On the Little New Year's Eve in the second year of Yongchang in the Great Ye Kingdom.
It was once again a joyous occasion for family reunions.
Firecrackers popped continuously in the capital city of Shangjing. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, adding a touch of earthly charm.
The residence of the Duke Who Assists the State was even more festive. Xiao Rencheng had welcomed a baby boy the previous day, and well - wishers came in an endless stream.
However, Xiao Rencheng was deeply worried about his wife who had just given birth and was in a weak state. He had no mood to receive guests and turned them all away at the door.
"The Lady of the Duke Who Assists the State is just over - fatigued. She will surely recover if she takes good care of herself and nourishes her qi and blood during the confinement period," the old monk with a white beard said with a smile as he withdrew his hand in the woman's bedroom. "I must also congratulate Lord Xiao."
Xiao Rencheng glanced at Lan Jinqin, whose face was pale, and bowed to the Great Master Guangzhi. "Thank you, Great Master. Please write the best and most effective prescription. Don't worry about whether the medicinal materials are hard to find or expensive."
The Great Master Guangzhi naturally understood and readily agreed without hesitation.
As they were talking, two figures came hand in hand. They still had slender figures, but their bellies were clearly bulging. A handsome gentleman stood beside each of them, carefully supporting them for fear that they might slip while walking.
"Sister, do we have a big nephew?" Caiyu said with a beaming smile.
Lan Jinxiang was impatient. As soon as she entered the room, she shouted, "Quick, let auntie have a look at the baby!"
It was Caiyu and Lan Jinxiang who had come.
Xiao Rencheng motioned for the wet - nurse to bring the baby from the next room, allowing the two of them to play with the child.
Then, he winked at the two men, leaving the space for the three young women to chat.
In the flower hall of the Xiao Mansion, a copper stove was rising with white mist. Three men were boiling slices of meat in the copper stove. After being scalded in the boiling water, the meat turned a milky - white color and was tender when eaten.
Lan Yuanyi, Lan Guangling, and Lan Guifan had been waiting there.
Lady Lan and Sister - in - law Lan were directing the maids to arrange the plates beside them. Lan Guangling's two children were kicking shuttlecocks at the door.
Aye circled around the copper stove with its wolf eyes slightly squinted. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, it grabbed a plate of meat and was about to run away.
"Aye!" Lan Guifan grabbed its thick and stiff wolf tail and scolded it discontentedly. "What's wrong with you? There are so many guard dogs in the family, but you just can't learn. This is the food for the masters. Don't be so presumptuous!"
Aye refused to let go of the meat in its mouth and looked at him disdainfully out of the corner of its eye.
What should it learn?
It wasn't a guard dog!
It was a wolf! The Wolf King!
Lan Guangling patted Aye. "Go ahead. This meat is yours."
"Brother," Lan Guifan murmured. "Why are you even more indulgent to it than I am?"
Lan Guangling chuckled. "It should have been born in the free and vast world, unrestrained. Now, in order to accompany you, it has to stay in this small place. Shouldn't we be more lenient with it?"
Aye threw the plate on the ground, let out a "howl", and rubbed its head against Lan Guangling's calf.
Well said! It was going to defect!
The tea - gathering around the stove in the Lan family was very casual, without any distinction between the monarch and his subjects. When people came, they just took their seats directly.
Xiao Rencheng poured chrysanthemum wine for the two men, and the three of them raised their glasses.
"The two of you should achieve great feats in the second half of this year," Xiao Rencheng said with a smile.
Xu Ziyi laughed. "I don't really care, but the emperor only has one heir. The pressure on the little sister - in - law and the emperor is really great!"
Song Yinghuai had made a vow that "he would not take concubines during his lifetime and would not remarry after his death". The court officials had been trying every means to put pressure on him this year, hoping to abolish this imperial edict, but Song Yinghuai had firmly suppressed them.
Lan Guangling sneered. "Who is under pressure? Who in the court dares to gossip? Are they tired of living? The Lan family's army, the Xu family's army, the Hu cavalry, the Thirteen Elite Cavalry Battalions... Whoever provokes any one of us, we'll immediately drag them out and sew their mouths shut!"
Lan Yuanyi frowned. "Ling'er! Don't get carried away and cause trouble for your sister... Just give them a lesson. Well, who was the leader? I'll send A Li to deal with them!"
Everyone: ...
Who said not to cause trouble?
As they were talking, Caiyu and Lan Jinxiang also arrived.
As soon as Caiyu sat down, she asked, "Has Brother A Li not come back yet?"
It had been about three months since they last met.
For some reason, Sheng Jiangli always seemed to be in a hurry every time.
