Chapter 69: The Drinking Game (Part 2)

Chapter 69: The Drinking Game (Part 2)

Xiaoliu was quite candid: "We hit it off so well from the very first meeting that it's come to this."

Pei Mingqi: "Hit it off so well from the..."

Zhi Jie enunciated clearly: "...very first meeting that it's come to this."

Pei Mingqi lowered his eyes, raised his cup, and drank it all in one go: "Oh."

He made a "please" gesture, indicating that it was Zhi Jie's turn to ask the next question.

Zhi Jie: "Young General Pei, you left your post in the dead of night to deign to visit Nanting. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

By all rights, this question shouldn't have been difficult.

Yet Pei Mingqi was visibly taken aback. He deliberately glanced at Zhi Jie, remained silent, drank his cup dry, and slowly traced the rim of the cup with his fingertip.

Le Wuya, the only one not drinking, naturally assumed the role of wine steward.

As he poured for Pei Mingqi, he used his body as cover to sneak a peek at Pei Mingqi's face.

Why couldn't he answer such a simple question?

But Pei Mingqi was hawk-eyed, and he pegged Le Wuya in an instant.

"What're you staring at?!"

After barking at him, seeing the startled expression on Le Wuya's face, Pei Mingqi's heart softened, and his tone softened as well: "...It's none of your business anyway."

A radiant smile spread across Le Wuya's face.

Having finished pouring, he used the momentum of leaning back to step hard on Pei Mingqi's foot.

Le Wuya had sat at the same table with him countless times, at grand banquets and small stalls alike. He knew exactly where Pei Mingqi's feet would be, given his standard military man's seated posture with legs slightly apart.

Sure enough, he hit the mark on the first try.

Pei Mingqi squeezed his eyes shut in pain, and in front of Zhi Jie, he forcibly held back the cry.

He clamped his thumb tightly around the cup and looked at Le Wuya with a look of utter innocence: "...That's a foot, not a footrest."

Le Wuya looked down, quickly released his foot, and put on a sincere and apologetic expression: "Young General Pei, this humble official didn't mean to."

Pei Mingqi was grinding his teeth in annoyance.

...If he hadn't deliberately ground his heel when pulling his foot away, he might have actually fallen for his act.

Zhi Jie took in all their antics at a glance, with a faint smile as he took a small sip of wine, his boot sole slowly scuffing against the soft carpet, as if joining in on their game.

Pei Mingqi asked again: "The Sixth Prince is well past the age of manhood, yet has never married. What is the reason?"

Le Wuya immediately cast aside the little fit of pique he'd just harbored against Pei Mingqi and locked his eyes on Zhi Jie.

He wanted to know the answer to this too!

Basking in Le Wuya's look of eager curiosity, Zhi Jie couldn't help but laugh: "Because the celestial omens were inauspicious, I was not suited for marriage. My father had intended to arrange a betrothal for me, but before the decree could be issued, I suddenly fell gravely ill—beyond the reach of medicine. The Imperial Observatory's divination determined that I must never marry, lest my years be cut short. Only after His Majesty rescinded the decree did I gradually recover... Fortunately, I didn't end up holding anyone else up."

Le Wuya thought for a moment: "Then is the Seventh Prince also..."

After all, the two brothers were born one right after the other, with identical birth dates and times.

"My seventh brother..." At the mention of him, Zhi Jie couldn't help but sigh softly, and said, "He said he has no interest in marriage."

Le Wuya couldn't help but drift off:

Decades from now, when these two identical brothers become old bachelors...

Wouldn't that make them a pair of chopsticks?

Just as he was feeling proud of his own joke-telling prowess, he saw Zhi Jie tip his head back and down a full cup of wine.

Le Wuya: "?"

Pei Mingqi: "?"

Didn't he answer everything?

Zhi Jie wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip: "Because everything I just said was a lie. I believe the heavens have gods..."

With that, he looked at Le Wuya: "...I wouldn't dare deceive you."

Pei Mingqi set down the wine cup he'd been halfway to his lips, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure and defiance: "Please, Sixth Prince, ask your question."

