#129 - An unforgettable night
Chapter 129: An Unforgettable Night
As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face, and besides, the person had been polite and courteous all along. In this situation, Wei Changtian couldn't force himself to show off, so he had no choice but to utter two words.
“It’s nothing.”
“Thank you for your forgiveness, brother. Then I won’t bother you two any longer.”
The young master cupped his hands again, then turned and walked away, completely cutting off Wei Changtian's chance to shine in public.
If it were Xiao Feng, he probably would have finished showing off by now.
Wei Changtian sighed softly and casually asked Ning Yu Ke, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Ning Yu Ke shook her head, then smiled and asked, “Young Master Wei, how many lantern riddles have you guessed?”
“Not a single one.”
“Hehe, I’m afraid you haven’t even tried to guess, Young Master.”
Ning Yu Ke pointed to the lantern riddle in front of her with her jade-like finger and said softly, “I’ve been thinking about this one for a long time but couldn’t guess it. Would you like to take a look, Young Master?”
“…”
It’s bad enough that I can’t show off, but you have to slap me in the face too?!
Wei Changtian was speechless for a moment. He raised his eyes to look at the slip of paper, thinking that perhaps he had seen it in his previous life.
For example, lantern riddles like “No bed on the wedding night,” he knew a little about.
Unfortunately, such vulgar lantern riddles would not appear on this occasion. The small slip of paper read:
【Mountain streams on all sides, shrimp playing in the water】
“Hiss”
Obviously, Wei Changtian wouldn't know the answer to a lantern riddle that even Ning Yu Ke couldn't guess. He stroked his chin, pretending to think, preparing to put on a show.
However, just as he finished “hissing,” Ning Yu Ke suddenly clapped her hands and exclaimed in realization:
“That’s it! It’s the character ‘思’ (sī, meaning 'think')!”
“? ? ?”
Wei Changtian was dumbfounded, and then he heard Ning Yu Ke analyze to herself:
“Mountain streams on all sides… Four ‘山’ (shān, meaning 'mountain') characters combine to form a ‘田’ (tián, meaning 'field') character. The shape of ‘虾’ (xiā, meaning 'shrimp') is a reclining hook, and ‘戏水’ (xì shuǐ, meaning 'playing in the water') is the few water droplets around the reclining hook, which together form the character ‘思’!”
“Young Master solved this lantern riddle in an instant, and yet you said you couldn’t guess a single one!”
Ning Yu Ke looked over with a smile in her eyes, but Wei Changtian was completely dumbfounded.
How could she have stumbled upon the answer like that???
After an awkward silence, he touched his nose and said with a guilty conscience:
“Hehe, just good luck.”
The new moon was like a hook, and the Milky Way was brilliant.
A small, not-too-wide river flowed slowly, with a few small boats adorned with red lanterns floating on it, and people on the boats were drinking and singing.
A quarter of an hour later, Wei Changtian and Ning Yu Ke sat in an elegant private room on the second floor of the teahouse, watching the lively scene through the window, with a small wooden box that wasn't very exquisite beside them.
This was the reward for answering all twenty lantern riddles correctly: a wooden comb with a silver handle worth about one or two taels of silver.
Ning Yu Ke seemed to like this comb very much.
“Young Master Wei, may I have this comb?”
“Of course.”
Wei Changtian nodded, his mind not on it at all.
Besides, Ning Yu Ke had answered nineteen of the twenty lantern riddles, and the only one he had guessed was just a lucky guess.
“Princess, after you finish this pot of tea, I’ll send you back to the Prince’s mansion.”
Reaching out to pour a cup of tea for Ning Yu Ke, Wei Changtian said softly.
Hearing this, the smile in Ning Yu Ke's eyes slowly turned into disappointment.
“As for the matter you promised me, I will find someone to secretly notify you after I have made the arrangements.”
Although Wei Changtian could actually help Ning Yu Ke remove the scar now, he was still planning to wait a few more days.
Otherwise, it would seem too simple and easily arouse suspicion.
“Alright, I will do as you say, Young Master.”
Ning Yu Ke took off her veil and gently picked up the teacup, just about to drink, but Wei Changtian suddenly seemed to remember something and reached out to hold down her teacup.
“Princess, please wait a moment.”
He poured himself a cup of tea as well, took a sip, and feeling that the temperature was right, Wei Changtian then let go and nodded.
“You can drink now.”
“…”
Ning Yu Ke paused slightly, then smiled and lowered her head to slowly drink the tea.
She drank very slowly, as if she was a little reluctant to finish the tea.
From the boat outside the window came bursts of laughter after drinking, and in this laughter, Ning Yu Ke suddenly raised her head and asked:
“Young Master, if I really die when retrieving that thing, will it cause you trouble?”
“No.”
Wei Changtian shook his head and said almost heartlessly, “You will go and retrieve this item alone. I will send people to wait around.”
“If you get it, just hand it over to the person who is waiting.”
“And if you unfortunately die in the process, then this matter will just be an accident. No one will know it has anything to do with me.”
