Chapter 156: Drunken Mishap

Chapter 156: Drinking Leads to Regret

Vice Chief Councillor Pang, a high-ranking official, had bitten his tongue and died in prison, and his body had already been buried.

Zheng Shanci learned of this incident the next morning. When he heard the news of Vice Chief Councillor Pang's suicide, he felt a pang of melancholy. After composing himself, he continued with the investigation and completed the scrutiny of the nobility by the tail end of summer.

"Stick around today—I’m treating you all to a meal at the tavern," Zheng Shanci had previously mentioned that he would treat them to a meal before the investigation began and another after its conclusion.

The group visibly relaxed.

Zheng Shanci led them to a private room, ordered a few dishes, and let the others add their orders. Once the clerk had served all the dishes, Zheng Shanci said a few brief words, drank a few rounds with his subordinates, and then left early.

Hanlin Cui turned red easily when drinking. He toasted Zheng Shanci, and when Lord Zheng drank, Hanlin Cui was delighted. Lord Zheng had given him face—as a Hanlin scholar, being close to Lord Zheng filled him with pride and excitement.

He was from the main lineage of the Qinghe Cui clan, and Cui Geer was his cousin. Lord Zheng referred to Cui Geer as "cousin-in-law," so they were, in a way, distantly related.

Hanlin Zhao grew talkative today, schmoozing with officials from the Ministry of Revenue. If he ever had the chance to serve there in the future, it would be excellent—at the very least, he was now familiar with the ministry’s officials.

Having worked alongside Lord Zheng, he trusted Zheng Shanci deeply. If he had ended up under an unreliable superior, he’d have been lucky to survive.

Hanlin Zhao held a favorable impression of Zheng Shanci. The rumors he had picked up from the Ministry of Revenue officials also spoke of Lord Zheng as a dependable superior.

The wine at the Zheng family tavern was excellent, and the main dishes were grilled fish and half a roast lamb. Slicing the lamb with a knife, dipping it in sauce, and eating it with steamed rice was delicious—especially since the lamb was perfectly charred, the crispy outer layer giving way to tender, fragrant meat whose flavor lingered.

They drank late into the night before staggering home.

Tomorrow was a day off work—they could indulge freely.

After drinking, Zheng Shanci took a to-go box from the tavern to take home.

Yu Lanyi and Xiao Pingan had already eaten dinner. Children went to bed early, so Xiao Pingan had obediently gone to sleep, while Yu Lanyi lounged on a lounge chair, enjoying the evening breeze.

"The capital’s land audit is done. I treated them to a meal today, had a few drinks, and left early. I brought back some food—would you like any?" Zheng Shanci asked.

Yu Lanyi declined. "You eat it. I’m still full."

Zheng Shanci sat on a stone stool and opened the meal box—three homestyle cooking dishes and a soup. Lately, he wasn’t in the mood for heavy meats and preferred simple, comforting meals.

"This year, ask His Majesty for a bit more time off. Let’s go back to our hometown together."

The Marquis’s ancestral home was in the county town, and the round trip to the capital took seven days, not including time for rest and ancestral rites. The New Year holiday was already seven days, and Zheng Shanci could request three more.

Since taking office, he had rarely submitted leave requests, so getting three days off would be easy. Moreover, the Great Yan Dynasty valued tradition and filial piety, making the request perfectly reasonable.

"Alright," Zheng Shanci agreed.

"Now that the land audit is finally over, you can return to the Ministry of Revenue without worrying about danger."

Yu Lanyi could finally relax.

Zheng Shanci nodded as he ate. "Sorry for making you worry. I’ll be more careful from now on."

With the next day being a day off work, the two got carried away late into the night. Yu Lanyi remarked, "Your eldest sister-in-law already has two children. Why don’t we have a second one yet, despite being younger?"

Zheng Shanci replied, "Children come in their own time. Maybe the time hasn’t come yet. Besides, having Xiao Pingan is already more than enough."

"Alright. Just curious," Yu Lanyi agreed that this was fine as well.

The next day, Xiao Ping'an's academy was on break, and none of the three had other plans. Yu Lanyi had Xiao Ping'an finish his homework first, then took him out to play in the afternoon.

"Awesome!" Xiao Ping'an cheered and ran into his room to scribble away.

The academy's teacher made them practice calligraphy and memorization since childhood and was very responsible. During the days Zheng Shanci was busy, Xiao Ping'an had already memorized several poems by heart—even reciting them backwards.

One more year, and he would move up to the older kids' class.

Though Yu Lanyi was proud of how smart he was, he also wanted him to have fun like a kid should. Whenever possible, he loved taking him out for fun.

That afternoon, Yu Lanyi took his son and Zheng Shanci to see a play.

The family booked box seats. Zheng Shanci listened for a while, killing time—it had been ages since he felt so relaxed.

