Chapter 5 Drunk Too Much

Chapter 5: Had Too Much to Drink

The lamplight in the great hall flickered, with dancers moving gracefully.

Some ministers had started shouting boisterously, clearly drunk, nothing like their usual elegant selves.

Jiang Wang was also drunk.

Though he hadn't lost his composure, his cheeks were already flushed red, and his thoughts had slowed to a crawl.

He just thought the wine tasted good and drank a bit more, then, happy he'd finished his task, drank a little extra.

He'd kept count—just a few small cups, nowhere near his usual limit.

But he hadn't anticipated this wine was strong.

Perhaps his tolerance wasn't as good as he thought.

Now, Jiang Wang only felt dizzy, like a weight was pressing on his head, and he just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Yet he clearly knew this was a royal banquet; he couldn't sleep here. Changle was still waiting for him at home.

So Jiang Wang sat there, propping his head up with one hand, the parcel of beef next to him, waiting for Xiao Yan to depart.

After all, only after the Emperor departed could the ministers leave.

But Xiao Yan, for whatever reason, was drinking like there was no tomorrow—going through pot after pot of wine, with the dancers replaced group after group—yet he gave no sign of leaving.

Until a young eunuch hurried in, knelt with a thud, and shattered the lively atmosphere in the hall.

Jiang Wang recognized him—it was Eunuch Wu, the one who'd told him to take the ointment back after he woke up that day.

Wu Zhong knelt there, forehead pressed to the floor, his voice quivering as if in mortal fear of angering Xiao Yan.

"This lowly servant is incompetent! I failed to guard the Treasure Pavilion properly and lost Your Majesty's jade thumb ring. I beg for Your Majesty's punishment!"

Xiao Yan, who had been watching the festivities just moments before, his expression darkened instantly upon hearing this, his face turning as black as a pot.

He grabbed a wine pot from the table and hurled it down. It narrowly missed Wu Zhong's head, crashing to the floor with a loud shatter, shards flying everywhere.

The banquet, which had been noisy and bustling moments ago, now turned icy cold. No one dared speak; even breaths were drawn lightly as everyone tried to make themselves invisible.

The Emperor was angry, and no one wanted to draw his ire.

The scare sobered Jiang Wang up considerably.

Eunuch Wu had left a good impression on him. Though not yet old, his cheerful demeanor gave him a kind, benevolent appearance.

Now, he lay pitifully on the floor, his thin frame trembling, looking as though fate had dealt him a harsh hand.

Jiang Wang wanted to help but knew he was in no position to speak. Speaking up now would only make things worse, so he kept quiet.

He looked up at Xiao Yan again. The latter seemed to have calmed down somewhat after his outburst.

But when he spoke, the chill in his voice remained undiminished, even growing more pronounced.

"When did you discover it was missing?"

Wu Zhong hastily replied, "It was still there before the banquet began. Just now, when this lowly servant returned from the washroom and checked again, it was gone..."

In other words, during the banquet, someone had slipped into the Treasure Pavilion and stolen the jade thumb ring.

And the banquet wasn't completely sealed off; the ministers' servants could enter and leave the palace under the pretext of delivering items, making it entirely possible to steal the item and smuggle it out.

Xiao Yan let his gaze sweep over the assembled officials, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over the face of every minister.

Including Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang even felt Xiao Yan's eyes lingered on his face a few seconds longer.

The force of that gaze was enough to make his breath catch and his heart race.

Xiao Yan waved his hand grandly, his wide sleeve sweeping the gold and silver wine vessels off the table.

"Seal the palace gates! No one is to enter or leave! The Imperial Guards will search your homes!"

Xiao Yan looked down at Wu Zhong, who remained prostrate on the floor.

He sneered coldly. "Wu Zhong neglected his duties. In consideration of his past diligence, his life is temporarily spared. He is to receive fifty strokes of the cane."

Fifty strokes?

Twenty strokes were enough to break skin and flesh; fifty strokes would surely beat a person to death!

