Chapter 198 Finale (End)

The third year of Yonghe, late spring.

The Nanning Kingdom was destroyed and the Great Zhou Dynasty was unified.

Before Yu Ruo committed suicide, his favorability was at full value, which increased Qu Watanabe's life span by one year.

Qu Dubian kept his promise and Da Zhou annexed Nanning without harming the people, minimizing all impacts.

Another three years passed.

The sea is peaceful and the river is clear, and the world is stable.

The continent, which had been divided for decades, finally ushered in a unified prosperity step by step.

-

The sixth year of Yonghe.

End of the year.

Ye Xiaoyuan started working in Wo Lin Palace early in the morning.

It’s not because of the annual banquet. After Qu Watanabe came to power, he changed the annual banquet from once a year to once every five years, and the rest of the time they were family banquets.

But just the family dinner involves a whole family, and if you don’t get started early, you really won’t be able to take care of it all.

Although he could give orders to his subordinates, Ye Xiaoyuan was still worried about some taboos and had to keep an eye on them personally.

Until evening.

Qu Watanabe also came here to help. He rolled up his sleeves and cooked a few dishes in the imperial kitchen.

As the lights came on, people gradually came to the East Hall of Wo Lin Palace.

With family.

The eldest prince's family of four, and Concubine Dowager De.

The third prince's mother, Concubine Wen, also came with the third prince's daughter. Originally, the girl was raised by her mother, but she was a daughter of the royal family after all, so she had to interact with her.

Because of the Third Prince's health problems, he will probably only have this one daughter in his life. He doesn't want to be alone, so he takes good care of this daughter.

It's just that people don't pay much attention to him.

Concubine Wen and Concubine De had been square dancing partners since their days in the Cining Palace. They hadn't seen each other for several years, so when they met this time, they were naturally very affectionate.

Concubine De: "Oh, it's too cold in Lingbei, and it's warm in Beijing. But after I brought square dancing there, more and more people started dancing there. The leader was a dancer, and they also invited people from the music troupe. I went there every night."

"How about I go to Lingbei with you after the New Year?" Concubine Wen said enviously, "In the capital, I have nothing but tea parties and banquets, and they all treat me with respect and honor. It's so boring."

"Great! Lingbei is much better now than it was a few years ago. The main reason is that some roads that were previously blocked have gradually become accessible. It's very convenient..."

The two of them chatted with each other and sat next to each other at the table.

The eldest prince and the third prince stood face to face, feeling extremely awkward, with a hint of awkwardness in their awkwardness as to how to be polite.

Shu Wenxin looked at the two of them, and pushed the two children behind her, "Go, ask your Third Uncle for money to ward off evil spirits."

The elder sister held the hand of her slower and naive younger brother and stretched out her hand obediently: "Uncle, long time no see. Happy New Year, Uncle. Do you have any money for warding off evil spirits?"

"Oh, oh! Yes, yes," the third prince hurriedly felt around for a while but couldn't find it. He was immediately upset because he had given all his money to his daughter. He felt even more embarrassed. "That..."

"Here, given by the Fifth Uncle."

The fifth prince came over, bent down, and handed out two red envelopes to each of them with a smile.

"Your Third Uncle left the red envelope with me. He has a bad memory and forgot about it."

"Wow! Thank you, Fifth Uncle!"

Shu Wenxin touched their heads and said, "Let's go and play with Aunt Sihe, okay?"

Sihe and Queen Mother An entertained the Second Prince's wife, the Second Prince's young son, and the Third Prince's daughter. Basically all the children gathered there.

"good!"

She led the children away, leaving space for the eldest prince, the third prince and the fifth prince.

The Third Prince turned his face away, looking a little cold and awkward, and said, "Thank you, I'll return it to you later."

The fifth prince said: "No, I still have this little money."

This was the first serious conversation between the two of them in the past two years.

The eldest prince looked left and right, "Eh? Xiaowu, you two?"

The fifth prince avoided answering and said with a smile: "Brother, sit inside. His Majesty has reserved a good seat for you. There is one table for those who can drink, another table for those who cannot drink, and a separate table for children. I will accompany you today, and you will not leave until you are drunk."

The third prince thought, what's so good about that crappy wine? If he, Qu Duming, drinks a drop of alcohol tonight, he wouldn't be considered a hero.

The fifth prince pulled the eldest prince's sleeve and walked forward, then naturally turned back to look at the third prince.