After watching one act, Xiao Ping'an jumped off his chair, opened the window, and clapped.

"So cool!"

Zheng Shanci lifted his son onto his lap, though the boy's eyes remained fixed on the stage.

Zheng Shanci tapped his head. "You're tiny—since when do you know what's pretty?"

"The dancing is pretty, the costumes are pretty, and the people are pretty!" Xiao Ping'an shot back.

Yu Lanyi nodded in agreement.

"I see Xiuzhu! I want to go play with him!" Xiao Ping'an opened the window and spotted Cui Xiuzhu in the opposite box.

"Wang Fu, go with him."

Wang Fu nodded and followed Xiao Ping'an to find Cui Xiuzhu.

"Little Xiuzhu is here, and Lv Jin is here too," Yu Lanyi muttered, half-tempted.

"Stay with me a while," Zheng Shanci said, holding Yu Lanyi's hand. Of course, Yu Lanyi gave in and stayed with him.

Xiao Ping'an called Cui Xiuzhu out, and the two children went to the main hall to see the play.

Xiao Ping'an: "The box seats are too far—you can see better down there!"

Cui Xiuzhu couldn’t care less about the opera itself, just in playing with his friend. He followed Xiao Ping'an to the hall, where Wei Yun was also present, accompanying Mr. Wei to the show. Spotting them, Wei Yun ran up.

"You guys here for the show too?"

Both children said they were accompanying adults.

"Then let's play together!" Wei Yun grinned, hands on hips.

Lord Wei had returned to the capital from his provincial post, but with mediocre performance, he was assigned a mid-level post to work his way up slowly. After he and his husband came back, their son remained well-behaved but grew closer to his grandfather and Mr. Wei.

Since they hadn't been around much during Wei Yun's early years, it was natural he now favored Lord Wei and Mr. Wei. The couple doted on him endlessly.

Unsurprisingly, Wei Yun's allowance got way bigger.

"After the show, I'll buy you pear cakes and mochi!"

Hearing there was food, Xiao Ping'an and Cui Xiuzhu immediately ran off with Wei Yun.

The three children returned to the theater only after stuffing themselves outside. By then, Zheng Shanci and Yu Lanyi had finished the play and headed home with Xiao Ping'an.

Zheng Shanci returned home and first sorted the memorials to be submitted to the Grand Secretariat the next day. Yu Lanyi yawned and lay on the bed reading a storybook novel.

Cui Ziqi had released another book titled *Capital Suspense Cases II*, and upon hearing about it, Yu Lanyi went to show his support by buying a copy. He was the kind who got spooked but couldn’t resist reading—having a man beside him made it bearable, but he wouldn’t dare read it alone.

As soon as Zheng Shanci got into bed, Yu Lanyi wrapped one arm around his shoulder while holding the book in the other hand.

Zheng Shanci glanced at the cover and offered to hold the book so they could read it together.

Yu Lanyi reluctantly agreed, “Alright.”

The two read side by side, with Yu Lanyi reading at a brisk pace, and Zheng Shanci keeping up just as well.

After half an hour, both were getting sleepy. Zheng Shanci placed the book on the cabinet and went to snuff out the candles.

“Didn’t know you were such a fast reader,” Yu Lanyi said, kissing Zheng Shanci before curling up against him.

Zheng Shanci chuckled.

The next morning, Yu Lanyi woke up, ate breakfast, and took Jin Yun to the tavern to check the accounts. There, he spotted Aunt Yu and greeted her, “Aunt.”

“Lan Yi, are you here to buy wine too?”

“This is my tavern,” Yu Lanyi said proudly.

Aunt Yu was surprised. “You’ve really come into your own. Your Second Uncle mentioned hosting his military subordinates tonight—they all love the wine here, so I came early to stock up.”

“No need for you to handle this, Aunt. Just tell Proprietor Song how much you need, and it’ll be prepared right away.” Yu Lanyi helped Aunt Yu sit down, and a clerk promptly served them tea.

“Do you have any wines suitable for young gentlemen and ladies?”

The clerk recommended a few options, and Aunt Yu chose plum wine, grape wine, and apricot wine.

“I’ve never tried grape wine before—I’ll get some to try.”

Yu Lanyi smiled. “I hadn’t either at first. It was Zheng Shanci’s recipe, and I had my brewers follow it.”

Yu Lanyi didn’t intend to charge Aunt Yu, but though she agreed verbally, after she left, he found silver tucked behind the wine jars.

“Aunt, you shouldn’t have.”

This was just a minor episode. Zheng Shanci had distinguished himself in the recent land survey, earning praise from Emperor Wuming, though no formal rewards had been granted yet.

That night, trouble arose—Second Master Yu and his subordinates were arrested by the Capital Prefecture for drunk and disorderly conduct.