Chapter 64: Drunk

Chapter 64: Drunk

Life fell back into its old rhythm, yet some things had changed.

But not in a bad way.

Rather, after realizing what was possible, Liu Yun's fear of Xiao Hang diminished considerably, and she felt a lot lighter.

She could say no when she wanted, and snap back when she was annoyed—instead of always swallowing her feelings.

And Xiao Hang, as she had guessed, never made a fuss about any of it, acting super laid-back.

But Liu Yun still needed to know.

So she came up with a clever idea.

They say drunk words are sober thoughts—she didn't buy that Xiao Hang could keep his mouth shut!

On the second day of the tenth month, at dusk.

With winter setting in, the sun went down quicker, and darkness fell early, leaving the grounds outside the hall pitch dark.

The air got colder, and their breath showed as white puffs.

Back in the day, Liu Yun's room would've been packed with charcoal braziers by now.

But this year, she didn't need them.

The Eastern Palace was loaded, using radiant floor heating in winter—a maze of flues under the floor tiles, with a fire lit outside, sending heat through the underground channels to warm the whole room, with thick felt curtains blocking the heat from leaking out.

The inner walls were also coated with a mix of pepper and clay, which kept the place warm and kept bugs away in winter.

No need for charcoal braziers or stoves whatsoever.

The hall was so warm and cozy that Liu Yun could walk around barefoot on the plush carpet every day, wearing just a thin silk dress.

Just for this, Liu Yun felt marrying into the Eastern Palace was worth it.

In all of Yanjing, besides the Emperor's and Empress Dowager's rooms, only the Eastern Palace had this setup.

The law didn't stop officials or rich merchants from installing such systems, but the construction was so complicated and pricey that most officials couldn't afford it.

Plus, since radiant heating had been used in the imperial palace for ages, it was seen as a royal privilege. If an official had it put in all through their main home, their fancy lifestyle would rival the royals', which made them easy targets for political rivals to accuse them of "living like royalty and overstepping their rank."

It wasn't against the law, but it gave people plenty of ammo to criticize them.

So every bitter winter, everyone in the capital envied the few royal residences in the palace that had radiant heating.

Now Liu Yun got to enjoy it, and she treasured it.

Figuring Xiao Hang would be back soon, Liu Yun timed it just right to warm up the amber wine, and secretly popped a hangover pill beforehand.

She also had a special set of dice ready.

As usual, Xiao Hang came back, took off his dark cloak, washed his hands, and came over to bother her.

Liu Yun was just wrapping up her storybook. Hearing his footsteps, she just glanced up and then went back to scribbling away.

She was almost done, and inspiration was gushing like a fountain, so she was writing like crazy. Already flushed from the toasty bedchamber, her cheeks were bright red.

A shadow fell over her as two big hands landed on either side of the desk, and his broad chest completely boxed her in.

Before he even spoke, that crisp, subtle scent of Xiao Hang hit her.

"What incense are you wearing?"

It smelled great and was so unique—she'd never come across anything like it.

A low chuckle came from right by her ear as Xiao Hang asked, grinning, "You like it or not?"

Liu Yun answered truthfully, "I do like it, so what is it?"

She figured she might try her hand at making scents—sounded way more fun than making rose water.

Not bothering to grab a stool, Xiao Hang just plopped down on the edge of the desk, his cool eyes glancing over the storybook before he explained with a smile, "This one's called Taiqing Fragrance. It's got Champa agarwood as the main note, with white sandalwood, pear, clove bark, plum pulp, and guangmu wood as supporting notes, mixed with plum blossom snow water, and finished off with ambergris to lock in the scent. I made it for fun when I was twelve, liked how it smelled, and just kept using it. Can't believe it's been that long."

Liu Yun's eyes went wide, and she looked up, amazed. "No wonder it smells so crisp and sweet—it's made with plum blossom snow water and pear."

"You're truly remarkable!"

Liu Yun praised sincerely. At twelve, she had only just learned to distill rose water, while Xiao Hang could already craft such a refined and exquisite fragrance.

The young woman's eyes sparkled with undisguised admiration, making Xiao Hang's throat tighten.

Sliding off the desk, Xiao Hang stepped closer and asked again, "Does it smell good?"

Unaware of his intentions, Liu Yun nodded obediently. "Yes, it does."

Xiao Hang curled his lips into a smile and said in a syrupy tone, "If it smells good, then take a good whiff."

Just as Liu Yun was about to say something, Xiao Hang reached out, pressed the back of her neck, and pulled her face against his chest.

Her nose filled with the scent of Taiqing Fragrance, mingled with a unique warmth radiating from Xiao Hang.

Liu Yun's face flushed from the fragrance, and she quickly pushed Xiao Hang away.

"What are you doing, what are you doing!"

