Sheng Xiyan held the jade hairpin and nodded happily: "Okay!

Just looking at her smile made Chu Yuanchen feel better.

His heart was filled with joy when he thought that they would be able to spend next year's New Year's Eve together.

He looked at her with a smile in his eyes, and said reluctantly, "I'll go back first."

This year is the first year that Jiuyang has returned, and his mother agreed with him to spend the New Year with Jiuyang and his wife. Chu Yuanchen sneaked out before the New Year's Eve dinner.

"Wait a moment." Sheng Xiyan took out a red purse embroidered with two koi from her sleeve pocket. She had placed six gold ingots with cats in them. "Give it to Jiaoyang as a New Year's gift."

Chu Yuanchen took the purse and asked her with a smile, "Where's mine?"

Sheng Xiyan said confidently: "You are older than me, no."

The New Year's money is given by elders to younger ones, and by older sisters to younger brothers and sisters!!

You are older than her and you still want to ask for the money for the year-end bonus? I won’t give it to you! Sheng Xiyan raised her chin and snorted at him deliberately.

Chu Yuanchen felt extremely aggrieved. He leaned forward to face her and said pitifully, "Really?"

He blinked at her, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to contain endless waves and a kind of seductive meaning.

Sheng Xiyan's heart was pounding when he looked at her, her earlobes were burning, and her entire body from earlobes to cheeks was hot.

She couldn't help wanting to avoid his gaze, but she said without showing any weakness: "Call me sister and I'll give you a New Year's gift!"

Chu Yuanchen has always been thick-skinned. He was very close to her, with his hands on the wall, trapping her between his arms.

He put his lips close to her ear and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Sister?"

His breath fell lightly on Sheng Xiyan's face, like a feather brushing lightly across the cheek, feeling itchy.

Sheng Xiyan's face became even hotter. She pushed him away without thinking, took out two silver ingots from her sleeve pocket and put them on his palm.

"give!"

"New Year's money!"

Chu Yuanchen chuckled and gently held his "New Year's money" in his palm. The silver ingot seemed to still carry her body temperature.

But the next moment, he was grabbed by the arm and dragged towards the window, with a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Sheng Xiyan said seriously: "You should go back. Xigui is calling me."

Chu Yuanchen: “…”

His joy was evident without any disguise, but he wanted to tell her a little that his hearing was very sharp.

Sheng Xiyan's strength was so small that Chu Yuanchen didn't care at all, but he still followed her and was "dragged" to the window.

Sheng Xiyan took the initiative to open the window for him. Chu Yuanchen climbed out with familiar movements, and looked at her with a smile through the window. He thought about the "New Year's money" in his hand and said, "I will keep it well."

"Let's go, let's go."

Sheng Xiyan quickly sent him away.

As soon as the person left, she closed the window and stood with her back to it. The heat on her face gradually disappeared and a faint smile appeared on her face.

She picked up the hairpin, raised her hand and placed it in front of her eyes. An aura of relaxation and satisfaction naturally emanated from her and lingered around her.

It feels so good to live a new life.

It’s great to meet him!

Sheng Xiyan gently stroked the jade hairpin in her hand and did not notice that Chu Yuanchen was still outside the window.

After the window was closed, he jumped down from the roof again.

He stared at her back, his mouth curled up. Now he finally understood why people in the army always said, "It doesn't matter if you have money or not, it's better to have a wife to celebrate the New Year."

Hey, why does he have to wait until after the New Year to get married?

Chu Yuanchen reflected silently. Was it because he didn't push her hard enough?

Sheng Xiyan seemed to sense something and turned her head to look. Chu Yuanchen jumped onto the roof again. This time, he really went back.

"girl."

Xigui knocked on the door a few times and said, "It's almost time."

Sheng Xiyan calmed down and said, "I'm here."

Her face was no longer permed, and she went out happily holding her hairpin.

She went back to her room first and placed the hairpin next to her pillow. If it hadn't been crushed, she would have placed it under the pillow.

It’s New Year’s money!

After putting the jade hairpin away, she took Xigui to the main courtyard to have the New Year's Eve dinner.

She gave the wrapped purses to her younger brothers and sisters as New Year's money, and out of favoritism, she put six gold ingots in one for Sheng Yan, the same as for Jiao Yang.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, the children happily went outside to set off firecrackers, followed closely by a group of maids and servants.

