Shu Chengfeng naturally wouldn't answer such a question.
But he knew very well in his heart, how could that be?
No one else is as unreserved as her.
Yan Nangui wouldn't press the matter with that question. After the meal was served, both of them were quite hungry, and eating their fill was the priority.
After spending the night at Jiyue Pavilion, the Crown Prince went to Consort Su's place the next day.
Then, it's time to prepare for the Chinese New Year.
It's still terribly cold. Beijing is located in the north, and winters are always very cold.
This year isn't particularly unusual, but it is indeed colder than last year and the year before.
Yan Nangui looked at the clothes sent from the mansion's sewing room and nodded. At least at first glance, they were thick and sturdy, and the colors were quite nice. The stitches were fine and dense, showing that it had taken a lot of effort to make them.
"Please try it on first, Your Highness. If anything is not quite right, we servants will have time to make changes. There are still three days left," a nanny said with a smile.
This one is quite favored, mainly because she's very generous; they're in a rush to get her.
Yan Nangui randomly picked a few items to try on; they were about right and didn't need any changes.
They don't take the money for nothing.
The head maid breathed a sigh of relief, and the other maids were also relieved.
The wild geese returned south, and after rewarding them, they were sent away.
Just as I finished tidying up my clothes, a reward was delivered from the front yard.
"Lady, these are the jewelry His Highness the Crown Prince gave you," said the eunuch in the front courtyard.
"Yes, thank you very much." With that, he asked Jiangxiang to reward him.
"I inquired. The main courtyard has some, the two concubines have some, the two ladies-in-waiting have some, and Ning Chenghui and Xia Fengyi have some," Chanyi returned after a while and said.
Yan Nangui nodded. This was a private reward, and not everyone would receive it.
"The Crown Princess just gave an order that pregnant women do not need to come to the palace for the New Year and can stay at home to rest," Chanyi added.
"Oh? The Crown Princess has put a lot of thought into this." Yan Nangui nodded.
Hopefully she didn't have any bad intentions, but it's probably impossible that she harmed two pregnant women at once.
Therefore, the Crown Princess may really want to protect them.
On New Year's Eve, we had to go to the palace and kowtow to our ancestors early in the morning.
Yan Nangui followed the Crown Princess, and her kneeling position was relatively close to the front.
It was still dark in the morning, and it was unusually cold.
Fortunately, there was no wind today, so everyone managed to hold on.
After we have finished paying our respects, we will go to the Empress Dowager's Longevity Palace, where today's family banquet will be held.
To get from the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the Longevity Palace, you have to walk through most of the palace.
Everyone was exhausted from walking, but there was nothing we could do. The only good thing was that it wasn't so cold anymore.
By the time we arrived at Changshou Palace, it was already daylight.
Those who could ride in sedan chairs had already gone long ago.
When the others arrived, Empress Dowager Jiang had already changed her clothes.
She had just gone to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to kneel and worship as well.
Everyone finally returned and tidied themselves up, mainly because after walking for half an hour in this weather, they were afraid they would have runny noses once they entered the warm room.
Most people were hungry, so the feast wouldn't start until noon.
At this time, everyone could only eat a few bites of snacks while changing clothes.
Yan Nangui was too lazy to eat, so he just drank a few sips of hot tea.
Then they had to come out and talk to the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
The imperial concubines are all here. Although everyone is smiling, it's not hard to tell that they are all quite tired.
Finally, just as noon was approaching, His Majesty arrived with the Crown Prince and the princes.
The atmosphere became lively, and the banquet finally began.
Everyone first offered a toast to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Shu Zhongjing smiled, looking very happy.
"Your Majesty, I wish you ever-improving health." It was finally Consort Fang's turn.
"Very well, Consort Fang knows how to speak. Convey my decree, promote her to the rank of Jieyu." Shu Zhongjing said with a smile.
Firstly, Fang Meiren is pregnant; secondly, this woman is very considerate, and he has grown quite fond of her lately.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Consort Fang!" Consort Zhen said with a smile. "Sister Fang is excellent. You've already given her a rank, so how about giving her an additional title?" Consort Zhen said with a smile.
Shu Zhongjing nodded: "That's true, but I can't think of one right now. Why don't you think of one for me, my dear consort?"
Consort Zhen smiled and said, "That's easy. My sister's surname is Fang, so how about we give her the name Fang? It's fragrant and beautiful, isn't that wonderful?"
"Very well, then bestow this title upon you. My beloved consort is indeed very thoughtful. Here, present to you the inkstone I received a few days ago. You enjoy painting, so I imagine it will come in handy," said Shu Zhongjing.
Everyone knows that His Majesty recently acquired an inkstone made of an extremely precious stone.
He liked it so much that in the blink of an eye, he bestowed it upon Consort Zhen.
Consort Zhen is indeed truly favored.
Even if someone is promoted to the rank of Jieyu in public, what does that prove?
That's what everyone thinks.
Of course, not everyone.
At the family banquet, His Majesty deliberately gave Consort Zhen a hard time, but whose face was being slapped? It goes without saying.
But the women in the harem couldn't possibly say anything.
The Empress wore a polite smile, but in her heart she truly hated them.
She had originally intended to bring up the matter of Consort Fang herself and ask His Majesty to handle it accordingly. However, His Majesty bypassed her and did it anyway.
It makes her, as the empress, seem useless.
As for using Consort Zhen to slap her in the face, to be honest, she's gotten used to it.
The banquet went on until late at night, and Yan Nangui was already quite tired from sitting.
Just as we were finally able to leave the palace, it started snowing again. After a long and difficult journey, we finally got into the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief.
The journey back to the manor was still quite far, so Yan Nangui closed his eyes to rest.
Thinking about what happened today, the carriage suddenly lurched, and a chill ran through it.
Shu Chengfeng was already sitting down beside her: "Is Nan Gui sleepy?"
Yan Nangui nodded: "Why did Your Highness come here?"
"It's too cold, I don't want to ride a horse."
The only ones who came out today were the Crown Princess, Lady Ye, Lady Su, and Lady Yan.
He was feeling annoyed and didn't want to go to their place, so he got into her car.
Because the Shu family's ancestors were a people who conquered the world on horseback, even though people have almost forgotten their past, there are still some rules that remain.
For example, princes were advised to ride horses as much as possible and avoid using carriages when traveling.
People don't usually pay much attention to this, but they become especially particular about it during the Lunar New Year.
It's snowing outside, and there's also wind.
It's pitch black now, shouldn't he find a warm place? It'll be a while before he gets back to the manor.
"Your Highness, why aren't you used to it yet? I've been in the Yan family for so many years, and I've made a scene too. But I've found that I'm just destined to have no family. So, I just have to vent my anger."
"What are you talking about?" Shu Chengfeng feigned ignorance.
"I say, His Majesty must have truly loved Consort Zhen in the past, otherwise he wouldn't have defied the world. But now, I'm afraid even the red rose has become mosquito blood. With interests at the forefront, what need is there for true love?"
"Tsk, you woman." He didn't want to use his brain at the moment, but she insisted on making things clear.
Yan Nangui looked at him with an expression that clearly said, "Don't come here."
Well, given the freezing weather, Shu Chengfeng sighed and leaned back.
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