Chapter 731 It’s peace of mind and happiness (full text ends)
The undercurrent between the emperor and the empress will not affect the atmosphere of the entire annual banquet.
Sensible courtiers will find ways to adjust the atmosphere so that His Majesty will not be so embarrassed.
Who doesn’t want to see the scene where the king and his ministers are in harmony?
So, don’t worry about the emperor and empress?
They had better not ask about the affairs of the Tian family couple.
Just ask if you are happy during the New Year?
If you are happy, then eat and drink.
The positions of Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan were a bit far away. They could be seen from a distance, but they couldn't see clearly.
At the beginning of the annual banquet, His Majesty naturally gave a toast.
After that, all kinds of musical instruments from Jiaofangsi were moved out.
Some of them, which were only used once a year for sacrifices, were also brought out and played some cheerful or atmospheric music.
After that, it's dance.
It's hard for them in the cold weather, or they still need to maintain their elegance while wearing thin clothes.
Anyway, Xiao Nianzhi thinks...
It’s not easy in the cold weather.
Even though there were many people in the hall, Xiao Nianzhi still felt that it was quite cold.
I spent half the night eating and drinking.
Your Majesty is very happy, and the courtiers are happy.
Then it was time to disperse.
His Majesty will also focus on naming the outstanding courtiers this year and then give them food.
From the New Year's banquet, choose a dish with auspicious meaning and give it to you.
Although Xiao Nianzhi's contribution this year was not huge, she had been to Linzhou for disaster relief work before, so she also had to give a dish.
The others also received their rewards one by one, and after thanking them one by one, they packed up and walked out.
On New Year's Eve, there is no moon, but the sky is full of stars.
Because the weather has been sunny in the past few days, the night looks very deep and quiet, with a peaceful and pleasant beauty.
It seems to be adding a touch of deep color to the New Year atmosphere.
Xiao Nianzhi followed the court officials and walked out.
Yan Xingxuan is now considered an adult prince, so he doesn't have to stay in the palace and just return to his own house.
Moreover, even if he stayed in the harem, he would still go to the Prince's Palace.
Yan Xingxuan said that he didn't want to stay there.
When celebrating the Chinese New Year with them, what’s more fun than thinking about it?
So, go out and think about it.
Yan Xingxuan didn't come here specifically. After all, there were quite a lot of people at the entrance of the palace. Everyone's carriages were leaving one after another. He couldn't just jump in line, right?
So, just follow the big queue.
Then he wandered slowly until everyone arrived home one after another.
Yan Xingxuan's carriage also followed Xiao Nianzhi to the Xiao Mansion.
People were coming, and Xiao Nianzhi couldn't drive them away.
Moreover, it would really be meaningless to stay up late on New Year's Eve with only Yan Xingxuan in the house.
Therefore, Xiao Nianzhi smiled and invited him to join him.
Yan Xingxuan left the palace schemingly just to wait for this moment.
Therefore, when Xiao Nianzhi said it, he happily agreed.
At the annual banquet, no one ate or drank seriously.
Some cold dishes were okay, but the hot dishes were too cold to be eaten.
However, the house prepared dumplings early in the morning.
A variety of fillings are prepared according to everyone's favorite taste, and then wrapped.
However, since there are no markings on the outside, the fillings are random and you get what you eat.
There is definitely nothing that everyone doesn’t like, so there is no need to be afraid of eating something that you don’t like.
However, if you meet someone occasionally and you don't like it that much, there's nothing you can do about it.
Xiao Nianzhi still prefers pork and cabbage. In fact, chicken with scallops and mushrooms is also good.
But this package doesn’t include much.
When serving dumplings, I didn’t choose them specially.
Each table has two large plates, and then everyone sits down to have another meal.
Aunt Yu sat at a table by herself, and grandpa sat at a table by himself.
It was rare that there were no outsiders here, so Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan sat at the same table.
The appetite for two people is not big, and besides dumplings, they also have other dishes.