Jiang Wang understood.

The earlier "temporarily spared" was just empty rhetoric to showcase Xiao Yan's own "mercy," while "fifty strokes" was an irrevocable command.

Since he had said "temporarily spared," if the person died from the beating, it would be considered their own fate.

This Emperor was not only tyrannical but also sinister.

Imperial Guard Commander Fang Fengshi stood coldly watching at the entrance of the hall, not uttering a word throughout.

Upon receiving Xiao Yan's order, he slightly raised his hand. Two Imperial Guards who had been waiting immediately strode in, forcibly hauling Wu Zhong out by his arms, one on each side.

In that brief moment, a punishment bench had already been set up in the open area outside the hall, with two guards holding canes standing on either side.

They were ready to begin the punishment as soon as the person was positioned.

Imperial Guards holding torches formed a circle to provide light for the punishment. Jiang Wang couldn't see the details clearly, but the dull thuds of the cane striking flesh and Wu Zhong's agonized cries truly and vividly reached his ears.

With each strike, Jiang Wang tensed up as if feeling the pain himself, his own body aching in sympathy.

It was said that Fang Fengshi was Xiao Yan's most capable lapdog.

Now, it seemed indeed true.

Fang Fengshi was the only son of Northern General Fang Zhenbo. Old General Fang had him late in life and doted on him immensely.

Thus, Fang Fengshi grew up chasing cats and teasing dogs, fearless and unrestrained.

Moreover, being close in age to Xiao Yan and having grown up together, his unruly temperament increasingly mirrored the Emperor's.

After Xiao Yan ascended the throne, he casually appointed Fang Fengshi as the Imperial Guard Commander, entrusting him with protecting the imperial city's safety.

Since then, the two had begun their "collaboration in villainy."

Xiao Yan ordered, and Fang Fengshi obeyed—his specialty was being obedient.

Indeed, with his own sworn brother as the emperor, following his instructions would bring endless prosperity and wealth, so there was no need to upset him.

As the dull thuds from outside grew more frequent, Wu Zhong's voice grew fainter, until eventually it could no longer be heard.

Jiang Wang peered anxiously outside, but his view was blocked by the circle of imperial guards holding torches.

However, his sharp eyes caught sight of liquid trickling through the gaps near the guards' feet.

In the dim light, it was hard to discern the color, but given the context, it was easy to guess what it was.

Blood...

Jiang Wang shuddered, feeling goosebumps rise all over his body.

The ministers beside him had never witnessed such a scene either, their faces turning white.

A moment later, they saw the imperial guards dragging Wu Zhong's limp form away.

They didn’t know Wu Zhong’s final outcome—whether he had fainted or died.

All they knew was that Wu Zhong's chances looked slim, and even if he survived, he would probably be left a broken man.

After a long daze, the ministers snapped back to reality and began discussing the day’s events in hushed tones. Meanwhile, Jiang Wang quietly gathered the gist of the reason behind Xiao Yan’s outburst.

This jade thumb ring belonged to Xiao Yan’s older brother, Xiao Yu.

The two brothers grew up together and shared a deep bond. After their mother passed away, Xiao Yu took on greater responsibilities, mentoring Xiao Yan diligently in daily life.

When the late emperor passed away, the throne was passed to Xiao Yu. However, Xiao Yu’s health was poor, and he fell ill and died last year, leaving the throne to Xiao Yan.

Perhaps lacking someone to restrain him, Xiao Yan became increasingly capricious and dissolute after ascending the throne, neglecting state affairs and given over to debauchery.

Nevertheless, he still retained a soft spot for his older brother, Xiao Yu. For instance, he treasured this thumb ring deeply and would even personally recite sutras for Xiao Yu at Longquan Temple.

Jiang Wang’s heart softened slightly—it seemed Xiao Yan wasn’t entirely without redeeming qualities.

But the memory of Eunuch Wu’s agonized wails continued to gnaw at Jiang Wang.

