Mingyu smiled, her eyes sneered, "You don't know, actually. You can only show off in front of me and Miss Sima. A full bottle doesn't make a sound, but a half-full bottle makes a big noise."
Xu Mingrui's pretty face flushed red, and she glared at Mingyu angrily, her hands clenched into fists. Seeing Sima Lian looking at her in confusion, and then looking at Mingyu, Xu Mingrui didn't want to quarrel with Mingyu at the banquet and affect her image. After a long while, she managed to say, "You are not a child anymore, be sensible and don't act like a spoiled brat all the time."
Mingyu turned her head slightly, not looking at Xu Mingrui. Xu Mingrui seemed to be afraid of something and did not dare to tell her too much about the Qin Junwang. The dishes had been served one by one. The cold and hot dishes filled the table in front of Mingyu, and fruit wine was placed on the table of the female guests. The banquet dishes were mainly exquisite, not as luxurious as Mingyu imagined.
When the dishes were almost served, a man in a bright red silk shirt staggered out of the banquet hall. He was about twenty years old and seemed to have drunk some wine. His fair face was flushed. When he appeared, everyone fell silent and stared at him.
But he didn't feel awkward at all. He walked to the male guest seat with a smile, swaying with three steps. He bowed to a middle-aged man in his forties sitting beside him in the host seat and said with a smile: "Father, I'm late. Don't blame me, don't blame me!" This young man had a delicate and good-looking face, but he was not serious.
The father of the Red Silk Man smiled a little stiffly. He glanced at the female guest seat and scolded, "The princess and other distinguished guests are here today. Don't be rude! Go away quickly."
At this time, many people were already laughing and talking. Mingyu also heard a few low laughs from the neighboring table. The somewhat unruly drunken young man was Gao Mang, the only beloved son of Minister Gao. He was quite useless and a typical playboy.
Gao Mang was only slightly drunk, but still conscious. Seeing that his father was unhappy, he quickly excused himself and bowed to the female guest to apologize. He staggered and made a fool of himself. The female guests' laughter became louder. Many girls covered their faces with silk fans or handkerchiefs, and their beautiful eyes were full of smiles.
A young daughter-in-law sitting next to Miss Gao Er did not smile. Her face was blushing and her head was lowered.
Seeing Mingyu looking at the young wife at the main table, Xu Mingrui, in order to save face in front of Mingyu, whispered to Mingyu in a rather smug manner, "That's the great grandmother of the Gao family."
Mingyu smiled leisurely, turned her head and glanced at Xu Mingrui, "Did I ask you?"
Xu Mingrui was choked and speechless, looking at Mingyu's light appearance. She hated her so much that she snorted and turned away.
Sima Lian frowned and whispered to Mingyu, "Your cousin is really weird." In fact, what she wanted to say was much more unpleasant than this, but for Mingyu's sake and because she was in mourning, she couldn't say it too bluntly.
Mingyu pointed to her head seriously and whispered, "It's not very useful here."
Sima Lian immediately nodded in understanding.
"My second uncle and second aunt pity her and have always spoiled her." Mingyu added. As people with clear minds, we must not treat idiots with the same standards, otherwise it will lower our status.
Sima Lian nodded, looking at the bustling Gao Mansion banquet hall, and said with some sadness: "Mingyu, the old lady's birthday banquet was much more lively and grand than this..."
Mingyu lowered her eyes and patted Sima Lian's shoulder to comfort her. The past is over after all, and thinking about it again will only increase the nostalgia.
After Master Gao left, Lord Gao, as the host, announced the start of the banquet. Before the meal began, he expressed his feelings, implicitly praised and thanked the current emperor, and flattered him eloquently. Mingyu could only yawn when she heard it. Then the banquet finally began.
The male guests were not as obedient and polite as the female guests. After a while, several of them came out arm in arm and made plans to go out. There was a riding and archery field in the backyard of Gao's mansion, and they wanted to go out and play for a while.
Mingyu ate half her fill and put down her chopsticks. Xu Mingrui had already picked up her wine glass and went to socialize with the ladies at the next table. Sima Lian blushed and told Mingyu that she needed to go to the bathroom. She walked to the entrance of the banquet hall, waved her hand and called a maid waiting at the door, asking her to take her there.
Mingyu thought it was just a matter of going and coming back. When the dishes on the banquet were cold, Sima Lian still hadn't come back. Thinking of Sima Lian's sad and painful expression just now, she couldn't sit still anymore. She went to the door and found a maid and asked, "Where is the toilet here?"
The maid at the door thought Mingyu wanted to go to the bathroom, so she agreed and led Mingyu through two corridors to the toilet. However, the door of the toilet was open. Mingyu went in and saw that there was no one in the toilet. There were several big trees around it with lush branches and leaves. When the wind blew, there was a rustling sound.
Where did this girl go? Mingyu was full of suspicion, but she had no choice but to go back with the little maid, but she heard faint crying sounds behind the toilet.
