flamboyant

Chapitre 82

Song Xiaohua was both angry and amused. She pinched the tip of his nose and wiped away the little bubbles that had come out of the corner of his mouth.

Perhaps sensing the movement, Lu Yue's eyes snapped open, staring blankly for a moment before his eyebrows furrowed and straightened, seemingly filled with rage. He roared at the top of his lungs, "Steal the wine! Go!" At the same time, he struggled and pushed with all his might, and a series of cries of "Ah!", "Bang!", "Ouch!", and "Woof!" echoed...

Caught off guard and losing her balance, Song Xiaohua stumbled and fell to the right, her forehead slamming hard against the edge of the wine jar that Song Wuque had just scratched open. Seeing this, Song Wuque quickly protested, then grabbed the jar with both hands and rolled away, trying to get as far away as possible from this mother and son who might become innocent bystanders…

As Lu Ziqi listened to Song Xiaohua's tearful accusations, he couldn't help but chuckle: "I didn't expect this kid, who's always smiling, to have such a temper. Has he still not woken up?"

"The doctor came to see him and said that although he only drank a sip and it was nothing serious, because he is too young and it was his first time drinking alcohol, he will probably not fully recover until noon tomorrow. He has already given the little rascal a hangover soup according to the prescription, and he should be fine after a nap."

"Oh..." He nodded, trying to hold back his laughter, but still couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Actually, you can't really blame Yue'er. He was drunk, and everything he did was unconscious. Besides, it's your own fault for not squatting properly. Otherwise, how could such a little kid push you over?"

Enraged, Song Xiaohua jumped up and down, grabbing his neck and baring her fangs, trying to imitate a vampire. Lu Ziqi smiled and dodged, gently brushing the stray hairs from her forehead with his fingers, and said softly, "Alright, alright, don't be in such a hurry. Let me check your injury again. Does it still hurt?"

His gentleness was her Achilles' heel, a weakness that never failed her and remained unshaken over time...

The ferocious vampire instantly transformed into a shy, timid wife, wriggling and groaning, "It hurts, it hurts so much..."

Upon closer inspection under the light, a faint bluish-purple patch the size of a coin was indeed visible on her smooth, fair forehead. It felt slightly raised to the touch, indicating that she had indeed been seriously injured in the accident.

"Did you apply medicated wine?"

"No, it would hurt too much to rub and pinch like that, I won't wipe it."

"That way you'll recover faster!"

"I don't care, I'm not going to wipe it."

"Then you shouldn't shout now."

"You heartless bastard! It's all your son's fault! You have to take responsibility!"

"Yue'er is not just my son."

"Who told him to take your surname? Besides, I am such a gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and virtuous woman, so all his bad deeds must have been inherited from you!"

He lightly touched the bruise with his fingertips: "You could be even more shameless."

He bared his teeth and acted like a scoundrel: "You have to take responsibility and compensate me!"

He smiled knowingly and said, "No problem, take Yue'er back to her room first."

Overjoyed: "Okay!"

After Song Xiaohua handed Lu Yue over to the nanny who was taking care of him and settled him in, she immediately ran back, only to find Lu Ziqi writing with a brush in hand.

Upon closer inspection, four large characters were already visible on the Xuan paper—

four cardinal vices.

He sighed deeply, "It seems I underestimated my precious son after all!"

He put down his pen: "Why do you say that?"

"I thought he was just a lecher and a money-grubber, but I never expected him to be a drunkard, a lecher, a money-grubber, and a powder keg."

Lu Ziqi shook his head and laughed heartily: "Actually, I think that a person should possess all four of these qualities simultaneously. You see, since ancient times, no ceremony is complete without wine; countless timeless verses and heartfelt friendships are inseparable from this drink. While a person's appearance is merely superficial and fleeting, if there were no beauty in the world, there would be far less pleasing pleasure and stories of love at first sight. As the saying goes, 'Man dies for wealth, birds die for food,' the pursuit of profit is an innate human trait, and it is precisely because of this that people have goals to strive for. Only when families are prosperous can the nation be wealthy and strong. And only when everyone harbors a spirit of courage, daring to face challenges without escaping, daring to resist insults without retreating, can the indomitable spirit of a nation be forged. If one can achieve this—drinking without interfering with affairs, controlling one's lust, having avenues for wealth, and not letting emotions run wild—then one is a true man!"

