At the corner, a figure dressed in the prince's regular clothes stood quietly. It was the second prince who had returned.
He rubbed his chin with his fingertips, his eyes fixed on the woman who had just come out, as if thinking about something.
"Is that Madam Qin?"
Of course, the attendants beside her also saw the graceful figure clearly. There were not many women in the capital who could be as beautiful and charming as her. Once seen, it would be hard to forget.
The Second Prince found this matter quite interesting. Today's trip had yielded a lot of gains.
But the smile on his face did not last long. Soon, the eunuch in the imperial court came and said that the emperor had summoned him urgently. The second prince had his own ears and eyes around the emperor. Seeing the eunuch's anxious look, he knew that it was not a good thing.
The second prince followed the young eunuch.
--
The Emperor's birthday banquet is about to begin.
Wen Tang sat beside Qin Gong. Since he was called back by the emperor, although his face was still as cold as usual, Wen Tang could keenly sense a difference. The aura around him seemed to be heavier.
Even before the banquet started, he was already drinking alone, as if he were drinking alone. She was just thinking about it when a familiar figure sat down at the table opposite her.
Wen Tang looked up. It was Wen Zhiyi. But the look in Wen Zhiyi's eyes was odd, a hint of resentment. As soon as their eyes met, Wen Zhiyi quickly looked away and sat down gracefully.
Wen Tang inexplicably withdrew his gaze and glanced at Qin Gong next to him. He seemed not to notice the movement over there. But when Wen Tang looked up, he saw Wen Zhiyi quietly glancing at them.
"The emperor has arrived." The eunuch's voice sounded.
As the emperor stepped into the hall, the atmosphere at the banquet instantly reached a climax.
Everyone stood up, clinking glasses and offering congratulations. The emperor, now in his prime, walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, his brows radiating with vigor and a look of unfatigued vigor. His chiseled features still evoked the handsome and heroic demeanor of his youth, his bearing extraordinary.
As the emperor took his seat, the banquet officially began, with delicious food and graceful dancers.
After three rounds of drinks, someone came forward to offer Qin a toast, probing the depth of Jiangnan's corruption case. Wen Tang, also surrounded by several noble ladies, calmly responded to their compliments, smiling softly and drinking a few glasses of wine.
Wen Zhiyi, who had been sitting there alone, also came over. She was dressed simply today, but her beauty could not be concealed. The gentle smile on her face made her look even more fairy-like.
The eyes of a noble lady standing by were quietly moving between Wen Tang and Wen Zhiyi. The two daughters of the Wen family were both beauties, one like a peony in full bloom, the other like a magnolia blooming by the water.
Wen Zhiyi said softly, "Today is a grand palace banquet. Why don't we sisters perform a graceful song? Or perhaps something that tests our talent, like composing a poem within a set rhyme?"
It is well known that Wen Zhiyi is a talented woman, and she is also very confident.
Sure enough, as soon as she made the proposal, a noble lady agreed with her and was eager to try it.
But some people were hesitant. After all, they knew the truth. The eldest daughter of the Wen family might have some literary talent, but the second daughter was not good at writing.
In the past, it would have been fine for the boudoir to play around, but now this lady is the wife of Lord Qin. Her husband would hold his breath and be careful when seeing Lord Qin, so how could they, the concubines, dare to act rashly?
However, Wen Tang didn't think it was a big deal. She didn't want to spoil their fun and stood up and said, "You are all in a good mood, but my poetry skills are really rudimentary, so I won't disturb you here. Just enjoy yourself."
She frankly admitted her shortcomings. Having said that, naturally no one dared to force Mrs. Qin to stay.
Wen Zhiyi hadn't expected Wen Tang to withdraw so decisively. She realized something was amiss as soon as she'd spoken. She hadn't been targeting him, but simply wanted to shine in her area of expertise. She, Wen Zhiyi, possessed a certain pride and talent, so why would she need to consider others' opinions?
