Chapter 10: Sobering Up

Chapter 10: Sobering Up

Candlelight flickered.

A figure as elegant as bamboo stood quietly in the candlelight, detached and aloof, when the tranquil atmosphere was suddenly broken by a somewhat impatient voice.

"You're certainly patient!"

The young man's handsome brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he finally set down the book in his hand.

Yan Qiushui strode quickly to the table and sat down, causing the candle flame to flicker.

"Father."

The newcomer was none other than the young man's biological father, and the only secondary consort in the Minister's residence.

But now his face was dark with anger.

"What's the matter, Father?"

Yan Qiushui shot his son a glare before snapping:

"What do you think? It's all because of that bastard."

"Have you heard about what happened at the Drunken Capital Pavilion last night?"

"I've heard a little."

The young man's expression remained calm, a stark contrast to Yan Qiushui's agitation.

"I just heard that your father returned from the morning audience in a fury today. He wanted to give that bastard a good thrashing, but the brat brought up the Duke Zhenguo's household, and your father couldn't bring himself to hit him again."

"Zhu'er, is this matter already settled?"

Yan Qiushui's eyes betrayed obvious jealousy and confusion.

Shen Yuzhu merely furrowed his brows slightly.

"As things stand, it seems so."

"Why! Why that bastard?"

"He's nothing but a disgraced wretch, trash no one in the capital would touch!"

Yan Qiushui couldn't understand it.

That was the Duke Zhenguo's most beloved grandson, whose father was the Marquis Zhongyong—a man of unparalleled beauty and boundless prospects.

Which eligible young man or maiden in the entire capital wouldn't dream of marrying him?

He'd heard that even several princely mansions and certain figures in the palace had set their sights on him early on. How could that bastard possibly get such a match?

His Zhu'er was a hundred times, a thousand times better than that bastard—how could such good fortune not be his?

Shen Yuzhu's cool gaze finally took on a hint of gloom, though his expression remained composed.

"Father, please calm down."

"I can't be calm."

"Zhu'er, didn't you say this marriage couldn't come to pass?"

When the betrothal was first announced, Yan Qiushui had been shocked to the core.

But Shen Yuzhu had calmly analyzed the political situation at court behind the betrothal, and had told him confidently that the matter absolutely could not succeed.

And he'd been right. Yan Qiushui came to see his son in a new light.

Who could have predicted this turn of events?

Shen Yuzhu hadn't expected Wang Weisheng to stick his nose in either.

The incident at the Drunken Capital Pavilion had likely caught everyone off guard—including him.

However, not all hope was lost.

After all, there were plenty of people who wanted to see Shen Yichen fail.

So after a moment's thought, Shen Yuzhu reassured him:

"Father, don't fret. Just wait and see."

The marriage between the Duke Zhenguo's household and the Minister's household was no simple match between two people. Behind it lay a web of court politics, complex and deeply intertwined.

With the princes' rivalry becoming more intense by the day, and with the Duke Zhenguo holding command of hundreds of thousands of troops, this marriage was far from simple.

Moreover, there was one person right here in this household who most wished to see Shen Yichen fail.

If anyone should be anxious, it would be him.

So all they needed to do was watch and wait, then let them fight it out.

Sure enough, at that very moment, the scene Shen Yuzhu had predicted was unfolding elsewhere in the Minister's residence.

"Father! How can that bastard Shen Yichen marry into the Duke's residence! How can he marry Cheng Er! I won't allow it!"

A voice dripping with jealousy and spite—who else could it be but Shen Qinglan?

Before him sat a resplendently dressed man, his demeanor composed.

Thanks to his meticulous grooming, his face showed not a single wrinkle, still striking to behold.

Yet the darkness and malice in his eyes made him rather unsettling to look at.

He was the highest-ranking person in the Minister's residence—the Lord of the household, Wang Shuci.

"Anyone but him! Why does it have to be him? Does he deserve this? He should marry the worst, most repulsive person in the world, and wallow in the mud his whole life, like a rat in a gutter!"

Shen Qinglan's delicate, still somewhat childish face was twisted and hideous with fierce jealousy.

"Qinglan, that's enough!"

Wang Shuci's gaze turned cold as he finally silenced Shen Qinglan's thoughtless outburst.

"Who taught you to talk like that? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"

"Father!"

"Look at yourself—you don't look like the legitimate young master of the Minister's residence at all."

His eyes were stern, but the look beneath them was indulgent.

Shen Qinglan hunched his shoulders, before finally pouting and muttering:

"Father, I was wrong, but..."

"Enough," Wang Shuci cut him off, "what's there to panic about?"

Seeing how calm his father was, Shen Qinglan's eyes lit up.

"Father, do you already have a plan?"

Wang Shuci chuckled and shot him a glance, a flicker of malice darkening his eyes.

"Naturally."

Not that he'd ever let that little bastard off easy—the old master of the Wang family, already furious, had sent word over.

So what if the marriage went through?

Nobody was getting off easy—everyone would pay a price.

"Father, you're wonderful."

Shen Qinglan couldn't see the ruthless scheming in his father's eyes, only thinking his father was as capable and dependable as ever.

Meanwhile, Xie Yulin was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep a wink.

Ever since he'd parted ways with Cheng Yi that day, he'd been restless for no reason he could name.

He couldn't figure out why Cheng Yi had suddenly changed so drastically, especially since they'd kept writing to each other the whole year he was away.

He was sure that before this, the man's feelings for him had been clear and steady; after a year apart, he should've only loved him more, cherished him more.

Yet that day, out of nowhere, he'd drawn a clear line between them. Xie Yulin had turned it over in his mind countless times and still couldn't make sense of it.

He was confident in Cheng Yi's feelings, but he also understood the scheming and complications behind this imperial match.

