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Chapter 104 Hu Dou
His teasing caused several people around him to burst into laughter, and they waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that they were not worthy of it.

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At a table of drinkers not far away, the wine glass in the hand of an expressionless middle-aged man suddenly shattered into pieces, and the wine inside spilled all over the table.

The young man nearby was startled and hurried over to help wipe it off and asked the man if his hand was hurt.

The man just brushed away the broken porcelain shards on his hands and ignored the boy's questions. There were no visible wounds on his fingers and palms.

The waiter, perhaps because he was knowledgeable or careless, didn't react at all. He hurriedly cleaned up the debris on the table and brought the man a new wine glass.

The man had a gloomy expression and his eyes seemed to hold a knife. He glanced at the outspoken scholars, turned around, and drank the wine in the glass.

The drunken scholars were completely oblivious to all this. After they had finished laughing, another one of them added with a wink, "Isn't it the King Xiaoyao who has such good fortune?

At least Prince Yi married a horse herder.

"That King Xiaoyao is even more amazing. I heard he married a blacksmith from Shuo Country! I wonder if his wife is born with round eyes and a curly beard—Ouch!"

Zhu Yu had originally pricked up his ears to listen to how that guy would describe him, when he suddenly heard a scream. He turned his head and saw that the man was covering his forehead with a look of pain, with blood oozing from the cracks between his fingers.

His friends were horrified and stood up. Some of them took the bleeding boy to see a doctor, while others looked around, trying to find out what had broken their friend's head.

This commotion naturally caused a small commotion.

Liu Yueyao quickly came with her men following the sound. She was smiling and spoke softly. In just a few words, she calmed down the people. She asked a few waiters to prepare some wine and food, and returned the money to them, asking them to take the people to see a doctor quickly to stop the bleeding.

Zhu Yu's attention had been on the scholars and the unfamiliar men not far away. She didn't see what had hit the man's forehead just now, she only knew that the men didn't make any moves.

She turned around and changed her posture, facing Lu Qing. She saw a wine glass in front of him, and his fingertips were casually flipping and playing with a salted broad bean. His eyelids were slightly drooping, and his eyes were a little blurred, as if he was already drunk.

"Hey, bring the piano!" Without waiting for Zhu Yu to speak, he suddenly called out to the waiter next to him.

This kind of request did not seem to be uncommon in Yunyin Pavilion. The waiter responded happily and trotted away. Soon, he and another person carried a guqin and carefully placed it on the table for Lu Qing.

Lu Qing sat upright at the table, poured himself a glass of wine, placed it beside him, shook his sleeves, gently placed his hands on the strings, and squinted his eyes slightly.

His piano skills are amazing. In the past, Zhu Yu had only heard of it but had never heard it in person. Today, he finally saw it here.

The zither was like a leaping spring in the hands of the zither player, soft and agile, but it was immediately different in his hands.

The sound of the piano came out as his fingers slid and plucked the strings. Sometimes it was like a mountain stream, majestic and turbulent, which made people feel heroic and passionate; sometimes it was like the bright moon between pines, clear and distant, which made people feel relaxed and happy.

Zhu Yu didn't quite understand any of this, and couldn't name Lu Qing's piece. He simply felt it was completely different from the music he'd usually heard in Yunyin Pavilion. It seemed more unrestrained and powerful, with a touch of sadness mingled with its grandeur, leaving a sense of deep sorrow. Initially, several musicians were playing on a distant stage, and no one had paid much attention to Lu Qing. However, his playing quickly drew the attention of everyone around him.

Zhu Yu saw that those men who were originally inattentive to everything around them also heard Lu Qing's piano playing. They seemed a little dazed and surprised. Later, they simply stood up and tried to look past the drinkers surrounding them to see clearly what the person playing the piano looked like.

Zhu Yu felt vaguely uneasy and was just thinking about how to remind Lu Qing when he finished playing the piece. The music stopped abruptly at the most exciting part. Lu Qing raised his hand and swept over the glass of wine on the table with his wide sleeves. The glass fell to the ground with a crisp sound of breaking, which complemented the previous piano music perfectly, as if it should have been a part of the song.

When the song ended, everyone in the audience stood up and cheered. Lu Qing seemed to be enjoying himself very much. He stood up shakily and reached out to take the wine jug on the table, but he lost his balance and fell forward.

Zhu Yu hurried forward to help him. Liu Yueyao also came over and called out to a few waiters: "Our distinguished guest is drunk. Why don't you help him out and put him in the carriage so that he can go back and rest!"

Several young men hurriedly helped Zhu Yu to support Lu Qing, and then surrounded him and sent him out of the gate.

Those who had listened to him playing the piano and wanted to come forward to ask for advice had to give up their plans when they saw that the young man in fancy clothes seemed to be quite drunk.

Soon, the musicians continued playing, and the people around them dispersed to drink and have fun.

The men with unfriendly expressions also sat back at their tables and drank indifferently.

Lu Qing looked as if he was dizzy, and was helped by several waiters to get on the carriage. Zhu Yu followed him in. When the carriage wobbled out of the courtyard of Yunyin Pavilion and drove onto the empty street, Lu Qing, who had been leaning to the side, slowly sat up straight and reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his robe.

His eyes were clear and his breathing was steady. Apart from the faint smell of alcohol floating in the car, he didn't look like a drunk person at all.

"I really thought you were drunk just now." Zhu Yu looked at him and said.

I have to admit that although I know that Lu Qing, this "fox", has many tricks up his sleeve, I was still really scared by his performance just now.

"If I were so easy to get drunk, I would have died countless times by now." Lu Qing smiled, reached into his sleeve and fumbled for a while, then took out a small water bag, shook it, and threw it to Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu reached out and took it. It was a bit heavy, about half full, and he could smell the rich aroma of wine.

It seems that this thing is often used by Lu Qing. It is always used to store wine, and it has been marinated for a long time.

He must have hidden this thing in his sleeve, and every time he drank, he would use his sleeve to cover the wine and pour it into the small water bag through the cuff.

No wonder he reeked of alcohol but was so sober. It turned out he hadn't drunk anything at all.

　Thanks to book friend 20241208841982 for winning the monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)