He has no way out of this position, but... there are still descendants of the Xie family.
The Prime Minister, tired from walking, sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard. Uncle Cheng stood beside him, saying with concern, "Master has put in a lot of effort. I wonder if the eldest son can win over Her Highness the Princess. The princess is crazy; if she doesn't keep an eye on us, we'll be under much less pressure..."
"Hmph... You really think that I sent Achong to get close to the princess for the sake of the Xie family?" The Prime Minister gave a bitter smile. "The princess is a determined and ruthless person. If she knew that the matter in the Northern Border was related to me, even if she really liked Achong, she would not let me go for his sake."
I sent Achong close to the princess not so that he could develop a relationship with her, but so that when the Xie family falls into trouble, I could use this personal connection to give Achong a way out!
From beginning to end, the prime minister never considered a way out for himself.
The Prime Minister exhaled, stood up, and said softly, "Let's go... to have dinner with the Madam."
After a long day, it's time to take a break.
On the other side, Xie Chong tidied himself up before going to the courtyard where Rong Ning was staying, bringing with him a jar of strong liquor.
Before even entering, Xie Chong heard hearty laughter from inside. He stopped, composed himself, and then strode in with a smile.
The laughter stopped as soon as he came in…
Rong Ning watched him approach, her eyes playful. "Oh... this place is really lively today, even Young Master Xie has come!"
In short, Xie Chong got off his act!
"Your Highness, please don't be offended..." Xie Xizhu stepped forward to defuse the situation and took over the conversation, "It was I who asked my elder brother to come. You are highly skilled in martial arts and military strategy, but I am not proficient in these areas. Although my elder brother is not as proficient as Your Highness, he is still somewhat knowledgeable and can learn from you."
Rong Ning waved her hand, "I'm just a little girl who doesn't know anything... How could I possibly discuss these things with Young Master Xie?"
After saying that, he glanced at the wine in Xie Chong's hand and laughed again, "The wine is good, this is a good thing, young master, you really know me!"
I was just wondering how to get information out of him, and here comes my chance. People who are drunk don't know what they're saying.
Rong Ning's eyes lit up when she looked at the wine. Xie Chong noticed this, walked over, and handed her the wine. "This wine is for Your Highness. Since you have come to the manor today, we should have held a grand welcome banquet for you, but we were afraid of tiring Your Highness, so we decided to cancel it. Tonight, let us, your brother and sister, have a drink with you as a way of apologizing!"
"There's no need for apologies; I do enjoy drinking!"
Rong Ning took the wine jar with ease, quite pleased with herself.
Xie Xizhu raised her hand, signaling the servants to bring up the prepared meal. The three of them sat around the stone table under the evergreen tree in the courtyard.
As darkness fell, the large, silvery-white moon climbed high in the sky. Servants hung up lanterns, their warm yellow light swaying in the night breeze, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
The night was much cooler and more comfortable than the daytime. Under this atmosphere, people would unconsciously relax. Rong Ning herself was not used to putting on airs, so she naturally opened the wine jar and poured wine for the two of them herself. She began to lower her posture, "As you know, before my father ascended the throne, I was rarely in Nanyang City. I didn't learn the rules well and didn't pay much attention to them."
So don't be too tense in front of me. My reputation is not good, but I am not an unreasonable person. From now on, you should treat me the same way you treat your brothers and sisters in the manor.
"After all, I've been staying here for quite a while, and you guys are treating me like royalty, it makes me uncomfortable!"
Xie Chong and Xie Xizhu exchanged a glance, then both raised their wine cups to Rong Ning, saying, "Thank you for your kind invitation, Princess!"
Rong Ning poured herself a cup, raised it, and said, "After this drink, we're friends. The Prime Minister's residence is your territory. From now on, if you two have any fun activities, you'll have to take me with you!"
"That's natural..."
Xie Chong and Xie Xizhu spoke in unison, the three of them looked at each other and smiled, then drank it all in one gulp.
He refilled the glass, said some polite words, and then continued drinking.
One cup after another!
Rong Ning had served in the military and knew how to get people drunk.
At first, Xie Chong and Xie Xizhu were a little reserved, but after they drank some warm wine, they started to talk more.
Xie Xizhu was a noblewoman of the Xie family and was well-connected in Nanyang City. Naturally, she knew a lot of gossip about noble families, which Rong Ning loved to hear, so she kept asking questions.
Xie Xizhu was also curious about this beautiful land and the local customs, so she kept pestering Rong Ning to tell her about what she had seen and heard in the past few years.
The two of them were talking happily and laughing brightly, making Xie Chong, sandwiched in the middle, seem unusually quiet.
Xie Xizhu noticed and teased, "Big brother...you're usually the most talkative one when the brothers and sisters get together, why are you so quiet today?"
Xie Chong was in a daze, still processing what his grandfather had said in the study. His mind was blank, and he didn't know what he was thinking. He was suddenly called out and slowly came back to his senses.
Composing himself, he smiled and poured them both drinks, replying, "You two are having so much fun, I'm happy just listening to you, I don't need to interrupt!"
That's what they say... It doesn't matter whether you talk or not, but you have to drink.
Rong Ning swirled her wine glass, propped her chin on her hand, and lazily looked at Xie Chong, suddenly asking, "Young Master Xie, are you afraid of me?"
Afraid?
Xie Chong was startled and quickly explained, "The princess is so understanding, why should I be afraid of you!"
"Who knows you!" Rong Ning stared at him. "I thought you still remembered the time I hit you a few years ago, so you pretended not to know me during the day!"
"Your Highness, what are you saying? What happened a few years ago was due to my youthful arrogance and lack of understanding of the seriousness of the matter. Your Highness was right, so why would I hold a grudge?"
I didn't exchange pleasantries with Your Highness during the day because there were so many people, and I was afraid of being too enthusiastic and offending you. But thinking about it later, I realized I was wrong, so I brought you wine to apologize!
After Xie Chong finished speaking, he poured himself a glass of wine and drank it down as a sign of his sincerity.
Ke Rongning didn't want to let it go so easily, so she poured him another cup and said, "I forgive you, but you have to punish yourself with three more cups."
"good!"
Xie Chong was also decisive.
Later, the three of them chatted happily together. Rong Ning never got drunk no matter how much she drank. Later, Xie Chong and Xie Xizhu were already a little out of it. Taking this opportunity, Rong Ning subtly asked about many things in the Prime Minister's residence.
Perhaps these two people kept their mouths shut even when they were drunk, or perhaps these younger ones really didn't know anything and didn't get any useful information, but they did manage to figure out the complicated network of relationships within the mansion!
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