Chapter 9: Heavenly Drunkenness Residence

  Back at the inn, Ji Qingchen drank a cup of tea to sober up. Just as he returned to his study and was about to read for a while, he found his uncle Ye Qingchen hastily walking into the study with an unpleasant expression on his face, seemingly sulking.

  He took a glance at Ye Qingchen and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong with you? You look a bit off-color?"

  "Your Highness, your behavior at the governor's mansion just now was too abrupt and shouldn't have been done!" Ye Qingchen said with some displeasure.

  Due to his anger, he changed the way he addressed Ji Qingchen from the intimate "Qingchen" they used when they were alone together to the more formal "Your Highness".

  Ji Qingchen naturally felt his dissatisfaction with himself from Ye Qingchen's tone, but he still didn't think much of Ye Qingchen's rebuke. He smiled lightly and asked, "What do you mean, Uncle?"

  "Your Highness has just returned to the country, and should be focusing on establishing a reputation for benevolence, filial piety, and generosity. Instead, you're indulging in excessive drinking and singing with scholars like Lin Kuang, violating etiquette and using your musical skills to please women of ill repute." Ye Qingchen said with disdain.

  "So you're saying that Uncle wants Qingchen to learn from Second Brother and become a wise king who is admired by the people of the world and praised by the officials?" Ji Qingchen asked with a smile.

  The Second Brother in Qīng Chén's mouth is Sòng Wáng Jī Píng.

  Because the mother of Song Wang Jipeng was only an ordinary palace maid, without a prominent family background, her status in the harem was very low. This made Song Wang Jipeng understand humility and caution from a young age. As he grew older, he worked hard, adhered to etiquette, respected scholars and treated others with kindness, thus earning the respect of scholars from humble backgrounds and those in the academic community. Additionally, his benevolence, filial piety, and generosity also gave him great prestige among the people, who referred to him as the "Great Yan Virtuous King".

  "Your Majesty's evaluation of the Crown Prince is primarily based on his benevolence, filial piety, and moral character. Secondarily, it is his ability to govern the country, and only thirdly is it his military prowess. I am aware that Your Highness has studied under the divine Li Qingyi, so your mastery of military strategy goes without saying. Moreover, you have spent ten years studying the classics, history, and various schools of thought, possessing a talent for governance and your own ideas on how to administer the country. However, since you have already decided to take this path, you must not neglect your words and actions in daily life, lest you suffer a great loss due to a small mistake." Ye Qingchen began to advise, without denying Ji Qingchen's concerns, apparently acknowledging the validity of his views.

  Ji Qingchen listened quietly to Ye Qingchen's words of advice, and couldn't help but feel a little amused. He found that his uncle was indeed too book-smart. If it were in the prosperous era of song and dance, the most important qualities for an heir to the throne would be benevolence, filial piety, and virtue. However, this was no longer the era of prosperity, and the Great Yan was now surrounded by strong enemies, with powerful factions within the country. It was a time of internal and external troubles, and what was needed was a strong and capable crown prince, not one who only knew how to follow ancient teachings and understood benevolence and filial piety as a guardian of the status quo. In Ji Qingchen's view, Ye Qingchen's words were no longer suitable for the current environment. He thought that his father, the emperor, was such an intelligent and wise person, so how could he make such a mistake in selecting the crown prince? Why else would the emperor have racked his brains to come up with the idea of having the princes compete in martial skills on the training grounds? Wasn't it just to see if his sons had the potential and ability? Through half a month of interaction, Ji Qingchen had already understood his uncle's personality. He knew that no matter what he said, Ye Qingchen would stick to his convictions, so he didn't argue with him anymore. Instead, he suppressed his smile and nodded silently.

  Ye Qingchen saw that his words of advice to his nephew seemed to have no effect, and he felt a little frustrated in his heart. However, he was also clear that between him and the Ninth Prince, apart from their uncle-nephew relationship, there was also a master-subordinate relationship. This loyal thought made him, even if he was not satisfied with Ji Qingchen's current perfunctory answer, not continue to strongly advise, but instead let out a soft sigh and continued to say, "There is still one more thing that I hope Your Highness will handle carefully!"

  "Oh! Uncle, please speak." Ji Qingchen saw that Ye Qingchen's expression was very serious, so he asked very seriously.

  "Just now, when Your Highness left the Taishou's residence, Taishou Zhao Xianglin had the singer who accompanied you in dance at the banquet sent to the guest house." Ye Qingchen said, "The singer is currently waiting for your summons in the main hall, I wonder what is your intention?"

