Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 121 Drinking to drown one’s sorrows

Chu Yunxiao took in all the subtle details.

He tilted his head slightly and glanced at the usually serious Shang Jiu from the corner of his eye. An unreadable expression appeared on his face, and he said something inexplicably, "The Zhuang family has placed all their hopes on Zhuang Yan, their only child, hoping that he can continue the family line."

Shang Jiu couldn't help but tremble slightly upon hearing this, as if he had been frozen in place for a moment. After a long moment, he slowly came back to his senses. His once bright eyes dimmed considerably, and he replied in a low voice, "I understand."

"Perhaps we can try to convince Minister Zhuang and Madam Zhuang." Chu Yunxiao seemed unaware of Shang Jiu's change of mood and continued to speak to himself, "But the chances are slim."

Shang Jiu: “…” You don’t have to say it.

The atmosphere was silent for a moment, and then Chu Yunxiao changed the subject and said in a serious tone, "Let's talk business."

After receiving Chu Yunxiao's signal, Shang Jiu took a deep breath, tried to calm down his complicated and chaotic thoughts, and then returned to his previous calm and composed state.

He then began to report the important intelligence he had gathered from his investigation to the emperor in detail: "After careful investigation, we have confirmed that Medicine Minister Li De secretly accepted bribes from Minister of Revenue Feng Que. These two colluded and abused their power to seek personal gain. Feng Que instructed his men to periodically purchase large quantities of various medicinal materials from major pharmacies in the city. Not only that, they also secretly opened a pharmacy called 'Qixiang'. Although this pharmacy nominally sold medicine, it actually peddled counterfeit and inferior drugs, making a huge profit. Medicine Minister Li completely turned a blind eye to the circulation of these counterfeit drugs, intentionally condoning and even providing cover."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunxiao's expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely gloomy. He slammed the armrest hard and shouted angrily, "I thought they wanted to buy out all the medicinal materials in the city, but I never thought they were so audacious as to pass off fakes as real ones!"

Shang Jiu nodded and continued, "Also, Li De revealed to his subordinates that Feng Que was not the mastermind behind this incident. He said there seemed to be someone above them. Li De was unable to directly contact the person behind this. As for Feng Que, I dare not act on my own. I leave it to Your Majesty to make the final decision."

Chu Yunxiao narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze as cold as a knife, and said in a deep voice: "Are you saying that his superiors are not in Zhaojing City?"

Faced with the emperor's questioning, Shang Jiu did not give a clear response, but remained silent, indicating his agreement.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao snorted coldly and said, "Go ahead and investigate! 'If a prince breaks the law, the common people are guilty as well'. I will never tolerate evil!"

With the emperor's words, Shang Jiu finally felt relieved. "In my opinion, those people chose to attack the pharmacy in such a short time. I'm afraid they have other intentions. I dare to speculate that they most likely want to..."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Yunxiao raised a scornful smile, as if he had already known about this conspiracy. He chuckled and said, "I'm afraid he can't do it alone."

Shang Jiu stood up and said, understanding what he meant, "I will definitely arrest them before they succeed!"

Chu Yunxiao nodded with satisfaction, "Have you found out anything about the East Lake incident?"

Shang Jiu hesitated and said, "Even if I don't tell you, Your Majesty can guess who did it."

*

The stage was brightly lit, and the actors' singing was melodious and clear, winning cheers from the audience.

In the private room, Chu Yunzheng drank to drown his sorrows.

He drank one cup after another, not wanting to stop at all.

Pei Xian, who was sitting opposite, couldn't bear to watch this any longer. He suddenly reached out and snatched the wine cup from Chu Yunzheng's hand, saying anxiously, "Your Highness, if you keep drinking like this, it's not going to be good."

"So what if it's not good?" Chu Yunzheng's cheeks flushed, and he looked a little tipsy. "I might as well drink myself to death!"

Pei Xian was speechless for a moment, frowning and asking, "This is the second time I've seen Your Majesty get drunk like this. Could it be that you're feeling frustrated again this time?"

