101. Drunken Scheming

Returning from the Gu household, Le Qingpo felt much lighter at heart than before. Gu Fei's willingness to agree to their two-year pact was, in a sense, a concession born of her lingering feelings for their past. As long as he knew she still held a place for him in her heart, that was enough.

However, this good mood lasted only until he stepped halfway through his bedroom door—

In the spacious chamber, Mo Geyi held a white jade wine cup, his head slightly tilted as he listened intently to what Fengyue, who stood beside him, was saying. Holding a wine flask, Fengyue smiled and chatted merrily, her eyes filled with a soft light, her cheeks flushed with a delicate pink.

He paused in his tracks, his gaze lingering on Fengyue's face, his eyes darkening slightly.

Quick-witted, Fengyue caught sight of Le Qingpo from the corner of her eye. She immediately set down the flask, took a few steps back, folded her hands, bowed her head, and said softly, "Greetings, Young Master."

Mo Geyi turned around, taking in all of Le Qingpo's expression. His eyes crinkled, momentarily hiding the dark mole on his eyelid. Raising the wine cup to his lips, he let out a faint, carefree laugh. "You're back? Honestly, Qingpo, you're far too unkind. Leaving me alone to deal with those people without even helping me block a few drinks. I thought I'd come to your place to seek refuge, only to find you had slipped out again. I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Let me guess, who did you go out to see?" Mo Geyi seemed somewhat intoxicated, his gaze rippling like water. "Just now, I saw a spring breeze in your eyes. So, which beautiful maiden did you go to meet?"

He swirled his wine cup and took a sip. The sweet, sharp aroma of the wine drifted from his lips, leaving Fengyue, who was watching from the side, drunk without having taken a single drop.

Le Qingpo walked inside. He waved his hand to dismiss Fengyue, lifted his robes, and sat at the table, ignoring Mo Geyi's question.

With a lingering, passionate glance at Mo Geyi, Fengyue lifted her skirts and took small steps toward the door. Just as she reached it, she heard Mo Geyi suddenly say, "Go fetch more wine. I want to drink with your master until we are both thoroughly drunk."

"Young Master..." Hearing this, Fengyue hesitated, unsure if she should obey the command.

"I am not drinking," Le Qingpo said coldly. Reaching for the teapot nearby, he poured himself a cup of cold tea instead.

Unexpectedly, Mo Geyi scoffed. He was exceptionally handsome, so even when making such an unrefined gesture, he did not appear the least bit discourteous. Instead, it gave him a somewhat rakish, devil-may-care charm. "Why drink tea? Come, drink with me. It is rare for us to be away from Dajing, free from all restraint. I want to drink to my heart's content."

As he spoke, he swiftly snatched the teacup from Le Qingpo's hand and, in a smooth motion, hurled it along with the teapot out of the room.

With a loud crash, the teacup and teapot shattered into pieces.

Le Qingpo sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling utterly helpless. "Restraint? Even in Dajing, I doubt anyone would dare restrain you."

Mo Geyi laughed. He fetched a clean wine cup, poured some for Le Qingpo, and pushed it toward him. Holding up his own cup, he tapped it against Le Qingpo's, then tilted his head back and drained it in one gulp.

Le Qingpo was not one to be squeamish. Since things had come to this, and because he had been harboring a lingering melancholy over Gu Fei's situation, he saw no harm in having a drink.

He, too, drained his cup in one gulp!

Mo Geyi shouted his approval. Waving his hand, he ordered Fengyue to bring a few more flasks of wine. With a few side dishes on the table, the two began to drink cup after cup.

As the drinking reached its peak, Mo Geyi took off his outer robe. Holding the wine flask directly, he stood up and even recited a few lines of poetry. Finally, he sighed deeply and lamented to Le Qingpo, "Qingpo, you only see me as a frivolous, playboy noble. But do you know why I am like this?"

Le Qingpo clearly held his liquor much better. Even when his head grew slightly dizzy and he felt a mild buzz, he did not speak recklessly, let alone behave as unbridled as Mo Geyi. In response to Mo Geyi's words, he merely chuckled, shook his head, and continued to drink.

"Everyone says the great families are glorious, but how many can imagine the filth and shame hidden beneath the surface?" Mo Geyi said, thrusting his empty cup before Le Qingpo to signal for a refill. "Besides, family responsibilities are a trap that no one can escape."

Le Qingpo replied seriously, "Geyi, whether one is filthy or upright is ultimately a matter of personal choice. I have always believed that a gentleman chooses what to do and what to refrain from doing. Only then can one be open and fearless, untouched by evil."

Mo Geyi chuckled repeatedly, a hint of moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes. He laughed at Le Qingpo's naivety, yet envied how he could still maintain such a pure, innocent heart in this turbid world. This was the very reason he was willing to treat him as a brother.

"Qingpo, my greatest desire is to play polo and ride horses in the spring, to admire flowers and host guests; to boat upon the lake at summer solstice and watch beauties dance and sing; to unleash falcons and hounds in the autumn, galloping through the hunt; and to play the flute before plum blossoms in winter, brewing tea with melted snow. To live freely and indulge in life's pleasures—that is all I want."

Hearing this, the hand Le Qingpo used to pour the wine paused. His eyes suddenly grew distant and profound. "Is that so? But all I want is to spend the rest of my life with A'Fei. If I can do that, I will have no regrets."

"A'Fei?" Mo Geyi repeated. A pair of exceptionally clear, black-and-white eyes flashed before his mind. The mere mention of this name sobered him up instantly. Standing to Le Qingpo's right, he gazed at him for a long moment, then curled his lips into a careless, faint smile. "I fear that wish will be difficult to fulfill. How many children of great families can make their own decisions when it comes to marriage?"

