Chapter 109
"Aren't you afraid of getting cold, hmm?" The man's gentle voice held no reproach, only concern.
Xiaoju quietly retreated to the side.
Shen Qingnian looked at the man with a smile in her eyes. She reached out and hooked his white belt, and said softly, "Isn't it you I have?"
She was in a pretty good mood today.
Song Xuan looked down at the slender white hand around his waist and casually wrapped his arm around her waist.
The two stood by the window, watching the snow fall outside the palace, looking like a perfect couple.
Song Xuan only let Shen Qingnian stand at the window for a short while before closing the window.
He said, "The flying snow is beautiful, but the cold wind is biting. Even though you are wearing a cloak, you shouldn't look at it for too long."
As he spoke, he helped Shen Qingnian to the chaise lounge, and then ordered someone to bring up some dried fruit, pastries, and milk. Only then did he begin to instruct Xiaxiazi to prepare New Year's supplies.
Although Song Xuan said he would prepare with Shen Qingnian, he had already made plans. He pushed the snacks on the small table in front of the beauty.
He then said, "This is a chef I specially invited from Yangzhou. He can make some novel pastries from outside the palace. You will be due to give birth in three months, so it is not advisable for you to drink tea. This milk is sweet and warm, and tastes very good."
The snacks on the table were fruits coated in syrup, which were quite novel, along with two plates of pastries.
Shen Qingnian picked up the milk and took a sip. The milk was rich and creamy, unlike the usual bland milk. She looked at the milk's snow-white color and asked curiously, "This milk seems to be a bit richer?"
A little bit of milky white residue was on the corner of her mouth. Song Xuan wiped it away for her before answering, "It's been improved; it tastes better."
Qingnian never had a big appetite, so he put extra effort into making desserts. He would often recruit chefs from outside the palace to come to the palace and have them make some new and interesting dishes.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingnian's expression shifted slightly, and she gently stroked her swollen belly: "Then I thank Father Emperor on my behalf."
Song Xuan smiled gently and began to instruct Xia Zi on matters concerning the end of the year.
"The palace lanterns should be made to be more novel in style, and some baby-shaped paper-cuts should be made for the windows. The decorations can be the same as in previous years. The courtyard looks bare, so let's move some of the red plum blossoms from the plum garden over."
Xiazi carefully noted it down, and then he suggested, "Before I entered the palace, there were people setting off fireworks and firecrackers every year at the end of the year."
There's no such rule in the palace, but this servant thought the Crown Prince might like these things, so perhaps we could prepare some to liven things up. What do Your Highness and the Crown Princess think?
Fireworks are not allowed in the palace because they are flammable and prone to fire, but Xia Zi can understand his master's thoughts and knows that his suggestion will definitely be adopted.
Upon hearing this, Song Xuan looked at Shen Qingnian beside him and asked gently, "Would you like to see fireworks?"
The mention of fireworks reminded Shen Qingnian of the night of the Flower Festival. She thought it would be good to see them one last time before leaving, so she nodded: "I want to see them."
"This servant will prepare it for the eldest grandson of the Emperor!" Xiazi said with a smile.
Next, Song Xuan asked Shen Qingnian if she had anything she wanted to prepare. Shen Qingnian thought for a moment and said, "I want to release a Kongming lantern with my husband on New Year's Eve, both to pray for the baby in my womb and to wish you and me peace and good fortune."
Song Xuan's heart stirred, and his dark eyes softened even more: "Then I will do as you say."
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The days that followed passed quickly, and soon it was the end of the year.
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