After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 273: Drowning Sorrows in Alcohol

Upon seeing this, Lin Rusi was immediately overjoyed.

Originally, I just wanted to make the Empress unhappy and let her know that I'm not someone to be trifled with, but I never expected to end up with such a good thing.

She accepted the gold medal, expressed her gratitude, and slowly returned to her seat.

Li Jingyang squeezed her hand: "You woman, you just like to charge ahead on your own. When will you learn to rely on me for a bit?"

Lin Rusi rolled her eyes at him: "Don't give me that. It's just a small matter. I can handle it myself."

She placed the gold medal in Li Jingyang's hand and playfully scratched his palm: "I'm not just a woman who will stand behind you; I will support you and walk side by side with you."

Li Jingyang blushed slightly, coughed lightly to cover it up, and turned his face away slightly, but his hand under the table grabbed that small hand and held it tightly in his palm.

The smile on her lips was impossible to suppress, and it was extremely irritating to the Empress.

Fortunately, after suffering several losses, the Empress did not cause her any more trouble.

Lin Rusi was forced to drink several glasses of strong liquor by the scheming Li Jingyang. She was so dizzy that he helped her to take her leave and leave the boring meeting room early.

Before long, the two returned to the Jinglie Prince's Mansion.

The next morning, Lin Rusi stayed in bed until noon before finally leaving the house with a look of utter despair.

I was careless and fell for that bastard's trick again.

She yawned and forced herself to go find Gao Tuan.

Having said so much in the main hall yesterday, I need to go and talk to Gao Tuan as soon as possible, lest I slip up at any moment.

As for Su Xiangqing...

Oh well, she already has amnesia. Judging from their current deep affection, maybe what I said will come true once she regains her memory.

To her surprise, she didn't see Su Xiangqing when she went to find Gaotuan.

"What's going on? You two were inseparable just a few days ago, why aren't you together today?" Lin Rusi searched around for a long time but couldn't see Su Xiangqing. She then smelled the strong smell of alcohol on Gao Tuan.

When she brought this up, Gao Tuan also felt distressed: "Your Highness, you and Xiang Qing are close, could you help me find out what I did to upset her, that she suddenly started avoiding me?"

Lin Rusi asked in surprise, "Avoiding you? She's very straightforward and never hides anything. If you wrong her, she'll either scold you or beat you up. Why would she avoid you without saying a word?"

Gao Tuan was momentarily speechless at her words: "I had no idea that I was drinking here to drown my sorrows."

He kicked the ground beside him, and there was a loud clattering sound as several empty wine jars were found.

"Leave this to me." Lin Rusi moved a little further away with a look of disdain, but hadn't forgotten the important matter: "By the way, I came to see you today because I have something important to discuss with you. Your glass bead..."

Lin Rusi recounted everything that had happened in the main hall in detail.

Gao Tuan didn't let the alcohol interfere with his work. After listening carefully, he nodded seriously: "Leave this matter to me. As for Xiang Qing's matter, I'll have to trouble you with it again."

When he went back to retrieve the beads before, he covered the four-day journey in three days, and he had never felt this panicked before.

What's going on when the woman he was about to win over suddenly turns her back on him and ignores him?

Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Lin Rusi felt relieved.

She wasn't one to break her word, and since she had nothing else to do, she simply went to find Su Xiangqing: "I won't bother you anymore, you can continue drinking. If you're not full, just send someone to buy more. I'll go ask where Qingqing is."

Just as she was about to leave, Gao Tuan spoke up from behind: "She's in her own room, just go there."

Lin Rusi paused in her tracks: "You know where she is, why don't you just go there yourself?"

"I'd like to go. But I'll be kicked out as soon as I walk in. If I don't leave, she won't eat," Gao Tuan said with a wry smile, quite helpless.

Lin Rusi's lips twitched involuntarily, and she decisively swallowed back what she was about to say.

She hurried to Su Xiangqing's room and knocked on the door: "Xiangqing, it's me."

The sound of something clattering came from inside, followed by a series of hurried footsteps.

The door opened a crack, and Su Xiangqing peeked out. After finding that she was alone, she opened the door and said, "Asi, come in quickly."

Lin Rusi stepped into the house, but she didn't miss the disappointment in Su Xiangqing's eyes when she saw that there was no one behind her.

Seeing this, she immediately understood. She sat down at the table and poured tea for both of them: "Tell me, what happened? If he did anything to wrong you, I'll be the first to not forgive him."

No, no, no.

Upon hearing that she was going to cause trouble for Gao Tuan, Su Xiangqing quickly shook her head: "No, it's just... I don't know how to face him."

Under Lin Rusi's gaze, Su Xiangqing slowly blushed: "Asi, I... I really like Gao Tuan. It's not just a passing impulse. Although we've only met a few days ago, I feel like we've known each other for a very long time."

She stammered, stealing a glance at Lin Rusi. Seeing that Lin Rusi wasn't laughing at her, she mustered her courage and asked, "Rusi, how did you and the prince get together? How did you manage to make him fall in love with you too?"

Lin Rusi cleared her throat and answered seriously, "How would I know? He liked me first. I just... cough, I couldn't bear to make him sad, so I reluctantly agreed."

"Asi, the way you look right now is just like that haughty little kitten at Grandma Liu's house." Su Xiangqing chuckled, pulling Lin Rusi's arm. "Asi, do you think Gao Tuan likes me?"

"Whether he likes you or not, just ask him." Lin Rusi smiled and pinched her cheek. "You're so cute, how could anyone reject you?"

Even if someone could do it, it would never be Gaotuan.

“Then I’ll invite him to go boating on the lake tomorrow.” Su Xiangqing said, then suddenly became nervous: “I…I’ll go pick out a nice dress.”

The task was completed so easily that it was beyond Lin Rusi's expectations. So much so that when she reappeared at the place in Gaotuan where she was drowning her sorrows in alcohol, he looked at her blankly and asked, "Why aren't you going yet? Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Lin Rusi was immediately speechless.

Everyone says that the second-in-command of the First Alliance is rational and aloof, but how come he becomes so love-struck and irrational when he meets the woman he loves?

"Stop drinking! She's asking you to go boating on the lake tomorrow and confess her feelings to you. If you keep drinking, you'll be sleeping until the day after tomorrow." She kicked an empty jar on the ground, making another clattering noise.

Gao Tuan stood frozen in place for a while before suddenly standing up: "Your Highness's kindness will surely be repaid in full. Please forgive me, I need to take a bath and change my clothes, and cannot stay with you for long."

Before Lin Rusi could react, Gao Tuan had vanished in the blink of an eye.

What happened to the noble, calm, and composed second-in-command of the First Alliance?