Chen Jingzong left, but the smell of alcohol he left behind could not be dissipated for a short time.
Huayang called Chaoyun and Chaoyue in. After hanging up the curtain, the two maids each took a round fan and fanned the room frequently. She sat on a chair beside them wrapped in a quilt.
After fanning a cup of tea, Chao Yun sniffed it and said with a smile, "It seems to have no smell. Would you like to smell it?"
Huayang came closer wrapped in a quilt and felt that there was indeed no smell, so he lay back on the couch comfortably.
Still a little sleepy, she closed her eyes and told the two girls: "Remember to bring a pot of sobering tea to the prince consort. Don't let him in until he rinses his mouth ten times."
Chaoyun looked at Chaoyue and said, "Princess, it seems that the prince consort has gone to Liuyun Palace. Should we send the sobering tea over there?"
Huayang was startled: "He's gone?"
Chao Yue nodded: "Just leave your room and go."
Huayang was a little surprised. She had let Chen Jingzong sleep in Liuyun Palace before, but he insisted on sticking to her like a dog-skin plaster. Just now she just urged him to take a shower. Could it be that he was still angry
In their previous life, the couple often quarreled with each other. Either Chen Jingzong made her so angry that she couldn't eat, or she made Chen Jingzong so angry that his face turned black. Since their rebirth, the two of them had at most bickered with each other, and it seemed that they had never really quarreled.
The maids left. Huayang pondered over Chen Jingzong's unusual behavior and became more and more awake the longer he lay there.
Having said that, emperors have to be bullied by court officials occasionally. Chen Jingzong went to a drinking party today, and he didn't know whether those local bullies from Lingzhouwei took advantage of his youth. They asked singing girls to sing songs to please him, but Chen Jingzong coldly refused, openly refusing to give those people face. Those people were angry and might deliberately force him to drink.
Huayang suddenly remembered his father-in-law's grandfather who was said to have died of drunkenness after being forced to drink too much alcohol by the King of Xiang.
Alcohol has always been a nuisance. I really don't understand why men have to drink a few bottles of wine when they have a banquet. And the more they drink, the more capable they seem!
Being in a bad mood, Huayang asked the maids to come in and help her change her clothes. After she was dressed, she went to Liuyun Palace.
In Liuyun Palace, except Fugui, an old servant of the Chen family brought by Chen Jingzong, the remaining four were all young eunuchs brought by Wu Run from the princess's mansion.
At noon, when Chen Jingzong was having a feast, Fugui was pulled over by the servants of Xiang Baoshan and others to sit at the same table. After eating and drinking, Fugui was already six or seven parts drunk. The master went into the upper room to rest, and Fugui also went to his servant's room. He did not expect the princess to come at all.
The eunuch guarding the gate respectfully welcomed the princess in.
Huayang asked, "Where is the prince consort?"
The young eunuch said, "Princess, the prince consort is taking a nap in the room. Do you want me to wake him up?"
Huayang: “No need.”
After saying that, she asked Chaoyun to stay outside and went into the upper room alone.
When he stepped into the inner room, he smelled alcohol. Huayang covered his nose with a handkerchief and walked to the bed. He saw Chen Jingzong lying on his back with his arms stretched out in an indecent posture. When they met in Qifeng Hall before, he seemed fine, but now he was drunk and his handsome face was flushed, as if he had been drugged.
The smell of alcohol was the strongest between the beds, and Huayang couldn't stand it anymore. After making sure that Chen Jingzong was still breathing, she quickly retreated.
Huayang called a young eunuch and ordered, "Go and wait on the Prince Consort's bed. If he feels unwell, please call the Imperial Physician Liu immediately."
This time when Wu Run came, he brought almost all the elite troops from the Princess's Mansion in the capital.
The young eunuch agreed obediently.
Huayang couldn't help much by staying here, so he returned to Qifeng Palace.
Chen Jingzong slept until dusk, and went to the bathroom twice in a daze to flush the toilet.
When I was completely sober, I just felt dry mouth and tight forehead, which are all symptoms of being drunk.
Chen Jingzong rubbed his forehead, glanced at Fugui and the eunuch who seemed to be named Zhang Dou who were waiting outside the bed, and said in a hoarse voice: "Give me a bowl of water."
