In the blink of an eye, the New Year is coming.

The crown prince, who was rumored to be deposed a year ago, suddenly did a few things in recent days and won the emperor's recognition.

On the other hand, the third prince was reprimanded several times by the emperor.

"Why do I feel that the crown prince seems to have suddenly become smarter?" the third prince asked doubtfully.

Liu Yunan, who was sitting opposite him, was wearing a light blue cape and holding a blue copper-based, gilded, filigree enamel hand warmer in his hands, looking quite cool.

"Indeed." Liu Yanan said softly, "It seems like the prince has grown an extra pair of eyes and has figured out the emperor's intention."

The Third Prince snorted coldly, his eyes filled with arrogance, "I grew up with him, I know his personality very well, he definitely doesn't have this ability, someone must be helping him. I just don't know who that person is."

Liu Luan thought about it for a while and said, "That person is probably someone close to the emperor, or someone close to you."

The third prince frowned and murmured, "The one next to me?"

"Well. Think about it, how many unknown conspirators are there around you recently?"

The Third Prince thought for a moment and said, "I can't think of it for now. I'll have someone check it out later."

"good."

After saying this, the Third Prince raised his hand and touched Liu An'an's slightly red face.

"An An, when do you plan to marry this prince?"

Liu Luan smiled, looked at the Third Prince seriously, and said, "No hurry."

The Third Prince had lost count of how many times he had heard the same answer.

"Of course I am anxious! I am very anxious! I dream of marrying you so that I can protect you and keep you away from the bullying of my stepmother and step-sister at home." The third prince said, holding Liu Luan'an's hand.

"Now my mother doesn't bother me anymore, my elder sister is married and rarely comes home. The most important thing for us right now is to deal with the crown prince. Only when the crown prince is deposed can we really feel at ease. Besides, Prince Jian is also..."

Before he could finish his words, Liu Luan was held in the arms of the Third Prince.

"But I think you are very important too. Wouldn't it be great if you could marry me soon and give birth to a son for me? The prince already has a son, but I don't."

Liu Li'an leaned his head on the Third Prince's shoulder for a while, and was about to say something. When he raised his head, his eyes looked across the lake at several pretty women in colorful clothes who were looking at him.

Seeing them, Liu Luan struggled to get rid of the Third Prince and said in a gentle tone: "There are many people who want to give birth to a son for you. You don't need to worry about it."

The third prince frowned slightly.

Liu Luan smiled, stood up and said, "It's getting late, I'll go back first. Don't sit too long, or you'll catch a cold. It's New Year's Day, and envoys from all over the world will be here. Don't let the crown prince steal the limelight."

After saying this, Liu Yunan bowed to the Third Prince and left.

The third prince was rejected by his beloved again. He looked extremely unhappy and took a sip of the wine on the table.

Soon, the person who was on the other side of the lake came to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Seeing the Third Prince unhappy, a girl in a peach-pink cloak said, "But Miss Liu has upset you again? She is just a concubine's daughter. If you didn't dote on her, who would take her seriously? You don't have to be angry about her. What kind of woman can you find? All the legitimate girls in the capital are vying to marry you."

Another girl who was dressed similarly to Liu Li'an, wearing a light blue cape and looking more aloof, said, "That's right, Miss Liu Er is not that good-looking either. She obviously likes you, but she still puts on airs and doesn't even consider her own status."

As soon as he finished speaking, the third prince threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground.

The girls surrounding him all knelt on the ground, not daring to say another word.

"Come here, send these people to the Imperial Music Bureau for this prince, and they will never be allowed to leave their slavery for the rest of their lives!"

After saying this, the Third Prince left the pavilion in the middle of the lake without even looking at the girls.

He did not hesitate even when they knelt down and begged for mercy or cried out heartbreakingly.

Liu Luan went out from the back door of the Third Prince's Mansion and got on the carriage.

After going up, Qing He looked at her face and asked in a low voice: "Miss, why are you still determined not to marry the Third Prince?"

Liu Xuan'an stroked the enamel hand warmer in his hand and said, "It's not the right time yet."

