Chapter 262: One Drop and She’s Down
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
Lu Chao Chao’s face was flushed bright red, her eyes glazed, and a silly grin stretched across her lips. The sight of her in this state sent a chill down Xie Yu Zhou’s spine.
“How can you be knocked out by just one drop? You’re supposed to be tough! Passing out from a single sip doesn’t fit your reputation!” Xie Yu Zhou’s voice trembled with anxiety. He could feel the weight of the consequences looming over him.
“Don’t shake me. Chao Chao feels all weird inside…” Lu Chao Chao muttered, her small face scrunching up in discomfort.
“Quiet down. If Father hears us, I’m doomed,” whispered the sixth prince, equally terrified. He had tried the same drink and found it spicy but bearable—nothing like the exaggerated effect it had on Lu Chao Chao.
“So loud, so loud. Is that fighting? It’s really loud!” Lu Chao Chao covered her ears with her tiny hands.
“I have to stop them,” she declared with a slurred voice, attempting to stand up.
Xie Yu Zhou quickly blocked her way. “No, no, no. If you go out there, I’m finished.”
“What should I do? What should I do?” Xie Yu Zhou paced back and forth in a frenzy.
“Maybe try drinking some water? Or milk? That might help clear your head,” he suggested, clueless about remedies like sobering soup. He figured more fluids might do the trick.
Gulp, gulp—Chao Chao took a few sips, but her dizzy grin remained. She babbled about her plans to knock some sense into the king and the Prime Minister.
“Those meanies, making me learn all day… I’m gonna bonk their heads!”
Xie Yu Zhou clutched his head in despair. “Oh, ancestors, please have mercy on me.”
“See, this is a head. Not a squishy squash…” Lu Chao Chao giggled senselessly. “Hee hee, squashy squash… Big squashy…”
“This is bad, really bad… We can’t let her go outside.” The sixth prince held onto Lu Chao Chao, afraid she might bolt.
Suddenly, Lu Chao Chao fell silent. She tilted her head, as if listening for something.
“Someone’s calling me…” she stated earnestly.
“You’re just hearing things. With all that noise outside, who could be calling your name?” Xie Yu Zhou crouched under the table, listening intently. There was no one calling her.
“I didn’t hear anything either. Who would be calling you?” echoed the sixth prince, shaking his head in disbelief.
Lu Chao Chao puffed out her cheeks, her flushed face looking adorably stubborn. Xie Yu Zhou couldn’t resist and gave her cheek a gentle pinch.
[Wow, so soft and adorable.]
“Someone is calling me, calling me to come… Listen, listen, someone’s calling me.”
“No, I need to go out. I need to see…” Lu Chao Chao insisted, starting to crawl toward the door.
“Hey, hey, hey, ancestors, I beg you. How about we sneak out this way?” Xie Yu Zhou didn’t dare let her crawl out openly. He slightly lifted the tablecloth. The maids kept their distance, wary of crossing the king.
“Keep your head down and stay quiet.” He guided Lu Chao Chao from under the table.
“These three little monkeys were scrapping just days ago, and now they’re thick as thieves,” the dowager remarked with a chuckle.
“Kids’ friendships are fickle. Just watch; they’ll be bickering again soon enough,” she added with a frown, concerned about her brother. She knew him well—a man of high principles.
Unmarried at thirty-five, his standards were indeed lofty. If he were to marry, either he or Lu Yan Shu would have to make a significant sacrifice and resign from court. With control over both civil and military affairs, no noble family would agree to such a union.
The king, amused, was less concerned, but these old counselors fretted excessively. His only desire was to bind himself closer to Chao Chao through this alliance.
As Lu Chao Chao emerged, the buzzing banquet hall fell silent. The Protectorate Duke remained neutral. Prime Minister Yuan kept his composure and said nothing. Although he had not formally taught Lu Yan Shu, he had mentored him, making him somewhat of a disciple. Moreover, Lu Chao Chao was his last student, so he naturally held his peace.
Grand Duke He Shu, the king’s uncle, toyed with his wine cup, staying neutral. Minister Chen was about to stand, but the Grand Princess gave him a sharp glare and a pinch to the waist. The pain forced Minister Chen to grimace and remain seated.
The Grand Princess, having received two children from Chao Chao, was determined not to let her husband oppose her. She was just a woman, unlike those elderly scholars.
On the other side stood the opposing civil and military officials. Ministers Zhou and Fang led them, their minds whirling with dread.
Minister of Personnel Zhou, married into the Rong family, turned ashen-faced at the thought of Lu Chao Chao knowing his secret of cross-dressing. Minister of Rites Fang owed Lu Chao Chao for finding his lost daughter. But personal favors were one thing, and national interests were another.
If the Rong and Lu families joined forces, who could challenge them in the future?
The king trusted Lu Chao Chao implicitly, unconcerned by the looming implications. But the civil and military officials felt the weight of a mountain on their shoulders, their prospects dimmed by such powerful alliances.
Moreover, behind them stood a myriad of lesser officials.
Xie Yu Zhou, his nerves on edge, firmly gripped Lu Chao Chao’s plump hand as he asked, “Grandmother, little sister Chao Chao needs some fresh air. I’ll take her outside for a bit… That way she won’t feel so sad.”
The dowager sighed, “Be careful, and take the servants with you.”
No one noticed Lu Chao Chao’s flushed, silly expression as Xie Yu Zhou and the sixth prince carefully led her from the hall.
“Don’t follow too closely. We need some privacy for our little chat… It’s our little secret,” Xie Yu Zhou whispered to the servants.
“Yes, keep your distance,” the sixth prince reiterated, shooing the attendants away. But the servants, wary of their charge, kept a discreet distance.
Yuhua and Yuqin trailed behind, never letting the young royals out of their sight.
The sixth prince wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved. “Phew, we got little sister out of there. I was terrified she’d blurt out something silly…”
Xie Yu Zhou nodded in agreement.
“How do we sober her up?”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
“I heard boy’s urine works wonders. Should we try that?” The sixth prince hesitantly recalled hearing palace staff mention this peculiar remedy. But he wasn’t sure why it was supposed to work. Still, if there was a chance it might help…
Xie Yu Zhou hesitated, “Boy’s urine? Really?”
Lu Chao Chao, still slightly inebriated, occasionally touched her ear, looking confusedly ahead.
“Chao Chao, do you wanna drink boy’s pee-pee?” the sixth prince asked gently.
Lu Chao Chao blinked her big, bewildered eyes. “Brother, you think I’d push you into poo-poo?” Despite her drunken state, she knew better than to trust such questionable remedies.
The sixth prince hung his head in resignation.
“Oh…”
“Better not risk it. She’s feisty enough sober; imagine what she’d do drunk.”
“Over there, someone’s calling me…” Lu Chao Chao pointed towards the towering nine-story structure. She gazed up at the dim light at the top of the tower. It felt so familiar. As if it was calling her.
Wait I thought Minister Chen was Madam Qin’s husband.
Then again I had him down as minister of rites and that’s clearly not true now…