He gestured for the guards to go about their business, and then entered the courtyard.
The courtyard was large, and in the deep, dark night, only a few lanterns swayed back and forth in the wind, making the whole courtyard seem even more spacious and quiet. Rong Ning stopped and looked around, and saw Xie Chong under the east corridor. He was carrying a wine jar in his hand, slowly drinking and sipping, seemingly lost in thought, and did not notice that someone had come to the courtyard.
Rong Ning watched for a while before slowly walking over. When she was a few steps away, Xie Chong turned around and looked at her.
Upon seeing the person, she was startled, quickly stood up, tidied her appearance, and hurriedly greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Rong Ning found it amusing and said calmly, "Why are you in such a hurry... I'm not going to eat you!"
"Your Highness is joking."
"Sit down~"
Rong Ning patted the spot where he had been sitting. "I came here today just to see how you are doing in the East Palace and to chat with you. There's nothing else. You don't need to be so reserved."
Xie Chong was somewhat puzzled. He and Rong Ning didn't actually have much interaction. Even when Rong Ning was in the Prime Minister's residence, she didn't treat him very well and spent most of her time with Xie Xizhu. So Xie Chong couldn't understand why this noble princess would suddenly come to talk to him.
Unless something really has happened.
"I'll let you sit!"
Seeing that he didn't react for a long time, Rong Ning finally lost her patience and raised her voice a few degrees unconsciously. Xie Chong had no choice but to do as she said, but he sat up straight.
Rong Ning remained silent, glanced down at the wine jars beside her, and turned to A Ying, who was waiting not far away, and said, "A Ying, go and ask the steward of the East Palace for a few more jars of good wine."
"Yes, Your Highness~", Ah Ying scurried out.
Xie Chong looked confused. "Your Highness... what's wrong...?"
"Didn't you want to drink?" Rong Ning casually sat down. "I'll drink with you. In the entire palace, right now, the only one who dares to drink with you and is willing to drink with you is me!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Chong quickly said, "Your Highness, this is against etiquette!"
What's wrong with it?
"A lone man and a lone woman, and I am a convict, I fear I might tarnish Your Highness's reputation!"
Look at what you're saying.
Rong Ning glanced at him and said, "If I cared about my reputation, I wouldn't be like this today. Tomorrow is my coming-of-age ceremony. Given your current awkward situation, you definitely can't go. Just consider it a day in advance to congratulate me on my coming-of-age ceremony."
The reason was valid, making it difficult for Xie Chong to refuse, so he had no choice but to comply.
Ah Ying was always efficient. In no time, she brought over several large jars of wine and disappeared without a trace.
Rong Ning opened a jar of wine and handed it over, then opened one for herself, saying bluntly, "Drink!!"
After saying that, he took a big gulp of water.
Seeing her like this, Xie Chong had no choice but to take a big gulp as well.
They didn't have much interaction, so there wasn't much for them to talk about when they got together. The only way to ease the awkwardness was to drink.
Rong Ning and Xie Chong had drunk together at the Prime Minister's residence, and Rong Ning knew how much Xie Chong would drink before he would let his guard down.
So she kept feeding Xie Chong.
She has a special constitution and can drink a lot without getting drunk. Even her older sister didn't know about this advantage, let alone Xie Chong. After urging Xie Chong to drink enough, she pretended to be tipsy and started to say a few heartfelt words.
She said: Dealing with the Prime Minister's Mansion was a last resort, for the sake of the court and the Southern Dynasty, and she hoped he would understand.
Xie Chong replied: The Xie family has formed cliques and committed countless heinous crimes, and they deserve their punishment. Your Highness is acting on behalf of Heaven.
She said: Originally, I wanted to save all the women, children and elderly members of the Xie family, but I was powerless and my voice was not heard. In the end, they were exiled thousands of miles away.
Xie Chong replied to her again: "The fact that the Prime Minister's family was spared the execution of nine generations for their crimes is already an act of mercy. In the end, to be exiled is already an act of great imperial grace."
After speaking, he bowed deeply to Xie Chong, performing a grand salute.
Hmm... Rong Ning saw that his thoughts were so clear, so she knew that he hadn't had enough wine. So she followed up on the topic and praised him for being righteous, and then took the opportunity to pour him several more sips of wine.
Xie Chong felt a little dizzy and subconsciously knew he couldn't drink anymore, so he tried to refuse. But how could he fool Rong Ning? She had traveled the martial world with her master and spent a long time in the army. She was an expert at persuading people to drink. How could Xie Chong, a pampered young master, possibly outmaneuver her?
She pretended to be drunk and crazy, putting her arm around Xie Chong's shoulder, coaxing and deceiving him, and forcing him to continue drinking with her.
Later on, Xie Chong really got drunk. He spoke to Rong Ning with a slurred speech, his thoughts were incoherent, and his words were illogical.
His head seemed very heavy, and he uncontrollably leaned against Rong Ning.
Rong Ning was kind-hearted and did not push him away. She lowered her head, softened her voice, and asked Xie Chong softly, "Do you hate me for pushing the Xie family into an abyss of no return?"
"hatred?"
Xie Chong was both crying and laughing...
She tried to straighten her back, but couldn't hold on any longer and fell back onto Rong Ning, mumbling incoherently, "I...hate Your Highness...what? Hate Your Highness for saving my life?"
That's incredibly ungrateful!
Even if I hate, I should hate myself, hate that I traded the destruction of my entire family for my own life.
As Xie Chong spoke, grief overwhelmed him, and he burst into tears...
"Grandfather...Grandfather once told me that no matter what...you must live well!"
Even if it means living like an animal... you have to survive. Only by surviving can you have more possibilities.
At this point, Xie Chong's tears turned into laughter, and he laughed loudly, but the laughter was filled with a deep sense of sorrow, which made people's scalps tingle.
The summer weather was hot, and she was dressed lightly and thinly. His tears had soaked Rong Ning's clothes, making her feel uncomfortable with the cool, sticky feeling. She gently pushed Xie Chong's head to make him move his head to another spot, and asked again, "Will you think about revenge?"
"Revenge? What revenge? What revenge? I'm not crazy!"
"I just want to live..."
"Only if I survive can I help the women, children, and elderly members of the Xie family who have been exiled!"
"Isn't this the value of my survival?"
"Your Highness..."
Speaking of this, Xie Chong seemed to remember something, and looked up at her, "You liked Xizhu so much before, could you save her?"
Upon hearing this, Rong Ning knew he was truly drunk. If he had even a shred of sobriety, he wouldn't have dared to utter a single word like that to her.
He knew that Rong Ning was not a kind-hearted person, and it would be a joke for her to make this request when she was sober.
Now he was drunk, his face flushed from the alcohol, his eyes watery. Looking up at her like this, he resembled an innocent little dog wagging its tail, begging for a bone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