Although Chu Yunzheng was a little tipsy, he was still relatively sober. Upon hearing this, his eyes suddenly widened and he practically shouted, "What kind of love are you talking about? It's all bullshit! I only care about your body, not your heart! Besides, this has nothing to do with this matter..."

"Then why did you get drunk?" Pei Xian asked curiously.

Chu Yunzheng glanced at him, then forcefully snatched back the wine cup that Pei Xian had snatched away, refilled his own cup, and after drinking several cups in succession, he slowly spoke, "I believe... that in this palace, only my Third Brother treats me with such respect..."

At this point, a self-deprecating smile played on his lips, and he shook his head slightly. That smile was mixed with a bit of helplessness and bitterness, "Indeed, there is no sincerity in the person who sits in that position."

Pei Xian's eyes widened with shock upon hearing this. He lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, it's best to keep these words to yourself. I'll pretend I didn't hear them. Don't tell anyone about them in the future."

Chu Yunzheng only smiled faintly, seemingly not taking Pei Xian's advice to heart. He jokingly said, "Besides you, my confidant, who else can I confide in? You should cherish this opportunity to chat with me. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will set off to leave Zhaojing, and I don't know when I will be able to return..."

Pei Xian was silent for a while, then he sighed deeply and said comfortingly, "Brothers will always have conflicts. Just talk it out."

Chu Yunzheng didn't take it seriously and snorted coldly, "If it were just an ordinary trivial matter, it would be fine, but this time... I will never let it go! He shouldn't... be suspicious of me for no reason!" When he got excited, a layer of mist appeared in his eyes, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"Your Highness..." Pei Xian was so shocked by his pitiful appearance that he was at a loss. For a moment, he couldn't think of any suitable words to comfort him.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. How is your wife's health? Is she about to give birth?" Chu Yunzheng asked.

"Your Highness, you are really... My wife gave birth to a girl half a year ago." Pei Xian was helpless.

Chu Yunzheng paused, then shouted: "...It's my fault. I completely forgot about your matter. I really deserve to be punished!" As he spoke, he reached out and patted his forehead, as if he was very regretful for his negligence.

Pei Xian waved his hand, indicating he was used to it. "It's already a relief that you can talk to me soberly now."

Chu Yunzheng laughed cheerfully, then changed the subject, "You've spent so many years in Zhaojing before finally joining the army. I wonder if there will be a place for you in the court when we meet again in the future..."

Pei Xian: “…” Thank you so much for always reminding me that my promotion is slow.

Chu Yunzheng was clearly on the verge of passing out from drunkenness, but suddenly this sentence popped up in his mind: "Your... um, your so-and-so, oh yes, your eldest brother's child should be seven years old, right?"

"Yes." Pei Xian nodded. "Why do you ask this, Your Highness?"

Chu Yunzheng smiled faintly, "I'm thinking that my good brother must have set his sights on your family... I think he'll ask your eldest nephew to be the crown prince's study companion!"

Pei Xian was troubled when he heard this. "This... I'm afraid it's a bit difficult to handle."

Chu Yunzheng was puzzled: "Why is it so difficult?"

Pei Xian sighed helplessly and explained, "Your Highness, you don't know that my grandparents don't want him to enter the palace at all." The implication was that he didn't want to stand on the side of the prince.

Chu Yunzheng's face was filled with suspicion after hearing this. He stood up shakily and said, "That's impossible... Your family has been loyal for generations, and this prince is the future... uh, the future king of a country... Such a rare opportunity, and your family didn't even want to take part in it!"

Pei Xian quickly reached out to support Chu Yunzheng, lowering his voice and saying, "Your Highness, you've had too much to drink. You should be quiet. These things are really not suitable to be discussed casually in such an occasion."

*

The once clear blue sky had been gradually obscured by thick, dark clouds. These dark clouds rolled and surged like surging waves, quickly occupying the entire sky.

