Chapter 429: Keeping the New Year

Night,

Huihe Ward,

Residence of the Duke of Lian,

A white light flashed in the distance,

Dimly illuminating the unmelted snow on the shady roof north of the Lu family's house.

"Boom~~~"

Slightly delayed, the huge sound of fireworks exploding came from the direction of the palace.

"Brother, Brother! Look quickly, such big fireworks in the palace!"

Lu Zezong, who was setting off firecrackers and fireworks in the courtyard with Xu Zaijing while wearing earmuffs, pointed toward the palace and shouted.

Xu Zaijing looked in the direction Lu Zezong was pointing, watching the fireworks exploding in the night sky: "Truly beautiful!"

"Yes! I haven't seen such big ones before."

"Perhaps they were set off last year, and you didn't see them at our house." Xu Zaijing said.

Last year, Lu Zezong spent the New Year at the Xu family.

Lu Zezong nodded hesitantly: "Brother is right, it really is possible!"

A white light flashed,

"Boom~"

Another firework exploded.

Qingcao and the sisters Yunxiang and Huaxiang, wearing earmuffs and brocade cotton-padded clothes, stood behind Xu Zaijing.

The light from the fireworks in the palace illuminated the faces of the three little maidservants, and their eyes were also bright.

Quyuanjie was some distance from the palace, and in previous years, it was rare to see fireworks from the palace during the New Year.

The second firework over the palace dissipated in the night sky,

And the Lu family courtyard became much darker than before, sinking back into the yellowish light of the lanterns.

Just as Lu Zezong was preparing to continue setting off his own firecrackers,

Another white light flashed.

The light from the fireworks also illuminated the second floor of the wooden tower where the Rong family had watched the Mid-Autumn moon in previous years.

On the wooden tower stood the Rong family members wearing thick winter clothes.

Rong Xian looked at the dissipating fireworks and said, "Sister said there would be beautiful fireworks tonight; she really didn't lie to us!"

After Rong Xian finished speaking,

The night sky in the direction of the palace fell slightly into darkness.

"Brother, are there only these three fireworks?"

Rong Feiyan, whose cheeks were red from the cold of the winter night, asked while breathing out white mist.

Rong Xian smiled at his sister: "Hehe, little sister, you guess."

Just as Rong Xian finished speaking,

"Ouch! Mother, why did you hit my head?"

The Rong family's First Madam breathed out white mist: "If there were more, I wouldn't still be suffering from the cold on the second floor just to watch fireworks; if there are no more, I'm going down!"

"There are, there are! Sister said the palace might set them off all night!"

"Then how many fireworks must they be setting off!" the Duke of Hou Fu Chang sighed from the side.

Rong Xian said, "Father, it's just that they set off many at this time; in the second half of the night, they might set off one every quarter of an hour."

After watching the fireworks for a while longer, the Rong family master and mistress went down the wooden tower together and returned to the room where the heater was burning and the floor heating was on.

Rong Xian and Rong Feiyan did not follow.

"Sigh!"

Rong Xian sighed.

"Sigh!" Rong Xian sighed again, then looked at Rong Feiyan, who was looking into the distance on the second floor: "Sister, don't you care about your brother at all?"

Rong Feiyan, who was looking elsewhere, said casually: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!"

Rong Feiyan rolled her eyes at Rong Xian: "Brother, I'm hungry, I'm going down first."

"Hmm!"

Rong Xian nodded.

After Rong Feiyan took Ningxiang and Seeing Xi Bu downstairs, Rong Xian looked toward the Chai family and said to himself melancholily: "Sigh, my romance that ended without a disease."

Rong Xian was no longer young, and previously, Consort Rong had summoned him and Rong Feiyan into the palace and had already decided his marriage: it was the daughter of the Duke of Consort Fu Guo, the Dou family.

Compared to the new noble Rong family, which had risen since Consort Rong entered the palace and had no deep foundation, this marriage was quite good.

The current Emperor was in good health and would have no problem living for another ten or eight years.

And although the Dou family was a Duke's residence, the younger generation, whether in reading or martial arts, had no outstanding descendants who could shoulder the heavy burden.

