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墨書 Inktalez
Being a minister is truly difficult, requiring constant caution in every action.
"The Third Prince is indeed correct," Gu Bei readily followed Murong Jing's words. "I also feel that the current situation in the court is somewhat chaotic. This cannot be resolved in a day or two; we should take our time and stabilize things first."
He avoided mentioning whether to join a particular faction, instead choosing to focus on stabilizing their own position, which was a veiled refusal. Murong Jing, having grown up in the palace and spent time beside the Queen, had enough insight to understand this.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he could grasp the hidden intentions behind every action better than others.
Gu Bei's unwillingness to join left Murong Jing feeling somewhat displeased, though he did not show it and continued to chat cheerfully with Gu Bei.
Despite this, the atmosphere remained somewhat stiff. Most of the tension came from Gu Bei himself.
Although he was trying hard to learn the ways of the powerful in the capital, it was undeniably challenging. For Gu Bei, managing to refuse someone to their face without changing expression while still engaging in light conversation was quite difficult.
When Ye Xiaohan entered, she found this scene before her. Although everything appeared normal on the surface, she could keenly sense the underlying disharmony in the air.
"The dishes are ready; please enjoy," Ye Xiaohan said instinctively, feeling that it was not appropriate to linger and planning to slip away after serving the food.
Murong Jing smiled and said, "With such fine wine and delicacies, it's no fun dining alone. If Boss Ye were not here, drinking would lose its flavor for General Gu as well. Let's eat together."
Given his status and having helped Ye Xiaohan out several times before, it would be impolite for her to leave now that he had specifically invited her to dinner. Thus, she had no choice but to stay.
She quietly observed the two in front of her, curious about what they had been discussing that had made them so engrossed. However, neither of them wore their emotions on their sleeves; after watching for a while without any clues emerging, she decided to give up.
With Ye Xiaohan's presence, the atmosphere quickly became lively. Murong Jing shifted most of his focus onto the table full of delicious food, which eased Gu Bei considerably. The meal turned out to be enjoyable for both host and guest alike.
Afterward, a satisfied Murong Jing was supported by the guards as he staggered back.
He and Gu Bei had been drinking continuously at the banquet, or rather, Murong Jing had been persistently urging Gu Bei to drink. However, Gu Bei had long developed a strong tolerance for alcohol during his time in the military, making Murong Jing no match for him. Yet, Murong Jing refused to give up, and in the end, both of them were thoroughly intoxicated.
Ye Xiaohan watched helplessly as Murong Jing left, pondering whether this strategy of inflicting a thousand losses on the enemy while suffering twelve hundred losses oneself was truly effective.
After sending off Murong Jing, she faced an even bigger problem waiting for her inside.
“Gu Bei, wake up a bit; we’re going home,” Ye Xiaohan said as she wrung out a hot towel and handed it to Gu Bei to help him wipe his face and sober up.
However, Gu Bei merely stared at her blankly, his expression utterly devoid of emotion, completely unresponsive.
With no other choice, Ye Xiaohan took it upon herself to wipe his face. She initially planned to escort him back to the General's residence, but once they left the tavern, Gu Bei staggered off in the direction of his home, impossible to pull back.
“Let him stay at my place tonight,” Ye Xiaohan said to Gu Dadao, who had come specifically to pick up Gu Bei. “Thank you for your trouble; you should head back and rest early.”
Seeing this as a good opportunity for the General and his wife to strengthen their relationship, Gu Dadao naturally wouldn’t object. “Madam, I’ll drive and take both you and the General back.”
Now all of Gu Bei’s subordinates referred to Ye Xiaohan respectfully as “Madam.” It had been too long and there were too many people; Ye Xiaohan couldn’t correct them anymore and had grown accustomed to it.
Gu Dadao dropped them off at the house and hurried away, leaving the remaining time for just the two of them.
General, I can only assist you this far; from here on out, you must seize the opportunity well.
Ye Xiaohan supported Gu Bei as they walked inside. Gu Bei, heavily intoxicated, leaned against her instinctively, stumbling along the way.
"Ha."
After finally managing to throw him onto the bed, Ye Xiaohan was nearly drenched in sweat. "Just wait until you sober up; you'll see how I deal with you!"
