93. Chapter 93: Public Opinion (6)

Some young ladies began to cast flirtatious looks at Prince Chi Mie.

But Chi Mie paid them no mind. Instead, he said to Chi Yuan, “Give each person a bowl of wine. Whoever can finish a bowl without getting dizzy, I will compete with her.”

Chi Yuan took the order at once, delight gleaming in his eyes. He sent a eunuch to fetch large bowls, then had one distributed to each of them.

The ladies all showed troubled expressions, but for the sake of Prince Mie, they were willing to risk it.

Each one poured herself a full bowl. They did not usually drink, but now they could only hold their breath and force it down.

Even so, once they had drunk, they began coughing one after another. Some spat it out at once, and a few even lost their nerve.

“Hehe, Prince Mie, I’ve finished.”

One woman, after draining her bowl, smiled foolishly at Chi Mie. A blush colored both her cheeks, making her look sweet and charming.

In modern times, a delicate woman like her, once made drunk, would surely have been whisked away by some lecherous man and taken straight to a hotel room.

But the instant she finished speaking, she collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.

Seeing this, a maid hurried forward to support her, then dragged her away.

The other women fared no better. Some began complaining of heat and tried to strip off their clothes; others started shouting drunkenly and making a scene.

There was no trace of their usual reserve or shyness.

The maids could not bear to watch any longer, so they simply dragged all the young ladies away.

The hall finally grew much quieter, yet the lingering scent of wine still hung in the air, refusing to fade.

Yun Zui had not drunk for quite some time, and all at once she found herself truly missing it.

“Shall we have a drink?” Chi Mie suggested, his voice low and magnetic.

Yun Zui met his gaze. He clearly had not drunk, yet he already carried that intoxicated, languid air.

“One cup is nothing. Little Fourth, bring me two more jars of strong wine.”

Chi Yuan’s eye twitched at the way she addressed him. Little Fourth? Well, fine. He was, after all, the fourth in line.

“All right, all right.” He resigned himself to running errands once more.

He had not originally come to the hunt, but news had suddenly arrived that Chi Mie had gone missing. Alarmed, he had ridden day and night to come at once, only to discover in the end that his worries had been for nothing.

Still, it was a relief. Chi Mie was safe and sound.

In modern times, Yun Zui could drink without ever getting drunk. Her tolerance was absolutely unmatched. Since Chi Mie wanted to be the sacrificial lamb, she would indulge him.

The wine was brought over quickly. Yun Zui took one jar and placed row after row of porcelain bowls upon the long table. Then she lifted the jar’s lid and poured, filling dozens of bowls to the brim with strong liquor.

The fragrance of wine drifted through the air, tempting the slumbering greedy little beast in Yun Zui’s heart.

“How about it? Dare to compete with me?” She lifted her chin high, her clear black-and-white eyes narrowing as she looked at Chi Mie with open challenge.

Yun Zui admitted that her martial arts were not as good as Chi Mie’s, but in matters of drinking, she refused to yield to anyone.

Chi Mie’s phoenix eyes curved with amusement. He picked up a bowl and stood directly across from her.

“I’ll drink first as a toast.”

Then he tilted his head back and drained it in one go, without the slightest pause.

Yun Zui immediately lifted the bowl before her and, equally unwilling to lose, tipped back her head and emptied it in a single breath.

Chi Yuan’s mouth fell open in shock, wide enough to fit an egg. He had never expected Yun Zui to be so bold.

And to possess such formidable tolerance for wine, too.

Even he could not compare.

Chi Yuan could not help but look faintly pained.

Meanwhile, Chi Mie’s eyes grew even brighter, and the smile in them deepened as he looked at Yun Zui.

As expected, the woman he had chosen was no creature of shallow waters.