inspire-indiana Chapter 288 Leading astray
Chapter 288 Leading astray
Shen Tang knew that in his previous life, the third young master of Duke Wen's Mansion was forced into a gambling house because he offended the eldest son of Marquis Changping, and lost half of Duke Wen's Mansion in gambling. He did not expect that the same trick was used on the eldest young master Qian, and even worse.
The entire Qian family lost everything. In order to maintain their current wealth and glory, it would be strange if the Qian family did not surrender to King Qi. The eldest son Qian is the son-in-law of Marquis Yongcheng, and his daughter is in the Qian Mansion. No matter how angry Marquis Yongcheng is, he cannot beat his son-in-law to death and let his daughter be a widow for the rest of her life.
If they don't shut down the gambling house, who knows how many more people the Marquis of Changping and the King of Qi will use this method to force them to work for them.
It was getting late, so it was time to leave the house and have lunch at Deyue Tower. Xie Guimo stood up, kissed Shen Tang on the cheek, and then left.
Riding on horseback to Deyue Tower, the waiter led them up to the second floor. When they reached the private room, they heard Chu Yi's hearty laughter, "You lose, drink, drink."
The waiter pushed the door open, and then saw Chu Yi handing the wine to Prince Yu's mouth and almost forcing him to drink it.
The boy said, “…”
Deyue Tower is one of the best restaurants in Kyoto. It is frequented by high-ranking officials and dignitaries, who also know a thing or two about the affairs of the court.
Prince Yu and Prince Qi are fighting fiercely for the crown prince position. A few days ago, I heard from the shopkeeper that Prince Yu could gain the trust of Prince Jingyang and Prince Xuanyi, and his hope of becoming the crown prince is even greater than before. When Prince Yu comes to Deyue Tower, he must be treated well.
Prince Yu half hoped to sit in that position, and the Xuanyi Marquis's son poured Prince Yu wine...
The young man didn't even dare to look at him any longer. He waited for Xie Guimo to go in and quickly closed the door.
Prince Yu choked on the wine and coughed several times. He looked at Xie Guimo and said, "You're too late. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Xie Guimo sat down, and Chu Yi said, "We were planning to look for you after dinner, but we didn't expect Prince Yu to treat us again and take us to dinner."
Xie Guimo asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Chu Yi said, "I'm bored, so I'm planning to go fishing or hunting outside the city in a couple of days. Would you like to go?"
Xie Guimo hadn't been busy lately, "Set a time and send someone to tell me."
Prince Yu looked at Chu Yi, and Chu Yi thought there was something dirty on his face. "Why is Prince Yu looking at me like that?"
Prince Yu asked, "Why didn't you ask me if I was going?"
Chu Yi, “…”
Chu Yi asked, "Are you free to go?"
Prince Yu, “…”
Does he look like he's not available?
...Okay, it really looks like it.
Prince Yu said, "We can still squeeze out this little free time."
From childhood to adulthood, the people around him either had high hopes for him or were respectful and flattering to him. He always had to be careful in what he said and did, and never dared to relax for a single day. But when he was with Chu Yi and the others, he felt much more comfortable. He didn't have to be polite when speaking, and he could put aside his status and be free from scruples.
Go fishing in the river and hunting in the mountains.
He longed for it.
Chu Yi smiled and said, "If you have time to go, that would be great. It would be more lively with more people, but——"
Prince Yu asked, "But what?"
Chu Yi said, "I always feel like you're not doing your job properly."
Prince Yu, “…”
The guard stood aside, his mouth and eyes twitching violently.
Could he say that this was what he was worried about just now?
After all, they are the princes and have nothing to do all day. Whenever the prince comes to Deyue Tower to entertain guests, he can run into them. It feels like they live in Deyue Tower.
Well, Deyue Tower was doing good business, and Prince Yu had a sudden idea to invite Xie Guimo to dinner. When the guards arrived at Deyue Tower, there were no private rooms left. They couldn't invite him to dinner downstairs, so luckily they met the Prince of Xuanyi and his party. They had booked a private room, and then Prince Yu used the room while Chu Yi and his party ate for free.
Chu Yi and Luli are cheerful. The guards hope that Prince Yu will get along with them. The road to succession is too hard, and the guards don't want Prince Yu to be so tired and want to relax occasionally, but they are also worried that Chu Yi and Luli will lead Prince Yu astray. There is no way. After having a meal with Chu Yi and Luli, Prince Yu will become three times more cheerful. A meal can keep him in a good mood for at least three days.
The King of Qi is pressing us everywhere, so now is not the time to relax and we must not take it lightly.
The waiter brought the food and several jars of fine wine. They ate and chatted, talking and laughing.
"This free meal is delicious."
They drank and chatted, and played finger-guessing games, having a lot of fun.
Two days ago, Prince Yu was still acting very reserved, but when he found out that Chu Yi and the others were so casual, he started to let loose and have fun. The guards on the side were all wondering if Prince Yu was being impersonated. Is this... still Prince Yu?
No wonder they can get along so well, they are the same kind of people at heart.
The meal lasted nearly an hour, but they all had good alcohol tolerance and no one got drunk.
After having a good meal and a drink, they all left Deyue Tower.
As soon as they left, the door of the next private room opened, and a strange man entered.
The private room was opened and the Prince of Changping was drinking there.
Seeing the man leave, the Marquis of Changping asked, "Did you hear any useful news?"
“…I didn’t hear it.”
The man's voice was a little shaky.
The Marquis of Changping frowned, "Not at all?"
The man said, "I was lying on the wall listening, but there's really no useful information at all."
The Marquis of Changping, "..."
The Prince of Changping was speechless.
Last time he eavesdropped on the conversation himself, but he thought he was discovered, so he didn't say anything useful. This time he was more careful and didn't listen in person, but asked someone to listen for him, but still he didn't get any useful information.
The Marquis of Changping didn't believe it, "Are they just here to eat?"
The man nodded. "It's just a simple meal. The Xuanyi Marquis's son and his men are planning to go fishing or hunting in a few days. They're not planning to take Prince Yu with them, but Prince Yu wants to go on his own. The Xuanyi Marquis' son is worried that they might lead Prince Yu away from his duties..."
The Marquis of Changping, "..."
"anything else?"
"Gone."
He lay on the wall for as long as they had spent on their meal, and his body was still numb.
Then Xie Guimo and the others left Deyue Tower and rode on their horses. Prince Yu and Xie Guimo left together, and Chu Yi and the others watched them leave.
Lu Li said, "We eat for free every day. Are we delaying Prince Yu and Brother Gui Mo from discussing business?"
Xiao Xun waved his folding fan and said, "Prince Yu may not believe us, but Brother Gui Mo will certainly believe us. Besides, who would discuss serious matters in Deyue Tower? Even the streets are more secretive than Deyue Tower."
"...That's true," Lu Li said.
Xiao Xun looked at Chu Yi and said, "Brother Gui Mo, you've been eating out less often since you got married. How come you're no different from whether you're married or not?"
Chu Yi looked disappointed. "I also want to stay in the mansion to accompany my wife, but every time I see her, she only eats half a bowl of rice. I feel so hungry for her. I tried to persuade her to eat several times, but now she has gained weight and won't let me eat with her."
Xiao Xun, "..."
Lu Li, “…”