On New Year's Eve, when I woke up early in the morning, the outside world was already covered in white, and it seemed to blend into the distant horizon.
Li Shiyue, who was supposed to stay up all night at Shousong Hall, did not expect to wake up so early today. Instead of getting up, she simply turned to her side and lay down on the edge.
Listening to the east wind pattering against the windowpanes, before she could even listen closely, she heard light footsteps beside her: "Has the young lady woken up?"
Li Shiyue did not respond, but moved her head slightly under the covers.
Once she was sure the young lady was awake, Chunling lifted the bed curtains and looked at Li Shiyue, who was wrapped in a quilt on the bed. A smile appeared on her lips as she spoke: "Miss, it's time to get up. You have to pay your respects to the old lady today."
It's not just about paying respects; on New Year's Eve, we also have to wish our elders a Happy New Year. Last year, we even received red envelopes from them, as if they were still children.
"Find my red outfit, the same one my cousin is wearing."
Li Shiyue suddenly threw off the covers, startling Chunling. It was obvious which outfit Li Shiyue was referring to.
"Don't worry, young lady, Sister Lian Dong has already made preparations and is just waiting for the two of you to wear matching outfits today."
Li Shiyue got up and let Chunling and the others wash and dress her. Her red feather satin cloak was embroidered with light plum blossom buds in gold thread on the cuffs and collar. Inside, she wore a silver-white undergarment wrapped in a red and gold embroidered skirt.
As they walked outside Shousong Hall, they happened to meet the Duke of Rongguo and his wife, as well as the three Xu brothers. Upon seeing Li Shiyue and the others, they were all slightly surprised.
"Uncle and Aunt, cousins." Li Shiyue was the first to greet them. When she looked at Xu Lingzi, she couldn't help but meet the eyes of the person standing next to Xu Lingzi.
I was taken aback. Xu Yunci's silver-red robe today was also embroidered with budding plum blossoms in gold thread, and even his hair was tied up with a gold crown, which was clearly decorated with a piece of Hetian jade.
Xu Lingzi, who was wearing the exact same clothes as her, walked over with a smile and took her hand: "Father, Mother, doesn't Yan Yan look good in these?"
"Beautiful, beautiful." The Duke of Rongguo's smile was undisguised. He looked at his daughter and then at his niece, his face beaming with joy.
Madam Yang glanced at him helplessly, but didn't remind him of his usual composure as the head of the family. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to indulge himself a little today.
"Go and let Mother take a look. I don't know if Mother can tell the two of them apart."
“I think so too. Fifth Sister and Yan Yan are dressed the same. If I saw them from behind, I couldn’t tell them apart.” Xu Yunxu rubbed his hands together, revealing a rare mischievous look.
Sure enough, as soon as they entered, Granny Chang, who was greeting them, looked at the two sisters behind her and didn't react for a moment. But when she saw Li Shiyue's lips gradually turn up and Xu Lingzi wink playfully, she seemed to understand something.
"Madam, the Duke and his wife have come with their sons and daughters to wish you a Happy New Year."
Madam Xu sat on the warm couch, having abandoned her favorite gold hairpin today, and instead wore a set of jadeite headdress, the rubies on which were even more precious.
"Mother, your son/daughter-in-law wishes you a Happy New Year."
The Duke of Rong and Lady Yang stood together, and although decades had passed, the deep affection between them remained unchanged.
This naturally pleased Old Madam Xu. Her gaze swept over the four younger generation standing in a row. She was unfazed by the two Xu brothers, but when she saw Xu Lingzi and Li Shiyue, she was clearly taken aback.
"The grandson pays New Year's greetings to his (maternal) grandmother."
After realizing what was happening, he pointed at the two of them and smiled, "Okay, okay, both are fine."
The four of them didn't get up from the cushions. Instead, they changed direction and paid their respects to the Duke and Duchess Rong for the New Year. Each of them received two thick red envelopes.
The cushions were thick and soft, so even kneeling on them didn't hurt my knees. We'd only been sitting for a short while when the fourth branch of the family came over to offer their New Year's greetings. Following the same procedure, we all sat down together.
Zhou noticed Xu Lingzi and Li Shiyue's clothes and her eyes flickered slightly: "It has to be the young lady, she looks so good in red."
The two sisters smiled at each other, got up with Xu Yunci, and wished Xu Huailou and his wife a Happy New Year. They had finally received so many red envelopes that their hands were sore from receiving them that morning.
This year during the Spring Festival, Xie Yizhi was also there. He sat quietly to one side. The journey was long, and there were still some things he hadn't resolved, so naturally he wouldn't leave the capital.
When Xie Yizhi saw Li Shiyue's clothes, he didn't listen to Yang Shi and Zhou Shi gossiping to Old Madam Xu. His attention was drawn to Xu Yunci. Compared to the clothes that were exactly the same as Xu Lingzi's, was he the only one who felt that Li Shiyue's clothes and Xu Yunci's clothes were inexplicably well-matched?
As soon as the thought popped into his head, Xie Yizhi's gaze darkened. Xu Yunci turned his head and met his gaze.
Without flinching, Xie Yizhi went straight to meet Xu Yunci's gaze, letting him scrutinize and investigate. His smile deepened.
Li Shiyue saw all of this. The two of them seemed to be playing a riddle; they were both acting strangely.
We didn't eat breakfast this morning because we wanted the whole family to eat together today. Compared to previous years, Xie Yizhi was there today, but the second family was not.
It wasn't that they were being ruthless; with the year-end approaching, all the proper etiquette was observed. Unfortunately, people were grumbling and complaining, making them feel like they were being given charity. So, the Duke of Rong simply didn't mention anything.
Fortunately, Madam Xu wasn't genuinely looking out for the second branch of the family. In her opinion, the Duke and Duchess Rong were one thing, but even if Xu Yunci were here, he would know how to handle social niceties, so she didn't need to remind him.
A round table was set up, and the family members sat together in order. Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue sat on either side of Old Madam Xu, as if it was a matter that the whole family had tacitly agreed to, and no one had any objections.
Xie Yizhi, who was attending the Xu family banquet for the first time, could not hide his surprise. He quickly composed himself and sat down next to Xu Yunxu.
He wanted to ask, but didn't know how to bring it up, and the occasion wasn't appropriate. As he hesitated, he met Xu Yunxu's gaze beside him. He lowered his head to eat his breakfast, but couldn't ignore the gaze coming from somewhere else.
"My second uncle's position as Vice Minister of Rites has been demoted back to his original fifth-rank official position. Xu Yunyang will also be demoted if he fails the Ministry of Personnel's year-end assessment."
Xu Yunci's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear. He brought it up on purpose, which showed that Old Madam Xu still had some consideration for the second branch of the family. On the other hand, he wanted to see Xie Yizhi's reaction.
In recent days, the Jingzhao Prefecture has uncovered many interesting things. It seems that the Xie family is working for someone, and Xie Yizhi's entry into the capital is probably related to this. Moreover, the corruption in Huayuan County has even implicated the Xie family. It's just unknown what role the Xie family is playing in all of this.
He did it on purpose. After saying that, Xu Yunci looked at Xie Yizhi, not wanting to miss the change in his expression.
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