The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Chapter 1783 Carrying Away

Zhao Shuyun's voice became stern, "How can these be compared? In the past few years, your father has come back to report on his duties every year and stay at home for half a month. These two generals on the southern battlefield have been fighting against the Southern Yan Kingdom for six or seven years, and they have never come back once during that time. What is there to compare? You don't want to go home and practice horse stance, do you?"

Upon hearing that she would be punished by being forced to stand in a horse stance, Shi Hongjiao shook her head repeatedly, stopped crying, and stopped arguing. The Sha family's rules were unusual; for mistakes, they rarely made people kneel in the ancestral hall or receive a beating, almost always forcing them into a horse stance. Since entering the General's mansion, Shi Hongjiao had been forced into this stance countless times. Every time she wasn't forced to stand, her hands trembled, her legs shook, and her cramps would make her suffer. She knew best how severe the horse stance was. "Mother, please have mercy!"

"Then act like a woman from a military family. What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing? Your husband has only been away from home for a few years, he didn't die in battle, what's there to cry about!"

Shi Hongjiao sniffed, "Mother, you're right! Your daughter-in-law has learned her lesson and won't do it again!"

Zhao Shuyun said, "Whether you have something to do or not, if you don't, I'll treat you to drinks at Bianyulou. Today, the Southern Frontier army has returned in triumph, which is worth celebrating. Let's invite a few more people and have a drink together."

Shang Xi had no objection. Today's outing was to celebrate the triumphant return of the generals and soldiers. Today was comparable to the New Year. Let alone going out for a few drinks, they could even get drunk. The country had been at war since its founding, and now the world was finally at peace. This was the best day, a day for the whole country to celebrate. How could they be missing?

Bianyulou was packed with guests. They thought no one would be eating there at this time, but when they arrived, they found that almost all the private rooms were booked. Everyone, like them, was simply there to celebrate with friends.

Zhao Shuyun asked the innkeeper, "Are there any seats left?"

"You distinguished guests have arrived at the perfect time; only the Ruyi Pavilion remains on the second floor."

"lead the way!"

"Distinguished guests, please come upstairs!"

Wine-braised fish, drunken shrimp, amber winter melon, braised bamboo shoots, fried chicken rolls, roasted wild duck... Zhao Shuyun ordered more than twenty dishes in one go and didn't stop. Yu Hua was anxious, "We can't order any more. There aren't many people, and we can't eat much. Besides, it's not early or noon yet, so how can we eat all of this? Remove a few dishes, it's too much."

Zhao Shuyun disagreed, "We have to eat like it's Chinese New Year on a day like today."

Yu Hua disagreed, saying, "You can't waste food on any occasion. What's the point of taking leftovers home?"

The two remained deadlocked for a long time. Zhao Shuyun did not ask Yu Hua to reduce the number of dishes, and Yu Hua did not ask her to add any more. In the end, they could only order a few jugs of good wine and some other old friends.

Wan Baiqian was the first to arrive. "Why didn't you say you wanted to eat earlier? I just arrived at the gate of the mansion and ran into your people. I hadn't even entered the house before I was summoned here."

Today, the entire population of Fengying City has turned out, regardless of gender, age, or rank. Anyone who can walk stands in the street to welcome the returning soldiers. There are also many infants who cannot walk and are still nursing, babbling and waving their arms in their mothers' arms.

Zhao Shuyun sat next to Wan Baiqian, pouring water as she explained, "I ran into Shang Xi and Yu Hua on the street, and on a whim, I sent someone to call you! Today is special, so we should have a few drinks!"

Wan Baiqian agreed, "If your Sha family's army also returns to the capital, then the world will truly be at peace!"

Zhao Shuyun nodded repeatedly. She hadn't seen her two sons for several years, and she missed them constantly. Her longing for her sons far surpassed her daughter-in-law's longing for her eldest son. The two had never even met, had no feelings for each other, so how could they possibly miss each other? To put it bluntly, Shi Hongjiao was just crying about her fate of being a widow! But then again, so many people in the world join the army, and there are many widows, not just a few like them. There are also many widows! Zhao Shuyun was much more open-minded than her daughter-in-law; otherwise, how could she be the mother-in-law and Shi Hongjiao the daughter-in-law?

Today, Zhao Shuyun invited mostly wives of military officers, who tend to be straightforward and have tempers that can match theirs.

They drank from morning until afternoon, and by the time they parted, they were mostly drunk.

As for Shang Xi, well, Yu Hua had already embarrassed herself once, and ever since then she's been very careful about drinking, afraid that the tragedy would repeat itself. But Shang Xi is different. She's the Princess Consort of Prince Pang, the most noble of them all, just as prestigious as Wan Baiqian. With such a prestigious status, there are always more people offering her drinks and urging her to drink. Wan Baiqian is a master of drinking, able to hold her liquor without getting drunk, but Shang Xi is no match for him. She has no tolerance for alcohol, and it would be against all reason if she didn't get drunk after a few drinks.

As soon as they got off the carriage, Yu Hua was on the left and Da Yan was on the right, both of them supporting Shang Xi. Shang Xi had been complaining of dizziness the whole way, but it was actually because she had drunk too much.

Big Eyes comforted Shang Xi, saying, "Your Highness, you didn't actually drink that much. I was watching you from behind!"

Shang Xi looked at Da Yan, who was now laughing with his mouth wide open. Seeing Da Yan's expression, she laughed along, "Eh? Not crying anymore?"

The girl with big eyes said shyly, "Your Highness, you seem really drunk. I cried this morning, but it's afternoon now, and I've stopped crying a long time ago!"

Shang Xi remembered that seeing Da Yan so upset and crying her eyes out today, she had ordered four dishes for Da Yan to comfort the child's fragile heart. She believed that comforting Da Yan would only require one meal, and sure enough, after eating, the child stopped sobbing.

Shang Xi tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling asleep. When she woke up again, it was already dark, and Cheng Feng was still sleeping next to her. She wondered why her chest felt so heavy; it turned out that Cheng Feng's arm was pressing on her chest.

Shang Xi pushed Cheng Feng's arm away, propped herself up, and patted Cheng Feng's face.

Cheng Feng hummed in response, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Awake?"

"When did you come back?"

"Just as it got dark." As he spoke, Cheng Feng rubbed his head, looking no better than Shang Xi!

"You've had too much too?"

Cheng Feng shook his head slightly, "I wasn't the only one who drank too much. Half of the officials in the court were passed out, completely unconscious. It's a miracle that your husband was able to walk back. Uncle Ge was carried back by his servants, and the others were in similar situations, either carried or carried away. But you can't blame everyone; it's just that my uncle can drink too much! When he's in a good mood, his alcohol tolerance is even higher than before. At his command, who would dare not raise their cup? That's what you call risking your life to keep a gentleman company!"

Cheng Feng shook his head a couple of times and quickly steadied it with his hands because he was dizzy. "Wife, ask someone to make me some hangover soup. My head is really spinning!"

Everyone gets dizzy. Shang Xi's face was flushed red, as if she had a persistent high fever. She didn't even need to shake her head; she felt dizzy as soon as she opened her eyes.