Mingyu sighed in her heart. Why did Sima Lian, the eldest daughter, cry behind the toilet? Isn't she disgusted by the stench? It would be bad if the servants of Gao's house saw her. Mingyu left the toilet, smiled and waved to the maid, asking her to go back first. She was going to go to the back of the toilet and let Sima Lian go back.
The further they walked to the back of the toilet, the more obvious the crying became. Mingyu hesitated and listened carefully to the crying. It was hoarse and low, and did not sound like a woman's cry.
It would be embarrassing if you saw other people crying.
Mingyu realized that she had recognized the wrong person, so she turned around and walked back. However, she turned too quickly and her shoulder brushed against the blue bricks of the toilet wall, making a noise.
"Who? Who's outside?" A young man behind the toilet screamed with a whimpering voice, and then footsteps came running towards her, and it sounded like there was more than one person.
Mingyu also began to panic, and took big steps to run back, hoping to run faster and get out before the man caught up with her. However, as soon as she reached the corner, someone grabbed her from behind. She swallowed her screams, and was then pulled behind a big tree.
"Don't make a sound." A voice sounded in Mingyu's ears, the sound was like cold spring hitting jade, and warm breath sprayed on Mingyu's ears.
Mingyu looked up in panic, and met the cold and indifferent face of Prince Qin. The footsteps of the people chasing her were getting closer, and Mingyu heard a voice shouting, "Where are they? I clearly heard a noise just now!"
In order to avoid each other, Prince Qin and Mingyu got very close. The footsteps and voices Mingyu heard were getting closer and closer. She was shocked and scared. If she had known earlier, it would have been better to let that person find her. She explained and apologized, and then it was over. She would avoid being seen alone with Prince Qin. By then, she would have had mouths all over her body and would not be able to explain herself!
"What are you afraid of? There is no one there!" Another man's voice sounded, full of indifference.
In a flash, Prince Qin tilted his head slightly from behind the tree, raised his hand and threw something at the wall of the thatched hut only ten meters away, just behind the direction where the two men were chasing, making a crisp impact sound.
"Who?" The two men were startled at the same time, turned around and ran back.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Prince Qin lifted the hem of his robe and quickly climbed up the tree where they were hiding. He lay on the branch and stretched out his slender, white hand towards Mingyu.
Mingyu was frightened and hesitantly looked at the hand of the Prince of Qin. Turning his head slightly, he could see the backs of the two people running over the tree trunk. If they found no one, they might come back again. Thinking of this, Mingyu made up her mind and grabbed the hand of the Prince of Qin and held it tightly. She thought that the hand of the Prince of Qin was cold like others, but she didn't expect that it was warm.
Before Mingyu could react, the Prince of Qin, who was lying on the tree branch, suddenly pulled Mingyu up and pulled her onto the tree branch. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Mingyu's mind go blank. When she came to her senses, she had already sat on the branch and leaned in the arms of the Prince of Qin.
"Don't make any noise." Prince Qin whispered in Mingyu's ear.
This was the second time he asked her to keep quiet. Behind Mingyu was the warm chest of Prince Qin. She couldn't help but blush and thought awkwardly.
The lush branches and leaves of the tree hid the two people very well. Mingyu could still see the two people who had gone and returned through the gaps between the branches and leaves. One of them walked very slowly and smiled softly at the person in front of him: "Yan Lang, I said there was no one there. You were afraid in your heart and heard it wrongly."
Mingyu's eyes widened. The person who spoke was none other than Gao Mang, a tall young man dressed in a bright red brocade robe. Although Gao Mang was a little thinner, he was still tall and looked very manly. However, at this moment, because he was drunk, his cheeks were flushed. He looked at the other man with a seductive look and rubbed against the man as he spoke.
Mingyu couldn't help but be shocked. Why did Gao Mang act like a woman? Didn't he already have a wife
"I just heard the noise!" The young man next to Gao Mang shouted in a rough voice. He was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but his face was full of hostility.
"They are just blind maids and servants!" Gao Mang comforted him, "Don't worry, no one dares to say anything."
The young man gnashed his teeth and suddenly turned around to grab Gao Mang's collar, angrily saying: "Why shouldn't I be worried! It's all your fault! You've ruined me!"
Gao Mang chuckled, and reached out to caress the boy's cheek lovingly, then reached out to the boy's lower body and said in a charming voice: "How could I bear to hurt you, you are my sweetheart!"
When Mingyu was staring in amazement, Prince Qin's hands touched Mingyu's eyes and covered Mingyu's face, and his voice was full of displeasure, "Stop looking!"
However, Prince Qin could block Mingyu's eyes but not her ears.
The young man was aroused and grabbed Gao Mang's hand with a hoarse voice, and whispered unsteadily: "You shameless man, let me show you what I'm going to do to you!" Then he pulled Gao Mang into the toilet and slammed the door shut. (To be continued