Chapter 41 The New Year.

As the New Year approached, Grandmother Jia considered the matter several times, but still did not mention to Daiyu the matter of releasing the people who had been confined. Having learned her lesson, she had indeed kept the words "do not offend Prince Duan and Daiyu" firmly in mind.

Daiyu was unaware of her inner turmoil. She simply felt that, considering all that had happened, the Jia family members seemed to have no memory. If they were allowed to leave now, it might cause further trouble. It would be more appropriate to release them only after the wedding, when she could stay far away from these people.

As for whether it will make her seem heartless and petty, that doesn't matter.

The Prince of Duan's identity doesn't need to be perfect, and neither does Daiyu, the Princess Consort of the Prince of Duan. They need to have some flaws so that people can feel at ease.

As Daiyu strummed the strings of her zither, her mind wandered, and she unexpectedly thought of the small box of New Year's gifts she had given to Chu Heng.

With so much going on in the palace for the New Year, he probably won't have much time to play the zither lately...

The commotion in the main room brought Daiyu back to her senses.

There were many things to do at the end of the year. Since the wives of the first and second wives were unable to manage affairs, Wang Xifeng barely managed to hold things together, Li Wan couldn't manage much, Tan Chun was a pampered young lady and many things were difficult for her to manage, You Shi had to manage the Ning Mansion, and on the Rong Mansion side, Grandmother Jia had to be the main force to support this huge mess.

Many people were coming and going from Grandmother Jia's main room every day, making the courtyard, which had been quite quiet for the past few months, noisy.

Zijuan noticed the young lady sighing as she looked out the window and asked, "Did I disturb you, young lady?"

Daiyu shook her head and said, "No, I'm just tired from sitting."

Zijuan said, "It's crowded and cold outside, so it's not appropriate for you to go out. You can only make do by walking around inside."

“I don’t want to go out either.” Daiyu helped Zijuan to her feet, and the two of them walked slowly around the room.

"They all come up to talk to the young lady as soon as they see her. As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face, but it's easier to see the King of Hell than to bother his underlings. The young lady can't just ignore them all, but once she starts talking, there's no end to it. No wonder the young lady is annoyed; we're all exhausted just watching them." Zijuan recalled that a couple of days ago, when the young lady went out for a walk because of the good weather, she hadn't even taken two steps before people rushed up to fawn over her. After dealing with one, there was another, and she finally managed to get away and come back.

Daiyu replied absentmindedly, "Hmm."

Seeing her like this, Zijuan asked curiously, "What are you thinking about, young lady?"

Daiyu didn't answer; she was wondering how Chu Heng was doing in the palace...

Chu Heng has been in the palace for longer than Daiyu has lived in the Jia family mansion. Even if the Empress Dowager is difficult to deal with and there are many things to do in the palace, he has become adept at handling them over the years. It's just the New Year, so nothing should happen.

However, Daiyu couldn't help but feel a little worried. She understood why Chu Heng had always been so concerned.

Over the course of several months, they gradually became more familiar with each other and grew to care more and more about one another.

Daiyu rubbed the handkerchief in her hand. After all the twists and turns, they returned to what Daiyu had expected when they were at Longhua Temple: they would become a couple who cared for each other and respected each other.

Such deep affection is so rare; this is good enough.

Daiyu thought about it and sighed softly, but she herself did not understand why she sighed.

...

Adult princes and princesses all had their own palaces, but Chu Heng was different. To show her maternal love and favoritism towards Chu Heng, the Empress Dowager kept him in the Empress Dowager's Renshou Palace until he left the palace to establish his own residence. This was also the main reason why Chu Heng was unwilling to live in the palace.

Yongkang was still arguing with the Empress Dowager, and he had something to say to Chuheng, so he asked the female official beside him to invite him to his palace.

Chu Heng wanted to get some fresh air, so he went to Yongkang.

"This is for Sister Lin. Go out and give it to her for me." Yongkang handed him a booklet.

Chu Heng asked, "What is this?"

Yongkang said, "After dinner on my birthday, we composed poems. Sister Lin's two poems won first prize. I asked Luhua to copy everyone's poems and compile them into a collection. This one is for Sister Lin."

"Miss Lin has written another poem?" Chu Heng hurriedly opened the book. "Miss Lin actually wrote a poem that day, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Zhao Qing returned too early, Chu Heng secretly regretted, otherwise he would have seen Miss Lin's poem two months earlier!

Yongkang: "..."

Looking at his fifth brother's worthless appearance, Yongkang stroked his chin and said, "Now I know why people say that once you marry a wife, you forget your mother. Fifth brother, do you have anyone else in your eyes besides Sister Lin?"

Chu Heng was engrossed in appreciating his fiancée's poem and had no time to pay attention to her.

Yongkang continued, "That's not quite right. You never paid attention to Sister Lin before, nor did you see anyone else. Sigh, Fifth Brother, will my future husband treat me as well as you treated Sister Lin?"

Chu Heng looked up and thought for a moment, then put the poems together and asked, "Have I treated Miss Lin well? I feel it's not enough."

Yongkang was speechless again: "..."

"Fifth Brother, look at your sister!" Yongkang's eyes were lifeless. "If this continues, Mother will break my legs, throw me into the bridal sedan chair, and carry me to the Li family!"

"No," Chu Heng said decisively.

Yongkang's eyes lit up: "What else do you think I can do?"

Chu Heng said, "Mother has a sense of shame."

