Yuan Bohua didn't care about that. After all, this move would save him a lot of trouble in the future. He even looked at the other women with a calm gaze, "Do any of you still want to go with me?"

The remaining women shook their heads like rattles in an instant. The two women who had thought Xianglian would succeed and were eager to try even turned pale.

At this moment, in their view, Captain Yuan was even more terrifying than a flood or a beast.

Yuan Bohua said to the soldier who had been in charge, "When you return to the barracks, go get the Ten Military Sticks yourself."

The soldier quickly agreed and hurried away with the women.

Li Jingyu also finished watching the excitement and immediately ordered the team to set off. Yuan Bohua's team had already lined up without his instructions.

Li Jingyu and Yuan Bohua are looking forward to returning to Yuan'an to celebrate the New Year, and the people of Yuan'an are also looking forward to their return.

That day, Yuan Chaokang asked again, "Mother, Father?"

Yuan Chaokang knew that his father had gone to the camp outside Beijing, but he was curious whether his father would come back for the New Year.

The last time Zhou Qiongyue wrote home to Yuan Bohua, she had asked about this matter. However, Yuan Bohua's reply was uncertain, so Zhou Qiongyue guessed that he probably wouldn't be able to make it back for the New Year.

"Your father is out fighting bad guys, so he probably won't be here for the New Year."

Zhou Qiongyue didn't think there was anything wrong with her son asking this question. Instead, she really explained it to Yuan Chaokang.

She would often show her two sons Yuan Bohua's portrait and tell them, "This is their father."

However, the eldest son was a forgetful person. He was busy picking flowers and vegetables in the mansion every day, and basically forgot about his father after a while.

However, the youngest son had a good memory and would ask "Father" from time to time.

Yuan Chaochang, who was standing nearby, heard what his mother and brother were saying and curiously interrupted, "Is it delicious, Father?"

Yuan Chaokang just wanted to cover his eyes with his hands at this moment. He thought that this silly brother had grown up and would not be happy to be sold!

Zhou Qiongyue reached out and pinched Yuan Chaochang's face. "You only know how to eat. Look at how round your face has become."

Yuan Chaochang was now used to looking for his brother when he had something to do, so he shouted loudly: "Brother, brother!"

Yuan Chaokang could only helplessly walk over with his short legs and rescue his elder brother's face from his mother's hands, but he still disagreed: "Mother, my brother is not fat!"

Sometimes Yuan Chaokang even felt that his mother and eldest brother were just children, and they really didn't give in to each other. In the past, when his eldest brother grabbed his mother's hair, his mother would also grab his eldest brother.

Anyway, there are many similar things, and she doesn't look like a traditional mother at all.

However, Yuan Chaokang also likes such a mother. As for the father, Yuan Chaokang said he would wait and see!

When Yuan Bohua was in the mansion, Yuan Chaokang was still young. He couldn't resist the baby's reactions every day and fell asleep most of the time.

Later, my father was away at home again, and they actually spent very little time together.

So the relationship between Yuan Chaokang and the so-called father king can be summed up in two words: "unfamiliar".

Time soon arrived at the New Year's Eve banquet. Zhou Qiongyue left Gu Mei at home this time. After all, Gu Mei was a doctor and had good skills. If there was any emergency, she could respond more flexibly.

Zhou Qiongyue brought Gulan and Gule into the palace. Gule was promoted from a second-class maid after Guyu got married. However, Gule was not as good at cooking as Guyu, and the one who was good at cooking was the current head maid Guyu.

Now the four new maids around Zhou Qiongyue are Gu Le, Gu Yu, Gu Cha and Gu Mian.

The leader among them is Gu Le, whose personality is similar to Gu Lan. She is reliable and considerate.

Gu Yu is good at cooking, and compared with the old saying, it is worthy of the saying "Teach your apprentice and starve yourself to death". It can be seen that Gu Yu was very attentive to Gu Yu's training.

Gu Cha is now in charge of the jewelry that Zhou Qiongyue uses on a daily basis.

Gu Mian was very skilled, but she didn't know how to heal. In ancient times, maids who knew medicine were rare and hard to come by.

Of the four maids Zhou Qiongyue originally had, three were still serving her, but now they were no longer first-class maids, but maids beside Zhou Qiongyue.

Gulan is now mainly in charge of Zhou Qiongyue's external affairs, as well as the account books of some external industries and occasionally inspects those industries on behalf of Zhou Qiongyue.

Guju was in charge of Zhou Qiongyue's warehouse, while Gumei served Yuan Chaochang and Yuan Chaokang more.

However, when Zhou Qiongyue goes out, she will still bring Gulan or Gumei, and a newly promoted maid, which is safer.

Yuan Chaochang has gotten used to it now. When his mother sometimes has to go out on business and can't take him and his brother with her, he won't make a fuss like he did at the beginning and will just play with his brother in the mansion obediently.

Zhou Qiongyue was busy like this for several days before she finally managed to get through the New Year.

And Yuan Bohua did not suddenly come back to give the three of them a surprise as in the novel.

However, these days, when Zhou Qiongyue was not at home, the fifth brother would still come to the palace to play with the two children as before.

Now, for Yuan Chaokang, the fifth uncle who is very kind to him and his elder brother holds a higher position in his heart than the father whom he is not familiar with.

After the New Year finally passed, Zhou Qiongyue thought she could finally take a break. But the emperor made a big surprise during the first morning court session of the new year.

The emperor directly asked Eunuch He to read out the imperial edict to appoint the crown prince in court, and it seemed that he did not discuss it with the ministers and nobles in the court at all.

Some people wanted to persuade the emperor to think twice, but they couldn't think of a suitable reason after thinking for a long time.

The Second Prince was both a legitimate son and an adult, with children from the harem, and he didn't do anything ridiculous on a daily basis. Aside from not wanting to support him, they couldn't find any major faults.

Even the second prince's maternal family, the Cheng'en Marquisate, did not do anything wrong.

These people can only give up in disappointment.

The princes were the most confused. How could their father be so disloyal? The fight for the throne hadn't even officially begun, yet he jumped directly to appointing a crown prince?

The Second Prince was also quite confused. He had been by his father's side quite often these days, but his father had not yet told him about the appointment of a crown prince.

The happiest people were none other than Marquis Cheng'en, the Left Prime Minister, and Marquis Xuanping. They were all naturally on the Second Prince's side.

The emperor didn't care what these people thought. He asked Eunuch He to read the imperial edict and asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose the nearest auspicious day to hold the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince.

Then the emperor took his men away.

As soon as this imperial edict was issued, the nobles and ministers who had already chosen the wrong side were almost cursing the emperor. He hadn't appointed a crown prince earlier or later, but as soon as they chose their side, he was appointed.

Although Zhou Qiongyue was very happy that her second cousin was made the crown prince, she had to attend the crown prince's enthronement ceremony again.