She was now in the Marquis's mansion, and Marquis Huai'en gave her the greatest freedom. Yin didn't bother her much, so she was very free. If she married the Third Prince and became his consort, she would be trapped in his mansion, managing his affairs, welcoming guests from all over the mansion, managing his concubines, and raising children.

Thinking about Yin's life, it really makes people feel extremely annoying and boring.

She knew that she was very smart, and there was no girl smarter than her in the entire Dali Dynasty. She also knew that she was irreplaceable in the heart of the Third Prince.

The third prince is a very proud man. He always wants the best.

Therefore, she is not in a hurry, because the position of queen belongs to her.

She wanted to become the queen directly after the third prince succeeded.

As an empress, she has power in her hands, far beyond that of a prince's wife, and she does not have to be trapped in the harem.

With her intelligence and talent, the Third Prince will definitely let her participate in court affairs.

At that time, she would deal with the affairs of the court and the world.

Now, another thing gradually emerged, that is King Jian.

Suddenly, there was the variable of Prince Jian, and many things caught people off guard. She had seen Prince Jian from a distance at the palace banquet. That man was very secretive, far from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. She didn't know whether he was really gentle and submissive, or just pretending.

The Third Prince didn't care much about him, but she felt that she had to be on guard against this man.

Now it seems that the Crown Prince has been favored by the Emperor again and can compete with the Third Prince, but in reality, both sides have lost a lot of power in the struggle.

It is a lose-lose situation.

As for those invisible forces, they seem to have disappeared into thin air, and no one knows where they have gone.

They all seem to be loyal to the emperor, but at the same time they make people feel that they are not that loyal.

She always felt that what happened in the court recently was closely related to Prince Jian.

"Let's go to the wine shop." Liu Yanan ordered.

"Yes, young lady." Qing He agreed. She didn't dare to ask any more questions.

The restaurant run by Liu Yanan was not only the largest restaurant in the Dali Dynasty, but also a place for delivering news.

She had sent people to Prince Jian's territory to investigate Prince Jian's affairs, but she had never found any useful information. She wondered if she could find something this time.

Not only Liu Xuan'an is busy, Liu Tangxi is also very busy at the moment.

It is already the end of the year, and this is the first New Year she spends with Wei Hanzhou, so she takes it very seriously.

She had someone buy the ingredients early and fried them at home.

When she lived in Weijia Village, her family was poor and reluctant to use meat when frying. But this time it was different. She bought a lot of meat.

She got up early in the morning and started to prepare the ingredients. Just as she finished, the troublemaker arrived.

"Oh, I came at a coincidence. There are so many delicious foods today." Princess Fuping said excitedly as she looked at the room full of food.

Liu Tangxi: ...

What she hates most is the chattering of children beside her when she is frying.

Fu Yao and the others were very well behaved and didn't say a word, but Princess Fuping was obviously not that well behaved and didn't listen to her.

"There's a strong smell of oil and smoke in here, Princess, you'd better go out and wait." Liu Tangxi said.

"No, no, I just like the smell of your cooking, it's so delicious." Princess Fuping refused.

Liu Tangxi glanced at Princess Fuping and continued, "We made a lot this time and used a lot of oil. Princess, is this a new shirt? I guess it will soon smell of oil smoke. And your hair will also smell, you should wash it later."

Princess Fuping frowned.

Other things are fine, but her hair is so long that it's very troublesome to wash it.

Liu Tangxi tugged at her clothes and said, "Look, I'm wearing ordinary clothes."

The maidservant and Nanny Cheng who were following beside her also advised Princess Fuping.

After all, the princess is a golden branch and jade leaf, and it would be bad if she got burned.

Under everyone's persuasion, Princess Fuping went out.

Seeing her leave, Liu Tangxi was relieved and exploded.

She has a lot of things to fry today.

However, thinking that Princess Fuping was outside, Liu Tangxi planned to fry some sweet potato balls for her first.

Mrs. Chen had already steamed the sweet potatoes and was now setting them aside for later use.

Liu Tangxi took it, mashed the sweet potato into a paste, added some glutinous rice flour and sugar, and then kneaded it into a large dough.

Then, take a little bit of dough, roll it into a ball and roll it with sesame seeds.

When the oil temperature is about right, put it in the pan and fry it.

