Chapter 8 Yang Guifei and Her Son

The days in the palace passed by so quickly.

Soon it was New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Eve, the palace is naturally no more lively than the outside world.

The New Year’s Eve dinner is an indispensable event every year.

The prince is always extremely busy at this time.

As the crown prince, he had to preside over the royal sacrificial ceremony on New Year's Eve.

After the ceremony, he will take the Crown Princess to attend the New Year's Eve banquet.

He also had to comfort the ministers, give them certain rewards, and deal with a lot of messy things in the court.

In short, very busy.

In the Yaohua Hall, the three of them also gathered at a table.

The banquet was held in the main hall where Yang Xishan lived.

Every dish and snack on the table was delicious, and there was also a jar of plum wine to suit the occasion.

However, the three people at the table seemed a little depressed, which didn't quite suit the festive occasion.

In the blink of an eye, they had been in the palace for half a year.

It was the first time for the three of them to celebrate Chinese New Year away from their parents, and they felt a little uncomfortable.

Tears welled up in Lin Fujia's eyes as she sobbed, "I miss my mother's cooking. She's a great cook. Every Chinese New Year, she cooks for us herself, making a huge table of dishes. The whole family sits together happily, drinking, chatting, and staying up all night."

Wen Li'er felt a little sad when she heard this, she felt the same way.

But once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. Even the Crown Princess can't go home to visit her family at will, let alone a small Fengyi like them.

Yang Xishan always looked arrogant and was too disdainful to talk to Wen Lier and Lin Fujia. She ate two bites of food and went back to the bedroom.

After she left, Wen Li'er and Lin Fujia felt more at ease.

The two chatted about some interesting things that happened before entering the palace, and as they chatted, they finished the pot of plum wine.

Although Wen Li'er was also a little drunk, she was not like Lin Fujia, who started to stagger when walking.

Nanny Qiu, who served Lin Fujia, ordered the palace maid Zixiu to make some sobering soup, and then helped Lin Fujia back to the West Palace.

Wen Li'er walked back by herself.

After drinking, she felt a little hot. She stood at the door of the East Hall and looked at the stars for a long time.

…

The next day.

New Year's Day.

The Crown Princess must bring the Crown Prince's concubines to pay their respects and New Year's greetings to the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

In addition to the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince also took three concubines.

The Crown Princess had already told them that she would go to pay a visit to the two ladies.

So that morning, Wen Li'er was dug out of bed by Nanny Qin early in the morning.

She drank too much last night and her head was still a little dizzy.

Qingzhu brought a bowl of sobering soup and she took a sip.

On such an important day as today, he must not lose his manners in front of the two ladies, otherwise it would bring shame to the prince.

Lin Fujia was waiting for her at the entrance of Yaohua Palace. When the two of them arrived at Fuyao Palace together, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were both there.

Yang Xishan had arrived first and was looking at the prince with a loving expression.

Yan Shixu was wearing an apricot-yellow four-clawed dragon robe, with an upright posture and very majestic.

Wen Li'er and Lin Fujia both lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.

Xie Zhenrong told them that when they went to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, they must be careful with their words and actions and not offend the two most noble women in the world.

Wen Li'er and the other two responded in unison, "I will definitely remember the Crown Princess's instructions."

Xie Zhenrong nodded and looked at the prince.

Yan Shixu glanced at Wen Li'er vaguely before standing up.

The group first went to the Cining Palace.

After the death of the retired emperor, the empress dowager moved in here.

He usually leads a leisurely life and doesn't care much about the affairs of the harem.

Today, after all, is the New Year, and the Cining Palace is full of people.

The emperor, empress, concubines, princes and princesses all gathered here.

The Queen Mother was wearing a brown brocade robe with auspicious patterns. Her hair was streaked with silver. Her features were kind and her face was full of traces of time. She looked at the younger generation with a loving look.

Judging from the outlines of her facial features, it can be seen that she must have been a beauty when she was young.

Yan Shixu led his wives and concubines to greet the empress dowager and said a lot of auspicious words.

The Queen Mother smiled from ear to ear and waved at him.

"Xu'er, come here quickly and let me take a good look at you. You've been so busy lately. Have you lost weight again?"

Yan Shixu walked to the Queen Mother's side and said with a smile: "My grandson is not thin."

"I haven't lost any weight, I've lost two ounces of fat on my face."

The Empress Dowager looked at his thin face and felt distressed.

Yang Guifei, who was sitting below the Empress, also looked the Crown Prince up and down, then turned to her two sons and said, "Cheng'er, Liang'er, you should take the Crown Prince as your role model."

Yan Shicheng and Yan Shiliang hurriedly responded.

Yang Guifei was extremely beautiful. Even though she was already the mother of three children, her beauty as young as hers was still the same.

Over the years, Yang Guifei was the most favored concubine in the harem, and her status was second only to the empress.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her sideways, her eyes dimming a little.

Yan Shiliang opened his eyes and ran to the emperor, hugging his thighs.

"Father, Liang'er has been studying hard with the Crown Prince and even learned a few lines of poetry today."

Yan Shiliang was only six years old. He looked very much like Yang Guifei, with a jade-faced boy and a sweet mouth, and was very much loved by the emperor.

The old emperor held him on his lap, his face showing the kindness that a father should have.

"What poem did Liang'er recite today? Recite it for Father."

Yan Shiliang shook his head and recited an ancient poem.

Lighting the lamp morning and night, gradually becoming a long-lived body.

The day when the Purple Pavilion has not returned, spring comes again at the Green Gate.

The cold is over after the gates are closed, and new grass is growing when the doors open.

The forest has its own fun, who is surprised by the passing of time?

At this moment, I can recite the song "New Year" very well.

The emperor asked him, "Do you know what this poem means?"

Yan Shiliang replied crisply: "I know."

"Then tell your father what you mean?"

"This poem expresses the poet's indifference and detachment from the powerful;"

"It not only shows the vitality and changes of the world, but also implies a person's inner changes and growth; and expresses one's love and satisfaction with life."

The emperor laughed heartily, kissed Yan Shiliang hard on the cheek, and praised him for his intelligence.

He also gave Yan Shiliang a lot of rewards immediately.

Yang Guifei's smile became more gentle. She took a handkerchief and helped Yan Shiliang wipe the cake crumbs from the corner of his mouth.

The Empress Dowager looked at their happy family life and her face instantly darkened. She couldn't hide her disgust for Yang Guifei in her eyes.

Wen Li'er secretly glanced at Yan Shixu.

He smiled and sat quietly watching the scene.

His fingers rubbed a jade ring on his thumb from time to time.

Looks like he's very happy.

But Wen Li'er saw a quick flash of sadness in his eyes.

It is a well-known fact that the crown prince is not favored by the emperor.

If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's pressure, the Emperor would have probably deposed the Crown Prince and made the child born to Yang Guifei the Crown Prince instead.

Xie Zhenrong looked at this scene and almost couldn't hold back his surging anger.

What was extremely discordant with this scene was the queen.

Her face was calm and her emotions seemed to be calm.