Empress Li glared fiercely at her cousin, her heart overflowing with resentment, bitterness, and jealousy.
Consort Zhao noticed Empress Li's murderous gaze, but only glanced at her before looking away. That calm, almost mocking look angered Empress Li.
Why does she look at me like that?
The empress's position is hers, and the rewards are also hers. Why does Li Langhuan look at me like that, as if I'm so pitiful?
Consort Zhao was completely oblivious to Empress Li's suppressed anger. She continued to leisurely drink her wine, listening to Emperor Chen's ingratiating words.
Qin Ye stood meekly beside Emperor Chen, listening to his plans for massive construction projects that would burden the people and waste resources, yet he remained completely unmoved.
Before he entered the palace as a slave as the descendant of a disgraced official, he was the top scholar in the imperial examinations in southern Yunnan. His father was just a minor county magistrate, and his mother was the daughter of a merchant family.
Although the family lived a simple life, they were very happy.
He would secretly drink with his father, discussing how he would use his talents to serve the king and the world in the future. He would also chuckle to himself when his father was being scolded by his mother for drinking, only to be caught red-handed by his father later.
Simple, yet blissful.
That year, however, his father was imprisoned after discovering that his superior had embezzled public funds. He died tragically in prison not long after, and his mother was also persecuted to death.
But he survived precisely because he had traveled far away to study.
He filed a petition with the emperor in Shengjing, but the absurd Emperor Chen ordered him to be castrated and sent to the palace as a slave as a criminal.
It seems that from the moment he became disabled, he stopped caring about the world. The scenes of him talking about the future with his father seemed like a past life, or a dream, so unreal...
Now, he only cares about the Empress. If building a luxurious skyscraper can make the Empress happy, then everything else is irrelevant to him, and the sacrifices of those people are all worthwhile.
As long as the Empress smiles, everything is worthwhile.
...
Shang Shaoyan and Shang Yunlan sat in the hall, with Granny Li standing beside them, seemingly waiting for someone.
After a long while, Yan Xuening hurriedly ran in from outside, still carrying a trace of the wind and snow. Seeing Shang Shaoyan sitting at the dining table with a stern face, she quickly smiled awkwardly: "Sorry to keep you waiting, cousin. I was just picking out a New Year's gift for Li Langxuan, which took quite a bit of effort."
Shang Shaoyan snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "I wouldn't dare ask the future Marquis's wife to apologize."
Yan Xuening quickly sat down next to Shang Shaoyan, hooking her arm around his and pouting, "Cousin, what you're saying is so unreasonable. No matter what, I'm still your cousin. What is Li Langxuan? Compared to you, he's simply...he's..."
"What is it?" A smiling voice came from behind. Yan Xuening stiffened upon hearing this. Who else could the owner of this voice be but Li Langxuan?
Seeing the two young ladies looking somewhat speechless, Shang Yunlan awkwardly touched her nose: "I just thought that we'd all be family in the future... I figured the Marquis wouldn't want to go to the palace for a banquet, so I invited him over."
Shang Shao glanced at the not-so-happy Yan Xuening with amusement, then raised an eyebrow at Li Langxuan, whose eyes were covered by a white silk cloth: "Since you're here, Lord Marquis, please take a seat."
Li Langxuan nodded with a smile, and then, with the help of a servant, sat down next to Yan Xuening.
Shang Shaoyan sighed and rubbed his forehead: "Everyone's finally here, we can start eating now."
The custom in the Southern Chen Dynasty was to drink and reunite with family on New Year's Eve, stay up late to make wishes, and set off firecrackers. There were also fireworks at the imperial palace, making it a very lively occasion.
Shang Shaoyan's alcohol tolerance is neither good nor bad, while Shang Yunlan could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk in her past life, but in this life she can't touch a drop of alcohol. Now she can only watch helplessly as her younger sister drinks one cup after another.
Granny Li was trying to persuade Shang Shaoyan to drink less, but Shang Shaoyan ended up urging her to drink instead. Her face was flushed, and she was happily talking to Shang Shaoyan.
Li Langxuan, perhaps drunk, kept pestering Yan Xuening with questions: "A'ning, what did you just say I was? Are you trying to say bad things about me?"
Then Shang Yunlan saw Yan Xuening roll her eyes, but her words were gentle and affectionate: "How could that be? Li Langjun is so good, A Ning would never bear to say bad things about you."
Li Langxuan smiled with satisfaction, and Shang Yunlan suddenly felt that her titanium alloy eyes were about to go blind.
Shang Shaoyan wasn't drunk, but two rosy clouds had already spread across her face, and her phoenix eyes were misty with tears. She was counting on her fingers as she sang a song for Granny Li. Under the lamplight, her face glowed with a warm light, making her appear even more beautiful: "He taught me to let go of lingering resentment, to refrain from coquetry, to start anew, to change my temperament, to stop clinging to the past, to turn back from the sea of suffering, and to realize the cause of my misfortune early—"
Granny Li clapped her hands and laughed, "The county princess truly sang very well!"
Shang Yunlan couldn't help but smile slightly—Shang Shaoyan loved listening to operas and reading those scripts in his previous life, and he would sing a few lines when he had nothing to do. It seems that his personality hasn't changed.
Before they knew it, it was midnight. Granny Li ordered the servants to set off firecrackers. Yingge, being brave, ran up and lit the fire. Bailu and Baishuang covered their ears in advance. Baixue was so frightened that she hid behind Baifeng, but was ruthlessly pushed away by the latter.
Shang Shaoyan also went over to join in the fun. Granny Li felt it was dangerous and wanted to call Shang Shaoyan into the house, but Shang Shaoyan pestered her so much that she had no choice but to let her sit on the stone bench in the courtyard and watch. However, she refused to let her light the fire herself no matter what.
Shang Yunlan glanced back at Yan Xuening and Li Langxuan, the engaged couple sitting on the threshold whispering without any manners. Shang Yunlan sighed helplessly, took a cloak, walked over to Shang Shaoyan, and draped it over her shoulders: "Be careful not to catch a cold at night."
Shang Shaoyan smiled and glanced at Shang Yunlan: "Thank you, brother."
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