Celebrating the New Year in the palace is basically the same as in ordinary people's homes, but the ostentation is much greater.
On New Year's Eve, we sincerely invite all the gods to come down to the realm to bless us, and couplets with the word "blessing" are posted everywhere in the palace.
The emperor would get up before dawn, burn incense and worship his ancestors, and he would be busy until dawn.
There will also be a banquet for hundreds of officials at noon, and princes, ministers, and royal family members are all invited.
There were three hundred tables, with a total of ninety-nine dishes. It is said that no one except the emperor could taste all these dishes at one time.
Even though the emperor tried it all, it was just a formality, and he couldn't even eat it.
In order to get a good luck.
However, these meals will not be wasted in the end. After the main banquet is over, the generals will go down and the maids and eunuchs below will eat them one by one, and there will be some that cannot be obtained.
After the official banquet, there are songs and dances, and the whole set reaches the third quarter of the lunar month.
Then the officials leave the palace and go home, and everyone in the palace can rest for a while.
The concubines in the palace usually take a nap after the official banquet. After getting up, they walk around the palace, set off firecrackers, play dominoes, or play Go.
I didn’t go to Huayang Palace until just before the New Year’s Eve dinner.
The most important thing is the New Year's Eve dinner in the palace, with one hundred and eight dishes starting from the sheep's head and ending with the deer's tail. Each dish has its own particular details.
There is no queen in the palace this year. Cen Yunchu is the imperial concubine and performs the duties of the queen on her behalf.
After New Year's Eve is Yuan Day.
Early that morning, before dawn, the emperor got up.
Along with him, Cen Yunchu also woke up.
"Don't get up and sleep a little longer." The emperor patted her and said, "It was too late to stay up late last night."
Cen Yunchu was indeed a little tired, so he turned over and fell asleep again.
I don't know how long it took, but the emperor smiled and asked her to get up: "Birthday girl, wake up. May you wish you happiness in the new year, and may you have both good fortune and longevity."
Cen Yunchu's starry eyes were slightly misty and his voice was slightly hoarse. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your golden words can be answered a hundred times."
The emperor kissed her forehead and said, "Today is your birthday. All other birthday gifts are too ordinary. After much thought, this is the only one that is considered thoughtful."
"What is it?" Cen Yunchu asked with a smile.
"Get up and take a look." The emperor also smiled, keeping it secret.
Cen Yunchu stood up, and the palace maid came to help him change his clothes.
She walked down to the ground and saw a bowl of longevity noodles on the table.
The noodles are a little uneven in thickness, but they are carefully decorated with mycelium, bamboo shoot slices, sea bass meat and a candied poached egg.
"This...is it made by you, Your Majesty?" Cen Yunchu was stunned for a moment and guessed it.
The emperor rarely showed some restraint and said with a smile: "I have practiced it several times before, and this time it is the best."
Cen Yunchu couldn't help but sigh a little and said: "Your Majesty, you are so busy these days, you still bother to worry about me."
"Everything I do for you is worth it." The emperor came over, took her hand, and asked her to sit down. "Try it while it's hot and see if it suits your taste."
Cen Yunchu picked up a spoon and scooped out a ladle of noodle soup. It was fragrant and moderately salty.
"This soup is so delicious."
"It's a soup made with clear chicken soup and dried bamboo shoots. It doesn't have any oil." The emperor was very happy to receive the praise. "The noodles are a bit thick. I cooked them for a while, so I don't know how they taste."
Cen Yunchu picked up the noodles and took a bite. He smiled and said, "It's very chewy. I like this kind of noodles."
The emperor raised his hand lovingly, touched Cen Yunchu's hair and said: "May you be happy and safe every year. My Ah Chu is already twenty-two years old."
Cen Yunchu couldn't eat anymore after eating half of it. The emperor took the bowl over and she finished the rest of the noodles.
The palace people on the side knew in their hearts that the Holy Emperor doted on the imperial concubine too much.
I have never heard of the emperor personally cooking longevity noodles on any of his concubines’ birthdays.
It is even more impossible to eat the leftovers of any concubine.
But here in Cen Yunchu, all rules are broken, and the emperor is blatantly partial to her.
"Oh, I feel so full." Cen Yunchu smiled and touched his belly.
"When you are full, come out with me! The ministers have come to the palace to pay New Year's greetings and wish you birthday." The emperor said, "You and I will also give gold and silver purses to these ministers!"
"Is Chen'er still asleep? Don't wake him up, it's not even dawn yet." Cen Yunchu said.
"That's how it is during the New Year. Except for children, adults can't sleep in." The emperor suddenly lowered his voice and said to Cen Yunchu: "But don't be too tired these days. It's almost done. In a few days, it will be over.
You are the one who is tired."
"Is the emperor really in such a hurry? I always feel that we should wait a little longer. I am not in a hurry." Cen Yunchu said.
"I am more anxious than you." The emperor said, "In my heart, there is only one queen, and that is you.
The Imperial Heavenly Supervisor has already seen it, and it turns out that February 16th is an auspicious day. The things needed for the ceremony were prepared years ago."
"Concubine, thank you for your trust." Since Cen Yunchu met the emperor, she never asked for anything. The emperor always put everything in front of her.
"Actually, you have suffered a lot of grievances since you entered the palace. Fortunately, you understand the righteousness well and know that I have no choice but to do so.
Now that King Huaiyang and his gang have been punished, I have nothing to restrain me. From now on, you and I will share this kingdom." The emperor held Cen Yunchu's hand tightly.
He had long promised to Cen Yunchu that his mother would grace the world.
Cen Yunchu lowered his head slightly. For a woman, the position of queen is already the most noble position in the world.
What the emperor gave her was neither precious nor disrespectful.
She also knew that from now on, what she would have to bear would also be a heavy burden.
"Little Chen'er won't be beautiful for more than a few days." The emperor actually gloated, "After your conferring ceremony is over, he will be crowned prince soon, and he will have to be woken up at midnight."
The status and honor that many people dare not aspire to, were already arranged for Cen Yunchu, mother and son.
"By the way, there is one thing I have never asked you.
"What's up?"
"I heard that you had a warlock tell your fortune in your early years?"
It turns out that the emperor had also heard about Zuo Zhengqing's approval of Cen Yunchu's horoscopes.
"I was forced to go because of my grandmother's power." Cen Yunchu couldn't help but laugh, recalling that it felt like a lifetime ago.
"I heard that he gave you a very bad fate test at that time?"
"That's right, he said that I am extremely humble."
The incident at that time caused quite a stir, and many people were superstitious about Zuo Zhengqing and called him "Zuo Shenxian".
Because he gave such a comment to Cen Yunchu, no one in the capital's dignitaries wanted to get married to him.
For a long period of time, Cen Yunchu became the object of ridicule.
"Is that person dead?"
"He has been dead for a long time." Cen Yunchu said.
"You really deserve to die." The emperor snorted coldly.
Zuo Zhengqing ruined Cen Yunchu's reputation, and finally Cen Yunchu designed to bring him to justice.
But except for a few people, no one knew that Zuo Zhengqing died at the hands of Cen Yunchu. This chapter has been completed!
