Chapter 201 The New Year Begins

The moon is above the treetops, and the whole place is quiet.

The bustle in the general's mansion also returned to calm.

The firecracker scraps on the ground at the door were now slowly blowing in the cold wind.

In Xitang Courtyard.

Shang Ji and Du Jingyi lay down with their clothes on and fell asleep in each other's arms.

"After the Lantern Festival, I will be going back to the camp. I probably won't have that much time to spend with you then."

Shang Ji held Du Jingyi in his arms, patting her back as he talked, as if he was coaxing a child to sleep.

Du Jingyi was so sleepy that he could hardly keep his eyelids open.

So when I heard this, I just mumbled something.

"General, don't worry. I will take good care of myself. My grandmother and aunt are here to support me. It will be fine."

Shang Ji naturally knew in his heart that there was nothing wrong, but he just couldn't help but care.

Today is New Year's Eve. I originally wanted to talk to her more, but she was really tired, so I had to let go of the thought and whispered a few more words into Du Jingyi's ear.

"Go to sleep, I'll watch over you."

"Um."

Du Jingyi fell into a deep sleep without even struggling.

After feeling the even breathing of the person next to him, Shang Ji smiled lightly.

Once upon a time, if someone told him that he didn't even want to turn over in his sleep and just wanted to live a life with his wife and children, he would probably be dismissive.

But now I have truly experienced it, and I know what it means to be together forever under the full moon and beautiful flowers.

He closed his eyes and rested his head on Du Jingyi's hair, feeling her warm breath, and fell into a deep sleep.

One night and dawn.

The brand new 26th year of Xian De came quietly in the chill.

According to the rules of the Daxing Dynasty, there is no curfew from the first day to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and the people can make as much noise as they want.

Therefore, except for the Gyeonggi Division who were under greater pressure, everyone else was enjoying themselves and having fun, so Sui'an City was bustling with activity whether it was day or night.

Since the gate of the general's mansion was opened on the first day of the new year, it has been crowded with people.

Today this person comes to give gifts, and tomorrow that person comes to visit relatives.

However, the gate of the Duke's Mansion seemed a little desolate amid the hustle and bustle.

The first day of the first lunar month.

Shang Ji brought Du Jingyi, his eldest sister-in-law Liu, his eighth sister Xue Niang and his nephew Shang Zhiping back to the Duke's Mansion for a "reunion".

When the carriage stopped in front of the Duke's Mansion, someone came to greet it.

But seeing that they were all new faces, Du Jingyi couldn't help but have some other guesses in his mind.

Sure enough, when they entered the mansion and headed towards Yunjin Courtyard, her guess was confirmed.

Those servants who used to be lax and had lax discipline were only doing it for show.

Now, all the people living in the Duke's Mansion are descendants of Madam Wei. The rules are strict and the servants are sensible.

It looks more like a mansion than before.

If she discovered it, Shang Ji would naturally discover it as well.

But there was a lot of disdain in her eyes. Mrs. Wei's thoughts were really as clear as Sima Zhao's, and everyone knew it.

Unfortunately, sometimes even the most careful calculations are of no use.

With him around, the Duke's Mansion will have to be returned to Shang Zhiping sooner or later. Now, she is just being asked to "temporarily" guard it.

While thinking, he kept walking.

In Yunjin Courtyard, everyone arrived in a relatively orderly manner today.

But compared with previous years, it is still much more "lonely".

The fifth house in the manor was trapped, and the third house in Guihua Lane was also in danger of losing their lives, so naturally they would not appear in the Duke's Mansion.

Therefore, it is quiet, but it also seems a bit inhuman.

If Shang Ji and the others hadn't come back, there would only be eight people in the main room.

In addition to Duke Shang Yukuan and Madam Wei, there are also Shang Silang's family, and Shang Qilang.

At the beginning of the new year, naturally everyone wears new clothes and new jewelry, hoping for good luck and fortune.

However, although the new clothes were put on, everyone’s faces did not necessarily look very good.

Shang Yukuan was in a dilemma and Madam Wei was indifferent.

Shang Zhihe looked at Shang Ji and others with disgust, while Shang Zhiyin still had an arrogant look on her face.

Shang Silang didn't show any expression, but Silang's wife's eyes kept moving back and forth between her eldest sister-in-law Liu and her sixth brother's sister-in-law Du Jingyi, revealing some resentment from time to time.

Standing behind the family of four was the inconspicuous Shang Zhixian.

She was Shang Silang's illegitimate daughter. Apart from being seen during the annual festivals, she was never seen at all on other days.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

In the entire Duke's Mansion, if there is anyone who truly hopes Shang Ji and the others will come back, it is probably only Shang Qillang.

However, because of what happened at the gate of the general's mansion a few days ago, he felt a little embarrassed at the moment and didn't want to rush to Shang Ji to join in the fun.

Shang Ji glanced coldly at everyone present, then stood up with his fists clasped, saluted, and said to Shang Yukuan.

"The son has met his father."

As soon as he opened his mouth, the people who followed him also spoke.

"The daughter-in-law has met her father-in-law."

"The daughter has seen her father."

"The grandson has met the grandfather."

The words were spoken, but they were completely different from when he met Madam Gu.

How could Shang Yukuan not feel it? But these things were not something he could decide, so he could only turn a blind eye.

"It's good to be back. Let's have a family reunion dinner."

He did want to keep people in the mansion, but even if they did, there was nowhere to live, so it was better not to bring it up.

"Well, that's what my father arranged."

Shang Ji never smiles very much, so Shang Yukuan couldn't find a way to offend him.

After seeing that Du Jingyi's belly was slightly bulging, he asked in a very loving manner.

"When will the baby be born?"

"Replying to Father-in-law, it will be in summer, around May or June."

"Summer is a good time, and it will be easier to raise a baby when it's born. I will definitely bring something to congratulate you when the time comes."

"Thank you, father."

They exchanged a few words, and none of them were talkative, so the atmosphere became cold again.

In the past, it was always Mrs. Wei who found topics to talk about.

But today she was like a huge Buddha, refusing to open her mouth. Naturally, there was no one to take charge of the situation in the room.

Shang Ji and the others were not afraid of the cold. After all, they were just going through the motions here.

However, Shang Qillang felt that they were family after all, so it was natural for him to ask a few questions.

Seeing that his sixth brother and his wife were having trouble taking action, he began to have an idea and spoke to his eighth sister Xue Niang.

"In two months, you will be coming of age. Is there anything you want? Brother Seven will prepare it for you!"

Shang Qilang and Xue Niang had a good relationship, so when he asked this question, Xue Niang did not refuse and answered with a smile.

"Seventh Brother is thoughtful, but I don't need anything from Sixth Brother, so if Seventh Brother wants to give me something, why not... why not give you the "Snow Fishing Picture" that I got last time."

(End of this chapter)