Ling Lihua paused and looked at her tall, handsome son. After some thought, she picked up her chopsticks and plucked a piece of venison for him.
“Venison is better for you; eat it.”
Lu Tingchen poked the venison in his bowl with his chopsticks and asked puzzledly, “Why is venison better for me?”
“Because you’re a boy.” Ling Lihua beamed at him.
Lu Tingchen suddenly felt that there was something ominous behind her smile.
He glanced at the Emperor sitting beside Lu Liangwei, then suddenly took a pair of clean chopsticks and plucked a piece for him as well.
“Your Majesty, Mother said that venison’s good for men. You should have some too.”
“Mm.” The corners of Long Yang’s mouth twitched, and he did not refuse.
However, the moment Lu Tingchen went to pick up the piece of venison, he was stopped.
Stunned, he looked at his mother, who had intercepted his chopsticks. He asked in surprise, “Mother’s, what’s wrong?”
Ling Lihua cleared her throat and said seriously, “His Majesty’s in good health and doesn’t need any more supplements. If he eats venison, it would only be counterproductive. It’s you who should eat more.” With that, she picked up the plate and dumped all the remaining venison into his bowl.
“My child, you look strong, but you’re actually weak inside, so you should have all this venison.”
Lu Tingchen, “…”
Why had he never known that he was weak inside?
Lu Liangwei choked on a piece of chicken at her mother’s words. “Cough cough cough!”
Long Yang raised a hand and patted her on the back, shooting a glance at Ling Lihua.
Ling Lihua pretended not to notice but snorted to herself.
That punk of an Emperor was obviously no ordinary man. If he ate more venison, how would her delicate daughter be able to withstand his advances?
Venison for him? Hell no!
With that in mind, she looked at Lu Tingchen lovingly and raised a hand to pat his sturdy shoulder, advising him earnestly, “Your body’s weak, so you should strengthen it or you won’t be able to keep the ladies around in the future.”
Chu Jiu was passing by and she glanced at Lu Tingchen’s upright and muscular back, the corners of her mouth twitching.
So he was a mere skeleton!
Lu Tingchen’s handsome face flushed, not used to being babied by his mother.
“Mother, are you misunderstanding something? How am I weak? I’m obviously tough and strong.”
Ling Lihua pretended to check his pulse with her fingers and said, “You’re weak inside, so you can’t obviously see it on the outside. But it’s alright; I’ll nurse you back to health.” She then pushed the full bowl of venison toward him. “Eat up, or it’s going to get cold and smell bad.”
Lu Tingchen ate the venison in a daze. Was he really weak inside?
Thinking of his mother’s words, he quickly stuffed another piece of venison into his mouth.
Lu Liangwei suppressed a smile. Was it really alright for Mother to mess with Big Bro like this?
She had taken her brother’s pulse before. He was fine, very healthy, in fact. He was not at all weak inside like what Mother claimed.
She shook her head secretly. Big Bro was probably going to have a nosebleed at night after eating so much venison.
Wu Hongming finally finished a whole vat of wine, and he could not help burping as he set the jar down.
“Uncle Wu, are you alright?” Lu Liangwei asked with concern, seeing him flushed from the alcohol and swaying unsteadily on his feet.
Wu Hongming waved a hand and sat down on the stool, smiling ruefully. “I can’t deny that I’m getting old. I only drank a bit, and I can’t go on anymore. If I were younger, two vats of wine would be a piece of cake for me.”
Chewing on the venison, Lu Tingchen said in a muffled voice, “Uncle Wu, your alcohol tolerance is already pretty good. Most people can’t beat you.”
Wu Hongming laughed. “If I could go on, I’d definitely drink with you today.”
“There’s always next time. I’ll wait for you, Uncle Wu.” Lu Tingchen raised his cup of wine to him before downing its contents.
“Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.” Wu Hongming laughed heartily. When he turned his head and saw Long Yang sitting there casually, he sulked a little inside.
He had thought that the Emperor was just a pretty face and never expected that he was such a good drinker.
He had wanted to embarrass him, but he ended up embarrassing himself instead.
A person’s drinking etiquette reflected their nature. He wanted to use drinking as an excuse to test the Emperor’s true character so that Miss Weiwei would not suffer in the future.
However, to his surprise, the Emperor possessed not only high alcohol tolerance but also excellent drinking etiquette.
