Chapter 570: Yuanruo Wants to Confirm [Thanks! Bow again! Owed]

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

It was early morning and also thawing,

The dripping water outside turned into ice, which was very cold,

If you didn't protect your cheeks with a scarf when going out, your face would feel a bit painful from the cold.

This coldness also made Bianjing City, which had been lively since yesterday evening, very quiet at this moment.

But there were still sporadic fireworks and firecrackers exploding in the city, and the sound traveled very far.

Quyuan Street,

Marquis of Yongyi's mansion backyard,

In the hall,

Xu Zaijing and his brother Zaizhang sat opposite each other, and on the table between them was a Xiangxi (Chinese chess) very similar to the later generations.

"Clack!"

"Clack!"

The sound of chess pieces hitting the board rang out from time to time.

"Zaizhang, this..."

Before the Marquis of Yongyi could finish, Xu Zaijing shouted: "Hey! Father, a true gentleman doesn't speak while watching chess!"

Zaizhang, sitting opposite Xu Zaijing, raised his head and glanced at his father, hesitating for a moment, not knowing whether he should make this move.

On the side, Hualan, who was playing leaf cards, turned her head to look at her husband from time to time, her eyes full of worry.

"Hua'er, play!"

"Oh!"

Hualan hurriedly retracted her gaze, looked at the leaf cards in her hand, and threw one onto the table.

Sun Shi glanced at the cards and said while drawing cards from her hand: "Don't worry, Jing'er has a sense of proportion and won't win all your husband's treasures."

Xie Shi on the other side covered her mouth and laughed upon hearing this.

Staying up late is easy to make one sleepy, so playing cards and chess to stay awake all required stakes to be fun.

Clack, clack, after a few more sounds of chess pieces, Xu Zaijing's voice sounded: "Checkmate!"

"Oh my! This, if I had known..."

Zaizhang's annoyed voice sounded, and Hualan sighed helplessly.

The Marquis of Yongyi patted Zaizhang on the shoulder and said: "Zhang'er, you rest; let me meet this kid again. I really don't believe it!"

On the chair beside Xu Zaijing, Lu Zezong looked at the square table on the side with a smile, where many of his righteous brother's 'trophies' were placed.

"Qingcao, go heat up the fried hairtail on the table and bring it over."

Xu Zaijing shouted while stretching his neck.

Qingcao, who was fighting with her eyelids, instantly woke up, responded with a 'yes', and went to get busy on the side.

Zaizhang, who had finished eating for a while, also stood beside Xu Minghua holding a plate of snacks, eating while watching.

The candlelight in the hall shone through the window paper onto the courtyard outside.

There were lanterns hanging in several places in the courtyard, shaking from time to time in the cold wind.

At the main gate of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, further away from the backyard, two large 'Marquis of Yongyi's Mansion' lanterns illuminated the street in front of the gate.

On the Xu family's heavy main gate, only one silk pouch for receiving New Year's greeting cards was hung in previous years, but two were hung this year.

Although the time was still early, borrowing the light of the lanterns, one could vaguely see that there were already greeting cards in the silk pouches.

"Whoa~"

The sound of a rider reining in a horse came from not far from the main gate. After a burst of walking sounds, another card was placed into the silk pouch at the gate.

A moment later,

"Giddyup!"

The sound of driving a horse rang out, and the Xu family's main gate fell into silence again.

"Boom!"

A huge firework exploded in the sky above the palace city not far away.

The instantaneous flash illuminated the Chai family's courtyard, and one could vaguely see objects for setting off fireworks and firecrackers placed all over the courtyard.

The objects were full of traces of smoke and fire from being set off.

Just looking at the scale of these things, the Chai family clearly set off a lot of fireworks last night.

The brightly lit hall was very warm,

Chai Zhengzheng, sitting at the card table, covered her mouth and yawned, throwing a card onto the table with sleepy eyes.

"Ha! I won!" Chai Jin's happy voice sounded.

Chai Zhengzheng raised the corners of her lips with a fake smile and said: "Big Brother is really amazing."

After speaking, Chai Zhengzheng stood up, stretched, looked at her parents, and said: "Father, Mother, daughter will rest for a while! Pei Erge, you come and play."

