However…

“However what?” Zhou Quan looked at him in confusion.

Luo Yang noticed he was wearing the same uniform as himself—just a minor pavilion chief. Since Saixian Tower wasn’t a place ordinary people could access, how did Zhou Quan have the ability to reserve a table there?

“Weren’t all the seats at Saixian Tower reserved long ago? I also know that the prices there are prohibitively expensive. Where did you get one?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just follow me tomorrow.”

“You’d better not be fooling me.”

“This is our first meeting, and we have no grudges between us. Why would I fool you?”

Luo Yang was half-believing, half-doubting, but with such a golden opportunity falling from the sky, he really had no reason to refuse. He clapped his hands and agreed.

The two changed into regular clothes and went to a tavern to drink all afternoon.

They returned completely drunk.

Xiao Ba supported Luo Yang, whose face was flushed red from drinking, back to his room. The alcohol fumes from his body made it difficult to keep his eyes open.

“Brother, where did you go?”

“I… can still drink, drink…”

“Oh my, stop drinking, Brother. How did you get like this?”

“Mm… mm…” Luo Yang mumbled incoherently.

His entire body had completely lost its support.

All his weight was leaning on Xiao Ba.

Xiao Ba expended tremendous effort to lift him onto the bed and changed his clothes.

Luo Yang lay limply on the bed, dry heaving several times, still muttering continuously: “That man surnamed Wen, I will definitely… definitely make you bow down to me in admiration, make you crawl before me… and call… call me Master!”

He kept repeating these same few sentences over and over.

Xiao Ba crouched by the bedside, exhausted as well. He reached out a finger and poked Luo Yang’s flushed cheeks, saying softly: “Brother? Brother?”

After Luo Yang twisted a few times, he made no more movements…

On another side, at the Marquis Estate.

Li Shiyan had been lying at home for a day, his limbs nearly numb from staying still.

Because his previous drinking session with Luo Yang had caused his wounds to reopen, the Marquis discovered this and became furious. He sent people to watch him around the clock and ordered that he not be allowed to leave again.

So even if he wanted to go out, he no longer had that opportunity.

At dusk, he put on some clothes and strolled to the courtyard to activate his meridians a bit.

But over a dozen servant boys stood in the surrounding corridors, their gazes fixed intently on him.

He swayed his steps to a large tree in the courtyard, broke off a wooden stick and struck at a nearby potted plant a few times, then kicked at a tree stump several times, looking thoroughly bored.

Finally, after wandering around the courtyard several times, he couldn’t help but shout at those servants: “All of you get out!”

The servants had been ordered by the Marquis of Kangding to guard the courtyard and watch this troublesome young master, so they stood in place unmoved. Being shouted at a few times by the heir was better than being beaten with boards by the Marquis.

After Li Shiyan shouted for a while and saw they had no intention of leaving at all, he could only wave his hand and return to his room.

Shortly after, Xiao Luzi brought in a bowl of medicine, blowing on the steaming medicinal soup while saying: “Young Master, the medicine has been prepared. Drink it while it’s hot. The physician said you must take your medicine on time, otherwise your wounds will fester.”

“I won’t drink it!” He sat in an upholstered chair with one foot propped on the table.

“You can’t not drink it. The physician said…”

“If you keep talking, I’ll stuff your mouth. Believe it or not?” Li Shiyan made a threatening gesture. Xiao Luzi instinctively backed away, saying pitifully: “Young Master, this servant is doing this for your good. Your wounds haven’t healed yet. If there are more problems, the Marquis will surely flay me alive. For the sake of how many years this servant has followed by your side, please take pity on me. This medicine… please drink it, Master. Once it gets cold, the medicinal effect won’t work.”

Hearing this, Li Shiyan lifted his foot and kicked him in the leg with deliberately exaggerated force: “When did you become so nagging?”

Xiao Luzi leaned to one side, his eyebrows furrowing into earthworm shapes: “So Young Master, please just open your mouth and drink the medicine.”

Finding his ears truly aching from the noise, Li Shiyan finally drank that bowl of medicine. Xiao Luzi found him a piece of candied fruit to suck on to prevent his mouth from tasting bitter.

Li Shiyan sprawled on the table for a while, utterly bored! Seeing that the sky had already darkened, he suddenly thought of something.

“Xiao Luzi, Xiao Luzi!”

He shouted toward the door.

Xiao Luzi thought some major incident had occurred and rushed in with rolled-up sleeves: “What’s wrong, Young Master?”

Upon entering, he saw Li Shiyan sitting inside safe and sound.

Not a single hair was out of place!

Li Shiyan glared at him: “What are you making such a fuss about!”

Xiao Luzi looked slightly embarrassed: “This servant thought something had happened to you, Young Master.”

“Fool!” Li Shiyan got to the point. “Listen, right now go get me a seat at Saixian Tower. This young master wants to go tomorrow to observe those people selecting the courtesan queen.”

“Now?”

“What? Can’t be done?”

“It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s just a bit difficult. It starts tomorrow, so the seats must have been gone long ago. Young Master, you said before you weren’t going to watch, so this servant didn’t prepare. At this time…”

“Why so much nonsense? Is it really so difficult for this young master to ask Saixian Tower for a table?” Li Shiyan’s gaze turned cold.

Xiao Luzi’s back went cold. He swallowed and said: “Not difficult, not difficult. This servant will arrange it right away.”

“Hurry.”

“Yes!”

Xiao Luzi ran off immediately.

Li Shiyan originally didn’t want to join the excitement, but after spending an entire day in the courtyard, his whole body felt uncomfortable and itchy. If he used the pretext of observing the courtesan queen selection, his father would certainly not stop him.

He propped up his cheeks and let out a heavy sigh.

Unconsciously, he thought of Ji Yinshu again.

Five years had passed, and they hadn’t properly met again.

That emotion he had suppressed for five years in his heart hadn’t been spoken before being stabbed into his heart’s core.

Besides regret, it was still regret.

…

Qiu Estate

After Qiu Shu returned from seeing the Empress at the palace, she had been bedridden with illness, only feeling much better today.

However, the Empress had clearly forbidden her from participating in the courtesan queen selection, so the registration booklet she had submitted to the Ministry of Rites had also been returned. It now lay flat on the table.

She was unwilling!

Extremely unwilling!

Her heart was also filled with resentment and hatred toward her older sister.

She grabbed that booklet, her whole body trembling, and shouted at the maid standing beside her: “How did you handle this? Didn’t I tell you to submit it to the Ministry of Rites no matter what? Why hasn’t it been submitted yet?”

The maid was terrified, lowering her head as far as possible, trembling as she said: “Miss, this servant… this servant has repeatedly tried to submit the booklet to the Ministry of Rites and said many things, but… but the Empress has given orders, and the people at the Ministry of Rites… dare not accept it. This servant truly has no other way, Miss, this servant…”

“Useless, useless!” Qiu Shu threw the booklet in her hand at her!