nashuaworldcup Chapter 375 New Year’s Eve
Chapter 375 New Year’s Eve
Several heavy snowfalls drifted down, gently enveloping the Forbidden City. The sky and earth were bathed in a silvery white. The majestic imperial palace now seemed to possess a tranquil and sacred air.
Time flows quietly in this tranquility. Unknowingly, the New Year is approaching, and the air is gradually filled with the festive atmosphere of reunion.
In Yonghe Palace.
The candlelight flickered, and the warm yellow glow gently swayed within the chamber, adding a touch of softness to the atmosphere. The fragrance of the pear tree tent lingered in the air, soothing the tense nerves.
Inside the bedroom, a soft brocade quilt lay atop a carved mahogany bed. The cherry-red quilt, embroidered with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water, was faintly visible in the candlelight. A glazed palace lantern sat on a pearwood low table beside the bed. The flickering flame of the wick cast two shadows on the curtains behind them.
An Lingrong lifted Shen Meizhuang's nightgown, looked at the wound and said, "Sister, your wound is healing well!"
Shen Meizhuang leaned lazily against the headboard of the bed, her long black hair flowing down, making her even more charming and attractive: "That's all thanks to you!"
An Lingrong blinked, a sly look flashing across her face as she asked, "Really?"
"Yes, if you hadn't slept restlessly at night and opened my wound twice, I might have recovered long ago!" Shen Meizhuang stretched out her finger and gently tapped her forehead.
"Sister, didn't we agree not to talk about this? The last time you and Sister Zhen talked about this, Yu Rao drew it!" An Lingrong said as she took Shen Meizhuang's hand and shook it gently. "Besides, I want to sleep on the couch, but you won't let me and insist that I sleep with you."
Seeing her like this, Shen Meizhuang was both angry and amused. "The couch is so high, what if you fall down?" As she spoke, she raised her hand to tidy up the scattered hair on her cheeks. Her movements were gentle and showed her concern.
"Sister~" An Lingrong stretched out her voice and rubbed against Shen Meizhuang, "I will sleep well from now on and never bother you again."
"You always say that, and then you just sleep the same way. I'm used to it anyway!"
After some banter, An Lingrong laid down with Shen Meizhuang's arm in hers, looking up at the ceiling with a touch of emotion: "Sister, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. This year has flown by so quickly. We've grown another year older."
Shen Meizhuang nodded slightly: "Yes! This year has been really hard for us. I just hope that the coming year will be safe and smooth, with fewer twists and turns."
"Yes! It will definitely happen!"
Suddenly, An Lingrong seemed to have remembered something important. She perked up and raised her head from Shen Meizhuang's arm. "Sister, now that you and Sister Zhen have safely given birth, I thought we'd start arranging Su Ye's marriage after the New Year. Although she's not even twenty-five yet, the power of the harem is in your hands. You can release her with just a single order."
Fortunately, someone has already been chosen, which saves a lot of trouble.
Shen Meizhuang smiled and replied, "Yes, Su Ye has devoted herself to us over the past few years and has taken great care of the children. Don't worry, I will carefully prepare the dowry and will not let her suffer any injustice."
An Lingrong smiled with satisfaction: "Well, then I will start embroidering her wedding dress."
"Yes! And Caiyue, before my mother left the palace, I specifically told her to keep an eye out for suitable families. In short, we will definitely arrange their future lives so that they can all have a good home."
"Have you forgotten Caixing? She has a simple personality and has taken care of me for so long. She even stayed with me in the cold palace for a few days. I can't treat her badly, and I have to take the trouble to pick a good one!"
"Don't worry about that. Caixing has the right person."
"Okay!" An Lingrong responded, but after saying this, her mood became inexplicably low, and she sighed softly, "Oh, I can't bear to leave them. They have been with us for so many years. They are like family to us." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing this, Shen Meizhuang patted her back lovingly and comforted her gently, "Once they leave the palace, they can live a free and easy life. They don't have to be trapped in this deep palace anymore. Isn't this a good thing?"
An Lingrong sniffed and nodded, "Yes, yes! I know this is a good thing for them, but I just feel bad."
Seeing that she was still immersed in sadness, Shen Meizhuang reached out and gently touched her smooth cheek, saying like coaxing a child, "You still have me, Huan'er, and our lovely children. We will always be with you, and our lives will get better and better."
An Lingrong rubbed against her, "Hmm!"
Early the next morning, Yonghe Palace became busy.
Because Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong lived in the same palace, Yongzheng's rewards and gifts from other palaces continued to pour in, all in double. For a time, the palace was bustling with servants, hurrying in and out, gift boxes in hand.
Although Feng Ruozhao helped share the palace affairs, Shen Meizhuang was still very busy. The preparations for the Chonghua Palace dinner were complicated. Not only did she have to ensure that every aspect of the dinner would satisfy the emperor and the masters, but she also had to take into account the dignity and decency of the royal family.
At the same time, rewarding and returning gifts to the various palace mistresses and the imperial consorts was also a top priority. It was necessary to select gifts that were both appropriate and discreet, taking into account the status, preferences, and temperament of each person. As for An Lingrong's return gift, she also did not dare to slack off, personally handling everything and striving for perfection.
Furthermore, with the arrival of a new princess in Yonghe Palace, and both she and An Lingrong being promoted, the servants' rewards naturally had to be doubled. This meant that the servants felt the master's grace while also ensuring fairness and reasonableness in their rewards.
Even though Shen Meizhuang is usually very good at dealing with people and handling things with ease, she can't help but feel a little flustered at this moment.
After seeing off Zhao Yingjiu, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, Shen Meizhuang breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then raised her eyes and looked towards the courtyard.
I saw An Lingrong and Juqing busy making a snowman with great enthusiasm. Although her cheeks were red from the cold wind, her eyes were full of childlike innocence and happiness. She and Juqing were adding some snow here and there.
"Caiyue, go call her back. She's been playing for so long, she's not afraid of getting cold."
"Yes!"
After a while, Caiyue returned to the palace, knelt down and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, Concubine Wen is reluctant to come back. She also asked you to find her a cloak she doesn't want to wear. She is afraid that the snowman will be cold."
"You're really causing trouble!" Shen Meizhuang scolded with a smile.
As soon as she stood up, Xiao Shi hurried into the hall and reported, "Your Majesty, the head steward of the Imperial Tea and Food Room is here and wants to ask for your instructions!"
"Make him wait!"
"Madam, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to find a cloak!"