Sheng Xiyan drank his digestive tea and asked casually, "Brother Yan, when will the imperial army's military performance be held?"

"It was postponed to February," Sheng Yan said, "The emperor was ill."

Originally, the military exercise was scheduled to be held before the imperial edict was sealed, but the emperor suddenly "fell ill" and had to be postponed accordingly.

"Sister, you don't know, the imperial guards are just a bunch of show-offs!"

Speaking of this, Sheng Yan became a little angry.

He went there with great expectations, but after just a few days of training with the imperial guards, he felt something was not right.

The intensity of the imperial guards' daily training was not as intense as what he had trained in the Zhenbei Palace. After an hour of training in the morning, there was nothing else to do. They actually allowed these "outsiders" to wander around in the barracks, which made him feel anxious that he was wasting his time.

Moreover, he also discovered that the imperial guards were drawing salaries without doing any work!

It would be fine if they were just drawing a salary without doing anything, but he had only been there for a few days and even he knew that the imperial guards were drawing a salary without doing anything. How blatant was that?

However, there are a lot of people here, so he plans to tell his sister quietly later!

"On my first day, a few veteran soldiers wanted to teach us some rules, but I ended up beating them down." Sheng Yan spread his arms and said carelessly, "Later, I heard people say that the imperial guards hadn't fought in the battlefield for many years. They were all supported by the court and were getting fat."

Sheng Yan curled his lips in disdain. As much as he was looking forward to the military exercise at first, he was now just as uninterested in it.

He thought: With the imperial guards being like this, they still want to show off their military might to the Zhenbei Palace? This is really going to make people laugh.

Even if Sheng Yan did not go to the Zhenbei Army, when he was in the Zhenbei Palace, his master would occasionally call up veterans to fight with him. From what Sheng Yan had seen, even veterans could easily defeat three or five imperial guards.

He will talk to me in detail later!

Sheng Xingan added: "It's true that the Imperial Guards haven't done anything serious for a long time."

He picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and said, "The west and south have been pacified, and the north has the Zhenbei Palace to control it. There are some minor fights and bandit chaos, but there are also guard posts in various places, so there is no need to send out the imperial army."

"So," Sheng Yan said nonchalantly, "How can a domesticated dog beat a wolf?"

Sheng Xingan stroked his beard. Although what he said was a bit rough, it still made some sense.

If a real battle were to take place, the Imperial Guards would certainly not be able to defeat the Zhenbei Army. The emperor obviously knew this, so he tolerated Chu Yuanchen's repeated advances.

The emperor was afraid of fighting.

However, Chu Yuanchen could not rashly start a war. No matter how weak the imperial guards were, there were already 500,000 soldiers registered in the army, plus the guard posts in various places. If the Zhenbei Palace rashly marched south, the battle line would definitely be too long.

The Zhenbei Palace had just ended a great war with Northern Yan, and the losses in both men and food were enormous, so they could not withstand a long-distance battle.

and……

Sheng Xingan gently moved the tea lid.

It can be seen from Chu Yuanchen's many actions after returning to Beijing that Chu Yuanchen not only wants to rebel, but also wants to occupy the greater good!

He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. This is an eternal truth.

Sheng Xingan couldn't see what Chu Yuanchen's next plan would be, but Chu Yuanchen shouldn't do something stupid and waste such a good situation.

But if Chu Yuanchen wants to seize the throne, how can he get past Xiao Shuo? Xiao Shuo will definitely not be willing to let someone take power over him. When Sheng Xingan thought of this, his hair turned white with worry.

Sheng Yan sighed in a dignified manner and said, "Sister, I don't want to go anymore."

"Go ahead." Sheng Xiyan said, "It's good to go and take a look."

"Boys should learn more, so as not to become frogs in a well."

"It's a rare opportunity to participate in the Imperial Guards' military exercise."

If Sheng Yan had not gone out for this trip, how could he have understood the current situation of the imperial guards?

Sheng Yan thought about it and realized that this opportunity was indeed rare! He had finally signed up, and although he was very disappointed, he was somewhat unwilling to give up.

He was hesitant and wanted to ask his sister. Now after hearing what Sheng Xiyan said, he didn't think much about it and directly replied: "I know, sister."

