Chapter 111

In the Liujin Pavilion, the lanterns glimmered softly as dusk fell, and the river lanterns floated leisurely along the Jinfen River, harmonising with the twinkling stars in the night sky, weaving together a splendid vision of earthly beauty.

Downstairs, storytelling and music filled the air, while upstairs, wine glasses clinked amid lively banquets.

Rong Tang, abandoning any pretence of decorum, sat hunched in his chair, entirely absorbed in drinking a bowl of chilled sweet soup.

Ke Hongxue watched him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Waving to a waiter, he ordered more light desserts, smiling as he asked, “Has Prince changed your tastes? Given up on spicy food and turned to sweets instead?”

Rong Tang grimaced slightly as he swallowed the odd flavours lingering in his mouth, then looked up at Ke with no small amount of resentment in his eyes.

Tutor Ke paused mid-fan, raising an eyebrow, a mix of surprise and amusement playing across his face. “Oh dear, who’s wronged our Prince? Tell me, and I’ll get justice for you.”

Rong Tang rolled his eyes. “You’re awfully good at taking liberties.”

“What else can I do?” Ke Hongxue grinned. “Since Senior doesn’t want to marry me… won’t wed me or take responsibility… I’m left with nothing but teasing you lot for fun.”

While Su Huaijing openly called Mu Jingxu his “gege,” everyone secretly understood the tangled relationships in their circle.

Ke’s blatant provocations were so obvious that even Rong Tang was tempted to applaud his nerve. Casting a glance at Mu Jingxu, he noted the faint crease in the cold-faced young man’s brow, betraying mild displeasure at Ke’s tactless words.

Young Master Lu, who had joined them uninvited, blinked in confusion and asked with genuine curiosity, “Take responsibility? For what? Senior, have you been mistreated by Excellency Mu?”

Rong Tang froze, his eyes brightening instantly. The lingering bitterness of the herbal medicine he had just downed evaporated, replaced by anticipation of the drama about to unfold. Fixing his gaze on Mu Jingxu, he thought to himself:

What a loss!

Not forging a close relationship with young Excellency Lu in his previous two lifetimes was a huge mistake!

This kid isn’t even that old, yet how does every word that comes out of his mouth manage to shock everyone? Who on earth has corrupted him?

Rong Tang silently chuckled to himself, eagerly awaiting Ke Hongxue’s reply. Su Huaijing, seated next to him, obligingly served him another bowl of sweet soup and set it down in front of him as a gesture of goodwill.

Rong Tang lazily lowered his gaze to glance at the offering and then turned his head, shooting Su Huaijing a sidelong look.

The latter broke into a cheerful, well-behaved smile, looking every bit the picture of obedience and thoughtfulness.

Rong Tang: “Hmph.”

He turned his head away, refusing to look at him.

Meanwhile, Ke Hongxue was momentarily stunned by Lu Jiaxi’s question. Once he recovered, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Not yet, but I’ve already started slandering your Senior’s reputation. If you have any conscience, you’ll go to court tomorrow and spread the word far and wide. Say that the Junior Minister of the Court of Justice abandoned me, toyed with my heart, deceived my body and soul, and left me broken. I’m so miserable I almost want to throw myself against the stone statues outside the Court of Justice and end it all.”

He spoke as if he were gravely wronged, even letting out a couple of mock sobs for effect.

Rong Tang shivered at the absurdity of it all, shrinking back slightly in his seat. He straightened his previously hunched back, nearly leaning against the chair’s backrest. Seizing the opportunity, Su Huaijing reached over to massage his lower back.

Su Huaijing’s eagerness to please was so blatant and humble that Rong Tang found himself unable to stay angry with him.

Helplessly, he could only glare at him fiercely before resigning himself to letting the main villain gently knead his back.

Ke Hongxue’s nonsense didn’t fool even the naive Lu Jiaxi. Young Excellency Lu looked at him as though he had seen a ghost, his face cycling through expressions of shock and disgust as if the idioms “dumbfounded” and “filled with disdain” had manifested into physical form.

