The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 532 - 499: My Jinbao Needs a Tutor (Part 2)
The next day’s farewell banquet saw the youths arriving punctually, each dressed in splendid robes with jade belts, their elegant demeanors causing the surrounding people to frequently turn their heads.
Xue Yinhuan and Ye Ling, being unmarried young ladies, found it inconvenient to attend such gatherings, so neither came.
From the Xue Family, only Yun Huai brought Xue Yan along, and Ye Rong joined them as well.
Zhao Xi and Song Yuanbao arrived last.
As soon as they ascended the stairs, Ye Rong let out a cold humph upon seeing him.
Song Yuanbao nonchalantly smiled, "Which grown man still holds grudges overnight, Third Young Master Ye? With so many people here, give yourself some face."
Ye Rong said, "Get lost!"
Zhao Xi took the main seat and signaled to Song Yuanbao, who promptly sat obediently at his place.
The menu had been prepared that morning by Eunuch Sanbao at Zhao Xi’s request, and the chef timed it perfectly. Shortly after the youths settled in, the restaurant waiters began setting the table.
With fine dishes, there was naturally excellent wine.
Zhao Xi brought palace-brewed wine himself, and Eunuch Sanbao poured for him. Zhao Xi raised his cup, offering the first toast to wish Yun Huai a smooth journey southward as he prepared to leave the Capital.
Yun Huai raised his cup in return, "It is my honor to be appreciated by Your Highness."
"Master, master, here, your disciple toasts you."
The youths, not yet officially under Yun Huai’s tutelage, were already trying to establish connections.
The private room quickly became lively and bustling.
Due to his frail health, Xue Yan replaced wine with tea and also toasted his uncle.
This time he spoke fluently, "If it weren’t for Uncle stepping in, Sister wouldn’t have been able to accompany us to Jiangnan. This toast is for you; on behalf of myself, Sister, and Mother, I thank you, Uncle."
Knowing that his uncle disliked him mentioning his mother, Xue Yan still mustered the courage to speak up.
Yun Huai didn’t blame him, "You are naturally weak and can’t compare to other disciples. After returning, continue your regular training. Don’t push yourself; sometimes, overdoing it does more harm than good."
Xue Yan nodded, "I understand, Uncle."
Like Xue Yan, Song Yuanbao was forbidden from drinking in the palace and never had a chance to build his tolerance.
Though not a strong drink, the palace brew Zhao Xi brought still had a potent aftereffect. Just a sniff told Song Yuanbao as much. With Ye Rong watching, he was too embarrassed to replace wine with tea like Xue Yan, so he braced himself and toasted Yun Huai.
After one cup, his head started feeling a little dizzy.
Ye Rong raised an eyebrow at him, "Little Yuanbao, surely you can’t be a one-drink wonder?"
Song Yuanbao gave him a look that said, "I can’t be bothered with you."
Ye Rong, enthusiastic, lifted the wine jug, "Come, come, let me fill your cup, shall we have a drink?"
Zhao Xi looked at Eunuch Sanbao upon seeing this.
Eunuch Sanbao immediately understood, quickly walking over to Song Yuanbao’s side, whispering, "Young Master Song, His Highness advised that you shouldn’t drink if you can’t handle it, lest you get drunk again."
Song Yuanbao rested his elbow on the table, propping his cheek as he asked, "Sanbao, can you drink?"
Eunuch Sanbao nodded.
In their free time, the eunuchs from several palaces would gather for drinks and finger-guessing games, so he quite had a decent tolerance.
Song Yuanbao was displeased, "Why can all of you drink so well, but I can’t?"
Eunuch Sanbao said, "Drinking leads to trouble. Being unable to drink is good; it keeps your mind clear."
Song Yuanbao rolled his eyes at him, still wanting to pour himself more wine to compete with Ye Rong, but Eunuch Sanbao stopped him, "Little Ancestor, if you really get drunk and throw up all over His Highness, he won’t spare you."
Song Yuanbao was a little confused, "When did I ever throw up on him?"
Eunuch Sanbao sneakily glanced in Zhao Xi’s direction, seeing that His Highness wasn’t paying attention, and whispered with his hand over his mouth, "That time when you and Minister Song went out to eat, didn’t you end up throwing up all over a carriage on the way back?"
Having no recollection of what happened after getting drunk, Song Yuanbao knew that Zhao Xi, being a clean-freak, seeing him in such a state and not beating him at the moment was already quite impressive.
With Eunuch Sanbao’s words, Song Yuanbao gave up on refilling his own glass. His eyes darted around before he looked at Ye Rong, "Drinking just like this is dull. Let’s do this: I’ll give you a riddle, and if you can solve it, I’ll drink it all."
Ye Rong refused, "You’re a scholar, giving me a rough man a riddle to solve. Shameless, aren’t you?"
Song Yuanbao said, "The answer is in ’Elementary Study of Jade Forest.’ No matter how rough you may be, surely you’ve read it or something similar when you first started learning?"
Ye Rong had nothing to say.
Song Yuanbao raised his eyebrows, "Believe it or not."
"What?"
Song Yuanbao had to repeat, "A riddle: believe it or not."
Ye Rong: "What the hell is this?"
