“ Your Highness Is Stingy.”
The banquet had not yet begun. Lu Ronghuai still had a small matter to handle, so he had Lu Rongshen sit with Chu Yuan and keep him company.
The princes’ seats were arranged by age order. The Crown Prince sat at the foremost position. The second table to his left had originally belonged to Prince Qi, but since Prince Qi had gone to Ping Cheng to suppress unrest, that place now fell to Lu Ronghuai.
Lu Rongshen ranked eighth, and his seat was further back.
Lu Rongshen said, “Third Sister-in-law, you have not yet met my Fourth Brother, have you?”
Chu Yuan glanced to the side. That was the Fourth Prince’s seat, presently unoccupied.
“Mm.”
Lu Rongshen leaned closer and lowered his voice. “My Fourth Brother is in poor health and rarely goes out. It was Noble Consort Xu who insisted he attend. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would certainly hide away in his residence and enjoy quiet leisure.”
As he spoke, excited teasing flickered in his big eyes again. “I heard my Mother Consort say that Noble Consort Xu is taking advantage of the Wanchao Hui to choose a consort for Fourth Brother.”
“Does Noble Consort Xu intend a marriage alliance?”
Lu Rongshen frowned and scratched his head. “Not necessarily. Given my Fourth Brother’s condition, I suspect she will select someone among the noble daughters of Ye Jing.”
As they were speaking, two figures entered through the doors.
Lu Rongshen heard the movement and turned his head. In an instant, his eyes widened. “Heavens, Third Sister-in-law, look. That woman is so tall.”
Chu Yuan wore a veiled hat and could not see clearly. He discerned only two tall figures entering the hall.
The one in front wore crimson official robes. The one behind wore a bright red dress, the skirt hem blooming like a red lotus. She followed quietly behind. Together with the person in front, she took her seat.
Lu Rongshen’s gaze followed them without blinking as he said in a daze, “Since when did Ye Jing have such a statuesque beauty? I have no impression at all.”
Chu Yuan tilted his head toward him. Seeing him stare until he had gone blank, he could not help laughing softly. “Has Eighth Brother taken a liking to that beauty?”
Lu Rongshen’s expression tightened with embarrassment. He immediately waved his hands in panic. “No, no. Third Sister-in-law, do not speak nonsense. I am still young. I am not planning to marry.”
“Not necessarily. You are nineteen this year as well. If you have someone in mind, you may become betrothed this year and wed next.”
Lu Ronghuai’s voice sounded from behind them. Before they could react, he was already standing at their backs.
Lu Rongshen turned back with a gloomy look. “Last time, Third Brother, you also said I would marry next year. Why do I feel that Third Brother is eager for me to marry quickly?”
Lu Ronghuai cast him a light glance and squeezed past him. “You should marry. Find someone to manage you. Later, I can worry less.”
Lu Rongshen heard the disdain in Third Brother’s words. Aggrieved, he ran back to his own seat, puffed his cheeks, and sulked.
Chu Yuan glanced over there several times and could not help asking, “Your Highness chased Eighth Brother away like that. Is it truly fine?”
Lu Ronghuai sat down right next to Chu Yuan, their shoulders nearly touching.. Hearing this, he smiled and said, “It is fine. He never learns his lesson. After one sleep, he will be happy again and come over smiling.”
Chu Yuan smiled.
It was easy to see that although Lu Rongshen had grown up in the deep palace, he had been protected very well by this elder brother and his mother from childhood to adulthood. His temperament was naive and simple, without a scheming bone in his body, and never one to hold a grudge.
“Were you just looking at General Bai?” Lu Ronghuai clasped Chu Yuan’s left hand.
Chu Yuan felt the warmth coming from the back of his hand and asked in confusion, “General Bai?”
“Mm. The one across from us. He is our Kingdom of Lu’s Zhenxi General, and he has lived in the western borderlands for many years. Sitting beside him is his only daughter, Bai Qingyu.”
Chu Yuan’s eyes widened slightly. “Just now, Eighth Brother was saying that General Bai’s daughter is very tall.”
“Her mother is Hu. She likely inherited that bloodline. Her frame is broad, and her height is great as well.”
Curiosity rose in Chu Yuan’s heart. He extended one finger and lightly lifted one corner of the veil, stealing a quick glance at Bai Qingyu.
“Her eyes are lake-blue. How beautiful.” Chu Yuan looked as though he had discovered something interesting and could not help turning his head to share it with Lu Ronghuai.
Yet the man’s face was full of jealousy. He reached out and drew the veil more securely into place.
“Ah-Yuan, look at me. Do not look at others.”
Lu Ronghuai held Chu Yuan’s left hand rather tightly. Chu Yuan was growing less and less afraid of him now, and he even dared to speak back.
“This subject cannot look at others?”
“You may look,” Lu Ronghuai said, “but none are as good-looking as I am. Looking at them would be a waste of Ah Yuan’s time.”
