Chapter 198 |
Yonghe Year Three, late spring.
The Nanning Kingdom was destroyed, and the Great Zhou was unified.
Before Yu Ruo committed suicide, his affection value reached full, allowing Qu Dubian to increase his lifespan by one year.
Qu Dubian kept his promise. Great Zhou annexed Nanning without harming the common people, minimizing all impacts.
Another three years passed.
The rivers were clear and the seas calm, and the world was at peace.
The continent, which had been divided for decades, finally ushered in a prosperous era of unification step by step.
-
Yonghe Year Six.
Ye Xiaoyuan started working in the Wolin Hall early in the morning.
It wasn't because of the annual banquet. After Qu Dubian ascended the throne, he changed the annual banquet to once every five years, and the rest of the time it was a family banquet.
But even for a family banquet, there was a whole family of people. If he didn't start working early, he really couldn't take care of everything.
Although he could order his subordinates to do it, Ye Xiaoyuan was still worried about some taboo foods and had to keep an eye on them personally.
Until the evening.
Qu Dubian also came here to help. He rolled up his sleeves, cooked personally, and tinkered with a few dishes in the imperial kitchen.
When the evening lights were lit, people gradually came to the East Hall of the Wolin Hall.
Bringing their families.
The First Prince's family of four, and Dowager Consort De.
The Third Prince's mother, Dowager Consort Wen, also brought the Third Prince's daughter. Originally, this girl was raised with her mother, but after all, she was a royal daughter and had to have contacts.
Because of the Third Prince's physical problems, he would probably only have this one daughter in his life. He didn't need to make himself truly a loner, and he did his best for this daughter.
It was just that she didn't pay much attention to him.
Dowager Consort Wen and Dowager Consort De had been square dancing partners since they were in the Cining Palace. They hadn't seen each other for several years, and naturally they were very affectionate when they met now.
Dowager Consort De: "Oh, it's too cold in Lingbei. The capital is warmer. But after I brought square dancing there, more and more people are dancing. The leader is a dancer, and she also invited people from the music workshop. I go there every night."
"Then how about I go to Lingbei with you after the new year?" Dowager Consort Wen said enviously. "In the capital, besides tea parties, there are banquets, and everyone respects and honors me. It's so boring."
"Okay! Lingbei is much better now than a few years ago. The main thing is that some roads that were originally impassable are gradually opening up, which is very convenient..."
You said a word, and I said a word. The two went to their seats next to each other.
The First Prince and the Third Prince stood face to face, very embarrassed, with a hint of awkward silence that they didn't know how to deal with politely.
Shu Wenxin looked at the two of them, pushed the two children behind her, "Go, find your Third Imperial Uncle for lucky money."
The older sister led her slow-witted younger brother and reached out obediently: "Long time no see, Third Imperial Uncle. Happy New Year, Third Imperial Uncle. Do you have lucky money for us?"
"Oh, oh! Yes, yes," the Third Prince hurriedly felt around on his body. He felt for a while but didn't find any. He was suddenly annoyed. He had given all his money to his daughter, and suddenly felt even more embarrassed. "Well..."
"It's here, Fifth Imperial Uncle will give it."
The Fifth Prince came over, bent down, and smiled as he handed out two red envelopes to each person.
"Your Third Imperial Uncle's red envelopes are with me. His memory is not very good and he forgot."
"Wow! Thank you, Fifth Imperial Uncle!"
Shu Wenxin touched their heads, "Let's go find Aunt Sihe to play, okay?"
Sihe and Empress Dowager An were entertaining the Second Crown Princess, the little heir left by the Second Prince, and the Third Prince's daughter. The children were basically gathered there.
"Okay!"
She led the children away, leaving the space for the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince.
The Third Prince turned his face away, a little cold and a little awkward, and said: "Thank you, I'll pay you back later."
The Fifth Prince said: "No need, I still have this little money."
This was the first serious sentence the two of them had spoken in the past two years.
The First Prince looked left and right, "Eh? Xiao Wu, you two?"
The Fifth Prince avoided answering and smiled: "Big brother, sit inside. His Majesty has specially reserved a good position for you. Those who can drink are at one table, those who cannot drink are at another table, and the children are at a separate table. Today, younger brother will accompany you, and we won't return until we're drunk."
The Third Prince thought to himself, what's so good about that damn wine? If he, Qu Duming, touches a drop of wine tonight, he's not a real man.
The Fifth Prince pulled the First Prince's sleeve and walked forward, then naturally turned his head to look at the Third Prince.
"Are you coming? Third Brother."
