Mei Niang picked up the wine glass and thought for a long time. In the end, she didn't dare to come over from Xu Junying's side. She toasted Zhang Jingyun first:
"Mr. Zhang, right? My surname is Cen, and I am taking care of Xiankelai on your brother's orders. I hope you will come to our shop more often in the future. Today, I would like to offer you a drink. Please!"
Zhang Jingyun said: "Master Cen... you are too polite, please!"
After a drink, he went to Lingxuzi, who raised his glass and said with a smile: "Young Master, you are so young, but you manage such a big restaurant by yourself. It's really admirable! Xia toasts to you, Young Master, please feel free to do as you please!"
Mei Niang was used to calling him Lingxuzi, but when she heard him calling himself Xia, she couldn't help but laugh: "Mr. Xia, please!"
The King of Qi couldn't bear to see her smile so brightly, so he stood up and took her wine glass: "Alright! Just drink two glasses, otherwise you will get drunk and your eyes will be dazzled when you look at the account book!"
Mei Niang was overjoyed and pretended to be embarrassed: "There is also Weiyuan Hou..."
Xu Junying of the Qi Dynasty raised his glass: "I will drink a glass with Weiyuan Hou, as a toast to him on your behalf!"
Xu Junying drank the wine in his glass, refilled it, raised his glass and said to Mei Niang: "I have met Miss Cen more than once! We should have a drink together!"
Mei Niang never looked at him. Once her eyes touched his face, she quickly looked away. The King of Qi said, "Marquis Weiyuan often comes to this restaurant to eat and drink. You must have seen her before. Since you know her identity and that she is not good at drinking, why force her? I will drink with Marquis Weiyuan. Come on! How many cups? How about three cups in a row?"
Xu Junying looked at Mei Niang with sharp eyes: "I will drink with the Sixth Prince later, this cup is only for Miss Cen!"
Mei Niang sighed in her heart: It's over! Xu Junying might have recognized me, I'm doomed this time!
If you walk by the river, you will get your feet wet. The proverb is not made up! No matter how much I planned, I could not have expected that I would meet Xu Junying again! Still in Xiankelai, he even ate and drank with the King of Qi!
Damn the King of Qi! He is simply her nemesis. Will she die if she waits in the Suochun Courtyard? He comes here to drink in broad daylight! He is a murderer!
Mei Niang wanted to bite him. Why did he look so smart like a fox? He would recognize her even if she was wearing makeup. And Xu Junying, the dull country boy, kept bumping into him. It was his turn to recognize her after queuing up.
Well, if that’s the case, then let’s do it this way. A dead pig is not afraid of boiling water. I’ll take it one step at a time!
Mei Niang suppressed her heart that was beating like a little bird, and pretended to be calm. She smiled at Zhang Jingyun and Lingxuzi very quickly, picked up the wine glass and said to Xu Junying: "I toast to Weiyuan Hou! Last time I met a bad guy on the street, it was all thanks to Weiyuan Hou's help - I'll drink first as a toast, Weiyuan Hou please!"
After saying this, she stopped pretending to cover her face and drank the whole cup. Instead, she choked and kept coughing with her head down. Lin Runan hurriedly pulled her to sit down and patted her on the back. The King of Qi quickly moved a set of bowls and chopsticks over:
"You can't drink, so why are you trying to be so stubborn? The bowl and chopsticks are clean, just eat some food, just eat some food!"
Mei Niang waved her hand and whispered into Lin Runan's ear: "Hold Xu..."
Then he couldn't help coughing violently, quickly took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth, stood up and ran away.
The King of Qi pointed at her and said, "Hey, Cen Meimei..."
Lin Runan said: "Once she chokes, it will be hard for her to recover. Let her go and come back later. Let's drink some wine!"
Xu Junying put down the cup, turned around and walked out of his seat: "I have something else to do, so I won't accompany you any longer, you guys drink slowly!"
Lin Runan smiled and said, "Marquis Weiyuan is not giving face to His Highness. His Highness said that he wanted to have a few drinks with Marquis Weiyuan!"
Zhang Jingyun also said: "Brother Xu, why are you in such a hurry? Your comrades over there haven't even said hello yet!"
Xu Junying was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses: Today, after leaving the court, he happened to meet a subordinate who came back to Beijing from the border to visit his relatives. He wanted to host a banquet for Xiankelai. After three rounds of wine, the King of Qi came with Zhang Jingyun and Lingxuzi. He came over to say a few words to entertain them, but who knew...
The King of Qi said, "Marquis Weiyuan, don't even think about leaving until you've had three cups! Tell me, when did you run into Cen Meimei on the street? Did anyone dare to bully her? Which bad boy did it?"
Xu Junying glanced at Zhang Jingyun and said, "It was a long time ago. I was a little rascal. I didn't do anything to her, but she whipped me instead!"
The King of Qi laughed and said, "She is not easy to mess with. If she had a little more strength, four or five guards would not be able to do anything to her for a while!"
Xu Junying looked at Prince Qi in confusion: "When did the Sixth Prince recognize this Young Master?"
The King of Qi raised his eyebrows: "I met her... It's a long story. She just appeared in the snow!"
He looked at Zhang Jingyun: "He sent me back to Yunshan Villa that day, and you also saw him, remember?"
Zhang Jingyun hesitated for a moment: "Is it her? I don't think it's her!"
The King of Qi laughed: "Haha! You too..."
At this time, Lin Runan suddenly pointed at the stage downstairs and said, "They are here!"
The King of Qi said, "They are here, so what's so strange about that? Go, give them a reward and let them sing the song that Cen Meimei taught them!"
Lin Runan didn't move: "I don't have any money!"
The King of Qi had no choice but to tell his attendants, "Find Li Qiuge and have him sing the 'Farewell Poem'!"
