Chapter 132

Chapter 132: Holding Hands Qin Shaoyuan came over to explain, "Brother Xu, don't get agitated. Yunting is drunk, and we were just trying to help him rest." "Bah! My big brother can hold his liquor like no one else—how could he possibly be drunk?" Shuanzi shielded his brother behind him. Before they came, his big brother had already said the Qin family's invitation was a Hongmen Banquet, and it turned out to be exactly that! Qin Shaoyuan's head was spinning. He'd been so focused on drugging Xie Yunting that he'd forgotten about that fool Xu Shuanzi. At this point, he couldn't resort to force. He insisted it was a misunderstanding. "He really is drunk. Don't get agitated. Since you don't trust me, I'll have the servants prepare a carriage to send you back—that works, doesn't it?" In Xie Yunting's condition, he couldn't ride a horse. If they went out like this, someone would surely see him. Xie Yunting's reputation was already poor to begin with. If he appeared on the streets in a daze, who knew what people would say. Shuanzi was simple-minded by nature, and seeing that the Qin family was willing to let them go, he nodded. A carriage was quickly prepared, and Shuanzi helped his big brother aboard. He nervously patted his brother's face, but before the carriage had traveled far, he caught a whiff of a strange odor. Without a second thought, he grabbed his brother and crashed through the carriage wall. "Hey, where are you going?" The driver chased after them. Shuanzi carried his brother on his back, running like the wind. He turned down a street and heard the Qin family's servants closing in. In his panic, he spotted the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's carriage. Upon learning it belonged to Marchioness Song, he quickly tossed his brother inside. "Please, madam, take a detour and deliver the general back to the Xie residence. I'll explain later!" Shuanzi wasn't clever, but even he understood now that the Qin family had surely drugged his brother. He took a shortcut to the Xie residence himself. That bastard Qin Shaoyuan—once he gathered his brothers, if he didn't smash the Qin family to pieces, his surname wasn't Xu! Meanwhile, Cui Lingrong inside the carriage was utterly bewildered. Nanny Qiu poked Xie Yunting's arm. He lay on the wooden floor, completely still. If not for the breath still coming from his nose, he might as well have been dead. "Madam, General Xie reeks of alcohol. It seems he's drunk?" Nanny Qiu remarked. When Cui Lingrong lowered her head, she did indeed smell the wine. She fetched the water flask, intending to moisten Xie Yunting's throat, but the reclining Xie Yunting suddenly grabbed her wrist. The man's palm was covered in calluses, rough against her skin—itchy and painful at once. She tugged hard, but couldn't pull free, leaving her stuck in an awkward position. Aside from Song Shulan, no man had ever held Cui Lingrong's hand before. Her cheeks flushed crimson instantly. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Nanny Qiu. She could only bend over, calling "General Xie" over and over, trying to wake him. But Xie Yunting remained unconscious. Cui Lingrong was so embarrassed that sweat beaded on her back, her lips red enough to drip blood. Nanny Qiu was equally mortified. She splashed water on General Xie's face, but he merely furrowed his brow without waking. "What's wrong with General Xie?" Nanny Qiu frowned deeply. "How could he have drunk so much?" Cui Lingrong didn't dare move her hand an inch. The slightest movement, and Xie Yunting would grip even tighter. This was something that had never happened in Cui Lingrong's life before, and it violated propriety. If anyone saw this, her reputation would be ruined for life. When the carriage slowly came to a halt, the driver announced they'd arrived at the Xie residence. Cui Lingrong called out to Xie Yunting again, but he still didn't wake. The steward of the Xie residence spotted the carriage and hurried over. "Is that Marchioness Song? The centurion instructed us—our general is in your carriage." No sooner had the steward spoken than the Qin family's servants came chasing after them. A crowd gathered at the gate, and the man at the front smiled as he explained it was all a misunderstanding, asking whether General Xie had returned. The steward could only say no. By now, Cui Lingrong's heart was in her throat. Hearing that the Qin family had come chasing after them, she didn't know what was happening, but she could only have