The drinking continued until the sun set and no one else was around. Li Xiang couldn't stop drinking anymore. In addition, Changsun Chong's alcohol tolerance had increased significantly during this period, so when Li Xiang felt that he had drunk too much, he was already a little confused.
Xiao Xiazi took half a day to load Li Xiang onto the carriage, and then slowly returned to the East Palace.
Because of Qian Ping's matter, Li Chengqian has been feeling a little unwell these days, so he was planning to find a chance to talk to his son about it, but unfortunately, this opportunity was lost today. Since his son came back, he has been busy almost every day. Even if his biological father wanted to say something, he probably wouldn't have such a chance.
In the morning, the emperor summoned people to the Qinzheng Hall to discuss matters. Li Chengqian was about to go there, but Wang De told Li Chengqian that the emperor did not summon him, but only asked His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to go there.
Li Chengqian was very hurt at that time. You know, when Li Xiang was not back, he was the leading figure in the Eastern Palace, and he was the one who participated in everything. Now that Li Xiang is back, he is no longer needed as a messenger. What Li Shimin did was also very realistic, and he actually did not allow the prince to attend such an important military meeting.
In fact, Li Shimin had heard from others about the affairs of the Eastern Palace. Li Chengqian had been a little cocky recently. Li Shimin had been dissatisfied with this son before. If it weren't for his eldest grandson, Li Chengqian would probably be sitting there stupidly somewhere now. So he had to be taught a lesson.
After this incident, Li Chengqian was even more hesitant to act recklessly, so he thought about talking to his son and trying to explain the matter. How could there be an overnight grudge between father and son? Now seeing Li Xiang coming back drunk, he couldn't say anything else. After all, Li Xiang didn't go out to drink, but drank at Zhangsun Wuji's house.
Zhang Sun Wuji was Li Chengqian's uncle. If he blamed Li Xiang for being drunk, wouldn't that be like blaming his own uncle as well? In this era, the emphasis was on maternal uncles being more important...
After Empress Changsun died, Changsun Wuji became the most prominent relative on Li Chengqian's mother's side. If he dared to blame Changsun Wuji, and this news reached Changsun Wuji's ears, Li Chengqian would have a hard time.
Although Li Chengqian was anxious, he couldn't discuss things with his son in his current condition. If he got drunk and got angry with him, the news would probably spread inside the Eastern Palace, and then Li Chengqian's good days in Chang'an City would be over.
If Li Xiang didn't have a wife, Li Chengqian could bring his son to his place and talk to him as soon as he sobered up. But now Li Xiang is married and his wife has sent someone over. Can the old man stop him here?
In fact, Li Xiang had already woken up when he was halfway there, but he knew that his father would definitely talk to him today. However, there was no point in talking about such things. In this era, people valued having three wives and four concubines. No matter how Li Chengqian and Li Xiang explained this matter, there was only one result, that is, Li Xiang had to accept Aunt Fan.
If Li Xiang did not accept it, then with the big hat of filial piety weighing on him, no matter how successful or powerful he was outside, it was very likely that many people would stand up and criticize him, so Li Xiang was not going to talk to Li Chengqian.
Just now, when they were still far away from the Eastern Palace, Eunuch Xia's men had already gone to report, and the Crown Prince was already waiting at the door, so Li Xiang simply assumed that he was drunk. After all, Chang Sun Chong was also carried away, so who could prove that he was not drunk?
At this moment, Li Xiang was also carried in by the servants. Li Chengqian sighed helplessly beside him. This son was also a man of his own ideas. Could he be pretending to be drunk today?
"Why did you drink so much? Even though we haven't seen each other for a long time, you should still take care of yourself."
Cheng Luan said with some heartache, wiped Li Xiang's sweat with her handkerchief, and asked the kitchen to prepare a bowl of sobering soup.
Cheng Luan was sitting next to Li Xiang. Suddenly, she felt Li Xiang pinching her thigh. She immediately knew that her man was definitely fine.
"You guys go down first. I think His Highness needs to rest for a while, so don't bother him. Once the hangover soup is ready, just put it in the outer hall. I'll serve His Highness some later."
Cheng Luan knew that with so many people here, her man would definitely have to continue pretending. It was actually very tiring for a person to pretend to be asleep here. If he was really asleep, then of course there was no need to pretend, but if he was not asleep, his whole body would be stiff here, not to mention how uncomfortable it would be.
After the servants had left, Li Xiang got up slowly. Although he was pretending to be drunk, the wine he drank today had indeed gotten to his head.
"You're too bold! Father has been waiting at the door for a long time. Isn't this bad for him?"
Cheng Luan got a pillow for Li Xiang to lean on so that he could be a little more comfortable. Since the wedding, Cheng Luan has become more and more experienced in taking care of Li Xiang.
"He didn't even discuss it with me before casually marrying a girl from an aristocratic family. This is not good in itself. Now I'm just a little angry. Isn't that allowed?"
If someone else heard what Li Xiang said, they would definitely say that Li Xiang was a traitor, but Cheng Luan did not say so. Cheng Luan was also born in a family of officials and was very clear about things like marriage. This time, it was indeed Li Chengqian who made a mistake.
Ever since Li Xiang entered the court, he has been at war with the aristocratic families. Although the Fan family is not a big family, it also stands on the side of the aristocratic families. Now that Li Chengqian has married such a concubine, it is by no means a trivial matter.
At the moment, this person has no power in the Eastern Palace and is very low-key. If Li Xiang were to target him, many people might say that Li Xiang is going too far.
But Cheng Luan was well aware of the struggles between the big families. If Concubine Fan gave birth to a son in the future, the entire Fan family would have a solid backing. At that time, this little boy might cause trouble for Li Xiang. Although Li Xiang was not afraid of this, it would distract him a lot. If he was not careful, he might fall into the trap of the other party. Then...