Chapter 98
The windows on both sides of the boat were open, and from a distance, you could see the green willows on both sides of the river, a scene of vibrant life.
Fushun was waiting obediently outside the cabin. There were only two people left in the cabin. On the table was a game of Go and two or three pots of good wine.
Yan Lingqiu glanced at the pot, as if he were curious. Seeing this, Lu Ze explained, “It would be a pity not to have some wine with such a beautiful scenery.”
He looked at the white jade neck bottle and said with a light laugh, “This is the Qianjin Brew brewed by the most famous tavern in the capital. It is said that the taste is sweet and mellow, and it is very delicious. I have always been thinking about it, but unfortunately, I am still in the mourning period, so I can’t touch these things.”
Yan Lingqiu glanced at the bottle and said, “Your Majesty’s filial piety to the late emperor is commendable. I’m sure the late emperor would be very pleased if he knew.”
Lu Ze smiled and added, “I just wanted to have a look and satisfy my craving, but when I saw it, I became even more greedy.” His gaze fell on Yan Lingqiu, and he suddenly said, “Do you know how to drink, Lingqiu? It’s a waste to leave this Qianjin Brew here. Why don’t you drink it and tell me if it tastes good?”
“This…” Yan Lingqiu was a little hesitant and said, “I have never had wine before. I don’t know how my alcohol tolerance is. If I lose my composure after drinking and offend you, Your Majesty…”
“It’s fine,” Lu Ze said with a gentle smile. “You are always stable and polite, Lingqiu. Even if you are drunk, I’m sure you won’t be as absurd as others. Besides, Fushun is here. How can you offend me?”
Yan Lingqiu thought for a moment and was still a little hesitant. In the end, he couldn’t resist his curiosity. He picked up the wine pot and poured a cup, and took a small sip.
The eunuchs in the palace had many rules. In order to better serve their masters and avoid mistakes, they would never have wine. Although some eunuchs liked it and would secretly buy it, Yan Lingqiu had seen the absurd appearance of many people after they were drunk before, but he had never tried it himself.
To him, the state of being unconscious and at the mercy of others after being drunk was really too dangerous and too uncontrollable. No one knew what they would do or say in this muddled state. If they got into trouble, they wouldn’t even know how they died.
Yan Lingqiu had climbed up from the bottom and deeply understood the principle of “trouble comes from the mouth.” At that time, the late emperor was dissatisfied with Xiao Fengnian’s excessive power, so he had supported him to counterbalance him. During this period, he had to be careful, careful, and even more careful. He had to think for a long time before he said a word or did a thing, so that he would not be caught by others.
In this environment, how could he drink something that would cause trouble?
But now he was out… and it was the emperor who had said it. It should not be a problem to drink a little.
Lu Ze looked at him with a smile. “How does it taste?”
Yan Lingqiu thought for a moment. “The taste… is clear and sweet, and the aroma of the wine is mellow. It is indeed extraordinary.”
Lu Ze was sitting on the other side of the table, his hands playing with the Go pieces on and off. Hearing this, he smiled. “You must taste it well, Lingqiu. It can be considered as drinking my share.”
Yan Lingqiu had originally planned to just have a taste and stop drinking if he felt any discomfort. But this wine was clear and sweet. Although the taste was mellow, there was not much alcohol in it, and he did not feel anything after a few sips, so he slowly let down his guard.
Just at this moment, Lu Ze picked up a cup of black Go pieces and asked him if he knew how to play Go. In the past, in order to win more opportunities for himself, Yan Lingqiu was not proficient in the four arts, but he knew a little about them, so he nodded in agreement.
Then, Lu Ze held the black pieces, and Yan Lingqiu held the white pieces, and the two of them started to play back and forth.
Lu Ze had been through many worlds, and his attainments in the four arts were not to say that he was a master, but he was much better than ordinary people. But he proposed to play Go not to suppress Yan Lingqiu or to prove his own skills, but just to find something for the two of them to do and have more time to spend together. So he followed Yan Lingqiu’s level, and the two of them went back and forth, and the atmosphere was quite peaceful.
Yan Lingqiu looked at the situation on the Go board, frowned and thought hard, his attention was completely on the Go board, and he did not care about anything else. He drank the wine in his cup one mouthful after another, and after a short while, the small cup of Qianjin Brew was completely finished.
He placed the Go piece on the board, and his other hand subconsciously went to touch the teacup. He brought it to his lips, but he didn’t drink anything, and only then did he realize that he had already finished it.
To be fair, that Qianjin Brew was indeed not bad, and Yan Lingqiu did not feel any drunkenness. He wanted to pick up the wine pot and pour another cup, but Lu Ze timely held his hand. He met his dazed gaze and said with a helpless smile, “Although this Qianjin Brew is delicious, its aftertaste is strong. You should drink less, Lingqiu.”
