CHAPTER 192: CHAPTER 192: DRUNK (PART 1)

Jiang Shaohua never drank, but today she joined her subordinates for a celebration and ordered some fruit wine.

This fruit wine was sweet and had a mild alcohol taste, with a long-lasting aftertaste.

Feeling cheerful, Jiang Shaohua drank cup after cup, and unintentionally finished a whole pot. Her eyes were bright, her smile was as usual, and no one could tell she was already drunk.

Indeed, this was the true reason Jiang Shaohua never drank. Her alcohol tolerance was low; in her past life in the palace, she was infamous for falling after only three cups. To avoid losing her composure, she always refused to drink.

Only a handful of people knew about this trivial flaw, not even Chief Historian Chen was aware. He had no idea that the Commandery Princess, who seemed capable of anything, had such poor alcohol tolerance.

Let alone, when drunk, the Commandery Princess appeared similar to her usual self, only she laughed more, occasionally showing her adorable dimples.

Cui Du glanced at the Commandery Princess from time to time, secretly wondering to himself. The Commandery Princess was really too fond of laughing tonight; surely she must be drunk!

After the banquet dispersed, the Prince Mansion set off fireworks and firecrackers. Everyone went to watch the excitement. On such occasions, people were much more casual with their words and actions.

Jiang Shaohua was always the center of attention, constantly surrounded by people. Cui Du finally found an opportunity to come close to Jiang Shaohua.

"Commandery Princess, are you drunk?" Cui Du asked in a low voice full of concern.

Jiang Shaohua turned her face towards him and smiled sweetly: "What did you say? I didn’t hear clearly, say it again."

Cui Du: "..."

The Commandery Princess was indeed drunk. Even if the fruit wine had a low alcohol content, it was still wine. The Commandery Princess had drunk an entire pot tonight!

"There are many people here, it’s a bit stuffy; accompany me for a walk over there." The alcohol began to take effect slowly, Jiang Shaohua’s face flushed red, her eyes were shining, and her voice was more delicate than usual.

Cui Du couldn’t resist; without a second thought, he agreed.

If the Commandery Princess asked him to go through fire and water right now, he would nod without hesitation.

Jiang Shaohua moved, and Chen Jinyu noticed immediately. Seeing Cui Du beside the Commandery Princess, she hesitated for a moment, then turned her head once more to watch the fireworks.

Chen Zhuo watched this scene with a silent smile.

Jinyu, after months of trials, had finally grown wiser. At such a moment, if the Commandery Princess hadn’t said anything, it meant she didn’t want "unrelated" people following her. Staying was the right choice.

As for Cui Du... let’s observe further.

The Commandery Princess is so young; there’s still a long journey ahead!

...

When Jiang Shaohua said to take a walk, she really just meant walking. She walked from the main hall all the way to the garden.

Fireworks from the Prince Mansion continuously shot into the sky, and even in the garden, a glance upward revealed a splendid night sky. There was no pungent smell or noisy crowd, an ideal place to watch fireworks.

Jiang Shaohua stopped, turned and smiled at Cui Du: "This place is perfect."

Her eyes were more dazzling than the fireworks.

Cui Du’s heart skipped a few beats, he steadied his mind with effort, and responded with a smile.

Jiang Shaohua was unusually talkative tonight: "Today, I’m particularly happy. Do you know why?"

Cui Du gazed at the rare juvenile cheerfulness of the Commandery Princess, and softly said: "It’s because you have been reborn."

Jiang Shaohua was stunned, staring intently at Cui Du: "How did you guess?"

She really was drunk. Otherwise, with her usual composure, she would never admit it outright. She would just glance at him with a deep, unfathomable look.

Cui Du couldn’t help but laugh, softly saying: "Commandery Princess, don’t forget, I come from the Otherworld. Moreover, my own experience is bizarre enough. I fell off a mountain, and the next moment I was here, meeting the Commandery Princess."

"I think, there must be some destiny behind my meeting with the Commandery Princess. You must have some extraordinary encounters too."

"The Commandery Princess changed ten months ago, actively took charge of the Prince Mansion, reorganized the Personal Guard Camp and Nanyang Army, patrolled the Fourteen Counties, gradually winning hearts and gaining prestige. I imagine the Commandery Princess’s transformation started from then."

"The entanglement between Young Master Zheng and the Commandery Princess isn’t about the present, it must be past affairs."

Jiang Shaohua’s smile faded, and she fell silent for a long time.

The night wind was slightly chilly as it brushed past her face.

Past events flashed through her mind one by one. Thinking about them now, they didn’t seem so intensely painful, as if there was a layer of separation.

Perhaps she was calmer and stronger than in her past life, with food, soldiers, and a fief, these gave her enough confidence and courage to confront difficulties and obstacles.

"Cui Du, you are smarter than I thought." Jiang Shaohua suddenly spoke softly: "I underestimated you before."

The Commandery Princess sobered up so quickly!

Cui Du’s disappointment was clearly evident.

Jiang Shaohua noticed this and for some reason wanted to laugh, and she indeed laughed: "Ask whatever you want to know!"

Cui Du suddenly became spirited and immediately asked: "Young Master Zheng wants the Commandery Princess to go to the Capital City, but the Commandery Princess firmly refused. Could it be because something unpleasant happened in the Capital City?"

Jiang Shaohua thought for a moment, nodded: "It’s indeed not very good."

Cui Du watched Jiang Shaohua’s calm expression, pondering to himself, and naturally followed up: "So the Commandery Princess won’t go to the Capital City anymore?"

"Yes, the same mistake, I will never make twice." Jiang Shaohua said softly yet firmly, suddenly some indignation appeared: "He simply doesn’t understand my true suffering. I refuse to be manipulated; I want my destiny to be in my own hands."

"He opens his mouth and asks me to give up everything here, to follow him to the Capital City. What will I do in the Capital City? Get involved in palace intrigues again, get married and have children, spend a stifling life?"

"Why should I give up what belongs to me, but accommodate him?"

"I asked him to stay in Nanyang County, why would he be unwilling?"

"Clearly, human nature is selfish. Zheng Chen keeps claiming he loves me, but it’s just so. He can’t let go of the Zheng Family, can’t let go of power and future, yet demands I give up the Nanyang Prince Mansion and the people of Nanyang County. He’s downright selfish!"

Jiang Shaohua’s emotions visibly grew more agitated, her cheeks even redder.

Cui Du spoke without hesitation: "You’re right, Young Master Zheng is too self-important. He thinks he’s so vital! It’s hard to find three-legged toads, but two-legged handsome young men are everywhere."

"Besides, the affection between him and you is in the past. Whatever about a broken mirror being mended, once broken it’s broken, why force it back together, even if you do there will be cracks. What’s the point in that?"

"People have the chance to live a new life, why continue to get tangled with lovers from the past life. Isn’t it better to find someone new, start a new exciting life?"

Jiang Shaohua: "..."

Another gust of cold wind blew through.

Jiang Shaohua’s heated mind was suddenly blown clear. Every word of Cui Du’s speech drilled into her ears.

Come to think of it, what he said made quite a bit of sense.