Drunkenness

Yu Changxing was still on duty in the Imperial Palace. After Emperor Wu Ming finished reviewing the memorials, he took a sip of tea and relaxed. “Summon the First Prince and the Second Prince. I want to test their studies.”

Feng De acknowledged the order and sent a young eunuch to call the First Prince and the Second Prince.

The First Prince was seven years old this year, and the Second Prince was five. Both princes were legitimate sons. Emperor Wu Ming favored the First Prince more. The First Prince lost his father at a young age, and since it was Emperor Wu Ming’s first time being a father, he kept the First Prince by his side when he was little. Even ordinary families couldn’t do this, let alone the royal family.

Due to Emperor Wu Ming’s longing and affection for the late Fengjun, the First Prince had always been doted on.

The Second Prince was born to Wang Fengjun and was a lively and active child who couldn’t sit still in the classroom and only thought about playing all day.

The First Prince and the Second Prince came together, seemingly from Kun Ning Palace.

Panlong Hall was the emperor’s resting place. If the emperor didn’t go to the consort’s palace, he would have the chief eunuch bring the consort to Panlong Hall to accompany him. It was not only a place for sleeping but also where the emperor handled affairs, often with the company of beautiful women.

After a while, Emperor Wu Ming’s angry voice echoed from inside. “It’s been so long, and you still haven’t memorized this book? What have you been doing?!”

Emperor Wu Ming’s chest heaved as he suppressed his anger. “The teacher teaching you is a Grand Scholar of Da Yan, and even the Prime Minister, yet you haven’t learned anything. I’m not asking you to understand everything now, but you can’t even memorize the book. How will you make me proud in the future…?”

“The Second Prince will reflect for three days, and no one is allowed to visit him.”

The Second Prince, small and pitiful, lowered his head and said, “Father, I was wrong. I won’t play and forget my studies again. But in two days, it’s Father’s birthday, and I want to celebrate it. I promise, after the celebration, I’ll reflect properly.”

The First Prince was already struggling with his recitation, and Emperor Wu Ming’s expression was not good. The Second Prince’s stammering further fueled the emperor’s anger.

Seeing his young son’s innocent face, Emperor Wu Ming thought of Wang Fengjun and said in a deep voice, “After celebrating your father’s birthday, continue to reflect. Come to Panlong Hall in three days.”

The Second Prince responded softly.

The First Prince said, “Second Brother didn’t mean it. He is very serious in class. Father, please don’t punish him too harshly.”

Emperor Wu Ming: “As the elder brother, you should set a good example for Dan’er, not just indulge him. Your studies also need more effort. You are the legitimate eldest son and must do better than others.”

The First Prince pursed his lips. “Yes, Father, I understand.”

The doors of Panlong Hall opened, and the First Prince and the Second Prince came out together. The Second Prince still had a smile on his face, while the First Prince looked guilty and hurried away.

Xie Dan exhaled. “Big Brother, why are you walking so fast?”

Xie Cheng: “I’m going back to memorize my books.”

Xie Dan responded with an “oh” and slowly descended the steps. The young eunuch outside the hall saw Xie Dan’s leisurely pace on the steps and found it somewhat endearing.

“Commander Yu!” Xie Dan saw Yu Changxing patrolling with his men and quickened his pace to approach.

“Greetings, Second Prince.” Yu Changxing quickly saluted him.

Yu Changxing often moved around the emperor, having interactions with the two princes, so Xie Dan would stop him for a casual chat.

After sending off the Second Prince, Yu Changxing remembered that today was the day Zheng Shanci was bringing Yu Lanyi back home. Since he was on duty today, he couldn’t return, but he planned to visit his brother and brother-in-law in the evening.

…

Zheng Shanci woke up from a nap, but Yu Lanyi was still sleeping soundly. Zheng Shanci got up to take a walk outside and happened to meet Yu Fulang sitting in the pavilion drinking tea.

Meeting an elder, Zheng Shanci stepped forward to greet him.

“Sit down. I was just feeling bored, and you came at the right time to chat with me.”

“Yes, Father.”

A maid poured a cup of tea for Zheng Shanci. It was the hot season, and the mint tea was refreshing. After a few sips, the heat in his heart subsided. He sat to the side, unsure of what to chat about with Yu Fulang.

“I know you have two brothers at home, which is considered a small family. Our mansion also has only three children.”

This was an attempt to inquire about his family situation.

Zheng Shanci said, “I have an elder brother at home who takes good care of me. If it weren’t for his hard work in gathering tuition for me, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have. For this, my brother even worked as a servant in a wealthy family and injured his leg. My younger brother is still young and has been raised in the countryside.”

“In the past, I was naive and thought highly of myself, but after arriving in Shengjing, I settled down and just wanted to live a stable life and bring some benefits to my family. They helped me a lot before, and now I want them to have a good life.”

Yu Fulang: “Your elder brother has had a hard time. You must treat him well in the future.”

“Speaking of common folks, they have their good points. They only marry one person and don’t take concubines. The whole family works together to live a good life.”