“…”
Wei Changtian's answer could be said to be cold-blooded enough, but Ning Yu Ke just nodded calmly after hearing it.
“Young Master, rest assured, I will definitely not tell anyone about this.”
“…”
This time it was Wei Changtian's turn to be silent.
He looked at the gentle Ning Yu Ke, hesitated for a moment, and suddenly said:
“Princess, why don’t you think about this again?”
“There’s no need. If it weren’t for Young Master’s rescue that day, I would have died under the assassin’s blade long ago.”
“Since that thing is very important to Young Master, I should help Young Master with this favor.”
“Moreover, Young Master also said that I only have a 10% chance of dying… I think I won’t be that unlucky, right?”
Ning Yu Ke smiled, her expression very sincere.
She looked enviously at the boisterous men who were drinking heavily on the boat, and finally asked softly:
“Young Master, can you fulfill one more wish for me?”
“Please speak, Princess.”
“Could you… drink some wine with me?”
“…”
Wei Changtian paused for a moment, then shouted loudly outside the room:
“Waiter, bring wine!”
Half an hour later.
Ordinary teahouses, although they have wine, it’s not good.
Ning Yu Ke rarely drank alcohol, at most just a small sip. She had never indulged in drinking like this today, letting go of all her burdens.
Perhaps it was because she was delighted that she would be able to restore her appearance in five days, or perhaps it was because she was carefree about her life, which might not last much longer. She drank several pots of inferior wine to her heart's content, and two red clouds had already flown onto her face.
And although Wei Changtian had drunk more than Ning Yu Ke, he was, after all, a cultivator. If he didn't want to get drunk, it was still very difficult to get drunk.
“Princess, that’s enough.”
Pouring the last small cup of wine for Ning Yu Ke, Wei Changtian finally spoke to persuade her, “You’re already drunk.”
“I’m not drunk!”
Like all drunk people, Ning Yu Ke muttered and drank the liquid in the wine cup in one gulp, and then made a gesture to pick up the wine pot again.
“Pa!”
A slender jade hand was grabbed by a strong and powerful palm. Wei Changtian shook his head helplessly and said, “Princess, let’s stop, shall we?”
“Um~”
Ning Yu Ke twisted and turned twice, suddenly acting coquettishly like a child, “I still want to drink~”
“You’re not allowed to drink anymore!”
Wei Changtian shouted sternly, finally scaring Ning Yu Ke.
“If I can’t drink, then I can’t drink, why are you being so fierce…”
She leaned on the table with a grievance, looking at Wei Changtian with her big eyes blinking, and after looking for a while, she suddenly smiled again.
“Young Master, do you like me?”
If it were normal times, Ning Yu Ke would never have asked such a question, which shows that she was indeed very drunk now.
Of course, Wei Changtian wouldn't argue with a drunk, so he casually said, "I like it, I like it."
"Then do you like me a little more, or Yuzhu a little more?"
"You."
"Gongzi is not allowed to lie to me!"
"I won't lie to you."
Wei Changtian looked at Princess Rou'an, whose mental age had regressed at least fifteen years, and sighed, "Princess, let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"Sending you back to the mansion."
"Oh."
Ning Yuke shook her head. She had just propped up half of her body when she suddenly fell back on the table and shouted:
"I'm not leaving! I still want to hear Gongzi write poetry!"
"Write poetry?"
Wei Changtian was stunned, thinking, what kind of poetry are you writing at this time?
You're so drunk, I don't even have an audience to show off to. Isn't this just showing off in brocade at night, a waste of effort?
"Let's do it next time."
"No, I want you to write it now!"
Ning Yuke refused to give up, flapping her long legs and complaining, "Gongzi is willing to write poetry for the courtesan, willing to write poetry for General Liang, willing to write poetry for Yuzhu, why aren't you willing to write poetry for me!"
"Besides, I, I'm afraid there won't be a next time..."
"..."
Hearing the last sentence, Wei Changtian's breathing seemed to stop for a beat, and he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
He sighed deeply, picked up the wine pot and walked to the window, looking at the night view outside the window for a long time without saying a word.
The riverbank was brightly lit, the water was calm, reflecting countless lanterns on the shore.
And under this festive and joyful river, there was a vague and unpredictable depth, as if hiding the other side of an unknown world.
The drunkards on the boat shouted even louder, saying nothing more than bragging words.
These were all farmers who came to the city to sell grain. After spending this evening freely, they would return to the ordinary life of ordinary people tomorrow.
And like them, after tonight, after waking up from the wine, Ning Yuke would become the sensible Princess Rou'an again.
"Gongzi..."
Suddenly, a drunken little face appeared beside him.
Ning Yuke supported herself on the windowsill with both hands, her body swaying. Her long hair and white dress were blown by the night wind, rippling small ripples in the air.
She looked up at the starry night sky, then looked at Wei Changtian holding the wine pot, and asked in a low voice:
"Gongzi, where is the poem?"