Finally, Lu Jiaxi turned to Mu Jingxu with a resolute expression, as if ready to enlist in the army to serve Dayu that very moment. “Senior, don’t believe a word of it. It’s all nonsense. If he dares ruin your reputation, I’ll dig up every confidante—male and female—that he’s had since his academy days, line them up, and parade them to the Ke Mansion. Let’s see if Tutor Ke’s father won’t break his legs!”

Ke Hongxue froze. “What?”

Rong Tang was momentarily stunned, then burst into uncontrollable laughter. His freshly straightened back bent again, and tears almost spilled from his eyes.

Su Huaijing, worried he might choke, patted him on the back to soothe him and poured a cup of warm tea, setting it aside.

After laughing to his heart’s content, Rong Tang finally managed to say, “Make sure to bring a few extra carriages, though. Otherwise, they might not all fit.”

Ke Hongxue, having just recovered from his younger classmate’s rebellion, blinked in disbelief at Rong Tang. “Why are you piling on too?”

Rong Tang smirked. “It’s rare to see you suffer. If I don’t add fuel to the fire, I’ll toss and turn in bed tonight, regretting it.”

Outside the Liujin Parlour, the bustling crowds of Shuiling Street filled the air with lively chatter. Ke Hongxue observed the people in the room by candlelight.

The pale-faced Prince Ningxuan laughed so hard his face was flushed. Su Huaijing indulgently let him laugh as much as he pleased. Lu Jiaxi joked with a heroic air, and even Mu Jingxu, after a brief moment of surprise, let a subtle smile tug at the corners of his lips.

Ke Hongxue stared in silence for a long moment before lowering his head and chuckling softly.

He and Lu Jiaxi had known each other for years, and this was the first time he had lost to him in a verbal spar. But oddly enough, he didn’t feel the need to settle the score.

Ke Hongxue raised his wine cup, took a sip, and glanced at Mu Jingxu. His expression immediately turned pitifully innocent, as if trying desperately to distance himself from the supposed “confidantes” they had just been talking about.

Mu Jingxu initially intended to look away, but for some reason he hesitated. Perhaps it was Su Huaijing’s constant doting on Rong Tang, or perhaps the misunderstandings of Lu Jiaxi and Rong Tang were too deep.

After some thought, Mu Jingxu gave a faint nod as if to say: I understand.

Ke Hongxue was stunned. He still had a sip of wine in his mouth when his eyes widened in disbelief. In the next moment, he choked uncontrollably, barely managing to turn his head before crouching down and coughing violently.

Mu Jingxu: “…”

Lil’ Bro Mu silently turned his head and picked up some greens with his chopsticks.

Better to ignore him.

Rong Tang watched the entire scene unfold, his smile widening. Leaning over, he whispered to Su Huaijing, “He’s truly useless, isn’t he?”

The main villain agreed indulgently, then softly pleaded, “Tangtang, please don’t be angry anymore, okay? I know I was wrong.”

Rong Tang paused for a moment and glanced at him. “Where did you go wrong?”

Su Huaijing replied obediently, “I shouldn’t have taken it upon myself to add coptis to your medicine. And not just once, but for several days in a row.”

At the mention of those two words, Rong Tang felt a bitterness rise on the tip of his tongue. His face scrunched up, and he barked, “You weren’t afraid of poisoning me to death?”

“How could that happen?” Su Huaijing immediately retorted. “I consulted the doctor beforehand. The medicinal properties don’t conflict at all. Besides, with the weather so hot, a little coptis is good for calming the liver fire.”

Rong Tang remained expressionless. “Thanks, but the fire hasn’t gone down. In fact, I’m itching to beat you up right now.”

“Alright then.” Su Huaijing nodded obediently, grabbing Rong Tang’s hand and placing it in his palm. He leaned closer and whispered, “You can give your Tangtang gege a good beating. If you’re worried about hurting your hands, I’ll borrow a ruler from Ke Hongxue later for you to use.”

Rong Tang: “…”

There’s definitely something wrong with you!

[He’s seriously unwell!] The system chimed in at just the right time with its sarcastic commentary.

Rong Tang faltered, his palm resting against Su Huaijing’s. The warmth from the touch seemed to travel up his hand, threatening to reach his face.

Rong Tang raised his hand, thinking he delivered a heavy slap, but in reality, it was barely a tap on Su Huaijing’s palm. He snapped coldly, “Don’t do this again!”

