ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 130

By the end of August, the summer heat had faded, and the signs of autumn gradually deepened. The weather started to cool down, and by the time morning came, a light shirt was no longer enough to keep warm.

A few days later, Li Zhizhi received an invitation from Yang Jun to drink. Normally, the Longevity Festival had pa.s.sed, and the southern envoy should have been preparing to return home. Judging by the time, it was likely to happen within these few days.

Li Zhizhi gladly accepted the invitation. When she arrived at the restaurant, Yang Jun was already drinking and had ordered a table full of dishes to accompany the drinks. Upon seeing her, Yang Jun lazily waved, acknowledging her arrival.

Li Zhizhi was a bit surprised, “Why are you alone?”

“Yang Shen is like a buzzing fly, always going on and on,” Yang Jun said with great disdain. “He annoys me.”

As she spoke, she added, “I’ll be returning to the southern lands in a few days.”

Li Zhizhi had expected this and asked, “Which day? I’ll come see you off.”

“No need to see me off. It would just make me feel bad,” Yang Jun picked up a peanut, tossed it into her mouth, and smiled. “I just remembered there’s something I haven’t finished.”

“What is it?”

Yang Jun raised her eyebrows and said, “It’s about you.”

Li Zhizhi suddenly remembered what Yang Jun had mentioned earlier, and she felt a bit awkward. Yang Jun continued, “There’s not enough time for me to do much now, so I’ll give you something instead.”

As she spoke, Yang Jun took out a small bamboo tube from her sleeve and pushed it over. The bamboo tube seemed unremarkable, but its surface was incredibly smooth, as if someone had rubbed it repeatedly, giving it a l.u.s.ter similar to yellow jade.

Lowering her voice with a hint of mystery, Yang Jun said, “This is a secret medicine from the southern lands. After taking it, a person will only speak the truth, answering whatever questions you ask without a single lie. However, the effects only last for an hour.”

Hearing this, Li Zhizhi was quite surprised. She picked up the bamboo tube, which felt very light in her hand, but she could clearly feel a pill rolling around inside. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is there really such a miraculous medicine?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Yang Jun laughed. “I had three of these pills in total. Two of them I fed to dogs, and this is the last one.”

Li Zhizhi was puzzled, “Why would you feed them to dogs?”

“Because the dogs weren’t obedient,” Yang Jun smiled knowingly, then warned Li Zhizhi, “But remember, after taking this pill, the person will fall into a deep sleep after an hour and won’t remember anything they said. Pick a time to give it to the Crown Prince. I guarantee he’ll be as obedient as a puppy, answering anything you ask.”

Li Zhizhi: …

Though the idea sounded reasonable, comparing Xiao Yan to a dog still felt a bit strange.

The medicine was too precious, and Li Zhizhi didn’t want to accept it at first. But Yang Jun said, “I’m returning to the southern lands this time. From now on, we’ll be separated by great distances, and it’ll be hard for us to meet again. My useless younger brother is still in the capital. You probably know that he fancies the young lady from the Su family. But with his temperament, without my guidance, he might never marry in this lifetime. So I’ll have to trouble you to look after him in the future.”

Fearing that Li Zhizhi might refuse, she deliberately added, “If you don’t accept this, you don’t consider me a friend.”

Hearing this, Li Zhizhi had no choice but to agree, though she couldn’t help feeling a bit sad. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, she truly liked Yang Jun’s straightforward and generous personality. She was a rare friend.

Yang Jun, of course, noticed this and changed the subject, sharing some amusing stories to cheer her up. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a figure outside the window and said with interest, “Look, who’s that?”

Li Zhizhi followed her gaze and saw a familiar figure leading a horse past the building. It was none other than Pei Yanchuan, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time.

Yang Jun picked up a peanut and threw it, with great precision, hitting Pei Yanchuan right on the head. Pei Yanchuan instinctively looked up and saw the two people by the window. His expression shifted from confusion to delight, and a smile appeared on his handsome face: “Miss Li!”

Yang Jun clicked his tongue twice and said to Li Zhizhi, “Did you see that? Clearly, I was the one who hit him, but all he sees is you.”

Pei Yanchuan immediately tied his horse to a tree in front of the tavern. In no time, he went upstairs. Yang Jun waved at him, “You came at just the right time. I couldn’t finish all the wine I bought.”

Pei Yanchuan looked at the table full of food and wine, puzzled, “Just the two of you?”

“Aren’t you here too?” Yang Jun said with a smile, “This is what they call ‘inviting someone by chance.’ Come, Master Pei, have a seat.”

