A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 197

Ning Jin had just turned around and ordered wine and dishes to be prepared. He smiled at everyone and said, "The wine is ready. Please stay here for dinner today. Let me, your guest from afar, be the host and let you taste the skills of our chef."

Yelü Hongji was naturally pleased and said with a smile, "The dishes of the Song Kingdom are exquisite and refined. It seems I am in for a treat today. Vice Envoy Yelü, your wine has come at just the right time."

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly and said, "With fine wine and delicacies, wouldn't it be even better if there were also songs and dances to add to the fun?" He knew Yelü Hongji's temperament well; he loved watching women sing and dance or men fight at banquets.

Upon hearing this, Yelü Hongji nodded repeatedly: "That's right, but it doesn't matter..." He immediately summoned his guards and ordered: "Go, bring all the dancers and gladiators from my camp here, and give Prince Ning a good performance."

The guard obeyed and left.

Four of the ten jars of wine that Zhan Zhao brought were opened first, and one jar was placed in front of each person.

“Princess, drinking alcohol can also ward off the cold. You might as well drink more. You’ll definitely be better when you wake up tomorrow,” Yelü Hongji said to Zhao Yu with a smile.

Zhao Yu secretly groaned, but not wanting to spoil Yelü Hongji's mood, she ordered Mo Yan to pour her some wine. Mo Yan was also very troubled; the wine jars were right in front of her, and although she wanted to tamper with them, she didn't know where to start, so she could only pour the wine for her.

Seeing that all that was laid out on the table were wine cups, Yelü Hongji hurriedly said to the maid, "How can we enjoy drinking from such small cups? Quickly bring us larger bowls."

Why bother with bowls? Just use wine jars and drink straight from them. Wouldn't that be more enjoyable for you? Ning Jin thought to himself, but his face remained impassive: "Yes, yes, yes, change them all to big bowls, change them all!"

Whether he drank more or less made no difference to Zhan Zhao, so he didn't say anything.

Soon, steaming hot dishes were served, wine glasses were filled, and everyone clinked glasses, chatting and laughing.

Zhao Yu forced herself to drink a few bowls with Yelü Hongji, but she already felt the effects of the alcohol rising in her head and her head spinning. She quickly ate a lot of food in an attempt to suppress the effects of the alcohol.

Unable to exchange the wine, Mo Yan went outside to get some hangover pills and secretly slipped them to Zhao Yu, telling her to put them in her mouth. After that, she stood behind Zhao Yu, her gaze occasionally falling on Zhan Zhao opposite her, then casually shifting away, not daring to show any change in expression.

Before long, all the singers, dancers, and gladiators that Yelü Hongji had summoned had arrived.

The drums sounded, and the dance began.

Mo Yan, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted Tang Ling among the dancers. Her heart tightened, and she quickly glanced at Zhan Zhao, who calmly appreciated the dance with an indifferent expression. Mo Yan instantly regretted her impulsiveness, quickly composed herself, and looked back at the dancers.

Volume 3, Chapter 36

After the dance ended, several dancers came forward to pour wine for everyone.

Tang Ling stepped forward to pour wine for Yelü Hongji, her charming smile and tender affection evident in Mo Yan's eyes. Yelü Hongji, perhaps because Zhao Yu was present, did not become overly intimate with Tang Ling, but instead smiled at Ning Jin and said, "I wonder if the beauty of the women of my Great Liao is pleasing to the eye of Prince Ning?"

Ning Jin was being entangled with another dancer. After drinking several large bowls of wine, he was already slightly wild and began to speak and act wildly. He laughed and said, "The women of Song are like swallows under the willow trees, while the women of Liao are like wild geese in the sky. Each has its own unique charm."

"Well said, well said," Yelü Hongji laughed. "To be honest, the princess is a noblewoman from the Song Dynasty, while our Great Liao is located in the north, which is naturally a harsh and cold place compared to the Song Dynasty. I've always worried that the princess might look down on me."

Zhao Yu was still dizzy when he heard this, and he sobered up a bit. He quickly said, "Your Highness is a mighty eagle from the north. Your Highness may not know, but I am the one who is worried."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Hongji was overjoyed and smiled at Zhao Yu, saying, "It seems that neither of us should be worried."

Zhao Yu smiled gently, raised her bowl to toast him, and the two of them drank to their hearts' content before setting the empty bowls down.

Today, Yelü Hongji was clearly in high spirits. He chatted with Ning Jin for a while about local customs and traditions, then turned to Zhan Zhao. He noticed that no matter how much the dancers around him tried to please him, Zhan Zhao remained indifferent, showing no signs of being moved or acting rashly. Yelü Pusa Nu was not interested in women, which was why Yelü Chongguang trusted him even more—something Yelü Hongji already knew, so he wasn't surprised to see it now.

Mo Yan, who was standing behind Zhao Yu, did not dare to look directly at Zhan Zhao, but she could see out of the corner of her eye that the woman was groping Zhan Zhao. Although she remained calm on the surface, her hands were clenched tightly in her sleeves, and she was so angry that she could almost squeeze water out of them.

