Chapter 2452 - 2426: Heartfelt Words

But the three of them didn’t put away their smiles immediately; instead, they said with a stiff smile, "Our faces are a bit cramped."

How long have they been laughing?

All the guests went inside, and Manbao went to entertain them. It was necessary to toast a glass of wine at each table, and there was a chance of being forced to drink more, so Manbao whispered to Zhou Lichong, who carried a tray, "Mix in some boiled water, um, half a pot of wine with half a pot of boiled water, and it’s best to add some honey or boiled brown sugar water."

Zhou Lichong: "... Little Aunt, if you’re going to water it down, just water it down, why add honey and brown sugar water?"

"You’re silly. With half a pot of water added, what happens to the color of the wine? Add a bit of honey or brown sugar water so it looks real and has a bit of sweetness, so it’s not too hard to drink."

Bai Shan quietly instructed, "Don’t go to the main kitchen, go find Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou. Look at the three of us, prepare two more pots, or it won’t be enough."

Zhou Lichong: "Little Uncle, why don’t a few of us brothers drink for you instead?"

Lixue and Ligude can drink wine now.

Manbao shook her head and refused, "Forget it, you’re too young to be drinking wine. Be careful, it might harm your liver later. We’ll handle it ourselves. Hmm, add more brown sugar, divide one pot of wine into three pots, and the rest add water and sugar water."

Zhou Lichong: ... Well, in just a while, half a pot of wine turned into a third of a pot of wine.

Zhou Lichong looked at so many guests, turned, and carried the tray away, while Manbao and the other two first went to speak with the steady and mature Lord Wei and others.

As expected, Lord Wei and the others didn’t urge them to drink but encouraged them to eat more. After having some food, they started offering words of encouragement.

Anyway, it was just mentioning the emperor’s infinite grace, and that they should study hard and work diligently to repay His Majesty.

Wei Zhi, coming from a humble family, felt this deeply. Rarely did he avoid mentioning as he grasped Manbao’s hand, "With our backgrounds, achieving today’s accomplishments is undoubtedly due to our talents, but we also owe it to those who recognized our abilities. Without them, no matter how talented we are, it would be of no use."

The elder officials nearby looked at Wei Zhi in surprise and noticed his face was slightly flushed, realizing he had unknowingly drunk several cups of wine. Was he drunk?

He wasn’t truly drunk; he was just deeply moved. His family’s background was similar to Zhou Man’s, though there were differences.

Wei Zhi came from a humble clan, whereas Zhou Man didn’t even come from a humble clan. Before her, no one in the Zhou Family had ever read or been literate.

Looking at the Zhou Family now, frequently full of esteemed guests, Wei Zhi, having visited several times and experienced several changes, was suddenly touched by something deep in his heart.

He held Manbao’s hand, with reddened eyes, and said, "Having received the emperor’s grace, I’m often worried that I might not be worthy of it, thus constantly reminding myself to fulfill my duties as a courtier and worthy talent. Lord Zhou, you must do the same in the future."

"His Majesty is determined to be a wise ruler, so all we do is to fulfill His Majesty’s grand ambition, to help him become a wise ruler for the ages. For this, even losing our lives is not too high a price."

Manbao’s mouth opened wide.

Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were also taken aback as they listened. So, your frequent advice to His Majesty, which made him stomp his feet in anger, was all to repay the emperor’s grace?

Hmm, thinking about it like this, it makes sense. It’s all to prevent the emperor from making mistakes, to help him become a wise ruler.

For a moment, not only Manbao but also the elderly officials at the table were looking at Lord Wei with surprise.

Seeing Lord Wei almost on the verge of tears, Manbao quickly reached out to support him, saying, "Lord Wei, you’ve had too much to drink. Perhaps you should rest in a guest room for a while? You still have to report to the office this afternoon."

Manbao looked at Bai Shan and Bai Erlang.

The two of them snapped out of their daze, quickly stepping forward to support him and helping Lord Wei to rest.

Lord Tang turned to look at State Duke Zhao, "Why did you give Lord Wei so much to drink?"

State Duke Zhao: ... No one noticed, how did he see it?

State Duke Zhao coughed lightly, his gaze wandering toward the distance.

In the distance, the emperor was galloping in the West Inner Court.

Yin Li, on horseback, followed with the guards, reminding the emperor ahead, "Your Majesty, there’s a rabbit in front on the left."

The emperor saw it, so he drew his bow and shot an arrow. The arrowhead grazed the rabbit’s neck and stuck into the ground. Startled, the rabbit jumped up, twisted its bottom, and hopped away quickly.

The emperor was very pleased and laughed heartily, "My archery hasn’t deteriorated."

Yin Li nodded with admiration.

The emperor regretted, "It’s a pity it’s Filial Piety Day; otherwise, I could have hunted freely today."

However, just being able to ride today made the emperor very happy. Taking advantage of Wei Zhi not being in the palace, and other Censorate officials not being present, the emperor was particularly excited, racing through the West Inner Court. All the game he saw ended up having their necks brushed and arrows planted into the ground. Occasionally, if he miscalculated and accidentally injured an animal, he would promptly order them to be caught and given medicine.

The emperor decided that when he returned in the evening, he would burn incense and apologize to Buddha and the Empress Dowager.

The emperor rode in the West Inner Court for an hour, feeling limber, and then happily whispered to Yin Li, "I wonder if State Duke Zhao managed to get someone drunk."

Yin Li: "... It shouldn’t be easy."

Even if drunk, one can wake up. Given Lord Wei’s self-control, he likely wouldn’t be late, so...

"Your Majesty, it’s about time; we should head back."

The emperor reluctantly handed the bow to the guard behind him, nodded, and then instructed, "Tell your subordinates not to spread today’s events."

"Yes."

The emperor happily returned to the palace, resuming a serious demeanor as soon as he entered Taiji Hall.

Meanwhile, Lord Wei at Zhou Man’s house had already woken. Not only had he woken up, but the wine had mostly worn off. Zhou Man’s hangover soup was quite effective, albeit unpleasant tasting.

Wei Zhi, fully clear-headed, asked his servant, "Has everyone left the front?"

The servant bent over and responded, "All except for some who aren’t on duty; the others have mostly left."

Lord Tang and numerous Censorate officials were there. With even Wei Zhi present, who dared to absent themselves from duty?

So apart from a few who had taken official leave and some who weren’t on duty, the only ones left were some relatives and friends of the Bai Family and the Zhou Family; everyone else had returned.

They also needed to sober up before returning to their offices to work.

Wei Zhi nodded in satisfaction but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he dressed neatly, strolled around the banquet area, and ensured there were no stragglers. Only then did he, accompanied by the Bai and Zhou trio, move to the front.

Lord Tang was sitting at the front with a group of Censorate officials.

Wei Zhi was surprised and asked, "Why is Lord Tang still here and not heading to the office?"

Seeing him, Lord Tang reluctantly stood and said, "I’ve already started working. All right, it’s time to head back to the office."

He turned and instructed his men, "Alright, disperse to your respective offices and see who hasn’t returned to their posts on time. Also, take note of those who are drunk."

The Censorate officials responded in unison, then dispersed as if they hadn’t been toasting and drinking at the table just now.

Censors, indeed, can be quite ruthless.

Wei Zhi, expressionless, turned back to Bai Shan and the others and said, "No need to send me off; I’ll be off now."