She waved her fist at the sprawled Gu Bei and turned to head back to her room to freshen up. This drunkard had transferred his alcohol scent onto her; she needed to change clothes.
She also had to prepare some hangover soup for Gu Bei.
Just as she took a step, someone grabbed her wrist.
"Don't go."
Gu Bei's deep voice came from behind, laced with a hint of hoarseness from his drunken state.
Ye Xiaohan turned around, realizing that Gu Bei had already woken up at some point, his eyes fixed on her.
"Awake now? Drunkard?" Ye Xiaohan looked down at him with a smirk, "If I were you, I'd quickly close my eyes and pretend to be asleep, saving the punishment for tomorrow morning."
Gu Bei clearly wasn't fully awake yet. On the surface, he appeared as calm as usual, but a closer look revealed that he was still in a dazed state.
"Punishment?" Surprisingly, despite his drunkenness, Gu Bei's words were still quite clear. If it weren't for Ye Xiaohan seeing through him, one might genuinely think he was sober.
Ye Xiaohan wrinkled her nose, trying to shake off his hand. "Let go, I'm not talking to you. You don't even know what you're doing right now. Come find me when you're sober."
"Don't go."
Gu Bei was not fully aware of his surroundings; he was acting purely on instinct, unwilling to let Ye Xiaohan leave. He tightened his grip around her wrist, preventing her from breaking free.
Fortunately, even in his drunken state, he retained some awareness and instinctively left a bit of slack, ensuring he didn't actually hurt Ye Xiaohan.
Ye Xiaohan shook her arm and tried to pry his fingers away, but to her surprise, Gu Bei only gripped her tighter.
"Stop messing around. It's late; you need to rest. I have to go back," Ye Xiaohan attempted to reason with him, but a drunk person is hardly receptive to logic.
Seeing Ye Xiaohan trying to leave made Gu Bei anxious. With a sudden pull, she was caught off guard and fell directly onto him.
"Ouch!"
Ye Xiaohan felt as if she had landed on a rock. Annoyed, she punched Gu Bei lightly on the chest. "Are you some kind of mutant? How can a human have such a hard body!"
Gu Bei paid no mind to her insignificant strength and simply stared intently at Ye Xiaohan.
"What are you looking at?" Ye Xiaohan felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and suddenly realized she was still on top of him. Flustered, she scrambled to get up.
As she moved, she startled Gu Bei awake. He reached out and grabbed her arm, his expression turning puzzled. Then, much to Ye Xiaohan's astonishment, he looked at her with a hint of vulnerability in his eyes.
"Did you hit me?"
Gu Bei reached up to touch his chest, and an inexplicable sadness crossed his face. "You’ve been smiling at the Third Prince, but you hit me?"
Ye Xiaohan rolled her eyes at the suddenly childish Gu Bei. This was why she disliked Drunkard; he lost all sense when he was drunk.
"I didn’t hit you," she said, knowing that Gu Bei was not in his right mind. She had to buy some time. "It was just a light tap, just a gentle little poke. It didn’t hurt at all, right? Just go to sleep, and when you wake up, everything will be normal again."
She missed the expressionless Gu Bei so much. She had been so shallow to dislike his poker face in the past. She hoped he would always keep that blank expression!
However, Gu Bei only gazed at her with a look of sorrow. Yes, Ye Xiaohan truly felt that she saw a look of lament in his eyes. His deep gaze, clouded by alcohol, seemed to draw her in like a dark paint, making it hard to resist falling deeper.
Her heart raced a little faster as Gu Bei's body heat seeped through the thin fabric of their clothes, almost as if the scent of alcohol was transferring too, making her cheeks feel warm.
But as soon as Gu Bei spoke, he shattered the atmosphere completely. "You were just smiling at the Third Prince."
His rugged features combined with such a pitiful expression made Ye Xiaohan unable to look directly at him.
"What do you want me to do? Should I burst into tears every time I see the Third Prince?" Ye Xiaohan pinched Gu Bei's face into various shapes while continuing to watch his sorrowful expression, fearing she might have nightmares later.
Gu Bei stubbornly repeated, "You smiled at him!"
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