Ning Que sized up Gu Mingzhi.
He knew they had ulterior motives.
By relying on the drinking game, he had earned another ten thousand taels of silver.
As the saying goes, one doesn't know the cost of living until one manages a household. He had the qualification to establish a manor and form the Three Guards, but he had to pay for it himself. The Three Guards would consist of at least ten thousand men, and Ning Royal Mansion, at its peak, could have thirty thousand!
They were professional soldiers.
The annual military expenditure was an astronomical figure.
And with armor and warhorses, the expenses were even more terrifying!
So, he still had to find opportunities to make money!
"What does General Gu mean?"
"This wine is truly fine, I am very fond of it. There were some misunderstandings between me and the Prince, and today I wish to resolve them through a drinking contest. Yuan'er's capacity for alcohol is not bad, so he will compete with the Prince. I wonder if the Prince is willing?"
A drinking contest?
Emperor Feng frowned.
Finally, he nodded towards Ning Que.
He had witnessed Ning Que's drinking capacity. Ning Que drank the strong liquor in the palace like water. The white liquor he had brewed earlier was practically poison. Emperor Feng felt dizzy after two cups, yet Ning Que could drink several dou continuously.
However, what Gu Mingzhi said was correct. As the saying goes, it's better to make friends than enemies, especially when they both live in Chang'an and are bound to meet. If the Gu Family could reconcile with Ning Que and help them deal with Prince Qi, that would certainly be better.
But could it really be that easy?
Ning Que's eyes narrowed slightly.
Feeling Emperor Feng's gaze.
"General Gu, you jest."
"There's no enmity between you and me."
"Since we're having a drinking contest, let's add some stakes."
"If General Gu wins, this Prince will give five thousand taels."
"If this Prince wins, General Gu will do the same."
"Good!"
Gu Yuan slammed the table and stood up.
His eyes were bright, full of fighting spirit.
He had been careless during the earlier drinking game.
He hadn't expected Ning Que to be so ruthless.
He could easily answer the questions from all the officials.
To make him drink, only a drinking contest would work.
Coincidentally, drinking was what he was best at.
He was a born military general, having practiced martial arts since childhood.
He usually enjoyed drinking.
After winning a battle in the Western Border, he would also drink to celebrate. To show his boldness, he often drank directly from wine jars. Gu Yuan had an excellent capacity for alcohol, easily drinking two or three jars.
Gu Mingzhi personally poured the wine.
He poured more than a dozen cups in a row.
Ning Que and Gu Yuan looked at each other across the wooden table.
"Prince, please."
"Please."
Gu Yuan picked up the wine goblet and drank it in one gulp. He stared intently at Ning Que; this first cup was the one he had laced with a laxative. According to Lin Xianhong, it would take at most half an incense stick's time to take effect after drinking it.
Ning Que, however, was in no hurry.
He sniffed the wine, looking at Gu Yuan.
Seeing him so nervous, he couldn't help but smile.
This cup of wine was indeed drugged.
Although the taste was very faint, it couldn't escape his nose. When he was on Kunlun Mountain, one of his senior brothers liked to research all sorts of strange poisons. At that time, his master had said that it was fortunate his senior brother was kind-hearted. If he were an evil person, the common people of the world would be in great trouble.
Just then, Gu Yuan picked up the wine goblet again. Ning Que quickly raised his hand to press it down, while also adding something to it.
"What does the Prince mean by this?"
"I haven't even drunk my cup yet."
"Since it's a drinking contest, it's about who drinks more," Gu Yuan frowned, and said lightly, "We're not competing on speed, it's fine for the Prince to drink slowly."
"Heh heh, indeed."
Ning Que picked up his wine cup again, while also neutralizing the poison inside. With such clumsy tricks, if he could be harmed, it would simply be a disgrace to his master's sect!
Seeing him drink it in one gulp, Gu Yuan immediately smiled. He had plenty of silver; he mainly wanted to make Ning Que embarrass himself in public, which would also be his revenge.