After frying, Liu Tangxi asked someone to deliver the sweet potato balls to Princess Fuping.

Next, Liu Tangxi started to blow up according to his own steps.

Fried meat and vegetable balls, fish, fried chicken, etc.

Just after frying the crispy chicken, Princess Fuping ran in again.

"Your fried meatballs are so delicious, do you have any more?"

As soon as she asked, she found something else delicious. In that instant, she forgot about the sweet potato balls and picked up something else to eat.

Liu Tangxi once again advised her to go out and wait.

But this time she didn't listen to anyone and just stood there and started eating.

Liu Tangxi glanced at Nanny Cheng, and Nanny Cheng hurriedly went to look after Princess Fuping, fearing that she would be scalded.

Next, Liu Tangxi fried spring rolls, some with red bean paste and some with vegetables.

Princess Fuping ate and commented: "It's delicious, but fry some meat. I want to eat meat."

Liu Tangxi ignored her and started making lotus roots.

Without cutting the two lotus roots, put the prepared meat filling in the middle, flatten them, and then dip them in the batter with an egg.

Looking at Ouhe, Princess Fuping suddenly felt that the spring rolls in her hand were not fragrant anymore, and waited eagerly for Liu Tangxi to finish frying them.

However, every time she wanted to speak, Liu Tangxi glared at her.

Princess Fuping didn't dare to say anything. She covered her mouth and looked at the oil pan.

Soon, the lotus root was fried.

Princess Fuping cried out in pain because the food was so hot, but she ate it anyway.

While blowing, he said: "It's delicious, really delicious, fry more."

Liu Tangxi did not heed her call. After frying some lotus roots, he fried some crispy pork.

Finally, she started frying her favorite things.

Chicken fillet, chicken popcorn, chicken tenderloin, chicken drumstick, chicken and onion rings.

Princess Fuping had eaten the fried chicken steak from Liutangxi before, and it was delicious, but she had never tried anything else. Although her stomach was full at the moment, she still swallowed her saliva when she smelled the flavor.

After Liu Tangxi was fried out, Princess Fuping almost cried while eating.

"Why is this popcorn so delicious? How did you fry it... The chicken fillet is also delicious, I have never eaten it... Why is it called onion rings, it is obviously chicken."

"Eat less, or you'll get fat." Liu Tangxi said as he looked at Princess Fuping's face which was rounder than before.

Princess Fuping was still young and didn't care at all. She said, "No, my mother said that we should eat as much as we want during the New Year. Being fat is a blessing."

As she spoke, Princess Fuping pinched another popcorn.

After frying everything, Liu Tangxi lost all his appetite.

Looking at the room full of fried foods, she planned to send some to Yin.

However, under the watchful eye of Princess Fuping, she had to divide all the fried things into three parts and give her one part to take away.

Princess Fuping was in a very good mood as she ate and was able to take some with her. After she returned home, she asked someone to bring three large food boxes to the main courtyard.

"Mother, look, I brought you some delicious food. Uh, father, you are here too. Brother, there are delicious food here." Princess Fuping said.

"You, why did you come back just now? It's almost time for lunch." Princess Jian asked with a smile.

Princess Fuping smiled and said, "I'm going to see Madam Wei. I'm full for lunch, so I don't need to eat anymore."

As her daughter approached, Princess Jin frowned and asked, "Why do you smell so heavily of cooking oil? Go and change your clothes."

Princess Fuping explained, "She fried something today, so I stayed in the kitchen. But there's no rush to change clothes. You should try these delicious foods. They've just been fried, and they'll get cold if you don't eat them."

Princess Fuping recommended the three people.

Prince Jin smiled, stroked his daughter's hair, and said, "I was wondering why Zhenzhen has gained weight recently. It seems she has been going to the Wei Mansion quite often."

"That's right, she just complains that the food in our house is not tasty enough." Princess Jian said with a smile, "Your Highness, you must find a good cook for her as soon as possible."

Princess Fuping said, "That's not necessary. Even the chefs in the palace are not as good as her. It's better not to look for one."

Princess Jian had never eaten anything cooked by Liu Tangxi, but she was really curious after hearing her husband and children talk about it many times.

