Gu Wenheng followed the crowd, toasting with his Shangguan. However, he knew his limits. Every time he drank, he used his robes as a shield to pour the liquor into a sponge he had prepared in advance.
"Mr. Gu," Ning Yuchen dragged He Nan over, holding a wine cup as he approached Gu Wenheng. "Although we passed the imperial exams in the same year, you've had a prosperous career. You must look out for your peers in the future."
He Nan intervened. "Lord Ning is drunk. Why don't I accompany you to the side to sober up?"
"I'm not drunk! Don't you think what I said is true?" Ning Yuchen retorted. "In less than a year, Mr. Gu has been promoted three grades in a row. It's truly unprecedented, and likely never to be seen again. Perhaps he'll soon be appointed as the Prime Minister. By then, he'll be completely out of our reach."
Gu Wenheng noticed several other colleagues glancing over repeatedly. He knew the man in front of him was pretending to be drunk to vent his frustrations.