He had asked him to drink just to let him relax and not be so reserved, not to really want him to get drunk.
Hearing this, Yan Lingqiu frowned and said slowly, “But… you just said to let me drink more, Your Majesty…”
Lu Ze paused and his gaze was fixed on his face. He saw that his gaze was clear, as if it were the same as usual, his skin was fair, and the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye was also exceptionally distinct.
Lu Ze was a little unsure and tentatively asked, “It’s your first time drinking. To avoid not knowing your limits and getting drunk, you should drink less.”
Yan Lingqiu blinked and said very soberly, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’m not drunk.”
Seeing this, how could Lu Ze not understand that the state of the person in front of him was already not right? He couldn’t help but be at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. He glanced at the cup by his hand, and his heart was helpless for a moment.
Although it was his first time drinking, but with just that little amount… he could still get drunk?
How bad was his alcohol tolerance?
But you couldn’t reason with a drunk person. Lu Ze looked up. Although the person in front of him was well-behaved and did not try to snatch it, his eyes, which were usually lowered, were now staring straight at him, pitifully, without a trace of his usual reserve.
Lu Ze’s heart couldn’t help but soften. “Do you really want to drink?”
Yan Lingqiu nodded. “It’s delicious.” He paused, then emphasized again, “I’m not drunk. I can drink.”
He still insisted that he was not drunk.
Lu Ze was even more helpless in his heart. In the end, he felt that his posture was a rare sight, and he also wanted to indulge him for a while, so he poured him half a cup and said, “You can only drink this much.”
Yan Lingqiu glanced at it. Not only was he not dissatisfied, but perhaps because he had gotten it back, he was particularly cherished. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
But this time, he was much more careful. He held the table with one hand and the cup with the other, and took small sips, as if he were very reluctant.
Lu Ze was both heartbroken and helpless. He simply changed the subject, picked up a black Go piece, and tapped on the board. Seeing him look over, he asked, “Do you still want to continue playing?”
Although Yan Lingqiu said he was not drunk, his thinking was actually a little slow. He paused, then slowly said, “Yes.”
He picked up a white piece with his other hand and said in a low voice, “I have to… win…”
Lu Ze glanced at him, and the hand holding the black piece paused and landed on another place. “You want to win so much?”
Yan Lingqiu followed closely behind and nodded. “I have to win.”
Lu Ze did not ask him why he had to win. He could also imagine that in a place like the imperial palace where people were eaten, if he could not always win, and if he lost even once, what would the consequences be?
The former Director of Ceremonial, the grand eunuch Xiao Fengnian, had too much power, but he was arrogant and did not know how to restrain himself. The late emperor had been dissatisfied with him for a long time, so he had promoted Yan Lingqiu to counterbalance him. This was an opportunity for Yan Lingqiu, but it was also a great danger. His every move was being watched, and as soon as he made a slight mistake, countless people would be waiting to pull him down.
How could a person who had come out of such an environment not be cautious?
Lu Ze smiled. “Then I won’t let you.”
Yan Lingqiu frowned. “There’s no need for you to let me, Your Majesty. I can win.”
So Lu Ze watched as he held a wine cup in one hand and a Go piece in the other, his brows tightly furrowed, and he often thought for a long time before he could place the Go piece in a satisfactory position.
Perhaps because the alcohol was slowly getting to him, his fair cheeks were slightly red, and his eyes were also covered with a hazy layer of water, which made the small crimson mole even more breathtaking.
Lu Ze’s fingertips moved, and the Go piece landed on the board. Yan Lingqiu went to calculate and think, but the alcohol had already eroded his reason, and his mind was muddled. After a long while, he slowly placed the Go piece in a certain place.
Lu Ze observed his state on the one hand, and his movements were leisurely on the other, and he was not obviously letting him win.
In the end, Yan Lingqiu had already forgotten the half-cup of wine and casually placed it on the side. He rested his chin on one hand, and the blush on his face deepened. His gaze was fixed on the Go board, and he placed a piece in a place that he thought was very good.
A game of Go was played intermittently for half an hour. It wasn’t until Lu Ze saw his drowsy look that he stopped insisting and, without a trace, revealed some flaws. Yan Lingqiu’s eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly seized the opportunity. After a few rounds, he looked up with joy. “I have won.”
Lu Ze feigned a sigh of regret. “Your Go skills are superb, Lingqiu. I am ashamed of my inferiority.”
