Drunk on Madness - Chapter 28

This was the Yan Prince’s residence at the border, the place where Zhou Mingxuan had lived as a child.

In the courtyard, lanterns were lit one by one, their warm yellow glow swaying gracefully in the night.

At the entrance of the residence stood dozens of people. The Princess Consort of Yan, Lady Zhao, and the princess, Zhou Qingyi, straightened their postures excitedly as they watched the approaching carriage.

Princess Zhou Qingyi gazed at the distant carriage and exclaimed, “Mother, Mother, Brother’s carriage is here!”

Not long ago, the Prince of Yan had sent word that their son would return home today. Eager to see him as soon as possible, the mother and daughter had waited in the cold wind for a while.

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Mingxuan lifted the carriage curtain and looked toward the residence. When he saw his mother and sister, whom he hadn’t seen in years, his eyes instantly reddened.

He turned back to Li Xiang and said, “We’ve arrived at the residence. Compose yourself, don’t let Mother and the others notice anything amiss.” With that, he rubbed his cheeks vigorously.

Li Xiang watched his almost self-punishing gesture and suddenly understood his intent, a flicker of complexity passing through her eyes.

When the two stepped out of the carriage, Zhou Mingxuan strode forward quickly. Princess Consort Zhao took his hand with one hand and gently caressed his face with the other, tears welling in her eyes. Her voice choked with emotion as she said, “Mingxuan, you’ve finally come home.”

Zhou Mingxuan’s lips curved slightly as he wiped the tears from Lady Zhao’s eyes. “Yes, your son has returned. Please don’t grieve anymore, Mother.”

Qingyi hadn’t seen her brother in years, but ever since she could remember, she had been very close to her elder brother, the heir. “Brother, Mother and I have missed you so much.”

Zhou Mingxuan looked at his sister, who had grown much taller, and patted her head. “Qingyi has grown so tall, you’re a young lady now. Have you been practicing the characters I taught you?”

Qingyi replied, “I’ve been grinding ink and practicing the calligraphy you gave me every day, never slacking. If you don’t believe me, test me someday.”

Seeing her confident demeanor, Zhou Mingxuan knew she hadn’t been lazy. His heart warmed. “Of course I believe you. These past years, our family has endured many hardships. Seeing that you haven’t become timid or fearful brings me great comfort.”

Qingyi’s eyes reddened slightly. Ever since the incident at the Yan residence, her mother had lived in constant anxiety. After finally arriving at the border to see their father, they had spent every day worrying about her brother’s whereabouts, leaving little time to care for her.

Here at the border residence, the servants were all new faces. With no outlet for her emotions, she had grown quiet and withdrawn, afraid of burdening her father and mother further.

As Lady Zhao watched the siblings reunite, she quickly dabbed her tears with a silk handkerchief and asked, “Mingxuan, have you eaten dinner yet?”

Zhou Mingxuan smiled faintly. “Not yet. I wanted to return early to share a meal with you and Qingyi.”

Hearing this, Lady Zhao immediately instructed the servants to bring out the warmed dishes, preparing to dine and chat with her children.

Li Xiang followed behind the crowd. Suddenly, Zhou Mingxuan seemed to remember something and stopped, turning to look at her standing at the back.

The crowd instinctively parted, forcing Li Xiang to step forward. He took her hand and introduced her to Lady Zhao. “Mother, Qingyi, this is Xiangxiang. Over the past two years, it’s thanks to her care that I survived against all odds. I wish to marry her in the future.”

His words caused a moment of stunned silence among the crowd. Lady Zhao felt slightly displeased, but after so many years apart, she didn’t want to refuse him in front of everyone. She forced a smile and said, “Of course, we must properly thank this young lady. Let’s sit down and talk. Didn’t you say you haven’t eaten yet? We can chat over the meal.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mingxuan nodded and supported Lady Zhao’s arm as the group made their way to the dining hall in a grand procession.

When they arrived at the front hall, Princess Consort, Lady Zhao, led the siblings to their seats. Servants brought out steaming dishes one after another, delicate porcelain plates filled with an array of delicacies: vibrant Kung Pao chicken, fragrant steamed perch, piping-hot bird’s nest soup, and glistening white rice.

Li Xiang, standing behind Zhou Mingxuan, suddenly remembered she hadn’t eaten either. Su Mo had originally saved some food for her, but Zhou Mingxuan had dragged her here to watch his family dine, which left her feeling quite irritated.

Suddenly, Qingyi at the table noticed Zhou Mingxuan’s slightly swollen and reddened face and asked curiously, “Brother, why is your face so red?”

Without changing his expression, Zhou Mingxuan replied, “In the past, while Xiangxiang and I were evading pursuers, we suddenly heard the tragic news about the palace. Every night, I dreamed of reuniting with all of you. Now that I’ve returned home and see everyone safe and well, my heart is naturally overwhelmed.”