"Shall we go? Third brother?"

The Third Prince paused for half a second, then swung his sleeves and said, "Why are you rushing me? I'm coming."

They went to the drinking table.

Xu Jin, Wu Siwan and Xu Tingfeng were sitting at another table, chatting about family matters with a smile on their faces.

Xu Tingfeng asked, "Uncle, aunt, I heard that you two are planning to go to Northern Xinjiang?"

Xu Jin said: "Yes, but I will definitely wait until spring. It's too cold there now. Sigh, I have to admit that I'm getting old. If I were young, I would have gone there alone wherever I wanted to go..."

The second half of his words disappeared under Wu Siwan's cold gaze.

The old man coughed a few times and said, "Well, I must take good care of myself now. I want your aunt and I to accompany His Majesty for a few more years."

Wu Siwan: "That's more like it. You should follow Xiaoqi to the table later. If he doesn't drink, you can't drink either."

Xu Jin muttered: "He...he only drank fruit wine."

"The fruit wine is also very good," Xu Tingfeng whispered, "I asked Xue Letian to get two pots of the best fruit wine. It won't make you drunk, but the taste is just as good as strong liquor."

“Hahaha good good good!”

Concubine Guo came in holding a baby. Her original status as a noble lady was later raised to a higher level by Qu Dubian, and she became Concubine Tai.

The little baby in her arms is the son of Zhiyi and Xie Lishan, born in the fourth year of Yonghe and two years old this year.

The nickname was given by Qu Watanabe, Qu Xiaobing.

There is no meaningful meaning to it, except that the first words Zhiyi said after giving birth were: Oh my God, it’s finally born, Xiaoqi, I want to eat the pancakes you make.

The emperor pushed his cart and went back to his old job in the princess's mansion. He fried a perfect pancake for his sister, and the name of Qu Xiaobing was born.

Xiaobing has a stern face despite his young age. He has never liked to smile since he was born. I don’t know if he is dissatisfied with the origin of his name, but he is as serious as a little teacher.

Everyone in his family is an out-and-out socialite, and I don't know who he inherited this from.

Concubine Guo: "It's so lively."

Wu Siwan waved hurriedly, "Come here."

"Oh, the youngest baby of this generation is here," the eldest prince, the third prince and the fifth prince stuffed the red envelopes into the little baby's arms.

The eldest prince teased the fifth prince: "I heard that a girl chased you all the way to the imperial city. How is she now? If you like her, marry her. What's the point of being alone all the time?"

The Fifth Prince showed no emotion on his face. "I met her on my way to do my job. A woman from Jianghu is not suitable for the imperial city."

The eldest prince: "It doesn't matter. Aren't there enough good girls in the capital?"

"You're just talking to us," the fifth prince looked around and raised his eyebrows, "Why didn't the host of the party come today?"

"Yes!" The eldest prince slapped his head, "Where is His Majesty?"

Prince Ming: "I didn't see your Majesty when I came."

The Third Prince: "All those with noble status must make a grand appearance last."

When he said this, Qu Xiaobing disagreed and frowned, "Uncle... Uncle is here, let's make dumplings..."

Just as Xiao Bing finished speaking, a voice came from outside the Wo Lin Palace:

"Here I come!"

A handsome young man, about twenty-four or twenty-five, with his hair tied up in a crown, walked in with a big plate of dumplings in his hand, smiling.

As soon as he came in, the light in the hall seemed to brighten a little.

Everyone stood up, "Your Majesty, may you be well!"

"Everyone, sit down."

Qu Dubian's emperor's uniform was stained with flour. He rolled up his sleeves to his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"I made the dumplings myself. I started working on them early in the morning. They turned out beautifully!"

Ye Xiaoyuan and Xie Mingxuan also came in. They were not as strong as him, so they each took two small plates.

Xie Mingxuan praised: "It is indeed very beautiful. Your Majesty's craftsmanship is very good."

Someone quickly took the dumplings from their hands and divided the two tables into two. The steam from the hot dumplings filled the warm hall.

"Don't listen to your majesty's nonsense," Zhiyi and Xie Lishan also looked like they had just finished work, with flour still on their faces. They looked helpless, "Your majesty only made one bowl for himself, and then he was driven away by Queen Dowager Xuan."

The ones doing the work were them, their personal maids, and Eunuch Ye.

Xiao Qi was only busy entertaining Qu Xiao Bing.