Though it wasn't the intimate skin-to-skin closeness of the night, it still made Liu Yun feel shy, especially with several palace maids present, who would surely laugh at her again.

Xiao Hang was thick-skinned and paid no heed to those glances, even giving Liu Yun the impression that he deliberately wanted to be seen.

But Liu Yun had no such inclination—it was too frivolous.

Blushing deeply, she pushed Xiao Hang away, muttering under her breath.

Xiao Hang laughed heartily, knowing his Yunniang was shy, and didn't press further. He merely whispered in her ear, "It's a bit early now; I'll let Yunniang have a good sniff tonight."

Liu Yun was no match for him, her ears turning red as she finally managed to shove him away.

With her emotions stirred, she finished the tail end of her storybook. Staring at the completed tale, Liu Yun was momentarily dazed before carefully gathering the pages and handing them to Jin He.

"Leave this task to you, sister. Try to send it for printing tomorrow. The title..."

"Let it be called 'Exploring Spring Slowly.'"

This was a name Liu Yun had settled on long ago, perfectly suited to her storybook.

Delighted with the title, Liu Yun stretched and said cheerfully to the attendant maid, Xiaoxue, "My shoulders are killing me—come give me a massage."

All that time hunched over a desk was bound to wreck her neck and shoulders, and she was completely wiped from wrapping things up today.

Xiao Xue was about to step forward when the prince stopped her with a wave of his hand.

Xiao Xue just stood there, confused, watching the prince start massaging the lady with his own hands.

At first, Liu Yun had her back turned and didn't realize it was Xiao Hang massaging her—she just figured Xiao Xue had hands like a vise, and the first couple of presses had her yelping.

"Ow, ow, ow! Xiao Xue, go easy! You're gonna crush my shoulders with that grip!"

As soon as she said that, the pressure on her shoulders suddenly eased up, and Liu Yun finally felt comfortable, letting out a soft hum.

"How's that? Your husband's got the touch, huh?"

Just as she was half-dozing with her eyes shut, a familiar voice suddenly whispered right by her ear. Liu Yun's eyes flew open and she whipped her head around, meeting Xiao Hang's smiling gaze.

She then glanced over at Xiao Xue, who was still standing there, with a sheepish, helpless smile.

"Why are you stealing the maid's job? No wonder my shoulders felt like they were caught in a vise at first—it was you all along."

Hearing Yunniang compare him to a vise, Xiao Hang couldn't quite force a laugh, looking a little sheepish as he said, "I did fix it, didn't I? Do you really have to exaggerate like that?"

Liu Yun beamed. "Absolutely."

"Massage here too."

Since he'd volunteered himself, she wasn't about to be polite. She pointed at her neck and started ordering him around.

Hearing this, Xiao Hang chuckled and said, "You really know how to press your luck."

He said that, but his hands were quick to obey, his calloused fingertips grazing the soft skin of her neck, sending shivers of tingling pleasure through her.

Liu Yun instinctively shrank away, which only brought out Xiao Hang's mischievous streak, and he deliberately kept rubbing her neck.

That tingle spread from her neck all the way down her spine, until Liu Yun's breathing went all ragged.

This infuriating man!

At dinner, Xiao Hang broke his usual habit, ditching the seat across from her to squeeze in right next to her.

He said it was just more convenient to sit together.

Really, it was just so he could cop a feel while they ate.

For instance, right now—the second her hand dropped, Xiao Hang's sharp eyes caught it, and he grabbed hold.

Liu Yun gave him a look that said "really?" but didn't make a fuss.

It wasn't until she needed both hands that Liu Yun gave him two ruthless pinches and yanked her hand back with a completely straight face.

They finished the meal all tangled up and lovey-dovey, and Liu Yun hadn't forgotten her real mission. While the servants cleared the table, she motioned for Jin He to bring the warmed amber wine.

Plus the two sets of dice she'd specially rigged.

Once the items were brought over, Xiao Hang cocked his head, looking puzzled.

"What's this for?"

Wine and dice—it couldn't be what he thought it was, could it?

"Hubby, let's have a little fun!"

Once all the palace servants had filed out, Liu Yun poured two cups of warm wine, grabbed the dice cup, and flashed a bright, eager smile.

Xiao Hang could tell at a glance something was fishy—there had to be a catch—but he didn't want to expose it, so he just played along, curious to see where she was going with this. "What kind of fun?"

Seeing Xiao Hang take the bait, Liu Yun's heart did a little flip, and she pressed on. "We roll the dice—whoever rolls the lower number loses and has to drink!"

Xiao Hang listened, then put on a deliberately bored, lazy act. "Sounds boring as hell. Might as well just go to bed for some fun."

That was so blunt it made Liu Yun's face burn, and she nearly lost her composure.

"How can you be so crude? All you ever think about is that—have you no shame?"

