Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 61 Part 1

The Apricot Blossom Pavilion was located on the Vermillion Bird Avenue, the main thoroughfare of the capital. The three-story building was exquisitely constructed and full of elegance, making it one of the most renowned restaurants in the city, as well as a gathering place for the capital’s high-ranking officials and nobles.

“Are you sure it’s here?” Xi Rong reined in his horse and stopped in front of the restaurant.

Following behind, Song Yang nodded. “No mistake. Liu Bingyang has no other hobby; only a love for wine. He especially favors the Apricot Blossom Pavilion’s apricot blossom wine. Every day at noon, without fail, he comes here to the second floor, by the window, and orders a jar. At this hour, he should be here.”

It was indeed lunchtime. In front of the building, carriages and horses crowded the street, customers coming and going in a steady stream. A row of a dozen waiters in matching uniforms stood before the restaurant’s grand doors, welcoming and seeing off guests. For those of high status, the waiters would even kneel in front of the carriage to serve as a step.

Xi Rong’s group had come in plain clothes and naturally received no such grand treatment.

They had barely dismounted when a deep, thunderous rumble sounded. A luxuriously decorated carriage drawn by two horses came driving in from the other end of the street. The two servants handling the reins were dressed in bright, fine clothing and carried themselves with great swagger. Even in the middle of the bustling market street, they showed no sign of slowing, forcing pedestrians and other carriages to hurriedly move aside, leaving the center lane clear.

The carriage came straight to a stop before the Apricot Blossom Pavilion’s entrance.

The coachman leapt down, kneeling before the carriage. A moment later, the door opened and out stepped a tall, powerfully built young man in his twenties, with bold brows and fierce eyes, dressed in an imperious purple martial robe. He dismounted by stepping directly on the servant’s back.

Behind the carriage followed three more, each as luxurious as the first.

Seven or eight people alighted in turn, each wearing precious jade pendants at their waist, crowding around the purple-robed young master, chatting and laughing as they headed for the restaurant. The laughter of the man in front was especially loud and grating.

The instant Jiang Cheng heard that laugh, his expression shifted slightly.

That group was clearly of no ordinary status. The waiters rushed up with extreme care and enthusiasm, vying to wipe their boots and dust off their robes, terrified of giving offense.

Jiang Cheng spoke in a low voice, “Your Highness, that’s Cui Cheng.”

“Enemies truly meet on a narrow road.” Zhou Wenhe’s face twisted with deep disgust.

Cui Cheng had clearly noticed Xi Rong’s group as well.

Something in his expression suggested an unpleasant memory. His steps paused and his eyes narrowed viciously before his mouth twisted into an arrogant smile. “Well, if it isn’t the Crown Prince. Long time no see.” As he spoke, he slowly closed the distance between them.

Jiang Cheng immediately stepped in front with alertness. “Cui Cheng, what are you trying to do?”

Cui Cheng laughed heartily. “A defeated general dares to block my way? I merely wanted to greet His Highness. Look how frightened you are. Jiang Cheng, if even a coward like you can be general of the Eastern Palace guard, then the Eastern Palace must truly have no one left to use.”

His arrogance was boundless. Those around them fell silent, no one dared refute him.

Jiang Cheng’s chest rose and fell, his fury near to boiling over. He reached for his sword, but Song Yang shook his head to stop him.

“The Eldest Young Master asks that the General head straight to the private room.”

At that moment, a servant from the Cui household came out from the building, bowed to Cui Cheng, and delivered the message.

Cui Cheng gave Jiang Cheng a disdainful glance. “Consider yourself lucky today.”

With that, he led his entourage swaggering into the building.

Jiang Cheng stared daggers into Cui Cheng’s back, his sword hand twitching from sheer anger.

“Put away your sword. There will be time in the future,” Xi Rong said coldly, taking the lead into the restaurant.

Jiang Cheng snapped back to himself, answered respectfully, and quickly followed.

Inside the main hall, the owner of the Apricot Blossom Pavilion, dressed in a brocade robe, personally emerged from the back hall with a group of waiters, bowing so low he was nearly doubled over. From a good distance away, he already gave a long formal salute to Cui Cheng. “I did not know General Cui would grace us today. Please forgive my failure to welcome you sooner.”

“The food and drink, same as always.”

“Rest assured, General, I have already had everything prepared.”

Cui Cheng waved a large hand, letting the owner lead the way.

The main hall’s staircase to the second floor was broad and wooden, covered in a gold-threaded brocade carpet. At the top, it split into two directions, east and west.

Upon reaching the landing, the owner respectfully guided Cui Cheng’s group toward the west.