Li Zhizhi also smiled and invited him to sit. Only then did Pei Yanchuan sit down. After some time without seeing him, he seemed to have grown taller, and his skin was noticeably tanned. During their conversation, Li Zhizhi learned that Pei Yanchuan had been at the military camp in Fuyang and had only returned to the capital a few days ago.

Pei Yanchuan sighed and said, “My father said that if I want to take the military examination next year, I must train diligently and not slack off. So, I practiced martial arts with the soldiers every day and didn’t even get to eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Zhizhi again. In fact, he didn’t dare to mention that his mother, the Marquise, thought he wasn’t working hard enough, so she sent him to the military camp to toughen him up. Pei Yanchuan initially resisted. After all, he was used to the carefree life in the capital, surrounded by many friends. Wherever he went, there was always someone to accompany him. Why would he want to suffer in the camp?

However, the Marquise had him pegged. She poked his forehead and scolded him: “With your lazy demeanor, slacking off all the time, you dare to fancy Princess Zhao Hua? You might have the nerve to think about it, but I’d be too embarra.s.sed to approach the Grand Princess.”

Of course, Li Zhizhi didn’t know all this. She only saw Pei Yanchuan looking a little pitiful, mentioning that he didn’t have mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and couldn’t help but feel sympathy. She called the tavern attendant to inquire, only to learn that the festival had already pa.s.sed, and the mooncakes had spoiled. If they were to make fresh ones, it would take several hours.

In fact, mooncakes could easily be made at home, and Pei Yanchuan didn’t crave them that much. But seeing Li Zhizhi care, it stirred a sudden craving for them within him.

Li Zhizhi thought for a moment and said, “There’s a pastry shop down the street. I’m sure they still have some. Let’s go check.”

Pei Yanchuan was overjoyed, and Yang Jun didn’t mind either. After settling the bill, the three left the tavern and went to the pastry shop to buy mooncakes. It was already late, so Li Zhizhi bid the two farewell and took a carriage back to her residence.

Only when the carriage disappeared around the corner did Pei Yanchuan withdraw his gaze, feeling a bit lost. He took a bite of the mooncake but was suddenly nudged by Yang Jun’s elbow. Yang asked, “Do you like Zhizhi?”

Pei Yanchuan was caught off guard, choking and coughing violently, his face turning red, attracting curious looks from pa.s.sersby.

Yang Jun looked at him with amus.e.m.e.nt and said, “Why are you so fl.u.s.tered?”

Pei Yanchuan was initially panicked but quickly tried to regain his composure. He asked, “How did you know?”

Yang Jun looked surprised. “Did you really think you were hiding it well?”

Pei Yanchuan: …

He couldn’t help but touch his nose and cautiously asked, “Does Miss Li…?”

“She probably doesn’t know,” Yang Jun said with a smile. “Do you want me to help you out?”

Pei Yanchuan instinctively declined, “No need!”

“Alright then,” Yang Jun didn’t mind, adding, “In that case, I’ll just help someone else.”

“Someone else?” Pei Yanchuan paused mid-bite, looking puzzled. “Who else?”

Yang Jun raised an eyebrow in surprise, “You don’t know? Second Young Master Su, of course.”

She paused and said, “Oh, and the Crown Prince.”

Pei Yanchuan was taken aback, his hand trembling, causing the half-eaten mooncake to fall to the ground, rolling away.

…

Ning w.a.n.gfu (Prince Ning’s Mansion).

“What a useless bunch!”

A loud shout came from inside the room, followed by a person being kicked to the ground. However, he didn’t dare to make a sound, quickly getting up and trembling as he knelt down, repeatedly bowing his head: “My lord, please calm down! Please calm down!”

“Can’t even find a single woman! What use are you?! ” Xiao Wen roared in rage, yelling: “A bunch of useless eaters!”

The gentle facade of the past had completely vanished, and he grew angrier with each word, forcefully overturning the table, creating a loud crash. All the servants held their breath, not daring to make a sound; the room was eerily silent. Xiao Wen, panting heavily, looked as if he might collapse, sweat beading on his forehead, his face pale, and he fell back onto the couch.

He shouted, “Bring me wine! Wine!”

Immediately, someone scrambled up and went outside. Soon after, they returned with a jug of wine, respectfully saying, “My lord, the wine has arrived.”

Xiao Wen eagerly grabbed the jug, disregarding the cup, and began to drink straight from it. The wine spilled out, filling the air with its fragrance. In the stillness, only the sounds of his gulping could be heard, creating a somewhat terrifying atmosphere.

After finishing the jug, Xiao Wen was not calmed but instead grew more irritable. He smashed the jug over the servant’s head, his face filled with rage as he scolded, “You fool! What kind of wine is this?!”