Zhi Jie: "Young General Pei has remained unmarried for so long—why is that?"

Pei Mingqi answered without hesitation, downing yet another full cup. When he set the cup down, a rosy flush of wine had spread across his face.

Le Wuya was startled: "Didn't you already get married?"

"Since when did I..." Pei Mingqi blurted out, then suddenly remembered he had once spouted off in front of this very person. The rosy flush on his face deepened three shades for no apparent reason. He turned his head away and said sulkily, "You don't drink, so you don't get to question me."

Le Wuya rose again to refill both their cups.

Then, while the two men were locked in a staring contest, he quietly poured himself a cup as well.

Pei Mingqi's next question carried a sharp, sparks-flying edge to it: "Has the Sixth Prince been in contact with Magistrate Wenren all this time?"

Zhi Jie: "Yes."

Pei Mingqi drank another cup, and then it was Zhi Jie's turn: "Young General Pei has flown solo like a phoenix for many years—has he recently been on the lookout for his phoenix?"

Pei Mingqi raised his cup again, opening his mouth to drink.

Le Wuya was speechless: "..."

No matter how good Little Phoenix's tolerance for alcohol is, he can't take this kind of punishment.

He couldn't help but advise: "Hey, Young General Pei, if you like Nanting's wine so much, I'll have two jars filled for you to take with you when you leave. No need to..."

The hard rim of the cup pressed against Pei Mingqi's lips, and the mildly pungent aroma of the wine entered his body with each breath, burning through his limbs and bones until they felt like they were on fire.

He held the cup still, not drinking, then set it back down on the table with a heavy thud, and looked at Zhi Jie with an inexplicable intensity in his gaze: "Yes."

Le Wuya reached out and covered Pei Mingqi's eyes, which were fixed on Zhi Jie in a glare. He leaned toward Pei Mingqi and mouthed silently: "...You wanna die?"

A subordinate glaring at his superior—that was the height of disrespect.

Whatever history these two might share, it was clear their bond wasn't all that deep.

The liquor was strong, and Pei Mingqi swayed slightly, reaching out to pinch Le Wuya's cheek, scolding, "You didn't drink, so you don't get to ask questions!"

His blazing gaze was reflected in the amber liquid.

He turned to Zhi Jie: "What about you? Not cultivating the Dao, but ready to get tangled up in mortal feelings?"

Before Zhi Jie could answer, Le Wuya leaned down, picked up the cup with his lips, and tilted his head back, drinking it dry.

The sudden move caught everyone by surprise.

He staggered up, pointed at Pei Mingqi, and snapped, "Answer my question!"

Within a few breaths, his hand went heavy and started sinking on its own, and his mind started drifting off into a hazy, empty fog.

His body went limp, and he toppled into the arms of both men.

Pei Mingqi quickly propped up his back, patting it to calm him: "You really can't hold your liquor, huh?"

He'd been half-skeptical, but since Le Wuya didn't want to drink, he hadn't planned on dragging him in anyway.

Zhi Jie, meanwhile, looped an arm around his waist, zeroing in on the practical fix: "Let's get him back to the Nanting County office first."

He added, "...And don't let anyone see us."

The two traded a look and were on the same page.

Le Wuya's limbs were limp, his thoughts slow, and he looked dazed, but his mind was still sharp—he was just lazily playing dumb, looking for something solid to lean on.

He leaned his head on Pei Mingqi's shoulder for a bit, but found him too tall and bony—his neck started to hurt—so he switched allegiances and quietly leaned on Zhi Jie instead.

The two hauled Le Wuya along—down the stairs, paid the tab, and grabbed the horses in one smooth move.

The earlier clash at the table had morphed into silent, seamless teamwork.

Le Wuya, though, even drunk, couldn't help stirring up trouble—before he left, he held up two fingers at the Sihai Tower owner: "Two jars of She Mingyue to go—put it on his tab."

He pointed at Pei Mingqi with a grin: "He loves the stuff—he'll drink it all nonstop! Not one honest word out of him!"

Pei Mingqi, scolded into hanging his head, just hoisted him onto his shoulder and walked off.