Fugui and Zhang Dou exclaimed as if they were scrambling to get the teapot, and then rushed to the table. In the end, Fugui, whose legs were not nimble enough due to a year of idleness, was successfully snatched away by Zhang Dou.
"Slow down, Prince Consort. I will help you up."
Zhang Dou held the teapot steadily in one hand and supported Chen Jingzong's back with the other.
Chen Jingzong stared at him suspiciously. He had also been in Liuyun Palace for more than an hour in the morning, but why didn't he see Zhang Dou being so attentive
He took the teapot and gulped down a few big gulps.
Zhang Dou watched with a smile.
Fugui gritted his teeth in anger and said to him, "Okay, there's nothing for you to do here, get out."
Zhang Dou bowed and said to Chen Jingzong, "My dear husband, the princess came to see you and saw that you were sleeping soundly. She specifically ordered me to stay by your bedside, fearing that you might get drunk and feel uncomfortable."
Fugui was surprised. How come he didn’t know that the princess had been here
Chen Jingzong was also surprised. He asked Zhang Dou in detail about the circumstances of her coming here, but he still couldn't figure out why she came.
Pulling his clothes and sniffing, Chen Jingzong said, "Prepare some water. I want to take a bath."
Zhang Dou: "Yes, I will arrange it right away."
He left with some joy. Fugui glared at him fiercely for a few times, then moved closer to his master and said in a low voice, "Master, look at him. I have been with you since I was five years old and have served you for more than ten years. He actually wants to compete with me to be the most popular person around you."
Chen Jingzong: "Are you stupid? You want to follow me to work outside. There must be a leader among the four eunuchs in Liuyun Palace. He is vying for the title of the chief eunuch of Liuyun Palace. Why, do you also want to be the chief eunuch?"
Fugui took a deep breath and bent over to cover his crotch.
Chen Jingzong thought he was a loser. The servants around his eldest and third brothers all looked like capable men, but why was it that the servant around himself was so dishonest? It was obvious that the old man was biased when he was choosing candidates for the brothers and only gave the ugly ones to him.
After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, Chen Jingzong squatted in the yard and brushed his teeth three times to make sure there was no smell of alcohol in his mouth. Then he left Fugui and the four young eunuchs and went to the Qifeng Palace alone.
Huayang was sitting on the couch in the second room. She heard some noise in the yard. She tilted her head and looked through the mirror-like glazed window to see Chen Jingzong walking in majestically in a round-necked brocade robe with a maroon background and embroidered kirin.
Chen Jingzong was a military officer. He had a fair complexion and his face and neck were tanned to a light tan. However, against the backdrop of the maroon robe, he actually looked handsome.
He had just taken off his mourning clothes and had no time to make new robes. The two sets he wore today were obviously prepared for him by Wu Run in advance, and there might be more in his closet.
Wu Run is very careful in doing things, even more careful than her wet nurse when she was a child.
While she was thinking, Chen Jingzong lifted the curtain and came in, his eyes falling directly on her.
Huayang said sarcastically, "Your Highness slept so soundly."
Huayang felt uncomfortable with his frivolous eyes. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Even though they had been married for so long, every time he saw her, he was like a hungry wolf seeing a rabbit, as if he could carry her into the inner room at any time.
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask about your dinner."
Chen Jingzong: "Didn't I tell you, I didn't even look at that woman and sent her away early."
Huayang: "Who cares about that? I mean how Xiang Baoshan and the others treated you. You smelled so much of alcohol, did they force you to drink?"
Seeing that she wanted to talk for a long time, Chen Jingzong sat on the edge of the couch and said with some contempt: "The wine of Zuixianju is really good. I like to drink it. I drank it all in one go when they toasted me. If the wine is bad or I don't want to drink it, it's useless for them to force me to drink it."
Hua Yang frowned and said, "Drinking is harmful to your health. No matter how delicious the drink is, you can't drink too much. You look drunk and have slept for the whole afternoon. You don't have to work today, otherwise you will miss the important work."
Chen Jingzong retorted: "Am I the kind of person who has no sense of propriety? If I were on duty, I wouldn't drink as much as I wanted."
Huayang just stared at him.
Chen Jingzong was puzzled and said, "Why are you angry? I didn't sleep next to you. I knew that you, a fairy, couldn't stand the filth of the world, so I went to Liuyun Palace on purpose."