Chu Yuan looked at a certain shameless person and said evenly, “Your Highness does not have lake-blue eyes. This subject wants to look.”
Lu Ronghuai said, “I...”
Footsteps sounded beside them. They happened to stop right behind the two of them. Chu Yuan and Lu Ronghuai turned their heads to look.
“Third Brother.”
The newcomer’s voice was low, hoarse, and faint. The moment he finished speaking, he turned aside and broke into a coughing fit.
Lu Ronghuai put away the smile on his face. He slanted and leaned against Chu Yuan as he gave a slight nod. “Fourth Brother.”
Lu Rongze smiled. His pale face carried a sickly air. His gaze fell on the veiled hat atop Chu Yuan’s head and paused for a moment before he spoke gently. “This must be Third Sister-in-law. Fengxing greets Third Sister-in-law.”
Fengxing was Lu Rongze’s courtesy name.
Chu Yuan looked at his emaciated face and replied softly, “Fourth Brother need not stand on ceremony. Please sit.”
Lu Rongze carried himself with graceful composure. After he sat down, he turned his head and wanted to chat a few words, but when he looked to the side, Lu Ronghuai was already pulling Chu Yuan into whispering. The two heads were pressed together, leaving no room for others to speak.
Lu Rongze stared blankly for a moment. Then he reacted, tugged the corner of his mouth, and smiled soundlessly.
This trip out of the house, he thought, was worth it after all.
Meanwhile, Lu Ronghui was trying to coax Chu Yuan into calling him by his courtesy name. “Ah-Yuan, call it once. Let this Prince hear it.”
“Father Emperor has arrived.” Chu Yuan pushed away a certain clingy large dog, tidied his sleeves with practiced ease before rising to his feet.
Lu Ronghuai sighed in regret.
Emperor Hongjia entered the hall together with the rulers of the six kingdoms. Everyone rose and bowed.
“Be seated.” Emperor Hongjia wore a full smile.
Chu Yuan sat down again. His gaze passed calmly over the rotund face of the King of Chu, his expression perfectly tranquil.
Lu Ronghuai covered his hand over and squeezed lightly, the intent to soothe obvious.
Chu Yuan tilted his head a fraction. “This subject is fine.”
Emperor Hongjia’s gaze was drawn to the veiled hat on Chu Yuan’s head. “Third son, what is the matter with your wife?”
Every eye in the room turned toward Chu Yuan.
He wore a veiled hat. Many people had noticed the moment they entered the hall, but with Lu Ronghuai present, no one dared ask.
Lu Ronghuai replied lazily, “Nothing.”
Emperor Hongjia would not be fooled so easily. “Since it is nothing, then take it off. We have honored guests from six kingdoms tonight. Do not be discourteous.”
Lu Ronghuai said, “That likely will not do.”
Emperor Hongjia swept his gaze over the rulers of the six kingdoms who were watching for entertainment. He even looked at the King of Chu. His expression grew subtly stern. “Why will it not do?”
Lu Ronghuai spoke with casual ease. “This son just kissed the Prince Consort. He is thin-skinned and flushed. This son does not wish others to see.”
Everyone: “...”
Chu Yuan drew in a breath and clenched his fists tight.
All around the great hall, hushed whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
Chu Yuan felt the gazes around him. He bit his lip. “Your Highness, does this subject not need face?”
Lu Ronghuai heard this accusation and laughed once. Under everyone’s eyes, he wrapped an arm around Chu Yuan’s slender waist and burrowed flirtatiously beneath the veil.
“Prince Consort, do not be shy. When we go back, I will let you kiss me back.” His voice was deep and unhurried, and he did not deliberately hide it. Everyone nearby heard it clearly.
“Who wants to kiss you!” Chu Yuan lowered his voice, shame and anger intermingled as he retorted.
Lu Ronghuai raised his brows. His smile turned mischievous. “You will not kiss?”
“Then This Prince will kiss. This Prince will kiss until Ah-Yuan’s legs go weak, until you wear red clouds on your face, until you lie in my arms and pant in a delicate voice.”
Chu Yuan covered his mouth at once. This time, he truly flushed all over. His eyes were moist like the moon at the edge of the sky, faint mist gathering within them.
Emperor Hongjia could not bear to watch. He hastily had Eunuch Yuan Sheng give the order to begin the banquet.
The banquet began. Palace maids with graceful figures entered to lay dishes and add wine. Bell and drum music drifted soft and languid. At the center of the hall, dancers dressed lightly swayed their waists.
The envoy of the Kingdom of Yu stepped out first. After offering a string of congratulations, he had people present his kingdom’s gifts and tributes.
After that, the five kingdoms of Duan, Chu, Liu, Shi, and Kang offered their tributes in turn.
Chu Yuan had put a small distance between herself and Lu Ronghuai, and sat quietly taking tiny bites of a pastry, half-listening as the palace attendant read aloud a long, winding list of precious objects and valuables.