At the same time, the branches outside the window rustled in the strong wind. Soon, big raindrops began to fall, like countless pearls falling to the ground after breaking off a string.

Seeing this, Xu Zhouye quickly closed the windows around him one by one to prevent rain from entering the house and wetting the items.

Zhuang Yan sat quietly on the couch, staring closely at Xu Zhouye's every move, with a complicated expression on his face.

From the moment he walked in, he felt that his friend seemed to be in a low mood. He looked listless and listless, as if he would close his eyes and fall asleep at any time.

Finally, Zhuang Yan couldn't contain his inner concern and confusion anymore, and was the first to speak, breaking the momentary silence: "I've heard about what happened last night. It was a close call!"

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye slowly sat back on the couch and responded softly: "Yeah."

Then, he reached for the teapot on the table, filled a cup for Zhuang Yan, and handed it to him. He said calmly, "I'm really fine. It's just that the weather is getting cooler, and I've become lazy. I always like to sleep a little longer."

However, Zhuang Yan clearly didn't fully believe Xu Zhouye's words. He frowned slightly and pressed on, "Is that really the case? But why do you seem so uninterested today? Could it be that something's bothering you?"

Facing Zhuang Yan's questioning, Xu Zhouye simply smiled softly and explained again, "What could be the problem? I've always been afraid of the cold, as you know. And look, the weather has changed so suddenly, the temperature has plummeted, and now it's raining, it's really killing me."

"Don't say it, the rain is really getting heavier!" Zhuang Yan stood up and stood in front of the window, looking out at the gloomy, gray sky and the pouring rain. "Can I still go back?"

Xu Zhouye, who was standing by, heard this and quickly comforted her, "If you really can't go back, just stay here. I'll have someone clean up a room for you right away, and I guarantee you'll be comfortable."

Zhuang Yan thought for a moment, then gently shook his head, declining. He said seriously, "Forget it. I don't know if my uncle knows about what happened at East Lake last night. I'll go back and get some information for you. If he knows, I can let him know you're safe so he doesn't worry about it."

Zhuang Yan's words were like a warm current flowing through Xu Zhouye's heart, deeply moving him. He raised his head and looked at Zhuang Yan with eyes full of gratitude, his lips moving slightly, as if he wanted to say something to express his gratitude.

However, before he could finish his words, Zhuang Yan waved his hand and interrupted him with a smile: "Please don't try to be sentimental with me! I can't stand it!"

Xu Zhouye was speechless for a moment. After a long while, he spoke again, "Well... I see you look pretty good lately. Have you quit drinking a lot?"

Zhuang Yan was stunned when he heard this, then asked in confusion, "How do you know I didn't drink?"

Xu Zhouye smiled slightly and replied calmly, "I don't smell any alcohol."

Zhuang Yan: “…”

He really didn't want to say a single word. Whenever someone mentioned the word "wine," Xiang Heng's words would echo in his mind like a demonic sound. And whenever he recalled Xiang Heng's words, Shang Jiu's figure would involuntarily appear before his eyes.

Seeing that Zhuang Yan remained silent, Xu Zhouye reached out and picked up an ancient book placed beside him and began to flip through it casually.

Zhuang Yan's expression was shrouded in uncertainty, his mind seemingly swirling with a myriad of chaotic thoughts. He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear it of all those distracting thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, they still lingered like ghosts.

Finally, Zhuang Yan gave up struggling and turned his attention to the ancient book in his friend Xu Zhouye's hand. He asked, "Why are you suddenly reading something so obscure and difficult to understand?"

Without even looking up, Xu Zhouye casually replied, "I'm just sitting around doing nothing, so I'm just taking a look."

Hearing this, Zhuang Yan couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. He glanced at the book in Xu Zhouye's hand again. Judging from the cover, it seemed to be a book related to medicine. So, he couldn't help but ask again, "Are you planning to become a doctor?"

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye smiled lightly and replied, "Just flipping through it."

Zhuang Yan: “…”