Chapter 43: New Year’s Eve Dinner, a Crisis Looms

Chapter 43: New Year's Eve Dinner, A Crisis

"Haha, you didn't see the looks on their faces just now—they turned green!"

"Leave it to our Ning to handle it."

"Those people strut around in front of us all day, but once they leave the Imperial Academy, they're not even fit to shine our shoes."

Ning Xishi, surrounded by his group of close friends, headed toward Qingyan Tower.

The sun was just right—even in the dead of winter, a bunch of young men chattering and making a racket together made the scene feel especially lively.

"If you ask me, we really should go to the teachers and have those people expelled from the Academy."

"Haha, they're cunning—they only talk behind our backs. The moment we actually go to the teachers, they'll have already run off, and then they'll deny it till they're blue in the face."

Ning Xishi, at the center of the crowd, told Dongshuang to take his cloak back, keeping only a little hand warmer. His palm-wide belt accentuated his lean waist, and even among a group of richly dressed young lords, he stood out from the crowd.

"Enough about those jerks. By the way, didn't you say your family built a new hot spring villa on the outskirts of the capital? Take us there sometime when you get a chance," Ning Xishi said lazily.

"Sure! Let me tell you, my estate is truly beautiful. I've been wanting to invite you all, just worried you guys wouldn't want to come."

The others burst into laughter: "With good wine and good food, plus hot springs to soak in—how could we not go!"

Shopkeeper Xiao of Qingyan Tower had known ahead of time that Ning Xishi would come for lunch, so he'd prepared a big spread well in advance.

Though it wasn't the New Year's Eve feast, the abundance and care put into it was on par with one.

The moment Ning Xishi stepped through the door, he caught sight of a pair of familiar eyes behind a table by the window.

He lit up with joy: "Senior... Brother Xiao!"

It was none other than Xiao Shaoqing, who he hadn't seen in ages.

"Oh? A Xi, you know him?" Qi Huairui leaned in to ask.

Ning Xishi said, "This is the older brother I used to hang out with a lot in Shaozhou. His family name is Xiao."

Xiao Shaoqing didn't stand on formalities either: "Only he gets to call me Brother Xiao, Second Young Master Ning. For everyone else, just call me Xiao Shaoqing."

Ning Xishi had assumed his three senior brothers and sisters would again be scattered to the four winds like before, not seeing each other even once a year. He never expected to bump into his senior brother in the capital—it was such a pleasant surprise that he immediately invited everyone to eat together.

The rich young playboys present had always tacitly looked to Ning Xishi as their leader, so of course they agreed without a second thought, immediately inviting Xiao Shaoqing to join them in the private room.

Meanwhile, at the General's residence, in the main reception hall.

Xie Jingxing sat at the table, where an equally exquisite and steaming hot spread of dishes was laid out. He asked for what felt like the umpteenth time: "Still not back yet?"

"I heard some poor scholars at the Academy were causing trouble—two groups of students got into a spat."

Steward Li had gotten word and immediately returned to report, "Young Master Ning aced it this time—he placed first in Class D. Those poor scholars must be jealous and looking for trouble on purpose."

Xie Jingxing frowned: "Just a squabble?"

"Yes. Our household's spy reported that Young Master Ning was seen leaving with his classmates just now—he'll likely be back soon."

"Mm."

Steward Li had barely left the room when he spotted Dongshuang heading toward Ning Xishi's courtyard, carrying Ning Xishi's cloak and a basket.

Steward Li's heart sank. He quickly looked behind Dongshuang, only to find no one there. He immediately called out to Dongshuang.

"Dongshuang, where's Young Master Ning? Didn't he come back with you?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention—my master went out drinking with his classmates. He did so well on the exams this time that he'll be moved to Class A next year. Even if they're in the same compound, they'll be in different classrooms, so it's a little bittersweet. They figured they ought to have a farewell meal at the very least." Dongshuang quickly rattled off the speech he'd been rehearsing the whole way.

Steward Li thought to himself what a load of nonsense that was.

Still, it was his own fault—when Young Master Ning left this morning, he'd forgotten to mention that the General would wait for him to return for lunch.

After all, it was the last day of the year—time for a family dinner.

Now that he'd gotten such bad news, Steward Li's forehead broke out in a cold sweat despite the winter chill. Without even wiping it away, he hurried back to report to the General.

After Xie Jingxing heard him out, he merely glanced at the bowl across from him. Steward Li immediately moved to clear the dishes away.

But Xie Jingxing stopped him: "No need. Leave it."

With that, he sent the servants away and picked up his chopsticks to eat alone.

Before leaving, Steward Li glanced at the table—all dishes Ning Xishi liked—and felt a twinge of sadness.

It had been a long time since the General had so carefully prepared a New Year's Eve meal.

Of course, this couldn't truly be called a New Year's Eve feast, since they'd have to go to the palace for the celebration that evening.

But it was still a meal the General had specifically ordered the kitchen to make. Too bad Young Master Ning didn't come back.

·

On Ning Xishi's end, he only managed to slip through the mansion gates just in the nick of time before they were due to depart, a faint scent of alcohol still lingering on him.

Xie Jingxing was reading on the second floor. He caught a glimpse of Ning Xishi rushing back to change but said nothing.

About fifteen minutes or so later, Ning Xishi reappeared in his line of sight, now dressed in formal attire, even his hair ribbon fancy and ornate.

For the first time, Xie Jingxing felt that his imperial clan status had some advantages.

—The handsome youth, dressed in such luxurious garments, only further accentuated his charming eyes and noble air.

Without that status, wearing such finery would be risking his life.