  "This...". Ji Qingchen was also stunned, he didn't think that because of his love for music and appreciation for Ge Jie Miyan's piano skills, and because of her dance moves that made him think of Xie'er when they parted ways outside the capital city, he would accompany this singer named Miyan once, it would actually cause Zhao Xianglin to misunderstand, thinking that he had taken a liking to Singer Miyan, causing Zhao Xianglin to send Singer Miyan to his own residence. Then he thought about how at the banquet, Zhuge Jin used his identity to force Zhao Xianglin to make many compromises, and he guessed that Zhao Xianglin sent Singer Miyan to the residence possibly because of a connection with Zhuge Jin, not just out of his own intentions. Thinking further about Zhuge Jin's relationship with the Liu family of Ningzhou, and Liu Donglou's relationship with the King of Ning, he firmly told Ye Qingchen, "Uncle, have someone send her back tonight!"

  "Huh——?" Ye Qingchen was clearly not expecting his nephew to say that, and he was taken aback for a moment before immediately asking, "Are you just going to send him back like this?"

  "Alright, send him back now. Just take him to the Magistrate's residence and that will do. No need to say anything more, Zhao Xianglin will understand my meaning!" Ji Qingchen said lightly.

  Ye Qingchen was very satisfied with his nephew's behavior, and he was delighted that his nephew could resist the temptation of beauty. After saying this, he fell silent, as if lost in thought. He didn't disturb him again and bowed out of the study.

  …………

  Because of the night battle with the Northern Rong cavalry, only a few people were left in the Feathered Forest Cavalry, and they were all seriously injured, requiring several days of treatment. Therefore, Ji Qingchen decided to rest for a few more days in Ningzhou. So on the second day, after eating breakfast, he felt a bit bored staying in the government hostel, so he called up Guo Lin, and the two changed into casual clothes and went out of the hostel.

  Out of the inn, strolling in the bustling Ningzhou city, one can see people dressed in luxurious clothes, high-end shops, high-speed carriages, precious horses with saddles and bridles, beautiful women with bright eyes and white teeth, flags of different colors, dialects from all over the country, and the strong aroma of wine... giving people a feeling of being dazzled.

  Ji Qingchen was in high spirits when she saw these things, glancing east and west, seemingly like a mischievous little kid.

  Because of the ten years he spent as a hostage in the State of Yan, although the old emperor did not restrict his freedom in the capital city, wherever he went, there would always be several guards from the State of Yan following him, which made him feel very uncomfortable when walking around. Over time, he lost interest in walking around. And this time, returning to Yan and strolling around Ningzhou City was his first visit to a market in Great Yan after leaving Yan for ten years. Moreover, as a prince, he had rarely gone out of the palace to play before coming to Yan as a hostage. Now, Ningzhou City was also the center of trade between Great Yan and the State of Yan, with thriving commerce, allowing him to experience the prosperity of the market in Ningzhou City for the first time, and the diverse lives of the people of Great Yan, how could he not be excited?

  So unknowingly, he and Guo Lian had walked through all the streets of Ningzhou City.

  It wasn't until the two of them strolled to Xijie Street that a wine house called "Tianxiju" caught Ji Qingchen's attention. He found that the facade of Tianxiju was not very impressive, but under the yellow copper pillars at the entrance stood several robust men with tall and majestic physiques, who seemed to be both guards and doormen, which made him very curious.

  "Your Highness, this is a branch of the Tianzuiju, a hundred-year-old wine tavern and inn opened by the Wei family in Ningzhou City. As it's a well-known old brand, there are many customers coming and going. In order to facilitate the guests, they have arranged for a young servant at the door to guide them." Guo Lin explained in a low voice.

  "Is it the Wei family? Could it be the Wei family of Shangzhou?" When Guo Lin said it was a hundred-year-old shop, Ji Qingchen immediately thought of the Da Yan Huang Shang, who were called the Red Top Merchants by the people of Da Yan.

  "Yes! It's Shangzhou Wei's family." Guo Lin replied.

  "Since it's a hundred-year-old shop, the food must be delicious and the wine is also a genuine fine brew! Guo Lin, let's not go back to the inn at noon, let's just eat here and take a stroll!" After Guo Lin's explanation, Ji Qingchen suddenly felt curious about Tian Zuiju.

  "Agreed!" Guo Lin replied.

  Just as the two were conversing, the two burly men at the entrance of Tian Zui Ju quickly stepped forward. One of them smiled and said, "Two gentlemen, please come in!"

  The two men had been doing the work of welcoming and receiving guests for many years, and seeing the two people in front of them, although they were dressed simply but with an extraordinary demeanor, especially when they saw Ji Qingchen's subtle nobility and elegant demeanor, they guessed that the two people's backgrounds were not simple, which is why they were so respectful.

  Ji Qingchen knew that this was the industry of Shangzhou Weishi, and did not respond to the two young servants. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the horizontal inscribed board above the gate of Tianxu Residence, written in grass script, and took a glance before walking towards the entrance, with Guo Lin following closely behind him.