The royal dish given by His Majesty, the braised lion's head, has been reheated in the kitchen.
Four fist-sized lion heads have been divided into three parts.
In total, there was one for each person, but Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan sat at the same table, so two were placed on the same plate.
The shiny red lion's head, the fat and round dumplings, the refreshing cold vegetables, the grilled ribs, the elbows, the carved flowers and birds...
Although they only have three tables, the atmosphere of the ceremony is still full.
Everyone happily sat down at the table and opened a jar of wine.
It's the wine Xiao Nianzhi made from pear blossoms in early autumn.
The taste is not bad, but due to the fermentation times and time issues, the degree is not low.
It's fine if you take a few sips, but if you drink too much, it's really easy to get drunk.
We're going to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow, so don't drink too much!
Everyone ate, drank, and said a lot of auspicious words to each other.
Grandpa, who was not particularly satisfied with Yan Xingxuan in the past, now showed a sincere smile.
He thought: It's great that he can still live to this age, watch Xiyue's child grow up to this age, and find her happiness.
Not only that, I also did a lot of things that are difficult for girls to do.
so good!
Maybe it’s the blessing of Xiyue?
Grandpa held the wine glass and couldn't help but think.
After taking a sip of wine, I didn't dare to drink more. I just sipped it on my lips and took a small sip to complete the atmosphere.
Aunt Yu doesn't have so many worries. If she can get up early tomorrow morning, she will go to pay New Year greetings. If she can't get up, she will sleep in.
She is already this age and is out of the palace, so she has so much to worry about.
Enjoy your freedom!
Freedom is so good!
Aunt Yu gently raised the wine glass and took a slow sip.
It is soft in the mouth, slightly spicy, but silky and mellow.
This wine is so good!
Aunt Yu sighed softly, then squinted her eyes and looked into the distance.
In fact, it’s not necessary to look at anything. It’s just that when the mind is empty, people always want to stare at something. This seems to be more convenient for them to empty themselves and enter another world?
Aunt Yu never dared to think that she would have such a day after leaving the palace.
It's a toss-up, but it's wonderful.
It's not at all what I imagined, just hanging around and waiting to die.
Now like this...
really not bad.
Even when you are really old, when you look back, you will feel that your life was not in vain. At least there were a few years where you really struggled and existed.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The two middle-aged and elderly people are already sighing.
But young people…
Xiao Nianzhi took a sip of wine and frowned because of the heat: "...Oh!"
Her voice startled Yan Xingxuan, and he quickly asked softly: "What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good? Is it uncomfortable?"
While he was talking, the tea was handed to Xiao Nianzhi's mouth.
Yan Xing thought: Sitting together is convenient.
If you want to take care of something, you can do it at any time. You no longer need to feel like before, worrying but having nowhere to start.
After taking a sip of tea to dilute the spiciness a little, Xiao Nianzhi felt it belatedly...
The aroma of the wine is long lasting.
It's a very soft fragrance.
However, she really couldn't drink, so she simply waved her hand.
Seeing her discomfort, Yan Xingxuan nodded quickly: "Then I won't drink it. We also prepared fruit tea and milk tea."
Xiao Nianzhi finally chose fruit tea, which was more refreshing.
In fact, the meals during the Chinese New Year are too greasy. Fruit tea can relieve the greasiness better and makes it more comfortable to drink.
Yan Xingxuan is still a little curious about this pear blossom wine.
And he still wanted to brew it, and he wanted to try it even more.
He doesn't drink often, but why not?
You can still drink some.
Take a few sips and feel the fragrance of the wine lingering in your mouth...
Hmm, it has a bit of a silky fragrance and is very comfortable.
Yan Xingxuan did not hesitate to praise: "Think about it, this wine is very good, soft and fragrant, and silky in the mouth, very comfortable."
This is their exclusive production, and it's already good if you can drink it.
Yan Xingxuan narrowed his eyebrows as he spoke, with a look of enjoyment on his face.
It can be seen that he really likes it and is very satisfied with it.