Lin Runan said: "It's better to sing 'Drunk'!"
The King of Qi bulged his eyes and said, "Just sing the 'Farewell Poem'!"
Lin Runan remained silent and lowered her eyes to show her submission. The King of Qi became happy again. Noticing that Xu Junying was looking at Lin Runan, he smiled and said, "Marquis Weiyuan, you don't know this person, do you? Let me introduce you: Miss Lin, born in the capital, raised in Jiangnan, wandered in Lingnan, and now returned to the capital..."
Lin Runan looked at him: "Your Highness Prince Qi, I don't remember telling you this!"
"Of course you won't tell me, so naturally someone will tell me."
He pinched his chin and took a breath. "It's just strange. I asked them to check Cen Meimei for me, but how come they found out so much about you instead? Cen Meimei's cousin's ancestral home is in Liuzhou, so she is also from Liuzhou. How come she is so close to you who grew up in Jiangning?"
Lin Runan showed a slightly mocking expression: "Let me tell Your Highness: Liuzhou is in the Lingnan area. Cen Meimei came to the capital first, and then called me over!"
The King of Qi looked at her and said, "Nonsense! You are obviously..."
He stopped talking and picked up the wine glass, smiling and said to Xu Junying: "This Miss Lin has some background, but she is a bit rude and arrogant, far inferior to your little cousin, right? Weiyuan Hou, just take a look! I toast to Weiyuan Hou and congratulate you first!"
Xu Junying looked at him and said calmly, "Your Highness the Sixth Prince is joking. Where does your happiness come from?"
The King of Qi drank the wine and played with the cup: "I heard that the first wife of Marquis Weiyuan was as beautiful as a fairy, but she was a sickly woman. She died and came back to life again and again, causing unrest in the whole family... Madam Xu went to the palace a few days ago and asked the Queen Mother to grant her another marriage. She married her childhood sweetheart, my cousin. This cousin is 'virtuous, gentle, graceful and pleasant'. Marquis Weiyuan is very lucky, with a beautiful wife and a virtuous concubine - no! He asked for a co-wife. Does he want to be granted another imperial decree in the future? Haha! Marquis Weiyuan has been pacifying the border for many years and has made outstanding military achievements. I think it's not a bad idea!"
After these words, the table fell silent, with only the melodious music. Li Qiu had already sung half of his farewell poem. The King of Qi put down his wine glass and looked downstairs:
"What happened? I haven't even listened carefully yet and the song is over?"
Lin Runan bowed to Xu Junying and said, "Congratulations, Marquis Weiyuan! New people are always like jade, while old people are like rotten cotton. It's unsightly to keep them in the mansion, so it's better to get rid of them!"
The King of Qi looked at Lin Runan and said, "What do you know? The old woman was married to him by the Emperor. How can I divorce her? Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. I can only divorce you if the emperor grants my permission."
Lin Runan looked at Xu Junying: "How difficult is that? Weiyuan Hou is a meritorious official, and the emperor has great favor..."
Xu Junying and Lin Runan looked at each other: "I remember now, I have met Miss Lin before!"
Lin Runan sneered: "Is Weiyuan Hou right?"
The King of Qi pointed at Xu Junying and said, "You are drunk! How come everyone has seen you? I have heard that you can't drink much, but I didn't expect you to be confused after just a few glasses!"
Xu Junying remained silent. Zhang Jingyun suddenly stood up and bowed to the King of Qi: "Your Highness, I have something urgent to do. I'll leave first!"
The King of Qi waved his hand and said, "Master Zhang, go and do what you want!"
Zhang Jingyun bowed to everyone again, then quickly went downstairs and left.
Xu Junying also stood up to say goodbye, and Lingxuzi followed him: "I'll take you there!"
Xu Junying smiled bitterly: "Do you really think I'm drunk? I still need to go over there and talk to the brothers... No need to send me off, I'll meet you guys for tea another day!"
The two men bowed to each other and then walked away.
When the King of Qi saw that everyone had left and Mei Niang had not returned, he said to Lin Runan, "Go and see why she hasn't come yet?"
Lin Runan asked knowingly, "Who are you looking at? Didn't they all say goodbye and leave?"
The King of Qi glared at her again: "I want to see Cen Meimei! Bring her back to me!"
Suddenly, Lu Xiangfeng came hurriedly and bowed to the King of Qi and said, "Your Highness, our young master suddenly had an old illness for some unknown reason. He kept coughing and wheezing and has been sent home!"
The King of Qi was stunned for a moment, and asked Lin Runan: "Does she have an old illness? What medicine is she taking?"
Lin Runan said: "She has had this disease since she was a child. There are pills at home. She takes a few pills when it attacks, lies down and rests for two days, and it will be fine. It's not a big deal!"
The King of Qi looked around and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Mr. Zhang and Lingxuzi are gone. Otherwise, I will have someone go find them and bring them back. I have to take her pulse carefully. The root cause of the disease must be cured as soon as possible!"
Lin Runan said, "Forget it. She has gone back to rest. She doesn't want to be bothered when she is resting. Let's wait until tomorrow when she is better and let Master Zhang and the others take a look at her!"
Lu Xiangfeng also said, "Young Master asked me to pass on a message: She can't watch His Royal Highness beat the drum today. She will be waiting for His Royal Highness Prince Qi at Cen's residence tomorrow afternoon!"
The King of Qi looked dejected, lowered his eyes, and waved his hand helplessly: "All of you go down!"
Lin Runan looked at him, turned around and followed Lu Xiangfeng, trying to walk as lightly as possible. After taking two steps, he was stopped by the King of Qi. The King of Qi pointed to the private room on the right without even turning his head:
"If you dare to say anything unpleasant to her, you will regret it!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)