Liu couldn't help but interrupt at this moment and said, "Brother Yan, how can the imperial guards let you go or not? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if others tell you about it?"

Sheng Xingan glared at her and scolded, "If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

Liu: “…”

She originally thought that after Sheng Yan became a military officer, Sheng Xing'an would give up on this illegitimate son and would no longer care about him. But these days, it seems that Sheng Yan's status in the mansion is even higher than before. Sheng Xing'an seems to be more concerned about him and even built a martial arts arena for him in the mansion. Thinking of her son who only knows how to set off fireworks outside, Liu was a little angry.

"Brother Ying!" Madam Liu said to Madam Sun with a stern face, "Go and call Brother Ying back. He is already five years old after the New Year. Why is he still playing with fireworks?"

It was obvious that she was angry. Nanny Sun looked at Sheng Xingan carefully and winked at Liu, but Liu ignored her and continued, "You play all day long and don't know how to study hard..."

"Shut up!"

Sheng Xingan was annoyed by the noise and cursed, "Don't you want to live a good life anymore? If you want Ying'er to study harder, I will send him to the academy tomorrow and come back once a year from now on."

Liu was shocked and quickly gave in, saying, "That's not what I meant..."

Only come back once a year? By then, I'm afraid she won't even recognize her as her mother, right?

She laughed dryly and said, "Brother Ying is only four years old, it's still too early..."

Sheng Xingan sneered: "Didn't you say he was five years old?"

Liu pinched her handkerchief and dared not say anything back.

Sheng Xiyan was too lazy to listen to Sheng Xingan's scolding, so she stood up and bowed as if nothing had happened, then went out with Sheng Yan to watch the fireworks.

After leaving the main hall, Sheng Yan told her about his discovery of the imperial guards drawing salaries without working, and he also talked about a lot of things he had seen in the barracks in recent days.

Sheng Xiyanrao listened with great interest, occasionally asking a question or two.

Instead of staying up all night to celebrate the New Year, Sheng Xiyan went back to the yard after watching the fireworks and firecrackers for a while.

There was an extra purse in her sleeve pocket, which was for her younger brother Sheng Jue.

She has given her younger brother New Year's money every year since he was born. Even after he went missing, she did not forget to give him New Year's money and kept a separate amount every year. This year, she has given him eight New Year's money.

Thinking of Sheng Jue, she looked a little dazed.

In her previous life, she didn't know where her brother was, or whether he was alive or dead, until she died. There was no mention of her brother in the novel.

She has already told Chu Yuanchen about her brother. With the help of the Zhenbei Palace, there may be some hope in this life.

Sheng Xiyan squeezed her purse and thought: It will definitely work.

Jiuyang and Jiang Yuanyi were swapped for such a long time, but they were still found. When my younger brother went missing, he was already five years old, so he will definitely be found.

She calmed herself down, put the purse into the box and put it away carefully.

"Girl, do you want to take a break?"

Sheng Xiyan nodded, and Xigui and E Rui came over to help her wash and dress.

She will be going to the palace early tomorrow morning, so she plans to go to bed early.

Sheng Xing'an was promoted to a third-rank official, so naturally, as a lady of the imperial family, Liu had to go to the palace to pay her respects on New Year's Day.

Sheng Xiyan was just a court lady and didn't need to go, but the empress dowager issued an edict specifically allowing her to enter the palace as well.

When Sheng Xiyan thought about having to go out before dawn, she felt a little depressed.

After washing up, Sheng Xiyan gave Xigui and Erui two gold ingots each as New Year's gifts, and took out a handful of silver ingots, asking them to give one to everyone in the yard, and then sent them off to rest.

When she returned to the bedroom, she immediately saw the jade hairpin placed next to the pillow, and her bad mood about getting up early was immediately swept away.

She hadn't slept for many hours. Before dawn, Xigui came to wake her up. Sheng Xiyan picked up the hairpin beside the pillow, handed it to Xigui, and said in a good mood, "Use this today."

Xigui knew all of Sheng Xiyan's jewelry, but had never seen this one.

Thinking back to yesterday when the girl came out of the study with red ears, what was there for her to not understand? She responded crisply.

By the time I had combed my hair and changed my clothes, it was not yet the hour of Mao.

Sheng Xiyan ate a piece of cake, wet her lips with water, and went to the ceremonial gate to wait for Sheng Xingan and Liu to enter the palace together.

