The undercurrent between the emperor and the empress will not affect the atmosphere of the entire annual banquet.

Sensible courtiers will find ways to adjust the atmosphere so that His Majesty will not be so embarrassed.

Who doesn’t want to see the scene where the king and his ministers are in harmony?

So, don’t worry about the emperor and empress?

They had better not ask about the affairs of the Tian family couple.

Just ask if you are happy during the New Year?

If you are happy, then eat and drink.

The positions of Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan were a bit far away. They could be seen from a distance, but they couldn't see clearly.

At the beginning of the annual banquet, His Majesty naturally gave a toast.

After that, all kinds of musical instruments from Jiaofangsi were moved out.

Some of them, which were only used once a year for sacrifices, were also brought out and played some cheerful or atmospheric music.

After that, it's dance.

It's hard for them in the cold weather, or they still need to maintain their elegance while wearing thin clothes.

Anyway, Xiao Nianzhi thinks...

It’s not easy in the cold weather.

Even though there were many people in the hall, Xiao Nianzhi still felt that it was quite cold.

I spent half the night eating and drinking.

Your Majesty is very happy, and the courtiers are happy.

Then it was time to disperse.

His Majesty will also focus on naming the outstanding courtiers this year and then give them food.

From the New Year's banquet, choose a dish with auspicious meaning and give it to you.

Although Xiao Nianzhi's contribution this year was not huge, she had been to Linzhou for disaster relief work before, so she also had to give a dish.

The others also received their rewards one by one, and after thanking them one by one, they packed up and walked out.

On New Year's Eve, there is no moon, but the sky is full of stars.

Because the weather has been sunny in the past few days, the night looks very deep and quiet, with a peaceful and pleasant beauty.

It seems to be adding a touch of deep color to the New Year atmosphere.

Xiao Nianzhi followed the court officials and walked out.

Yan Xingxuan is now considered an adult prince, so he doesn't have to stay in the palace and just return to his own house.

Moreover, even if he stayed in the harem, he would still go to the Prince's Palace.

Yan Xingxuan said that he didn't want to stay there.

When celebrating the Chinese New Year with them, what’s more fun than thinking about it?

So, go out and think about it.

Yan Xingxuan didn't come here specifically. After all, there were quite a lot of people at the entrance of the palace. Everyone's carriages were leaving one after another. He couldn't just jump in line, right?

So, just follow the big queue.

Then he wandered slowly until everyone arrived home one after another.

Yan Xingxuan's carriage also followed Xiao Nianzhi to the Xiao Mansion.

People were coming, and Xiao Nianzhi couldn't drive them away.

Moreover, it would really be meaningless to stay up late on New Year's Eve with only Yan Xingxuan in the house.

Therefore, Xiao Nianzhi smiled and invited him to join him.

Yan Xingxuan left the palace schemingly just to wait for this moment.

Therefore, when Xiao Nianzhi said it, he happily agreed.

At the annual banquet, no one ate or drank seriously.

Some cold dishes were okay, but the hot dishes were too cold to be eaten.

However, the house prepared dumplings early in the morning.

A variety of fillings are prepared according to everyone's favorite taste, and then wrapped.

However, since there are no markings on the outside, the fillings are random and you get what you eat.

There is definitely nothing that everyone doesn’t like, so there is no need to be afraid of eating something that you don’t like.

However, if you meet someone occasionally and you don't like it that much, there's nothing you can do about it.

Xiao Nianzhi still prefers pork and cabbage. In fact, chicken with scallops and mushrooms is also good.

But this package doesn’t include much.

When serving dumplings, I didn’t choose them specially.

Each table has two large plates, and then everyone sits down to have another meal.

Aunt Yu sat at a table by herself, and grandpa sat at a table by himself.

It was rare that there were no outsiders here, so Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan sat at the same table.

The appetite for two people is not big, and besides dumplings, they also have other dishes.

The royal dish given by His Majesty, the braised lion's head, has been reheated in the kitchen.

Four fist-sized lion heads have been divided into three parts.

In total, there was one for each person, but Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan sat at the same table, so two were placed on the same plate.

The shiny red lion's head, the fat and round dumplings, the refreshing cold vegetables, the grilled ribs, the elbows, the carved flowers and birds...

Although they only have three tables, the atmosphere of the ceremony is still full.

Everyone happily sat down at the table and opened a jar of wine.

It's the wine Xiao Nianzhi made from pear blossoms in early autumn.

The taste is not bad, but due to the fermentation times and time issues, the degree is not low.

It's fine if you take a few sips, but if you drink too much, it's really easy to get drunk.

We're going to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow, so don't drink too much!

Everyone ate, drank, and said a lot of auspicious words to each other.

Grandpa, who was not particularly satisfied with Yan Xingxuan in the past, now showed a sincere smile.

He thought: It's great that he can still live to this age, watch Xiyue's child grow up to this age, and find her happiness.

Not only that, I also did a lot of things that are difficult for girls to do.

so good!

Maybe it’s the blessing of Xiyue?

Grandpa held the wine glass and couldn't help but think.

After taking a sip of wine, I didn't dare to drink more. I just sipped it on my lips and took a small sip to complete the atmosphere.

Aunt Yu doesn't have so many worries. If she can get up early tomorrow morning, she will go to pay New Year greetings. If she can't get up, she will sleep in.

She is already this age and is out of the palace, so she has so much to worry about.

Enjoy your freedom!

Freedom is so good!

Aunt Yu gently raised the wine glass and took a slow sip.

It is soft in the mouth, slightly spicy, but silky and mellow.

This wine is so good!

Aunt Yu sighed softly, then squinted her eyes and looked into the distance.

In fact, it’s not necessary to look at anything. It’s just that when the mind is empty, people always want to stare at something. This seems to be more convenient for them to empty themselves and enter another world?

Aunt Yu never dared to think that she would have such a day after leaving the palace.

It's a toss-up, but it's wonderful.

It's not at all what I imagined, just hanging around and waiting to die.

Now like this...

really not bad.

Even when you are really old, when you look back, you will feel that your life was not in vain. At least there were a few years where you really struggled and existed.
To be continued...