But with Wen Tang's reaction, would she misunderstand that he did it on purpose?
Under everyone's gaze, Wen Zhiyi said, "Don't worry, sister. It's actually not difficult. I'll help you figure it out later." Then she turned to the crowd and said, "You can also go together and inspire each other."
Wen Tang was really not interested in this kind of literary stuff. She glanced at Wen Zhiyi, then refused directly, signaling Zhou Pozi to leave the table to change clothes and sober up.
Wen Zhiyi, who stayed where she was, didn't understand why he took the initiative to help her out, but she rejected him like that. She herself didn't like literature and had never learned from her master well, so why didn't she allow others to show their talents?
Wen Zhiyi bit her lower lip lightly, looking a little overwhelmed.
Several smart noble ladies stepped forward to comfort her. After all, although Wen Zhiyi's husband was a businessman, he had now climbed onto the Second Prince's big ship. There was no guarantee that their husband would not have anything to ask for in the future.
Wen Zhiyi managed to calm down, "It's okay, she is my sister, we are a family."
As soon as these words came out, a few people felt sorry for Wen Zhiyi sincerely.
There were also a few older ladies who exchanged glances with each other.
--
The sudden rain has just stopped, and the night wind is cool.
Wen Tang needed to change her dress that was slightly stained with wine, so Mrs. Zhou went out and told the maid to get the clothes prepared at home, and then she went to bring the sobering soup herself.
Wen Tang was the only one left in the inner room. She took off her coat and drank a few glasses of wine, and her fair skin turned a faint peach pink.
Her fingertips hooked down the belt, revealing her round and smooth shoulders.
The bronze mirror reflected a rosy and beautiful face.
The light and shadow in the mirror moved slightly, reflecting that the door curtain behind him was lifted.
"Mother Zhou, put the hangover soup there first. I feel a little dizzy and want to rest for a while." She mumbled vaguely, with the soft and sticky sound of alcohol. Qin Gong was called away by the eunuch in front of the emperor, and he was afraid that he would not be back for a while.
Her head felt a little heavy, so she simply half-leaned over the dressing table, exposing her snow-white shoulders to the slightly cool air, which slightly dispelled the heat brought by the alcohol.
A pair of warm hands suddenly pressed on her shoulders with some force.
"Hmm?" Wen Tang hummed in a daze.
Then the pervasive smell of alcohol came over, and Wen Tang leaned back affectionately, "Husband?" He came just in time. She was exhausted at the moment and wanted to rely on him to carry her into the carriage.
A muffled laugh echoed in his ears, and the hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened and kneaded it, "Madam?"
The unfamiliar voice startled Wen Tang awake instantly. She stood up suddenly and turned her head to face the drunken face of the Second Prince.
He seemed to have drunk a lot of wine. When he met Wen Tang's shocked and angry eyes, he actually grinned. This unscrupulous smile made Wen Tang feel cold.
She took advantage of his drunkenness and unsteadiness and tried to push him away. However, even though he was a pampered prince, he was still a grown man, and his strength was far beyond her ability to contend with. During her struggle, the Second Prince mumbled "Madam Qin." Wen Tang, with a fierce determination, grabbed the heavy makeup box from the dressing table and smashed it against his forehead.
Fortunately, he was very drunk and his first reaction when he was suddenly hit was not to restrain Wen Tang, but to cover his head in pain and step back. When the force loosened, Wen Tang seized the opportunity, grabbed the coat he had just taken off, and rushed towards the open door without looking back.
Outside, the sky was dark and the rain was falling.
The road under her feet was blurry. Wen Tang was in a panic and she bumped directly into the arms of the person in front of her. The scent of ink on that person was a little familiar.
A pair of big hands belonging to a man almost instinctively held her down. Before Wen Tang could even look up at him, he pressed her into his arms, her entire face pressed against the other's slightly cool clothes.
