Chapter 81. The New Year.
On New Year's Eve, Chu Heng and Daiyu first paid their respects to Lin Ruhai and Jia Min before entering the palace to pay their respects.
Before leaving, the two of them each ate a bowl of hot bird's nest porridge, and they were still warm when they got into the carriage.
“Ordinary court officials and nobles only enter the palace on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and only for a short while in the morning. As for us, we have to stay for two full days, and we won’t have any peace and quiet until after the fifteenth.” Chu Heng’s hands were warm at the moment, so he put the hand warmer aside. “It’s better to go to our fiefdom. We can come to the capital once every three or five years, stay for ten days or half a month, and then leave. That would save us so much trouble.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this day too.” Daiyu said, touching Chuheng’s hand warmer. “Take this, it’ll get cold soon.”
Chu Heng placed the hand warmer back on his lap: "When we get to the palace, you don't have to be so well-behaved. There are so many people, how will they notice you? It's okay to slack off when you need to."
Upon hearing this, Daiyu smiled and said, "Is this your experience?"
"Of course." Chu Heng raised his chin smugly, took out a small purse from his sleeve and handed it to Daiyu, "Take a look at what's inside."
Daiyu opened it out of curiosity and saw a few glistening sugar granules inside. She couldn't help but chuckle.
Last year, when Daiyu was worshipping Buddha at Longhua Temple, she noticed that Prince Duan was secretly eating candy while chanting sutras. She never expected that he would also bring candy with him when he went on pilgrimage this year.
Thinking of this, Daiyu asked, "The other day when you went to the sacrifice with the Emperor, you also had candy hidden on you?"
Chu Heng blinked innocently and said, "It's so boring, I need to kill some time."
Daiyu said with a stern face, "If you keep eating candy, I won't take care of you next time you have a toothache."
Chu Heng pleaded, "There are only two days a year, otherwise I'll fall asleep from all the dry bowing."
Daiyu didn't speak, so Chuheng tugged at her sleeve, pinched her fingers, poked her cheek, and looked at her expectantly.
Daiyu dodged left and right, but he chased after her relentlessly. No matter how big the carriage was, the space was still limited. Before long, Daiyu got tired: "These clothes are too thick. I feel hot."
"That won't do," Chu Heng said hurriedly. "Stop fooling around, sit down and rest. If you sweat, it won't be good if you get out of the car and the wind blows on you."
Daiyu looked at him and asked, "Who started this commotion?"
Chu Heng immediately said, "I was wrong, I was wrong. My wife is so magnanimous, please forgive your husband this time, okay?"
Daiyu poked his brow and laughed, "I've forgiven you so many times, don't do it again."
Chu Heng held her hand and kissed it gently: "Mmm, I won't do it again."
I dare not do it today. As for tomorrow, I'll explain tomorrow.
Daiyu naturally understood his implied meaning, but she just smiled, since they were both enjoying themselves.
When Chu Heng and Daiyu arrived, there were already many carriages and sedan chairs outside the palace gate. They didn't need to get off there, but instead entered the palace gate next to it, stopped the carriage inside, and changed into a sedan chair.
Chu Heng went to the front court, while Daiyu went to the inner palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Chu Heng had Zhao Qing stay by Daiyu's side, straightened her clothes, and then helped her to sit down in the sedan chair.
After watching Daiyu's sedan chair disappear into the distance, he was about to get in when he realized that the carriage from the Hejia Mansion had arrived. She had witnessed everything and teased him with a smile, "Fifth Brother and Sister-in-law are so inseparable that they are reluctant to part even after being apart for a moment."
Chu Heng bowed respectfully: "Fifth Sister."
In another carriage, He Jia's son-in-law also got out, and Chu Heng bowed to him again: "Fifth brother-in-law."
Prince Consort He Jia hurriedly returned the greeting: "Greetings, Your Highness."
Another prince from the imperial family arrived with his family. After exchanging greetings, they each got into their sedan chairs.
After all the ceremonies of the previous dynasty were completed, the emperor had to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. Chu Heng and others accompanied him. The main hall of Renshou Palace was solemn and orderly. The Empress Dowager occupied the main seat, and the royal women had already avoided the main hall.
After the formalities were completed, the Empress Dowager summoned several close junior relatives to sit in the warm pavilion, while the Emperor went back to change his clothes.
During the New Year, no one dared to cause trouble in front of the Empress Dowager. Everyone only said auspicious words. The Empress Dowager also distributed lucky money to the children. Their pockets were bulging with gold and silver ingots. No family lacked such things, but what the Empress Dowager bestowed was rare. Therefore, the children thanked her and were taught by their fathers and mothers to say auspicious words to the Empress Dowager.
Chu Heng and Daiyu didn't join in the fun; they just ate melon seeds on the side, while Yongkang chatted and ate snacks with several unmarried princesses.
The Empress Dowager glanced at both sides, then looked at her grandchildren bustling around her. Not wanting to cause herself any trouble during the New Year, she pretended not to see them.
In the evening, the emperor hosted a family banquet, and everyone stayed up all night to welcome the new year. Only after midnight, when they followed the emperor in offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, were they allowed to leave the palace.
The same thing happened the next day. By the second day of the new year, these tedious matters were no longer in effect, but since before the new year, people had been sending out invitations to invite Prince Duan and his wife to New Year's banquets. Chu Heng and Daiyu refused them all. Their family did not invite anyone, nor did they attend any banquets.