Cui Cheng stopped, frowning. “Why the west side?”

Behind him, a Cui clan servant replied, “General, the east-side private room has been taken by someone else today.”

Cui Cheng’s eyes instantly shot toward the restaurant owner like lightning. “Is that so? Don’t you know that whenever I come to your Apricot Blossom Pavilion, I only sit in the east-side private room?”

The owner bowed deeply, offering repeated apologies. “Today’s situation is truly exceptional. I can only trouble the General to sit in the west side room for now.”

“Save me the excuses.” Cui Cheng sneered. “In this capital, there’s no one who dares snatch something from me. Go tell whoever’s inside to hurry up and give up the private room. I’ll spare his dog life.”

It was no empty threat.

At present, Cui Cheng not only served as General of the Imperial Guards, but was also the cherished nephew of Minister of State Affairs Cui Daohuan. His status was prestigious and with his natural great strength and outstanding bravery, he was someone who could walk sideways through the capital unchecked. Not only ordinary officials, but even imperial princes and royal relatives were wary of him.

“This…” The owner’s face showed difficulty. “The honored guest upstairs is truly not someone we can offend…”

Cui Cheng directly seized the restaurant owner by the collar. “What, you’re afraid to offend him, but not afraid to offend me?”

One of the noble youths behind him raised his voice. “Manager Liu, when doing business in the capital, the most important thing is to keep your dog eyes wide open and recognize the difference between high and low, noble and base. If you can’t even tell rank apart, can this Apricot Blossom Pavilion of yours still stay open here?”

The owner folded his hands in apology and could only say, “It’s not that I don’t want to make things convenient for the General, but the one who booked the entire east-side private room today is the heir of Prince Xiao.”

At those four words, everyone paused, their expressions subtly changing.

“The heir of Prince Xiao?”

Cui Cheng also frowned slightly.

“Yes. The Young Prince likes quiet. Today he’s resting here and to avoid disturbance, he directly booked the entire east-side private room.”

“Brother Cui, let it go. If it were anyone else, it’s fine, but I hear that Xiao Rong is famously ill-tempered, self-assured in his talent, arrogant and domineering, and doesn’t put anyone in his eyes. It’s better not to provoke him,” after a moment, one of the noble companions quietly advised.

Cui Cheng slowly released his grip.

In the capital, he was used to throwing his weight around, never having swallowed such humiliation. But the Xiao clan… Cui Cheng’s expression shifted several times before he finally gave a cold snort, pushed the owner aside, and walked toward the west side of the second floor with a dark, sullen face, saying nothing.

Xi Rong, who had been standing aside watching with cold detachment, now glanced at Song Yang.

Song Yang understood and stopped a waiter who was about to carry wine upstairs, asking pleasantly, “Might I ask if Lord Liu Bingyang from the Censorate is drinking here today?”

The waiter nodded. “Lord Liu did come over, but at the moment, he’s already been invited by Young Master Cui to a private banquet.”

Song Yang continued, “And who else has the Cui clan invited today?”

It wasn’t any kind of secret, so the waiter answered truthfully, “Several other officials from the Censorate as well.”

Song Yang nodded and then asked, “Is Lord Liu’s seat still kept for him?”

“It is.”

Song Yang pulled out a piece of silver and slipped it to the waiter. “We’re friends of Lord Liu and had originally arranged to drink with him today. Could you take us to his seat so we can wait for him?”

The waiter, grinning, pocketed the silver at once and led the group upstairs.

Unlike the noisy first floor, the second floor, with mostly private rooms, was much quieter.

All the open tables were located in the space between the east and west private rooms, separated from the suites by screens and curtains to maintain privacy. Led by the waiter, Xi Rong and the others took their seats and indeed saw on the wine table a jar of apricot blossom wine, a dish of peanuts, and a single wine cup. Some peanuts had already been eaten and the cup still held a bit of wine.

Zhou Wenhe remarked, “Looks like Liu Bingyang was invited away midway.”

“Liu Bingyang has little to do with the Cui clan. He would never take the initiative to join their banquet. The Cui clan must have used this method to make it impossible for him to refuse.”

As Song Yang spoke, he peeked through the curtain at both sides.

The west-side private room was clearly lively, with the constant sounds of drinking games and toasts drifting out. The east side, however, was utterly silent, with only two guards in cloud-white martial robes posted outside the door. Even when the waiter delivered items, he only handed them to the guards, who then took them inside.

Still brooding over the earlier incident, Jiang Cheng said, “One man booked the entire east-side private suite. Can he even rest through it all?”

