Page 542

Shen Chuwei took a bite of the braised pork and, seeing Xiao Jinyu so distressed, proactively reached for the wine bottle to pour him a drink, "Although drinking can’t solve problems, getting drunk allows you to sleep well.

Whatever troubles you have, let’s talk about them after you wake up tomorrow. "

Xiao Jinyu looked at Shen Chuwei gratefully. "Sister-in-law, do you drink?"

Shen Chuwei shook her head vigorously. "I don’t drink. My alcohol tolerance is too low, and my demeanor when drunk isn’t very good."

The two times she got drunk, she had taken all sorts of liberties with Xiao Jinyan, the point being, she tended to black out when drunk—if she accidentally let slip that she was a time-traveler, it would be the end.

"So what if you get drunk? With my brother here, no one dares to bully you," said Xiao Jinyu, turning his head to look at Xiao Jinyan. "Brother, I’m right, aren’t I?"

"..." Xiao Jinyan: "After you finish this cup, you’re not allowed to drink anymore."

Xiao Jinyu understood his Crown Prince brother very well; what he said went without question. He could only try to bargain.

"Could I have one more cup to bolster my courage? Otherwise, when I go back, I won’t even know how to start talking to Miss Han."

Shen Chuwei couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Xiao Jinyu’s timid look. "Your Highness, Prince Jinyu is under strict wifely control."

Xiao Jinyan asked, "What do you mean?"

Shen Chuwei explained, "It’s a common saying that means being afraid of one’s wife."

Xiao Jinyu felt it necessary to clarify. "It’s not that I’m afraid; it’s respect."

Shen Chuwei nodded along, "Mm-hmm, they’re the same."

Xiao Jinyan watched his brother pour another cup of wine. Was he not already feeling emboldened that he still needed to drink liquid courage?

Yet even so, Xiao Jinyan only allowed his brother to drink one more cup before stopping him from drinking any more.

"Stop drinking."

Xiao Jinyu gave a pleading look. "Brother, I’m not drunk yet."

"Do you think that getting drunk will help you tell Miss Han about this matter?" Xiao Jinyan calmly told his brother the truth, "You’d just end up sleeping right through."

After thinking it over for a while, Xiao Jinyu realized his Crown Prince brother had a point, and thus stopped drinking.

But having lost his only source of solace, his sadness doubled instantly.

Shen Chuwei clenched her chopsticks tightly and placed ten pieces of braised pork into her own bowl, then with a pang of pain, pushed the remaining meat towards Xiao Jinyu. "Eat some braised pork then, the meat can also ease worries."

Xiao Jinyu sighed, took a piece of braised pork, chewed on it, finished it, and then took another piece into his mouth.

Shen Chuwei watched Xiao Jinyu dejectedly consume her favorite braised pork, bite after bite, feeling unbearably pained.

When she looked down at the ten pieces in her bowl, she thought it was good she had saved that much.

After finishing dinner, Xiao Jinyu left the East Palace.

Having consumed five cups of wine, he hadn’t felt drunk at the time, but the aftereffects were strong, and he was already tipsy on his way back.

The cold night breeze was chilling to the bone and sobered Xiao Jinyu up somewhat. After being exposed to the cold wind the entire way back, he was almost completely sober.

Xiao Jinyu returned to Qiancheng Hall with a dejected look and, upon pushing open his bedchamber door, saw Miss Han sitting at the peach blossom wood table, making him feel incredibly guilty.

Miss Han’s habits, which remained unchanged.

"Miss Han, haven’t you gone to bed yet?"

Xiao Jinyu walked over, but just as he sat down, he heard Miss Han ask, "Have you been drinking?"

The moment Xiao Jinyu stepped into the bedchamber, Miss Han had smelled the alcohol. Xiao Jinyu only drank when he went out, and since she had forbidden it, he had restrained himself a lot, occasionally sneaking drinks.

"I had my dinner with my Crown Prince brother. You know, being the Crown Prince comes with a lot of pressure. He asked me to join him for a few drinks, as a brother I couldn’t refuse, could I?" Xiao Jinyu’s heart raced faster than usual as he lied, not daring to look Miss Han in the eye.

Miss Han picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea, placing it in front of him. "How much did you drink?"

"Not much, just five..." Xiao Jinyu originally wanted to say five cups, but afraid Miss Han would get angry, he quickly corrected himself: "Just three cups, my brother had five."

After finishing his sentence, Xiao Jinyu picked up the tea in front of him, lowered his head and took a sip, but he was really using it to hide his guilt.

"I’ll have someone prepare hot water for a bath," said Miss Han, rising to leave.

Xiao Jinyu breathed a secret sigh of relief—he was glad Miss Han hadn’t caught him lying as he continued to drink his tea.

How was he going to tell Miss Han that he had to marry Wanxin?

How to even begin...

Miss Han came back in. "The hot water is ready."

Xiao Jinyu was thinking of how to broach the subject when he suddenly heard Miss Han’s voice. Startled, he nearly dropped the teacup.

He quickly steadied the teacup on the table and stood up, as if fleeing to the back of the screen.

Mother Han looked down at the spilled tea on the table, then her gaze shifted toward the screen and she walked over.

Xiao Jinyu, while undressing behind the screen, thought about how to approach Miss Han with the topic in a way that wouldn’t anger her.

"I can help you undress." Miss Han came over, reached out, and began to untie his belt.

Xiao Jinyu watched Miss Han approach him suddenly, forgetting even to breathe, shocked—

He let her undo his belt and take off his overcoat, placing it on a nearby hanger, followed by his middle layer.

As the belt loosened and the lapels opened wide, his toned chest muscles were exposed.

Though Xiao Jinyu was a leisurely Prince, he often went to the training ground to practice archery and riding. Over the past three years, he had not only grown taller but had also sculpted a fine physique, with well-defined chest and abdominal muscles.

Miss Han saw his fair skin blushing through the white, Xiao Jinyu’s skin was very white, only turning red when he drank. The more he drank, the more evident it became.

One look at the blush-tinged skin revealed he had drunk more than just three cups.

Xiao Jinyu, feeling guilty, normally enjoyed having Miss Han help him bathe and would take the opportunity to pull her in with him.

But now, he just wanted to wash up and get it over with quickly.

Throughout the entire process of bathing and changing, Xiao Jinyu kept wanting to bring up the matter, but every time he saw Miss Han’s cool gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

...

ps: Wishing all the students taking their college entrance exams a victorious start and acceptance into their dream universities.

And then, a plea for monthly tickets, support with monthly tickets! (Emphasis)