Qu Dubian coughed lightly a few times.

"Sister, please give me some face."

Everyone laughed.

"Come, little cookie, give your uncle a hug."

Qu Dubian took the child from Concubine Guo and weighed him in his hands. His movements of holding the child were obviously very skilled, but it just looked like he was playing with a toy.

"Uncle," Qu Xiaobing raised his hand and wiped his face, "There is flour."

Qu Dubian put his face close to him and rubbed his face against the child's, "Okay! Thank you, Xiaobing, for helping uncle clean it."

Qu Xiaobing: “…”

He raised his hand and wiped his face, and his seldom smiling face became even more serious.

Qu Watanabe was so happy that he sat down with his nephew in his arms. The others also sat down. The atmosphere was no more dull than before, but even more lively.

Xu Jin was craving for some fruit wine, so he said, "Your Majesty, shall we start the feast?"

The eldest prince: "Yes, shall we start the feast? We are still having a drinking contest here."

Qu Watanabe: "You have to wait a little longer. We are short of one person today."

The Third Prince: "Missing one?"

He seemed to have thought of something, with surprise in his eyes.

Not long after, a notification came from outside the palace. Wen Xiaochun came in with a tanned young man who lowered his head. "Your Majesty, I have fulfilled your mission."

The young man, the Sixth Prince.

He has been farming in Zhennanguan for more than seven years. His originally thin body has become much stronger, and his impetuous and arrogant feelings have completely disappeared.

The Sixth Prince did not dare to look up at the Fifth Prince and said, "Your Majesty."

After he called out "Your Majesty", tears welled up in my eyes. I tried hard to hold them back.

Qu Dubian pretended not to see it and carried Xiao Bing over, "Come, Xiao Bing, this is your sixth uncle."

"Hello, Sixth Uncle."

The Sixth Prince smiled and said, "Hello."

"Xiao Liu, it's really you," the eldest prince looked him up and down, "I almost didn't recognize you. Why don't you just quit working at Zhennan Pass and follow me to Lingbei, where there's more land."

The Sixth Prince's expression straightened up: "No, I was in a hurry when I came here, and the soil hasn't been turned yet. I have to go back after the New Year. I'll turn the soil over in winter so there will be fewer insects next year."

The eldest prince: "You know so much?"

The Sixth Prince said embarrassedly: "Actually, it was Xiao...His Majesty who taught me when I was young." At that time, Xiao Qi was whispering in his ear. He helped Xiao Qi with the work and planted the vegetable garden. As a result, he learned a lot.

He never thought at that time that it would actually be useful.

Qu Watanabe: "Come on, Sixth Brother, come and sit down."

The Sixth Prince subconsciously looked in the direction of the Fifth Prince.

The latter had a calm expression, but nodded at him imperceptibly.

The Fifth Prince knew that the Sixth Prince was coming.

Qu Dubian had discussed this with him early in the morning and he would not bring the Sixth Prince here without respecting the Fifth Prince's wishes.

The Fifth Prince didn't care about this. The entanglement between him and Xiaoliu had disappeared at the moment of Lanpin's death. When the golden-eyed scorpion shattered, he had completely bid farewell to the past.

Although I don't want to have any contact with the Sixth Prince in the future, I can still do it with strangers who are just nodding acquaintances.

The Sixth Prince's tense mood slowly disappeared.

Follow Qu Watanabe and take a seat at the non-drinking table.

The eldest prince: "Can we eat now?"

Qu Watanabe raised Qu Xiaobing's right paw and said, "Let's eat!"

“Okay—”

Xu Jin couldn't wait: "Stop Feng, fruit wine, fruit wine!"

Xu Tingfeng waved her hand, and the palace servant next to her immediately brought a pot of wine, "Come, I'll pour it for you myself."

Qu Watanabe also got a cup.

The adults were chatting and laughing. Qu Xiaobing glanced at the glass of wine in front of his uncle. The wine exuded a sweet fruity aroma, which was a fatal temptation for a child.

He tried to hold back, but still stretched out his little hand, dipped his fingers in it, and then put it in his mouth.

One second later.

Qu Xiaobing's eyes quickly turned red and she fanned her tongue with her hand.

He held his emotions together and didn't cry.

Qu Watanabe: "Wow! Sister, he's drinking secretly. Look, does he look like a puppy when he sticks out his tongue?"

