"Jiang Ming, still drinking..." Zhao Yanluo held the wine pot, about to pour more into his cup. Meng Jiangming shook his head, "No... I can't drink anymore, not anymore..."
"Drink, tonight's a joyous occasion, my treat..." Zhao Yanluo's words were already slurred.
Meng Jiangming raised his cup, about to speak, when it suddenly slipped from his hand. He collapsed onto the table, unconscious.
"Jiang Ming, Jiang Ming..." Zhao Yanluo nudged Meng Jiangming, saying, "Why are you drunk? You shouldn't be drunk, you shouldn't..." Big Wind Novel
"Alas, Jiang Ming, why are you drunk?" Zhao Yanluo nudged Meng Jiangming a few more times. Seeing that Meng Jiangming was truly drunk, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally drunk."
He looked up at Qi Yuze, gritting his teeth, and said, "Little Prince, are you not going to stop until you've ruined me?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuze leaned back in his chair and sneered, "For this King to ruin you? Why would this King need to ruin you?"
"You know perfectly well, you called Meng Jiangming here because you wanted me to be exposed, didn't you?" Zhao Yanluo said angrily.
Qi Yuze responded, "If I hadn't brought him here, do you think he wouldn't have suspected this place after the person who passed him information was killed by my men last night?"
"You... you're saying he would suspect me?" Zhao Yanluo asked in surprise.
Qi Yuze replied, "Do you think the Empress wouldn't suspect anything if this King came to Wan Jun Wine House?"
Zhao Yanluo exclaimed, "Ah!" and looked at Qi Yuze, gritting his teeth, "You... you're doing this deliberately, aren't you? You want the Empress to suspect me?"
"Whether it's true or not, does it matter so much now?"
"How can it not matter? What benefit do you get if the Empress suspects me?" Big Wind Novel Network
Qi Yuze stood up, smiling, "This way, Young Marquis Zhao can follow this King wholeheartedly, can't he?"
Zhao Yanluo was so angry he almost threw the wine pot to the ground. He pointed at Qi Yuze and asked, "Qi Yuze, you are truly wicked, your heart has always been wicked, hasn't it?"
"Young Marquis Zhao, do you plan to stay angry like this forever? Aren't you afraid that Duke Meng might have already woken up?"
Zhao Yanluo was so scared he stumbled back several steps. He cautiously glanced at Meng Jiangming and called out a few times. Seeing that he was still groggy with drunkenness, he finally relaxed. "Little Prince, we should leave quickly! Don't stay at Wan Jun Wine House."
"What if this King doesn't leave?" Qi Yuze walked up to Zhao Yanluo. Zhao Yanluo instinctively took a step back. "You..."
"Young Marquis Zhao, being indecisive is not good. If you want to follow this King, be loyal. This King will not tolerate such duplicity."
Zhao Yanluo gritted his teeth and said, "I understand."
Meng Jiangming woke up when it was already dark. He sat up on the bed, rubbing his forehead. His previous drinking capacity would never have gotten him this drunk. What was wrong today? How did he get drunk so easily?
"Jiang Ming, you're finally awake." Zhao Yanluo pushed the door open and entered.
"What happened after I got drunk?" Meng Jiangming asked. He laughed, remembering nothing.
"What else could happen? I had a few drinks with that Little Prince of Nanping. The Little Prince of Nanping used drunkenness as an excuse and left."
Meng Jiangming breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, the Little Prince didn't discover anything."
Zhao Yanluo said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I was careful, he didn't find anything."
Meng Jiangming nodded. "Yanluo, you did very well. Once this matter is settled, I will thank you properly."
Zhao Yanluo was slightly taken aback. "Jiang Ming, hearing you say that makes me feel quite ashamed."
"What is there to be ashamed of? You've helped me so much, I'm grateful, not ashamed!"
Zhao Yanluo felt even more ashamed. "Don't thank me. We are friends, it's what we should do."
"Zhao Yanluo, I, Meng Jiangming, truly consider you a friend."
Zhao Yanluo was startled, and the feeling of guilt intensified.
"I still need to report to the Empress. Yanluo, I'll take my leave now!"
With that, Meng Jiangming put on his clothes and left.
Zhao Yanluo watched Meng Jiangming's retreating back, a pang of sorrow in his heart. If Meng Jiangming ever found out that Zhao Yanluo had betrayed him, what would his feelings be? He truly had no face to see Meng Jiangming.
Meng Jiangming walked out of Wan Jun Wine House and suddenly stopped. He looked up towards the second floor and saw the Little Prince of Nanping in dark robes watching him.
He slightly bowed his clasped hands and said, "I have other matters, I shall take my leave first!"
After Meng Jiangming left, someone silently landed behind Qi Yuze. He stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Duke Ning didn't say anything particularly noteworthy. Did you perhaps overthink things, Little Prince?"
Qi Yuze replied, "It's not that this King overthought things, but this Duke Ning is a pawn of the Empress. His presence here means this King must be cautious."
In the imperial study, Xue Xingyue looked at the somewhat disheveled Meng Jiangming and asked, "What have you been doing? Why are you so disheveled?"
Meng Jiangming gave a wry smile. "I drank too much and slept for a night."
"Did you find anything out?" Xue Xingyue asked.
Meng Jiangming replied, "If I hadn't truly been drunk, I wouldn't have known that Zhao Yanluo and the Little Prince of Nanping knew each other."
Xue Xingyue was stunned. She could imagine the Little Prince of Nanping coercing and enticing Zhao Yanluo, but she never expected that Zhao Yanluo and the Little Prince of Nanping knew each other.
When did they meet?
How long had they been planning?
"Your Majesty..." Meng Jiangming suddenly knelt on the ground.
Xue Xingyue lowered her head and looked at Meng Jiangming, asking, "What is the meaning of this, Duke Meng?"
Meng Jiangming said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Yanluo was merely momentarily deluded. He has absolutely no intention of betraying Your Majesty or Xingjiu Kingdom. Could you, on my behalf, show leniency towards Zhao Yanluo? I would welcome any punishment!"
Xue Xingyue sighed. "I know your affection for Young Marquis Zhao. I promise you, as long as Young Marquis Zhao has not genuinely colluded with the enemy or committed treason, I can show him leniency and impose a lighter punishment."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Meng Jiangming said.