“I just hope you and Lanyi have a good life together.” Yu Fulang, seeing Zheng Shanci speak so honestly, felt a bit of goodwill towards him. Given the power of the Changyang Marquis Mansion, how could they not know Zheng Shanci’s family background? Seeing that Zheng Shanci didn’t hide anything, he felt he was an honest child.

In the evening, Yu Changxing returned from the palace.

Dinner was still sumptuous. Zheng Shanci and Yu Lanyi sat together. Yu Changxing smiled when he saw Yu Lanyi. “There were many affairs in the palace today, which delayed me a bit.”

The Changyang Marquis said, “Quickly take a seat.”

Yu Changxing nodded in agreement. He was a handsome gentleman, and his slight smile was like spring sunshine. “I was late today, so I’ll punish myself with three cups.”

Without waiting for anyone to persuade him, he cheerfully drank three cups of wine, exuding the charm of a carefree and noble gentleman.

Yu Lanyi: “Big Brother just wants an excuse to drink.”

At home, only Yu Lanyi would speak so casually with Yu Changxing.

Zheng Shanci noticed that this close aide to the emperor didn’t get angry but instead went along with Yu Lanyi’s words. “Yes, I was greedy for wine.”

At home, Yu Changxing was different from when he was outside. He was much more relaxed.

Zheng Shanci toasted Yu Changxing.

Yu Changxing accepted it without hesitation.

Yu Fulang smiled, feeling like there was another child in the family. To be honest, he had seen many young men in Shengjing, and Zheng Shanci’s character seemed good so far. If he was pretending, he would have to pretend for a lifetime.

Yu Lanyi noticed Zheng Shanci had drunk a bit and didn’t want to remind him at the table, so he discreetly tugged his sleeve.

Zheng Shanci was momentarily stunned and stopped drinking with Yu Changxing, focusing on eating some dishes.

Yu Lanyi breathed a sigh of relief. Zheng Shanci, a gentle scholar, competing in drinking with his martial brother Yu Changxing, would be nothing but a drizzle for Yu Changxing.

The two of them took a carriage back home after dinner.

Zheng Shanci’s face was flushed from the alcohol. As soon as they got home, Yu Lanyi told Jin Yun, “Have the kitchen prepare a bowl of hangover soup and bring it to the room.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Zheng Shanci was actually fine, not too dizzy. Yu Lanyi frowned, muttering something that Zheng Shanci couldn’t quite hear.

“You smell like alcohol. You need to wash up properly, or who would want to sleep next to you? From now on, if you drink and smell, you’ll have to sleep on the floor.”

Yu Lanyi walked ahead, and Zheng Shanci instinctively followed his footsteps.

The servants had already prepared the bath. Yu Lanyi said, “I’ll wash first. You can wash after you drink the hangover soup.”

Zheng Shanci, still a bit dizzy, could only hear the sound of water, which made him feel restless, as if a fire was burning inside him.

Jin Yun brought the hangover soup and left. Zheng Shanci felt much better after drinking it.

His mind was still a bit foggy, wondering why he was listening to someone bathing.

Yu Lanyi came out of the bath, surrounded by steam. Seeing the empty bowl on the table, he knew Zheng Shanci had drunk the hangover soup, which reassured him.

Zheng Shanci took his clothes and went in to bathe.

Yu Lanyi had slept a lot at noon and wasn’t sleepy at night. He covered himself with a quilt. In the past, he would embroider to pass the time, even though his embroidery skills weren’t great. Thinking of this, Yu Lanyi opened the cabinet and saw his unfinished embroidery.

Jin Yun remembered his habit and had neatly organized the embroidery. Next to it was a section used by Zheng Shanci, filled with books, all neatly arranged.

Yu Lanyi listened to Zheng Shanci still bathing and secretly took out a book to read.

Since it was in the bedroom, it might be a storybook.

He pulled out a copy of “The Analects.”

Then “The Doctrine of the Mean”! And then “The Book of Documents”!

Frustrated.

Perhaps out of boredom, Yu Lanyi didn’t give up and kept pulling out books until his face went numb.

Finally, he pulled out a book without large characters on the cover, and his heart raced as he opened it.

The first page depicted two men at the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Yu Lanyi blushed and quickly closed the book.

Before getting married, the matchmaker had shown him similar picture books. Yu Lanyi couldn’t handle it after just a few glances, so he quickly put them down. Since he and Zheng Shanci hadn’t consummated their marriage on their wedding night, he had long forgotten about those picture books. Now, seeing a few pages brought back all those memories.

His friend Lü Jin was still unmarried, and among his peers, there was no one closer to him. He wasn’t interested in such matters. Zheng Shanci had hidden such a book among the classics, proving he was a fake scholar, with who knows what thoughts while reading.

Yu Lanyi’s ears turned red. The matchmaker had shown him all kinds of illustrations, including one face-to-face.

He buried himself in the pillow, turning away from Zheng Shanci, his face burning.

He had completely lost interest in reading storybooks, his mind filled with uncontrollable thoughts.

Wait, Zheng Shanci usually bathed quickly. Why was he taking so long today? Could he still be drunk and passed out in the bath?

Zheng Shanci wasn’t passed out in the bath; he was just feeling a bit troubled.