Chapter 13

A group of elegant, wealthy individuals from the city of Luo’an gathered. In the warm chamber, a charcoal basin burned high-quality charcoal, making the room as warm as spring.

Feng Liwu also felt restless. With the service of the two ladies, he took off his long robe, revealing sturdy arms and  chest. He sat down at the table, only draped in a thin undershirt.

In the current society, gatherings of men are often like this, sitting bare-chested to show the openness between gentlemen. It was liberating to indulge in lively conversation and enjoy hot drinks.

Jiang Xiurun couldn’t be as carefree as Feng Liwu. Not to mention anything else, just wrapping with cloth wouldn’t conceal everything.

So, without the need for the two ladies to approach, she first took off her outer cloak and sat down, coughing twice. “I caught a chill yesterday; I can’t risk undressing completely.”

However, with her handsome appearance, her excuse seemed a bit coy. This act of saying it was cold while sweating attracted attention, making her seem like an eccentric outsider.

It had been a long time since Liu Pei had seen this young noble from the state of Bo. Originally thought to have offended the capable subordinates of the Crown Prince, he was expected to act cautiously.

Who would have thought that after a month of seclusion, he would come here with the Crown Prince to attend the feast?

From this, it could be seen that he was a person capable of turning the tide in social situations. Liu Pei felt that he should toast to this young hero.

The essence of “flower wine” lies in the soft, rich fragrance between beautiful jade, sipping wine alongside a beautiful person. In such an intoxicating atmosphere, hierarchy was not emphasized. Except for the well-dressed Jiang Xiurun, the other men could be described as somewhat dissolute.

Jiang Xiurun didn’t want to stand out too much, so if she couldn’t pick the ‘flowers’, she would have to drink more wine.

When Liu Pei handed over the wine cup, it was not easy to refuse, so she could only drink it all in one go.

Fortunately, in her past life, she had encountered many instances of clinking glasses and had a decent alcohol tolerance. However, her current body hadn’t experienced much alcohol, and she didn’t know if she could withstand this round.

At this moment, there were several familiar acquaintances on the side who looked at Young Master Jiang with displeasure.

Seeing that, although she came with the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince paid little attention to her, he speculated that this young man had shamelessly followed along, hoping to get close to the Crown Prince and make amends.

Thinking like this, his disdain grew stronger. When a young noble saw her finish her drink in one go, he sarcastically remarked, “This wine is quite precious, but you, young master, chug it down like a bull. Haven’t you ever had such delicious wine in the Bo State?”

As soon as these words were spoken, several young nobles present burst into laughter.

Jiang Xiurun silently suppressed the slight intoxication, knowing that dealing with these privileged sons would not earn their respect by constantly bowing and yielding. The Crown Prince’s lack of expression indicated his dissatisfaction with her previous concealment.

If she were to be ridiculed and mocked by a few dandies now, the Crown Prince would probably not intervene to save her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiurun, who had no way to retreat, became much more composed.

The arrogant young nobleman, known for his eloquence in the literary world, reappeared. She raised her eyebrows and lightly tapped the wine glass with her fingers. “It’s just Dragon Grass Wine buried underground for ten years. Although the taste is rising, it’s a pity that the one who opened the wine barrel didn’t follow the proper method. It should have been gently tapped with a wooden mallet to slowly open the seal and release the flavor, showcasing the quality of the wine. But the ignorant servant used a rusty knife to cut the seal. This wine, with its altered taste, should not be hastily consumed. It’s truly difficult to swallow!”

The man listened in a daze, feeling that the Dragon Grass Wine was full of flavor. How could the young master Jiang describe it so strangely? He wanted to challenge her, and he actually called the person who opened the wine barrel to ask what tool was used.

As a result, it turned out exactly as Young Master Jiang had said—it was opened using a tool made of iron.

All the present, who considered themselves connoisseurs of food and drink, were surprised that this seemingly immature lad knew so much. They temporarily forgot their disdain and were greatly astonished.

Jiang Xiurun’s performance was exquisite, but she knew her own details. Any kind of wine was just a tongue-burning thing for her.

In this era, people always used tools to cleanly remove the mud-sealed cover from aged wine to prevent dirt from falling in. However, the correct way to open Dragon Grass Wine was something she learned from a gourmet young noble in her past life.

He told Jiang Xiurun that although Dragon Grass had aphrodisiac effects, its odor was quite pungent. If dust and dirt fell into the sealed cover when opened, it would enhance the freshness and taste of Dragon Grass even more.

With a clever move, she brought it out for sale, which indeed shocked the entire room.

Upon hearing her explanation, Liu Pei asked someone to open another barrel and followed Young Master Jiang’s method to open it. After carefully tasting it, there was indeed a slight change in the flavor, making the wine more intense.

Jiang Xiurun, on the other hand, calmly stated that the previous cup of inferior wine had ruined her taste buds, and she could not drink any more. So, she leisurely started to eat.

She had something on her mind and really hoped to quickly disband the drinking session so that she could discuss matters with the Crown Prince.

However, Feng Liwu seemed to have no intention of leaving. He allowed the seemingly delicate woman in his arms to pour wine freely, while at the same time using her slender fingers to gently caress his chest and waist…

It seems that he is not unfamiliar with the pleasures of the flesh, nor does he refrain from indulging in carnal desires.