When she entered the palace on the fifth day, she happened to run into Hejia in Renshou Palace. She smiled and said, "Mother, look at Heng'er. It's one thing for him not to visit other people's homes, but he doesn't even pay attention to his own sister. Isn't it because you've spoiled him?"
The Empress Dowager put down her teacup and smiled, "Now it's your brother who has spoiled him. Yesterday, when I saw Prince Ying and his wife, the Emperor came over to pay his respects. Prince Ying only mentioned that Prince Duan was aloof. Before I could say anything, the Emperor was displeased. He said that Prince Duan has never been lacking in courtesy, so it wouldn't matter if it was just a day or two of formality."
When the princesses of the royal family had happy or sad occasions, the Prince Duan's mansion never missed sending gifts. However, his reluctance to socialize was criticized, which some people took it upon themselves to do so.
Fortunately, Prince Duan wasn't the only one who had won the Emperor's favor. If they couldn't curry favor with him, they could just curry favor with others.
Some people could guess Prince Duan's intentions, knowing that he didn't want to be accused of forming cliques in the Emperor's eyes, so they didn't care about this matter. After all, what minister wouldn't dare to be careless?
Chu Heng picked up the melon seed shells that had accidentally fallen on Daiyu and casually said, "This is because my brother is considerate of me. Fifth Sister also knows that I have never liked crowds."
He Jia shook his head and smiled, "Fine, you have your elder brother and mother to protect you, so do as you please."
Chu Heng shrugged.
He Jia turned to the Empress Dowager and spoke of his eldest son: "He's not young anymore. I'm thinking of getting married first and then establishing a career. After he's married, I'll ask His Majesty to give him a job. This child isn't good at studying, so I'm counting on His Majesty, his maternal uncle, to take care of him."
The Empress Dowager stroked the wool blanket on her lap: "He's my own nephew, so the Emperor will surely take care of him."
Daiyu glanced at Chuheng, and the two smiled knowingly. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were locked in a power struggle, and those of them caught in the middle could only try their best not to offend either side.
...
Since the osmanthus wine brewed in autumn was not yet ready to drink, Daiyu took out osmanthus tea and, taking advantage of the peace and quiet at the end of the year, brewed the tea on a small clay stove.
Chu Heng found a fine tea set and ordered some Jiangnan snacks to be prepared. He sat down next to Daiyu, propped his chin up and watched the white steam rising from the teapot: "The late emperor loved tea. When I was a child, the Empress Dowager's palace was never short of tea sets of all kinds, and there was no shortage of the finest tea leaves. After the late emperor passed away, the Empress Dowager stopped using these things."
Daiyu also recalled a past event: "When I was in the Grand View Garden, someone once invited me to have tea. She used rainwater from the previous year and snow water from plum blossoms to brew the tea."
Chu Heng raised an eyebrow: "That's quite elegant. I've heard of using snow water to brew tea, but I've never tried it. Is it even better than mountain spring water?"
Daiyu once had someone fetch water from the mountain to brew tea, using tribute tea leaves, which she liked very much, but Chu Heng didn't think much of it.
“Excellent,” Daiyu praised without reservation.
Chu Heng said regretfully, "You should have said so earlier. It snowed several times this winter, and we have plum blossoms in our yard, but we forgot to collect the snow."
Daiyu smiled and said, "There will be another winter. Remember, when that time comes, we'll prepare a flower jar to store the snow. Hmm... I remember, we'll bury it underground and dig it out when we want to eat it."
As they talked, the water in the pot boiled, and Daiyu brewed tea, handing a cup to Chuheng first.
"Okay, I'll remember." Chu Heng took the teacup, sniffed it, and said, "Hmm, it does have a osmanthus fragrance."
Daiyu also took a light sniff: "Not bad. When spring comes, all the flowers will bloom. We can make some other flower teas then."
Chu Heng nodded.
The two drank tea and ate snacks, chatting idly. Before they knew it, it was lunchtime, and they could no longer eat a proper meal.
Daiyu found it quite amusing: "I didn't feel like I ate that many snacks."
Chu Heng rubbed his stomach: "Time flies by too fast."
Seeing that the sun was shining brightly, Daiyu suggested going out for a walk to digest her food: "If we sit here and drink tea, we don't need to eat dinner."
Chu Heng held her hand and said with a smile, "We're not hungry anyway, so it doesn't matter what we eat."
“My mother says that good children don’t eat snacks as meals,” Daiyu said with a smile.
Chu Heng tilted his head and said, "It sounds like there's a good child who only eats snacks and not meals, which is why my mother-in-law said that. That person can't be you, right?"
Daiyu clenched her fist and gently punched him: "At that time, I was taking medicine every day, so I had no appetite. But the cook at home made some appetizers, and I ate two plates by myself, which scared my mother to death."
Chu Heng estimated Daiyu's age at the time and nodded in deep agreement: "It was indeed frightening. It seems I'll have to keep a closer eye on you in the future, or I'll be scared to death too."
Daiyu punched him again: "It's not me who loves snacks now, Your Highness. You ate all that candied fruit today."
Chu Heng said innocently, "Miss Lin, if I don't eat it after it's been placed in front of me, it seems like your husband would look a bit foolish. What do you think?"
Daiyu pretended to think seriously, and after a moment, she said in a serious tone, "How about this, from now on we will never put candied fruit on our table again."
Chu Heng: "..."
"I was wrong," Chu Heng admitted sensibly. "I'll never eat so many candied fruits again."
Daiyu blinked: "Hmm... I'll think about it some more."
Chu Heng bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you, my lady."
The two looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.
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