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Xia Family Barracks? Zhao Hongde immediately turned to leave but was stopped by Xia Zheng’s call.

"Are you stupid or what! Who’s sitting in the room right now? And you really want to ask now—do you want to let the Xia Family Army’s secrets spill to the enemy?"

After giving Zhao Hongde a glare, Xia Zheng really felt like smacking this reckless guy to the ground.

Zhao Hongde awkwardly touched his nose and decided not to bring it up again.

However, Xia Zheng furrowed his brows slightly, pondering: "Though Dayong and Xiliang have had minor frictions over the years, we’ve still managed to coexist peacefully. Now, this Xiliang fox is making such overt provocations; he must be harboring thoughts of competing with us."

"Exactly," Zhao Hongde nodded. "I mentioned this to the Emperor before, but my second brother immediately accused me of needless worries, and the Emperor didn’t comment, so I never brought it up again."

Just thinking about Zhao Hongsheng, that stubborn and self-opinionated guy, made Xia Zheng despise him immensely. Irritated, he waved his hand: "What does he know? All he knows is infighting! Forget it, just keep this matter in mind, that’s enough."

Given it concerned the state, Prince Zhao Hongde would certainly not be careless. After discussing for a while, Zhao Hongde suddenly asked, "By the way, I heard my second brother has returned, how come I didn’t see him just now? He didn’t sneak off again, did he?"

If there was anyone who could give Xia Yuan a headache besides Xia Zheng, it was this second uncle, always taking off from home without notice, his escapades so elusive not even the Xia Family Army’s Hidden Guards could track him, disappearing for years without a trace.

Xia Zheng knew his uncle’s temperament well and curled his lips: "He hasn’t drunk all the fine wines in the Capital city yet, why would he leave? Rest assured, he won’t be leaving anytime soon. Right now, he’s probably hiding and guzzling down wine from a jar somewhere!"

Zhao Hongde blinked at that, then chuckled shaking his head. Indeed, like uncle, like nephew. While everyone had been concerned about Xia Hen secretly slipping away, only Xia Zheng could be so indifferent because he understood him too well.

Today, Liu Limin was in charge of the wine for the female guests. In the backyard, she was busy instructing a few lads to move the jars to the front yard.

As the lads passed by her one by one, Liu Limin’s nose twitched, and suddenly she said, "Wait a moment."

The lads, confused, stopped in their tracks and looked at her puzzled.

Liu Limin carefully examined the wine jars the lads were carrying, her frown deepened: "Did you guys open these jars?"

The lads looked down for a while, even more baffled: "These wine jars are all well sealed, where’s the opening?"

Now Liu Limin understood; it wasn’t these lads. Indeed, someone had opened the lids of these jars, but afterward, they had been cleverly resealed with mud. If not for the faint aroma of wine she detected, she might not have noticed that the lids had been tampered with.

Since it wasn’t these lads who opened the jars, the issue must have happened where the wine was stored.

Today was a big joyful day at the General Mansion, and she remembered Lin Yuan’s words before leaving—not to be careless at all.

Liu Limin had the lads put down the jars for now, and she took out the silver hairpin from her hair and started to test each jar, grateful to find no poison.

She also tasted the wine with a small spoon personally, the taste unchanged and no discomfort following.

Liu Limin furrowed her brow, could she have been mistaken?

Luckily, there wasn’t yet a pressing need for the fruit wine up front, so Liu Limin decided to go check the storage room where the jars were kept.

The storerooms of the General Mansion were many and large, and several had been specially cleared to store wine for Xia Zhen’s wedding.

Entering the storeroom and seeing the neatly stacked wine jars that towered over a person, Liu Limin felt like she was back at Liuji Wineshop at Zhuma Town.

Lost in thought as she walked, she even wondered if after turning a corner she might see that familiar white-clad man, drunk and lying on the ground.

While she was pondering, Liu Limin kept walking and turned past a row of jars.

"Ah!"

She couldn’t help but exclaim in a low voice, her eyes widening with shock. Good heavens! Was this a déjà vu? She had just been thinking about suddenly seeing Young Master Wuhen, and now sure enough, someone appeared before her.

Unfortunately, this person was not wearing white but red—a robe as red as dripping blood. Not only the robe, even the jade crown on his head was of blood jade, and even the boots were red.

Had she not seen the towering Xia Zhen before, Liu Limin might have mistaken this red-blazened figure as the groom for today’s wedding!

That red-clad figure was holding a long-handled wooden spoon in one hand and a lump of yellow mud in the other, walking and using the spoon to break the mud seal of each jar, tasted a sip, shook his head, and then skillfully resealed the jar with the mud.

His movements were as smooth as flowing water, clearly not his first time doing this.

The man, with his back to her, was very calm, so much so that he didn’t even look back at her exclamation. Liu Limin furrowed her brow and demanded sternly, "Who are you, and what are you doing here!"

The man in red rolled his eyes, and while turning back he snorted disdainfully, "What else could I be doing? Testing the wine, obviously! Are you in charge of the wine? Not to criticize you, but taste this—how can it be so awful? Who chose these wines... ah? It’s you?"