Chapter 446: Wine Ceremony
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Wei Liao knew that Yu Niaoniao was deliberately targeting him.
Because she knew the real purpose of his trip.
But he wasn’t ashamed.
With his current status, he was destined not to care about right or wrong. He just had to complete the mission according to the emperor’s request.
Everything else had nothing to do with him.
While the squires’ attention was on Wei Liao, Yu Niaoniao quickly scooped a bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of Xiao Juan.
“Eat more.”
Xiao Juan drank the hot chicken soup and ate some dishes.
His stomach, which had been a little uncomfortable from the alcohol, finally felt much better.
After drinking two glasses of wine, Wei Liao deliberately raised his voice and said to Xiao Juan.
“Duke Lang, don’t just eat. Drink two glasses with us!”
Immediately, someone carried a wine pot over and filled it for Xiao Juan.
Xiao Juan picked up his wine glass and was about to drink when Yu Niaoniao suddenly spoke.
“How boring is it to just drink? Why don’t we do a drinking game? The loser not only has to drink, but he has to perform on the spot.”
This suggestion was unanimously approved by everyone.
Yu Niaoniao continued, “I’m on the same side as Duke Lang. I’ll help him administer the wine. If he loses, let him drink. I’ll perform. How about that?”
Wei Liao chuckled. “Isn’t that unfair?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “It’s just a game. Why do you have to be so particular? Or are you afraid of losing?”
Wei Liao said disdainfully, “Provocation doesn’t work on me.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “If you think it’s unfair, you can find a helper.”
With that, she casually pointed at the women playing the piano and dancing.
“There are so many girls. Pick whoever you want.”
The squires cheered for Wei Liao to pick a girl.
In the past, Wei Liao would not be afraid of such a scene. Wasn’t it just picking a girl? This was a good thing that had come knocking on his door. It would be a waste not to take it.
But now he was a little unwilling.
He could not explain why.
He felt that he was most likely sick, and quite sick.
Yu Niaoniao smiled at him as if she wanted to see the world burn. “Choose whoever you like.”
The girls had already stopped dancing and playing music. All of them blushed. Two of the bolder ones had already begun to wink at Wei Liao.
They knew that Wei Liao was a high-ranking official from the Imperial Capital, and he was very handsome. If they could become his women, it would undoubtedly be a very good way out for lowly women like them.
Wei Liao was a little impatient.
He sneered. “Who do you think I am? Can I like a girl so easily? Don’t you want to drink? Just bring it on.”
Seeing this, the girls were very disappointed, but they did not dare to say anything. They could only continue to dance and play.
The rule of the wine order was very simple. It was a poem. The last word of the previous sentence had to be the same as the first sentence of the next.
Yu Niaoniao could remember everything. The Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty and the Selected Song Ci were all in her mind.
This kind of poetry game was child’s play to her.
She was familiar with 5,000 years of poetry. No matter what the previous sentence was, she could quickly follow with the next.
With Yu Niaoniao as a cheat, Xiao Juan did not even lose once. He watched helplessly as the others at the table drank glass after glass. Even Wei Liao was not spared and lost twice.
After drinking too much, everyone’s reaction speed slowed down, and their bodies relaxed.
They were no longer as restrained as before and spoke and did things more freely.
Not only did the loser have to drink, but he also had to perform.
Most of them were performing poetry recitations. There was also singing and dancing. The scene was noisy.
After the new round of drinking, Yu Niaoniao expressed that she did not want to hear the poetry recitation. She wanted to hear the other party tell a story.
“It’s best if it’s a local story in Liangzhou. The stranger the better. For example, did a group of strangers suddenly appear here? Or is there a haunted place?”
The drunken squires had lost their ability to think.
They followed her words and began to recall.
“You’re the only strangers who’ve been here recently. There’s no one else.”
“I didn’t hear anything about ghosts.”
“Who said there aren’t ghosts? Have you all forgotten about the Ghost Weeping Forest?”
“Yes, yes, yes! The Ghost Weeping Forest is haunted. I heard that someone once took a shortcut there and happened to encounter the Yin soldiers. He was so frightened that he peed his pants and fell seriously ill when he returned home. From then on, he went crazy. I heard that it was because his soul was taken away by the Yin soldiers.”
“It’s not just the Ghost Weeping Forest. There’s also the Chillywind Valley. That place often emits the shrill cries of women. I passed by there once and heard the cries with my own ears. It was terrifying!”
“Don’t forget the Xianglan Temple. No one has dared to approach it since it was burned to ruins by the fire, but recently, someone saw ghostly fire near it.”
As Wei Liao listened to these people tell stories, he finally understood why Xiao Juan and Yu Niaoniao had come to the banquet tonight.
These two people were pretending to socialize at the banquet to get information from the local gentry.
As Wei Liao ate, he memorized the places they had mentioned and prepared to send someone to those haunted places to check.
He did not believe in ghosts.
Even if there were really ghosts, they could only be pretending.
By the time the banquet ended, it was late at night.
Yu Niaoniao and Xiao Juan left the restaurant and returned to the inn in a carriage.
Tonight’s matter went even smoother than Xiao Juan had expected. This was all thanks to Niaoniao. She had helped him block the drinking and even helped him get information.
As Xiao Juan stared at the side of Yu Niaoniao’s face, his heart was warm.
She was really good to him and thought about him all the time.
No wonder he thought she really liked him.
If it were any other man, they would probably not be able to help but indulge in her meticulous treatment.
Yu Niaoniao noticed the man’s gaze and turned to look at him.
“Do you feel dizzy? Do you want to rest?”
Xiao Juan said, “I only drank one glass. It’s fine.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “If you encounter such a thing again, let me help you drink. My alcohol tolerance is very good. I won’t get drunk even after a thousand glasses!”
Xiao Juan recalled the last time she was drunk and refused to let go of him. He praised her against his will.
“You can hold your liquor very well, but you still can’t drink too much. It’s bad for your health.”
Although Xiao Juan had only drunk one cup, after returning to the inn, Yu Niaoniao still personally cooked hangover soup for him.
Coincidentally, Wei Liao came to the kitchen to find water.
He saw Yu Niaoniao cooking soup and immediately brought over a porcelain bowl.
“Give me a bowl.”
Yu Niaoniao extended her hand. “Ten taels a bowl.”
Wei Liao raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you rob someone?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “Take it or leave it. It’s not for you anyway.”
Wei Liao took out a heavy silver ingot and placed it on the stove.
Yu Niaoniao happily pocketed the silver ingot and looked at Wei Liao with an exceptionally kind gaze.
She looked as if she was looking at a fat sheep.
It would be a waste not to take advantage of the opportunity!
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om