Chapter 1121 A New Beginning

Winter came quickly. This winter was not as cold as last year, but there was more snow than last year, with snowfall every few days. Fortunately, there was no heavy snow, just some light snow, scattered snowflakes. At first, the snow could not stand, but as it accumulated, it slowly stood still.

Zhulan and her concubines were invited by the Crown Princess to go to the Crown Prince's Mansion to appreciate the flowers. There was a greenhouse in the Mansion. Zhulan had always heard that it was built by the Crown Prince specially for the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess had never invited the wives of officials before.

Xue Han deliberately took a detour back to her mother's house to walk with her mother. Zhu Lan asked, "Who is watching Lin Xi?"

Xue Han smiled, "Mom, have you forgotten that today is the day when the Hanlin Academy is closed, and Rongchuan is at home looking after his daughter!"

Zhulan slapped her head and said, "Look at my memory. This guy is old and his memory is not so good."

Xue Han listened to the sound of snow falling on the roof of the carriage shed. "It's snowing today. I really don't want to go out."

Zhulan didn't want to either. Winter was the best time to stay indoors. "A year has passed, and the Crown Prince has been in charge of government affairs for quite some time. As the future Queen Mother, the Crown Princess is preparing to enjoy the flowers. Enjoying the flowers is secondary. The main thing is to meet the officials' wives."

Xue Han's eyes widened, and she whispered in her mother's ear, "Is this the preparation for succession?"

Zhulan nodded slightly. That was pretty much what it meant. The Crown Princess would not be so high-profile without the permission of the Empress and the Crown Prince. The cautious Crown Princess would not be so high-profile.

The Crown Princess arrived very soon. After getting off the carriage, Xue Han saw wives of officials of the fourth rank and above. Almost all the ones she knew were there, but there were also many she didn't know.

The maid led the way. A shed had already been set up in the garden. The glass greenhouse could be seen from a distance. Zhulan's eyes were filled with envy at the sight of so many glass panels.

Xue Han also saw it and liked it. It should be said that all the women present liked it.

The Crown Princess came out and enjoyed the jealous looks, especially those from Princess Liang.

Princess Liang, "The Crown Prince's Mansion has a lot of money. Only the Crown Prince's Consort could build such a large shed."

The voice fell and then changed again, "It's just that colored glaze is expensive and hard to find. There are so many of them in the Prince's Mansion at once. It is indeed the Prince's Mansion."

Zhulan turned her head and looked at Princess Liang. Princess Liang had a very sour face. Indeed, Prince Liang's Mansion was not having a good time now. Every day there were revelations about the past. Princess Liang's family was implicated. The Crown Prince needed Prince Liang, and Prince Liang was fine, but as Prince Liang's accomplice, Princess Liang's family would not be polite.

Princess Qi was also jealous, jealous of the Crown Prince's love for her, but now, "Fourth brother's sister, I heard yesterday that your brother was dismissed from office?"

Princess Chu had suffered a lot from Princess Liang, and she would be sorry if she didn't step on her now. "Second sister-in-law, you are late with the news. Fourth sister-in-law's family has been dismissed because of all the officials. All of her family members are under investigation. Oh, fourth sister-in-law is really generous. I thought I wouldn't see her today!"

Zhulan peeled the orange and ate it happily, and from time to time she stuffed a few petals into the girl's mouth. It was cool, sweet and very delicious.

Princess Liang's face turned pale. She turned around abruptly and glared at Zhulan. Zhulan almost choked and slowly turned her head away. The beginning of Prince Liang's tragedy was all due to their family.

The Crown Princess spoke up at this time, "The glass of this greenhouse was gifted by my father. It is also because your Highness is filial. There are not many vegetables in winter. In order for my father and mother to eat more vegetables, the Crown Prince planted vegetables himself in winter. My father and mother were very moved and rewarded the glass."

Zhulan didn't believe it when she heard this. If the prince was the only one growing vegetables, he wouldn't have built such a large greenhouse for the princess. It was obvious that the princess also did it herself. When the prince was busy, it was always the princess who took care of him.

The Empress is really good at choosing a daughter-in-law and she takes care of the Crown Princess herself. It is natural for the Crown Prince to love and respect the Crown Princess.

Princess Liang shut up. They all knew that the Prince's Mansion was struggling to prepare winter vegetables, but they didn't expect that they would be sent to the palace.

Princess Qi couldn't help but stretch out her hand. With various secret maintenance methods, her hands were soft and tender. She seldom touched needlework with her hands, let alone growing vegetables. Obviously, she also thought of the Crown Princess and followed suit. The Crown Princess has always been a smart person.

The Crown Princess explained, and was very satisfied with the official's wife's expression. She smiled at Xue Han and said, "I thought I could see Lin Xi today, but now my hope is dashed."

The Crown Princess really likes Linxi. She is the niece of the Crown Prince's younger brother and a blessed child. Since her father and mother like her, she naturally likes her too. As for the fact that Zhenyue in the mansion is not as favored as before after Linxi was born, that is Concubine Ran's business and has no impact on her.

Moreover, between a concubine's daughter and a legitimate niece, she would rather choose the latter.

Xue Han stood up and greeted him, saying, "I wanted to bring it to you, but it snowed when I went out, so I didn't bring it out."

The Crown Princess smiled and said, "Then come and talk to me more often in the future."

Xue Han was smart. This was the future empress, so she agreed generously, "Okay, I will definitely bring Lin Xi to the prince's mansion more often in the future."

The Crown Princess had only seen the little girl when she was one month old. Ever since the little girl entered the palace, the Crown Prince had always praised Lin Xi for her beauty.

In the Shi family, Mr. Shi can move freely in the mansion, even to the courtyard of his wife, but it is still impossible for him to leave the mansion. He walked out of the courtyard of his wife slowly. His son was a ruthless man, and he had been keeping his wife alive. At that time, he was afraid that the Shi family would be extinct, so he fell ill and poisoned his wife. His son was poisoned and was saved, but his wife became paralyzed.

Grandpa Shi walked to his son's yard and only smiled when he heard his grandson's laughter. Although Shi Qing was cruel, he managed to get out. His son was getting better and better. Not to mention that his son didn't want him to die, he didn't want to die either, so he had been actively recuperating. At first, he couldn't get out of bed and couldn't leave the house in winter, but now he dares to go out even on snowy days.

Mr. Shi did not go in. The Hanlin Academy was closed today and his son was at home.

Shi Qing got the news and said to the manager, "If he wants to go, he can go."

Yao Yao put a cape on his son and said, "We can go now."

Shi Qing smiled and picked up his son, "Let's go to the street."

At the Crown Prince's residence, Zhulan has already come together with the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess said, "I heard from the Crown Prince that the diplomatic fleet has returned and will arrive at Pinggang soon."

Zhulan knew that this was the Crown Princess's kindness to the Zhou family. She didn't get any information at all, not even Zhou Shuren knew about it. "Thank you, Your Highness."

The Crown Princess smiled. She was very willing to take care of the Zhou family. For the sake of her son, each branch of the Zhou family had been rising step by step. In the future, when her son grew up, the Zhou family would have been prosperous. But there was no need to rush. Just take it slowly.

The Crown Princess left first, and Xue Han walked to her mother's side. Zhu Lan patted the concubine. The Crown Princess was still a quiet person, showing kindness a little bit but not excessive. She sighed in her heart. The fight has already begun before the succession.

Xue Han followed her mother's gaze and looked at the Crown Princess's concubine who had a son, and asked softly, "Mom, what are you looking at?"