Chapter 24: Collision

The corridor leading to the Qing Hua courtyard was just ahead. Xu Jun Ying supported himself on a pillar, his steps unsteady and faltering as he moved forward.

His friends Zhang Jing Yun and Ling Xu Zi had come for a visit, intending to have a quiet meal and a little drink. However, news had reached An Yuan Hou and Chang Le Hou, who, having learned that Zhang Jing Yun had caught a live roe deer, showed up with seven or eight mutual friends, eager for some venison. Xu Jun Ying had no choice but to reopen the banquet, replacing the wine with a large pot of warm wine. The men at the table, hardened veterans from the battlefield, drank heartily, and once someone started, there was no turning back. Xu Jun Ying was never one to compete in drinking, but as the host, and with friends Zhang Jing Yun and Ling Xu Zi there, he couldn’t escape. Soon, he was feeling slightly tipsy, with his fourth brother Xu Jun Ying and sixth brother Xu Jun Xuan by his side.

An Yuan Hou and Chang Xing Hou teased that Wei Yuan Hou couldn’t handle alcohol, suggesting that his wife should come in and drink on his behalf, so that the brothers could see the miraculous woman who could come back to life after death. Zhang Jing Yun, who had been silent, also chimed in with interest:
“I’ve traveled a long way with Ling Xu Zi. We’d like to meet Lady Wei. Xu, can you invite her to meet us?”
Xu Jun Ying knew Zhang Jing Yun and Ling Xu Zi’s real intentions. Zhang Jing Yun was a renowned doctor from the martial world, and Ling Xu Zi, a so-called Taoist priest, was obsessed with medicine. They wanted to meet Meinang to probe her pulse and examine any abnormalities in her health.

Xu Jun Ying, unwilling to neglect his old friends, decided to accommodate their request. It was rare for his friends from both the north and south to be gathered, and he didn’t want them to leave disappointed. He sent several servants to the inner courtyard to invite Meinang, but they couldn’t find her. Where could she have gone? Was she flying away?
After some teasing from An Yuan Hou, Xu Jun Ying decided to find her himself, hoping to avoid more drinking in the process. He was already quite drunk.

Outside the Qing Hua courtyard, Xu Jun Ying walked along the stone path and encountered Meinang, whose eyes were red from crying. She ignored him and turned her face away, while Wang Mama and several maids quickly stepped forward to greet the lord. Xu Jun Ying waved his hand:
“Leave! Let me see how your mistress will treat me this disrespect is too much!”
Cui Xi and Cui Si exchanged worried glances, but Wang Mama hurried to pull them away:
“Hurry, hurry, the lord has something to say to the madam!”
Meinang, covering her face with a handkerchief, tried to walk away, but Xu Jun Ying blocked her path:
“No need… come inside and walk with me.”
Meinang avoided him:
“You’re drunk. Call Rui Bao and Rui Zhu to help you back! I my face is like this, I can’t be seen. Please step aside!”
“You just need to lower your head. No one cares to look at your face!”
Meinang was upset, her patience running thin. Thinking that he was drunk, she tried to push him aside. In her previous life, she could easily handle this, having learned taekwondo and earned a black belt at a young age. But in this body, she was too weak to muster the strength. She had just been pushed around by a maid, and now, despite trying to resist, she nearly passed out from exhaustion. When she tried to push Xu Jun Ying away this time, he easily blocked her, causing her to lose balance and almost fall.

Barely steadying herself, Meinang muttered bitterly:
“Xu Jun Ying, you’re just as annoying as that old woman, Zheng!”
Xu Jun Ying, drunk but still aware, blinked in confusion before pointing at her with a raised eyebrow:
“You… dare to scold me? And scold… my wife?”
Meinang, looking around, saw no one else, so she grabbed Xu Jun Ying’s sleeve and pulled him into the courtyard:
“Who’s scolding you? You’re drunk! Go back and rest, stop blaming me for your condition!”

Xu Jun Ying resisted, and as she tried to pull him, he abruptly stopped, causing them both to trip. With a loud crash, they both fell over the doorstep. Meinang, already weakened, was crushed under Xu Jun Ying’s weight. She thought she might pass out, but instead, she gradually regained some awareness, only to feel pain everywhere. Luckily, the ground was tiled, which helped cushion the fall. If not, she might have broken several bones.