Xiao Hang loved watching his wife get all flustered, and said with relish, "A husband and wife coming together, yin and yang in harmony—it's only natural. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Liu Yun couldn't win an argument with him, so to keep her plan on track, she had no choice but to sweet-talk him.

"But I really wanna play this—just for tonight, okay?"

"Heng-ge~"

To get what she wanted, Liu Yun was willing to swallow her pride, her cheeks blazing as she said those words.

Xiao Hang loved hearing her call him that—at night, he'd make her say it dozens of times before he was satisfied.

But she almost never said it during the day, so the second those three words left her mouth, his whole expression changed.

His dark eyes locked on her for a long moment without blinking, before a smile curled across his lips and he agreed.

Liu Yun let out a relieved breath and kicked off the first round.

Her rigged dice worked like a charm—she won the first three rounds straight.

"Drink up!"

Liu Yun urged him on excitedly, eagerly topping off his cup, hoping he'd get wasted fast.

After three cups, Xiao Hang's face didn't change at all—he just figured he was having bad luck.

It wasn't until the fourth round, when his roll still came up lower than Yunniang's, that Xiao Hang's gaze casually swept over both sets of dice, lingering on his own for a beat with a flicker of suspicion.

But he didn't say a word—just obediently downed another cup and kept shaking.

These dice were rigged.

She'd also been careful not to make the tampering too obvious—if Xiao Hang caught on, it'd all be over. So out of his three dice, she'd only switched out one.

That one die only had one, two, and three—no four, five, or six.

That way, Xiao Hang's rolls would almost certainly come up lower than hers.

And since she'd taken a hangover remedy beforehand, the plan was airtight.

Even when she rolled low a few times on her own bad luck and had to drink a few cups, Liu Yun was still pretty clear-headed.

Over on Xiao Hang's side, he'd already knocked back a dozen-plus cups.

The guy seemed addicted—the more he lost, the more fired up he got, playing with even more gusto.

Another dozen or so rounds later, another jar of amber wine came out, and Liu Yun naturally had a few more cups.

She was starting to think her hangover cure was a dud.

Her thoughts were already getting fuzzy, and dizziness and drowsiness were creeping in.

But when she looked at Xiao Hang, his face had barely even flushed, and his gaze remained perfectly clear.

He didn't say a word, just watched her with a smile.

"How—how are you still not drunk? I'm about to pass out."

Her tongue was already tying itself in knots, her words slow and slurred—anyone could tell she was wasted.

If anything, Xiao Hang was the one who looked like he'd popped a hangover pill.

Watching his little wife's unfocused eyes, Xiao Hang couldn't help but chuckle. "Yunniang's drunk."

Hearing that, Liu Yun refused to accept it and shot back, "I'm not drunk! Again!"

There was no way she couldn't get him plastered!

With that, she started another round, and Xiao Hang played along, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Warm wine slid down her throat, and this time Liu Yun was completely gone.

Her body went limp, her thoughts crawled like snails, and she just sat there in a daze, no longer bringing up the dice.

Seeing this, Xiao Hang knew the time was right.

He'd downed over twenty cups himself, but the alcohol had only slightly flushed his face—nowhere near drunk, way better off than Liu Yun.

He casually nudged his three dice, spotted the odd one out, and smiled.

He got up, walked over to sit beside Liu Yun, and lifted the little woman, who had drunk herself into a stupor, onto his lap, then tipped her chin up to press a kiss to her rosy lips before asking curiously, "Why did Yunniang want to get me drunk, huh?"

Even though he knew she'd never hurt him, he still wanted to know what she was scheming.

Dazed and confused by the question, Liu Yun slowly looked up at him, her wine-soaked brain no longer working, and answered obediently, "…If I got you drunk, then when I asked you questions, you'd tell the truth."

Xiao Hang was a bit surprised and continued with a smile, "And what did you want to ask me?"

Liu Yun's expression went blank, and after a long pause, she shook her head helplessly and murmured, "I can't remember. I want to sleep."

Hearing this, Xiao Hang chuckled to himself, thinking she'd wasted her efforts and gotten herself into this state.

"You can sleep, but first, a bath."

Not wanting to argue with a drunk, he carried her into the hot springs.

They stripped off their clothes and stepped into the pool together, thick steam swirling but unable to hide the bare allure on display.

At first, Xiao Hang bathed his wife properly, scooping handfuls of water over her snow-gleaming skin, but as he rubbed, his hands slipped beneath the surface, stirring ripple after tiny ripple…

Liu Yun, already drowsy from the wine, furrowed her brows at the right moment, letting out soft whimpers.

Then the ripples grew from small to large, accompanied by the sound of splashing water, pressing wave after wave against the pool's edge, the water churning fiercely.

Amid ragged breaths, the girl's sobs grew more and more pronounced.

Under the veil of mist, the spring's splendor went unseen by any.

Author's note:

Update.

Dreading work again tomorrow—such a pain.