When Mother Du’s thoughts were forcibly pulled back to over twenty years ago, Father Du happened to see this and was startled, quickly pulling the two apart and saying, “What’s going on here?”

Du Ruhui touched his stinging cheek and said coldly, “If you dare to find a mage to harm Meixue’s spirit, I will immediately resign from office and leave Luoyang City, never to return!” After saying this, he strode away, ignoring Father Du’s calls and refusing to look back.

Seeing that he couldn’t call Du Ruhui back, Father Du had no choice but to turn his attention to Mother Du, who was still breathing heavily, “What exactly happened? How did this involve Meixue again?”

Upon hearing this, Mother Du’s tears fell before she could speak. After catching her breath, she recounted the events, sobbing, “For that dead girl, he gave up the chance to become Prince Consort, and even used the Lu family matter to mock me. Don’t you think that’s infuriating?”

“Enough, our son just spoke without thinking. Between mother and son, there’s no need to be so calculating. As for Prince Consort… there were so many young masters from prestigious families, even if our son hadn’t given up, he might not have caught the Princess’s eye. Let it be.”

Mother Du said excitedly, “How could he not catch her eye? Ruhui is handsome and exceptionally talented. How could the Princess not like him?”

Father Du knew her stubborn temperament and didn’t argue with her, only saying, “But now the matter is settled. Even if you get angry, you can’t change the facts. Instead, it will only drive our son away from us. What’s the point?”

Mother Du said harshly, “All of this is because of that dead girl. It’s fortunate she’s dead, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble there would be!”

“Enough, stop thinking about this. When Ruhui returns, I’ll definitely scold him properly.” While Father Du was comforting Mother Du, Du Ruhui had gone to a tavern, continuously pouring wine down his throat, jar after jar, until someone took it away from him.

Du Ruhui raised his eyes, already clouded with drunkenness, and after seeing who it was, he said, “It’s you. How are you here? Give me the wine.”

The newcomer was Cuiji. He avoided Du Ruhui’s hand and said, “I happened to pass by here. But you, why are you here drinking alone? What happened?”

“I’m fine. Give it to me!” Du Ruhui said while trying to grab the wine. Cuiji, smelling the alcohol all over him, shook his head and said, “If you keep drinking like this, you’ll definitely get drunk. Stop drinking.”

“Getting drunk is good, getting drunk relieves sorrow.” Taking advantage of Cuiji’s inattention, he snatched the wine jar and immediately tilted his head back, gulping it down. After putting down the empty jar, he said, “Waiter, bring two more jars.”

Before the waiter could agree, Cuiji said, “Don’t bring any more.”

“Don’t interfere with me.” Du Ruhui said to the approaching waiter, “Hurry up and get them.”

The waiter agreed and said, “Sir, you’ve already drunk many jars since earlier. Why don’t you… settle the previous bill first, then I can go get more.”

“Are you afraid I’ll skip the bill?” Du Ruhui took out a string of coins from his waist and placed them on the table, shouting, “Go get the wine immediately.”

Cuiji glanced at the attendant who had come with him, who said, “Waiter, my young master is buying all the wine in your establishment. From now on, don’t sell a single drop to anyone else. You can go to the Cui residence in the east of the city to settle the account later.”

The Cui residence in the east of the city!

The waiter was startled. Though he was just an insignificant commoner, he knew what that place was. He nodded repeatedly and retreated, refusing to bring even half a jar of wine to Du Ruhui no matter how much he cursed.

“I’m drinking my own wine, what does it have to do with you? Why must you meddle?” Du Ruhui’s words made the attendant frown. What status did his young master have? Usually, people were respectful when they saw him, yet this person was so disrespectful. It was fortunate that the young master had a good temper; if it were him, he would definitely teach the man a lesson.

Cuiji advised, “Drowning sorrows in wine only makes them deeper. Brother Du, stop drinking. Tell me what exactly happened. Perhaps I can help you.”

“You can’t help. No one can help.” Du Ruhui said while standing up, swaying as he walked outside. Cuiji grabbed him and said, “Where are you going?”

Du Ruhui shook his head, “If I can’t drink at this place, I’ll go to another. There’s always somewhere to drink. You can’t possibly buy all the wine in Luoyang City, can you, Young Master Cui?”

“Brother Du!” Cuiji grabbed him and said in a low voice, “Does this have to do with you returning to Linbo Pavilion earlier?”

His words made Du Ruhui’s movements freeze, then he broke free and said, “Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with you.”

Cuiji stood in front of him and said solemnly, “Although you and I only met today, I already consider you a brother. Your affairs, how can they have nothing to do with me?” After saying this, he forcibly pulled Du Ruhui away, leading him all the way to a secluded alley before stopping. He said, “Tell me, what exactly happened? As long as it’s something I can help with, I will definitely help you.”

“I…” Du Ruhui had just said two words when suddenly his chest felt stuffy, and he began vomiting violently, throwing up all the wine he had just drunk. The entire alley was filled with the pungent smell of alcohol.

After Du Ruhui finished vomiting, Cuiji handed him a handkerchief. After he wiped the wine stains from his lips, Cuiji said, “How do you feel? Are you sober now?”

Du Ruhui looked at the pool of vomit and said quietly, “I’ve made Young Master Cui laugh at me.”

Cuiji shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. I just don’t understand why you started drinking heavily when everything was fine earlier. If I hadn’t happened to pass by, who knows what state you would have drunk yourself into.”

Du Ruhui said calmly, “It’s nothing. After I returned home, my mother learned that I wasn’t selected as Prince Consort and was very angry. She scolded me, so I felt depressed and came out to drink.”

“I see.” Cuiji nodded and said, “Then when you returned to Linbo Pavilion earlier…”

“The Princess’s veil was blown off by the wind earlier, and I discovered that the Princess looked very much like someone I once knew, so I went back to confirm. As it turned out…” He smiled with a bitterness that Cuiji couldn’t understand, “Though very similar, they’re not the same person.”

Cuiji’s eyes flickered slightly, and he patted Du Ruhui’s shoulder, saying, “Your mother was just disappointed for a moment, so she said a few words to you. Don’t take it too much to heart. It’s getting dark, you should hurry home.”

Du Ruhui nodded, “I’ve really troubled Young Master Cui this time.”

“Why speak so formally? Though you and I only met today, we get along very well. I already regard you as a brother, and I believe Zheng Yang does too.” He continued, “Alright, I’ll go back first. In a few days, let’s have the four of us meet up for drinks.”

“Good.” With Du Ruhui’s agreement, the two men bowed and parted ways. Although Du Ruhui and Mother Du had argued fiercely, they were still birth mother and son after all. With Father Du mediating between them, the matter gradually passed.

Three days later, Yang Guang issued an imperial decree granting marriage between Princess Jinyang and Zheng Yang, with the wedding set for the twenty-sixth day of the second month of the following year.