"The emperor may not come today." Sheng Xing'an simply reminded her after seeing her.

After the Emperor announced his abdication, he even let Xiao Shuo perform the ceremony of sealing the pen and seal, so he would most likely not show up today.

"Will there be a palace banquet?" Sheng Xiyan asked.

"Maybe." Sheng Xingan was not too sure.

He didn't care. It was so cold, and even if it was a palace banquet, the food would be cold. It would be better to go back home and have a meal together.

Sheng Xingan stared at Liu and said, "Look after Sister Yan."

Liu agreed no matter what. Sheng Xingan went directly to the front yard to settle down last night without caring about her face at all. Now, she didn't dare to offend Sheng Xingan.

However, Liu felt in her heart that Sheng Xiyan didn't need her care at all, so it was hard to say who would take care of whom.

The whole road was filled with carriages coming to the palace to pay respects.

Now that there is no empress in the palace, the ladies outside the imperial court do not need to wait for the empress to ascend the throne and kowtow. After entering the palace, they only need to wait in the hall and wait for the empress dowager to call them.

The Queen Mother will not meet everyone, but they all have to wait.

When Sheng Xiyan arrived, he saw Jingle and Jiaoyang in the hall at a glance.

Jiuyang didn't have to come originally, as the Queen Mother also gave special permission, saying that she wanted to see the eldest daughter of the Zhenbei Palace.

Jingle thought it was time to let the people of the capital meet Jiaoyang, so that they would not continue to talk about Jiang Yuanyi, so she simply agreed.

"elder sister."

Jiuyang's eyes lit up, and he came over happily, pulling her sleeve habitually, his face full of dependence.

"Sister, I got a lot of New Year's money. Can I treat you to a meal?"

Sheng Xiyan smiled and said, "Okay."

Jiaoyang was happy and held her hand obediently.

The ladies around were all looking in. They had already made some guesses when they saw Jingle bringing in a child. Now they immediately confirmed that this was the eldest daughter of the Zhenbei Palace.

Princess Qingyue heard that she had seen Jiaoyang in Zuolou that day, so she took the initiative to go over and greet Jiaoyang.

Jiaoyang no longer instinctively avoids strangers and will respond politely.

Jingle had told her that she was the eldest daughter of the Zhenbei Palace and that she didn't need to deliberately please anyone, and could just do whatever she wanted. She remembered this firmly and acted very naturally, which seemed to others to be a neither humble nor arrogant demeanor.

"Sister Yan."

Cheng Chuyu walked towards Sheng Xiyan, but before he could say a word, Zhao Yuanrou arrived.

She looked normal and didn't smile. There was no sign of joy on her face, nor did she look grief-stricken. It was as if she had completely changed after experiencing extreme joy and sorrow.

As soon as Zhao Yuanrou came in, many people couldn't help but look over.

The news of the elopement had actually spread widely in private, and no one mentioned it openly for the sake of the royal family's reputation. However, when they looked at each other, they both understood what was going on.

King Zhao was truly devoted to Zhao Yuanrou and did not even mind that she had eloped with someone else.

"Sister Yan." Cheng Chuyu pulled her sleeve and said softly, "I heard from my father that Zhou Jingxun's position as the crown prince is gone."

Sheng Xiyan also knew this. It was Sheng Xingan who specifically asked someone to tell her, and he even added a few more words like "Zhou Jingxun is a stupid guy."

As far as she knew, King Zhao only brought Zhao Yuanrou back. Zhou Jingxun seemed to be beaten and then left there to fend for himself. Then no one knew how he got back to the capital. It would have been better if he didn't come back. As soon as he came back, the palace directly issued an order to deprive him of his title of crown prince, and even the job of Marquis Yongning was taken away. As for the title of Marquis Yongning, it was estimated that it was also hanging. Sheng Xiyan heard from Sheng Xing'an that the Yongning Marquis's mansion was now in turmoil. This time, not only did they want to re-establish the crown prince, but they also wanted Marquis Yongning to voluntarily resign the title and give it to his younger brother to appease the emperor's anger and preserve the ancestral title.

Now Marquis Yongning is gritting his teeth and refusing to give up the title, and the whole family is in a state of turmoil.

