Chongfei Manual [II]

Chapter 164.1

Duke Ying's household had naturally been on the invitation list to this birthday banquet. Wei Luo didn't have time to greet her family members and had only seen Wei Chang Hong sitting next to Wei Chang Xian at the beginning of the banquet. Wei Chang Hong Luo had left Lin De Hall shortly after the banquet had began and hadn't returned to the hall after leaving, so Wei Luo thought he had already left the palace.

Wei Luo pointed towards the inside of the hall and truthfully said, "I was feeling uncomfortable. Zhao Jie went inside to say his goodbyes to imperial father and mother. We were planning on returning home soon." Then, she asked, "Why are you here? I saw that you left the hall a while ago."

Wei Chang Hong saw that her complexion didn't look good and couldn't help feeling worried. He wasn't in a hurry to go back inside anymore and stood with her outside. He said, "Prince Rui's heir urged me to use five minerals powder. I used an excuse to refuse, then I came outside to walk around for a bit." Prince Rui's heir had been sitting next to him during the banquet.

(T/N: Five minerals powder was what Chang Hong had been addicted to in his past life. If you want to refresh your memory, the more detailed explanation is in the second half of . Just in case it was too long ago, Prince Rui is the emperor's only remaining brother. He's mentioned in . His heir, Zhao Jue is mentioned at the end of .)

Under the morals of this time period, it wasn't uncommon for the sons of aristocratic families to use five minerals powder as a popular pastime. Every time there was a banquet, people would use five minerals powder to add to the festivity. But, the type of people that would use five minerals powder had loose morals. They were deviant lounge lizards. Noble men that had even the slightest self-discipline would politely decline from using this drug.

Wei Chang Hong was fully aware that Wei Luo was extremely repulsed by people that used five minerals powder. He remembered a childhood memory of a man with untied hair and an open wide jacket walking close to them when they had gone outside together. At the time, Wei Luo had nervously clutched his hand and her body was faintly trembling. She had been clearly feeling alarmed and extremely repulsed by this man, but she had still steadily protected him as if she was afraid of him having the slightest contact with that man.

Wei Chang Hong would never do anything that disgusted Wei Luo. So, when Prince Rui's heir had invited him to use five minerals powder, he had firmly refused. However, the distance between them was too small. He had inadvertently inhaled some of the smoke and his entire body had felt hot, so he had come outside to be cooled off by the chilly wind for a bit.

Hearing his words, Wei Luo anxiously grabbed his arm. She tilted her head and asked, "Did you use any of it?"

Wei Chang Hong shook his head. He curved his lips into a smile, " I didn't. I only accidentally inhaled some of the smoke. I was fine after walking around and getting some fresh air."

He lowed his eyes and looked at Wei Luo's slightly curved belly. After he had heard about her pregnancy, he had visited her once and saw that Zhao Jie had her surrounding space tightly encircled by guards. Any unrelated person or a servant who didn't have a specific job wouldn't be able to enter Prince Jing's residence's inner court. When he had gone to see her, she had been lying on Zhao Jie's lap as she serenely slept in the inner room. Chang Hong hadn't woken her up. He had only looked at her for a bit before leaving.

Wei Luo was still worried. She carefully looked him over again. After she confirmed that his body didn't show any symptoms such as a having a high temperature, she opened her mouth and sighed in relief. Wei Luo showed a serious expression on her small face and said, "In the future, no matter who gives you five minerals powder, you're not allowed to use it.

She definitely didn't want to see the fallen Wei Chang Hong from her past life.

Wei Chang Hong rubbed her head and said with a smile, "Don't worry. I won't do anything that you dislike."

After they finished discussing this topic, Wei Chang Hong's gaze fell on Wei Luo's belly. He attentively asked, "How's my little nephew?"

Wei Luo's hands were resting on her belly and her eyes were curved into smiling crescents. "It's so mischievous. It causes trouble for me all day long. I can't eat well or sleep well. It's been slightly better lately. There was a period when I wasn't even able to eat anything without throwing up."

She suddenly thought of something. Wei Luo blinked her eyes and curiously asked, "Did you see Miss Gao when you came out of the hall? I saw that she had come from the same direction as you. But, her expression didn't look good. I wonder what happened."

There was a strange expression on Wei Chang Hong's face for a moment before his expression returned to normal. "I saw her."

A light flashed through Wei Luo's eyes. Just as she was about to ask more questions, she saw Zhao Jie walking out of Lin De Hall from her peripheral vision.

Zhao Jie reached her side and tightened the red cloak that was embroidered with camellia flowers and lined with fox fur that she was wearing before glancing at Chang Hong and saying, "Duke Ying is looking for you." Then, he said to Wei Luo, "Let's go home."

Wei Luo nodded, said goodbye to Chang Hong, and followed Zhao Jie out of the palace.

*****

Wei Luo didn't know that Wei Chang Hong had done more than just see Gao Qing Yang. They had also exchanged several words.

Previously, he had been standing in the verandah outside of the hall. His body had been feeling faintly hot, so he been standing in a drafty place and cooling himself with the wind.

After Gao Qing Yang had come back from changing her clothes, she happened to see him standing underneath the glazed roof tiles. He was wearing a loose robe with a wide belt and his sleeves were fluttering in the wind. He looked very handsome. For some inexplicable reason, this sight gave off a sense of uninhibitedness. Gao Qing Yang couldn't help looking at him for a few extra moments. Just as she was about to leave, she saw him slowly sitting down, lean against a pillar, and close his eyes. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed. He looked as if he was feeling unwell.

Gao Qing Yang looked around. Seeing that he hadn't brought a guard with him, she considered for a moment before walking forward and asking, "Are you okay?"

Wei Chang Hong didn't reply and kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to talk. Although he wasn't feeling as hot as before, he felt lightheaded. He had heard a voice by his ears, but he didn't feel like opening his eyes, so he pretended that he was sleeping.

However, Gao Qing Yang though he had fainted. She thought for a moment before saying to the servant girl by her side, "Go and bring back an imperial doctor here."

The servant girl acknowledged her order, turned around, and left.

"No need." Wei Chong Hong finally opened his eyes and looked at Gao Qing Yang with a pitch-black and distant gaze. Perhaps, it was because she had disturbed his peace. His tone was slightly unpleasant as he said, "Miss, aren't you overstepping the bounds of what you should be concerned about?"

Gao Qing Yang's kind intention had been misunderstood. She pursed her lips and looked at Wei Chang Hong. Without changing her expression, she countered, "Your upbringing is pretty good too. You were clearly awake, but refused to acknowledge my words." She called the servant girl back. Before she left, she glanced at Wei Chang Hong and said, "Cold air can't remove the heat from five minerals powder completely. It would be better if you use this drug less."