The Wine Was Drugged

The date of He Chunhua's betrothal to the Prime Minister's son, Yan Zemin, was decided and the Emperor allowed a grand ceremony to be held in the imperial palace to honor the princess' marriage.

It was only expected of He An, as both the Emperor and He Chunhua's older brother, to bless the two with a blissful life ahead.

Did he want to?

No.

But no matter how much he resisted, he was busy all week preparing to send his 'beloved' younger sister off to the prime minister's home. It was because of this that he hadn't seen Qi Xiu at all during this time.

When asked, the system just told him the little cub was up to something using his own ability and that there was no need to worry.

Although it didn't ease any of his worries at all since Six was the one who said it.

A week went by in this manner and it was officially the day of the marriage, and also the first time in a week that he'd see Qi Xiu.

Since He An didn't have an Empress nor a consort by his side to attend his sister's wedding with him, he was required to choose a concubine—and even though he didn't see his cub as a romantic interest, the one he was most comfortable with was Qi Xiu.

You could only imagine how all his other concubines felt after this was announced.

There was also another reason to his decision, though. He simply wanted to end any relations the previous Emperor had with He Chunhua, and letting her see he had another person in his heart to get her to give up would be the best case scenario. Since his cub was already familiar with her, he just chose him.

As Suyin adjusted the golden crown on his head, she patted down his robe that was embroidered with dragons, and finally confirmed her masterpiece was prepared!

"Your Majesty, you're ready." She cheered.

"What about Qi Xiu?" He asked as he looked at the gown he was wearing. It was quite... fancy, to say the least. His long hair was also tied up to the crown which usually wasn't his style, since he always kept his hair down in the palace regardless of the occasion.

He wondered if he could possibly trouble Suyin to simply just let him wear his hair down since this hairstyle made him appear too domineering.

"The concubine has finished dressing as well. Would you like to visit him?" Suyin herself was dressed quite nicely as well, wearing a beautiful jade hairpin that the Emperor had gifted her as a thanks for her services.

"Alright." He yawned and stood up, finally feeling the weight of his clothing. Are you sure these aren't rocks?! If he was a normal person he would have been crushed to death by his own clothes.

"I can't believe her highness is getting married! I'm happy for her..." As they walked, his talkative maid chatted all the way to Qi Xiu's quarters. It was as if her mouth was a talking machine.

Only when he arrived to his cub's door did he dismiss Suyin, using the excuse that he wanted to privately speak with his concubine alone. She left immediately with Pan Fengge, who was tagging along behind them.

"Qi Xiu, how are—"

He paused the moment he saw Qi Xiu.

His cub was dressed in an exquisite white dress, parts of his hair slightly tied and decorated with ornaments while the rest were let down. He didn't have much makeup on, but He An could tell he had powdered his face and applied rouge onto his lips.

The picture all together was breathtaking. It made Qi Xiu give off a pure and fresh image.

He An: [Six? Six, look. If I don't protect my cub from others in the future, I'm afraid he'll be swept away by someone aiming for his beauty.]

Six: [...Are you talking about yourself? -_-]

He An finally snapped out of the trance Qi Xiu's appearance put him in and smiled at the cub, his eyes curving to show his happiness at seeing him.

Qi Xiu stared at him.

"Do... do I look strange?" He asked in a low whisper.

How come He An didn't have any reaction when seeing him? The maids who had dressed him were fawning over his looks and he could tell they were head over heels for him, yet this person only smiled at seeing him.

Were his looks not good enough?

"No, you look quite good." He An responded earnestly. "Shall we go?"

Then it hit Qi Xiu that today was He Chunhua's wedding. If He An was still in love with her, then that explained why he didn't feel anything towards him. He felt a dark feeling within his chest.

*

"Congratulations to lord Yan."

He An was sitting in his seat in the banquet hall with a cup of wine in his hands, Qi Xiu next to him.

The wedding went smoothly and now it was time for the drinking and entertainment.

While Qi Xiu silently filled up his wine, He An was conversing with his brother-in-law, Yan Zemin, the son of the prime minister. The two were chatting about state matters as well as other topics.

"Regarding the situation in the west, we should send some men to handle it."

"I agree."

He Chunhua was sitting next to her husband and listening with her hands resting on her lap. One of her servants, a young girl with pig tails and freckles, whispered something into her ears and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Imperial brother, allow me to pour some wine for you as a token of my appreciation for taking care of me all these years." She spoke bashfully and without waiting for an answer, sat besides him after taking a jar of wine into her hand, ready to pour it into his cup.

Six: [Host, she's up to something!!]

He An: [I know.]

He nodded his head at He Chunhua as he watched her pour the wine, before gulping it down completely. He Chunhua had a strange look in her eyes the entire time and her face brightened even more after seeing him drink the wine.

Qi Xiu felt uncomfortable seeing this interaction and lowered his head.

She contained a smirk and returned to her seat, turning to whisper to her maid:

He Chunhua: "Are you sure you've done what I've asked?"

NingNing, her servant: "Yes, my lady. The drug will take effect after a few minutes and the Emperor will feel dizzy and a desire to relieve his lust. I've prepared everything!"

However, even after an hour of chatting, He An still showed no signs of dizziness or frustration. He was simply talking to Yan Zemin and watching the dancer's performances.

It was only at the end of the dance did he finally show a reaction. He An held his head and furrowed his eyebrows, panting heavily.

Six: [Host...! You've been drugged!! She actually dared to put an aphrodisiac into your drink!!! QAQ]

"Your Majesty, do you not feel well? I can lead you back..." A nearby servant, who was clearly one of He Chunhua's men, asked with worry, but before he could complete his sentence, Qi Xiu stopped him.

"No need, I'll take His Majesty back." He could feel He An tightly grip his hand from underneath the table.

"Concubine Xiu should enjoy the rest of the banquet... please, allow me to escort the Emperor into his chambers." The servant felt He Chunhua glare at him from across and felt his life was on the line.

"I said there is no need." Qi Xiu's voice was cold and it was obvious he wasn't willing.

"..."

Alright, alright!

Just because you're slightly favored by the Emperor, you think you can act so high and mighty?

Yan Zemin intervened before the servant could insist further and said, "The concubine should hurry and bring the Emperor back then. I'm afraid the Emperor may pass out."

He An stood and held onto Qi Xiu for support, his body not fully listening to his will and almost toppling over the cub. Qi Xiu just firmly supported him until the two reached the Emperor's room.

As he was about to return, He An grabbed Qi Xiu's hand—

"It's... hot..." His husky voice came out shaky and his entire body felt warm. There was a faint blush within his cheeks.

Six: [Host, come back!! QwQ Stop! No! Don't let your desires take over! No- AHHH!!]

Six covered it's eyes and immediately left the scene after what it witnessed next.