Ning Jin embraced the dancer, his gaze falling several times on Tang Ling beside Yelü Hongji. Recalling what Mo Yan had said earlier, he thought for a moment, then casually smiled at Ning Jin and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the woman beside Your Highness is not a Liao woman, is she?"

Yelü Hongji's expression was somewhat unnatural, but he smiled and nodded: "She is indeed not a Liao person, but a woman from your Song Kingdom. I specially found her to teach dance, so that she can entertain the princess in the future." Yelü Hongji did not intend to bring Tang Ling with him this time, but Tang Ling overheard him when he sent someone back to the mansion. Because she thought she was favored, she cleverly disguised herself as a dancer and came.

This was truly unexpected for Yelü Hongji, but since she had arrived, he couldn't very well send her away in front of everyone. He naturally couldn't reveal Tang Ling's background, so he made up an excuse, while also trying to win Zhao Yu's favor.

"I see," Ning Jin said without exposing the truth, and smiled at Zhao Yu, "Little Yu'er, look how much His Highness cares for you. You are truly a blessed person."

Zhao Yu smiled gratefully at Yelü Hongji and said, "Your Highness has thought of everything so thoroughly that I don't know how to repay you."

Just then, a maid brought in dishes, and a gust of cold wind swept in. Zhao Yu was already dizzy and lightheaded, and the wind made her feel even worse. She swayed slightly and almost fell over. Fortunately, Mo Yan reacted quickly and reached out to support her from behind.

"What's wrong with the princess?" Yelü Hongji asked anxiously.

Zhao Yu dared not speak, fearing that he would vomit if he did, so he could only wave his hand to indicate that he was fine. Mo Yan stroked her back gently, soothing her with each stroke, and said to Yelü Hongji, “Your Highness, you may not know this, but when the princess came to this place for her hunting expedition, she learned that there was a five-colored divine tortoise here. She also knew that a few years ago, Your Highness had specially sent people here to try to catch this divine tortoise to present to the Emperor, but they were unsuccessful. The princess said that Your Highness was being very filial, and she would do everything she could to catch the divine tortoise for you. Therefore, after arriving here, the princess went fishing by the water every day. Moreover, the princess said that since the divine tortoise is a divine beast, it cannot be obtained lightly, and one must sincerely move Heaven. She also forbade us to interfere, and she guarded it herself regardless of wind or snow. Over the past few days, she has lost a lot of weight and has fallen ill. … The princess said that she was only trying to catch the divine tortoise for Your Highness so that Your Highness could fulfill his filial duty, and therefore she forbade us to speak of it. But today, seeing the princess like this, if Your Highness still doesn’t know, wouldn’t you be letting down the princess’s good intentions in vain?”

This was half true and half false. Yelü Hongji had heard about Zhao Yu's daily fishing, but he never imagined it was for him. Hearing this now, and seeing her frail body hunched over the table, he couldn't help but feel great pity: "I never knew the princess did this for me..."

“We still haven’t obtained that divine tortoise, Your Highness. Please don’t say such things, lest you make me feel ashamed. Besides, our grand ceremony is imminent, and in my heart, there is no longer any distinction between you and me. Since it is something Your Highness wishes to do, I will naturally do my best. This is only natural.” Zhao Yu said softly, struggling to sit up.

These words deeply moved Yelü Hongji, who then got up and went to Zhao Yu's side to help her up: "Right now, the most important thing for you is to recover. You should go back and rest. Here, let me help you back."

After saying that, he helped Zhao Yu walk out. Mo Yan was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.

Led by Mo Yan, Yelü Hongji half-supported and half-carried Zhao Yu back to his bedchamber, while the guards and maids along the way also turned their heads to look at him as they bowed.

After helping Zhao Yu to sit comfortably on the soft couch, Yelü Hongji sat down beside her, took her hand and said softly, "I was negligent in the past, I didn't know you were so kind..." He seemed unsure how to continue, "Anyway, we have a long future ahead of us, you should take good care of yourself."

"good."

Zhao Yu nodded.

"Then you should rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

“Your Highness is busy with official duties, so there’s no need to worry about me,” Zhao Yu said with a gentle smile. “Come again when you have time.”

Yelü Hongji smiled and nodded, then took the quilt and covered her with it before reluctantly leaving.

A moment of silence fell over the tent. Mo Yan watched Yelü Hongji walk away before closing the tent flap and going behind the screen. Zhao Yu was staring blankly at the top of the tent…

"Princess, it seems he really likes you," Mo Yan said softly.

Zhao Yu came to her senses and sighed, "He was only moved for a moment, and he'll forget about it in a few days. So, I must think of a way to make him remember my kindness forever."

"Remember forever?" Mo Yan scratched her ear and said nonchalantly, "That's not easy. Unless someone loses an arm or a leg and dies because of him, he might remember."