"Coming!" Chai Bo's excited voice came.

Madam Chai looked at Chai Zhengzheng with some helplessness and said, "Zhengzheng, why are you so listless tonight?"

Chai Zhengzheng pursed her lips and thought for a while, then said: "Maybe daughter didn't sleep well at noon."

After nodding, Madam Chai said, "Yun Mu, go and bring your young lady a cup of tea to refresh her spirit."

"Yes, Madam."

Chai Zhengzheng walked to a chair not far from the incense burner, sat on the soft chair cushion, grabbed a pillow filled with cotton, held it in her arms, and closed her eyes to rest.

A moment later,

"Da Niangzi, tea."

"Hmm!"

Chai Zhengzheng took the teacup, took a deep breath, and began to sip it slowly.

While drinking tea, Miss Yun Mu bent over and leaned toward Chai Zhengzheng, saying: "Da Niangzi, should this slave bring a hot towel for you to apply to your face?"

"Hmm."

After Chai Zhengzheng finished speaking, she put the teacup aside, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed her eyes again.

Soon, a soft and warm towel was gently covered on Chai Zhengzheng's face.

I don't know how long it had been,

Chai Zhengzheng, who had fallen asleep unknowingly, woke up.

The towel on her face was still warm. Besides a pillow in her arms, there was a thin blanket covering her body, making her feel warm all over.

Reaching out from under the warm thin blanket, after taking off the towel on her face, Chai Zhengzheng, who was full of energy, looked at Miss Yun Mu on the side and said: "How long did I sleep?"

"Da Niangzi, about three quarters of an hour."

"Hmm!"

Seeing that Chai Zhengzheng looked somewhat unhappy, Yun Mu glanced in Madam Chai's direction before whispering, "Young lady, although few people will come to pay New Year's calls this morning, once we enter the palace, there will be many people."

Chai Zhengzheng's expression visibly showed a smile, and she said: "Hmm! Then I'll sleep for a while longer."

Beginning of the Mao hour (6:00 AM),

Passersby paying New Year's greetings began to increase on the streets of Bianjing, which had been quiet since the early morning.

Nanjiangtang Lane,

Rong family,

Rong Feiyan, who had finished staying up late, had already returned to her courtyard.

The sky was dark, and candles still had to be lit in the room for lighting.

In the exquisite bronze mirror on the dressing table, Rong Feiyan's beautiful face was reflected.

Behind Rong Feiyan, the maid Seeing Xi Bu held an ivory comb and combed her hair seriously.

Because the time was still early, the area around Hui Xue Courtyard was very quiet.

Rong Feiyan, sitting on the embroidery stool, looked at herself in the mirror with some sleepiness,

Suddenly,

"Selling stupidity, selling stupidity..."

I don't know which child in the neighborhood was shouting 'selling stupidity' by the street while it was still early, and the sound came vaguely.

The maids in the room heard the shouting and laughed one after another, and Rong Feiyan did the same.

The difference was that Rong Feiyan didn't know what she thought of between her eyebrows, and her face was slightly flushed.

Although the candlelight was not very bright, Rong Feiyan's skin was fair, so the flushing of her cheeks was somewhat obvious.

Seeing Xi Bu turned her head and glanced at Rong Feiyan, then said: "Da Niangzi, why do you look like your face is a bit red?"

Rong Feiyan, hearing this, reached out and touched her cheeks, then puffed out her chest and said: "Hmm, the underground heating in the room is a bit too hot."

"Oh! Then this slave will have someone extinguish the stove mouth."

"Good."

After a while,

Dressed up,

Rong Feiyan, who still had a tender yellow hair ribbon tied in her hair, put on her cloak and went to sit in the main hall in the backyard.

After talking with her sister-in-law Dou for a while in the main hall, a maid walked over, bowed, and said with a smile:

"Madam, Da Niangzi, the two Chai family brothers have come to pay New Year's greetings; the Master wants you two to go over."

"Understood."

As she spoke, Rong Feiyan stood up with a smile and went to the front courtyard with her sister-in-law to meet the guests.