After washing her hands, she first gave a meatball to the King, and then she picked up a meatball and started eating it herself.

As soon as she took a bite, her eyes lit up.

"It's delicious indeed." said Princess Jian.

The King swallowed the meatball in two or three bites and said, "Yes, it is. This is the second time I have eaten something she made since I ate a bowl of noodles made by her. It is really delicious."

Seeing that his father and mother had eaten, Xie Congli wanted to make a meatball himself.

Princess Fuping said, "Brother, eat this. This is delicious. Madam Wei said it's called popcorn."

"good."

Afterwards, Princess Fuping looked at the three food boxes with nine layers of food and introduced them one by one.

King Jian and his companions were not the kind of people who cared much about food, but the food made by Liu Tangxi was so delicious that the whole family could not stop eating when they got together.

Princess Fuping had already eaten her fill, but when she saw everyone else eating, she sat aside and started eating again.

In the end, they ate most of the three food boxes.

Especially Prince Jin and the Crown Prince, they ate a lot.

Of course, there is no need to eat lunch.

Princess Jian quickly asked someone to prepare oil-removing tea to reduce the greasy smell.

"We can't eat other people's food for free. Let's have someone send some food over later." Princess Jian said.

Prince Jian thought for a moment and said, "Let's have someone quietly deliver it after dark."

Princess Jian glanced at Prince Jian and said, "Okay."

It gets dark early in winter. When Liu Tangxi woke up from his nap, it was dark soon.

When Wei Hanzhou returned home, it was already dark.

Just as he arrived at the door of his house, he saw Huang Fucheng from next door walking towards him.

He knew at a glance that Prime Minister Huang was waiting for him.

Huang Fucheng has been in high spirits recently and I heard that he is about to be promoted again.

"Congratulations, sir." Wei Hanzhou said something politely.

Although Wei Hanzhou didn't say it explicitly, everyone understood it in their hearts.

Huang Fucheng was also very proud of his promotion. He nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Master Wei, you are too polite."

After a few pleasantries, Huang Fucheng said, "Thank you, Lord Wei, for helping me and the Crown Prince. These are some gifts from the Crown Prince, and I hope you will accept them."

Wei Hanzhou lowered his eyes to glance at the box in Huang Fucheng's hand and said, "Your Excellency is too polite. The Crown Prince is the crown prince, and helping him is supporting the orthodoxy. I have not done anything, so please don't take it to heart."

After saying that, Wei Hanzhou wanted to enter the mansion.

Huang Fucheng looked at the box in his hand, then looked at Wei Hanzhou's back and said, "Master Wei, I still have a question, I hope you can answer it."

Wei Hanzhou stopped, turned around, and said, "Master Huang, please speak."

Huang Fucheng straightened his face and said, "Everyone knows that the Third Prince has his heart set on the Second Lady of the Marquis of Huai'en Mansion, and he wants to marry her. The Marquis of Huai'en clearly supports the Third Prince. As the Marquis of Huai'en's son-in-law, why don't you help the Third Prince, but help the Crown Prince instead?"

Wei Hanzhou said, "My wife is indeed the daughter of Marquis Huai En. But, Lord Huang may not know that my wife is the legitimate daughter, and Miss Liu is the illegitimate daughter. The two of them fought to the death in the palace, and my wife's murder was also related to them. In this case, how could I help the third prince?"

After saying that, Wei Hanzhou bowed to Huang Fucheng and went home.

Thinking of how much Wei Hanzhou valued his wife, Huang Fucheng's eyes gleamed with a smile on his lips.

At this moment, Liu Tangxi was sitting on the couch in the inner room making a cotton-padded coat for Wei Hanzhou. Hearing the noise, she put down the work in her hands, came out with a smile, and took off his cloak.

Looking at the snowflakes on his cloak, Liu Tangxi asked, "Why is it snowing outside again?"

Wei Hanzhou said: "Yes, it has come down, but not much."

"Your hands are frozen. Hurry up and drink a bowl of soup to warm them up."

"good."

During the meal, Liu Tangxi told Wei Hanzhou what he had done during the day, especially about the visit of Princess Fuping.