  Two people entered the Tian Zui Ju, and in front of them was a spacious large hall. The hall was already filled with people, all of whom were dressed in luxurious attire, consisting of various merchants from Li Guo and Yan Guo. Although there were many people in the hall, everyone's voices were extremely soft when drinking and chatting, so it wasn't very noisy. Therefore, when the two walked into the hall, the guests only glanced at them briefly before continuing to discuss their previous topics.

  At this time, a quick and neat shopkeeper saw the two of them, rushed forward with a smile on his face, and enthusiastically asked Ji Qingchen, "Are the two gentlemen going to dine in the main hall or go to the elegant room on the second floor?"

  "Bring us a private room, serve your restaurant's signature dishes and bring up a jar of old cellar wine." Guo Lin said, knowing that the Ninth Prince had never been to Tian Zui Ju before and was unclear about the menu and fine wines here.

  "Understood, this way, please," said the shopkeeper, leading Ji Qingchen and Guo Yun up to a luxurious private room on the second floor.

  The so-called elegant room in Tianyi House is just a spacious, bright and luxurious hall. In the hall, more than 100 long tables are arranged neatly and harmoniously, not only not crowded, but also making each table look like a good position. Unless speaking loudly and passionately, the seats will not affect each other. And in the center of the hall is a ten-foot square stage, which is specially reserved for the performance of the songstresses.

  Ji Qingchen and Guo Lin followed the shopkeeper to the second floor, where a beautiful maid floated over, leading them to a jade table by the window. She gently helped Ji Qingchen sit down on the thick, soft cushion, then bowed deeply before retreating.

  Ji Qingchen was visiting Tianxijiu for the first time and was curious about its decorations and hospitality. Upon seeing the clever layout of the elegant room on the second floor, she couldn't help but secretly admire the strategic genius of the Shangzhou Wei family. She thought to herself that if the master of the Shangzhou Wei family were to enter the imperial court and take charge of governance, they might not lose to the Grand Chancellor of Da Yan, Pei Wu, who had held his position for twenty years. Just as she was thinking this, the shop assistant and servant girl who had just left returned with trays of food and drink, which they carefully placed on the jade table. The shop assistant bowed and left, while the servant girl poured full cups of wine for Ji Qingchen and Guo Lian before bowing and retreating.

  She raised her cup, took a big sip, savored it carefully, and then drained the rest of the wine in one gulp. She couldn't help but exclaim, "In his book 'Jing Hua Yuan', the famous scholar Li Ru-zhen from the State of Yan listed over 50 domestic wines, with 'Fen Zhou Fen Jiu' ranked first. Today, I'm lucky to taste this fine wine, and it's indeed not an exaggeration that its flavor is like ambrosia. The sweetness of the mulberries in He Dong cannot compare to its fragrance, nor can the clarity of the pears from Lu Su match its purity. It's truly a masterpiece among all wines."

  After interacting with each other for more than half a month, Guo Yun had become quite familiar with Ji Qingchen. Having grown accustomed to Ji Qingchen's vast knowledge and strong character, when Ji Qingchen evaluated Fen Jiu in such a manner, he didn't say anything, but instead respectfully poured another cup for Ji Qingchen. Ji Qingchen raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, appearing quite bold and uninhibited.

  In this way, the two of them ate and drank for a while, and the number of diners on the second floor gradually increased.

  After a while, when the two had almost finished drinking half a tank of wine, a beautiful and elegant girl appeared on the central stage, holding an erhu in her hand, ready to sing for everyone. Ji Qingchen put down his wine glass and looked at the girl in the center of the hall, whose profile was facing him. The moment he saw the girl, his body swayed, his eyes blurred, and suddenly he seemed to see Xie'er. He didn't dare believe his eyes, opened them wide again to take a closer look, only to find that the girl wasn't Xie'er, but her side face and eyebrows had some resemblance to Xie'er.

  At this time, the girl was lightly playing the huqin amidst everyone's anticipation and began singing loudly:

  Yesterday's green silk, tomb's red bones, late moonlight withered, mourning songs harmonize in vain.

  Sorrow and joy are both tearless, it is human white hair, sword gall becomes ash.

  The sound of the qin is mournful and desolate, when the strings are exhausted, the autumn wind sadly returns, don't ask from the beginning.

  Heroes have no way out, a thousand years of wine under heaven, cannot dispel this one worry.

  Heroes have no tears, it's human white hair, sword gall becomes ash.

  The huqin's sound was high and distant, the girl's singing voice was deep and far-reaching. This one song made the diners in the elegant room on the second floor forget that they were drinking wine, but instead fell into a reverie of heroic decline and white-haired nostalgia. Just at this moment, the shouting from downstairs broke the immersion of the second floor, "Miss Jiang Rou, today is the 48th time I've come to Tianxianju to listen to you sing! See how sincere I am, surely you won't refuse my grand invitation again this time?"