The group first paid their respects to the elders in the Yilan Pavilion.
The dishes on the table had just been touched, and empty wine pots were piled on a side table. A quick count revealed they had consumed quite a bit.
Xie Jiang glanced at the table and instructed the attendants, "Add more dishes if they're not enough, but no more wine for them."
Even with the windows on all four sides wide open, the strong smell of alcohol in the hall couldn't dissipate.
The old men were certainly enjoying themselves.
"Wh-what?! What do you mean, no more?"
The elders felt as if their lifelines had been severed.
"We've only just started drinking! We've only had two cups! We haven't even tasted the wine yet!"
Fearing that the cup in his hand would be ruthlessly snatched away, Marquis Yongxin quickly downed his drink as he spoke.
"You brat, you can't do this! It's no fun eating without wine, even with all these dishes!"
Why did he come back so soon! Prince Yong was useless, he couldn't even find a proper excuse to cause trouble!
"Then don't eat." Xie Jiang instructed the servants, "Take it all away."
"Is that even something a person would say!" Marquis Yongxin glared, furious. "How dare you make us go hungry!"
The servants of the Marquis of Nanhai didn't know what was going on, but they did whatever this brat Xie Jiang said! How could they remove the food when guests hadn't even started eating properly!
Marquis Yongxin menacingly stopped the servants from moving forward.
Xie Jiang replied shamelessly, "Didn't you just say it's no fun eating?"
Marquis Yongxin pointed at the table, "These are all dishes meant to be paired with wine. What are we supposed to eat them with if there's no wine?"
Xie Jiang instructed the servants who were about to retreat, "Bring the elders two pots of grape juice."
Marquis Yongxin exclaimed, "Have you ever seen anyone pair grape juice with seafood!"
Xie Jiang retorted, "You're about to find out."
Marquis Yongxin turned to look around, searching for a suitable weapon. He wanted to break this brat's legs!
The next second, he met Xie Taihong's eyes and abandoned the idea of acting. It wasn't appropriate to fight with his father present.
Duke Zhao, feigning ignorance, said, "The food and wine were just served when you arrived! We've only just started drinking, and I haven't even finished my first cup!"
Xie Jiang watched their performance calmly, "You're all so old, yet you can lie in front of us youngsters without even blushing."
"What lies are we telling? We've barely had a few sips, so it's barely a few sips. Don't be so stingy, you brat!" Marquis Yongxin protested.
Why should he blush?
With his complexion, who could tell if he was blushing?
Xu Shuo coughed lightly into his hand, pointing to the empty wine pots that hadn't been cleared away yet.
Marquis Yongxin followed his gaze, his face stiffening for a moment. He turned back and glared fiercely at Xu Shuo.
Xu Shuo lowered his head, remaining silent, suppressing a smile.
Xu Hengyi whispered to Lu Yuqing, "The wine cellar doesn't even smell this strong. And they dare to say they haven't finished a cup?"
Duke Zhao, despite his age, had exceptionally good hearing. Hearing Xu Hengyi's whisper, he turned and gave him a look that meant "kill without mercy."
Xu Hengyi quickly covered his mouth.
All the elders present had fought their way through armies. Who wouldn't be intimidated by a single look?
Except for Xie Jiang.
Xie Jiang was a beast.
Seeing the shameless demeanor of Marquis Yongxin and Duke Zhao, Lu Yuqing inwardly felt something was amiss. He quickly went to his grandfather's side and looked at the wine cup filled to the brim before him.
"You haven't been drinking, have you? Doctor Lou specifically instructed you, and you still can't drink."
Old Duke Qin picked up his wine cup and brought it to Lu Yuqing's nose for him to smell.
"It's warm water."
In the past, Old Duke Qin was like Duke Zhao and the others; he felt uneasy if he didn't have a drink every day.
Later, due to his deteriorating health, his family absolutely forbade him from drinking, and Old Duke Qin was forced to quit.