The main villain’s eyes curved into a smile as he nodded. “Alright.”

Lu Jiaxi glanced left and right. One side was a “married couple” playing their little hand-clapping game, while on the other, the flamboyant gentleman had returned from his coughing fit, practically glued to his senior.

None of them seemed quite human, Lu Jiaxi thought to himself.

They’re like two dogs—one nearly coming of age, the other nearing thirty—and yet both find childish antics amusing.

Young Excellency Lu shook his head secretly. He picked up a piece of rib from the table and gnawed on it while contemplating how these otherwise serious people became so juvenile in front of the ones they liked.

Those officials who saw the Censorate as a thorn in their side—did they even know how their newly appointed censor behaved in private?

As for Tutor Ke… well, forget it. He hadn’t been serious at the academy either.

Lu Jiaxi’s idealised image of his senior was crumbling, layer by layer. He could no longer bring himself to praise him as a “brilliant and elegant gentleman” or the “most dashing youth in Yu capital.”

After all, at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he wasn’t exactly a youth anymore. The new round of imperial examinations had concluded, and the title of Third-rank Scholar had passed on to someone else.

As time rolled on, the glories of the past would inevitably fade, leaving behind only the marks that the years etched onto one’s face and soul.

But still…

They were all remarkably talented and worthy of admiration.

Everyone at this table was a peerless talent of the dynasty, endowed with extraordinary gifts. Lu Jiaxi was genuinely glad to be on friendly terms with them.

He hummed and hawed his way through half the table’s offerings. Just as he was about to set down his chopsticks, he caught Ke Hongxue smiling at him warmly.

“Are you full? Would you like some more?” Ke Hongxue asked gently.

Lu Jiaxi froze, then cautiously asked, “Can I?”

“Of course you can,” Ke Hongxue replied. “It’s not like I’ll run out of food. Besides, you’re still growing, so I won’t hold it against you.”

There was an unmistakable air of pretentious generosity in his tone. Despite saying he wouldn’t mind, he was clearly still upset about the confidantes Lu Jiaxi had casually mentioned earlier.

Young Excellency Lu hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage to glance at Ke Hongxue. “You’re so petty,” he muttered under his breath.

Su Huaijing chuckled and added, “Have some more. Young Excellency Lu has been working too hard lately. You deserve to eat well.”

Lu Jiaxi immediately nodded enthusiastically. In his heart, he quietly elevated Su Huaijing’s status, pushing him closer to Ke Hongxue’s rank.

Rong Tang found this amusing and casually asked, “What have you been so busy with?”

“The Longevity Festival is approaching, and envoys from various countries are coming to celebrate. I’ve been busy overseeing the repairs of the guest houses and palaces,” Lu Jiaxi replied.

Rong Tang raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that the Ministry of Works’ responsibility?”

Lu Jiaxi grimaced, casting a sidelong glance at Ke Hongxue before muttering, “Young Lu is like a brick. You move it wherever it’s needed…”

Rong Tang paused briefly, then burst into laughter. This kid was truly amusing. “Your senior asked you to help?” he asked.

“Yes!” Lu Jiaxi nodded earnestly, then hesitated before adding, “But even though the Ministry of Works is in charge, the Ministry of Rites also has to send people to supervise. If any errors in etiquette lead to disputes later, it would be troublesome.”

Rong Tang recalled that the Longevity Festival in the original storyline hadn’t caused any major conflicts.

The Emperor’s birthday served merely as a backdrop for Sheng Chengli to meet and befriend a foreign princess, laying the groundwork for borrowing troops to stage a rebellion.

Of course, Sheng Chengli hadn’t lived long enough to see that happen.

Still, Rong Tang asked, “Are many distinguished guests coming?”

“It’s alright,” Lu Jiaxi replied, counting on his fingers. “There’s the Princess of Yuezhi, the Crown Prince of Dongshan, the Prince of Baiyue… If anyone stands out, it’s His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Dasui.”

“But Dasui has always been at odds with us over the border. Sending their crown prince this time… who knows what they’re up to?” Young Excellency Lu furrowed his brows in worry, looking like a little old man.