Having Rong Xian, a consort's brother who could speak before the Emperor, to look after them was also a good thing.

Quyuanjie,

Residence of the Marquis of Yongyi,

It was some distance from the palace,

And only the faint sound of fireworks came.

The Xu Marquis's wife, Sun Shi, stood in the courtyard, watching Zaizuan and Zaizhang leading their respective sons setting off firecrackers and sparklers.

Just like last year, Lu Zezong's maternal grandfather's family still sent many fireworks.

The fire-spitting sparklers made of bamboo tubes as thick as an arm, which Zaizuan was lighting with incense, were sent by the Li family.

The sparklers sprayed sparks outward, making the Xu family courtyard very bright.

Sun Shi had a smile on her lips, but her eyes were somewhat melancholic.

Hualan, on the side, watched her husband and son laughing happily, glanced at Sun Shi, and said softly: "Mother-in-law, what's wrong with you?"

Sun Shi looked at Hualan and smiled: "Nothing, for these sixteen or seventeen years, Jing'er has been in the courtyard every year at this time. Not seeing him this year, I'm not quite used to it."

Thinking of the feeling of spending the New Year at the Xu family for the first time, Hualan held Sun Shi's arm and said: "Mother-in-law, we will be able to see Little Five tomorrow."

Sun Shi smiled.

Hualan continued: "I wonder if my brother recited a new poem at the dinner table tonight."

Cuichan, behind Hualan, smiled: "First Madam, Bo Ge'er has persisted for these years; this servant reckons it's eight-tenths likely to be that poem 'Keeping the New Year's Vigil' again tonight."

Sun Shi heard the interesting story of the Sheng family and smiled again.

After a while,

Sun Shi looked at her son and grandson in the courtyard and shouted: "Stop playing! Come into the house!"

End of the Xu hour (9:00 PM)

In the cold winter night,

The sound of firecrackers and fireworks in Bianjing City gradually diminished.

This also made the large fireworks set off every quarter of an hour in the palace particularly conspicuous.

"Boom~"

The sound of fireworks reached the inner courtyard of the Chai family.

Listening to the movement,

Chai Jin, who was playing leaf cards to pass the time after dinner, looked outside.

"Big Brother, are you going to play or not?"

Chai Bo's voice came.

Chai Jin looked at the leaf cards in his hand, threw them directly onto the table in defeat, and said to Chai Zhengzheng on the side: "Zhengzheng, you come, my luck tonight..."

"Hmm?"

Madam Chai frowned and glared at Chai Jin.

"Luck is not bad! Sister, you come!"

Chai Zhengzheng, on the side, waved her hand: "Brother, you play."

Chai Jin shook his head and walked over: "What are you looking at? So fascinated?"

Chai Zhengzheng, who had a stack of books beside her, smiled: "The storybook novel sent by the Fifth Da Niangzi of the Li family yesterday is quite interesting to read."

The Chai family master, whose luck was flourishing, smiled: "Jin'er, Zheng'er, which one of you is coming over?"

"Sister, I'll help you look, you go."

Chai Jin quickly took the storybook from before Chai Zhengzheng and held it in his own hand.

Chai Zhengzheng pretended to be angry and looked at Chai Jin, who smiled and waved his hand: "Go quickly, go quickly."

Chai Zhengzheng stood up helplessly and said to Wei Fangzhi, who was eating candied fruit and talking with Miss Yun Mu in the corner of the hall: "Fang Niang, play some music."

"Yes, Da Niangzi."

Wei Fangzhi smiled and put the candied fruit in her hand back into the plate,

Wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and picked up the pipa placed on the side table.

Soon,

The sound of the pipa, rhythmic, happy, and light, sounded slowly.

Amidst the music,

After a few rounds of leaf cards,

The Chai family master's smile gradually dissipated, and he became suspicious when playing cards, looking at his daughter Chai Zhengzheng's expression from time to time.

The night was deep,

And it was even colder,

But the Chai family hall was still as warm as spring.

Chai Zhengzheng stood up, stretched, and said: "Not playing anymore, winning all the time is boring! Big Brother, you come."

