Chapter 363 - Drunken Stooges (1/2)
BRIEF RECAP: Prince Yi's finally in jail under charges of treason... Princess Nalan is pregnant with Yi's love child and is currently under house arrest in the palace after gate-crashing the Emperor and LX's send-off party for the newly appointed Princesses (former concubines) to announce their marriage and baby on the way plans... Tung Mei (Xiao Ying/ Doc Lou's adopted daughter) has lost her memories after messing with things beyond her powers and the doc has gone to solve her issue... Empress dowager is finally GONE to go look for the solution to her mental health in some remote temple far far away...and well XT suddenly showed up with a lost Tung Mei at Lei Xing's door and we continue from there~.....
*****
Meanwhile, back at the Empress's palace, the mood had taken a turn for the better. Lei Xing had ordered wine and began a drinking session to try to comfort her guests and liven the mood. In the process, she had comforted herself a bit too much.
Tung Mei put down her empty bowl - Lei Xing had decided somewhere along the lines that cups were too ”limiting” and had ordered bowls. Lei Xing immediately went to task refilling Tung Mei's bowl, ”Here Ying Yang, have some more. Don't worry about that crappy person, he's not worth the time. Hiccup!” Lei Xing put her hand over her mouth and blinked at Tung Mei and then started giggling, ”Sorry hehe - hiccup! Hehehehe~”
Tung Mei weakly smiled, ”Thank you, Your maje-”
Lei Xing slammed the jug on the table and glared at Tung Mei, ”I told you to stop calling me that! You're giving me goosebumps!”
”Goosebumps~” Xiao Ting echoed, raising her bowl and peering into it, ”checking” to see if the wine was truly finished.
”See, you're scaring little Ting Ting.” Lei Xing said, leaning over and hugging Xiao Ting, who dutifully played the role of ”scared” and wrapped her arms around Lei Xing's waist and sniffed as if she was going to cry again. Lei Xing patted her head and two of them looked at Tung Mei with disgruntled pouts.
Tung Mei's face twitched and she plastered on a smile. She picked up her bowl and raised it to them and said, ”Xing jie -”
Before Tung Mei could react, Lei Xing threw an arm around her neck and pulled her into the hug, sending the bowl of wine clattering to the floor.
”There we go, that wasn't so hard, now was it?” Lei Xing jovially asked. Tung Mei frowned and tried to loosen Lei Xing's grip around her neck without upsetting Her drunk royal majesty.
”Ying jie~” Xiao Ting went, stretching her arms to include Tung Mei in her hug. Lei Xing laughed, Xiao Ting giggled and Tung Mei looked to the ceiling wondering 'why me?'.
Tung Mei had just realized that she must have been an avid drinker because they had been drinking for a long while now and had gone through several jugs. And while Lei Xing and Xiao Ting were clearly high, giggling at nothing and everything, Tung Mei was completely sober - in fact, she might as well have been drinking water.
Being the only sober person amongst drunk people was a hard job.
”From now on, It's gonna be just us girls!” Lei Xing declared, holding them tighter - choking Tung Mei, ”We're gonna be the three amigos! Three musketeers! Three stooges - wait, I'm pretty sure those were idiots, right?” Lei Xing knit her brows in thought.
Lei Xing shook her head, ”It doesn't matter!” She then turned to Tung Me and her eyes became teary, she released Xiao Ting and then hugged Tung Mei, ”My little Ying Ying, what are we going to do about your head~?” She drunkenly wailed.
”Ying jie!” Xiao Ting wailed along as she picked up Lei Xing's bowl that was full to the brim with wine and went to chug it, making sure she still hummed her cry to accompany Lei Xing's wailing.
”Um...Is it alright for your little sister to drink this much?” Tung Mei awkwardly asked, trying to divert the clingy Lei Xing's attention back to Xiao Ting. Lei Xing stilled for a moment, glanced Xiao Ting's way, and promptly turned and slapped the bowl out of Xiao Ting's hands.
”Jie!” Xiao Ting exclaimed with disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.
”You're too young to drink!” Lei Xing scolded.
”Says who?! I'm old enough to get married already!” Xiao Ting protested.
Lei Xing grabbed Xiao Ting's face with both hands, narrowed her eyes into hers, and menacingly went, ”Get married? Says who? I hear you've been receiving love letters. Who's that brat? You're a baby! Babies don't get married!”
Tung Mei, who was just recovering from the chokehold, was rubbing her neck when Lei Xing grabbed again and rocked the two girls from side to side, ”We're the three babies~ It's overrated and troublesome, we're never getting married!” She declared and then began laughing like a crazy person.
Tung Mei grabbed onto Lei Xing's arm again, frowning in annoyance as she tried to save herself from being choked...again.
”Jie... Aren't you already married?” Xiao Ting asked with a pout, rubbing her sore cheek with one hand and stretching the other towards one of the jugs of wine on the table.
”Who's married?” Lei Xing asked, glaring at Xiao Ting, who quickly withdrew her hand to avoid being caught and innocently responded, ”You, to the Emperor.”
Lei Xing frowned and shoved the two girls away and grabbed a jug of wine, ”What Emperor? Never heard of an Emperor. There are no Emperors where I'm from. Don't need them!” She loudly proclaimed and then threw her head back, chugging the jug of wine.
”En! No Emperors!” Xiao Ting proclaimed as well she picked up another jug and chugged along with her sister. While Tung Mei rubbed her neck and glared at the two of them.
Meanwhile, outside the door, Xiao Ruo who had just been about to open the doors, stopped and turned to the Emperor and Lei Yong and awkwardly laughed, ”The Empress likes to joke sometimes... She - they don't mean that -”