Double happiness?
All the guests looked at Emperor Hong, who was smiling broadly as he spoke slowly, "Ms. Shen is gentle and elegant, dignified and noble. Her talent for writing poems about catkins is well-known throughout the county. Today, I wish to betroth her to my brother, the Prince Shangguan Yichen. What do you think, my brother?"
When everyone heard this, they were shocked at first, and then sighed. Some sighed with joy, because they intuitively felt that this was a good match, a perfect match, with a man of talent and a woman of beauty. Some sighed with hatred, because they hated how Shen got this good match, which was really hateful.
Therefore, everyone turned their attention to Shangguan Yichen, who had found his perfect match.
Amidst the joyful, envious, and jealous gazes of everyone at the banquet, Shangguan Yichen's dusky black hair cascaded down onto the table in front of him. His right hand trembled as he supported his head, and he finally collapsed with a thud on the tabletop, saying, "What do you think, Brother Wang?"
Zhong Yujing's face twitched. She fell down at the right time. She was drunk to the right degree. She was completely drunk on the marriage proposal from Emperor Hong and passed out.
This fall stunned the three people sitting in the main seats above. The tea that Emperor Hong had just swallowed was pushed back into his mouth, rolled around in his throat, and he choked. One of the chopsticks that the Queen was using to pick up the food fell on the table, and the other rolled to the ground. Miss Shen's chin was hanging in the air, unable to close.
The officials present were stunned for a moment, those who sighed with joy, and the noble ladies who sighed with hatred were startled. The music stopped, and the singing and dancing stopped. In the silence, Eunuch He walked quickly to Shangguan Yichen's side, leaned over carefully to his ear, and tried to wake him up, saying: "Your Highness..."
The person lying on the ground was indifferent.
Eunuch He shook himself, raised his voice a little higher, and called out again: "Prince! Wake up!"
Shangguan Yichen snorted lightly, moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing. He turned his head to the other side, closed his eyes, and continued to lie there, indifferent.
Zhong Yujing quietly stroked her forehead on the opposite side.
Eunuch He's face was purple and blue from holding back. He looked up at the serious face of Emperor Hong and had no choice but to walk to the other side with a thick face. He continued to push Shangguan Yichen with his hand and called out in a voice that most of the guests could hear clearly: "Your Highness! Wake up! His Majesty has something important to tell you!"
Caught off guard, he and the dust in his hands were swept to the ground by a palm strike. Eunuch He lay on the ground and cried out in pain. Shangguan Yichen didn't even open his eyes, but mumbled angrily, "I'm not drunk! Go aside, you're disturbing my drinking!"
Zhong Yujing covered her face with her sleeves and laughed secretly.
The situation had developed to this point, which was beyond expectation. Not to mention that Emperor Hong and the Empress were embarrassed, Miss Shen's pretty face turned pale. At the critical moment, Doctor Gong stepped forward quickly, pulled out the silver needle he carried with him, and inserted it into Shangguan Yichen's Neiguan and Hegu acupoints.
After a few injections, Shangguan Yichen finally woke up. He rubbed his forehead and muttered softly, "How did I fall asleep..." He calmly picked up the teacup on the table and drank elegantly. He gracefully brushed his hair back from his shoulders and raised his eyes with high spirits. Seeing that everyone was looking at him in astonishment, he was naturally startled for a moment and asked elegantly, "What's the matter?"
Turning around, he saw the stunned Doctor Gong beside him and the silver needle in his hand. He said respectfully and politely, "Yes, I only felt a tingling in my right hand in my dream. It turned out that Doctor Gong was helping me sober up. Thank you for your hard work. I was so happy today that I forgot to be restrained, so I drank a little too much. Please don't let me disturb everyone's fun. I will punish myself with a drink first!"
After saying that, he picked up the wine glass and wanted to drink again...
"Brother Wang, wait a minute!!!"
Shangguan Yichen's wine glass suddenly stopped at his lips, then he gently put it down, looked at Emperor Hong, blinked, and asked, "What is the matter, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Hong chuckled twice, "I know that my brother is happy, but drinking too much is harmful to your health, so please don't drink any more."
Shangguan Yichen smiled and nodded, then stood up and saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration. I will not drink any more." Just as he was about to sit down, he stumbled and kicked the table, causing the dishes to slide and about to fall over. Eunuch He was quick-witted and rushed forward like an arrow from a bow, stabilizing the table in a flash. The wine and food on the table finally stopped at the edge of the table and did not spill to the ground.
Shangguan Yichen swayed for a while, patted his forehead, and said in annoyance: "I really drank too much today, too much. Your Majesty is absolutely right... Everyone, please continue, don't spoil my fun, I will... take my leave first, go back and have a good rest, don't let the alcohol hurt your body, I have fought for the country, and my family feud has not been avenged. I must cherish my life and live well... live well..." He bowed crookedly to the Queen of Emperor Hong, and asked someone to support him back to the mansion.
Leaving everyone at the table looking at each other, at a loss...
Imperial Physician Gong stepped forward at the opportune moment and said with a chuckle, "I have a secret recipe for hangovers. Take it before drinking to prevent a hangover, and take it after drinking to treat a headache. I'll have someone copy it down shortly and give it to you all so you can share." He lifted his own glass and offered it to everyone present. "I'll drink this first, to welcome the spring and bid farewell to the last of the winter. Let's toast to this evening!"
