Chapter 48: Come, Bow with Me to Heaven and Earth

Outside the palace hall.

Wei Wuji looked at Qin Yuan and said excitedly, "Grand Commander Qin, let's not stand around. Let's hurry out of the palace to welcome the Sage of Medicine."

Qin Yuan, however, shook his head slightly.

"Lord Wei need not be in such a rush. Marquis Wei's heir has already sent word that the Sage of Medicine is travel-worn and is currently resting at the Prince Qin's Mansion. He will not enter the palace until tomorrow morning."

"How is His Majesty's condition?"

Wei Wuji nodded. "His Majesty is holding up well, so the Sage's arrival tomorrow will not be too late."

Though he said this, anxiety was already burning in his heart.

However, the Sage of Medicine's temper was known to all. If they forcefully compelled Wu Shouzhi to come, the man would likely return straight to Mount Buyulao.

Immediately afterward, Wei Wuji continued to Qin Yuan, "Grand Commander Qin, the Prince Qin's Mansion and the imperial palace must have more imperial guards dispatched to protect them. Under no circumstances should those petty scoundrels be allowed to act presumptuously again."

Qin Yuan cupped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Lord Wei, rest assured. If anything goes wrong this time, hold me accountable!"

Wei Wuji offered a slight bow. "Thank you for your hard work, Grand Commander."

At this moment, an indescribable excitement welled up inside him.

Judging by the current situation, he could directly reject Ye Tao's courtship.

As long as Ye Xun did not stir up any more trouble, he was willing to spare no effort to help Ye Xun reclaim the succession.

......

Capital City.

Prince Wu's Mansion.

Study room.

Ye Tao stood inside the room, his eyes split with rage and his anger burning like fire.

The room was in complete disarray, with bamboo slips, books, tables, chairs, and porcelain shards scattered in utter chaos.

Liu Mingyuan stood trembling off to the side.

Today, Ye Tao could no longer suppress the fury in his heart.

He could not understand where he was falling short, that the Shangguan family would so brazenly assist this deposed crown prince.

At first, he had thought Shangguan Yunqing was merely accompanying Ye Xun on the journey.

He never expected that she would actually leverage the Shangguan family's friendship with the Sage of Medicine to invite him down the mountain, thus attributing all the credit entirely to Ye Xun.

No matter how Ye Tao thought about it, he could not figure it out.

What on earth did Ye Xun rely on to sway the Wei family and the Shangguan family?

Was it just those two pathetic poems?

Was it just that soap?

Until now, Ye Tao still believed that Ye Xun had certainly not contributed an ounce of effort toward inviting the Sage of Medicine down the mountain, and that it was entirely just a formality.

After a brief pause, an idea formed in Ye Tao's mind. Since the Sage of Medicine had already been invited to the capital, and Ye Xun was currently barred from entering the palace—

Without delay, he summoned Liu Mingyuan and whispered in his ear.

Liu Mingyuan nodded repeatedly upon hearing the instructions, then hurried out of the Prince Wu's Mansion.

......

Night fell, the moon bright and the stars sparse.

Prince Qin's Mansion.

Front hall.

Wu Shouzhi and Wu Yue sat quietly in the hall, waiting.

Wei Feng and Shangguan Yunqing accompanied them inside.

Ye Xun had gone straight to the backyard to continue distilling liquor.

Wu Yue paced back and forth in the front hall, looking at this and gazing at that with immense curiosity.

Wangcai lay flat on the floor, staring unwaveringly at Wu Yue, terrified that he might steal something.

East Courtyard No. 12.

Ye Xun was busy brewing wine.

His goal was very clear: not only to have Wu Shouzhi treat Ye Lantian, but ideally to keep Wu Shouzhi here as well.

Although the difficulty was somewhat high—

Still, if a person has no dreams, how are they different from a salted fish?

In fact, when Ye Xun went to Mount Buyulao, the workshop had never stopped for a moment, distilling all the Immortal-Retaining Brew sent by Shangguan Yunqing.

Not only that, but Wei Feng had also sent twenty jars before leaving.

Ye Xun's trip was merely a formality, meant to let Wu Shouzhi understand the rarity of this wine.

Shortly after, Ye Xun hugged three jars of wine and headed toward the front hall.

Meanwhile, Cao An had prepared a lavish feast, setting the dishes upon the tables of the guests in the front hall.

Seeing that the food was served, Wu Yue rubbed his hands and eagerly hurried over to sit by the table, swallowing his saliva as he looked at the roast chicken, grilled lamb chops, and roasted venison... a truly sumptuous spread.

He then turned to Wu Yue, grinning foolishly, "Master, can I eat?"

