Yan Qingqing was a little surprised to hear this. She could understand if Xiao Mochen came, since celebrating the New Year with them would be more lively.
But why did Ling Ziyuan come? Their family is based in the capital. However, since Ling Ziyuan has helped their family several times, she felt she had to welcome him no matter what.
So Yan Qingqing quickly instructed Steward Yu, "Go and invite them in. Don't be negligent."
Xiao Mochen and Ling Ziyuan stood at the gate, staring at each other.
Xiao Mochen asked with dissatisfaction, "Why is Lord Ling coming to Mingzhao Prefecture instead of staying home for the New Year?"
Ling Ziyuan felt a surge of anger, inwardly cursing that this little brat probably had a huge grudge against him.
They bribed him whenever they needed him, but when it came to Yan Qingqing's matter, they glared at him fiercely.
No, Xiao Mochen hasn't even grown his hair yet; he doesn't have a beard at all, and he's giving him a fierce look.
He hasn't even touched Yan Qingqing's hand yet, and Xiao Mochen is already treating him like this. If he ever wins the heart of a beauty, wouldn't Xiao Mochen kill his old man too?
So Ling Ziyuan didn't care whether Xiao Mochen was the emperor's son or not, and replied irritably, "Of course I'm here to wish Lady Mingzhao a Happy New Year. She helped me a lot during my three years as magistrate of Chengyang County, and of course I helped her a lot too."
Now that we're both in Beijing, I naturally want to come and spend the New Year with her.
"Your Highness Prince Chen visits Mingzhao's residence so frequently; anyone who didn't know better would think you were Lady Mingzhao's son."
He thought Xiao Mochen would be furious upon hearing this. But to his surprise, Xiao Mochen arrogantly said, "So what if he's my aunt's son? My aunt treats me no worse than her own son."
Although we are not mother and son, our bond is stronger than that of mother and son.
Especially the things his aunt gave him in private, which included not only silver but also secret weapons like crossbows and iron smelting technology.
He has already had a professional examine it, and the information Yan Qingqing provided is absolutely reliable. Once it is successfully developed, it will be invincible against both Northern Liang and Southern Xinjiang.
As for Xiao Moyan, Xiao Mochen never took him seriously.
When Butler Yu rushed over, he could sense the tension in the air.
He was somewhat confused as to why these two gentlemen were arguing, but as a servant, he dared not ask.
He could only quickly step forward and say, "Your Highness Prince Chen, Lord Ling, our lady invites you both inside."
Upon hearing this, the two stopped arguing and followed Steward Yu into Mingzhao Mansion.
Yan Qingqing smiled kindly when she saw the two of them.
As soon as Xiao Mochen entered the room, he knelt down on the ground to wish Yan Qingqing a Happy New Year.
How could Yan Qingqing accept Xiao Mochen's courtesy in front of so many people? This capital city is not like Canghe Town.
Back then, she could pretend not to know Xiao Mochen's identity and accept his bow without hesitation.
With so many people in the capital watching, if she really makes the prince kneel before her, not only will the emperor not let her off the hook, but the censors' spittle will drown her.
So Yan Qingqing quickly helped Xiao Mochen up and said, "What are you doing, child? You are a prince now, and your behavior represents the royal family. Just think of your aunt. We don't need to be formal with these formalities."
After saying that, she casually took a red envelope from Ru Xue's hand and stuffed it into Xiao Mochen's hand, saying, "This is yours. I was wondering if you could come today."
After receiving the red envelope, Xiao Mochen gave Ling Ziyuan a provocative look, as if to say, "See? Whether I come or not, my aunt will still be thinking of me."
Seeing this, Ling Ziyuan rolled her eyes. Xiao Mochen usually seemed quite composed, but why did he act so childishly?
He and Yan Qingqing were of the same generation, so it would be a joke if Yan Qingqing actually gave him a red envelope.
However, looking at Li Xiangping and the other younger generation, he suddenly felt a headache coming on. He realized that coming to their door today was a mistake.
It wouldn't be right for him not to give New Year's money to so many children, but how much would it cost?
Because he assaulted Lord Wu in court, the emperor fined him a year's salary. Now, the money he spends comes from his family, unlike Yan Qingqing who is wealthy and powerful.
However, in order not to lose face, they gritted their teeth and gave each person two hundred taels of silver as New Year's money.
Although it may not seem like many children, Yan Qingqing's family has a lot of kids, about ten in total, big and small.
That adds up to two thousand taels.
Just as Yan Qingqing was about to speak to stop Ling Ziyuan, Xiao Mochen said, "Lord Ling is indeed very wealthy. They all have what I have, so you can't be less than them, can you?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Ziyuan gritted his teeth and asked, "Does His Highness Prince Chen lack these few measly gifts?"
Xiao Mochen said naturally, "Of course we don't lack it. It's just for good luck during the New Year. After all, who would complain about having too much money?"
Finally, Ling Ziyuan gritted his teeth and took out two hundred taels of silver notes, which Xiao Mochen casually gave to Li Xiangyang, and then the matter was dropped.
Seeing that Ling Ziyuan's expression wasn't very good, Yan Qingqing quickly invited him to sit down and have some tea.
Ling Ziyuan's expression improved slightly.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "I really didn't expect Lord Ling to come over during the New Year. I asked them to prepare a few dishes that Lord Ling likes to eat."
Upon hearing this, Ling Ziyuan's face gradually showed a smile. Xiao Mochen, seeing this, curled his lips and thought to himself, "Spending more than two thousand taels of silver on a meal and still being so smug, what a sucker."
But never mind, considering that Ling Ziyuan has helped his aunt several times, I won't provoke him today.
Because it was Chinese New Year, Yan Qingqing let Li Xiangyang, Li Jinxiu, and the other children go out to play.
Yuan Huiniang also dragged Mu Xi and Li Yueniang to play cards.
The three Li brothers remained to talk with Ling Ziyuan and Xiao Mochen.
Ling Ziyuan looked at Xiao Mochen provocatively and said, "If you ask me, Prince Chen, you still have the leisure to stay in Mingzhao Prefecture. You might as well go and curry favor with the Emperor."
I've heard that the Emperor intends to reinstate Consort Yu to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort and to bestow the title of Prince upon the eldest prince.
Xiao Mochen's face darkened instantly upon hearing this, as he had also heard that his father had such a plan.
It's just that it's the New Year, and the Emperor hasn't opened the seal yet, so he hasn't announced it to the public. No matter what, he has to stop this.
Any of the brothers could be made a king, except for Xiao Moyan.
How can someone who treats the common people like a joke be fit for the position of a prince?
Xiao Mochen was 90% certain that Xiao Moyan was behind last year's plague, but he simply didn't have any evidence.
Yan Qingqing was also surprised. When she went to wish Madam Pei a happy birthday last year, she couldn't tell how much the emperor liked Consort Yu. Moreover, on New Year's Eve yesterday, the emperor didn't even give Consort Yu a glance.
Could it be that the emperor changed so much after just one night's sleep?
Yan Qingqing clicked her tongue in amazement. If that were really the case, then Consort Yu was quite the schemer.
However, Yan Qingqing quickly dismissed the idea. What was she thinking about at a time like this? It was clear that being a widow for so long had made her thoughts a little abnormal.
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