The tributes from the six kingdoms were nothing more than precious treasures, horses, and grain, yet in recent years, as the Kingdom of Lu’s strength steadily grew, the tributes from the six kingdoms increased year by year as well.
“Ah-Yuan, do not be angry. Taste this wine.” Lu Ronghuai held out a cup of clear, bright wine, interrupting Chu Yuan’s thoughts.
“What wine is this?” Chu Yuan slanted his eyes at him.
Lu Ronghuai rubbed the back of Chu Yuan’s hand with the back of his own. “This wine is called Sangluo. It tastes sweet upon entry. Drink a little, and your body will warm.”
“No need. This subject is already angry enough that my whole body is heating.”
Lu Ronghuai was amused by his solemn accusation and laughed.
“Then let this cup count as apology. Young Master is magnanimous and will not lower yourself to the level of a crude person like me, hm?”
Chu Yuan said nothing.
Chu Yuan took the cup, looked at it twice, lifted his graceful neck, and drank it in one go.
“Slow—”
Lu Ronghuai had not even finished speaking when Chu Yuan already finished the wine in the cup.
“Mm?” Chu Yuan licked the wine at the corner of his lips. His red lips looked moist. “The taste is not bad. This subject wants another cup.”
Lu Ronghuai could not help laughing as he took the cup back. “This wine has a strong aftertaste. You cannot drink like this.”
Chu Yuan had never drunk wine. When he was little, his Imperial Mother once dipped chopsticks into a little wine and let him taste it. It was bitter enough to make his little face wrinkle into a ball, and so he did not like it. Later, after he was deposed and cultivated quietly in the temple, drinking wine was even more impossible.
He savored the taste from just now and felt it was far better than the wine he tasted as a child. It was like sweet fruit juice, and he found himself liking it.
“This subject wants another cup.” He extended a slender finger and waved it in front of Lu Ronghuai.
Lu Ronghuai caught that finger, his gaze burning as he looked at him. “Ah-Yuan is acting spoiled toward me?”
Chu Yuan blinked. “One cup of apology is not enough. At least two cups.”
Lu Ronghuai picked up the wine jar and poured another half cup. “Only a small half cup more. Drink slowly. Do not drink it all at once.”
Chu Yuan gave a soft snort. “Your Highness is stingy.”
Lu Ronghuai pressed a hand to his forehead. “Do you know how strong the aftertaste of this wine is? Later, do not tell This Prince that you cannot walk.”
Chu Yuan did not pay attention to him. He held that small cup and drank it a little at a time.
At this moment, Xian Feng appeared outside the hall. He hid in the shadows and made a hand sign toward Lu Ronghuai.
Lu Ronghuai looked at Chu Yuan. “Ah-Yuan, This Prince will go out for a moment. This Prince will return soon.”
“Mm.”
Lu Ronghuai rose and slipped out from behind, leaving the great hall.
“What is it?” He stood beneath the corridor, hands behind his back. The gentle warmth from just now was gone from his face.
Xian Feng took out a strip of paper from his sleeve. “Xian Yu just sent a message by carrier pigeon. There is movement in the residence.”
Lu Ronghuai took it, unfolded it, and read it. A ruthless smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“Very good. The fish has bitten.”
He crushed the paper strip in his hand. “Notify Xian Yu not to startle the snake. Since that private seal has already fallen into Cheng Zhi’s hands, pretend we know nothing and keep watching.”
Xian Feng could not quite understand Lu Ronghuai’s approach.
He asked, “My lord deliberately gave the private seal to the Prince Consort in front of Cheng Zhi, and the Prince Consort placed the seal in Fuju Courtyard. Is this a move Your Highness laid?”
“Mm. Please invite him into the jar. This way, This Prince does not waste time.”
After he finished giving instructions, he returned to the great hall.
The moment he reached his seat, he saw that the wine jar that had been placed on his side was now in Chu Yuan’s hands.
Lu Ronghuai sat down at once and snatched the wine jar from his hands.
The jar landed lightly in his grasp. Lu Ronghuai shook it. Inside, it was empty.
“...”
He looked at Chu Yuan in silence.
Chu Yuan tilted his head. He looked perfectly normal. He sat upright, his back straight, and beneath the veil, his handsome features were faintly visible.
Lu Ronghuai reached out and gently lifted the veil halfway.
Chu Yuan’s eyes were bright, yet there was already drunken haze within them. On his fair cheeks, two unnatural red clouds had appeared. Those red clouds spread upward, burning behind the ears.
Lu Ronghuai stared at Chu Yuan’s eyes, already blurred with drunkenness.
The corners of his lips slowly curved up.
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu the Dog: He is drunk, hehehe, hehehe.
Come, come, there is a prize quiz. The first person to guess correctly who Little Eight’s CP is will receive a red envelope, mwah mwah.
IsitRo: I am crying, tears of......... tears of cringing. ML has no shame 😭😭
0 Comments