entertaining guests, and he put the blame on me."
Shen Yunshu raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Xiao Jinyu with scrutiny. "Marquis Anyuan holds the title of General of the Cavalry, a pillar of the imperial court. He values propriety and dignity above all else, and possesses a dignified bearing. How could he be so petty and vindictive as to resort to revenge? If word of your words were to get out, wouldn't it discourage our meritorious officials? It would also make our Prince Chen's Mansion seem petty and narrow-minded, even fussing over a few days' stay at our daughter's house."
Her words were clear and logical, and every word made sense, leaving Xiao Jinyu speechless for a moment. He could only lower his head and drink the soup in embarrassment.
After a while, he said, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn. I was not thoughtful enough. Please don't be angry, Princess."
Shen Yunshu's eyes turned slightly, and the corners of her lips curved up again. "However, the prince has reminded me that today, the weather is beautiful, so I will follow your example and set up a small banquet in the warm room in the backyard. I will invite Sister Ning'er alone to drink some light fruit wine, appreciate the flowers and chat."
After saying that, she nodded slightly without waiting for Xiao Jinyu's reaction, then turned and left.
Only Xiao Jinyu was left holding the empty bowl of sobering soup, standing there in a daze.
He thought to himself that the wine offered by Marquis Anyuan was really not worth drinking...
In the warm room in the backyard, a few dishes of exquisite side dishes were barely touched, but most of the jar of sweet plum wine had already been drunk.
Shen Yunshu and Wen Ning sat opposite each other and drank together.
At first, Wen Ning adhered to etiquette, sipping fruit wine with an elegant posture.
But after some gentle guidance from Shen Yunshu and a few glasses of fruit wine, that bit of restraint melted away like ice meeting the warm sun.
The fruit wine tastes sweet at first, but the aftertaste is subtle and intoxicating. Once the chatterbox is opened, it can't be stopped.
Shen Yunshu's cheeks flushed, and her usual dignity and composure were softened by the alcohol, revealing the little girl's inner temperament.
She held Wen Ning's hand and recounted in detail the pressures from all sides she had endured over the issue of having an heir, the bitter medicines that made her nauseous, and the gossip from others since she married into the palace.
All the anger, resentment and jealousy that he would never dare to express in normal times were now completely poured out on Wen Ning.
Shen Yunshu let out a long sigh, as if all the depression he had accumulated over the years had been released.
She leaned forward slightly, then looked at Wen Ning with red eyes, "You, tell me too...how did you get involved with Marquis Anyuan?"
Wen Ning was drunk and had lost her usual caution. She even started to talk about the past between her and An Yuanhou in a confused and soft manner.
Hearing something, Shen Yunshu, in his drunken state, slammed the table, causing the cups and glasses to make a slight noise!
"How ridiculous!" Her voice was louder than usual due to her drunkenness, filled with indignation. "How dare he treat you like this in the first place! Bastard! Ning'er, I'm telling you, this matter can't be let go like this! You... must teach him a lesson!"
After saying that, he immediately raised his voice and said, "Come here!
The maid standing outside the warm room hurried forward to obey the order.
Shen Yunshu waved her jade hand, "Go! Go to Anyuan Hou's mansion immediately and call Anyuan Hou here!"
The maid was shocked to see that the princess was obviously drunk but her eyes were unusually clear.
She took a step forward hesitantly and asked in a low voice, "Princess, should I ask the prince first?"
Shen Yunshu raised her eyebrows, and her drunken voice suddenly rose, "Doesn't what I said... count?"
But seeing the princess' serious expression, the maid didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly took the order and left.
The next moment, Shen Yunshu's body softened, and he sat back on the cushion with a "thump", his shoulders drooping as if he had lost his temper.
"Forget it... Why go? He's the Great Cavalry General. Even if he really comes, Ning'er can't defeat him..."
In the study of Marquis Anyuan's mansion, Xie Jinglan had just taken off his cold armor, his brow still showing fatigue and solemnity after handling heavy military affairs.
Dusk was deepening outside the window, but the servant hurried in, leading the steward of Prince Chen's mansion.
The steward looked anxious. After bowing, he hurriedly said, "My Lord, my princess sent me to report that the young lady... the young lady drank some fruit wine with our princess in the warm room and seems to have consumed a little too much. The princess has requested that you come over."
Upon hearing this, Xie Jinglan's brows suddenly furrowed.
His Ning'er?
Drinking? Too much?
Without time to think about the details, the man suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice: "Prepare the horses!"
In just a moment, a horse carrying the anxious Marquis Anyuan rushed towards Prince Chen's Palace at lightning speed.
He walked all the way to the backyard of the palace, and without even waiting for the call, he went straight to the warm room based on his memory.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the warm room, I ran into Xiao Jinyu, who had also rushed over after hearing the news, with a helpless look on his face.
The two looked at each other and saw some confusion on each other's faces.
In the warm room, the faint aroma of wine mixed with the fragrance of fruit filled the air.
Shen Yunshu was obviously very drunk. Xiao Jinyu was half supporting and half hugging her, but she was still mumbling something.
Xie Jinglan's gaze fell directly on the soft couch by the window.
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