That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Could it be that he was truly depressed and had nowhere to relieve his frustration after being demoted, which led him to become an alcoholic and completely give up?

As Jiang Jingming was thinking this, Wen Fuxiao finished the toasting ceremony and returned to the main seat, raising his hands slightly, still tipsy.

"It is late at night. Please, esteemed guests, do me the honor of seeing our newly arrived dancers."

"?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soft sound of a pipa melody came from behind the screen, gently plucked and strummed, like weeping and yearning.

A line of beautifully dressed dancers, stepping to the music, gracefully entered through a side door, their slender waists and long legs displaying exquisite figures.

Lu Zhao stared in disbelief, his eyes fixed on the dancer's bare, slender waist, and he couldn't help but whisper to Jiang Jingming:

"I didn't expect Mr. Wen, at his age, to know how to enjoy life so much..."

The sound of a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) joined in from behind the screen, and dancers, half-veiled and with alluring eyes, brushed past the two men.

"right."

Jiang Jingming lowered his eyes and silently picked up his wine glass.

This is the group of dancers they encountered on the ship.

Jiang Jingming had already seen those emerald-green eyes, and she had clearly noticed him as well, a cunning smile flashing across her eyes.

This cannot be explained away by a simple coincidence.

This dancer must be extraordinary; she knew she would be sold into the Changshi Mansion, and she also knew that their group would be visiting the Changshi Mansion.

So, what is her purpose?

Jiang Jingming took a small sip of Wenxinzui, suppressing his slightly uneasy heartbeat.

"The dance on stage is the famous 'Farewell at Yanmen' from Shulan City. I have seen dancers from Zhongzhou imitate this song, but I have never felt that they have grasped the true meaning of the song."

Wen Fuxiao, seated at the head of the table, was beaming and oblivious to the guest's silence, muttering to herself:

"Now that we've finally glimpsed the true essence, it's truly different! The desolate sunset over the desert, the poignant feelings of parting at the crossroads of wind and sand—how could the small bridges and flowing waters of the Central Plains possibly convey such sentiments? Don't you agree, little Xie?"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Xie Yunqi pouted in annoyance.

She usually hated banquets like this in the capital, and she wouldn't have bothered with this if it weren't for her important investigation plan.

Her current plan is to wait for the banquet to end, get Lu Zhao completely drunk, and then when he wakes up the next day, she will have already made a quick getaway with the other three.

At this point, he would be extremely flustered and would immediately report to Mr. Wen, then rush back to the capital for help.

"Hehehe..."

Thinking of this, Miss Xie suddenly let out a strange laugh.

"Sure enough, even little Xie found the dance amazing!"

Wen Fuxiao stroked his beard, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Serve the guests wine."

Upon hearing his instructions, the dancers bowed gracefully and accepted the wine jugs offered by the maids.

The music never stopped, so their dance steps never stopped either, their movements as graceful as swaying willows as they slowly approached the guests at the table.

With her long sleeves fluttering and the fragrance of perfume wafting through the air, Lu Zhao sat cross-legged, feeling the effects of the alcohol rising in his head and his mind becoming unsteady.

The dancer leaned over to pour him wine, her breasts half-exposed, her soft fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against the back of his hand.

Lu Zhao took a deep breath, wishing he could pull his hand away and slap himself.

Having worked in Beijing for many years, I've been to many such occasions. Why was my composure so weak today?

He turned his head with difficulty to look at the person next to him.

Logically speaking, we're all at the prime of our lives, so we should all be about the same age.

The person next to him rested his chin on his hand, his indifferent expression even showing a hint of boredom.

A subtle smile played on his lips, his gaze clear as if he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, as he lightly swept over the alluring dancer.

Chapter Sixty-Five: Breathing Out!

As the night deepened, the effects of the alcohol in the banquet hall intensified.

Wen Fuxiao slumped in a chair, surrounded by two dancers who poured him wine one cup after another.

"That old man is practically embracing two women!"

Xie Yunqi glared at him, annoyed.

"It's a shame that my father always sighed and lamented whenever he talked about being demoted. Now it seems he deserved it!"

The young lady found the situation rather strange, but couldn't quite put her finger on why.

In her childhood memories, Mr. Wen was a carefree yet reliable and good teacher.

Unlike the other old-fashioned people in the Hanlin Academy, he was kind and cheerful, and never harshly reprimanded his students.

The tutors her father used to hire for her would always be driven away by her within two days.

But Master Wen was different. When he saw Xie Yunqi's deliberately scribbled homework, he just smiled and let it go. He would even cover for her with Xie Jichuan.

Xie Yunqi drew a turtle on his face, and when he woke up, he wasn't angry at all; in fact, he praised her for drawing it well.

Only Master Wen would seriously praise Xie Yunqi's doggerel poems.

Until the day he was demoted, Xie Jichuan took Xie Yunqi to say goodbye to him. In such a heavy farewell scene, he just smiled and patted her head.

"Commander Xie has found this young girl. She is a rare treasure, one in a million. She will surely be blessed with happiness and love throughout her life."

At that time, Xie Yunqi was still confused and watched the old man with white beard and white robes sail away, never expecting that ten years would pass before they parted.

Was she really only trying to get rid of Lu Zhao by visiting Master Wen?

Xie Yunqi lowered his head, feeling that he couldn't explain it either.