The Sihai Tower owner, in his forties, was hardly over the hill.

He knew all three of them.

An imperial envoy and a second-rank military officer, both fawning over their seventh-rank county magistrate.

He wouldn't dare think too hard about their relationship.

Even after hosting guests from all over, he'd never seen anything like this. So he pretended not to know them, smiled as he took the Sixth Prince's tip, and his legs shook under his robe.

As they stepped out of Sihai Tower, the warm, boozy breeze hit Le Wuya, and the liquor went straight to his head. He squinted at them: "I drank—so why won't you answer my questions?"

Before they could answer, he answered himself: "Oh, right—I never asked."

Even though it was late and the street stalls were empty, a few shops still had candles lit.

If anyone caught the magistrate this drunk, it would wreck his authority.

Luckily, both men were agile, and with Le Wuya in tow, they easily cleared the walls of the Nanting County office.

Neither of them said a word, leaving only Le Wuya to babble.

He stared blearily at the wall they'd just jumped, then muttered, "Who's on duty today? Can't even watch the gate—I'm docking their pay tomorrow."

He squinted at Pei Mingqi: "Bold ruffian, breaking into my Nanting County office—under the Dayu Law, that's exile a thousand li."

Ruffian number one, Pei Mingqi, was equal parts mad and worried, tempted to commit an even worse crime, but in the end, he just secretly pinched Le Wuya's waist.

Ruffian number two, Zhi Jie, said softly, "Nanting is almost a thousand li from the capital—so a thousand-li exile would land you right next to me. Then I could walk the Magistrate home every day without breaking the law, right?"

Le Wuya couldn't wrap his head around how a punishment, through his words, had somehow turned into a reward. Confused, he shuffled into the room, let them pull off his boots and coat, and got tucked into the soft bedding.

The second he lay down, the room started spinning, and he began to whine and grumble.

Watching him suffer, Pei Mingqi's heart felt like it was on fire.

He was usually careless, but with this man, he felt like he could never be careful enough.

Pei Mingqi grabbed the kettle, gave it a shake, and found only cold leftover water inside. He swore under his breath, then turned to Zhi Jie: "Hold him steady—I'll go get some water."

"Mm," Zhi Jie said. "Be quiet about it. Don't wake anyone in the office—no need to stir up trouble."

Once Pei Mingqi left, Le Wuya found the blanket too hot, yanked it off in a huff, and grumbled as he rolled toward the middle of the bed.

His pillow was too high, and as he started to roll off, Zhi Jie, afraid he'd wrench his neck, quickly stuck out an arm to catch him.

He caught him just in time.

Le Wuya flopped onto his arm, clinging to it like ivy, and dragged him onto the bed until they were nose to nose.

Zhi Jie stared at his lips, flushed and soft from the wine, then dropped his gaze—only to land on his bobbing Adam's apple. He squeezed his eyes shut: "Forgive your student's boldness."

Le Wuya looked straight at him: "I drank—so why won't either of you answer me?"

Zhi Jie said with deference, "If the teacher asks, the student answers."

But even as he said it, his right hand, still under Le Wuya's head, clenched in the air, shaking with barely held-back force.

Le Wuya pressed his lips together, thought for a second, then asked in earnest:

"...Why did you have to be his son?"

Zhi Jie's voice caught: "Teacher, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, never mind... it's not your fault, I asked the wrong thing," Le Wuya said. "You didn't get a choice, same as me."

Zhi Jie looked up: "Teacher, in this life, what do you want to choose?"

Le Wuya laughed out loud: "...I can still choose? I didn't even choose to come back to life."

Zhi Jie gazed at his shimmering eyes and said firmly, "You can choose."

That required some serious thought.

Le Wuya squinted, pondering for a long while, before raising a finger and saying earnestly, "I want... to be remembered for a thousand years!"

He'd already tasted the bitterness of eternal infamy—now he wanted to try the other side.

Zhi Jie: "Alright. I'll help you."

"I still want someone... to love me!" Le Wuya said loudly. "He must love me and protect me without conditions, without reasons, without logic—putting me first, above all others!"

