Chapter 85 -

Chapter 85: Chapter

Madame Zhao shot Bai Kang a furious glare, trying to tell him to move away from Wenjiang right that second. But Bai Kang was far too busy laughing along to notice his mom’s angry look. He just stood there, holding up the drunk Wenjiang and making them both look like total fools in front of everyone.

An Yulan felt every single person in the room staring right at her. Her head throbbed with pure anger. She marched straight over to her husband, her face pale as she grabbed his sleeve.

"Wenjiang!" she hissed through her teeth, keeping her voice low. "Get it together! Everyone is watching you! Stand up straight!"

Wenjiang blinked his foggy, red eyes at her and let out a loud hiccup. "Ah, Yulan... my beautiful wife! Why are you making such a scary face?" He waved his arm around, almost hitting her cheek as he slurred his words. "I’m fine! I just had a little... a little reward, that’s all!"

An Yulan’s heart stopped. "A reward?!"

"What reward?!" she whispered angrily, pulling him into a quiet corner. "What are you talking about?!"

"The wine, of course!" Wenjiang chuckled stupidly, leaning heavily against a wooden post. "The Fire-Wine you left on my window sill this morning! It was so strong! So good! You really know how to treat your husband!"

An Yulan stared at him, completely frozen. "I... I never left any wine for you..."

Her voice trailed off as a terrifying thought hit her. She hadn’t sent him any wine. Madame Chen hadn’t sent him any wine either. Which meant... someone had tricked him into getting super drunk right before the biggest party of the year.

Across the room, Zhengyu sat calmly at his table, sipping his warm tea. He caught An Yulan’s pale, terrified face from across the hall and raised his cup toward her in a slow, mocking toast, his dark eyes cold and amused.

Before An Yulan could figure out what to do, a loud gong echoed through the big hall, cutting off all the noise.

"The Minister of War, his wife, and their daughter have arrived!" a servant announced in a booming voice. "Along with the Count and his son!"

The whole room went completely silent as the main doors swung open. The Minister of War walked in next to his wife, followed by their beautiful daughter, who was the star of the night. Right beside them walked the Count and his handsome son, the young man she was set to marry.

Guests quickly bowed and went back to their tables, leaving Wenjiang still wobbling stupidly near his seat, totally unaware of the mess he was about to cause.

Madame Liu smoothed down her silk dress, a greedy smile spread across her face as she patted the wooden box sitting beside her daughter, Bai Xiuying.

"Get ready, Xiuying," Madame Liu whispered eagerly. "Once the Minister’s wife and the Count’s family sit down, we will give them our rare Cloud-Mist Tea. Everyone will see how special our branch is!"

"Yes, Mother," Xiuying giggled quietly.

...

The Prime Minister stepped onto the main stage, raising his hands with a warm, proud smile.

"Welcome, everyone! Thank you all for joining us today to celebrate the engagement of my beloved daughter and the Count’s son," the Prime Minister announced, his booming voice filling the decorated hall. The guests cheered and clapped warmly.

Servants quickly brought forward a small wooden table holding two golden cups of sweet wine. The young couple stepped up together, bowing deeply to the Prime Minister, his wife, and the Count. Taking the golden cups, they crossed their arms at the elbows and drank the engagement wine together, sealing their promise of marriage in front of all the highest families in the capital.

The entire hall burst into loud cheers and praise. Nobles bowed and shouted their blessings, congratulating both families on the grand match.

With the formal engagement ceremony complete, musicians began playing lively, traditional music on zithers and flutes. Dancers dressed in bright silk robes glided across the center stage, and servants began floating through the room, serving delicious food and wine. Guests laughed, chatted, and moved around the hall to mingle and congratulate the hosts.

Seeing everyone socializing, Madame Liu nudged her daughter hard with her elbow.

"Now is our time, Xiuying!" Madame Liu whispered, her eyes shining with greed. "The Prime Minister’s wife is sitting right over there with the Count’s mother. Pick up the box!"

Xiuying picked up the ornate wooden box containing their "rare Cloud-Mist Tea" and smoothed down her dress. The two of them strutted proudly across the hall, holding their heads high so every noble family could watch them.

"Madame," Madame Liu said loudly, bowing with exaggerated politeness before the Prime Minister’s wife. "The Bai family’s Second Branch wishes to present a special gift for this joyful day! We have brought you the rarest, most prized Cloud-Mist Tea in the entire empire."

The Prime Minister’s wife smiled pleasantly. "Oh? Cloud-Mist Tea? How very thoughtful of you."

A crowd of curious nobles gathered around to watch. Xiuying proudly opened the wooden box and lifted the lid of the teapot inside, allowing a servant to carefully pour a steaming cup for the Prime Minister’s wife.

"Please, enjoy its sweet, famous aroma," Xiuying boasted with a sweet smile.

The Prime Minister’s wife raised the cup to her lips, but the moment the steam hit her nose, her eyes went wide with pure disgust. A foul, bitter smell, like rotted river weed and sour mud instantly filled the air around them.

The Prime Minister’s wife choked, coughing violently as she slammed the cup back onto the tray. "What on earth is this garbage?!" she cried out, covering her nose with her silk handkerchief.

The surrounding nobles gasped, covering their noses and backing away in horror.

"It smells like swamp water!" a lady whispered loudly.

"Are they trying to insult the Prime Minister’s family on his daughter’s engagement day?!" another noble chimed in.

Madame Liu and Xiuying froze, their faces draining of all color.

"N-No! That’s impossible!" Madame Liu stammered frantically, leaning over to smell the pot. The foul stench of Stink-Weed hit her so hard she nearly gagged. "This... this was supposed to be Cloud-Mist Tea!"

"How dare you bring such filthy weeds into my mansion!" the Prime Minister’s wife snapped, her face red with anger.

Xiuying trembled in utter terror, clutching her mother’s arm as the entire room pointed and laughed at their pathetic humiliation.