Princess Consort Zhao’s eyes grew slightly moist at his words, she understood this emotion all too well.

To divert everyone’s attention, Zhou Mingxuan shifted the topic to the visibly annoyed Li Xiang. “What are you thinking about? Come, sit down and eat with us.”

A servant pulled out the chair beside Zhou Mingxuan and set out a new bowl and chopsticks. Seeing Li Xiang hesitate, Zhou Mingxuan stood up, took her hand, and guided her to sit beside him.

Though Princess Consort Yan had some reservations, seeing Zhou Mingxuan’s insistence, she didn’t object further. After all, this girl had helped her son during his most difficult times.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qingyi, seated beside the princess consort, watched the “sister-in-law” her brother had brought home with great curiosity, as if anticipating some drama.

Under the scrutiny of so many eyes at the table, Li Xiang felt as though needles were pricking her back. Her body stiffened, and she silently cursed Zhou Mingxuan’s arrangements. Without waiting for the others to start, she resentfully picked up a piece of chicken and began eating on her own.

Seeing her finally eat, Zhou Mingxuan slowly relaxed. Worried she might feel too restrained to reach for dishes, he even made a point of serving her some of the dishes farther away, placing them in her bowl.

Lady Zhao’s feelings were complicated. Her son had finally returned home, yet watching him dote on the woman he loved, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of bitterness.

Zhou Mingxuan picked up a piece of perch, carefully removed the bones, and placed it in Lady Zhao’s bowl. “Mother, let’s eat together.” He didn’t forget to serve a piece to his younger sister, Qingyi, as well.

Lady Zhao lowered her head, looking at the fish in her white porcelain bowl, touched by Zhou Mingxuan’s filial devotion. Setting aside her prejudice against Li Xiang, she began to eat.

After the meal, Zhou Mingxuan spent a long time catching up with his family, lingering until late at night. Only when Lady Zhao could no longer resist her drowsiness did they each retire to their own courtyards.

Zhou Mingxuan held Li Xiang’s hand as they walked side by side toward his childhood residence, the Agarwood Courtyard. After following him for a while, Li Xiang realized this palace seemed even larger than the one in the capital, three layers of courtyards, pavilions and towers, winding corridors, artificial hills, and lotus ponds, nothing was lacking.

The two entered the “Agarwood Courtyard,” where Zhou Mingxuan arranged for her to stay in a side room. He also assigned two maids to attend to Li Xiang. After the day’s many events, both mentally and physically exhausted, Li Xiang longed for an early rest. She had no mood to inspect the room, only wishing to sleep as soon as possible.

The two maids were named Pearl and Coral. As they washed Li Xiang’s body, she suddenly recalled Xiao Chunxi, who had cared for her for a few days at Songshan Academy, and wondered how she was doing now. There was also Qingzhi, she hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye before leaving the academy.

The two maids exchanged glances as they observed Li Xiang’s dazed expression, unable to comprehend why their master would favor such a woman.

After drying the water droplets from her body, they noticed several scars on her skin and silently looked at each other. Fetching a box of ointment, they gently applied it to Li Xiang’s wounds.

The cool touch of the ointment made Li Xiang shiver slightly. She glanced at Pearl and asked, “What is this?”

Pearl continued applying it as she replied, “This is a scar-removing ointment. The young master had it sent over and instructed us to apply it for you.”

At the mention of Zhou Mingxuan, Li Xiang felt a headache coming on and simply wanted to empty her mind. She didn’t respond to Pearl’s words.

Noticing Li Xiang’s weary demeanor, Pearl realized she might have said something wrong and fell silent, quickening her movements instead.

Once Pearl finished, Coral helped Li Xiang into a pale yellow bodice and draped a semi-transparent white gauze robe over it, accentuating the graceful curves of her waist. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, lending her a delicate, natural beauty without a trace of makeup.

Seeing that they were nearly done, Li Xiang walked toward the large bed in the room. She lifted the quilt and slowly lay down.

After days of arduous travel, she hadn’t slept in a proper wooden bed for so long. She was utterly exhausted. Before long, she drifted into a deep slumber.

Zhou Mingxuan, clad in a white sleeping robe, emerged silently from a hidden door. Coral and Pearl immediately knelt in greeting. His gaze fixed on Li Xiang in the bed, he motioned for them to leave with a wave of his hand.

The room was filled with the scent of incense as Li Xiang slept soundly. Zhou Mingxuan climbed onto the bed, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her forehead and the corner of her lips.

Looking at her defenseless form, it felt as though they had returned to the little house in Wutong Village, where there was no Su Mo, only the two of them.