Zhi Jie said softly, "Isn't there already one?"

Le Wuya squinted. "What?"

He rolled over and sat up, tugging at Zhi Jie's sash and rifling through his lapels. "Where did you hide him?"

Zhi Jie's breath had just quickened when a shadow flickered past the window.

...His ill-timed romantic thoughts immediately stilled, like wind dying down over water.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, Zhi Jie got off the bed, gently kissed his fingertip, and pressed it to Le Wuya's ear, tenderly massaging the acupoint to sober him up. "You're so clever—go find him yourself, then."

When Pei Mingqi pushed the door open, this was the scene that greeted him.

A sour, bitter wave surged in his chest, rising right up to his throat. He quickly turned his head away. "I've fetched the water—I'll heat it up for him now. If only we had some hangover medicine—he got drunk off a single cup; I'm worried his body can't handle it."

Zhi Jie said, "I'll send someone to buy some right away."

Pei Mingqi showed no reaction to his mention of "having someone," but Le Wuya cracked an eye open before the wine dragged it shut again.

Zhi Jie left the room.

After all the commotion, Le Wuya's hair was a mess.

Through the tangled strands, he watched Pei Mingqi bustling about the room and called out softly, "...Little Phoenix."

Pei Mingqi's back stiffened. He stopped what he was doing and hurried to the bedside in three quick strides, his heart pounding wildly. Waves of aching, bittersweet warmth surged through him, and his voice softened.

...As if afraid to disturb the heavens above.

"Hey. Little Phoenix is right here." Pei Mingqi knelt on one knee by the bed. "Wen Ren happens to be away—won't you talk with me a bit longer?"

Le Wuya remarked, "After all these years, you're still so good at sneaking around."

Pei Mingqi wanted to take the hand dangling off the bed, but mindful that this body belonged to Wen Ren, he didn't dare act rashly. Instead, he gently brushed his fingers against Le Wuya's dangling fingertips. "Practiced for so long—can't forget how."

"Then why not forget me?" Le Wuya gazed at him lazily. "You won't forget me, but you won't properly love me either."

Pei Mingqi was at a loss for words.

"When I went to the capital and met you that time, why wouldn't you talk to me?" Le Wuya sat up but couldn't straighten his back, so he slumped onto his arms. "...I've had wine—you can't avoid this question."

He muttered to himself, "I was devastated that day."

Pei Mingqi's perpetually frozen heart seemed to be suddenly plunged into boiling water—thawing, yet aching unbearably.

The next moment, Le Wuya was roughly yanked into an embrace.

The man's body was hot, his blood hot, his embrace rough, his breath rapid.

"I didn't want you to become that way, but I couldn't hold you back. And yet I... love you..."

The embrace grew scorching hot, so hot that Le Wuya could barely stand it and struggled to break free.

But Le Wuya's slight resistance and struggle made Pei Mingqi startle like a frightened bird, pressing him tighter into his arms.

His strength was formidable—Le Wuya immediately couldn't breathe.

Yet he didn't struggle, letting himself sink into the dark, suffocating void.

Ever since his lungs were severely injured, Le Wuya had grown used to years of pain and breathlessness.

That was his best proof that he was alive.

It was Pei Mingqi who first realized he'd overstepped. He hastily pulled the limp Le Wuya out of his embrace, his voice trembling with worry. "Why didn't you yell?!"

Le Wuya, finally able to breathe again, closed his eyes in relief.

Pei Mingqi thought he'd passed out and, panicking, pinched his upper lip.

Le Wuya, who had just been about to rest, was furious—he clamped his teeth onto Pei Mingqi's thumb web.

...Nice bite—drew blood instantly.

...

When Zhi Jie returned, Le Wuya was already lying face down on the bed, breathing steadily.

His hair had been loosened, spread softly across the pillow; his shoes and socks were neatly arranged the way a soldier would; the blanket had been swapped for a thinner one, properly draped over him.

...Everything was back to normal.

The only anomaly was the vivid bite mark on Pei Mingqi's right hand.