"Princess Fuping often comes to our house. Tell me, if others knew about this, would they think that you are supporting Prince Jian now?"

Liu Tangxi likes Princess Fuping very much. Although this princess is sometimes a little bossy, she is still a simple and lovely girl at heart.

Wei Hanzhou gave Liu Tangxi a piece of fish with his chopsticks and said, "No."

"Why?"

Wei Hanzhou said: "The Third Prince is concerned about your second sister, and almost everyone will put me in the Third Prince's camp. Including the Emperor. After all, if the Third Prince ascends the throne, you will be the Empress's sister, which is a very close relationship. Others will not think that we are so stupid as to support Prince Jian over something close to us."

Liu Tangxi was relieved and said, "That's good. But if she comes all the time, will it affect you?"

"Neither will I." After picking out the fish bones, Wei Hanzhou picked up a piece of fish meat for Liu Tangxi with his chopsticks. "I have never had any private contact with Prince Jian and the Crown Prince. And it is well known in the capital that the food you cook is delicious, so it is not a big deal for the princess to ask you for food. Didn't someone ask you for a cake recipe before?"

Liu Tangxi suddenly realized.

So, she wanted Prince Jian to take the throne, so she was a little sensitive.

However, just after dinner, I heard that someone came to give a return gift.

"My princess said thank you Madam Wei for entertaining my princess. My princess is sorry for causing you trouble."

Liu Tangxi looked at Wei Hanzhou's expression. Wei Hanzhou said it was okay to accept it, so Liu Tangxi accepted it.

Although Wei Hanzhou didn't say anything, Liu Tangxi felt a little uneasy.

The next day, she went to the dried fruit shop and asked someone to make a lot of candied haws and aloe vera, and combined them with dried fruits from the shop and some fresh fruits, and sent them to several people she knew. These were all things she had touched before, so they were naturally delicious.

By the second half of the afternoon, she received quite a few return gifts.

After doing this, Liu Tangxi felt that the return gift from Prince Jin's Mansion yesterday was nothing.

After all, among these people there are the Princess's Mansion, the Crown Princess's parents' family, the Empress's parents' family, and so on.

The New Year has arrived amidst everyone’s welcoming and seeing off.

This was Liu Tangxi's first New Year as the head of the family, and it was also the most lonely New Year she had ever spent. She and Wei Hanzhou were the only two people at home. Some of the other servants were her companions, and the family came together to reunite in the mansion. Some family members were still in the marquis' mansion or the general's mansion, so she asked them to go back.

Wei Hanzhou no longer had to write couplets. Liu Tangxi called him over to help make dumplings.

When it was evening, Liu Tangxi warmed up a pot of hot wine, and the two of them sat together and drank two glasses.

Listening to the noisy sounds outside, the room seemed even quieter.

Liu Tangxi had intended to stay up all night to celebrate the New Year, but unfortunately his alcohol tolerance was too poor and he felt dizzy after just a few sips.

"Wei Hanzhou, what are your New Year wishes?" Liu Tangxi asked while looking at the snowflakes floating outside the house.

"Where is my wife?" Wei Hanzhou asked.

Liu Tangxi turned her head and said, "I hope you are safe and sound, and I hope both of us are safe and sound. What about you?"

Wei Hanzhou looked into Liu Tangxi's eyes and said, "I hope all your wishes will come true."

Liu Tangxi felt dizzy and saw Wei Hanzhou's face twice. She waved her hand, touched Wei Hanzhou's face, pinched it, and said, "Your little mouth is so sweet!"

Wei Hanzhou's Adam's apple moved slightly. He finished the wine in the glass, put the glass down, held Liu Tangxi's head, and slowly kissed her bright red lips.

He kissed Liu Tangxi until she blushed, then he left and said in a hoarse voice, "Not as sweet as my wife's."

Liu Tangxi was even more dizzy from the kiss. She raised her arms and put them around Wei Hanzhou's neck, saying, "Let me taste you, too."

Then he kissed her back.

Soon, there was the sound of firecrackers outside the house. Inside the house, the pomegranate pendant hanging on the bed curtain, which symbolized fertility and good fortune, swayed.

After a long time, everything inside and outside returned to peace.

And the new year is coming. ,,