Murong Xu held his alcohol cup, staring directly at Ling Chen.
Ling Chen, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, pursed his lips and reached out to take the cup, using this action to avoid eye contact with Murong Xu.
Ling Chen couldn’t quite appreciate the signature alcohol Murong Xu had recommended. He rarely drank and didn’t know the difference between good and bad alcohol, but he could tell that this alcohol was very strong.
“Cough—cough, cough.”
Caught off guard by the strength of the alcohol, Ling Chen choked and began to cough, his fair and handsome face turning slightly red.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
Murong Xu stood up and patted Ling Chen on the back. He had only wanted to see what Ling Chen looked like while drinking, but he didn’t expect him to choke.
“I’m not Little Seven; you don’t need to pat my back.”
The back-patting made Ling Chen feel uncomfortable, so he knocked Murong Xu’s hand away, frowning as he struggled to stop coughing.
Murong Xu returned to his seat, this time not daring to urge Ling Chen to drink again.
Although Murong Xu stopped encouraging him to drink, Ling Chen poured himself another cup.
Murong Xu frowned, “Why are you still drinking?”
“Is it your business?”
Ling Chen’s tone was still calm, but it was clear he was somewhat annoyed, embarrassed by having been choked by just one drink.
Seeing Ling Chen down a second cup in one go, Murong Xu couldn’t help but try to stop him. “Your Highness, please stop drinking.”
“Your Highness?”
“Your Highness, you—”
Before Murong Xu could finish speaking, he saw Ling Chen slump onto the table.
The alcohol was strong, and drinking two cups so quickly was too much for anyone.
Looking at the collapsed Ling Chen, Murong Xu quickly reached out, using his hand to cushion Ling Chen’s face from hitting the table.
However, as he looked at the unconscious Ling Chen, Murong Xu sighed deeply.
“Sigh, I should’ve known not to bring the alcohol.”
The tavern had rooms for rent, and after a moment of hesitation, Murong Xu booked an upper room for Ling Chen to rest. It wouldn’t be right to take him out while he was this drunk.
The bed in the tavern couldn’t compare to those in the palace.
Lying on the bed, Ling Chen felt dizzy. Half-awake and half-asleep, he vaguely remembered opening his eyes.
And when he did, he saw someone sitting by his bedside, watching him.
“Water…”
He asked the person for water; drunk people often felt thirsty.
Whether it was because he was speaking too incoherently or the person’s hearing was poor, Ling Chen had to repeat himself several times before the person leaned in close to hear him better.
They were so close that Ling Chen could even smell the scent of alcohol on the other person.
He shut his eyes, preferring not to look at the handsome face right in front of him.
If this man were working in the palace, he’d have lost his job by now.
“You want water? Alright, wait a moment.”
Soon, water was brought over.
Ling Chen was propped up and his lips touched the rim of the cup.
He gulped down half of it.
“Your Highness, has anyone ever told you that you look really good when you’re drunk?”
Ling Chen almost choked on the water again, coughing violently.
He was drunk, not dead.
He heard every word Murong Xu said clearly!
“You—you’ve got some nerve!”
Ling Chen pushed the cup away, his eyes filled with anger as he looked at Murong Xu. “To speak so flippantly—you dare say such things to me!”
Murong Xu blinked, then quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ve overstepped.”
“But I wasn’t being flippant. I genuinely think you look great.”
Ling Chen: “!”
Ling Chen: “Shut up!”
Ling Chen was about to explode with anger. How could this man continue to say such frivolous things over and over again?
Murong Xu, seeing the person in front of him so furious, strangely thought that even when angry, Ling Chen looked quite attractive.
“Alright, alright, Your Highness, I won’t say anything more.”
Murong Xu, afraid that this noble figure might truly be infuriated, smiled and shut his mouth, allowing Ling Chen to go back to sleep.
Ling Chen laid back on the bed. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but to his surprise, even with someone watching him, he drifted off. He slept soundly, barely dreaming at all.
The next morning, as soon as he opened his eyes, Murong Xu handed him a cup of warm water.
“Did you stay here all night?”
Ling Chen asked as he drank the water.
In the palace, Ling Chen wasn’t accustomed to having anyone watch over him through the night; the maids waited outside his chambers.
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep, so I stayed to keep an eye on you.”
Ling Chen had guards accompanying him on his travels. The guards stood watch outside the door, while Murong Xu remained inside.
Ling Chen glanced up at Murong Xu. After staying up all night, there wasn’t a trace of fatigue on his face.
“I need to return to the palace. You should go get some rest too.”
After finishing his tea and freshening up, Ling Chen was ready to leave.
Murong Xu stopped him. “It’s already this late, why not have breakfast before you go?”
“Come on, I’ll take you to a breakfast shop. The food there is really good.”
Ling Chen didn’t want to go, but Murong Xu added, “Little Seven really likes the food from that shop. You could bring him some.”
With that, Ling Chen no longer refused and followed Murong Xu out of the tavern.
The breakfast shop Murong Xu recommended did indeed have delicious food.
The shop was small, with three or four tables inside and several long tables and benches outside. The furniture was old, showing signs of wear and tear.
Ling Chen had never eaten in such a place before.