Zhi Jie noticed it but didn't say anything.

After giving him the hangover pill with warm water and coaxing Le Wuya into a half-asleep state, the two men went to the outer room, standing face to face in silence.

Zhi Jie broke the silence. "General Pei, you're early."

Pei Mingqi clasped his hands in salute. "His Majesty has issued a decree—how could I dare sit idle in camp waiting for the Sixth Prince to arrive?"

A few days earlier, a secret dispatch from the Ministry of War had arrived, saying the Sixth Prince himself was carrying the Emperor's confidential letter and would arrive within days.

He had calculated the Sixth Prince's travel pace and, harboring private thoughts he couldn't share with anyone, planned to arrive at Nanting a day early to wait—and to visit someone.

He hadn't expected the Sixth Prince to already be in town.

What surprised Pei Mingqi even more was that the Sixth Prince, over drinks, used a riddle game to indirectly ask why he had come to Nanting.

Pei Mingqi didn't lack an answer—he simply didn't dare give one, and was forced to down that cup of wine.

However, he quickly realized: the Sixth Prince's boldness in asking meant there were no imperial spies nearby at that moment.

Now, since "someone" was able to buy medicine for the crow, it meant the spies had arrived.

...

As for Zhi Jie, he had deliberately delayed his departure, letting himself be detained in Nanting.

The agreed date to meet Pei Mingqi had originally been the next day.

Zhi Jie had wanted to come see Le Wuya, but he had a servant at his side and a covert spy—one in the open, one in the shadows, nominally for protection but really for surveillance.

Had he come without a reason, once the two returned to the capital, they would surely report everything to the Emperor.

So he claimed to be buying supplies in Nanting but deliberately dragged his feet, not returning until the covert spy noticed the city gates closing and, finding he hadn't returned to the post station, would enter the city to protect him.

But in any case, they would have to spend some time sneaking past the city's sentries before they could find him.

This time was originally meant for Xiang Zhijie to meet with Le Wuya in private.

He never expected Pei Mingqi to have the same idea.

Now that the fuss and chaos were over, it was time to get down to business.

Xiang Zhijie unfastened the dragon pendant from his waist and held it out, while darting his eyes to the upper left.

—The spy had already trailed them and was now eavesdropping on their conversation.

Pei Mingqi moved briskly, flipping up the hem of his robe and kneeling before the dragon pendant.

"By the Emperor's oral decree."

"Since the beginning of spring, Minister Pei has sent thirteen letters to the capital. Three were family letters; the remaining ten were routine reports to the Ministry of War..."

Xiang Zhijie's tone was calm as he listed them off, but his words carried a chilling, probing edge: "But why didn't you reply to Xiao Wu's letter, Minister Pei?"

The dragon pendant glowed softly in the bright moonlight filtering through the window, its dragon eyes lowered as if in silent mockery.

Seeing the dragon pendant is like seeing the emperor himself; one must not look directly at it.

Pei Mingqi knelt on both knees, saying nothing.

Xiang Zhijie continued, speaking in the Emperor's voice: "What did the letter say?"

Pei Mingqi: "I do not know."

"Do you not know?"

"Unless it's an imperial edict or a letter from the Ministry of War, I never open or read them—I burn them right away, so I wouldn't know."

"You swear there's no deception?"

Pei Mingqi replied smoothly: "As General Dingyuan, I secure His Majesty's realm and the enlightened ruler's domain. Though I am a thousand miles from the capital, the Pei family remains unwavering in loyal service to the sovereign, never daring to slacken for even a moment."

Xiang Zhijie nodded and said, "I'll remember that."

With that, he closed his hand over the dragon pendant, leaned down, took Pei Mingqi by both hands, and pulled him up, while in the same motion pressing a slip of paper into his hand.

Pei Mingqi quickly turned his hand over, tucking the note into his sleeve without the slightest change in expression.

On the bed, Le Wuya turned over, listening to the faint rustling of tiles above, and thought blankly: Why have these capital spies gotten so clumsy lately?

When he had led them back in the day, it wasn't like this.

Truly, each batch is worse than the one before.