Chapter 229: The mansion is given to the neighbors, and the house is filled with joy
The snow stopped, and sunlight pierced the clouds, gilding the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City with a golden glow. In the courtyard of Shufangzhai, the snow had been swept under the corridors and piled into small hills, revealing the wet sheen on the bluestone slabs. Little Swallow was squatting under a crabapple tree, using a branch to draw a house on the snow-covered mud. Halfway through, she suddenly clapped her hands, "No, no, the palace courtyard needs to be bigger. It needs a martial arts training ground and a swing!"
"Whatever courtyard you desire, the Emperor has prepared it for you." Yongqi walked in from outside, a chill on his body, but he draped a gold-embroidered cloak over her shoulders. "I just came back from the Yangxin Palace, and the Emperor gave me a residence. It's in the royal residence next to the Fang Mansion. It was originally an unused courtyard that was renovated a few years ago, and now it's perfect for us to use as our wedding room."
Xiaoyanzi stood up suddenly, and the branch fell to the ground with a "crack", her eyes widened: "Next to the Fang Mansion? The house across the alley from my back wall?" She remembered that the gate of the house was closed and the courtyard wall was very high. When she moved in last year, she asked Xiao Jian who lived there. Xiao Jian said that it was a royal property and had been empty.
"That's right." Yongqi nodded with a smile, took out a blueprint from his sleeve and handed it to her, "The Emperor had the layout changed according to our preferences. A martial arts training ground was set up in the backyard, and your favorite crabapple and peach trees were planted. They will bloom in spring." The house on the blueprint was only separated from the Fang Mansion by a narrow alley. There was a connecting corner gate on the drawing, marked "Prince's Mansion - Fang Mansion Corner Gate".
Xiaoyanzi spun around holding the blueprint, her red cape like a blooming flower. "Great! From now on, whenever I miss my parents, I can just go through the corner gate and they'll be there. No need for a sedan!" She grabbed Yongqi's sleeve and ran out. "Let's go tell my parents! They'll be so happy!"
The Fang residence was warm and cozy. Fang Zhihang sat on a rosewood chair, abacus in hand, completing the final calculation of his daughter's dowry. Fang's mother, beside him, placed folded silks into a red lacquer box, muttering, "This piece of brocade will make the mattress cover, and that piece of Suzhou embroidery will make the quilt cover. Ci'er is afraid of the cold, so we need to prepare a few more thick quilts."
"Dad! Mom!" Xiaoyanzi's voice floated in before she even entered the house. She rushed into the living room and slammed the blueprint on the table. "The emperor has given us a mansion! It's right next door to ours! He even drew a corner gate so I can come home anytime!"
Fang's mother's silver scissors clanged onto the embroidery frame. She hurried over, put on her reading glasses, and carefully examined the blueprint. She pointed at the corner door with her finger, and her eyes suddenly reddened. "This... This emperor is so considerate..." She took Fang Zhihang's hand, her voice trembling. "Look, old man, it will be so convenient for our daughter to come home in the future. She won't have to wait for a palace banquet to see her anymore."
Fang Zhihang held his wife's shoulders, looked at the connected houses on the blueprint, stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Good! Good! The emperor is thoughtful! Yongqi is a sensible child, he knows we can't bear to part with our daughter." He turned to Yongqi, who had followed him in, and patted his shoulder solemnly, "From now on, my daughter is in your care. Our house is next door, and if she is wronged, I, as a father, will be the first to disapprove."
"Don't worry, uncle." Yongqi bowed and said sincerely, "I will spend my whole life protecting Xiaoyanzi, making her happy and never letting her suffer any grievance." He wore a dark blue casual suit today, with a newly acquired Prince Rong jade belt tied around his waist - the emperor had just issued an edict, and to show his respect, he was specially named "Prince Rong", given a prince's guard of honor, and his mansion was renovated according to the prince's regulations.
"And he was even given the title of Prince?" Fang Zhihang looked at the jade belt around Yongqi's waist, his surprise even greater. "The Emperor has really honored our Ci'er!" He turned and shouted to the housekeeper, "Quick, bring out that jar of twenty-year-old daughter's red wine from the storeroom. We need to celebrate today!"
As he was speaking, Xiao Jian returned from outside, his shoulders covered in unmelted snow. He carried a food box in his hands. "I just came back from the guesthouse. Liu Qing said that after learning that I'd been granted a mansion, he had the kitchen make some traditional Jiangnan snacks." He opened the box, revealing sweet-scented osmanthus cake, Dingsheng cake, and Xiaoyanzi's favorite candied fruit. "The Emperor also told the Ministry of Works to begin work on the corner gate tomorrow, and to have it completed before the wedding."
"Big Brother is the best!" Little Swallow picked up a piece of sugar-coated fruit and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "Once the corner gate is repaired, I'll go to the guesthouse every day for free meals and ask Jinsuo to make me sweet and sour fish!"
Mother Fang smiled and brushed off the sugar residue on her hand. "You're about to get married, yet you're still so greedy." She took Xiaoyanzi's hand and touched the gold bracelet on her wrist. "From now on, when you're in the palace, you have to learn to be the mistress of the house. You can't be so willful like you were at your mother's house."
"I know, mother!" Xiaoyanzi hugged Fang's mother's arm and said coquettishly, "I have Yongqi to help me! If he dares to dislike me, I will run home through the corner gate and make you punish him by making him copy the "Instructions for Women"!"
Yongqi shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were full of doting: "How dare I dislike you? I love you so much." He looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly after the snow. Red lanterns were hung under the eaves of the Fang Mansion. When the wind blew, the lanterns swayed gently, and the red light was sprinkled on the snow, which was warm.
In the living room, Fang Zhihang and Xiao Jian were discussing the mansion's layout. Fang's mother was whispering to Xiaoyanzi. Yongqi sat nearby, listening to the laughter that filled the room, his heart warming. In the distance, the sound of palace musicians practicing wedding music drifted in the distance. The crisp suona music mixed with laughter, drifting far into the clear sky after the snowfall. This consummation, spanning two lifetimes, was approaching them step by step, riding on the warm sunshine and joy.
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