Everyone agreed tactfully, raised their glasses to toast each other, drank, and continued chatting and laughing as usual.
Emperor Hong and the Empress had no choice but to continue the banquet.
Only Shen Qingci's face turned from pale to sallow, and he stood there frozen without making another sound.
Shangguan Yichen's last words, "I have dedicated my life to the country, and my family's vengeance has not yet been avenged," left Emperor Hong speechless. Forcing him to marry was really asking too much, and the treacherous villains who had not yet been eliminated were also a source of worry for Emperor Hong.
As for the Empress Dowager... Emperor Hong was in a headache and had no choice but to bite the bullet and deal with it.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhong Yujing accompanied her uncle to the Prince Yao's mansion to pay their respects. The Princess of Yao personally welcomed them in the main hall. She looked much better than on the day of the Prince Yao's funeral. After a few pleasantries, the Princess of Yao took Zhong Yujing's hand and asked her to sit next to her. She had been fond of her since their last ride in the same carriage, and the more she saw her today, the more she liked her. She said, "If only I had a daughter like Yujing back then."
Zhong Yujing smiled humbly and said, "The young prince is filial and kind, wearing fine clothes and riding a golden saddle with white feathers. He is a role model for our generation. The princess is the blessed one."
The princess smiled happily and said, "Yes, my son Yichen is very good." But then she changed her mind and became sad again, "It's just that he has had a hard life since childhood..." She sighed and paused, not continuing to speak. She only said to herself, "The prince and I are not good to Yichen, we feel guilty about him...", and wiped away her tears sadly again.
Zhong Xianren comforted her, "Princess, please take care of yourself. The deceased is gone, but the living must take good care of themselves, so that His Majesty can rest assured."
The princess nodded in agreement, and there was no more crying.
At noon, the princess invited Zhong Yujing and her uncle to have dinner with her. It would have been rude to refuse, so the two happily agreed.
The princess said frankly that the palace had not been so lively for a long time, and she was very happy. She ordered people to prepare a large table of golden delicacies and also prepared fine wine so that Shangguan Yichen and Zhong Xianren could drink to their heart's content.
Shangguan Yichen had just had a few drinks when the princess suddenly remembered something and said to him, "My son, don't get drunk again and make Yu Jing and Ren Xiang laugh at you."
Shangguan Yichen filled another glass for himself, put down the wine pot and said, "In the old days, when I fought on the battlefield with my father Emperor Wu, I drank strong liquor to boost morale, but I never got drunk. How can this kind of light wine make me drunk?" He tilted his head and drank it all in one gulp.
Zhong Xianren was also a generous person when drinking. "Young prince is so generous." He also drank a glass happily.
The princess went up and slapped Shangguan Yichen's hand: "Don't be so stubborn. A few days ago, you passed out drunk at the palace banquet. It was so unbecoming. I don't know how those nobles laughed at you behind your back. How come you forgot everything in just a few days?"
The scene of that day instantly appeared in Zhong Yujing's mind. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and tried hard to hold back her laughter.
Shangguan Yichen replied vaguely, "I was indeed in high spirits that day, but I had been busy with government affairs for a while, and I was tired. The alcohol numbed my body and intoxicated my mind."
"Nonsense!" the princess scolded. "You're so good! You're not drunk early or late, but you chose to get drunk on the day when the emperor granted you the marriage. Not to mention that the emperor is generous and has been friends with you since childhood, so he won't bother with you. But where will the queen mother's face be? And Miss Shen, she's still unmarried, and you rejected her marriage in public. How will she behave in public and live her life from now on?"
Shangguan Yichen was a little annoyed by what he said, "I have no interest in Miss Chen in the first place. Forcing someone to do something against their will is not a good thing for both myself and others. Besides, Miss Chen is famous for her beauty and talent, and princes and nobles are lining up to fight for her. Why must she commit herself to a son like me, a man who fights on the battlefield and lives a precarious life every day!"
"You're talking nonsense again! It's New Year's Day, and you're talking about your future being in jeopardy. That's unlucky!" spat the princess.
Seeing that Shangguan Yichen was really angry, the princess stopped scolding him. She didn't really want to teach her son a lesson. Shangguan Yichen was the dream lover of many unmarried girls in the royal family. The princess knew this as well as the families of those girls.
Then she spoke softly and slowly, "After the New Year, you will be twenty-four. All the royal relatives of your generation already have many wives and concubines and children. Even if you are not anxious, how can your mother not be anxious? You should also think more about your own life. A man's ambition is to rule the country and bring peace to the world, but he should also cultivate himself and manage his family. Don't you agree?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Xianren tried to smooth things over by saying, "There are many young ladies among my close friends and relatives, many of whom are quite talented and beautiful. Would it be nice if I could introduce them to the young prince someday?"
Shangguan Yichen's lips curved into a faint smile. He took a sip of wine, raised his eyes and glanced at Zhong Yujing across from him with a smile. He put down his wine glass and said, "I will make the decision on marriage matters myself. I won't bother my mother and Prime Minister Ren with any worries."
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