At that moment, being suddenly called out with a malicious tone, Lu Yuanxiu's face immediately fell.
"Today is a wedding banquet, not a poetry competition. Why compose poetry? Let's drink!"
He dismissively declined and poured himself another cup of wine, downing it in one gulp.
Who among those present didn't know that Gu Xinlan had been betrothed to him and then the engagement broken off? Now, Gu Xinlan's wedding was such a grand affair. Others were probably waiting to see him filled with envy and regret. How could he not be aware of this petty scheme?
"Exactly! Today is Liu Hong and Xinlan's wedding. What does it have to do with Lu Yuanxiu? If he hadn't broken off the engagement before, maybe it would have concerned him. But he outright refused the marriage. Let alone the gold and silver Gu Xinlan is wearing now, not even a single strand of her hair has anything to do with him!"
Another person, seemingly agreeing with Lu Yuanxiu, ended up by nakedly kicking him while he was down, mocking him.
"Zhang Ergou!" Lu Yuanxiu shot him a cold glance. "It was you who told me that Gu Xinlan was captured by human traffickers and was most likely... That's why I rashly broke off the engagement. Now that Xinlan has found a better match, and you're here to mock me, what do you mean?"
Zhang Ergou grinned shamelessly and pointed at Lu Yuanxiu, shouting, "Everyone, take a look! He admits he's reluctant!"
As soon as he spoke, the gazes of everyone present turned to Lu Yuanxiu with a hint of appraisal and gossip. Only Xia Yunting's expression remained unchanged. Seeing Rong Zhi's cup was empty, he poured her another glass of wine. Rong Zhi, in turn, sized up Zhang Ergou.
Lu Yuanxiu's face turned red with anger. "How am I reluctant? It's a fact that you were egging me on back then. I was just stating the facts."
"Oh, so you're not reluctant. Then you're jealous because Gu Xinlan is so rich now!" Zhang Ergou raised his voice, and the people around him joined in the uproar.
"I think so too. After all, he studied for so many years and is still just a poor scholar, hahahahaha..."
The two of them laughed heartily, their arms around each other. Some people at the banquet wanted to laugh but dared not, while others looked at Lu Yuanxiu with sympathy.
Lu Yuanxiu's hands trembled as he clutched his wine cup. Just as he was about to stand up to argue with them, he suddenly heard a clear, cold voice from beside him.
"Enough."
The voice was not loud, but as soon as it sounded, everyone at the table fell silent, for it was Rong Zhi's voice.
After all, Rong Zhi was their savior. Even if Zhang Ergou and the other man were being so unruly, they would still give Rong Zhi some face.
Xia Yunting put down his wine cup and quietly observed the people at the table.
"Today is Xinlan's wedding. To have such a respectable wedding is due to everyone's courtesy. I believe no one wants to ruin this wedding, right? You're not eating all this good food and wine, but instead arguing here. Do you want to spoil this wedding?"
Zhang Ergou fell silent, not out of guilt, but because Rong Zhi's voice was truly imposing.
"Xinlan is my friend. I absolutely will not allow anyone to cause trouble today. Anyone who causes more trouble will end up like this."
Rong Zhi swayed the chopsticks in her hand and suddenly exerted force downwards. With a 'poof,' the chopsticks were firmly embedded into the wooden table in front of them.
Xia Yunting's eyes flickered. This level of internal energy required at least twenty years of cultivation.
Lu Yuanxiu felt a chill run down his spine, and Zhang Ergou was utterly dumbfounded.
From then on, neither of them spoke again and quietly began drinking and eating meat. However, the atmosphere at the banquet was no longer as lively as before.
Lu Yuanxiu, already holding back a surge of frustration with nowhere to vent, was further agitated by Zhang Ergou and startled by Rong Zhi. The suppressed anger intensified, and he could only guzzle down cup after cup of wine. He became seven or eight parts drunk, his face flushed, his eyes hazy, and his breath reeked of alcohol.
Rong Zhi frowned as she watched him. He was so drunk; she still had something to entrust him with later. Just as she was contemplating whether to intervene, Lu Yuanxiu suddenly rubbed his temples and got up with a frown, apparently heading to the outhouse.
Rong Zhi hadn't intended to interfere, but Xia Yunting suddenly looked in the direction he left and said, "He's been staring at the bridal chamber. Perhaps he has something to say to the bride."
Rong Zhi then realized that Lu Yuanxiu had stopped three times on his short walk, his gaze fixed on the bridal chamber, as if hesitating about something. He was also too drunk, and might impulsively do something out of line.
On such a joyous occasion, a drunkard should not be allowed to cause a scene. Rong Zhi put down her chopsticks and followed him.
Lu Yuanxiu went to the backyard and found a spot by the wall, where he began to vomit profusely.
He had always had a low tolerance for alcohol. The wine he had consumed earlier had all churned together in his stomach, and vomiting brought some relief.
After scooping up some water from the缸 to rinse his mouth, Lu Yuanxiu considered the behavior of the people at the wine table and decided not to go back. He had been dragged here by his mother anyway. His respects had been paid, and he had eaten his meal. It was best to just leave.
He walked unsteadily outside and glanced back. The lively crowd in the courtyard seemed to recede further away. He felt as if he could see the bride sitting quietly through the window of the room, adorned in her phoenix coronet and robes, dressed in new clothes, waiting for another man.
