"Fourth brother, aren't you going to watch?" Nangong Yan asked, placing a chess piece. "Yongning is already fighting with Little Nine."
"No one's going to die." Nangong Yu placed his piece coldly. Who knew he was in such a foul mood? To fight openly with someone over a scholar-official… truly remarkable!
Nangong Yan glanced downstairs. Xiao Man and Nangong Wu wouldn't back down for anyone. Although Nangong Wu's birth mother died early, she was officially under the Empress and raised by the Empress Dowager, thus naturally holding a more noble status and a more assertive personality than other princesses. As for Xiao Man, she was notoriously headstrong and wouldn't yield easily.
These two were at odds, and unless one emerged victorious, they likely wouldn't cease. Nangong Yan looked up at Nangong Yu's darkened expression, a smile playing on his lips. "It seems Fourth Brother has great confidence in Yongning." Sudancrazy.com
"Little Nine is no match for her." Nangong Yu said slowly. "When it comes to fighting, I haven't seen her lose yet."
Nangong Wu fought with increasing joy. In the palace, her sisters all found her to be un-princess-like. This was the first time she had met an equal, and her impression of Xiao Man had significantly improved.
"Xiao Man, I didn't expect you to be so skilled!"
"Ninth Princess, you're not bad either."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Wu immediately dropped her whip and engaged Xiao Man in a fistfight. The onlookers cheered, save for Qin Zeyan, who was being jostled and trying his best to persuade them to stop.
By the time Nangong Yu and his opponent finished their game, Xiao Man and her companion had also concluded their fight. The crowd looked at the two figures lying simultaneously on the ground, then at each other. Who had won?
Xiao Man walked towards Nangong Wu. Both had smiles on their faces, extending their fists towards each other. The crowd wondered if they were about to fight again.
To their surprise, after touching fists, they slung arms around each other and walked away together. "Today's fight was so exhilarating. I'm sorry, Xiao Man, for calling you a coward."
"It's alright, I forgive you. We're evenly matched, we must have a drink. Let's go to Shi Wei Tian, I'm treating." After fighting, they had forged a friendship and left Qin Zeyan behind.
The onlookers exchanged glances and surrounded Xue Kun. "They drew, so who won?"
"A draw means the house wins!"
"No, a draw means the house loses! Pay up!"
Xue Kun quickly covered his money pouch. "Are we even talking about fairness? A draw means none of you bet correctly, so the house wins…"
"Too lazy to argue with him, let's just take our money back!"
"Quick, stop them! Stop them!" Protected by guards, Xue Kun desperately tried to break free from the crowd, but they were layered three deep, and escape was impossible.
Xiao Man and the other woman went to Shi Wei Tian, requested a private room, ordered a table full of delicacies, and ten jars of fine wine!
"If we didn't decide on a winner with fists, we'll settle it at the wine table!" Nangong Wu declared boldly. "Do you dare?"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Xiao Man placed a foot on a stool, grabbed a jar of wine, opened it, and took a large gulp.
Seeing this, Nangong Wu didn't lag behind. After downing a jar, she felt dizzy and her vision blurred, but she still tried to stand firm. "How is it, Xiao Man, aren't you drunk?"
Xiao Man smiled. "How could I be? I'm just worried you'll get drunk. If you can't drink anymore, admit defeat quickly!"
"Admit defeat? I, Nangong Wu, don't know the meaning of the word!" She then grabbed another jar and continued drinking with gusto.
Xiao Man watched with a smile as Nangong Wu, swaying unsteadily, insisted she wasn't drunk, while she herself had taken an antidote before drinking and wasn't the least bit intoxicated!
"You're drunk, do you want me to help you?" Xiao Man inquired.
"Who's drunk!" Nangong Wu retorted. "I don't need your help, I'm not drunk, let's drink more!"
By the time Nangong Yan arrived, Nangong Wu had fallen under the table, clutching a wine jar and hiccuping. "Xiao Man, I'm telling you, I can hold my liquor, you can't drink as much as me."
"Yes, yes, you have a great capacity for drink, I can't possibly match you." Xiao Man placated her, handing her tea with an antidote dissolved within.
Nangong Wu took a sip and immediately spat it out. "Fake wine! It doesn't taste like wine at all! This swindler dares to sell fake wine to this princess! I'll beat him so badly his own father won't recognize him!"
Xiao Man quickly held her back. Nangong Yan shook his head and had someone help Nangong Wu up. "I'll have someone escort her back to the palace."
"Thank you, Prince Chu."
"Yongning, you're too polite. You've also had quite a bit to drink, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I secretly took an antidote." Xiao Man whispered. "Your Highness, please don't tell Wu'er."
Nangong Yan lowered his gaze and smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I won't. It's getting late, I'll escort you back to your residence."
"No, no, Your Highness should take Wu'er back first."
"Little Nine has guards to escort her. Come, I'll take you." Nangong Yan asked for the bill but discovered someone had already paid. He looked at the man standing behind the counter, his demeanor serene and graceful, and nodded with a smile before leaving with Xiao Man.
They walked side by side towards the General's mansion.
"Prince Chu's health has improved considerably," Xiao Man's voice was soft, like a feather tickling the heart, with a hint of titillation.
"Yongning should address me as Third Imperial Brother."
Xiao Man smiled. "Third Imperial Brother's health has greatly recovered. In the past, he would have needed a wheelchair after walking only a short distance."
"Thanks to Fourth Brother, who found a divine physician to treat me. My health is much better now, and I don't need to sit in a wheelchair all the time. But it only appears that I am no different from a normal person." Nangong Yan's voice was devoid of emotion, and Xiao Man couldn't fathom his thoughts.
"Since he is a divine physician, he will surely be able to restore Third Imperial Brother's health."
"Borrowing your good words." Nangong Yan picked up the conversation. "I heard today that Little Nine went to cause trouble for you. I was worried something would happen, but it turns out you two became friends after fighting."
"Ninth Princess has a very straightforward personality."
"She's always been careless. The Empress Dowager hasn't returned from the Imperial Ancestral Temple yet, and she's like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins, with no one to control her. If you're not careful, you don't know where she'll gallop off to."
Xiao Man covered her mouth and laughed. "How can you speak of your own sister like that?"
"I'm just speaking the truth. She's two years older than you, already eighteen. Normally, no one restrains her, and she's accustomed to her freedom. She only returned a few days ago." Nangong Yan explained gently. "Imperial Father is urging her to get married, and she happened to be captivated by the charm of the top scholar. She intended to make him her consort once he returned to the capital, but then rumors spread that the top scholar was being forced to marry into the General's mansion. On impulse, she came to find trouble with you. Please don't be angry with her."
"Ninth Princess dares to love and hate, possessing the heroic spirit of those in the martial world. Yongning is filled with admiration, how could she be angry?"