Zhiyi took it and looked at it carefully: "I've never seen him cry before, was he crying because of the spiciness?" She poked Xie Lishan, "You know what, he really looks like a puppy."

Then he passed the cookie to Xie Lishan.

The latter looked at it for a few seconds and nodded: "Yeah."

Qu Xiaobing was passed around like a toy. Her eyes were red and she wanted to cry but her strength was finally shattered by the adults' hateful reactions.

He burst into tears.

"It's a cookie, not a puppy--!"

Even louder laughter rang out in the Wo Lin Palace.

-

In the capital city.

Junshu Lane.

After Xi Zixing separated from the Xi family, he lived here alone.

However, during the Chinese New Year, he still has to go back to have the New Year’s Eve dinner as a token of his respect, but he can’t stay for long.

After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, he came back, lit a stick of incense for his deceased mother, and then slowly walked out with the hot dumplings.

Not long after he walked 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 and said, "Ah, I thought His Majesty only gave them to me, so I wanted to show off to you."

Xi Zixing also raised his hand holding the dumplings, "What a coincidence, same idea."

The two smiled at each other, without their usual sarcastic look.

Xia Fuyang: "Let's go, find a place to eat."

They found a small stall on the road that was sheltered from the wind. There were not many pedestrians on the road. At this time, everyone was eating New Year's Eve dinner at home.

The stall was owned by a young couple who served them a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts and then left them alone.

The two of them ate their own dumplings and were reluctant to give even one to the other.

I'm afraid he came to see the other person just to show off in front of him while finishing his meal.

Xia Fuyang poured him a bowl of wine and some peanuts.

"Oh, I really want to go into the palace and take a look. It must be very lively inside now. Damn it, I have called Commander Xu uncle for so many years, why didn't he take me with him?"

Xi Zixing rolled his eyes silently.

The stall owner next to him heard this and came over happily: "You two are high officials!"

Xi Zixing: "Well... it's OK."

The stall owner said happily, "Does that mean I can see His Majesty more often?"

Xia Fuyang: "Well, it's okay."

The stall owner was a little disdainful, "Don't brag," he said proudly, "I have seen His Majesty! Don't look at my stall as small, but it is set up at the gate of the palace. Many years ago, when His Majesty was still Prince Yong, he pushed a cart and sold pancakes at the gate of the palace... I am the stall owner selling soy milk next to him."

Xia Fuyang was curious: "What does His Majesty look like?"

The stall owner thought of the blindfolded boy and hummed, "You have a noble demeanor, very unusual! Even the way your majesty brushes the sauce on the pancake is different from others."

Xi Zixing choked.

“Cough cough cough…”

Stall owner: "Well, we common people have all heard that His Majesty is not in good health. If you can really see His Majesty, you must ask him to take care of himself."

Xi Zixing eased the redness on his face from coughing and asked curiously, "Are you still concerned about national affairs?"

It’s not that he is strange, but he has rarely heard such words since he was a child.

The people were in awe of the imperial power and dared not mention it.

"What are you saying?" The stall owner pointed his finger in a circle, "How good are our lives now? We all know who gave it to us. Your Majesty is so good. Not only do the people of Xianghe enshrine him in the Changsheng Temple, but you can also ask other places, where there is no Changsheng Temple for Your Majesty?"

He talked on and on for a long time before being pulled away by his wife.

"Please eat slowly, he is like this, he can't stop talking."

"No problem, no problem."

Xia Fuyang smiled and said, "That's great."

Xi Zixing also said: "Yes, that's great."

The two of them clinked their wine bowls and drank them all in one gulp.

far away.

Brilliant fireworks exploded and bloomed in the night sky.

It's quiet here, but the West Market and the East Market are bustling with merchants, with bright lights and order.

-

Qingzhou.

In the leisurely bamboo forest.

A slightly plump young man, leading a dog and carrying the newly bought New Year's Eve dinner, entered his bamboo house.

There was a stove burning in the house, and although there was no wind in the valley, it was still quite warm.

He fed the dog and looked outside.

A few scattered crystal white drops fell.

A layer of snow-white frost gradually covered the bamboo forest.

The Imperial Palace.

It was still lively, with people getting drunk and chatting.

Xiaobing fell asleep in Concubine Guo's arms.

Qu Dubian came out of the Wo Lin Palace to get some fresh air.

He was wearing a thin cloak, standing under the eaves, with his hand outstretched.

“It’s snowing.”

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