Chapter 379 New Year's Banquet
On New Year's Eve, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was brightly lit.
The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air as the dancers, with their flowing sleeves and graceful figures, twirled and danced in the center of the hall, like blooming flowers.
The banquet was filled with clinking glasses and lively music and dance.
On his throne, Huo Lin's face was cold and stern, exuding natural majesty, but inwardly he was secretly complaining.
[They put on this same show every year, it's so unoriginal, I'm sick of it.]
[When the lead dancer twirled, her sleeve nearly hit Minister Wang in the face; look at Minister Wang, he even spilled his wine.]
[Tsk, this music is so soft and soothing, it almost puts me to sleep.]
Jiang Huan almost lost her composure when she heard his contradictory inner monologue.
She quickly picked up the jade cup in front of her, pretending to take a sip of warm water to hide the upturned corners of her mouth, but ended up choking and coughing a few times because she drank too quickly.
Huo Lin turned his head almost immediately, his brows furrowed, extremely nervous.
He gently patted Jiang Huan's back: "How are you? Are you alright?"
Seeing his alarmed expression, Jiang Huan quickly waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just drank too fast. Don't make a fuss."
She quietly pointed to the audience below, "Everyone's watching."
Upon hearing this, Huo Lin glanced at the audience and indeed saw many ministers and concubines secretly looking in their direction.
His expression remained unchanged as he looked away, but his hand patting Jiang Huan's back didn't stop.
"Go ahead and look, but your health is more important."
Jiang Huan felt a warmth in her heart, and her cough gradually subsided. She tugged at his sleeve.
"It's really alright now, sit down quickly, the show is still going on."
Huo Lin then withdrew his hand, sat up straight again, and resumed his usual cold and aloof demeanor, but he still kept an eye on Jiang Huan's condition out of the corner of his eye.
The singing and dancing in the hall came one round after another, and the poems praising the emperor were recited one after another, the process was long and rigid.
Huo Lin patiently maintained his imperial dignity, but his heart had already flown back to the Weiyang Palace where he and Jiang Huan were alone.
When I get back later, I'll definitely ask the kitchen to make her a bowl of hot wontons for a late-night snack.
[I will eat with her and spend the New Year just the two of us.]
As time went on, the banquet reached its climax, and the night sky outside the hall was suddenly lit up.
A huge firework, trailing a dazzling tail, roared into the sky and burst into bloom against the dark blue sky. In an instant, it transformed into a shower of golden meteors, dazzling and bright, illuminating the entire palace and the night sky above it as if it were daytime.
A suppressed gasp of surprise rippled through the hall.
"Let's go, let's go take a look, or they'll all be gone."
Jiang Huan's eyes lit up, her face beaming with joy. She grabbed Huo Lin's hand and excitedly stood up, wanting to go to the outer corridor of the palace to get a better view.
Huo Lin let her lead him, carefully protecting her at her side.
Brilliant fireworks exploded one after another, illuminating the night sky like a magnificent painting, drawing gasps of amazement.
"So beautiful!" Jiang Huan looked up, her eyes shining brightly, and exclaimed softly.
"Hmm." Huo Lin responded softly, but his gaze fell on her profile illuminated by the fireworks.
Her eyelashes were long and delicate, the tip of her nose was slightly red from the cold, and her neck was gracefully tilted back. Against the backdrop of fireworks, she looked so beautiful that she seemed otherworldly.
People are more beautiful than fireworks.
He thought to himself that his arm, seemingly casually resting on the railing, was actually protecting her in a safe space.
[Next year, we need to have the workshop director research some new designs, like rabbit or deer shapes; she'd probably like those.]
[When the little ones can run around, I can bring them here to roam; it'll be so lively!]
As Jiang Huan listened to his simple yet heartwarming plans and felt his calm demeanor, her heart was filled with peace.
However, beneath this dazzling splendor and the protected tranquility, a faint unease arose in her heart.
The tranquility was too perfect, like the calm before the storm.
She couldn't explain it, but she subconsciously moved closer to Huo Lin.
Huo Lin noticed this, tightened his grip on her arm, and looked down at her.
"Are you cold? Or tired? Shall we go back?"
Jiang Huan shook her head, suppressing the inexplicable feeling, and smiled at him, "No, let's watch it a little longer, it's so beautiful."
She nestled in Huo Lin's strong embrace, feeling the warmth of his chest and his steady heartbeat, and her unease seemed to be temporarily dispelled.
As the last firework faded into the night sky, leaving only a faint smell of gunpowder and scattered red fragments on the ground, the palace servants began to guide the guests out in an orderly manner.
After the grand banquet, Jiang Huan returned to Weiyang Palace. She removed her heavy formal attire and hairpins, feeling both tired and satisfied.
Huo Lin carefully helped her wash up and rest. After watching her fall into a deep sleep, he quietly got up and went to the outer room to deal with the backlog of government affairs.
But in the dead of night, Jiang Huan found herself in a chaotic dream.
In my dream, there were two little boys, about two or three years old, with delicate and beautiful features.
They looked almost identical, with soft, black hair and fair skin. Their eyebrows, eyes, lips, and noses were practically miniature replicas of Huo Lin's. Even their serious little expressions when they pursed their lips were exactly the same.
One of them, dressed in a bright blue brocade robe, was struggling to conquer the tall display cabinet, using both hands and feet.
He stuck out his little bottom, tried hard to stand on tiptoe, and his chubby little hand wobbled as he reached for the white jade dragon paperweight on the top shelf.
The other one, dressed in the same crimson brocade robe, pulled out a wolf-hair brush dipped in thick ink from somewhere and, with a grin, took unsteady little steps toward a landscape painting by a famous artist from a previous dynasty hanging on the wall.
"Hey, hey, hey, is your butt itchy again? You can't cause trouble here!"
In her dream, Jiang Huan cried out in panic, wanting to stop the little guy climbing higher and to stop the little rascal who was about to splash ink, but she found herself as if bound by invisible ropes, unable to move, and could only watch helplessly.
The one climbing the multi-tiered cabinet, upon hearing her shout, actually turned around, grinned at her with an incredibly bright smile, and asked for credit in a childish voice.
"Mother, look, so high." Before he finished speaking, the drawer he was standing on suddenly slid.
The little fellow holding the calligraphy brush completely ignored her attempts to stop him, stood on tiptoe, and without hesitation, drew a stroke towards the distant mountains in the painting, creating a scene of profound beauty.
Jiang Huan felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, her blood pressure soaring, and she woke up with a start, sitting up abruptly. Her heart was pounding wildly, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The moonlight outside the window was hazy, and the hall was quiet except for the sound of his own rapid breathing.
She subconsciously touched her high, protruding belly. The little ones inside seemed to be awakened by her vigorous movement, kicking lightly a few times with considerable force.
Jiang Huan: ……
She looked down at her stomach, recalling the two small faces that looked just like Huo Lin in her dream and the chaotic scene, and looked up at the sky speechlessly.
No way, could this be some kind of precognitive dream?
Will her long-cherished wish for twins still come true?
This is terrible! If two miniature versions of them really come along, with this much trouble, will Weiyang Palace, no, the entire palace, ever have a peaceful day again?
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