But he never expected Cheng Yi to react like that.

He couldn't figure out where the problem was, but thankfully there was still a chance—even without him, the marriage wouldn't happen.

He just had to wait for the right moment; sooner or later, he'd get to the bottom of it and win the man back.

But the incident at Zuijing Tower had shattered his plans again and left him even more uneasy.

It felt like something was slipping out of his control, but where exactly was the problem?

...........

Setting aside all those kept up by Cheng Yi's antics, let's talk about Wen Wanning at the Marquis Zhongyong's residence—she was truly beside herself today.

Ever since Cheng Yi had been carried back unconscious in the middle of the night, she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

The Old Duke had always been strict with the younger generation of the Cheng family, so even the mischievous, rebellious Cheng Yi had never been this dead drunk before.

Not only that—when Cheng Yi was brought back, he was soaked to the bone, looking a complete mess.

Wen Wanning was scared half to death.

Once she learned what had happened, she was consumed with worry—when would he wake up, was he in pain...

She had no time to think about anything else.

So it wasn't until the sun was high the next day that word of the Zuijing Tower bet, which had spread all over the capital, finally reached her—and by then, Cheng Yi, the man at the center of it all, still hadn't woken from his hangover.

Wen Wanning's brow furrowed with worry.

The day before, the boy had been dead set on marrying that young master of the Shen family.

She'd figured the lad had finally come to his senses, so she'd prepared the betrothal gifts with the utmost sincerity.

But word outside was that Cheng Yi wasn't sincere at all—he'd only agreed because he lost a bet, and that scoundrel from the Wang family had taken advantage of him while he was vulnerable, leading to this mess.

She had no idea what to do.

To make matters worse, Lang'er wasn't around, so she had no one to talk it over with.

"You child," Wen Wanning couldn't help poking her youngest son's forehead, "you've never been anything but trouble since you were little."

Only when he was asleep did he look this well-behaved.

She'd kept watch half the night and come back at dawn to sit by his side again.

Gazing at her youngest son's sleeping face, she thought he was the most handsome young man in the world—she could never look at him enough.

Wen Wanning's gaze unconsciously softened with love.

Suddenly, Cheng Yi's long lashes trembled, then slowly fluttered open like a delicate fan.

Wen Wanning found herself staring into a pair of dark, deep eyes.

His black pupils were like an unfathomable pool, radiating a bone-chilling coldness that startled her.

But when she looked again, there wasn't a trace of coldness in Cheng Yi's eyes—just a sleepy, dazed confusion.

She must've imagined it.

Wen Wanning hurriedly leaned in.

"How are you feeling? Still uncomfortable? Head hurt? Feeling nauseous? Hungry?"

Wen Wanning fired off question after question, but Cheng Yi just rubbed his temples, his head throbbing and foggy.

Fuzi quickly helped him sit up, and after a lot of effort, he finally managed to clear his head a bit.

Wen Wanning was both worried and couldn't help scolding, "Don't drink like that again in the future."

Drinking caused trouble, sure, but it also made him feel miserable.

Cheng Yi grinned at her. "I know, Mom."

Seeing how pale he looked, Wen Wanning didn't dare bring up the embarrassing business of him falling into the lotus pond during the bet last night, but hesitantly brought up the betrothal.

"So, should Mother still go to the Minister's residence to propose?"

"Yes, of course."

Cheng Yi's tone was resolute.

"Not only that, Mother, you must make a big show of it."

Wen Wanning's heart skipped a beat, so it really was because of last night's shock?

Since it was an imperial betrothal, it saved a lot of hassle, but they still had to go through the basic formalities.

Though called a betrothal visit, it was essentially discussing the marriage arrangements—things like betrothal gifts and wedding dates—but the betrothal gifts were still a must, and both sides had to exchange tokens of engagement.

Wen Wanning hadn't expected that Cheng Yi, after looking at the gift list she had drafted, would give her such a response.

"Too much, and too valuable."

"Huh?"

"Keep just a tenth or two," Cheng Yi said, casually pointing at the cheapest items on the list. "These are enough."

These were the essential items for a betrothal ceremony, the most common kind, affordable even by the most ordinary families.

Wen Wanning was completely floored.

The prestigious Marquis Zhongyong household, backed by the Duke Zhenguo household—wouldn't people laugh at them for showing up with gifts like that?

"Yi'er, this... isn't this a bit too stingy?"

If we show up like this, won't they just kick us out?

But Cheng Yi said with a smile:

"Mother, the emperor's betrothal decree is already a huge honor. Even if you didn't go or bring any gifts, your son would still get to marry Young Master Shen."

That kind of made sense, but... was it really okay?

Wen Wanning stared at her son in growing disbelief.

Was her son really that stingy and shameless?

Marrying a principal husband and expecting to get him for free?

Cheng Yi saw his mother's increasingly weird look and found it funny, but he didn't explain.

"I've already got the betrothal token ready, Mother, no need to worry. When the time comes, just walk in with your head held high. You don't need to show any respect to the Lord of the Rites Ministry's household. You're the lady of the marquis's household, the matriarch, and this is an imperial marriage—you showing up in person is already more honor than they deserve."

Wen Wanning became even more hesitant.

"Wouldn't that be way too rude?"

"No."

Cheng Yi said with a straight face, but inside he thought rudeness was exactly what he was going for.

He figured Young Master Shen probably wouldn't mind.

Wen Wanning suddenly felt guilty about going, afraid she'd get chased out with a scolding.

"Don't worry, Mother, I'll accompany you. When the time comes, just follow my cues."

Wen Wanning's eyes went wide at that.

"You're coming too?"

"Naturally."

Wen Wanning was stunned!

Was this a betrothal visit or a declaration of war?

==========Author's Note:==========

Wen Wanning: I didn't know you were this kind of person