The sky gradually brightened,

The relatives and friends who came to pay New Year's greetings to the Rong family had basically all come. Except for Dou, who was pregnant, the others in the Rong family prepared to get up and enter the palace.

Just as they were about to get on the carriage,

Rong Xian stood beside Rong Feiyan and said: "Sister, after the New Year, there will be captains who want to defect to our family coming to the capital. There will be female family members when they come. You have to find time to help me entertain them."

Rong Feiyan asked in confusion: "Brother, isn't there a sister-in-law? Why do you let me..."

Rong Xian glanced at Rong Feiyan: "Isn't your sister-in-law pregnant? Besides, the female family member who is coming is a young lady."

Rong Feiyan frowned slightly and said: "Brother, it's not that sister doesn't want to entertain, but I'm afraid that letting this young lady follow me to see the daughters of high-ranking families in the capital will be somewhat..."

Looking at Rong Feiyan's still somewhat unhappy appearance, Rong Xian said helplessly: "Sister, the captain coming after the New Year is someone Fifth Young Master Xu took a fancy to after I told him about it."

"Besides, it's just asking you to entertain her; why would you need to take her to see your friends who are legitimate daughters of dukes and marquises in the capital?"

Rong Feiyan's frowned brows relaxed, and she asked in confusion: "Brother, you introduced him; how could Fifth Young Master Xu take a fancy to him?"

Rong Xian: "Pfft, sister, don't you see the relationship between your brother and Jing'er?"

"Good."

The sky was bright,

Not far from the south gate of the palace city,

Xu Zaijing, dressed in new clothes, rode his little Li horse behind the Xu family carriage.

Beside Xu Zaijing was not his brother Zaizhang, but the earmuff-wearing Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding.

"To be able to find six is already not bad! Thank you for your hard work!"

Xu Zaijing nodded and smiled.

While speaking, Lu Zezong, who was sitting on the saddle in front of Xu Zaijing, looked at the man on the side.

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding looked up at Xu Zaijing and said: "Fifth Young Master, what are you saying! Being able to find them a good place to go, this small one should thank you."

Xu Zaijing waved his hand with a smile.

"Are those soldiers who went to Guangnanxi Road adapting well?"

"Replying to Fifth Young Master, they are adapting well! A few have already become team leaders."

"Oh? Very good!"

"It is also thanks to the care of the Xie family and the Xiong family."

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile and said: "If I had known you would come to my house to pay New Year's greetings this year, I should have visited Old Master Zaijue."

"No need, no need!" Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding waved his hand.

The two were talking, and soon they came to the palace gate.

Relying on the height of the little Li horse, Xu Zaijing saw Zheng Xiao, who was talking to Qi Heng not far away, at a glance.

"Look, that's the main person."

Xu Zaijing pointed at Zheng Xiao and said.

Afterwards, Xu Zaijing said a word to Zaizhang, then rode his horse and walked over with Lu Zezong and Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding.

Walking close and dismounting, after greeting,

"Jing'er, who is this?"

Zheng Xiao smiled at Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding and asked.

Qi Heng also looked at Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding curiously.

"This is a descendant of the original Bai Gao Zaijue family, Zhejue Zhongding. The matter of you asking me to find Bubai soldiers was handled by him."

"Oh? You've already found them?" Zheng Xiao asked in surprise.

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile: "They all have old parents and young children, and their family background is clean! When you return to the north, you can take them with you."

Hearing this, Zheng Xiao nodded heavily, looked at Xu Zaijing and Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, cupped his hands, and said: "Jing'er has put in effort, and also... feel..."

"Pei Erge, just call this small one Zhejue Zhongding."

"Zhejue Zhongding has also put in effort."

The people sent had old and young, which meant they had worries and roots, so they could be used with peace of mind.

"Pei Erge praises too much. Being able to handle matters for Fifth Young Master is this small one's honor."

Zheng Xiao looked at Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding's attitude with some confusion, glanced at Xu Zaijing, nodded, and said: "Oh! Haha! Let's have a meal together when we have time."

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding nodded repeatedly.

"Yuanruo, why are you here by yourself today? Where are the Duke and Princess Pingning?"

