It gets dark early in winter, but it is already completely dark at the hour of You.
Everyone in the Hua family gathered together, had a lively meal, and then couldn't wait to go to the corridor that served as the place for the lanterns.
Fortunately, the weather is nice, with no rain or wind today. Even if it's a bit cold, you can still bear it by wearing one more layer.
At this time, all the lanterns were lit, and the corridor turned a dim yellow, which seemed to make people feel a little warmer when it fell on their bodies.
Hua Zhi raised her voice and said, "I have prepared some small gifts. The top three people who solve the most puzzles can go to my mother to receive their rewards. Good luck everyone."
"Thank you, elder sister!"
The girls thanked him crisply and went up to the corridor in twos and threes, with laughter and noise coming from time to time.
The three old men and the women also went up to feel the festive atmosphere. Hua Zhi greeted Nanny Su and went to the front yard quietly.
Fudong had been waiting, and when he saw the lady coming over he started to prepare the dishes.
"Huahua, I'm hungry." Shaoyao said coquettishly in a long tone.
Hua Zhi came over with clean hands and flicked her head, "Wipe your mouth before you say that."
Shaoyao wiped her mouth subconsciously. It was a little oily. She laughed and said, "The chicken drumsticks made by Fudong are delicious. I also got one for Xiaoliu."
"You're talking as if you didn't steal food if you gave it to Xiaoliu. Xiaoliu is still growing, so it's normal for him to eat more. How can you grow taller if you eat more?"
"I..." Shaoyao almost covered her mouth and swallowed the rest of the words, her eyes rolling around. She was really growing, but unfortunately she wasn't growing in height. She was growing useless breasts.
The maids filed in, and the first thing they brought was a bowl of soup. Nian Qiu said, "Fudong said everyone should drink some soup to warm their stomachs first."
Hua Zhi basically never stopped drinking soup and water. She never had trouble with her body and always drank as much as she needed.
Shaoyao didn't like to drink it, so she scooped half a spoonful of it slowly, with her eyes fixed on the door, waiting for the dishes to be served. There were several big dishes today, so there was no way the soup would take up space.
Xiaoliu didn't like to drink either. He looked at this and that, with his eyes curved and a hint of smile in them. Under the pressure of the master's eyes, he didn't dare to pretend like Shaoyao.
Fu Dong could not stand the reminder and soon appeared at the door, holding a large wooden plate with a medium-sized bowl on it. The maid behind him held relatively less.
Hua Zhi’s philosophy is that rice should be cooked in a big pot and vegetables should be stir-fried in a small pot. Fu Dong keeps this in mind and never cooks large quantities of dishes.
The main dish on the table is mutton. Fudong's mutton is a specialty. The number of people eating the vegetarian mutton banquet is the largest recently. There are also fish boiled in white soup, neatly arranged poached chicken, braised pork with rich sauce, braised pig's feet, twice-cooked pork, braised chicken legs, fried mushrooms, two dishes of green vegetables and several plates of pickled vegetables.
Shaoyao kept sniffing, holding the chopsticks and urging Brother Yan to eat faster with her eyes. She could hardly control her hands.
Gu Yanxi first picked up a piece of mutton and put it in Azhi's bowl, then picked up a piece of boiled chicken, dipped it in sauce, put it in her mouth and took a bite of half of it.
Shaoyao glanced back and forth between the two of them, but she used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pork with a clear purpose. She was clearly going to put it in her mouth, but somehow it changed direction and went to Xiaoliu's bowl next to her. When she realized what was happening, Xiaoliu had already put it into her mouth with a smile. After she finished eating, she didn't forget to thank him, "Thank you, Sister Shaoyao."
"My meat!" Shaoyao screamed, not daring to look at the two people who would make her stupid. She quickly picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and put it into her mouth, then picked up a few more pieces and put them into the bowl. Only in this way could she make up for her broken heart!
Hua Zhi laughed so hard that she poked her forehead. The restaurant was closed during this period, and Fu Dongtian had been making delicious food at home every day. It was not thanks to her that she was being so greedy.
We are all family, and there is no rule of not talking while eating. After eating half full, Gu Yanxi said, "The court will resume tomorrow, and I need to show my face."
"But your injury hasn't healed yet..."
"Outsiders don't know that I'm injured. They just think that there's a conflict between the emperor and me. With the previous arrangements, the conflict should be resolved. If I don't show up, people will find an opportunity to take advantage of me."
Hua Zhi nodded slightly. It was true. The Empress Dowager cleared the scene that day, and the only people who knew that Yan Xi had injured himself were the few people present at the time. When they left, Yan Xi was wearing a cloak, and no one saw the wound. That was why it could be explained away.
"The Emperor ordered you to continue to be in charge of the Seven Stars Division. Do you agree that there will no longer be any Seven Stars Division in the future?"
"The emperor knows the pros and cons of the Seventh Constellation very well, but he is used to relying on it and can't be ruthless. Now that things have come to this point, as long as no one can replace me, he can only try this path. At least I can still protect it for a while." Gu Yanxi ate a piece of food slowly. "To put it bluntly, it means returning the power of the Seventh Constellation to where it should be returned. I am willing to give up power, and they should be very happy."
"That means you still have to carry out the things that were deployed before."
"That's probably the case. I don't feel safe handing it over to others, especially regarding the Jinyang incident. The Chaoli Clan must be behind this. If we alert them, it will be difficult to catch them if they hide again. We must catch them this time."
"The Chaoli tribe, who historically only relied on brute force to win, actually has such a brain. I would never believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Hua Zhi put the last piece of braised pork into Xiao Qi's bowl. She ignored Shaoyao's glare and ate more than half of the bowl of braised pork by herself. "The change of a tribe is not a trivial matter. I wonder if there is a wise man among them. Such situations are not uncommon in the tribe."
"Judging from Yuan Shifang's age, if that wise man was still very young, he might still be alive now. He is the mastermind behind the Jinyang incident." Gu Yanxi put down his chopsticks and thought for a while. "I will send someone to investigate in this direction. If there is such a person in the Chaoli tribe, there must be a trace of him. If there is such a person, we need to be more cautious about the Jinyang incident."
"I hope we are overthinking it."
"It's better to think in vain than for us not to think of it." Gu Yanxi looked at Xiaoliu, "You will go to the palace tomorrow to ask the emperor for an order to go to Qingzhou."
Xiaoliu nodded. Now that his master’s crisis had been resolved, he could leave with peace of mind.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Have you finished your meal? Why don't we go guess lantern riddles to suit the occasion?"
Gu Yanxi raised an eyebrow, "Can I go?"
"Why not?" Hua Zhi looked at the innocent man with a half-smile, "Doesn't the whole city know that you are my fiancé?"
Gu Yanxi couldn't help but laugh, "I'll arrange for someone to go through the six ceremonies and formalize the relationship. Then I'll be your legitimate fiancé."
"You are so shameless." Hua Zhi smoothed her hair and said, "Don't be in a hurry. Take your time. Don't let the emperor have other ideas in his mind."
Gu Yanxi thought about it, sighed, but could only nod.
PS: I kept my promise.