Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, a time when families traditionally visit each other to exchange New Year's greetings and reunite.
She then remembered the Third Prince, "So the Third Prince and his wife didn't come?"
Su Yue quickly lowered her voice, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? The former Third Prince was demoted to a commoner, and the Third Prince's wife went mad long ago."
You Ran: ...
She tried hard to recall that year, the woman who arrogantly said she wanted to become the Third Prince's wife, I think her surname was Jiang.
She asked it.
Su Yue nodded. "That's right. She was Empress Jiang's niece. Not long after she married the Third Prince, Empress Jiang was deposed and her family was wiped out. Fortunately, she was a married woman, so she was spared. But she was the daughter of a Duke's family. How could she endure the hardships of an ordinary person? She went mad after only a few months of becoming a commoner with the Third Prince."
He remained silent for a long while.
When she arrived at Ning'an Palace, she saw that Emperor Shunqing, Empress Dowager Zhou, Prince Ming, and her third sister Yun Manying had already built the Great Wall with a loud clatter.
Wanwan and Princess An'an, the two little ones, were playing cat's cradle, while Qianqian was playing chess with Prince Hao, who was only nine years old after the New Year.
You Ran first offered New Year's greetings to her father and mother.
Then……
Apart from Wanwan excitedly shouting to wish her mother a Happy New Year, everyone else just gave perfunctory greetings to the Empress.
You Ran's lips twitched. Well, everyone can do their own thing.
A moment later, the eldest princess and the Grand Preceptor and their family of four arrived, followed a little later by Yueyue and Su Youchen and their family of three.
The clatter of mahjong tiles finally ceased at Ning'an Palace, replaced by a cacophony of chatter.
After exchanging New Year's greetings and giving out red envelopes, Wanwan exclaimed in surprise and delight, "Mom, so there are lucky money for the New Year? You have to make up for the ones you didn't give us before."
His words made everyone burst into laughter.
After a while of joking around, Yueyue pulled You Ran aside with concern and whispered, "Why did you suddenly do that? Tell your sister-in-law the truth, is the Emperor having health problems again?"
After saying that, she glanced in Su Youchen's direction as well.
You Ran knew that her brother must have guessed something, and simply nodded, "Don't worry, we know what we're doing. He'll be fine, and the Great Zhou's empire will be safe."
Seeing her so certain, Yueyue simply stopped asking and started chatting about other things with a smile.
The family enjoyed a harmonious lunch together, and then had two more meals in the afternoon for a harmonious dinner.
When it was time to part in the evening, Empress Dowager Zhou remarked with emotion, "In all my decades in the palace, I have never experienced such an ordinary yet heartwarming Lunar New Year's Day."
Chu Heng had already given the order that no outside guests would be allowed on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Emperor and Empress, along with their children, returned to the Empress's family home, and it was another joyful day.
Starting from the third day of the Lunar New Year, officials and their wives would come to the palace to pay New Year's visits.
Chu Heng had been emperor for many years, and no one dared to underestimate his imperial power. Therefore, few officials came to harass him, and even if they did, they quickly took their leave.
As the newly crowned Empress, Su Youran wanted to take this opportunity to get to know the ladies of the various households. The ladies, in turn, had no reason to be negligent, so she was busy until the day before the Lantern Festival before things finally calmed down.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Su Youran and Chu Heng "eloped" out of the palace.
Both were dressed in their own clothes, and with their excellent lightness skills, they easily shook off the guards and palace maids and hid in Fuxi Tower.
When the Shen brothers, the owners of Fuxi Restaurant, saw You Ran, they were first shocked. Then, when they saw the handsome young man intimately embracing her, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they knelt down immediately.
He waved his hand leisurely, "Stop with all the formalities, hurry up and bring out a feast of 'Gold and Jade,' it's making my mouth water!"
Soon after, the meal was served.
He leisurely began to feast.
Chu Heng looked at You Ran, who was eating with great relish, and suddenly sighed, "Now I know why you were unwilling to enter the palace before."
You Ran gave him a bright smile, "Hmm? It's not just for this food! Your little sister will take you out to have some fun later!"
Chu Heng patted the top of her head and softly responded, "Mmm."
"Come, come, Ziyuan, you've definitely eaten at this kind of banquet before, but you've probably never eaten it like this!" She picked up a piece of eight-treasure duck and stuffed it into her mouth. "Just pick whatever you like! Eat whichever you want, and don't touch what you don't want. No one will say anything if you eat a few more bites of what you like!"
Chu Heng looked at her, no longer hesitated, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat heartily as well.
He grew up in the palace and was taught by the emperor's tutor. Later, he was poisoned and was constantly pursued by various life-and-death hunters.
When love first blossoms, one suffers from unrequited love, and rarely experiences true joy in life.
After ascending the throne, he received guidance even on eating, sleeping, and using the toilet.
I didn't understand why You Ran was unwilling to give up her freedom outside the palace.
I never imagined that I would actually get to experience what freedom is like today.
With this in mind, he felt even more excited about the rest of the trip.
Sure enough, after the meal, the two rested for a while and then began to wander around the streets aimlessly.
I tried all the snacks in Kyoto, but I was too full, so I only had a few bites.
The remaining food was not wasted; it was given to the beggars on the roadside.
I also bought some trinkets, and we strolled around eating, looking at things, and playing games, having a great time.
As night falls and the lamps slowly illuminate the scene, it presents a completely different picture.
You Ran led Chu Heng through the lanterns, creating a unique and enjoyable experience.
As Chu Heng gazed at You Ran's bright smile in the dim light, a sudden wave of melancholy washed over him. He realized that he had ultimately trapped her within the high walls of the palace.
She turned around leisurely and saw Chu Heng's expression in the flickering lights. Knowing what he was thinking, she smiled and walked over, taking his arm. "Husband, look, today there is no court affairs, no memorials, no Father Emperor, no Mother Emperor, no one from the night before last. It's just the two of us. Isn't it wonderful?"
Chu Heng turned to look at her, his eyes only on her, "Yes, marrying me is a hardship for you."
"Are you serious?" You Ran pinched his arm. "How dare you say that in front of all the officials and their wives? If you dare to say that the Empress has been wronged, the whole world could drown me with their spit!"
Chu Heng burst into laughter.
You Ran laughed heartily, grabbed him, and they ran wildly through the dimly lit streets.
They ran and ran until they were both exhausted, and then they stopped, panting heavily.
She patted the steps beside her. "Come on, sit down and rest."
Looking at her cheerful smile, Chu Heng couldn't help but smile as well. "You Ran, so this is what freedom feels like. I understand now."
She rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't understand. I only really figured it out recently. The freedom of one Su Youran is just the freedom of one Su Youran. But the freedom of the Empress of Great Zhou could create the freedom of millions of people in Great Zhou. Do you understand?"
Chu Heng was startled.
Thinking back to the high-quality grain seeds she had previously presented, and the plans she was about to undertake, he immediately understood what she meant.
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