Lu Yuanxiu suddenly felt a pang of displeasure. He hadn't disliked Gu Xinlan that much initially. In fact, for a long time after Gu Xinlan went missing, he had been in a state of passive sadness. If it weren't for Zhang Ergou and the others constantly nagging him, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.
Perhaps it was the alcohol taking hold, but Lu Yuanxiu impulsively decided to find Gu Xinlan and explain everything. Just as he was about to turn back, someone grabbed his arm.
"Lu Yuanxiu, what are you doing?"
Rong Zhi stood behind him, relieved that she had followed him. Otherwise, with his drunken state, Lu Yuanxiu might have done something foolish.
"Let go of me!" Being grabbed, Lu Yuanxiu became annoyed and struggled, flailing his arms. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free. Rong Zhi's hand felt like steel; despite her small stature, she possessed immense strength.
Lu Yuanxiu grew anxious and pushed Rong Zhi with his other hand. "Get lost!"
Rong Zhi didn't move. She released her grip, and Lu Yuanxiu was thrown backward, falling heavily onto the ground.
People drinking nearby heard the commotion and peeked out.
"It's alright, he's drunk. I'll prepare a hangover remedy for him. Everyone, please continue eating!"
The crowd didn't pay much attention and resumed their meal.
Rong Zhi pulled him to the base of the outer wall of the courtyard, boxing him in between herself and the wall, blocking his path.
"You're drunk. Are you going to find Xinlan?"
"So what if I am? I just want to say a few words to her."
"There's no need," Rong Zhi said, taking a piece of paper from her怀 and handing it to Lu Yuanxiu.
"Everything she wanted to say to you is on this."
Lu Yuanxiu looked at the paper in surprise, his drunken haze suddenly lessening. He slowly opened it and saw that it was filled with strong, powerful characters that seemed to pierce through the paper.
The handwriting was nothing like that of a teenage girl. It was bold, unrestrained, and free-spirited, yet somehow familiar.
He was certain this was Gu Xinlan's handwriting, deliberately altered in style.
"When did Xinlan's calligraphy become so good?"
Although he had taught Gu Xinlan calligraphy, she only recognized basic strokes. Her characters were barely legible. Now, her handwriting was even stronger than his, and he was truly amazed. However, upon reading the content of the paper, his amazement turned into indignation and shock.
It described an anecdote of a historical figure that he had once told Gu Xinlan: the story of Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru.
Zhuo Wenjun was a renowned talented woman in literature, deeply in love with Sima Xiangru. She eloped with him, but unfortunately, Sima Xiangru later became unfaithful. At the time, he had only told Gu Xinlan about their sweet life together on the road and his regret when Sima Xiangru became unfaithful. His intention was to use it as a warning, hoping they would never be unfaithful to each other. But now, the paper stated Zhuo Wenjun's parting poem to Sima Xiangru: "Hearing you have two hearts, I have come to sever ties."
Below it was Zhuo Wenjun's farewell letter. Although every word in it was a farewell to Sima Xiangru, Lu Yuanxiu now saw himself as the Sima Xiangru of the past.
No, he was even worse than Sima Xiangru. He had publicly implied Gu Xinlan's questionable purity in front of so many people. He was a complete scoundrel.
His hands trembling, he looked at the vigorous characters. Suddenly, he clenched his fist, pushed Rong Zhi away, and tried to walk inside.
"I must make things clear to her!"
After taking only a couple of steps, he felt his entire body stiffen. Rong Zhi patted his shoulder. "I've acupunctured you. Go home and sober up. If you want to apologize, there will be plenty of days for that. Not today."
With that, Rong Zhi casually walked into the courtyard and soon reappeared with Xia Yunting.
Lu Yuanxiu's eyes darted around, not understanding the couple's intentions.
Rong Zhi looked at Xia Yunting. "Please."
Xia Yunting nodded, directly hoisted Lu Yuanxiu over his shoulder with one hand, and turned to leave.
"Where are you taking me?"
Lu Yuanxiu was anxious, but as they walked, he realized the road was becoming increasingly familiar. Wasn't this his own home?
Xia Yunting strode into the room and placed him on the bed.
Rong Zhi took a pill from her懷 and put it in his mouth. "This is a hangover remedy. The acupoints will automatically be released in fifteen minutes."
Then they left.
Lu Yuanxiu lay alone on the bed, unable to move. He felt immense regret. Before Gu Xinlan's wedding, he had countless opportunities to explain things to her. But after the harsh words were spoken the first time, he inexplicably developed a sense of hollow pride, thinking it would be humiliating to apologize later. Thus, he kept missing his chances.
He gazed at the ceiling and sighed faintly.
Fifteen minutes later, he felt sensation in his body again. Lu Yuanxiu tried to move his fingers and found that he had recovered. He flipped over and jumped out of bed, eager to go out.
Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated again.
What could he say if he went now?
Even if he said something, what difference would it make?
Besides, there were so many people there. Would he, a scholar, embarrass himself in front of everyone?
No, he couldn't afford such embarrassment.
He looked at the paper Gu Xinlan had left in his hand, his heart filled with complex emotions.
Perhaps what Doctor Lin had said was right: there was plenty of time in the future to apologize. But why did he feel so unwilling to accept it?