She was actually a little scared, scared to see a Wen Fuzi who was completely different from the one she remembered, scared that he would really be defeated by this absurd world and give up on himself.

Now that I've actually seen it, I feel a tightness in my chest, and it's quite uncomfortable.

The music and dancing continued in the hall, with the melodious and graceful sound of the guqin dominating the main melody.

Aqing didn't drink alcohol; she just crossed her arms and closed her eyes to rest the whole time.

Fang Zhiyi drank with great gusto; she seemed to be a lover of wine, as evidenced by the amber light she carried with her that day.

Looking into her eyes, which were hazy with the effects of alcohol, Jiang Jingming couldn't help but wonder if asking Xin Zui would work on her too.

That would be wonderful if Fang Zhiyi could answer any question.

Jiang Jingming's thoughts drifted aimlessly, wandering between these random thoughts, while Lu Zhao beside him was having a very difficult time.

The dancers twirled and danced to the music, taking turns pouring him wine, each one subtly flirting with him.

In order to avoid them without appearing impolite, Lu Zhao had no choice but to keep drinking. However, the rising alcohol made his already wavering will even more shaky, thus starting a new vicious cycle.

The wine in the glass was emptied again. Lu Zhao pressed the acupoint on his forehead, feeling somewhat dizzy.

Another dancer emerged from the crowd, her steps graceful, but as she approached, her ankle accidentally bumped against the corner of a table.

She gasped in surprise and collapsed.

Lu Zhao was startled. As the effects of the alcohol wore off, he immediately reached out to help her up. The dancer's waist was as supple as a water snake, and she clung to him.

As his soft skin pressed against hers, Lu Zhao's heart pounded like a drum. He looked down and met a pair of emerald green eyes. The suppressed alcohol churned up and eroded his remaining rationality.

Jiang Jingming picked up his wine glass, glanced at the man next to him who had already lost his mind, and sighed softly.

This is what we virgins are like.

In his dazed state, Lu Zhao was given several more drinks, which made him even more confused. He thought he was holding the slender waist of the blue-eyed dancer, but in reality, he had already passed out drunk on the table.

The dancer chuckled softly, then turned her gaze to another guest.

Jiang Jingming still rested his chin on his hand, quietly watching her.

The dancer felt as if her heart was on fire from that gaze.

She learned a set of seductive arts that could bewitch and charm, and her favorite thing to do was to conquer seemingly indifferent men.

Everything tonight is prepared for them: the music, the dancers, and the intoxicating atmosphere.

The dancer picked up the wine jug and flirtatiously moved closer to him:

"This servant will pour wine for my lord."

"it is good."

Jiang Jingming smiled faintly, turned slightly, and handed her the wine glass.

The dancer's eyes were alluring as she deliberately pressed close to his arm, and at the perfect moment their skin touched, she let out a soft moan.

To master the art of seduction, the most important thing is the eyes, followed by the voice.

The dancer was extremely confident in both of these skills and almost never made a mistake.

Coupled with the atmosphere and the effects of the alcohol that night, this was a situation where victory was assured.

The person next to him didn't move an inch, picked up his glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

The dancer looked at his nonchalant profile with surprise, and felt a surge of resentment and shame.

She pulled her light blouse down a little further, then leaned even closer, and whispered a coquettish complaint:

"Why is my lord avoiding me...?"

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a strange sound coming from her right.

It sounds like a kitten hissing.

"what--"

The dancer turned her head in confusion and saw the eldest daughter of the Xie family leaning on the wooden table with her hands on her hands, her eyes looking like they were about to spit fire.

She gripped a bronze wine cup tightly, her teeth clenched, the force so great that the cup's shape was twisted and deformed.

The dancer was certain that if she dared to take another step, the wine glass would smash into her face with the force of a thunderbolt.

"..."

so what?

The dancer chuckled inwardly. Men's infatuation and women's jealousy were both essential ingredients for practicing seductive arts.

Just as she was about to press herself against him without a care, a chill suddenly ran down her back.

Unlike the kitten's hiss just now, this chill was terrifying, clearly a genuine killing intent!

The dancer turned her head, trembling, and met the eyes of the girl in blue in the corner.

The dancer had been observing her for some time; from the start of the banquet, she kept her eyes closed and didn't touch a drop of alcohol, as if she were an outsider.

That sharp, murderous aura just now... was probably just because she suddenly opened her eyes.

The dancer's hand holding the wine glass trembled uncontrollably, the cold wine sliding down her fingers, and she had to try her best to calm herself down.

No, we can't back down here.

The dancer bit her tongue, then lowered her head and took a sip of wine. The sharp, needle-like pain instantly restored her courage.

She realized that even if the girl in blue wanted to kill someone, she could never do so suddenly in such a situation.

Once the banquet ends, everything will descend into chaos, and she will no longer have the chance to kill herself.

Thinking of this, the dancer snorted coldly and turned to meet her gaze arrogantly.

The girl in green still had that indifferent expression, but from the dancer's perspective, there was another person behind her.

The man, dressed in white, poured himself a drink, seemingly oblivious to what was happening around him.

But the dancer had never had such an ominous premonition before, as if something extremely terrible was about to happen to her.

She tried to look away in alarm, but the man suddenly raised his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

An overwhelming fear instantly spread from her heart to her limbs, and the dancer's vision went black as she spilled all the wine in her cup.