Outside the capital, Liu Qiaoer took a carriage and saw Zhao Ziyu off.
As soon as he returned to Prince Yi's Mansion, the Queen Mother ordered Xiaoliu to return to the palace to celebrate the New Year.
Hong Yuan had also packed her things. Liu Qiaoer took out something that looked like a watch from her sleeve pocket, put it on Hong Yuan's wrist, and gave her instructions earnestly.
"There are many people in the palace, you have to protect Xiaoliu and yourself. You must not let anyone know that Xiaoliu is in good health. This is a food testing instrument. When the red light is on, it means Xiaoliu can't eat it. When the green light is on, it means you can eat it. You have to be careful."
Hong Yuan had served the Sixth Prince since she was a child, so she naturally knew the complicated hearts and minds in the palace. When they were in Yuzhou City, Zhao Ziyu always had excuses for them not to go back.
However, now that Zhao Ziyu has gone to provide disaster relief, and the empress dowager knows that the Sixth Prince has returned to Beijing, she naturally has to return to the palace to celebrate the New Year.
Hong Yuan took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry, young lady. I will serve you carefully."
The Sixth Prince held Liu Qiaoer's hand and was reluctant to leave.
Liu Qiaoer squatted down and touched his hair. The young Xiaoliu reminded her of Lu Yunyang. If Lu Yunyang were still alive, he would probably be this tall too.
"Xiao Liu, the man in the palace is your father. Whether you like it or not, you have to go back. If you are really afraid of him, just ignore him. Remember, you are a prince. Even if the emperor and the queen mother don't like you, as long as you pretend to be stupid, they won't do anything to you."
The Sixth Prince's mother was a humble palace maid. If he had not met Zhao Ziyu, he might not have been able to survive in the palace.
Now that his body has recovered and his mind is clear, if the Sixth Prince were to stay in the palace, he would definitely be slaughtered like fat meat by those concubines who have no children.
If you are weak, you will be bullied; if you are strong, you will be used as a tool. Just pretend to be stupid. As long as you grow up safely, everything will be fine.
Although the Sixth Prince was young, he was very obedient to Liu Qiaoer's words and nodded to show that he understood.
After Zhao Ziyu and the Sixth Prince left, the entire Prince Yi's Mansion was left without a master.
Liu Qiaoer didn't want to stay either, so she simply gave all the servants in the mansion a holiday.
However, of her two manors in the capital, one was given to the Qixi Opera Troupe. They were all having a great time there and definitely didn't want an outsider like her to be there.
The other place was given to Gu Mubai and those other Jinshi who had passed the imperial examination like Gu Mubai and were waiting for transfer orders from the court and were unable to return home.
It's not convenient for her to go back.
After walking around the yard, Liu Qiaoer returned to her room.
At this moment, Chunxiao stood at the door with a lunch box.
"Qiao'er..."
Yes, she is not the only lonely person in the capital.
"Chunxiao, why are you here?"
Chunxiao walked in carrying a lunch box.
"Xia Ying was worried that you would be alone in the mansion and no one would cook for you, so she asked me to bring you some food."
As he spoke, Chunxiao took out a plate of dumplings and two side dishes from the lunch box.
At this time, Butterfly also came: "Qiaoer, it's New Year's Day, I don't know where you will go to celebrate the New Year, so I might as well give you some food."
Butterfly brought a steamed fish and some braised pork elbows.
Not long after, Princess Mingxin asked Shuangjiang to bring a box of food, some exquisite dishes and snacks, and a pot of wine.
It was getting dark, and Liu Qiaoer was about to close the door, thinking that no one might come.
She saw Lu Yunzheng still holding the orange oil-paper umbrella, wearing a white cloak, carrying a food box, and walking slowly towards her.
"you… "
Lu Yunzheng handed the food box to her naturally, turned around, closed the umbrella, and walked into the house.
He calmly put the umbrella behind the door, turned around and said to Qi Ze: "You can go back after the cannon fire."