But he would still sneak a taste occasionally to satisfy his cravings.
After drinking for most of his life, it wasn't so easy to quit.
Before meeting Xie Jiang and Lou Yi'an, Old Duke Qin had no hope for his condition, thinking that each day he could endure was a gain, and every extra sip was a bonus.
Lu Yuqing's concern was not unfounded.
Moreover, who were the people sitting with Old Duke Qin?
Who could guarantee that if Duke Zhao and the others got excited, they wouldn't instigate Old Duke Qin to join them?
How could Lu Yuqing be at ease?
Old Duke Qin knew what his grandson was thinking, but he remained untainted, "How dare I not listen to Doctor Lou? To be able to drink freely in the future, I can endure for a while."
Old Duke Qin saw hope.
Everyone in the Qin Duke's mansion had great confidence in Lou Yi'an's medical skills.
Confirming that the cup contained only water, Lu Yuqing finally breathed a sigh of relief, "It's best that you know what you're doing."
He then lowered his head and whispered to Old Duke Qin, "Doctor Lou is not a patient person. If you don't follow his medical advice and affect the treatment progress, Doctor Lou might refuse to treat you."
Old Duke Qin nodded, "You're right."
Xie Jiang looked at the grandfather and grandson duo of Old Duke Qin, and said to Duke Zhao and Marquis Yongxin, "Lu Yuqing knows you can't be relied upon and is worried you'll drag his elder down."
"Uh..." Facing the angry glares of Duke Zhao and Marquis Yongxin, Lu Yuqing was speechless.
Although that was indeed what he meant, he hadn't asked Xie Jiang to say it!
Just a moment ago, he thought Xie Jiang was easy to get along with.
He retracted his overly naive thought.
Yue Lin also looked at the wine cup in his grandfather's hand, "No wonder you like visiting the Marquis of Nanhai's residence so much. It's because the residence has fine wine to accompany the meal..."
Duke Qian drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and glared at Yue Lin with a hint of guilt, "It's not like this every meal. You've seen Xie Jiang's character, don't say anything foolish in front of your grandmother!"
Yue Lin's good impression of Xie Jiang grew even stronger.
Not only could he restrain the elders from drinking, but he could also do so with ease.
Their own families couldn't achieve that.
Yue Lin secretly exchanged a look with Xu Shuo.
Xie Jiang wore a sullen expression. The elders, with their stubbornness harder than stones, had actually shown some restraint.
In their eyes, there was both surprise and admiration.
"The last two pots, we don't want too much, just two pots, and give us two more pots of wine..."
Duke Zhao bargained.
Xie Jiang remained unmoved, "Shall I help you calculate your ages?"
Marquis Yongxin pulled Xie Taihong to complain, "How can you bully old people like this? Are you even letting us eat?"
Although Xie Jiang, that little brat, also had a dismissive attitude towards his own father, Xie Taihong was still an elder. Surely the brat wouldn't ignore everything he said?
Xie Taihong really wanted to say "two pots it is," and bring two more pots of wine for the elders, but he finally remembered where he was and that it wasn't his place to be in charge. Before speaking, he glanced at Xie Jiang.
"Drinking too much can be harmful to health, and it's for the well-being of the old marquises and dukes. My Xiao Jiang's medical skills are second to none. If Xiao Jiang says it's not advisable to drink much, then it's certainly not advisable to drink much. I must listen to Xiao Jiang in this regard..."
"Old Tian mentioned earlier that the seafood today is good. Lan Yong has many new preparations recently. Do the old marquises and dukes find them to their liking? If not, I'll have the kitchen change them..."
Xie the Demon Head has spoken. Is it useful to look at him?
Xie Taihong tactfully advised the elders to abandon their unrealistic fantasies.
Xie the Demon Head's heart was as hard as iron, and he was impervious to both entreaties and threats. Tricks like playing the rogue were completely useless in front of Xie the Demon Head.