the carriage continue on, lest anyone see Xie Yunting holding her hand. But the Qin servants blocked the carriage. "Might we ask who's inside?" Nanny Qiu cracked open the wooden window a sliver. "Who are you people, daring to block my lady's carriage?" "Please don't misunderstand, madam. We're just looking for someone. How about you let us take a look?" "Bold ruffians! I've already told you there are womenfolk inside. Do it again and I'll report you to the authorities! Let everyone see that this is the Qin family's idea of propriety!" Nanny Qiu's words were fierce, and she told the driver to ignore these people and keep going. Hearing the threat of the authorities, the Qin family had no choice but to let the carriage pass. Cui Lingrong directed the driver to the cloth shop. The carriage stopped in the courtyard, and Xie Yunting still hadn't let go. The two of them were at awkward angles, neither in a comfortable position. As time wore on, Cui Lingrong's back began to ache. Just as she tried to shift her position, she heard a muffled grunt. She looked down and met a pair of pitch-black eyes. Their gazes locked, and Xie Yunting spoke first, as if murmuring in a dream, "Am I dreaming again?" "What?" Seizing the opening, Cui Lingrong snatched her hand back, not daring to look at Xie Yunting again. Flustered, she scrambled out of the carriage. The moment the curtain was lifted, a gust of fresh air swept into the carriage, as if rippling across Xie Yunting's heart. Only then did he realize—it wasn't a dream. And that gesture of Cui Lingrong's just now... Just thinking about it made Xie Yunting's breath grow warm. He quickly pinched his nose with his hand. If it were anyone else, their first reaction would be panic and an urge to apologize, to offer reparations for their breach of propriety. But Xie Yunting laughed. He was a man of humble origins, a mud-footed peasant who had only begun to learn his letters after fortune favored him with military merit. As for the rules and regulations of the great noble houses—ha! He despised them most of all. Only when Nanny Qiu's soft inquiry came from outside the carriage did Xie Yunting rub his brow and step down. "Nanny Qiu, my head is spinning. Could you pour me a cup of hot tea to settle it?" Nanny Qiu told him to wait a moment, then poured the hot tea and briefly explained the situation. "General Xie, we still don't know what happened, but Xu Baihu left you here and rode off. We're worried something might have happened to him. Should you go check on him?" After finishing the hot tea, Xie Yunting did indeed feel considerably better. "Today the Qin family played host and laid out a Hongmen Banquet for me. As you know, my wedding with the Qin family is fast approaching. Qin Shaoyuan, cornered like a desperate dog, drugged my wine!" "Drugged?" Nanny Qiu's brows jumped at the news. "Lord Qin has quite the nerve. Isn't he afraid of throwing a lasso and catching nothing but his own neck?" "But if it had worked, he wouldn't just have married his granddaughter to me—he'd have a hold over me as well. Hah, that old fox. I'll trouble you, Nanny Qiu, to offer my apologies to Sister Cui on my behalf. Today's rashness was Shuanzi's doing. I need to go find him, or with that thick head of his, he'll be schemed against without even realizing it!" Xie Yunting set down his bowl, requisitioned a horse, and hurried off toward the Qin estate. Nanny Qiu watched the general leave before going to find her mistress. "Young Madam, are you all right?" "Yes. Don't speak of today's matter to anyone." Cui Lingrong had been taking deep breaths all this while—shame, embarrassment, and a host of other emotions washing over her. For a moment, she truly hadn't known what to do. Nanny Qiu comforted her mistress. "Rest assured, we won't breathe a word of this. General Xie probably didn't even notice. Just pretend it never happened. Once you've made peace with it, it's really nothing at all." Cui Lingrong agreed. "It's getting late. Let's head back." She had quite forgotten what she'd set out to do today. On the other side, Xu Shuanzi was making a scene in the Qin family courtyard with his men, but Qin Shaoyuan insisted that Xie Yunting had simply been drunk. Xu Shuanzi, clumsy with words, was no match for the Qin family in an argument. He was red-faced with fury when Xie Yunting finally arrived in haste. "Since Lord Qin insists I was drunk, let's go to the palace and have the imperial physicians determine whether I was drunk—or drugged!"