Chapter 10 The Drunken Confrontation
Lu Yinchuan and I were both pleased.
He offered to treat me to drinks.
My tolerance was decent, and since he was a friend, I did not refuse.
Halfway through, he draped an arm over my shoulder as usual.
His lips nearly touched my face.
"Bingzhi. I really want to go to Jinling with you..."
Before he finished, the private room door was kicked open.
Through a haze of wine I recognized the intruder—Zhao Yan.
His face dark, he grabbed Lu Yinchuan by the neck and threw him to the floor.
I was too frightened to speak.
Zhao Yan swept the cups and dishes off the table and stared at me coldly.
"I arranged an excellent match for you, yet you refused. Instead you come here to fool around with him. I devote myself to you, and this is how you treat me."
He lifted me into his arms.
Only after he tossed me into the carriage did I notice the entire restaurant had been emptied.
Lu Yinchuan followed.
"Your Highness, what are you doing? Bingzhi and I are colleagues and close friends. Is sharing a meal a violation of Dayong law? If so, which article? Please enlighten me."
Zhao Yan sneered and flung his sword outward.
"Get out."
At the same time, I heard a muffled grunt.
The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage sped away.
I asked, "Has Your Highness misunderstood something?"
Zhao Yan looked displeased.
"I know exactly what his gaze meant just now. It did not look like the way one man looks at another."
In that instant the Crown Prince had abandoned all dignity, eyes burning with raw obsession.
I opened my mouth.
No sound came out.
He leaned against the carriage wall, rubbing his brow. After a long while, he spoke wearily.
"Chu Bingzhi, what am I supposed to do with you?"
I stared blankly.
"Your Highness need not treat me this way. You should marry Fifth Miss Zhang. She is good. You will come to love her."
Zhao Yan did not look at me.
He gazed out the window, his voice hoarse. "I will not."