Sheng Xiyan subconsciously glanced at the wife of the Marquis of Yongning standing in the corner. She looked much older than when she saw her in the girls' school, with a gloomy look in her eyes. If Sheng Xiyan remembered correctly, she should be less than 40 years old. She used to have black hair, but now there are a lot of white hairs on her temples. Even rouge can't cover up the haggardness on her face.

Except for looking up when Zhao Yuanrou walked in, she stood there silently without saying a word.

After Cheng Chuyu finished speaking, he smiled and greeted Jiaoyang who was beside Sheng Xiyan.

Cheng Chuyu knew Jiaoyang's background, but Sheng Xiyan had already told her not to tell anyone about this. Cheng Chuyu kept her mouth shut and didn't even tell her parents.

Jiuyang still recognized her and called out to her obediently, "Hello, Sister Chuyu."

Cheng Chuyu praised: "She has gained weight and looks better!"

Jiuyang was indeed much prettier than when he first met her. Girls all love pretty girls. Hearing her praising herself for her beauty, Jiuyang covered his mouth and laughed.

"Chuyu, why are you here?" Those who came to congratulate were all women from outside the court, as well as those who had been canonized as princesses and county lords. Cheng Chuyu would only come if she was like herself, with the special order of the empress dowager. Cheng Chuyu nodded, confirming her guess.

"Then your..."

Sheng Xiyan was asking about her marriage. Cheng Chuyu understood and blinked at her, signaling her not to worry and that he would tell her in detail later.

The Cheng family and the Wu'an Earl's Mansion discussed it privately, and finally decided to follow Sheng Xiyan's suggestion and say that the two families had already been engaged during the mourning period, but the Wu'an Earl's Mansion had to observe the mourning period and had not announced it. They also exchanged engagement tokens on the spot.

Sheng Xiyan felt relieved now.

After talking for a while, a eunuch came in. He flicked his snow-white whisk and said, "The Queen Mother proclaims Princess Yong'an, Princess Qingping, Princess Jingle..." He read out the names of more than a dozen people before saying, "See you."

In addition to her maternal relatives, daughter and granddaughter, the empress dowager summoned all the wives of important officials in the court.

Others cannot leave either, they must stay. The Queen Mother might remember them later and call for them again.

Sheng Xiyan was summoned by the Queen Mother, but the Queen Mother did not mention Liu at all. Liu stood there alone, feeling a little embarrassed.

So, a group of people followed the eunuch into the Cining Palace.

The Queen Mother was sitting in the main seat, wearing a phoenix robe and a crown with twelve dragons and twelve phoenixes on her head. She had a graceful posture and looked majestic without even getting angry.

After everyone had paid their respects, the Queen Mother raised her hand, offered a seat, and greeted everyone in a good-tempered manner.

Sheng Xiyan was sitting next to Jingle. She was bored and just listened in a disjointed manner.

At this time, the Queen Mother's eyes moved to Jiuyang, and she said with a smile, "Jingle, your daughter has come to the capital, why don't you bring her to pay respects to me?"

Jingle smiled slightly: "You have seen it now, Queen Mother. This is my Jiaoyang."

It was the first time for most people to know the nickname of the eldest daughter of the Zhenbei Palace.

The Queen Mother waved to Jiuyang again and said, "Come here and let me take a look."

Jiuyang had long heard from Jingle about the great achievements of their ancestors in the palace, as well as the current situation of the palace.

She had always been somewhat afraid of strangers, but when facing the Queen Mother, there was no sign of cowardice or retreat. She walked over with standard manners and bowed.

The Queen Mother took Jiaoyang's hand, examined her carefully, and said nonchalantly, "Jingle, this girl doesn't look like you. You must be mistaken."

While the Queen Mother was speaking, Sheng Xiyan also looked over and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

The last time I saw the Queen Mother was at the girls' school. If you count carefully, it has only been about half a month. In such a short time, the Queen Mother has become...sick?! She looks even more haggard than the wife of the Marquis of Yongning.

Sheng Xiyan took a closer look and saw that the empress dowager's eyes were dull and lifeless. Even with the thick makeup on her face, it was difficult to hide the gloomy complexion, which made the makeup look even more unnatural.

The Queen Mother has always taken good care of herself. Even though she is almost sixty, she doesn't have many wrinkles on her face and looks like a forty-year-old lady.

But now, both his facial expression and movements look a bit old.