Behind him came the furious voice of the Second Prince, cursing Qin Gong, accusing him of deliberately setting up a trap to trip him up, claiming the Emperor was partial, and mocking him for relying solely on the Emperor's favor to reach his high position. Wen Tang, still drunk, felt uneasy as he was pressed into the man's arms. Qin Gong's current power and position were not solely due to the Emperor's favor. As the eldest son of a duke, well-read, he could have lived a life of leisure and nobility, but he diligently practiced martial arts at a young age, fought in battles, and still bore that hideous, fatal wound in his abdomen. What right did this idiot have to slander him?
Wen Tang was drunk, her cheeks flushed, and she struggled. The person holding her down made her feel very uncomfortable. She could hardly breathe, but the cold white hand was so strong that she couldn't break free at all.
The hands didn't let go of her until the voice cursing Qin Gong behind her disappeared.
"Uh..." The other party pulled his hand back with great force. Wen Tang's head hit the cold wall behind him hard, and tears came out all of a sudden.
She didn't know where the clothes in her hands had fallen to. On her exposed snow-white arms, there were several deep red fingerprints left by the second prince, which would not disappear for a while. A pair of eyes seemed to glance at her, but it seemed not to.
"Where is your man?" a cold voice sounded.
The collision made Wen Tang completely sober. She saw the man standing in front of her clearly, and then she turned around to find Mrs. Zhou, but as soon as she turned her head, someone grabbed her wrist. She shook it hard but couldn't get it free.
"You won't say thank you?"
He wanted her to thank him, but Wen Tang didn't want to waste words with him and just shook his hand. However, the other party seemed to insist on a thank you. He even leaned over with one arm, and his arm with the scent of ink almost brushed her cheek.
Zhang Yao stared at her, trying to see a trace of emotion on her face, but Wen Tang raised her head and said to him expressionlessly, "My husband is coming."
He laughed out of anger. Zhang Yao treated her like a piece of trash when he left, but when he saw her again, he still found that she could still stir up waves in his heart.
Zhang Yao has an androgynous, delicate and handsome appearance, but there is a flaw: there is an old faded scar above his forehead. It is difficult to notice unless you look closely, but it is real.
He actually laughed out loud, a short laugh filled with an inexplicable hostility. He raised his hand and roughly tugged at his collar, revealing a small piece of cold white skin.
This rude action completely shattered the image of the top scholar who was as gentle as jade and as graceful as the breeze and bright moon in the eyes of outsiders.
Deep down, he is still the man who grew up in the muddy countryside, working shirtless in the summer, sweating profusely, fighting with others, climbing trees and fishing. Those marks of roughness have long been engraved in his bones. Even after returning to the capital, putting on a gentle and elegant appearance, and learning the manners of the capital's noble sons, the roughness in his bones has not disappeared.
The laziness and nonchalance he displayed in front of the Second Prince today was not entirely fake; he was that kind of person before.
Obviously, the woman in front of him understood this very well, so she used her husband to threaten him to get out.
Zhang Yao raised his eyelids, bent down, picked up her fallen coat from the cold and damp ground, and threw it at her under Wen Tang's cold gaze.
In front of her, he seemed to be always seventeen years old, that country boy who needed no disguise, rough and direct.
"Don't let me see you again," he said, then turned and disappeared into the dim rain.
She shouldn't have accidentally walked into where he was today in broad daylight.
--
It was getting dark, the ground was damp,
Fu Jiu held an umbrella and walked quickly beside her master, still thinking about what the emperor had said in the imperial study.
The emperor asked the master if he was willing to come back, to his rightful place, to reclaim the honor that was his. However, the master's face was frosty, and it was clear that he still had a knot in his heart. Thinking of the Duke's wife's worried look, Fu Jiu felt that this matter was really tricky.
Qin Gong rubbed his brows and said, "Go pick up the lady."
He strode towards the warm room where Wen Tang was changing clothes, but halfway there he ran into the Second Prince who was covering his head and cursing. Qin Gong ignored his words, but he stopped and noticed which direction the Second Prince had just come out from.
His face darkened.