Seeing him like this, Xiao Nianzhi handed over the half-drunk cup of fruit tea and asked him with a smile: "Would you like to take a sip of fruit tea to calm down?"
The fireworks in the capital bloomed to their peak at this moment.
The sound of bang bang bang echoed through the sky.
Xiao Nianzhi's words were drowned in the sound of fireworks and firecrackers, and Yan Xingxuan did not hear them clearly.
However, he saw Xiao Nianzhi's movements clearly and understood the affection in the little girl's eyes.
Yan Xingxuan thought: Is this an invitation?
Regardless of whether it is true or not, he just takes it as yes.
After thinking about it, he felt a little embarrassed, but still stretched his neck forward firmly, put his lips on the edge of the cup, and took a shallow taste.
After taking a sip of fruit tea, the fruity aroma slowly spreads along the lips and teeth, into the throat and stomach, and all the way to the limbs.
It seems like the fragrance from the depths of the forest slowly floats past you, leaving behind a light and long-lasting fragrance that makes people unable to resist the aftertaste.
Yan Xingxuan felt that his face was a little hot, maybe because of the wine he drank just now.
However, what remains between the lips and teeth is the fragrance of fruit tea.
He pursed his lips lightly and moved a little closer to Xiao Nianzhi. His voice was low and seductive: "Think about it, it tastes good."
Hearing what he said, Xiao Nianzhi slowly took back the water glass, his eyebrows were lowered, and his voice was slightly proud: "Of course, I did it."
Yan Xingxuan actually didn't quite hear it clearly, but he understood his sweetheart's pride: "Well, let's think about it the best."
These words were said while the fireworks were blooming, and Xiao Nianzhi vaguely heard them clearly.
The tips of the ears, which were only slightly warm at first, seemed to be slowly getting a touch of warmth.
Xiao Nianzhi thought to himself: It doesn't feel bad, and there is even a hint of expectation.
The two of them didn't go too far, they just exchanged water glasses quietly and secretly drank the water from the other's glass.
When the banquet dispersed, the fireworks outside the city were still going off.
Since it was not yet midnight, grandpa was not in a hurry to rest. He was too lazy to go out and mess around, so he simply sat by the stove and warmed himself up.
Aunt Yu went out to watch for a while, but felt it was too noisy, so she came back.
Then the two of them gathered around the stove, roasting chestnuts and eating them.
The servants were either watching the fireworks, warming themselves by the fire in the house, or setting off some smaller fireworks not far away.
Everywhere is filled with the joy and auspiciousness of the New Year.
After Xiao Nianzhi and Yan Xingxuan had dinner, they held hands and went out to watch the fireworks.
They stood under the eaves, looking into the distance, holding each other's hands, but they both subconsciously held their hands a little tighter.
When large fireworks bloomed in the starry sky again, Yan Xingxuan suddenly turned sideways, leaned against Xiao Nianzhi's ear, and asked softly: "Think about it, do you want to... taste the taste of pear blossom stuffing?"
Xiao Nianzhi listened to the voice and subconsciously turned his head.
She didn't understand Yan Xingxuan's meaning at first, but when she looked into his loving eyes, she vaguely understood the deeper meaning of his words.
Xiao Nianzhi opened his mouth, and the word "good" just rolled on the tip of his tongue. Before he could say it out, Yan Xingxuan had already leaned over.
Xiao Nianzhi didn't have time to feel the silky smoothness of the pear blossom stuffing.
However, Xiao Nianzhi could really feel the lingering fragrance of pear blossom stuffing at this time.
And Yan Xingxuan also tasted the aftertaste of the fruit tea as he wished, which was the sweetness of the fruit and the aftertaste of the tea leaves.
The two sweet feelings were superimposed together, making him squeeze the hand in his palm harder.
Not far away, fireworks bloomed grandly and enthusiastically.
Nearby, the two people hugged each other and clasped their fingers.
What they hold on to is the prosperous age of He Qing Hai Banquet, and the rest of their lives in peace and contentment.