Song Yang replied, “The heir of the Xiao clan, the sole son of Prince Xiao; what could be more exalted? Even if he booked the entire Apricot Blossom Pavilion, who would dare say anything? Didn’t you see that even Cui Cheng didn’t dare try to take it from him?”

“One Cui clan is trouble enough, now there’s an even more troublesome one.” Jiang Cheng sighed, then his gaze halted.

At that moment, another young guard emerged from the east-side private room. He accepted from the waiter two trays of food and, on a finely gilded tray, more than a dozen varieties of wine. This was the very same guard they had encountered earlier on the street, the one who had fought them over the osmanthus candy.

“Ten packets of candy and now over a dozen jars of wine; such extravagance and waste.”

Jiang Cheng was left speechless in amazement.

Xi Rong looked at the wine and dishes before him, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

At that moment, in the east-side private room, Imperial Censor Liu Bingyang sat slouched at the table in a rumpled scholar’s robe, a small jar of wine dangling from his hand. He tipped his head back for a long swig, a faintly blissful look crossing his face, though when he looked at the young heir sitting across from him, his expression shifted to one of half-playful reproach.

“I say, Junior Brother, you forcibly dragged me here. Aren’t you making me offend the Cui clan? You really are putting your Senior Brother in a difficult spot.”

Seated opposite him, sleeves draped neatly, was none other than the heir of Prince Xiao, Xiao Rong.

Hearing this, Xiao Rong didn’t so much as lift his eyelids. He simply picked up another wine jar, poured himself a cup, and, raising his sleeve, took an unhurried sip before saying, “If I hadn’t saved you from fire and water today, you’d already be bound to the Cui clan’s pirate ship with no way off. It’s fine if you won’t thank me but to put on such false airs? Isn’t that just a bit ungrateful?”

“No manners at all. They were inviting me for a drink out of kindness.”

“Were they? Well, consider this jar my treat to Senior Brother. As for the rest, you can go drink them with the Cui clan.”

Liu Bingyang’s eyes all but popped out at the row of wine jars laid out on the table. He reached for one, only for Xiao Rong to press his hand down. “If you want to drink, fine, but you’ll be paying for it yourself.”

Liu Bingyang instantly swapped to a fawning smile. “Junior Brother, must you be so stingy? You’ve been away from the capital for two years. Now that you’re finally back, by reason and by feeling, you should treat your Senior Brother to at least one feast.”

Xiao Rong didn’t move, only looked at him coolly.

Liu Bingyang eventually deflated, drew his hand back, and took another sip of wine. “Alright, alright, I’ll be honest. Junior Brother, I really do have to thank you today. That Cui clan banquet is more of a Hongmen Banquet than the Hongmen Banquet itself. What’s there to eat? Nothing like drinking freely with my Junior Brother. You don’t even know how hard the Cuis have been hounding me lately. Meeting you today is like meeting a living bodhisattva who comes to save me from suffering. But that Cui Cheng is no easy man to provoke.” |16|

Xiao Rong said flatly, “Cui Cheng? What is that supposed to be?”

Liu Bingyang burst out laughing. “Exactly, nothing but a dog. Come, let’s drink to that!”

They each drained a cup. Liu Bingyang, eyeing not just the various fine wines on the table but also a large open bag of osmanthus candy, reached to take one, only for Xiao Rong to stop him.

“You can’t eat that.”

Xiao Rong’s tone was faint.

Liu Bingyang withdrew his hand, sulking. “It’s only osmanthus candy. It doesn’t cost much. You really are stingy.”

Luckily, the guards soon brought in the food and wine.

They had just started eating when the bodyguard Mo Dong reported from outside, “Young Prince, Cui Cheng is here. He says he came to invite Lord Liu over for the banquet.”

Xiao Rong raised his cup, took a second sip without changing expression, and said, “Must I really teach you how to handle something like this?”

Mo Dong withdrew silently.

Soon after, the sounds of fighting came from outside the private room.

Liu Bingyang fidgeted in his seat, clearly uneasy. Xiao Rong kept his gaze lowered, idly turning his wine cup without moving.

In the west-side private room, Cui Xie sat at the head of the table, also listening to the commotion outside.

Before long, a servant from the Cui residence hurried in to report. “Young Master, something’s wrong. General Cui has been surrounded by Prince Xiao’s shadow guards. The heir has given the order to cut off General Cui’s arm.”

The words shocked everyone present.

“General Cui is the General of the Imperial Guard. How dare the heir of Prince Xiao be so brazen!” someone exclaimed.

Cui Xie finally frowned, rose from his seat, and went out.