"..."
Wei Changtian paused, raised the wine pot and wanted to drink.
But the pot was empty, with only two or three drops left in his throat.
"Plop ~"
He threw the wine pot into the river from afar, watching the fleeting water waves. Wei Changtian finally slowly said the most romantic poem he thought of.
He originally wanted to keep this poem to recite to Xu Qingwan, but...
Let it be a memorable ending to Ning Yuke's "unforgettable night".
Small boat, big dream, stars...
The sky and water are indistinguishable, merging into one in this vast night. I don't know if the drunk on the boat will forget that the stars in the water are just reflections, and think that he is wandering in the Milky Way.
"Drunk, I don't know the sky is in the water"
"A boat full of dreams presses down on the Milky Way"
"..."
"Pa Da ~"
Bean-sized tears fell lightly on the windowsill, then shattered and disappeared.
"Drunk, I don't know the sky is in the water, a boat full of dreams presses down on the Milky Way"
Ning Yuke murmured and repeated it again and again, tears constantly welling up in her eyes.
"Wei Gongzi."
"Princess."
Suddenly, the two called out to each other at the same time. After a moment of stunned silence, they both finished their words again at the same time.
From a certain point of view, Wei Changtian and Ning Yuke did have a kind of inexplicable tacit understanding.
It's just that the meaning of the second half of their words was completely different.
"Is it okay to stay a little longer?"
"We should go."
Half an hour later, a carriage slowly stopped at the gate of Shunwang Mansion.
Wei Changtian handed the sleeping Ning Yuke to the stunned servant at the door, and then got into the car and left.
In less than an incense stick's time, Ning Yuke was already lying on her bed, with Ning Yuzhu, who was half happy and half worried, sitting beside her.
The fact that her elder sister didn't spend the night outside was "happy", and the fact that her elder sister got drunk was "worrying".
"How is my sister?"
Seeing the doctor move his fingers away from Ning Yuke's wrist, Ning Yuzhu hurriedly asked, "Is her body okay?"
Because Ning Yuke's "painless physique" would cause her to be unaware of her illness, Shunwang Mansion had a resident doctor who would give Ning Yuke a "physical examination" every two or three days.
"From the pulse, there is nothing serious."
The doctor with the long beard nodded lightly: "Only the heartbeat is a little fast. I will prescribe a hangover soup, and it can be taken after the princess wakes up."
"Understood."
Ning Yuzhu responded and watched the doctor leave, turning her gaze back to Ning Yuke.
At this time, several maids were helping the latter change clothes. As soon as they took off her outer skirt, a small wooden box suddenly fell to the ground.
"Eh?"
A maid picked up the wooden box and looked up at Ning Yuzhu: "Junzhu, this..."
"Give it to me."
Ning Yuzhu reached out and took the wooden box, opening it to take a look.
Inside was a small silver-handled comb.
The workmanship was not bad, although it was not as good as the objects in the Wangfu, it was considered a high-quality product.
However, there was something strange about this comb.
Because it was missing a tooth.
At the same time, Wei Mansion.
Wei Changtian had just entered the courtyard when he saw Liang Qin, who looked nervous and was looking around.
"Changtian Ge, didn't Princess Rou'an come back with you?"
"She's not homeless, why would she come back with me?"
Wei Changtian smiled and said, "After we finished watching the lanterns, I sent her back."
"Oh..."
Liang Qin breathed a sigh of relief, but soon frowned again.
"Changtian Ge, why do you have such a strong smell of alcohol on you? Did you drink?"
"Well, the princess wanted to drink, so I accompanied her for a few cups."
"Just, just drinking? Didn't you do anything else?"
"Qin'er..."
Wei Changtian couldn't help but laugh and said, "I've noticed that you're becoming more and more like someone lately."
Liang Qin had just heard this at dinner, so she immediately knew who Wei Changtian was referring to.
"Changtian Ge is talking about Xiao Saozi, right!"
"Eh? How do you know?"
"Hmph! Yuan'er is making fun of me! Changtian Ge, you're making fun of me too!"
Liang Qin stamped her foot and quickly ran away: "I'm going to practice my sword!"
"..."
Watching Liang Qin's figure disappear into the backyard, Wei Changtian rubbed his forehead and was finally able to return to his room.
Yuan'er had already prepared the bath water and was now holding a small wooden stool, preparing to help him change his clothes.
The room was filled with misty steam, hazy.
Outside, the night was as usual, and the stars were flowing.
"Gongzi, what is this?"
Shaking his wide robe, Yuan'er picked up a finger-length piece of wood from the ground with some confusion.
Wei Changtian turned his head and glanced at it, his expression equally puzzled.
"I don't know, probably a tree branch or something stuck to the clothes."
"But it doesn't feel like a tree branch..."
"Whatever it is, just throw it away."
"Oh."
2 in 1
Attached lantern riddle answer:
No bed on the wedding night - sound
A thousand is not enough on the left, and more than ten thousand on the right - imitation