The Third Prince paused for half a second, then flicked his sleeve, "What are you rushing for? I'm coming."
They went to the drinking table.
Xu Jin, Wu Siwan, and Xu Tingfeng were all sitting at another table, smiling and talking about family affairs.
Xu Tingfeng said: "Uncle, Aunt, I heard you two are still planning to go to the Northern Frontier?"
Xu Jin said: "Yes, but we definitely have to wait until spring. It's too cold there now. Sigh, I have to admit I'm getting old. If I were young, wherever this old man wanted to go, I would just charge over single-handedly..."
The second half of his sentence disappeared under Wu Siwan's cold gaze.
The old man coughed lightly a few times, "Sigh, now I definitely have to take good care of myself. I still want to accompany His Majesty with your aunt for a few more years."
Wu Siwan: "That's more like it. Later at the table, you just follow Little Seven. If he doesn't drink, you can't drink either."
Xu Jin muttered: "He... he only drinks fruit wine."
"Fruit wine is also very good," Xu Tingfeng whispered quietly in his ear. "I asked Xue Letian to get two pots of top-quality fruit wine. It doesn't make you drunk, but the taste is no worse than strong liquor."
"Hahaha good, good, good!"
Dowager Concubine Guo came in holding a little baby. Her original rank of Noble Lady was later raised by one level by Qu Dubian, becoming a Dowager Concubine.
The little baby in her arms was the son of Zhiyi and Xie Lishan, born in the fourth year of Yonghe, and was two years old this year.
His nickname was given by Qu Dubian, called Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake).
There was no special meaning, just because the first sentence Zhiyi said after giving birth was: Good heavens, he's finally born. Little Seven, I want to eat the pancakes you fry.
The dignified emperor pushed a small cart and resumed his old profession in the princess's mansion, frying a perfect shredded pancake for his sister, and the name Qu Xiaobing was born.
Xiaobing had a straight face at such a young age. He didn't like to smile since he was born. Who knows if he was very dissatisfied with the origin of his name. He was as serious as a little teacher.
The people in his family were all active social butterflies. Who knows who he took after.
Dowager Concubine Guo: "It's so lively."
Wu Siwan hurriedly waved her hand, "Come, come, here."
"Yo, the youngest cub of this generation so far is here," the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince all stuffed red envelopes into the little baby's arms.
The First Prince teased the Fifth Prince: "I heard a girl chased you all the way to the imperial city. How is it now? If you like her, just marry her. What's the point of staying single all the time?"
The Fifth Prince showed no emotion on his face, "Met her while on duty. A woman from the martial arts world is not suitable for the imperial city."
The First Prince: "It doesn't matter. Are there not enough good girls in the capital?"
"We're only caring about ourselves talking," the Fifth Prince looked left and right, raising an eyebrow. "Why hasn't the host who organized the gathering today arrived?"
"That's right!" The First Prince patted his head. "Where is His Majesty?"
Prince Ming: "Haven't seen His Majesty since we arrived."
The Third Prince: "People of noble status must make a grand entrance at the very end."
When he said this, Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) disagreed. His little brows furrowed. Uncle... Uncle is here, making dumplings...
Just as Little Pancake finished speaking, a voice rang out from outside Wolin Palace:
Here they come!
A handsome young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five, his hair tied up in a crown, stepped through the doorway with a beaming smile, carrying an oversized plate of dumplings.
As soon as he entered, the light in the hall seemed to brighten a few degrees.
Everyone stood up one after another. Greetings to Your Majesty!
Sit, sit, everyone.
Qu Dubian's casual imperial robes were dusted with flour, his sleeves rolled up to his arms. He raised an eyebrow and said:
I made these dumplings myself. I've been busy since early morning. Every single one of them came out beautifully boiled!
Ye Xiaoyuan and Xie Mingxuan also came in. These two didn't have as much strength as he did, so they each carried two small plates.
Xie Mingxuan praised, They really are beautiful. Our Majesty's craftsmanship is quite excellent.
Servants quickly stepped forward to take the dumplings from their hands and distribute them between the two tables. The steam from the piping hot dumplings curled through the warm and cozy hall.
Don't listen to His Majesty's nonsense, Zhiyi and Xie Lishan said, also looking as if they had just finished working, with a bit of flour on their faces. The two looked helpless. His Majesty made one bowl at most before Empress Dowager Xuan chased him out.
The ones actually doing the work were them, their personal maids, and Eunuch Ye.
Little Seven was only focused on teasing Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake).
Qu Dubian coughed lightly.
