Chapter 413: Enjoying the Night Moon with Wine (Part 1)

Chapter 413: Enjoying the Night Moon with Wine (Part 1)

The Su family's reunion dinner was quite pleasant, with the only regret being the absence of Su Wu.

At the dinner table, old General Su and Su Rao informed Uncle Su and Aunt Su (Su San) that, according to the timeline, Su Wu's foot injury had mostly healed. Therefore, when Su Rao and the others came to Yun County, old General Su had sent Uncle Su to Zhu Xian to bring Su Wu back home.

The journey from Yun Lang to Zhu Xian and back to Yun Lang would take about a month.

However, since Su Wu's foot injury was no longer a concern and he could eat and sleep well, Uncle Su and Aunt Su had nothing to worry about.

The whole family was at ease, enjoying their reunion.

Unbeknownst to them, their child was in some remote corner, pursued and captured by the remnants of *Huajianfang* and the *Dan Liang* spies who had rushed to join forces. At this moment, he was unfortunately being taken to *Dan Liang*.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, had arrived.

Because of the turmoil at the end of the year in Yun Lang, this year's Lantern Festival would not be as lively as last year. Moreover, the forty-nine days of mourning for Prince Yun Ji had not yet passed, so the Lantern Festival was observed in a simple manner, without lantern decorations, bustling streets, or dazzling fireworks.

The authorities did not organize any celebrations for this year's Lantern Festival.

On this day, there was no sense of joy. The street stalls were few, and the streets were sparsely populated with only a handful of pedestrians. Occasionally, the cheerful voices of children, oblivious to the world's troubles, brought some laughter, preventing the Lantern Festival from being truly desolate.

By evening, only the radiant full moon, perfectly round, and the surrounding stars, like a galaxy, made it feel like a true Lantern Festival night.

It is often said that the moon is fuller on the sixteenth day, but tonight's moon was not only full but also dazzling, hanging high in the sky, adorned by the stars.

The light of Yue Hua and the starlight intertwined and merged, casting their glow on the new Rao Xiang courtyard and the pair sitting atop the house.

A pot of wine emerged from beneath the Yue Hua cloak, a cup was poured, and it was handed to the red-clad lady quietly admiring the moon beside him. Yun Ji's lips curved with a warm smile.

"Would Rao Rao like to have a small drink?"

The white jade wine cup held a clear, celestial nectar-like liquor, its delicate aroma lingering in the air. Even before tasting, it seemed to intoxicate the soul, evoking euphoria and a hazy drunkenness.

With a glance, Su Rao declined the wine cup and instead said:

"Drinking leads to errors, and errors of the heart. I have already quit."

Then, she quietly turned her gaze back to the full moon.

Su Rao had harbored hatred and annoyance towards Yun Ji, and last night at dinner with her family, she finally vented her anger. So tonight, she truly let go, and her words were a sincere declaration of her abstinence from alcohol.

Yet her words, heard by the Yue Hua man, made him feel that she was still angry, and as she said, a mistake is a mistake, and it is hard to make amends.

The once obsidian-bright eyes now held a hint of desolation, and the smile on his lips faded for a moment before returning, though it now carried a bitter taste.

After all, it was his own doing, the cause he had sown, and now he must reap the fruit it bore.

The wine that Su Rao had not accepted eventually entered Yun Ji's mouth. With a sip, though it was the mildest of wines, it still felt spicy to Yun Ji, burning his throat and eventually setting his stomach ablaze, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

His strikingly beautiful face flushed instantly.

Yet he took another cup, and it went down his throat.

The first cup was unbearable, but by the second, it seemed tolerable, as not a drop remained in the cup.

Then, he went for a third cup, but just as the cup touched his lips, a delicate hand snatched it away and drained it.

"After finally catching a break, you’re trying to stir up trouble again, Yun Ji. I’ve let it go, so why can’t you? I’m the one who should be upset, yet here you are acting like the victim, totally flipping the script..."

Su Rao’s face was calm, almost stoic, as she spoke.

The rare peace of the night vanished in a heartbeat.

Despite knowing his health was fragile, he still drank like there was no tomorrow. She’d already given in. What else did he expect? Did he need her to beat him senseless and then tearfully forgive him, claiming she didn’t hate him anymore, just so he could move on?

He chuckled...

His once desolate eyes suddenly sparkled with a radiant light, dazzling again.

Seeing the person he loved so furious at his self-destructive behavior, Yun Ji laughed, not because Su Rao still cared for him, but at his own foolishness and arrogance.

"You’ve lost it."

Without a word, Su Rao grabbed the wine pot and drained it in one go.

Yun Ji could barely handle two cups, but Su Rao downed it like water, her face not even flushing.

She finished the whole pot—let’s see how he’d keep trying to kill himself.

"Rao Rao, can I ask you something? Do you want to know what I was doing on your wedding day to Xianyi Chishaou?"

As soon as Su Rao finished the pot, Yun Ji blurted out the question, not waiting for her response, he plowed ahead:

"That day, I spent the entire day kneeling in the secret room of Qingfengju, my mind drifting in and out, while Rong Xiao mocked me relentlessly, ridiculed for my stupidity, for sending you to Xianyi Chishaou’s protection, only to throw you into darkness..."

Looking up at the full moon in the sky, Yun Ji's gaze momentarily turned misty, the bright and dazzling moonlight above, he couldn't see clearly again, obscured by a haze.

"If I had been in Zhu Xian at that time, perhaps I would have appeared at Prince Yi's Mansion, and taken you away at all costs."

Yun Ji's anomaly was only momentary, after saying this, he didn't look at Su Rao, but continued to gaze at the moon, which was his only light before meeting Rao Rao.

"But you weren't in Zhu Xian, and there wouldn't be this 'if', because you are Yun Ji, you couldn't control your heart, to be the Ah Xiao that Qin Rao knew."

Su Rao also looked at the moon, she didn't look at Yun Ji either, but at this moment, her hands under the bright red cloak slightly clenched, as if Yun Ji's words had stirred something within her.

But then, she added:

"And if what you said might have come true, then tonight we wouldn't be able to enjoy the moon so peacefully."

Yun Ji naturally understood what Su Rao meant, if he had really appeared to snatch her away, there would have been bloodshed at Prince Yi's Mansion, he would have been killed by Rao Rao herself, and there would be no such warmth as now.

After this exchange, the two fell silent, just quietly gazing at the moon like in their childhood.