Yan Lingqiu’s eyes curved slightly, and he was obviously very pleased, but he still remembered to be modest. “I… was lucky. You are the one with exquisite Go skills, Your Majesty…”
Lu Ze was helpless for a moment. Seeing that his eyes were almost unable to open, he said, “If you’re sleepy, you can rest for a while.”
“Rest?” Yan Lingqiu’s voice was slurred. “Where do I rest?”
“Right here,” Lu Ze did not touch him and just said, “You can just rest here.”
Yan Lingqiu’s eyes slowly closed, but he still shook his head. “No… this is not the palace.”
Lu Ze said patiently, “When you wake up, you will be in the palace.”
“When I wake up…” Yan Lingqiu’s voice gradually became lower. Lu Ze looked down and saw that the person had already fallen asleep on the table.
Lu Ze was on the side, quietly looking at his sleeping face.
He was unguarded, not humble, and his posture was natural and ordinary.
Lu Ze slowly stretched out a finger, wanting to touch the tear mole at the corner of his eye. Unexpectedly, just as he touched it, Yan Lingqiu impatiently waved his hand, changed his posture, and buried that half of his face in his arm.
Lu Ze paused, then couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.
Really…
Lu Ze gave an order to let the boat dock, then got up and walked to Yan Lingqiu’s side, and bent down to carry him horizontally. Yan Lingqiu’s brows furrowed, as if he were a little uncomfortable, and he muttered a few words and was about to struggle. Lu Ze just said in a low voice, “Don’t mess around.”
He rubbed his forehead with his chin and said, “Let’s go back to the palace and rest.”
Yan Lingqiu moved slightly again and felt that it was much more comfortable than his previous posture, so he relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.
The boat had docked. Lu Ze carried him out of the cabin. Fushun’s eyes widened and he was about to exclaim, “Your Majesty—”
Lu Ze glanced at him, and he immediately fell silent. His heart was still in a storm, but he did not dare to delay anymore and quickly arranged to go ashore and prepare the carriage.
He followed by Lu Ze’s side, walking quickly, and carefully opened his mouth, “Your Majesty, let me do it.”
Lu Ze didn’t speak and just said, “Have someone go back and prepare the sobering soup.”
Fushun’s shock was indescribable, and he immediately agreed.
The carriage was tidied up very comfortably and properly. Lu Ze placed him on the soft cushion-paved carriage, let his head rest on his own leg, and after he was settled, he ordered Fushun to set off.
The carriage was slightly bumpy, but it did not affect Yan Lingqiu. He was still sleeping peacefully. Lu Ze looked down at him, his fingers lightly circling his hair, and on and off, he would touch his cheek. At first, Yan Lingqiu was a little dissatisfied, but later he seemed to have gotten used to it and no longer struggled.
Lu Ze’s eyes were smiling.
The carriage stopped in front of the Qianqing Palace. Although many people were surprised to see Lu Ze carrying Yan Lingqiu out, they did not dare to show their thoughts on their faces. Lu Ze carried him to the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, ordered Fushun to arrange the maids and eunuchs, and then took the sobering soup from the side and personally fed it to him.
To prevent him from feeling unwell the next day after his first time drinking, he also exchanged for a sobering medicine with no side effects from the system store.
Half-coaxing and half-forcing, he finally got him to take the medicine. Lu Ze placed him on the bed and, afraid that he would be uncomfortable sleeping in his outer clothes, he wanted to take off his outer clothes, but he didn’t expect that Yan Lingqiu, who had been quite obedient just now, would suddenly struggle and press one hand on his belt, and he muttered in his sleep, “Don’t… don’t touch…”
Lu Ze’s action paused. He looked up and saw Yan Lingqiu curled up into a ball, his brows tightly furrowed, and he kept saying “don’t move.”
His heart tightened slightly, and he explained in a soft voice, “It’s not comfortable to sleep in your outer clothes. I won’t touch you. I’m just helping you take off your outer clothes.”
Yan Lingqiu struggled and shook his head, one hand tightly pressed on his waist, as if he were about to wake up. “Don’t… don’t touch… don’t touch…”
Lu Ze’s gaze fell on his waist, and he slowly realized something. His heart ached, and he couldn’t bear to force him anymore. He pulled up the brocade quilt, covered his body, and coaxed him in a soft voice, “Alright, I won’t touch you. I won’t touch you.”
Lu Ze took a deep breath and tidied the messy hair on his temples. “I won’t touch you. You should have a good rest.”
Yan Lingqiu’s brows furrowed and then relaxed. In the end, he slowly felt that the environment had become safe, and only then did he slowly relax his expression and fall into a deep sleep.
Lu Ze sat by his bed and looked at him quietly, his heart filled with heartache and annoyance, which was unknown to outsiders.
