Chapter 215 -

Chapter 215: Chapter

Yueqing was finally able to find Wenzhe, but he was talking with the Crown Prince next to a pond. The two tall men stood talking calmly, but she did not find any of their conversation to be good.

The Crown Prince was definitely not as he seemed, and Wenzhe did not look comfortable at all.

"Nine, I think I need to do something to take Wenzhe away from the Crown Prince," Yueqing said.

[Umm, Host... please don’t do anything stupid or cringe,] Nine warned.

Yueqing smirked. "Watch and learn."

Before Nine could stop her, Yueqing grabbed a half-empty cup of sweet wine from a passing servant’s tray, rubbed a few drops onto her collar so she smelled like a walking brewery, and unfastened her hair pin so her neat hair tumbled messily over her shoulders.

She took a deep breath, threw her head back, and stumbled wildly into the garden, swinging her hips like a swaying tree in a typhoon.

"Ohhh, look at the giant shiny fishies in the pond!" Yueqing sang out loudly, her voice echoing across the quiet garden. She tripped over her own perfectly flat silk shoes and staggered straight toward the two men. "Wenzhe! Look! The fishies have little faces! They look just like Lord Cao!"

Wenzhe’s looked shocked to see her.

The Crown Prince stopped mid-sentence, his warm, polite smile freezing instantly.

[Hehehe, look at the Crown Prince’s face!] Yueqing cheered in her head, pretending to lose her balance and dramatically flailing her arms. [He looks like he just swallowed a whole raw toad! Take that, you sneaky snake! No political trapping for you tonight!]

Wenzhe, hearing her loud, chaotic thoughts, almost choked on his own breath. He quickly stepped forward, catching Yueqing by the waist just as she pretended to faint dramatically toward the muddy pond bank.

"Yueqing!" Wenzhe growled in a low, tight voice, holding her up. His ears burned red with embarrassment. "What are you doing?!"

"Husband~!" Yueqing slurred loudly, wrapping both her arms around his neck like a heavy sack of flour and burying her face in his neck. "The ground is moving! Why is the palace spinning?! Did someone put the moon on a wheel?!"

Across the garden, Nine facepalmed so hard his small hands made a slapping sound. [I explicitly said NOT to be cringe, Host! You look like a certified madwoman!]

[Shut up, Nine! It’s working!] she snapped back in her mind while outwardly letting her head flop uselessly onto Wenzhe’s broad shoulder.

The Crown Prince took a small, hasty step back, trying to distance his fine silk robes from the apparently wasted woman. He raised a hand to his nose, catching the sharp smell of sweet wine drifting off her.

"It seems... Lady Su has had far too much to drink tonight," the Crown Prince said, trying his absolute best to keep his royal composure, though his eyebrow twitched with heavy annoyance.

"I apologize, Your Highness," Wenzhe said tightly, his jaw clenching as he hauled Yueqing up into his arms like a heavy bundle of firewood. "My wife cannot handle her liquor. I must take her back to our quarters immediately."

"Yes, please do," the Crown Prince replied quickly, waving his hand to dismiss them. "Take her away before she falls into the pond."

Wenzhe bowed hastily and turned around, carrying Yueqing down the path as fast as his boots could carry them.

As they passed the outdoor pavilion, several nobles turned to look. Lord Jin, who was standing near the entrance sipping tea with a group of ministers, let out a loud, disdainful scoff.

"Look at that," Lord Jin sneered, pointing his fan at the scene. "The Grand Chancellor’s daughter, behaving like a common street beggar at a royal gathering! Drunk off her mind and making a complete fool of the Xi family. Absolutely disgraceful. A woman with zero manners or dignity!"

Wenzhe’s footsteps paused for a fraction of a second, his dark gaze cutting toward Lord Jin like a sharp blade.

But before Wenzhe could open his mouth to ice the minister down, Yueqing suddenly lifted her head from his shoulder, looked directly at Lord Jin, and let out a massive, fake, dramatic burp right in his direction.

"Burrrp~! Oops... sorry, old man Jin!" Yueqing giggled sloppily. "Your tea smells like wet socks anyway!"

Lord Jin gasped in pure horror, stumbling back in shock as his face turned as red as a chili pepper. "You—you unmannered brat?!"

Yueqing wriggled out of Wenzhe’s arms, her feet hitting the stone floor with a loud thud. She wobbled dramatically, leaning her shoulder against Wenzhe for balance while glaring at the minister.

[Nine!] Yueqing hissed urgently in her mind. [Who is this dusty old hypocrite, and what deep, dark secret does he have?! Give me something spicy to shut him up!]

[Oh, Host, you are in luck,] Nine snickered softly. [That is Lord Jin, the Minister of Royal Supplies. And oh boy... he has been secretly having an affair with his wife’s young niece! The niece is literally standing right over there at the ladies’ table, sipping tea and chatting like an angel.]

Yueqing’s eyes lit up with pure, wicked excitement. [Jackpot!]

Outwardly, Yueqing staggered two steps forward, pointing a shaky, fake-drunk finger right at Lord Jin’s nose.

"Dignity?!" Yueqing slurred loudly, her voice echoing across the quieted garden so every single noble could hear. "Old Man Jin talks about dignity and manners, but he doesn’t even have dignity in his own household!"

Lord Jin’s face went from chili red to deep purple. "Insolent girl! I am a senior minister of the imperial court! General Xi, drag your crazy wife away this instant!"

"Why should he drag me away?" Yueqing gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. "Shouldn’t you be dragging your hands off your wife’s niece instead?!"

The entire pavilion went dead silent. The music cut out instantly.

At the nearby tea table, Madam Jin froze, her teacup stopping inches from her lips. Right beside her, a young, prettily dressed woman in a pale yellow dress turned ghostly white, dropping her silk fan straight onto the floor.

"You—what nonsense are you spewing, you drunk fool?!" Lord Jin yelled, his voice cracking in pure panic.

"Nonsense?" Yueqing giggled, swaying on her feet and pointing directly at the terrified girl in yellow. "Then why did you buy her that shiny pearl hairpin she’s wearing right now? Everyone knows Madam Jin hates pearls! You sneaked into her courtyard three nights ago while your wife was visiting the temple!"

[Boom! How do you like that tea, Old Man Jin?!] Yueqing cheered wildly in her head.

Madam Jin slammed her teacup onto the table so hard the porcelain cracked. She stood up, her face twisted in absolute fury as she glared first at her trembling niece, then at her sweating husband.

"Jin Guang!" Madam Jin shrieked, her noble composure completely vanishing. "Is this true?! You disgusting old dog!"

"My love, no! She is drunk! She is lying!" Lord Jin stammered, backing away in total terror as his angry wife marched toward him with her hand raised, ready to tear his beard off.

"I knew it! I knew those pearl earrings weren’t from her mother!" Madam Jin screamed, lunging at her husband right in front of the entire royal court.

As a massive, messy shouting match broke out between Lord Jin and his wife, the surrounding nobles gasped and gossiped loudly.

Wenzhe has a amused smile. Before Yueqing could cause any more trouble, he stepped forward smoothly, scooping her back up into his broad arms and lifting her easily off her feet.