This Crown Prince’s absurd and libertine behavior outside of politics truly widened Jiang Xiurun’s horizons.

She felt anxious internally, and the sweat continued to pour. If the Crown Prince refuses to assist her, what should she do next?

Jiang Xiurun quickly thought about possible alternatives, but unfortunately, she had very few cards in her hands. In her previous life at this time, she was washing clothes at the laundry bureau, with minimal knowledge of current affairs. Her brother occasionally mentioned things to her during his visits, but they were not substantial enough to be of any use…

While she was feeling anxious, Liu Pei smiled and said, “Young Master Jiang is meticulous about the taste of wine, but are your requirements for beauties also so high? Why not pay some attention to the delicate lady by your side? Should I find another one for you?”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s eyes shifted, and indeed, this young noble sat up straight, making it difficult for the woman by his side to snuggle up to him.

Now people had something else to talk about. Someone laughed and said, “You’re so restrained, and you’re still young. Haven’t you experienced the affairs of the world? If that’s the case, you should find a mature lady to take advantage of the momentum of the Dragon Grass Wine and have a good time!”

The woman by his side, upon hearing this, smiled and reached out to touch the young noble’s crotch, showcasing her skills.

Jiang Xiurun wouldn’t let her succeed. Terrified, she jumped up immediately, claiming to have drunk too much and needing to use the restroom. She hurriedly left the warm chamber, descended the tower, and entered a nearby restroom. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing she couldn’t linger there too long, or her identity might be exposed sooner or later.

But before she could leave the restroom, a tall figure flashed in. Jiang Xiurun looked up and, to her misfortune, saw Qin Zhao blocking the entrance.

Qin Zhao was here to cause trouble. Earlier, he had sat directly across from Young Master Jiang, watching the young man’s pretentious behavior. The more he watched, the more annoyed he became, silently drinking cup after cup.

It wasn’t until the young man, once again feigning feminine behavior, approached that he seized the opportunity to follow him downstairs during the lively banquet.

It wasn’t that he wanted to take over; since this young man had insulted him, there was no need for him to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor. He just wanted to teach this guy a lesson, perhaps by directly shoving him into the dung bucket and making him understand who the one unable to change his ways was!

Thinking of this, he reached out, grabbing Jiang Xiurun’s hair and pushing the young man back into the restroom, heading straight for the dung bucket.

A man’s strength was naturally considerable, especially for a military general.

Jiang Xiurun was involuntarily pulled in by him, and it seemed like her head was about to enter the dung bucket.

In her past life, she couldn’t resist his brute force and was forced into submission. Every time she thought about that situation, resentment filled her heart.

Later, when she maintained a superficial peace with Qin Zhao, she earnestly learned a couple of self-defense techniques from him. Instead of using strength to fight, she relied on clever moves to escape from danger.

Little did she expect that she would now showcase these skills to her master!

In the struggle, she pulled out a defensive dagger from her waist and, reversing her wrist, thrust it towards the face of the person behind her.

Qin Zhao was caught off guard by this sneak attack from the seemingly weak young man! He had to release her grip on the dagger first.

Self-defense techniques relied on catching the opponent off guard, and since Qin Zhao had evaded the first move, the subsequent moves couldn’t be executed.

Although her sharp and nimble moves cut through Qin Zhao’s hand, her dagger was quickly snatched away.

Qin Zhao’s anger was completely triggered by this seemingly weak young man—today, if he couldn’t make a complete fool out of this guy, he would adopt the surname of this young man!

Not only did Qin Zhao now intend to shove Jiang Xiurun into the dung bucket, but he also planned to strip off her clothes, leaving her covered in excrement, and run back to the prince’s residence stark naked!

Thinking of this, he ruthlessly struck Jiang Xiurun’s abdomen, making her too pained to counterattack. Then, with a tearing sound, he forcefully ripped apart Jiang Xiurun’s robe.

This tear was thorough, not only ripping the outer robe but also tearing apart the inner shirt, revealing the chest-binding bandage inside.

Qin Zhao was momentarily stunned—if one couldn’t understand the purpose of the bound chest, at this moment, the exposed neckline and slender neck were undeniably feminine.

The sight of this snow-white and delicate figure caught Qin Zhao off guard.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Xiurun forcefully pushed him away, enduring the pain in her abdomen as she closed her clothes.

Her mind was in a blank state, realizing that her female identity had been exposed. This deceitful act would undoubtedly implicate her elder brother…

In the momentarily silent space, only the unsteady and rough breaths of the two individuals who had just finished their struggle lingered.

Qin Zhao’s large eyes widened, his thick eyebrows raised high, and he suddenly reached out to touch the chest-binding bandage around her.

However, at that very moment, a clear and cold voice of Feng Liwu came from outside the curtain: “Are you two enjoying yourselves in the restroom? It has been quite a while; come out!”

It turned out to be adding insult to injury, with many rumors circulating outside the restroom door.

With things having reached this point, Jiang Xiurun took a deep breath, ready to go out and explain the situation to the Crown Prince. She hoped to somehow salvage the situation and persuade the Crown Prince to spare her brother’s life…

But just then, Qin Zhao, who had been blocking her, suddenly took off his outer robe and tossed it onto her.