To her dismay, Xu Jun Ying, still drunk, remained on top of her, mumbling:
“What… happened? Help me up…”
Meinang, struggling beneath him, weakly pushed him, shouting:
“You’re crushing me, get off!”
After a while, just as Meinang was about to give in, Bao Ju rushed over in alarm:
“Ah! What happened here? I just went to see the second master, and now the lord’s drunk like this!”
Meinang, weak and helpless, managed to say:
“Help your lord up, I’m going to die here!”
Drunk people were as heavy as oxen, and it took Bao Ju great effort to drag Xu Jun Ying off her. Finally, Meinang managed to escape from under him.

She lay on the ground to catch her breath, pale-faced, and instructed Bao Ju to summon someone to help her back to her room as she had no strength left.
After thinking for a moment, Bao Ju replied:
“Madam, the lord’s friends in the front hall want to meet you…”

Meinang, irritated, snapped:
“His friends? Those drunken companions? I don’t know them, and I’m not seeing them!”

Bao Ju awkwardly explained:
“The lord promised them, and they’re waiting in the front hall…”
Meinang, still annoyed, muttered as she walked towards the courtyard with Cui Xi and Cui Si:
“I’m not seeing anyone, not even them!”
Bao Ju went to inform the guests and was about to help Xu Jun Ying back to the East Garden when they were met by Wang Mama, who appeared from nowhere and greeted Bao Ju with a smile:
“Tea has been prepared in the guest room, and the madam is back. Why not take the lord there to rest?”

Bao Ju, not knowing what to do, called out to Xu Jun Ying, who opened his eyes but couldn’t find Meinang. He muttered:
“Go… find my wife…”

Bao Ju shook his head:
“Take the lord to the guest room.”
Disappointment was evident in Rui Bao and Rui Zhu’s faces, but Wang Mama’s eyes gleamed, and she hurried towards the corridor, signaling Orange to raise the curtains.

Inside the room, Cui Xi and the others quickly helped Meinang wash her face, change clothes, and let her hair down. As she settled on the soft mat, Bao Ju and the others brought in Xu Jun Ying.

Meinang, startled, looked up:
“What’s all this? So many people coming in while I’m lying here, this is so rude!”

Bao Ju, embarrassed, apologized:
“Please forgive us, madam. The lord’s so drunk, he has no strength, we had to help him…”

Meinang, recalling that Xu Jun Ying had just fallen on top of her, didn’t want him lying on the bed in dirty clothes. She moved aside:
“Put him here!”

After a moment’s thought, she ordered:
“Wait! You… take him to the washroom first.”
The servants scrambled to do so, and when they came back, they undressed Xu Jun Ying and placed him on the bed with Meinang, who was already resting on the soft mat.

After a while, Bao Ju left with the others, and Meinang lay still. She looked at Xu Jun Ying and sighed, “You want me to meet your guests? After you knocked me down, my whole body hurts. I’m not going anywhere!”

Xu Jun Ying, now partially sober, mumbled:
“I want… tea.”

Meinang rolled over and poured him a cup of warm water:
“Drink.”

Xu Jun Ying drank the water and requested:
“Help me sit up.”

Meinang, annoyed, retorted:
“Do it yourself, I can’t lift you!”

Xu Jun Ying, still restless, called out:
“Bao Ju… tell my guests not to be neglected!”

Meinang, already exhausted, just wanted peace, so she called out:
“Let Bao Ju in!”

Cui Xi entered, and after setting the purple curtain, Bao Ju entered and explained:
“They’re still waiting for the lord and you.”

Meinang, exasperated, sighed:
“Look at us can we even walk right now?”

Bao Ju scratched his head:
“Please, madam, give your orders.”

“Your lord can’t move, and I’m hurt. You go tell them to stay with their guests, and if they’re drunk, let them rest in the guesthouse. We’ll meet tomorrow.”
“Understood! I’ll go right away!”
Xu Jun Ying, reaching out a hand, was gently
comforted by Bao Ju as he went out to find them.
Meinang finally felt a moment of peace.