Murong Xu led him inside and naturally used his sleeve to wipe down a chair for him before asking him to sit.
Ling Chen pressed his lips together and took a seat.
After breakfast, Ling Chen brought a few items back to the palace.
When the little one in the palace saw the food his elder brother had brought, his eyes lit up.
“Big Brother, you’re the best!”
The little one was overjoyed and showered his brother with praise.
Ling Chen pinched the little one’s chubby cheek, a smile in his eyes. “If you like it, I’ll bring more for you next time.”
“I like it!”
As the little one stuffed the food into his mouth, he suddenly paused, confused. “Big Brother, why did you go to that shop for breakfast?”
How had his big brother found such a small place?
“Cough, I just happened to pass by,” Ling Chen said, not mentioning Murong Xu.
After watching the little one finish the food, Ling Chen ruffled his hair and turned to leave. He had a lot of work to do and not much time to spare.
The little one, watching his brother’s retreating figure, thought he seemed a bit different.
For several days after that, Ling Chen didn’t leave the palace. While he stayed inside, the little one was restless.
Among all his siblings, the little one had keenly identified his big brother.
He knew his big brother could come and go as he pleased!
And, since his brother had taken him to visit his uncle before, surely he could do so again.
The little one was taken outside and handed over to his uncle. During the entire process, it still seemed like the two older men were distant from each other.
“Uncle.”
As the little one snuggled against his uncle at the Murong residence, tired from playing, he began to chat casually. “Why don’t you play with Big Brother?”
He felt that his big brother and uncle weren’t very close.
“Who said I don’t play with him?” Murong Xu raised an eyebrow, denying the little one’s claim.
“I haven’t seen you two play together,” the little one responded honestly.
“We play when you’re not around.”
The uncle and nephew chatted idly, starting with Ling Chen but soon veering off into other topics.
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Ling Chen had no idea they’d been talking about him.
Days passed one after another.
When the little one wasn’t around, Ling Chen and Murong Xu had met quite a few times, despite trying to avoid it.
They had shared meals and drinks more than once.
“Your Highness, do you want one?”
One day, at a newly opened tavern, Murong Xu pointed to a wedding procession passing by below and asked Ling Chen.
According to wedding customs, the groom would throw out candies as he passed, and the townspeople would scramble for them, as it was believed eating the candies would bring good fortune.
Ling Chen sat by the window, watching the lively scene below. But he had no intention of joining the scramble for candies.
He glanced at Murong Xu and said flatly, “No.”
Going to grab candies with commoners—what kind of behavior would that be?
Proud as he was, Ling Chen refused without even considering it.
Murong Xu chuckled when he saw Ling Chen refuse. “Just wait here.”
Ling Chen: “?”
Before he could say anything, Murong Xu had already jumped out the window.
He joined the bustling crowd, jostling with the townspeople to snatch the candies.
After a while, when Murong Xu returned with a handful of candies, his clothes were disheveled.
Catching Ling Chen’s look of disbelief, Murong Xu sighed, “Those ladies are fierce fighters.”
Despite all his effort, he had only managed to grab a few candies.
“Who told you to join them? It’s just some candies. Was it really worth all that trouble?”
“Eating the candies brings good luck.”
Murong Xu peeled a candy and, without hesitation, popped it directly into Ling Chen’s mouth.
Ling Chen: “…”
His reflexes kicked in, and he instinctively held the candy in his mouth.
One fed, the other ate, and in that brief moment, Ling Chen’s lips brushed against Murong Xu’s fingers.
Murong Xu flinched as if burned, quickly pulling his hand back. He paused for just a second, then nonchalantly peeled another candy for himself.
“It’s pretty sweet,” he commented.
Ling Chen: “…”
Ling Chen turned his face away, quickly chewing the candy and swallowing it.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Murong Xu quietly ate his candy, and after a while, he started talking again.
“Your Highness, when are you going to hand out your wedding candies?”
Ling Chen: “I don’t know.”
Murong Xu’s cheeks puffed out slightly as he sucked on his candy. “The Empress hasn’t chosen a match for you yet?”
“I won’t accept an arranged marriage,” Ling Chen replied. He had finished his candy, but the lingering sweetness in his throat made him take a few sips of water to wash it down.
Meeting Murong Xu’s gaze, he frowned slightly and added, “Whoever I marry will be someone I choose myself.”
Murong Xu smiled. “Everyone praises you for being so dutiful and filial. I didn’t expect that when it comes to marriage, even you wouldn’t listen to the Empress.”
Ling Chen shot him a glare and ignored him.
In public, Ling Chen was known as the dutiful and noble prince, embodying the virtues of a gentleman. But in front of Murong Xu, he had long abandoned any pretense of such decorum, worn out by the man’s constant pestering.
“You’ve had your candy, Your Highness. Want to go for a celebratory drink now?”
“Not here, though. There’s another place outside the city. They don’t know you there, so you won’t be recognized.”
“No.”
Ling Chen’s default response to Murong Xu was always a refusal.
But, as always, his refusals were in vain.
“Come on, Your Highness.”
Murong Xu tugged on Ling Chen’s sleeve, pulling him along.
“Let go!”
“That’s enough!”
“Murong Xu, are you deaf?!”
