“Who are you?”
Yongning glanced at the ‘monster’ whose skin was as pale as paper and whose eyes glowed blue, then shuffled aside in disdain. Meeting Zhou Zeli’s equally evasive gaze, she put her hands on her hips again, her voice full of anger:
“Zhou Zeli, is that how you look at me?
Is it that unacceptable that I’m a princess?”
“This humble subject dares not.”
Zhou Zeli’s indifferent reply seemed to stimulate Princess Yongning’s rather large nerves. She huffed and started to scold him:
“Dares not?
Zhou Zeli, weren’t you quite bold when you reprimanded me, no, reprimanded this princess, for trivial matters before?
Why are you a scaredy-cat when it comes to others?
Are you even a man!”
“This humble subject’s affairs do not require the princess’s concern.”
“Zhou Zeli!”
Yongning puffed up like a pufferfish. Xu Siyun, afraid she might explode on the spot, had to step forward to mediate:
“Princess, didn’t you come specifically to support Young Master Zhou?”
“I’m only supporting this blockhead out of sheer boredom!”
Prince Andre, upon hearing this, asked in confusion:
“What is a blockhead? Can it be eaten? Is it delicious?”
The three of them, as if by unspoken agreement, ignored the curious Prince Andre. Xu Siyun looked at Zhou Zeli with a hint of reproach and explained concisely:
“Young Master Zhou, the princess came to the academy to visit you before. Seeing you ostracized and bullied by your fellow students, she couldn’t stand it and deliberately created such a scene to support you.”
Whether it was because he heard Xu Siyun’s words or was moved by Yongning’s actions, Zhou Zeli no longer maintained his deliberately distant and stern face. Instead, he cupped his hands and said:
“This Zhou expresses his gratitude for the princess’s great kindness.
However, the princess need not go to such lengths. This Zhou can handle his own affairs.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk…”
Watching the large-scale emotional drama unfolding before them, a tangled web of “you love me, I don’t love you, I love him, he doesn’t love me, he loves her, but she doesn’t love him,” Lin Qingge pouted, preparing to slip away.
But as soon as she turned, she was surrounded by a group of men walking towards her.
“Old Six!
It really is Old Six!”
“Old Six, you’re too much of a stranger!
We know you’re busy with official duties, but you’ve been back in the capital for many days and haven’t met up with us your former classmates. This truly saddens us!”
“Old Six, have you gotten so successful that you’re disowning us, your old friends?”
Old Six?
6666?
Lin Qingge, whose brain momentarily stalled, forced an awkward yet polite smile:
“Of course… not.”
“Old Six, your way of speaking still has that dramatic pause you always used!
Let’s go!
As brothers reunited after a long separation, we must not go home until we’re drunk today!”
Feeling a headache coming on, Lin Qingge wanted to refuse, but out of curiosity about her own brother, she nodded inexplicably.
She instructed Lian Cheng Yi to stay with Prince Andre and the others, while she, taking Lin Yan and Yan Ting Hao, who had just returned with the message, went to the appointment.
It was clear that these people were indeed the friends of her good-for-nothing brother from his days at the Hanlin Academy.
Before Lin Qingge could even hear Lin Yan’s introductions, these five men had already recounted their recent situations to some extent.
According to them, not only were they good friends with her good-for-nothing brother, but they were also his roommates.
Although they hadn’t ‘lived together’ for long before her brother, who suddenly had a family, moved out, this did not hinder the longevity of their friendship.
Among them, the eldest, Xie Lingyun, currently served as a staff officer in the city’s main military camp.
The second, Yuan Mu, was the young master of the Yuan Family’s rice business.
The third, Du Xunhe, under the pseudonym Jiuhua Shanren, exclusively wrote story scripts for bookshops.
The fourth, Meng Hanzhou, served as an archivist in the Hanlin Academy.
The fifth, Cao Yuanliang, was the young master of the salt gang leader in the Jianghuai region. As his elder brothers managed the family business, he remained in the capital to eat and drink.
It was during his casual strolls and leisure time that he discovered the whereabouts of ‘Lin Jingxing.’
And Old Six was her good-for-nothing brother, Lin Jingxing.
After several rounds of drinks,
Everyone’s words became more numerous.
“Old Six, there’s something I’ve never told you. When you first moved into the academy dormitory, we all thought you were a woman disguised as a man studying at the academy!”
After the second, Yuan Mu, finished speaking, the fifth, Cao Yuanliang, pinched his voice and began to imitate:
“Brother Meng, the inkstone is too heavy, could you help me carry it?”
“Brother Xie, it’s so cold outside, could you fetch some hot water for me while you’re at it?”
“Brother Du, your handwriting is so majestic and grand, could you copy today’s homework and give it to me?”
Lin Qingge, who never expected her brother to be a hidden master of the white lotus sect, shivered and suddenly regretted attending this drinking party.
Here, Du Xunhe, already drunk, put down his wine cup and nodded in agreement:
“There’s another thing, Old Six, you definitely don’t know. Eldest Brother always thought you were a woman and had been secretly in love with you for a long time!
When he suddenly heard the news that Old Six was married, Eldest Brother was depressed for quite a while because of it!
However, the story scripts I wrote based on this premise were quite popular among the young ladies of the capital’s social circles.
Come, Old Six, I’ll toast you!”
“Du-Xun-He!”
Whether from anger or shame, Eldest Brother Xie Lingyun’s originally dark complexion showed a hint of blush.
The fourth, Meng Hanzhou, seeing this, had to step forward to smooth things over:
“By the way, Old Six, don’t you have a younger sister back in your hometown?
If she’s not yet married, you could consider her for Brother Xie.”
“Forget it, what if on the wedding night Eldest Brother blurts out ‘Jingxing’? What would the young lady think? Would they continue the wedding night or not?”
The fifth, Cao Yuanliang, after his slip of the tongue, met the killing glares from Eldest Brother Xie Lingyun, shrunk his neck, and quickly changed the subject:
“Old Six, don’t mention it, you’ve been away from the capital for over half a year, but you’ve become much more manly than before!”
…
Feeling utterly defeated, Lin Qingge twitched the corner of her mouth, suppressing the urge to grab the wine pot and smash it. She left early, citing official duties.
Seeing Lin Qingge and her group leaving, the second, Yuan Mu, played with his wine cup and said, seemingly casually:
“When did Old Six become so close to Lin Yan?”
“Yeah, I didn’t notice until you mentioned it. Isn’t that kid Lin Yan the one following Old Six?
Weren’t Old Six and Lin Yan quite at odds with each other before?
I saw them arguing in the small grove behind the academy once, and Old Six kept saying ‘wrong, wrong, wrong’…”
Before he could finish speaking, the third, Du Xunhe, who couldn’t hold his liquor, had already slumped onto the table.
The fifth, Cao Yuanliang, nudged Du Xunhe and found him truly insensible. He then looked at the others:
“Don’t you guys think Old Six is a bit strange today?
Although he was always a bit strange before.
How to describe this feeling? It’s as if someone who was sick suddenly recovered, making people a bit unaccustomed to it.
Speaking of strange, Old Six’s wife is also quite strange.”