Life in the capital city flew by, and any occasional troubles that arose were usually resolved by Xu Nian or even before they reached her.
In the blink of an eye, several months have passed.
The capital city was covered in a blanket of white snow, pedestrians hurried along the streets, and even the street vendors were fewer in number. The taverns and hot springs, however, were busier with customers.
"A little to the left. No, to the right." On the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, nearing the end of the year, the Fu'an County Magistrate's Mansion was ablaze with red. The two younger children, who had been given a long holiday, couldn't stay idle and joined the servants in hanging lanterns.
Xu Nian stood under the eaves, holding a hot water bottle in her arms, watching from afar.
"What? You want to go too?" Gu Zhan appeared beside her at some point and put his arm around her shoulder.
She shook her head slightly, seeing that Da Bao and Er Bao were being watched over and nothing would happen, so she tucked her hands into her sleeves and went back to the courtyard where the stove was lit. "I'm not going there, I'll freeze to death."
Taking off her cloak, she turned around and saw that Gu Zhan had taken off his outer robe, revealing that he was only wearing a few thin layers underneath. She couldn't help but frown.
He handed her the still-warm hot water bottle, saying, "Aren't you cold? Why are you wearing so little?"
The general smiled and put the hot water bottle in his hand, then sat down on the round stool. "I've always been like this. I get hot easily, and wearing armor in the summer is unbearable."
Xu Nian wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that there was a hint of grievance in Gu Zhan's tone.
Shaking off the strange thoughts in her mind, she checked the temperature of the man's hand; it was warmer than her own hand, which had just been used to put down the hot water bottle.
With a weight lifted from my shoulders, I finally had time to talk about other things. "I had my fortune told a few days ago, and it seems our lives won't be peaceful next year. The Third Prince is getting increasingly impatient; do you think it's possible he might..." stage a coup.
She didn't say the last two words, but Gu Zhan understood.
"It's not impossible, but the Imperial Guards aren't to be trifled with." He patted Xu Nian's hand to comfort her, "If he really dares to come, he'll only be facing certain death."
Regardless of what the future holds, all he cares about is ensuring Xu Nian lives a safe and peaceful life, and that their family can live happily together.
In the emperor's eyes, anyone could become emperor, but the third prince had no chance left.
But none of this concerned them. Gu Zhan took out a brocade box from his sleeve. "You asked me to deliver a letter to the village chief and the others. I bought this when I passed by Yu Bao Zhai. See if you like it."
Xu Nian's eyes lit up; she had been brought along by An Qing and the Empress. The more she entered, the more she liked the sparkling jewelry.
Her small storeroom was filled with all sorts of gold and silver hair ornaments. The ladies of the palace went to great lengths to obtain her New Year's lucky bags.
She sent someone to donate some of the jewelry and money to the charity in the name of the gift-giver.
She put away the rest that she thought looked nice, even though she didn't go out much. This noblewoman from an official family rarely called on her for anything.
But even if you just display it in your own home, it's still pleasing to the eye.
[Any experts out there? This jade looks absolutely stunning.]
My God, it's flawless, the finest mutton fat jade!
[As expected of a general, the streamer has married a self-made millionaire.]
Not only were the viewers amazed, but even Xu Nian herself was stunned as she looked at the jade hairpin in the brocade box, which seemed to still be emitting a faint milky white light.
Needless to say, this thing is exquisitely crafted.
It was entirely white, warm to the touch, and Xu Nian liked it very much. She immediately took it out and said, "Put this on for me."
Today she wore a light green dress with fish and lotus flowers; being lazy in winter, she hadn't had her maid dress her up elaborately. A wooden hairpin loosely held up her long, black hair.
Now, paired with this jade hairpin, it complements her perfectly. Xu Nian has a bright and beautiful appearance, and this combination adds a touch of aloofness to her look. It doesn't clash with her appearance; in fact, it makes her even more captivating.
Several more days passed, and on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, she celebrated the New Year in ancient times for the first time. The festival gifts were prepared under the guidance of Su Wanting and Madam Su.
She gave some to families with whom she had a fairly good relationship, and then distributed the rest to the villagers she had specially invited to her residence for the New Year.
In the evening, after dinner, the group sat around the fire in the front hall. The men gathered together, playing dominoes and drinking games. The women huddled together, crackling sunflower seeds and occasionally discussing the gossip they had heard recently.
Half a year has passed, but our relationship hasn't become distant. On the contrary, everyone's life has improved over the past six months, and they all look a bit plumper.
"What's wrong with the village chief?" Xu Nian, dressed in a cotton-padded coat, huddled with them. "He's been looking downcast since yesterday. Did something happen at home?"
"Almost there."
Sister-in-law Zhao threw the sunflower seed shells into the fire, glanced at the village chief, and leaned closer to Xu Nian, saying, "Wang Jinmei died half a month ago. Someone found her in the moat; her body was frozen solid."
Xu Nian hadn't heard this name for many days. Ever since the rumors were cleared up, she had thought that these people were under the protection of the Third Prince and were bound to cause some trouble.
Who would have thought that this would lead to her death?
She suddenly remembered something, did some quick calculations, and sure enough, even Zhao Yingying showed signs of passing away.
My heart skipped a beat, and the image of the murderer gradually appeared in my mind.
“Sigh, if you ask me, she and Zhao Yingying brought this upon themselves.” Another woman, who was probably a new bride, whom Xu Nian had never met, chimed in angrily, “Your Highness, you didn’t see that day. I don’t know what kind of luck they had, but they came to our courtyard dressed in gold and silver and strolled around for quite a while. They smashed a lot of things before they stopped. I can still recall how arrogant they were back then.”
"Who can argue with that? The scar on my child's head was from when they smashed it while he was protecting his things. He deserved to die now!"
When people talk about Wang Jinmei and her companion, not a single one has a good word to say about them.
She wanted to use the most vicious words in the world on them. It took Xu Nian a long time to realize that so many things had happened in the past six months.
She had no idea what was going on. She thought the Third Prince would send these two to cause her trouble, but she never expected them to go to the villager's courtyard.
"Auntie, such a big thing happened, why haven't you ever come to see me?"
The villagers were stunned for a moment upon hearing this. "Your Highness, don't you know about these things? I thought General Gu would do something to you. Almost every time Wang Jinmei and her companion come to cause trouble, the General arrives in time."
[The general is so wonderful! He's always been so devoted and selfless; he's practically the perfect boyfriend.]
[This makes me want to fall in love. Where can I find a boyfriend like the general—handsome, fit, and caring?]
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