Sister, give me some face.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Come, Little Pancake, let Uncle give you a hug.
Qu Dubian took the child from Dowager Concubine Guo and bounced him in his arms. His movements were clearly practiced, but somehow, it looked as if he were playing with a toy.
Little Uncle, Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) raised a hand and wiped his face, There's flour.
Qu Dubian pressed his face against the child's and rubbed cheeks. All right! Thank you, Little Pancake, for helping Uncle wipe it clean.
Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake): ...
He raised a hand to wipe his own face, his usually unsmiling little face becoming even more deadpan.
Qu Dubian was highly amused. He carried his nephew to his seat and sat down. The others also took their seats. The atmosphere didn't cool down at all; instead, it became even livelier.
Xu Jin was craving the fruit wine and said, Your Majesty, shall we begin the banquet?
The First Prince added, That's right, shall we start? We're still planning on a drinking contest over here.
Qu Dubian replied, We have to wait a little longer. Just a moment, we're still missing one person today.
The Third Prince asked, Missing one?
As if he had thought of something, surprise surfaced in his eyes.
Not long after, an announcement came from outside the hall. Wen Xiaochun led in a young man with his head lowered, looking significantly tanned. Your Majesty, I have not failed my mission.
The young man was none other than the Sixth Prince.
He had been farming at Zhennan Pass for over seven years. His originally frail frame had become much sturdier, and the sense of impetuousness and arrogance he once carried had vanished completely.
The Sixth Prince did not dare look up toward the Fifth Prince's direction. He said, Your Majesty.
After uttering Your Majesty, tears welled up in his eyes. He tried hard to hold them back, finally managing to suppress them.
Qu Dubian pretended not to notice. He carried Little Pancake over. Come, Little Pancake, this is your Sixth Uncle.
Hello, Sixth Uncle.
The Sixth Prince revealed a smile. Hello.
Xiao Liu, it really is you, the First Prince looked him up and down. I almost didn't recognize you. Why don't you just stop working at Zhennan Pass and come with me to Lingbei? There's plenty of land there.
The Sixth Prince's expression turned serious. No, I was in a hurry when I came, so the land hasn't been turned over yet. After the New Year, I still have to go back. If I turn the soil in winter, there will be fewer pests next year.
The First Prince asked, You know that much?
The Sixth Prince said sheepishly, Actually, it was Little... His Majesty who taught me when we were young. Back then, Little Seven would always chatter in his ear, and he would help Little Seven work and plant the vegetable garden. Over time, he learned quite a bit.
How could he have known back then that he would actually use it?
Qu Dubian said, Come, Sixth Brother, come over and sit.
The Sixth Prince subconsciously looked in the direction of the Fifth Prince.
The latter's expression was calm, but he gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
The Fifth Prince knew that the Sixth Prince was coming.
Qu Dubian had discussed it with him early on. He wouldn't disrespect the Fifth Prince's wishes by just dragging the Sixth Prince here.
The Fifth Prince didn't mind. The entanglement between him and Xiao Liu had vanished the moment Concubine Lan died. When the Golden-Eyed Scorpion shattered, he had completely bid farewell to the past.
Although he didn't want any further interaction with the Sixth Prince in the future, they could still manage being strangers who merely nodded in greeting.
Only then did the Sixth Prince's tense emotions slowly dissipate.
He followed Qu Dubian and took a seat at the non-drinking table.
The First Prince asked, Can we eat now?
Qu Dubian raised Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake)'s right paw. Let the banquet begin!
All right!
Xu Jin couldn't wait. Tingfeng, the fruit wine, the fruit wine!
Xu Tingfeng waved his hand, and a nearby palace servant immediately brought over a jug of wine. Come, I'll pour it for you myself.
Qu Dubian was also served a cup.
While the adults talked and laughed, Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) glanced at the cup of wine in front of his uncle. The sweet fruity aroma radiating from the wine was a fatal temptation for a child.
He tried to resist, but still reached out his little hand, dipped a finger into it, and then popped it into his mouth.
One second later.
Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake)'s eyes quickly turned red, and he fanned his tongue with his hand.
He desperately held his emotions in check, staying strong and not crying.
Qu Dubian exclaimed, Wow! Sister, he secretly drank some wine! Look, doesn't he look like a puppy sticking his tongue out?
Zhiyi took him over and looked closely. I've really never seen him cry much. Did the spice make him cry? She poked Xie Lishan. Not to mention, he really does look like a puppy.
She then passed Little Pancake to Xie Lishan.
The latter examined him for a few seconds and nodded. Mhm.
Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) was passed around like a toy. His tough facade, with red eyes on the verge of tears, finally shattered completely under the adults' dreadful reactions.
He burst out crying with a loud Wah!
I'm Little Pancake, not a puppy!
Even louder laughter erupted in Wolin Palace.
-
In the capital.
Junshu Alley.
After Xi Zixing separated from the Xi family, he lived here by himself.
However, during the New Year, he still had to go back to symbolically eat the New Year's Eve dinner, though he didn't stay long.
After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, he returned, lit a stick of incense for his late mother, and only then slowly stepped out the door carrying some heated dumplings.
As a result, not long after walking out, he ran into Xia Fuyang, who was also carrying dumplings.
The two stood on the street and looked at each other for a moment.
Xia Fuyang weighed his dumplings in his hand. Sigh, I thought His Majesty only sent them to me. I wanted to come and show off to you.
Xi Zixing also raised the hand carrying his dumplings. What a coincidence, I had the exact same thought.
The two looked at each other and smiled, lacking their usual sarcasm.
Xia Fuyang said, Let's go, let's just find a place to eat.
They casually found a sheltered street stall along the way. There weren't many pedestrians on the road; at this time, everyone was at home eating their New Year's Eve dinner.
The stall owners were a young couple. They served them a jug of wine and a plate of peanuts, then left them to their own devices.
The two of them ate their own dumplings, too stingy to share even a single one with the other.
Coming to find the other was probably just to eat in front of them while showing off.
Xia Fuyang poured him a bowl of wine to go with a few peanuts.
"Alas, I really want to go into the palace to take a look. It must be very lively in there right now. How frustrating! I've called Commander Xu 'uncle' for so many years, why didn't he take me along?"
Xi Zixing silently rolled his eyes.
The stall owner nearby overheard them and trotted over happily. "Are you two high-ranking officials?"
Xi Zixing: "Um... we do alright."
The stall owner asked excitedly, "Then do you get to see His Majesty often?"
Xia Fuyang: "Ahem, occasionally."
The stall owner immediately looked a bit disdainful. "Don't boast," he said smugly. "I have seen His Majesty! Don't let the small size of my stall fool you. I used to set up shop right at the palace gates. Many years ago, when His Majesty was still the Prince of Yong, he would push a small cart and sell jianbing guozi at the palace gates... I was the stall owner selling soy milk right next to him."
Xia Fuyang was curious. "Then what does His Majesty look like?"
The stall owner recalled the blindfolded youth and hummed, "He had a noble and extraordinary bearing! Even the way His Majesty brushed sauce onto the pancakes was different from everyone else."
Xi Zixing choked.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The stall owner continued, "Say, us commoners have more or less heard that His Majesty's health isn't too good. If you really can see His Majesty, you must, absolutely must tell him to take care of his health."
Xi Zixing waited for the redness from his coughing fit to fade, asking curiously, "You even care about national affairs?"
It wasn't that he found it strange, but growing up, he had rarely heard such words.
Commoners usually held imperial power in awe and dared not speak of it.
"What are you saying!" The stall owner pointed his finger in a circle. "How good are our lives now? We know in our hearts who gave this to us. His Majesty is so good. Not to mention the people of Xianghe who revere him in longevity shrines, just go ask around in other places—where isn't there a longevity shrine dedicated to His Majesty?"
He rambled on for a long time before his wife finally pulled him away.
"Take your time eating, you two. He's just like this, once he starts talking, he can't stop."
"It's no bother, no bother."
Xia Fuyang smiled. "This is truly wonderful."
Xi Zixing agreed. "Yes, truly wonderful."
The two clinked their wine bowls and downed their drinks in one gulp.
In the distance.
Brilliant fireworks exploded and bloomed in the night sky.
It was quiet here, but the West Market and East Market were bustling with merchants from all over, their prosperous lights shining in perfect order.
Qingzhou.
In a tranquil bamboo forest.
A slightly plump young man, leading a dog and carrying his newly bought New Year's Eve dinner, entered his bamboo house.
A stove was burning inside. There was no wind in the mountain hollow, so it was reasonably warm.
He fed the dog and looked outside.
A few sparse, crystal-clear white flakes fell.
The bamboo forest was gradually covered in a layer of snow-white frost.
The Imperial Palace.
It was still a scene of lively celebration, with some getting drunk and others chatting away.
Little Pancake fell asleep nestled in Dowager Concubine Guo's embrace.
Qu Dubian stepped out of the Wolin Pavilion to get some fresh air.
Draped in a thin cloak, he stood beneath the eaves and reached out a hand.
"It's snowing."