"Drink up, Third Young Master." Song Yuanbao laughed smugly, "We agreed to bet, and the loser accepts the consequences."
"No way, are you messing with me? Can this even be called a riddle?" Ye Rong was not convinced.
Song Yuanbao replied slowly: "The shadow of the snake in the cup, suspicion arises. A blessing in disguise, hard to discern. Riddle answer: suspicion arises. Will you drink or not?"
Ye Rong: "You win! Then I must test you, Mr. Jie Yuan."
Song Yuanbao, with a smirk, anticipated Ye Rong might inquire about military matters. He wasn’t foolish, "Ask what you want, I have the right not to answer."
"You little rascal, you play rogue?"
"You haven’t just met me today. Over time, you’ll get used to it."
Ye Rong: "!!!"
...
The farewell feast lasted for an hour. Not all the young attendees could hold their liquor, with a few so drunk they staggered and were half-carried down the stairs by their companions.
Song Yuanbao watched them, imagining himself drunk and vomiting all over Zhao Xi, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine.
"Still not leaving? What are you standing there for?" Zhao Xi’s low voice came from ahead.
He had already walked some distance, noticed Song Yuanbao didn’t follow, and turned back to see him standing there dazed.
"Coming." Song Yuanbao hastily wiped the hot sweat off his forehead and stepped into Zhao Xi’s carriage.
He had not drunk much today, so his mind was still quite clear. Once seated, he asked Zhao Xi, "That Yun Liulang is only four years older than us yet already a famous figure in Jianghu. How do you think he managed that?"
Zhao Xi replied, "If you’re really curious, why not go to Suzhou and find out?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"No way am I going." Song Yuanbao leaned back lazily, "I’m unfamiliar with the place, and going there would just make me uncomfortable. Besides..." Besides, he had finally managed to win a bit of favor from Ye Ling. If he didn’t take advantage and pursue it now, spending two years in Suzhou and returning later—what girl in her right mind would foolishly wait for him?
"Besides what?" Zhao Xi looked over.
Song Yuanbao’s mind worked quickly, "Besides, my family’s Jinbao needs a tutor, and I need to stay in the Capital to oversee it."
"A tutor?" Zhao Xi thought for a moment, "If I’m not mistaken, Jinbao is only four this year."
He himself had only begun education at six.
"What’s wrong with four?" Song Yuanbao said with pride, "My father recognized characters at three, understood texts at five, and could write essays at ten. Jinbao is his son, so starting at four seems just right to me."
This was the first time Zhao Xi had heard of Song Wei’s feats and couldn’t help but feel amazed, "Recognized characters at three?"
He had lived in the Capital for over ten years and never encountered someone so talented, "Then if he’s such a genius, why did he only come to the Capital in his thirties?"
Song Yuanbao frustratingly ran a hand over his face, "It’s a long story."
"Cut the long story short." Zhao Xi said.
Song Yuanbao organized his thoughts a bit, "Have you ever heard of bad luck?"
Zhao Xi remained silent, waiting for more.
"My father is just plain unlucky. Every time he tried to accomplish something, something would go wrong. He didn’t marry until he was twenty-eight."
Zhao Xi understood, summing up, "Then your Mother must be quite impressive."
Song Yuanbao was taken aback, "How did you know?"
Zhao Xi replied, "Astrology isn’t all nonsense. Some people might just inherently have poor luck that has nothing to do with personal effort. If they luckily meet someone astrologically compatible, maybe their fortune could change."
This explanation satisfied Song Yuanbao. He gave Zhao Xi a thumbs up, "You nailed it. My mother was matched through astrology by my grandmother. To be honest, she was a mute girl then, but she was very beautiful. Not long after she married, my father’s luck turned around. Even more miraculously, after giving birth to Jinbao, her muteness was cured, and she could speak. My grandmother said they were naturally meant to be together, destined to be husband and wife."
Zhao Xi hadn’t delved into Song Wei’s past, so hearing Song Yuanbao talk about it now seemed quite interesting. Then, something occurred to him, "Isn’t she your stepmother?" He wondered why Song Yuanbao spoke of his stepmother with no resentment, almost as if introducing his birth mother.
Furthermore, who speaks of their stepmother as being a natural match for their father?
Upon this mention, Song Yuanbao’s expression became a bit stiff, but only for a moment. He waved it off, "That’s not important. What matters is she’s good to me and good to my father, and that’s enough."
Zhao Xi recalled how Song Yuanbao referred to Jinbao earlier as "my family’s Jinbao," which showed just how fond he was of his half-brother.
This unconsciously made Zhao Xi think of himself and Zhao Nuo.
Before Zhao Nuo was born, he was the only Prince in the Palace. Perhaps accustomed to being alone from a young age, he didn’t know what loneliness was and never felt lonely.
After Zhao Nuo was born, he went to Yonghe Palace personally to hold him. The little one was a soft, white bundle with eyes wide open, little fists tightly grasping his forefinger.
At that moment, Zhao Xi couldn’t deny his heart melted, thinking having a brother was nice.
Unfortunately, his concubine mother was nothing like Song Yuanbao’s stepmother. Not only was she unkind, but she also plotted against him. The arrow from the Liang Family on New Year’s nearly ended his life.