The two sat in the carriage, and Ning Xishi, catching a whiff of the lingering alcohol on himself, scooted a bit away from Xie Jingxing.

"You've been drinking, huh?" Xie Jingxing seemed to know what he was thinking and called him out on purpose.

Ning Xishi said, "Only three cups. They insisted, and I couldn't refuse."

"What kind of wine do you like? The mansion has quite a collection of fine wines, but unfortunately I don't really drink and never really touched them." Xie Jingxing's tone was indifferent.

The personal guard driving the carriage outside was confused: "?"

The General doesn't like drinking? Wasn't he the heaviest drinker around—aside from abstaining entirely during wartime, no one could outdrink him at any other time!

But Ning Xishi's eyes lit up. Stretching his long legs, he took a single step over to sit beside Xie Jingxing: "Do you have Qiulubai?"

"Of course."

"Lansheng wine?"

"We've got dozens of jars, at least."

"Pear Blossom Spring wine?"

"Of course we do."

"..."

"..."

By the time they were about to get out of the carriage, Ning Xishi was practically overflowing with admiration for Xie Jingxing.

Because General Xie, being the generous guy he was, had agreed to let him taste all these wines!

So Ning Xishi cheerfully pushed Xie Jingxing's wheelchair toward the imperial garden.

On the way, they ran into his dad, mom, and oldest brother, who were also headed to the banquet—

Ning Xishi: "...Father, Mother, Eldest Brother."

Minister Ning's face went stiff. He hurriedly greeted Xie Jingxing and then took off.

Xie Jingxing knew exactly how much Ning Xishi valued his family—otherwise, he never would've let Ming Hanche manipulate him into agreeing to become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader in the first place.

Seeing this, he wanted to comfort Ning Xishi, but to his surprise, Ning Xishi spoke up first: "General, don't mind them. My parents probably just need some time to get used to it."

Xie Jingxing thought to himself, get used to what? Get used to their son, whom they'd raised with so much care, marrying a man?

Putting himself in their shoes, that really would be hard to get used to.

Xie Jingxing understood Minister Ning's family well and had braced himself for a long stretch of cold shoulders. But he hadn't expected Ning Xishi to be the one comforting him.

This made Xie Jingxing pick up on a very subtle signal, and he quickly latched onto it, asking, "You're not against this, are you?"

Back at the opera house, when he'd knelt down, Ning Xishi had reacted.

They'd been so close, he was sure of it.

Ning Xishi was caught off guard for a second: "Huh?"

But Xie Jingxing kept pushing: "You've gotten used to it, haven't you?"

Ning Xishi sucked in a sharp breath, looked around, and seeing they were alone, decided to be honest: "I think just surviving is hard enough, so I haven't given much thought to anything else. As long as I'm not forced to wear a dress or pearl hairpins, and besides, you're such a good person, General, why wouldn't I get used to it?"

That was Ning Xishi's honest truth.

But to Xie Jingxing's ears, it sounded like a flimsy rejection letter.

It meant Ning Xishi would marry him because the emperor ordered it, but without a shred of affection.

Xie Jingxing pressed his lips together and went quiet.

The rest of the journey was silent, and even after the eunuch led them to their seats and the banquet started, neither of them said a word.

To the eunuchs silently watching them, it looked like a sign of discord.

Before long, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager came in.

Ning Xishi discreetly studied the Empress Dowager and noticed she looked a lot like Xie Jingxing. In contrast, the Emperor, who was a bit older, showed no signs of being Xie Jingxing's biological brother.

Maybe the two brothers each took after a different parent—one after their father, the other after their mother.

Ning Xishi had barely glanced at the Empress Dowager when a maid behind her shot him a sharp glare.

Then the Empress Dowager's piercing gaze followed, cold and murderous, like she wanted to kill Ning Xishi.

If his parents felt more helpless than resentful, then the Empress Dowager was clearly more furious than helpless.

This made Ning Xishi think of the Empress Dowager's current situation—imprisoned in Cining Palace by the Emperor, with almost no contact with outside officials except for the eunuchs and maids she could order around.

But her gaze didn't seem like that of a political loser; it was more like someone biding her time, waiting to strike.

Ning Xishi was the first to look away, resolving to stay on guard for any surprises during the banquet.

After all, the Emperor had called them back in such a hurry; it couldn't just be for a simple meal.

To his surprise, none of the tricks he'd feared—poisoned wine, assassinations, or being put on the spot with arts and talents—happened. The banquet went off without a hitch.

It was only after it ended that he and Xie Jingxing were stopped by a maid they didn't recognize, who said the Empress Dowager wanted to speak with them.

Ning Xishi, without a second thought, pushed Xie Jingxing and followed the maid.

After walking a bit, he stopped: "This isn't the way to Cining Palace."

The maid was startled, and without answering Ning Xishi, she quickened her pace and scurried off.

Ning Xishi put his hand on Xie Jingxing's shoulder: "Don't worry, General. Someone's definitely up to something. We'll deal with whatever comes our way."

The young man's every feature looked like it was sculpted by the goddess Nüwa, his slender fingers pressing into Xie Jingxing's shoulder, making him wish they could stay there forever.

Ning Xishi was fairly confident in his martial skills; as long as there weren't too many experts, just some imperial guards, he was sure he could get away with Xie Jingxing.

But then a faint lantern light approached from the distance, and as it got closer, they saw it was a frail old nursemaid.

Ning Xishi let his guard down a little: "Who are you?"

"I'm the nursemaid by the Empress Dowager's side. That young maid was foolish and ran off in a fright. I've come to lead the General and his lady to rest."

==========Author's Note:==========

Good night