His personality, just like his calligraphy, possessed a dignified and upright character. Song Xiaohua was madly in love with him, yet for some reason, she also felt a strange fear and worry.

"Anyway, you can always find a reasonable explanation for whatever your son does, and then praise him to the skies. People say that a doting mother spoils her son, but in my opinion, our family is the opposite." Sitting on his lap, she picked up a pen and absentmindedly scribbled: "Dongqing, Yuanhao asked me a question today."

As if unable to bear her murderous and terribly messy handwriting, Lu Ziqi grasped her hand holding the pen and wrote steadily on the paper, stroke by stroke: "What?"

At that moment, she was in front, he was behind, and the grassy area beside them carried a pleasant fragrance in the air.

“I remember you once said that you came from a very far away place.”

Her casual words startled her, causing her to stop and turn to face the still-smiling face. She then decided to deny everything and play dumb: "When did I say that? Oh, 'North Cliff' is quite far from here!"

She paused slightly, then smiled faintly and shook her head: "Perhaps I've remembered it wrong!"

After hesitating for a moment, he still asked, "Yuan Hao, is there something you want to say?"

Standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the edge of the meadow, he slowly said, "I just want to know, if you weren't a citizen of the Song Dynasty, would you still care about the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty?"

He forced a dry laugh, puzzled: "The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen, so it seems it's none of my business as a common woman to care."

woman...

Yuan Hao was momentarily embarrassed, then burst into laughter, causing the rosy clouds in the sky to lose their color.

Song Xiaohua secretly wiped away her drool, calmed her pounding infatuated heart, and looked up at his curved eyebrows: "Actually, I don't care what will happen to the Great Song. What I care about is only one person, no, three people and a dog."

As a time traveler, she didn't really have a strong sense of national identity. After all, in her view, whether it was Liao, Xia, or Song, they would all eventually belong to one common place: China.

The current struggles, and even the fall of the Song Dynasty decades or a century from now, are all inevitable historical processes. Therefore, Song Xiaohua simply cannot feel the same national hatred towards those hostile countries that were called foreign powers and fought against the Song Dynasty as she did towards the Japanese invaders and the Eight-Nation Alliance.

However, Lu Ziqi did not think so.

He was the eldest son of the loyal and righteous Lu family, a court official who was deeply appreciated by the emperor, and his career was entrusted with the heavy responsibility that his elder brother had sacrificed himself for. He was determined to use his talent and courage to bring peace and stability to the country...

Song Xiaohua didn't care about the rise and fall of the nation, but she cared about Lu Ziqi. Therefore, whatever Lu Ziqi insisted on was something she cared about. Besides, Lu Ling and Lu Yue grew up in this era and were inevitably involved in the course of history. Even Song Wuque was no exception; as the saying goes, "Born a dog of the Song Dynasty, die a dead dog of the Song Dynasty..."

Since we are family, we should advance and retreat together.

Upon hearing her answer, Yuan Hao said nothing, but simply nodded with a smile and quickly walked away, leaving her with a graceful, breezy silhouette.

The recent friction between the Song and Xia dynasties has shown signs of escalation, so it's quite unusual that Yuan Hao would abandon everything and leisurely spend his time in Bianjing. He and Lu Ziqi, each serving their own masters and holding opposing positions, are both enemies and friends, certainly not as harmonious and untroubled as they appear on the surface. Song Xiaohua couldn't fathom what was brewing behind this.

Although she frequently chatted with the families of officials over tea and paid close attention to current events, she had a general understanding of the current situation. However, she only knew the surface and could not see the truth.

If the two countries really go to war, then Yuan Hao and she will become enemies...

"Yaoyao, what exactly did he ask you?"

Lu Ziqi's soft call brought Song Xiaohua, who had been lost in thought, back to reality: "He said... Dongqing, are we going to war with Xia Kingdom?"

