Twilight enveloped the streets as the horse and lantern lights on the street one by one ignited, brilliantly gleaming through the dusky night.
Finally, Ning Yunzhao's gaze landed on a familiar figure.
He took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions.
"Where have you been?" he approached and asked cordially.
Miss Jun, who had been walking slowly with her head down, seemed startled by him and was somewhat surprised to see him.
"Noble Son Ning," she said.
The evening made her features somewhat blurred, and her voice was also low.
She was not happy.
Ning Yunzhao immediately perceived it.
"What's wrong?" he asked, then looked towards Liu'er, who was following behind Miss Jun.
Liu'er was about to say something, but Miss Jun smiled and spoke first.
"It's nothing, just took a casual stroll," she said, looking at him with some surprise, "did you need me for something?"
Was the gift satisfactory?
How was the first day of opening?
Is there anything else you need help with?
There were many things Ning Yunzhao could casually mention, as he watched her.
"It's nothing," he shook his head and smiled as well, "I just came to see how you were doing. I didn't expect you wouldn't be here."
Miss Jun uttered an acknowledgment, seemingly a bit slow to react but then caught on quickly.
"When did you come? Have you been waiting long?" she hurriedly asked while motioning for Liu'er to open the door, "Come in and have a seat."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? How about we find a place to sit and have dinner together?" Ning Yunzhao suggested.
Miss Jun laughed.
"So you've come to invite me to dinner," she said. "You've treated me twice already, and to reciprocate, this time I'll treat you."
Ning Yunzhao gratefully accepted with a smile, without any hint of politeness.
Miss Jun pondered for a moment as she eyed the sky.
"The night market on Vermilion Bird Street is open by now, and I remember someone mentioning that the Old Yang Family's roast shop there is quite good and suitable for accompanying drinks," she mentioned.
'It must have been mentioned in the travel accounts of Chaojing', she thought.
Ning Yunzhao nodded in acknowledgment.
"The Sanyuan Building is just over there, and they sell Meijian Wine that's sweet and mellow—perfect to go with roasted meats," he added.
Miss Jun extended her hand, beckoning him.
"Please," she said.
At that time, the Lu Residence was brightly lit and adorned everywhere with festive red.
The rites of heaven and earth were already honored, the ceremonial wine sipped, and the bride now sat in the bridal chamber, while the groom proceeded to the hall to propose toasts to friends and relatives.
The spacious hall was filled with guests, and servant girls weaved between them serving dishes and pouring wine.
The guests wore festive attire but their demeanors were not that of ordinary visitors; they seemed more like those awaiting commands, ready to act ferociously at a word to pillage and exterminate.
"I, Lu Yunqi, have neither kin nor friends," Lu Yunqi raised his cup and declared, "A toast."
His words were concise, even somewhat abrupt, and those unfamiliar with him might not even understand him at times, but those present knew exactly what he meant.
He was saying that these people were his kin and friends.
He toasted everyone.
On this joyous milestone in his life.
All the guests in the hall rose in unison, raising their cups.
"To the master," they shouted robustly.
In the brightly lit, celebratory hall, a crowd downed their wine in unison, drinking three rounds.
Lu Yunqi signaled for everyone to sit down before he himself turned and entered.
People in the hall began to eat and drink or converse in low voices, but there was not a trace of laughter or any sense of festivity.
The scene appeared quite strange.
Despite the festive decorations, the guests bore no festive expressions; they conversed in solemn, hushed voices, as if they were attending a funeral.
The eunuchs and palace maids standing by the bridal chamber saw Lu Yunqi approaching and greeted him with smiles, enlivening the quiet atmosphere.
The door opened.
"Prince Consort, please," the leading eunuch said with a beaming smile.
Lu Yunqi entered, and those people did not follow. The two servant girls attending the bride also bowed their heads and withdrew. The door closed, leaving behind the sound of their retreating footsteps along the corridor.
Inside the room, large red wedding candles were lit, exuding a fragrant aroma, and the table was laid with utensils only the imperial family could use, highlighting the identity of those involved in the wedding.
On the bed under the large red wedding canopy, the bride sat upright, now dressed in her festive red wedding garment, her head slightly bowed, revealing a smooth and full forehead.
Hearing Lu Yunqi's footsteps, she did not move nor show any of the nervous restraint typical of a new bride.
Lu Yunqi didn't approach the bed but sat directly in front of the table, poured himself a cup of wine from the jug on it, and drained it in one gulp.
He continued to sit there, drinking three cups in succession, yet even under the glow of the brilliant red candles, his fair face showed no sign of flush from the alcohol.
"Your Highness, would you like a cup?" he suddenly asked.
Princess Jiuli, sitting by the bed, lifted her head. Despite the bridal makeup, which rendered her usually plain face with more pronounced eyebrows and delicately reddened lips, making her seem somewhat unlike herself, she appeared quite festive.
"Sure," she said softly, rising and taking a seat opposite Lu Yunqi.
He poured her a cup, which Princess Jiuli accepted and, covering her mouth with her sleeve, swiftly drank.
Lu Yunqi also poured himself another and drank it down in one go, while Princess Jiuli had already picked up the jug to pour herself another cup, sipping it slowly this time.
The wine jug was picked up in turn by both, pouring and placing it down again and again—one drinking in one go, the other savoring the wine slowly.
Suddenly, Lu Yunqi poured a full cup of wine onto the floor, and as he was about to pour another, Princess Jiuli spoke.
"She doesn't drink," Princess Jiuli said, slowly sipping her wine.
Lu Yunqi's hand stiffened, and he made no further movement.
Princess Jiuli then took the wine cup and continued to pour and sip slowly.
Neither spoke another word, and the only sound in the room was the merry flicker of the big red wedding candles.
...
"You can really hold your liquor, I see," Miss Jun said with a smile, sitting in a riverside pavilion, pinching a small wine cup as she looked across at Ning Yunzhao.
Ning Yunzhao held a small wine jug, turning it upside down to show not a drop was left.
"I didn't realize it myself," he said, looking at Miss Jun and shaking his head, "Is drinking to you just having one cup until dawn?"
Miss Jun pursed her lips with a smile and gazed at the night sky's slender crescent, like a willow's leaf.
Her master had said that girls in Jianghu must know how to drink, so she drank boldly. After she passed out drunk, the master had disappeared without a trace.
Drinking couldn't prove she was a girl fit for Jianghu at all; it proved only how easily one could be abandoned.
She would never do anything that wasn't beneficial to herself, no matter the situation.
"Drinking isn't really about the alcohol; it's about the mood. The quantity doesn't matter," she said with a smile, taking a light sip before tossing a piece of grilled chicken skin into her mouth.
Ning Yunzhao uttered an "Oh," picked up another wine jug, and gave it a shake.
"So how do you judge the mood?" he asked. "More mood, more drinking? Or less drinking?"
Miss Jun laughed.
She wasn't used to conversing like this.
From birth, her identity determined there was no one who could sit as her equal in conversation. Later, after leaving the imperial palace and following her master over hills and mountains, wandering everywhere, she rarely made friends or dealt with others.
The only constant companion she had was her master, who also never really engaged in serious conversation with her.
"That man was clearly no good."
She suddenly recalled Zhu Zan's words in Runan and couldn't help but snort with laughter.
"What did I say wrong now?" Ning Yunzhao asked with a laugh.