"Come!"
Gu Yuan didn't think much of it, raised the wine goblet, and drank it again.
Seeing this, Ning Que also smiled.
The two officially began their drinking contest.
One cup after another, neither giving way.
"This must be over a dozen cups already, right?"
"They can really drink!"
"The Prince's capacity for alcohol is actually this good?"
"General Gu is famous in the Western Border for being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but who would have thought the Prince is even more formidable than him!"
Jiang Quan stroked his beard, smiling without speaking.
Ning Que was also a heavy drinker.
It was just that every time he drank, he would only take a small sip.
But when it came to his capacity for alcohol, he truly wasn't afraid.
"Just drinking is not very interesting."
"I'll add another five thousand taels of silver as a prize."
"You two shall compose a poem with wine as the theme."
"You only need to complete it before finishing your drink."
"Who is superior and who is inferior shall be judged by all of you, my lords."
Emperor Feng then raised his hand and raised the stakes.
Gu Yuan was feeling a bit dizzy at this moment, barely able to stand. The main reason was that this yellow wine had a very strong kick, and he could only barely hold on now. As soon as he tried to think, his head would swell.
"Then this Prince will go first."
Ning Que held the glazed wine goblet.
Step back, I'm about to show off!
There were actually many poems with wine as their theme.
But when it came to grandeur and literary talent, only Li Bai could compare!
His poem "Bring in the Wine" truly lived up to his reputation as the Immortal Poet.
For Ning Que, being a literary plagiarist was not difficult at all.
"Have you not seen, the waters of the Yellow River come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return. Have you not seen, in the high hall, the bright mirror grieves over white hair, morning like black silk, evening like snow!"
"Good!"
Ning Que had only just begun, and it instantly caused an uproar.
Just these two lines were enough to show his talent!
Unconstrained by format, yet grand and magnificent.
Yu Ji was also very excited.
He had gained a lot this time.
As the Grand Tutor of Great Feng, he was very knowledgeable. Not only did he have extremely high attainments in calligraphy and painting, but he also enjoyed studying poetry and songs in his spare time.
He had heard Ning Que's poems before, and they had simply left him in awe. He quickly took up his brush to write them down, planning to savor them slowly after returning home.
"Prince, we are making a poem about wine."
"These two lines of yours are indeed good, but what do they have to do with wine?"
"Don't rush." Ning Que smiled slightly, draining the fine wine in his cup once more, "Life's joys must be fully indulged, let not the golden goblet face the moon empty. Heaven has given me talent, it must be used, a thousand gold pieces scattered will return again."
"Haha, good!" Emperor Feng couldn't help but clap and exclaim, "What a 'Heaven has given me talent, it must be used'!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, Prince Ning's poem is not bad!"
"Who would have thought the Prince could also compose poetry."
"Such talent, unseen in Chang'an!"
"Don't even say Chang'an, looking across Great Feng, no one can match it. To compose such a masterpiece in such a short time, who among you can compare?"
Sima Changqing's words were not wrong.
The idea of composing a poem was something Emperor Feng had suddenly thought of.
They had no time to prepare at all.
This further highlighted Ning Que's ability!
Such a short amount of time...
"Bells, drums, delicacies, and jade are not worth much, I only wish to be forever drunk and never awaken."
"Ancient sages are all lonely, only drinkers leave their names... Five-flower horse, thousand-gold fur coat, call the boy to exchange them for fine wine, to drown with you ten thousand ages of sorrow!"
After Ning Que finished speaking, he raised his wine goblet and drank it again in one gulp. He looked at Gu Yuan and said lightly, "The poem I composed is called 'Bring in the Wine.' I have long heard that General Gu is skilled in both literature and martial arts, please do not hesitate to offer your wisdom. By the way, can General Gu still drink?"
Gu Yuan tightly clutched the wine goblet.
At this moment, he only felt unbearable abdominal pain.
Looking at the calm and collected Ning Que, he was very surprised.
Why?
Why was Ning Que fine?!