Hearing the name of Sheng Jiangli, Song Yinghuai's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. A look of guilt flashed in his eyes, and then he returned to normal.
Lan Guangling looked up at Song Yinghuai and knew what was going on. "He probably has something important to do. But he must remember that today is the Little New Year's Eve. He will come back to see everyone."
"Really?"
Caiyu seemed a bit down because she was pregnant and couldn't see the family reunion of the relatives she missed.
Song Yinghuai cleared his throat, picked up a chopstick of green vegetables for her, and filled half a bowl of bird's nest porridge for her. He said with a smile, "The Second Master received a pigeon - delivered letter from the princess yesterday. The princess is about to enter Shangjing, so he... He should arrive today."
After Lan Jinxiang had eaten a few mouthfuls of food, she finally couldn't help scolding Xu Ziyi angrily. "If you have something to say, just say it! Don't look constipated. It makes me feel sick while eating!"
Xu Ziyi was used to being scolded and wasn't angry at all. Seeing that she was getting impatient, he finally asked the question that he had been holding back for a year.
"I... I just want to ask you, do you miss your children in Tartary?"
"My children in Tartary?" Lan Jinxiang looked confused. Then she suddenly remembered something that happened a year ago, and her pretty face immediately darkened. "Xu Ziyi, you've really grown up. You still remember it!"
"Which of your things don't I remember?" Xu Ziyi said aggrievedly. "I'm just worried about you... If you really miss them, I can send someone to bring them here. The children are innocent..."
"Bullshit!" Lan Jinxiang roared. "Where do I have other children?"
"No children?" Xu Ziyi exclaimed. "Then your knowledge of the symptoms of a woman's pregnancy..."
Lan Jinxiang threw down her chopsticks and scolded with gritted teeth. "I stayed with my mother every day when she was pregnant with Shu'er and Fan'er. How could I not know?
"The three successive Khans in Tartary had countless concubines. They were like sows, getting pregnant one after another. Haven't I seen a pig run even if I haven't eaten pork?"
Xu Ziyi: ... Suddenly, he was sweating profusely.
At this time, a teasing voice came from the door, which made everyone's eyes light up. "Who? Who hasn't eaten pork?"
"Brother A Li!" Caiyu was the first to call out.
The man who came in from the door was still as charming and handsome as ever, but he still seemed to be in a hurry.
When he saw Caiyu coming towards him, he laughed heartily, opened his arms, and picked her up. "Hey! You've gained weight!"
Song Yinghuai's face immediately turned ashen. He picked Caiyu out of his arms and said unkindly, "She's pregnant. Of course, she'll gain weight!"
"Tsk." After Sheng Jiangli took his seat, he rolled his eyes at the emperor without any politeness. "What's your attitude? I'm your elder brother - in - law!"
He propped his chin with his hand and winked at Song Yinghuai. "Come on, call me elder brother."
"Humph!"
Song Yinghuai forced a laugh and gritted his teeth secretly. He thought to himself: Didn't I tell Xu Buyue to chase and kill him for a few more months?
Seeing that Song Yinghuai didn't comply, Sheng Jiangli immediately complained to Caiyu. "Sister Shu'er, look. Your husband doesn't recognize me as his elder brother... I think you can't keep this man. Maybe he'll play a trick of kicking someone away after using them in the future..."
Song Yinghuai stuffed a cup of chrysanthemum wine into Sheng Jiangli's hand, raised his own glass, and said holding his breath, "Elder brother, please forgive me."
Sheng Jiangli immediately burst into laughter and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. "No problem, no problem!"
Caiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It had been a year, but these two men still quarreled as soon as they met.
She simply changed the topic and asked, "Brother A Li, have you heard any news about Qingqing this year?"
Sheng Jiangli's hand holding the wine cup paused slightly, and he shook his head. "Why mention her?"
Caiyu said, "I received a letter made of sheepskin the other day. It was actually sent by Qingqing. It turned out that she had returned to Tartary and raised a large flock of sheep on the grassland..."
Sheng Jiangli's eyes flashed, and he seemed a bit in a daze.
Caiyu looked at him and said, "She asked me if you were married and had children. If you had good news, she would give all her sheep to you as a congratulatory gift."
Sheng Jiangli: " ... Hehe!"
For a moment, the room fell into a strange silence.
After a long time, suddenly, a loud roar came from outside the door. "Is Sheng Jiangli in there? I'm going to skin him alive!"
Sheng Jiangli's face changed. He suddenly stood up and excused himself. "I have something to do. See you all next time!"
Caiyu chased after him and asked, "Brother A Li! Where are you going this time?"
Sheng Jiangli's distant voice came from the wind.
"The grassland! Tartary!"
(The End)