He paused, his hand still: "Did he tell you this?"

"No, no, I just guessed."

"Haven't you always been indifferent to politics?" He smirked, but the arm around her waist suddenly tightened. "Is it because of him?"

Panting and struggling, she said, "I was just saying it casually, you jealous bastard!"

He relaxed and kissed her cheek again: "Song and Xia, by the times and circumstances, could never be allies forever. The same goes for me and him. Yaoyao, if this war is truly unavoidable, don't be too sad. Sometimes, we can only put aside our personal feelings, you understand?"

Song Xiaohua turned around and rested her head on his shoulder: "I understand, I understand. So, don't be sad. I know that you and he hit it off immediately, are kindred spirits, and are even more of a pair of scoundrels. If you fall out, you'll definitely be heartbroken and even lose weight for him, but you'll never regret it..."

Lu Ziqi was speechless, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry...

However, the emotion in my heart was like a gentle current.

Only she could comfort someone with such a witty and humorous way of doing so.

Li Yuanhao's visit to Bianliang was ostensibly to meet the emperor, but in reality, it was to distract the court and the public.

That day, as I was about to enter the palace after court, I suddenly heard someone calling my name; the voice was extremely familiar. Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw the man in the blue robe standing there leisurely. My first reaction was to grab a wine jar and smash a hole in his head to avenge the 'three months of abstinence.' It was at that moment that I realized how vengeful I truly was…

They were invited to the mansion to reminisce about old times and talk about their separation, and both host and guest were happy.

He drafted a memorial overnight, truthfully recording everything that had happened at 'North Cliff' that year, and presented it to the emperor before the morning court the next day. He requested punishment on the grounds that 'although he did not deliberately conceal it, he ultimately failed to inform the emperor in advance'.

Fortunately, Song and Xia were friendly nations back then, and there was no tension like it is now. Moreover, the emperor had always trusted him greatly, so not only was he not punished, but he was also ordered to take charge of Li Yuanhao's itinerary in the capital.

This finally averted a potential crisis.

If it hadn't been handled promptly, simply explaining to the entire court why the Crown Prince of Xia went straight to the Lu residence upon arriving in the capital would have been a major headache. Even though he had done nothing wrong, he still couldn't withstand those with ulterior motives who used the situation to deliberately make things difficult for him.

For the past ten days or so, Li Yuanhao actually adopted a leisurely attitude, not discussing national affairs or politics, but only talking about the scenery and the beauty of nature.

With border warfare imminent, hundreds of thousands of soldiers stand ready for battle, and both countries are on high alert. At this critical juncture, why would he, as the crown prince and commander-in-chief, venture alone into the heart of the enemy camp?

Was it to lull the opponent into a false sense of security, to show contempt and confidence, or was there another motive?

Whatever it was, just as I felt when we parted three years ago, that unrestrained, unreserved, and sincere friendship will never return...

Suppressing the melancholy in his heart, he picked up the girl in his arms and said, "By the way, Yaoyao, Huo Nan wrote that Xiao Han gave birth to a daughter a month ago."

"Really? Wow! Their baby will definitely be a stunning beauty!"

"Xiao Han will bring the child back in a while, and then you will be able to see him."

"holly……"

"Um?"

"Would you like to have a daughter?"

"In no mood."

"Why? Because you favor boys over girls!"

"Of course not, you forgot, you said you never wanted to have children again."

"I've changed my mind."

"No, you've had enough of that kind of pain once."

"It's okay. I heard from the elders that only the first pregnancy is painful and requires a lot of effort. After that, it's like there's a zipper on your belly... you know... like it's sewn up. When the time comes, you unscrew the thread, pull it, and the baby pops out of your belly."

"...Which old man told you this? It's pure nonsense!"

"Never mind, I want a daughter! I'm so angry with that little devil, I want a sweet and loving daughter!"

"You won't regret it?"

"No regrets! Besides, people say that a daughter is her father's lover from a past life. Now I'm helping you find your former lover. How great would that be!"

"...Who was this old man who told you this? I need to have a serious talk with him tomorrow."