Liu Qiaoer saw Qi Ze hanging two strings of firecrackers at the gate of the mansion. After lighting them, he ran away.
Then Lu Yunzheng closed the door, bolted it, and looked at Liu Qiaoer with a smile.
"I said that I will spend every New Year's Eve with you. Let's go. It's cold and the food is getting cold."
Liu Qiaoer smiled and let Lu Yunzheng hold her hand and lead her back to her room.
Stroking Lu Yunzheng's slightly cold hand, Liu Qiaoer suddenly felt at ease.
The concept of home is already very unfamiliar to Liu Qiaoer in the last days.
She lost her parents when she was a child, her grandmother when she was seven or eight, and her grandmother when she was in her teens. In the end times, it is a miracle for a child like her from an ordinary family to survive.
Unfortunately, she was alone for more than ten years and could not survive.
Fortunately, God gave her another chance to live.
I thought that being alive in this world would be happy enough, but I didn't expect that I would be rich, achieve something, and even develop a love relationship.
Where there is love, there is home, so cherish it while you are here.
Liu Qiaoer understood that it was not easy for Lu Yunzheng to be with her.
But she couldn't be so selfish as to let Lu Yunzheng make all the efforts while she reaps the benefits.
Love is just a moment of heartbeat, and living together is a matter between two people. Once you have decided on it, you must be responsible.
I thought Lu Yunzheng was just talking, but I didn't expect that he would remember what he said.
Thinking back to their first New Year together, although the future was uncertain and fate was full of twists and turns, they were very happy together.
Now it is another New Year. Lu Yunzheng abandoned his parents and came to spend the New Year with her.
"Is the madam feeling better?"
Mrs. Lu’s ideas were not something she could correct in a short period of time. She didn’t blame her, but she didn’t agree with her, but she still cared about her.
Lu Yunzheng smiled slightly: "She is old, but her foundation is still good. She thought of Yang'er and felt a little sad. She was fed the medicine prescribed by the doctor and fell asleep."
Lu Yunzheng's mother did not approve of them being together, but Lu Bingzhi did.
So, Lu Yunzheng came.
"It's not easy to cure a heart disease. It's cold, how about having hot pot tonight?"
Liu Qiaoer took a small stove and a pot from the kitchen, prepared the base ingredients, and placed them on the table.
As soon as Lu Yunzheng entered the house, he took off his cloak and shoes. The room was warm, so he took off his long gown as well.
He followed Liu Qiaoer's example and crossed his legs on the soft couch.
"This year's food is more exquisite than last year's. I just wonder if the wine from General Zhenbei's house is strong or not?"
Liu Qiaoer smiled gently and poured him a glass of warm wine.
"Drink, you couldn't drink last year because your injury hadn't healed, but this year you can drink as much as you want."
Lu Yunzheng's clear eyes became brighter. He took a sip and smacked his lips because it was spicy. His eyes like lake water flashed and he raised his eyebrows: "How about you have a cup too?"
"Of course." Liu Qiaoer also poured herself a glass.
After three rounds of drinks, the heat in the room, coupled with the alcohol in her stomach, made Liu Qiaoer feel a little hot. She stood up, pushed open the window and exclaimed.
“It’s snowing again.”
Cover yourself with three layers of wheat quilts in the winter, and you will sleep on steamed buns as a pillow the next year.
In the north, too much snow caused disasters, but here in the capital, such snow is just right. After moistening the earth, it will make the land more fertile for sowing in the spring.
"I bought dozens of acres of land outside the capital, and there will be a good harvest next year."
Liu Qiaoer turned around and sat back, and saw the look in Lu Yunzheng's eyes, and she seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.
Liu Qiaoer knew that Lu Yunzheng was curious about his own secret, but she really didn't know where to start, so naturally she didn't say anything.
Lu Yunzheng put down his chopsticks and touched his chin.
"Qiao'er, you don't have to tell me about your affairs. Forget about the other things. I just want to know who the man who appeared next to you that day was."