The jug shattered on impact, and the servant staggered back a few steps, falling to the ground, his head bleeding, but he didn’t dare to wipe it away. Terrified, he kept bowing his head: “My lord, this is Shidongchun, your favorite Shidongchun!”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Xiao Wen glared, his eyes wide with fury, the whites of his eyes tinged with blood, looking like a devil. He rushed up, kicked the servant over, and grabbed his neck, shaking him violently, shouting, “Do you think I’ve never had Shidongchun? This is not Shidongchun!”

He was like a madman, firmly gripping the servant’s throat until the servant’s eyes rolled back, struggling for breath. Xiao Wen refused to let go until the servant’s movements gradually ceased. At that moment, a woman burst in from outside, exclaiming, “Wen’er, what happened to you?!”

The woman was indeed the Princess of Ning. Seeing Xiao Wen’s state, she was startled and hurriedly pulled him away, panicking, “Son, what’s wrong with you? Let go, quick!”

Seeing his mother arrive, Xiao Wen seemed to regain some awareness and instinctively loosened his grip. The servant crumpled to the floor, but he made no sound, as if he were already dead.

“Have you lost your mind?” The Princess of Ning began to cry, “Everything was fine, how did it come to this? It’s all that woman’s fault! I told you not to accept her, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what’s happened, you’ve gone mad because of her! What kind of drugs did she give you?!”

Xiao Wen appeared somewhat dazed, his mind foggy. He muttered incoherently, “I want wine! Wine! Bring me wine!”

He tightly clutched the Princess of Ning’s hand, mumbling for wine. In such a short time, he was drenched in sweat, shivering as if he were extremely cold, gasping for breath, as if he were about to faint at any moment.

The Princess of Ning panicked: “Quick, call for a doctor!”

At that moment, a servant rushed in, stammering, “Wine, someone brought wine! It’s Shidongchun.”

Xiao Wen, who had already seemed to be slumping, suddenly sat up and shouted hoa.r.s.ely, “Wine is here!”

The Princess of Ning held him tightly and, disregarding everything else, hurriedly called, “Quick, bring it in for the Young Master to drink!”

The servant brought in wine, and Xiao Wen hurriedly leaned in, drinking deeply. This time, he didn’t curse; his expression began to soften, and his brows gradually relaxed. He seemed to enter a state of bliss, exuding a sense of contentment.

Princess Ning watched this change in him, feeling a chill in her heart. She cautiously said, “Wen’er, should I call a doctor to take a look at you? This isn’t a solution.”

“No, no,” Xiao Wen tightly grasped the wine jug, speaking unclearly, “You can’t call; Dad will know… Mom, he’ll beat me to death if he finds out…”

He finally calmed down, let out a belch, and his cheeks slowly flushed red. Half-closing his eyes, he said to Princess Ning, “I just want to drink; it’s not… it’s not an illness… Don’t tell Dad.”

Princess Ning was very fond of her only son. Upon hearing this, she could only agree, “Alright, I won’t say anything. But you really need to drink less; it’s harmful to your health.”

Xiao Wen mumbled in response. With Princess Ning’s support, he slowly got up and walked to the couch, lying down. It seemed he felt a bit hot, as he tore open his collar and closed his eyes, saying, “Mom, I’ll rest; you can take everyone out.”

Princess Ning touched his forehead again and cautioned, “You rest well; I’ll come back to check on you later.”

After she spoke, she led the servants out, and the room fell silent again. Xiao Wen lifted the wine jug, shook it, opened his mouth, and caught the last drop of wine before letting go. The jug fell to the ground, shattering into pieces with a crisp sound.

A maid outside quietly asked, and Xiao Wen, with his eyes closed, replied, “Come in.”

Before long, the maid entered cautiously and approached him, “What does the young master want?”

Xiao Wen suddenly grabbed her, disregarding her terrified scream, and flipped her over, pressing her down…

…

At the Xinfeng Wine Shop.

The sky had turned dark, and the shop’s attendant was lighting lanterns when he saw a group of people approaching in a grand manner. He quickly greeted them with a smile, “What would the guests like to buy—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was seized by the collar by a young n.o.bleman dressed in fine clothes, who coldly said, “Where’s your shopkeeper? Call him out to talk!”

The attendant had never seen such a scene before and was terrified, trembling. Just then, a woman’s voice came from inside, “If you wish to see me, why make things difficult for my attendant?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wen turned to look and saw a familiar figure emerge from behind the curtain. It was Liu Man, who had been demoted to a commoner. She was still wearing red, her hair elegantly pinned up with a golden hairpin, a slight smile on her face as she calmly looked over.

Xiao Wen fixed his gaze on her, “It’s you?”

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