Xiao Yan’s disregard for human life, treating it as mere grass, made him undeserving of sympathy.

As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger—and Xiao Yan was an unpredictable, man-eating tiger.

Jiang Wang secretly steeled his resolve to seize the first opportunity to escape!

＊

In the main hall of Cangwu Palace, the fruity aroma from the charcoal fire gradually permeated the air.

On a nearby daybed, Xiao Yan lay with his eyes closed, resting.

Suddenly, the palace doors swung open, and Fang Fengshi barged in.

Seeing Xiao Yan’s contented look irritated him.

Without ceremony, Fang Fengshi aimed a kick at Xiao Yan’s feet but ended up kicking at thin air.

Xiao Yan seemed to have anticipated the move, lifting his foot just in time to dodge.

As for Fang Fengshi, unable to stop his momentum in time, he nearly stumbled to the ground.

Fortunately, his agility saved him—he spun around and barely regained his balance.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan remained lying on the daybed, still appearing to rest with his eyes closed.

He said coolly, “Is the matter settled?”

Fang Fengshi seemed resigned—every time he tried to sneak an attack, Xiao Yan would notice—so he gave up and plopped down beside him to reply.

“Don’t you trust me to handle things?”

Xiao Yan didn’t answer, merely letting out a soft “tsk.”

A single word, yet it was loaded with meaning—and not good ones at that.

Fang Fengshi, who had just calmed down, bristled again. It seemed Xiao Yan always knew how to ignite his anger in the simplest way.

“This lord has been running around doing all sorts of things for you all day, and my reputation is nearly ruined. Is this how you treat me?”

But Xiao Yan was no longer swayed by this—Fang Fengshi always played the victim.

Xiao Yan’s voice remained calm.

“Speak.”

Seeing that playing the victim didn’t work, Fang Fengshi returned to normal.

“The executioners pulled their punches. They know how to make wounds look severe—Wu Zhong’s injuries will heal in just two or three days.”

Xiao Yan gave a faint “mm” in response.

As someone who had played along with his act, Wu Zhong couldn’t be treated poorly. The best physicians and the finest wound medicine had long been prepared.

As if remembering something amusing, Fang Fengshi added, “I even brought chicken blood and splattered it on the ground. You should’ve seen the ministers in the hall—they were scared out of their wits. Especially that Jiang Wang—his face turned completely pale.”

Mentioning Jiang Wang brought to Xiao Yan’s mind the image of Jiang Wang toasting Chang Wenji.

It was normal for Jiang Wang to sidle over from the corner of the hall to Chang Wenji’s side without drawing attention, but his demeanor had been overly tense and awkward, lacking the steadiness and composure expected of a collaborator.

Especially later, when he was clearly drunk.

Such casualness, relaxation, and complete lack of vigilance made Xiao Yan suspicious again.

Would someone as cunning and intricate as Chang Wenji really collaborate with someone as foolish as Jiang Wang?

Or was Jiang Wang deliberately putting on such an act to deceive him?

Unaware of Xiao Yan’s complex thoughts, Fang Fengshi simply assumed the latter didn’t want to engage with him.

Restless, he asked, “How are things with the Imperial Guards?”

Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes and sat up from the daybed.

“They’ve already started searching. They’ll find something by morning at the latest.”

With the ministers confined to the palace and their households left leaderless outside, it was the perfect opportunity for flaws to surface.

With the banquet so crowded, it was easy for some spots to go unwatched, and people with sticky fingers could slip in.

The ministers might recognize the jade thumb ring, but the servants probably wouldn't, just thinking it was some valuable trinket.

The palace was full of rare treasures—who'd notice one or two going missing?

Besides, it wasn't that Wu Zhong was negligent; he deliberately looked the other way, letting the ring get stolen.

And the palace guards weren't just for show either; without the emperor's nod, who could take even the slightest thing from the palace?

Author's Note:

Xiao Yan: Putting on a good show…

Jiang Wang: He's vicious and brutal—I've gotta get out of here fast!