Listening to Xu Zaijing's words, Qi Heng smiled and said: "Jing'er, I'm waiting for you here. We're changing to go to the Sheng family tomorrow; you know that, right?"

"Hmm, I know."

Qi Heng nodded with a smile and said: "That's good."

Xu Zaijing returned a smile, then looked around and asked in confusion: "It's this time, why haven't I seen Ye-ge'er?"

Qi Heng and Zheng Xiao looked at each other and said: "Jing'er, don't you know? Second Uncle fell accidentally when we were racing horses yesterday."

"Ye-ge'er fell? Was he injured?"

Zheng Xiao nodded: "He twisted his foot."

"He's too careless."

As they spoke, the group began to walk toward the palace city.

After walking for a while, when passing in front of a palace, looking at the Northern Liao officials waiting outside, Zheng Xiao said:

"Jing'er, look! The chief envoy of the Northern Liao mission."

"Righteous Brother, have you also beaten this person?" Lu Zezong, holding Xu Zaijing's hand, asked curiously.

"Hmm! Punched him in the stomach."

Lu Zezong nodded and said 'oh', then glanced at the Northern Liao chief envoy.

"Fifth Young Master, someone is chasing after us quickly from behind."

After Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding finished speaking, Xu Zaijing and the others looked back

After the group slowed their pace to wait, Gu Tingye caught up with them.

"Pei Erge Zheng, what were you all talking about just now?"

After Zheng Xiao replied with a few words, Gu Tingye draped his arm over Qi Heng's shoulder and said, "Yuanruo, speaking of this, you didn't even tell me when you got the news that day, making me miss such a big scene!"

The sound of the group talking soon reached the ears of the Northern Liao official, Lord Liu, who was waiting in front of the palace hall.

When Lord Liu turned his head to look, he happened to see Gu Tingye pointing at him while walking with a limp!

The tall youth beside him was the very culprit who had stirred up the Northern Liao relay station.

Watching Gu Tingye's movements, it looked for all the world like he was mocking those Northern Liao soldiers who had been beaten to the ground by Xu Zaijing.

"Whoosh!"

The Northern Liao chief envoy turned his head back, flicked his sleeves in anger, and whispered while looking at the palace hall before him, "This is truly bullying people too much!"

Inside the Imperial Palace,

After Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye, and the others found their respective families as they did in previous years, they waited outside the hall.

Following the eunuch's summons, the various families from the capital began to enter the main hall in an orderly fashion.

"Summon the relatives of the Marquis of Yongyi to enter the hall."

Upon hearing the summons,

Xu Zaijing walked in with his family; today, Xu Xingdai had also followed them into the palace.

After the Xu family bowed to pay their New Year's respects, the Empress smiled and beckoned to Xu Xingdai, who was holding Sun Shi's hand, saying, "Dai Ge'er, come forward and let me have a look."

Hearing the Empress's words, the imperial concubines nearby also looked at Xu Xingdai with full smiles.

Especially Consort Rong, whose eyes held many memories.

When the Empress first met Xu Zaijing back then, Xu Zaijing was about this same age.

While the Empress was speaking, Rong Feiyan, who was sitting on an embroidered stool not far behind Consort Rong, stared at the still-red corner of Xu Zaijing's mouth not far away, her eyes filled with a look of heartache.

Suddenly,

Rong Feiyan, having sensed something, lifted her gaze upward and saw Xu Zaijing and his family bowing slightly toward Consort Rong on this side as a gesture of greeting.

Rong Feiyan panicked, hurriedly lowered her head, stood up, and performed a curtsy in return.

Beside Sun Shi, Xie Shi and Hualan exchanged a glance with unchanging expressions.

The Emperor and Zhao Fang had not yet arrived, so the atmosphere in the hall was very relaxed, with sounds of conversation drifting over from time to time.

"Summon the relatives of the Marquis of Ningyuan to enter the hall."

As Gu Tingye followed them in with a limp, the sound of conversation in the hall instantly grew slightly louder.

The wife of the Marquis of Hou Fu Chang looked at Gu Tingye's appearance and said to the wife beside her, "This, this child, won't he be left with a disability?"

(End of chapter)