Hearing this, Wu Shouzhi felt utterly disgraced and scolded angrily, "You rascal aren't completely dim-witted; the moment you see food, you know to call me master?"

"Hehe..." Wu Yue scratched his head. "Everyone else says I'm dim-witted, but I'm not dim-witted at all."

At this point, Wei Feng and Shangguan Yunqing could also tell.

Wu Yue was indeed somewhat simple-minded. While his martial prowess was formidable, his intelligence was truly nothing to write home about.

"Brother Wu, if you're hungry, go ahead and eat. Make yourself at home here and don't stand on ceremony," Wei Feng urged warmly, looking at Wu Yue.

Since Wu Yue was Wu Shouzhi's disciple, they could not afford to treat him with anything less than utmost courtesy.

At these words, Wu Yue looked at Wei Feng and nodded frantically. Yet, he still didn't touch the food, gazing foolishly back at Wu Yue's master, waiting for his permission.

Wu Shouzhi glared at him again and cursed, "You foolish lump, starved ghost reincarnated—eat, eat..."

Though Wu Shouzhi constantly berated Wu Yue, everyone could see that he still held a deep fondness for him.

Without further ado, Wu Yue tore off a chicken leg and began to devour it.

At that moment, Ye Xun entered the hall carrying a jar of wine. "Old Wu, the wine is here."

Catching the fragrance of the wine—

Wu Shouzhi had yet to speak, but Wu Yue eagerly waved his hand without any polite pretense. "I... I want wine."

Ye Xun walked over with a smile, placed a jar on Wu Yue's table, and chuckled, "Drink slowly, Brother Wu. There's plenty of wine to go around tonight."

Wu Yue snatched up the jar of wine and nodded hurriedly. "Thank you... thank you, Brother What's-your-name."

Brother What's-your-name?

Ye Xun shook his head helplessly. This fellow didn't even know his surname.

Then, Ye Xun served another jar to Wu Shouzhi.

Catching the rich aroma of the wine, Wu Shouzhi felt refreshed in body and mind.

Ye Xun had truly not deceived him; this wine really did originate from the Prince Qin's Mansion.

Afterward, Ye Xun took his seat at the host's place, raised his wine cup toward Wu Shouzhi, and said thoughtfully, "Old Wu, thank you for coming down the mountain to treat my imperial father. Tomorrow, everything will depend upon you, Old Wu."

Wu Shouzhi raised his cup and waved a hand dismissively.

"No need for thanks, we are merely taking what we need. Tonight, I should also thank young brother Ye for your generous hospitality."

With that, he raised his cup and drained it in a single gulp.

There is nothing finer in the mortal world than this.

Prompted by Ye Xun's gaze, Wei Feng raised his own cup as well. "Old Wu, this junior also toasts you a cup."

After a round of drinks, Shangguan Yunqing also raised her cup. "Old Wu, Yunqing toasts you."

Tonight, Ye Xun's goal was to get Wu Shouzhi thoroughly drunk.

Fortunately, Wu Shouzhi adored this wine and was fretting for an excuse to drink heavily, so he refused none of the toasts.

Soon enough, inside the front hall of the Prince Qin's Mansion, cups and goblets crossed paths, drinks were continuously exchanged, and toasts were offered repeatedly.

Under the wheel-like onslaught of Ye Xun and the others, Wu Shouzhi became thoroughly intoxicated.

After all, he was drinking high-proof distilled liquor.

Meanwhile, the three of them were drinking low-proof undistilled wine, taking turns attacking him in succession.

If Ye Xun had truly wanted to, he could easily have drunk Wu Shouzhi to death.

Yet, Wu Shouzhi was an honest man, finding reasons—or even making them up—to share a couple of cups with Wu Yue.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of dishes, Wu Shouzhi was completely drunk, finally dropping the aloof demeanor of the Sage of Medicine that he had maintained all along.

Clasping his jar of wine, Wu Shouzhi looked at Ye Xun and stammered, "Xiao Xun, I... I old Wu truly yield to you. For all these years, I've proudly claimed to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk and ten thousand cups... ten thousand cups without falling. I never expected to get drunk at your estate today."

"Rest assured, from now on... from now on, whatever concerns you, Xiao Xun, will... *hiccup*... will be my concerns, old Wu."

"Today, we shall swear a sworn brotherhood as friends transcending generations."

"Come, let us bow to... bow to heaven and earth with me."

Ye Xun: ......

Wei Feng: ......

Shangguan Yunqing: ......

Bow to heaven and earth?

Sworn brotherhood requires bowing to heaven and earth too?!