Madam Chai, sitting beside the card table, smiled and shook her head, reached out to take the sweet hot tea soup offered by the maidservant, took a sip, and said: "Jin'er, come over."

Chai Jin put down the storybook with lingering interest, sat back at the card table, and drank the refreshing tea soup just like Madam Chai.

Chai Zhengzheng picked up the storybook again and talked to Miss Yun Mu before looking at it.

Soon,

A jade-like porcelain bowl appeared on the table beside Chai Zhengzheng, with a black-looking frozen pear soaking inside.

When changing books after finishing the storybook, Chai Zhengzheng took a sip of the frozen pear and shrank her shoulders beautifully.

Residence of the Duke of Lian, Lu family,

There was nothing to do while keeping the New Year's vigil at night,

And the wide hall in the inner courtyard was covered with thick carpets.

Although the Old Duchess was not young, she was still playing leaf cards with her daughter-in-law and granddaughters at the card table.

Some Lu family young ladies were playing pitch-pot.

While playing pitch-pot and cards, they looked toward the other side from time to time.

The reason was,

The aged Duke of Lian had drunk some wine and suddenly had a whim, becoming interested in comparing martial arts.

At this time, he was sparring with Xu Zaijing on the carpet that had been cleared after the servants moved the tables and chairs.

Both of their movements were extremely slow; it wasn't so much sparring as it was Xu Zaijing feeding him moves.

Subsequently,

Lu Zezong went on stage to let Xu Zaijing "test" the results of his training over the past year or so.

After playing around for a while,

Xu Zaijing had Lu Zezong bring his chuiwan club and balls into the hall.

Xu Zaijing placed a teacup lying on its side on the carpet, and the two brothers played indoor chuiwan.

Beginning of the Yin hour (around 3:00 AM)

Fireworks still exploded in the palace from time to time.

The Old Duke and the Old Duchess had already gone to sleep.

The young people in the hall were not sleepy yet after drinking the tea soup.

The Lu family kitchen sent the freshly cooked food to the hall.

Xu Zaijing looked at the dinner table, where a large plate of deep-fried fish chunks was placed just like yesterday evening, and knew that the Lu family saw he liked to eat fish and had specially made more.

After eating his fill,

And talking and resting in the hall for a while,

It was already the middle of the Yin hour (4:00 AM).

Xu Zaijing accompanied Lu Zezong to put on thick winter clothes and went out to the street outside the residence to shout "Selling Idiocy."

After returning, the matters of lighting fires and beating in the courtyard were much the same as at the Xu family.

Before dawn,

Xu Zaijing and Lu Zezong left the hall again, this time following the Lu family's third son, the Imperial Son-in-law, to visit the families the Lu family was on good terms with.

The group of three rode horses, followed by servants and stewards, with many calling cards in their arms.

For families with ordinary relationships, or those who didn't want to receive guests, or were in mourning, or were still resting and didn't want to open the door, the servants and stewards would put the cards into the cloth bags hanging on the main gates.

Chai family,

After Chai Zhengzheng washed her face to wake up,

She began to let the maidservant Fuyi help her re-comb her hair.

Going to the palace to pay New Year's greetings this morning, she naturally had to dress up again.

Chai Zhengzheng, who was somewhat sleepy after staying up late, let out a big yawn and closed her eyes.

Taking the copper basin filled with hot water from the little maidservant, Miss Yun Mu soaked the towel in the hot water of the copper basin.

After wringing the towel so that there wasn't too much or too little hot water, Miss Yun Mu wiped the face of Chai Zhengzheng, who had her eyes closed.

Watching the corners of Chai Zhengzheng's mouth lift unconsciously, and the extremely shallow dimples on her fair cheeks, Miss Yun Mu smiled: "Da Niangzi, this servant sees that you are in a very good mood today."

"Hmm."

Hearing this, Chai Zhengzheng replied, and the dimples on her cheeks deepened.

When Miss Yun Mu was wiping Chai Zhengzheng's hands, Chai Zhengzheng, still with her eyes closed, said: "Is the family's main gate open today?"

"It's open, Ziteng just went to look."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded several times.