Yongkang's eyes went limp again: "Forget it, maybe I should just go for broke."

Chu Heng got up and went to the window to look outside. Lu Hua had called all the palace servants around Yong Kang away, so they could speak freely.

Chu Heng said slowly, "If you didn't have the determination, you wouldn't have dragged it out until today."

If he really wanted to fight to the death, it had been two months since his birthday. Yongkang wouldn't just be arguing with the Empress Dowager without taking any other action.

Ultimately, Yongkang's current behavior is more like a child throwing a tantrum at an adult, which is why the Empress Dowager tolerates her.

Yongkang was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "Mother...the Empress Dowager really will..."

Chu Heng nodded firmly: "She will."

Yongkang struggled and said, "But I am her..."

Chu Heng interrupted her: "No matter who you are."

Yongkang kept complaining that his mother and brother were biased, but he knew in his heart that even if he couldn't compare to his fifth brother, they still loved him. Otherwise, Yongkang wouldn't have developed such a carefree and nonchalant personality.

The fact that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would abandon her was far beyond what the young girl could bear.

Yongkang grew increasingly upset. She pouted and sobbed, "I don't believe it..."

"Don't cry," Chu Heng scolded, frowning.

Yongkang was startled by him, and without thinking, he blurted out his dissatisfaction: "It's not like you were forced to marry someone. You pampered me and all you do is lecture me! What do you know!"

Chu Heng sneered.

Yongkang rubbed his eyes, and it took him a while to react: "Fifth Brother, is it because you're old and have seen a lot that you... that you said these things to me?"

Chu Heng nodded perfunctorily: "Mm."

Yongkang pouted, his voice growing increasingly distressed, "You're hiding something from me, Fifth Brother. What did the Empress Dowager and the Emperor force you to do before? Did you...?"

Chu Heng snorted coldly, "You have quite the imagination. Go ahead and cry, I'm leaving."

Yongkang stared at his back and snorted angrily, but thinking about what his fifth sister had done in the past and what his fifth brother had been forced to do, it wasn't surprising.

Yongkang rubbed her chest. The play said that the imperial family was heartless, and now that the matter had come to this, she finally understood those four words.

...

Before they knew it, the New Year arrived. Although the Jia family was smaller this year, there were many people coming to the house for the New Year's feast because of the addition of the future Princess Consort of Duan. Everyone who was related to the Jia family wanted to come and see Princess Consort of Duan, and it would be even better if they could become friends with her. However, Daiyu refused to see anyone, and Grandmother Jia did not dare to force her. Everyone could only leave disappointed.

No matter what Daiyu did this time, no one in the Jia family dared to say anything, which gave her a lot of peace and quiet.

Outsiders often say that Daiyu and Prince Duan are related, as they are not from the same family. Prince Duan doesn't like to see people, and so does his wife. They are truly a match made in heaven.

Because of the many misfortunes that have happened in the past six months, the Jia family has lost a lot of face in public. On the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Grandmother Jia wanted to make a lively celebration and let people see that the Duke's Mansion still had a solid foundation. However, with little money in the accounts and few people to manage the household, this Lantern Festival was destined to disappoint her.

Thinking back to the days of prosperity and glory in previous years, and looking at the desolate scene now, Grandmother Jia sighed softly. Just then, a servant came from the front and reported: "Grandmother, the Prince has sent someone to deliver lanterns to Miss Lin."

Grandmother Jia choked up, lamenting that while the Jia family was in trouble, Lin Daiyu was getting better and better.

She pressed down on the couch beneath her, and said with a forced smile, "Hurry up and invite me in!"

Daiyu was sitting below Grandmother Jia at this moment. She looked at the old lady's hands with their prominent veins and lowered her eyes.

She didn't go along with the old lady's wishes, she didn't help the Jia family, and the old lady thought she was good, so she felt bad about it.

Even now, the old lady only sees how good she is, but doesn't see the price Daiyu has to pay for it.

Daiyu shook her head inwardly. No matter how much the old lady gritted her teeth, she would not stop living her own life just because the old lady was uncomfortable. There was absolutely no such logic in this world.

Soon, Zhao Qing came over from the front, followed by four eunuchs. Besides carrying lanterns, they also carried several brocade boxes containing glutinous rice balls and pastries from the palace, as well as a few auspicious decorations for the New Year.

Zhao Qing bowed and smiled, "Your Highness, please do not stand on ceremony, Miss Lin."

Daiyu then sat down and said with a smile, "Thank you, Your Highness. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."

Zhao Qing smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss Lin."

After drinking tea, Zhao Qing was about to leave. This time, Daiyu did not try to stop him. Chu Heng was in the palace, and it was best to have a suitable person by his side at all times.

Daiyu smiled and said to Grandmother Jia, "Grandmother, I think we should invite everyone to admire the lanterns and have some snacks and fruits."

Grandmother Jia, reclining on the couch, said, "The prince gave it to you; you should keep it carefully."

Daiyu laughed and said, "I have two eyes and one mouth, I can see and eat as much as I want. Grandmother, why don't you invite the sisters to join in the fun? It would be more interesting than me doing it alone."

Grandmother Jia had no choice but to instruct people to hang up the lanterns and open the food boxes to distribute the Lantern Festival snacks to everyone present.

The palace was full of good things, but as Grandmother Jia ate the sweet and sticky glutinous rice balls, she felt bitter from the mouth to the heart.

How did such a once prestigious Duke's mansion end up like this?