Huayang: "You said it as if I chased you away. I just asked you to take a bath."
Chen Jingzong: "I'm too sleepy to wash."
If he wanted to make it clean enough for her to accept, it would take at least half an hour, and he didn't have the patience.
Huayang: …
If she had known that he was suffering from slovenliness, why would she have thought so much
"Please bring me the food. I'm hungry." Chen Jingzong said outside.
The maids will help to arrange it.
While eating, Chen Jingzong also inquired about the progress of Huayang's hospitality.
Huayang said: "I asked them to come the day after tomorrow, and I also sent an invitation to my sister-in-law."
No one is born with the ability to handle people well. Even noble ladies and princesses have to receive training in various etiquettes since childhood. During this year when she was in Lingzhou, she brought Yu Xiu with her whenever she had any social events. Unless Yu Xiu was a blockhead, she would definitely be able to get some ideas.
Chen Jingzong said quietly, "I've discovered that you treat everyone in our family better than you treat me."
Huayang smiled: "Who makes you the most unpopular person?"
Chen Jingzong didn't say anything. After dinner, he went to the inner room and found that she didn't take a bath. So he asked Chao Yunduan to get warm water and he took a bath himself.
Huayang was sitting in the side room, and her heart didn't start beating fast until Chaoyun passed by her carrying a white-glazed and powder-colored lotus basin specially used for this purpose.
When it was time to rest, it wasn't soft enough.
Huayang gloated: "What a waste of time."
Chen Jingzong changed the water to warm again and gave her an ambiguous look.
Huayang just fell asleep peacefully.
It was pitch black all around. After an unknown amount of time, Chen Jingzong suddenly appeared.
Her thick sleepiness, as solid as a city wall, was gnawed away bit by bit by him and crushed into pieces.
.
In the early morning, Chen Jingzong glanced at the princess who was still sleeping soundly beside him. He gently brushed his fingertips with thin calluses across her white and rosy face, which was softer than petals. Then he stood up and walked away from the bed with light steps.
Knowing that he was going to the guard post today, the kitchen prepared breakfast in advance.
Chen Jingzong ate alone, rinsed his mouth, and set off immediately.
The horses had already been prepared outside Ning Garden. Fugui yawned, and when he saw his master, he immediately straightened his back.
Chen Jingzong was in a good mood and didn't bother to scold him, so he mounted his horse and rode away.
Lingzhou Guard was located ten miles north of the city. When Chen Jingzong arrived, Xiang Baoshan and others were already waiting outside the gate of the guard camp. It was obvious that they respected him very much.
Since they insisted on being polite, Chen Jingzong accepted it all. He casually looked at the soldiers passing by, and followed Xiang Baoshan, Wang Feihu and Lin Yan to the officers' barracks.
The soldiers in the garrison all lived in a large dormitory, and only the officers lived in a separate courtyard.
The front of the yard is where official business is handled, and the back is where people live.
Xiang Baoshan gave his room to Chen Jingzong and replaced the bed with a new one.
Chen Jingzong did not show any modesty. He walked around inside and came out to see two maids in green clothes carrying tea towards them. Their clothes and appearance were just like those of maids, but their faces were white and clean, and it was obvious that they were not bought to be ordinary maids.
"The barracks cannot support women. Give them this month's salary and send them away."
Chen Jingzong said with a straight face.
Wang Feihu winked at Lin Yan. He had already said that the prince consort did not seem to be a lustful person, but Lin Yan still insisted on testing him again. Was he going to hit his head against a wall
Lin Yan pursed his lips.
Xiang Baoshan smiled and sent the two maids away, asking Wang and Lin to go on their errands first. He invited Chen Jingzong back to the house and talked to him alone.
"My dear Prince Consort, we were not able to entertain you well at yesterday's banquet. This is a small token of our appreciation from the four of us. I hope you will accept it."
Chen Jingzong looked at the red envelope that Xiang Baoshan handed over with both hands and asked indifferently: "What's it?"
Xiang Baoshan: "A little bit of my heart, a little bit of my heart."
After saying this, he said goodbye and left, fearing that Chen Jingzong might not be willing to accept it.
Chen Jingzong opened the envelope and found four silver notes with a face value of 100 taels each inside.
(End of this chapter)