Fuyi, who was styling her hair behind her, said in a low voice: "Da Niangzi, please move slowly."

Two quarters of an hour later,

Chai Zhengzheng stood up, spread her arms, and let the maidservants put the new clothes on her.

"Da Niangzi, someone has come to pay New Year's greetings to the front courtyard."

A little maidservant wearing new winter clothes shouted outside the door.

Chai Zhengzheng's eyes brightened,

And Ziteng was busy putting a cloak on Chai Zhengzheng.

Miss Yun Mu said at the door: "Did you hear clearly which family the guests are from?"

"Sister Miss Yun Mu, they said it's the Marquis and the heir of the Qin family from Jingming Ward."

Chai Zhengzheng's mouth twitched slightly, and her eyes were no longer bright.

She waved her hand at Ziteng to indicate no need, then sat down on the embroidery stool on the side.

Rong family,

Front courtyard,

Because the winter sun rose late, and it was still early morning, the sky was very dark.

So the candles on the several candle stands standing in the front hall for receiving guests were all lit.

In the bright yellow candlelight, the front hall was very bright.

Peony flowers in full bloom were embroidered on the fine gauze of the extremely thin screen,

Rong Feiyan was in the dark behind the screen, and through the blank space on the fine gauze of the screen, she could clearly see the front hall.

Looking at her brother Rong Xian in the front hall, who had finished bowing to Xu Zaijing and then hugged him and patted his back, Rong Feiyan pursed her lips.

In the gap between talking to the Imperial Son-in-law Lu while sitting on the chair at the head, the Duke of Hou Fu Chang saw Xu Zaijing being hugged by Rong Xian.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's demeanor, the Duke of Hou Fu Chang and First Madam Rong looked at each other and said: "Go, let the Third Da Niangzi in the next room come out to see the guests."

After waiting for a while,

Rong Feiyan walked out from behind the screen with her maidservants.

At this time, Rong Xian was talking to Lu Zezong, who was seated. Hearing Lu Zezong mention the Duke of Consort Fu Guo's family, the smile on Rong Xian's face froze.

Xu Zaijing, sitting below the Imperial Son-in-law Lu, also saw Rong Feiyan walking out.

The Imperial Son-in-law Lu and the Duke and Duchess of Hou Fu Chang all sat still,

While Xu Zaijing and Lu Zezong both stood up, their movements very consistent as they bowed together: "Miss/Sister Feiyan, greetings."

Rong Feiyan smiled, bowed, and stood behind the Duchess of Hou Fu Chang. After smiling at Lu Zezong, she took the opportunity to glance at Xu Zaijing.

After saying two more sentences,

The Imperial Son-in-law Lu led the two of them to stand up and say goodbye.

"First Madam, Miss Feiyan, please stay." The Imperial Son-in-law Lu said with a smile.

Subsequently, he walked toward the second gate with the Duke of Hou Fu Chang and his son.

Watching the group walk away from the covered walkway,

First Madam Rong: "Tsk, this Xu family young master is truly not bad, it's a pity there is still a gap with the Young Duke of the Duke of Qi's family, he has no title! What a pity."

Rong Feiyan, on the side, had been looking at the covered walkway. Hearing First Madam Rong's words, she said: "Mother, didn't you hear from the Xue family how the Princess Pingning views our family?"

The Xue family was the maternal family of the Princess Pingning's eldest sister-in-law.

The maternal family of the Princess Pingning's cousin.

On the way to the wedding banquet at the Zhu family of the Earl of Chengping,

The Imperial Son-in-law Lu looked at Xu Zaijing and Lu Zezong, the two sworn brothers riding Little Li Ju together: "Wait until we stop by the Zhu family, then finally go to the Chai family, and then go home and enter the palace."

Xu Zaijing and Lu Zezong nodded together.

Chai family,

In the front courtyard,

Also in the front hall for receiving guests,

The maidservant Miss Yun Mu walked in quickly, bowed to Madam Chai, and then came to Chai Zhengzheng's side: "Da Niangzi, the Imperial Son-in-law Lu has brought Jing Ge'er and Zong Ge'er."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 430 =====