Le Qingpo did not look distressed. Instead, he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and his entire demeanor softened with warmth. "It matters not. A'Fei has already promised me that in two years, she will return with me to the Le family of Yunli. She does not care too much about formal status, though of course, I will still do my best to secure it for her."

Mo Geyi's fingers tightened around his wine cup. Taking a step back, standing where Le Qingpo could not see him, he asked again, "I haven't seen A'Fei in a long time. I wonder how she is doing now. You, me, Qingge, and A'Fei—the four of us grew up together. The old days were truly the best."

As his final words fell, they carried an indescribable emotion, leaving one unsure of their sincerity.

Le Qingpo did not think much of it. Finding his flask empty once more, he leaned over to grab another, pouring and drinking on his own, thoroughly enjoying himself. "She is doing well, it's just..."

Mo Geyi moved in front of Le Qingpo, snatched his flask, tilted his head back, and took a deep gulp directly from the narrow spout. The sweet, sharp liquor trickled down his jaw to his neck, eventually disappearing into the collar of his white robe. "It's just what?"

"Her legs are ruined," Le Qingpo said, his eyes darkening. With a trace of resentment, he downed his wine.

Mo Geyi froze. A fierce look flashed across his handsome, imposing face, hidden within the shadow cast by his high-bridged nose, completely concealed from Le Qingpo.

*Crash!* He flung the wine flask aside. In the blink of an eye, his face was filled with fury. "Who did it? I'll skin them alive!"

As if that were not enough, Mo Geyi immediately made to storm out, but his steps wobbled, showing he was indeed too drunk to stand steady.

Le Qingpo grabbed him and pressed him down into a chair. "Don't. A'Fei is doing well at the Gu household right now. We can investigate this slowly after we return to Dajing."

Having sharply caught the information he wanted from those words, Mo Geyi quieted down. He muttered something under his breath, then swayed to his feet and collapsed headfirst onto the bed in Le Qingpo's room. Loosening his collar with a carefree shrug, he said to Le Qingpo, "As long as she is well... Qingpo, the Mo family has wronged her. We've wronged her..."

Before he could finish, he began to snore softly. Le Qingpo shook his head. Earlier, he had been reluctant to drink, but now that he was in the mood, Mo Geyi had passed out. He simply took a wine flask, stepped outside, called A'Da to go in and attend to Mo Geyi, and went out into the courtyard to drink alone.

Meanwhile, Gu Fei had no idea that Mo Geyi already knew of her whereabouts. Lately, Xuanzhu Workshop had gotten on the right track, and its reputation was beginning to spread. Furthermore, Feng Lizhi had promoted it among Yizhou's influential circles, so business at Xuanzhu Workshop was steadily improving.

Gu Fei had even pestered Feng Lizhi to get the great master Feng Puyu to personally write the four characters "Vermilion Ink and Masterpieces." She had the calligraphy framed and hung in the most prominent position in the main hall, so it was the first thing every customer saw upon entering the shop.

Within three days, the orders for ink-making sent over by the workshop's assistants reached five. This far exceeded Gu Fei's expectations. She had originally prepared herself for Xuanzhu Workshop to have no business at all in the short term, not expecting that Yizhou had so many wealthy officials and nobles who loved ink cakes. One had to know that the ink cakes at Xuanzhu Workshop were by no means cheap; even the few ordinary items on the shelves cost several taels of silver more than those in ordinary shops.

The delivery date for each ink order was half a month later. Gu Fei figured that since they had received so many orders in just a few days, there would likely be even more in the future. Fearing she could not handle them alone, she unceremoniously summoned Feng Lizhi to the estate. The two of them holed up in the ink-making room, forgetting to eat and sleep as they crafted ink for several days.

Of course, Nanny Ku kept a constant eye on them. Under no circumstances would she allow Gu Fei and Feng Lizhi to be left entirely alone.

During their free moments, Gu Fei would occasionally bring up the problems she encountered while researching toxic ink in a subtle manner, discussing them with Feng Lizhi. Surprisingly, this immediately cleared up several points she had been struggling to understand. Similarly, Feng Lizhi felt he benefited greatly from their discussions.

The two of them grew increasingly in sync in the art of ink-making.

On the fourth day, Gu Fei received a letter from Le Qingpo. It briefly stated that he was returning to Dajing ahead of schedule and reminded her to keep their two-year promise.

That day, Gu Fei surprisingly did not stay in the ink-making room. She rose early, picked out a bright pink skirt, and selected a pair of lustrous, delicate pearl earrings. But when Nanny Ku asked if she wanted to dress up, she hesitated.

You Hu appeared out of nowhere, pacing around Gu Fei a few times. Looking at her pink skirt, he remarked coldly, "At this hour, even if you wanted to see him off, I fear it is already too late. Aren't you worried that seeing you will make Le Qingpo even more reluctant to leave you alone in Yizhou?"

Gu Fei glanced at him expressionlessly. Then, she fastened the pearl earrings onto her shell-like earlobes herself and instructed Nanny Ku to put the pink skirt away.

Seeing that Gu Fei was no longer going, You Hu drew a scroll from his sleeve, flipped through it, scanned several lines at a glance, and added, "These past few days, some people have been acting suspiciously in front of the Gu estate. By my estimation, Mo Geyi might already know you are staying here. He is probably preparing a trap, waiting for you to jump in."

Gu Fei pursed her lips and asked coldly, "How could he have confirmed so quickly that I am in the Gu household?"

You Hu sneered and turned another page. "Isn't that obvious? Naturally, it was your sweetheart who told him."