In the afternoon, birthday gifts for Jiang Nan, Zhou Chengxin and others were delivered to the mansion.
Jiang Nan was as rich as ever, with three large boxes of stuff, including gold nuggets, silver ingots, pearls, agates, and raw jade.
Prince Jin looked at Jiang Changning, who was sitting among a pile of jewels with his eyes and eyebrows curved in a smile, and touched his chin, as if thinking about something.
The gifts given by the Zhou brothers were various books, including two rare ancient books that the King of Jin had been looking for for a long time.
Seeing that Prince Jin couldn't let it go, Jiang Changning generously gave it to him as a gift.
"Ningning, are you willing to give it to me?" Prince Jin asked with a smile.
"You are my husband. Giving things to you is just like passing something from the left hand to the right hand. Why should I be reluctant?" Jiang Changning said with a smile.
The two books of strategy were originally given to her by the Zhou brothers so that she could use them to please King Jin. In order to make her life easier, she went along with it.
It is said that the gift sent by the banker was a set of clothes and shoes and socks sewn by Wu and Zou themselves.
Jiang Changning looked at the clothes, shoes and socks in the gift box and smiled. The dealer was playing the emotional card.
Unfortunately, she doesn't have much affection for the banker.
According to her understanding, Wu and Zou had stopped sewing many years ago, and these clothes, shoes and socks were definitely not sewn by them.
"Put it in the box." Jiang Changning asked Fangju to take the gift box out.
What Zhuang Qingyu sent was a jade Guanyin statue of fertility, and she asked the person who gave the gift to tell Jiang Changning the good news that she was three months pregnant.
"I'll go see her when I'm free some other day." Jiang Changning returned the greeting and said.
After the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, Qiao became busy delivering New Year gifts to various mansions, and she also had to express her gratitude to the ladies in the palace.
Qiao spent several days looking at the thick piles of account books, which made him look haggard.
Princess Kangren felt sorry for her mother and suggested, "Mother, once the account book is sorted out, give it to Aunt. From now on, Aunt will be the manager and you won't have to work so hard."
Mrs. Qiao was furious. "You unfilial daughter, you actually helped her. Do you still remember who gave birth to you?"
"Mother, I'm not helping my aunt. I just don't want you to work too hard." Princess Kang Ren explained.
"I know whether it's hard or not. Go back to the courtyard and practice the piano. You must give a brilliant performance at the palace banquet on New Year's Eve this year. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Princess Kangren got down from the kang and said, "Mother, I will go back to the yard to practice the piano now."
After sending her daughter away, Mrs. Qiao continued to use the abacus and look at the account book.
In Rujing Courtyard, Jiang Changning was also busy, cutting paper with his maid.
Jiang Changning has a pair of deft hands. Not only can she cut out flowers, birds and words, she can also cut out pavilions and towers.
When Prince Jin came back and saw the paper-cuts spread out on the kang, he was amazed and said, "Ningning, is there anything you can't cut?"
"Characters? I don't know how to cut characters." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
"Ningning, teach me how to cut this." Prince Jin picked up the lotus flowers.
"This is easy." Jiang Changning took the paper and scissors and began teaching.
After teaching for a while, Jiang Changning was about to collapse.
Who could tell her that the King of Jin, who could paint lifelike figures, vivid animals, brightly colored flowers, and vividly portrayed landscapes, was so clumsy in paper cutting
"Cut upwards and make an arc. That's right, okay. No need to cut it at the tip. Oops, you cut it wrong. It can't be used." Jiang Changning was extremely helpless.
He cut one piece of paper, two pieces of paper, three pieces of paper, and four pieces of paper. When the tenth piece of paper was also cut to pieces, Jiang Changning, who was thirsty, used the excuse of going to pay his respects to the imperial concubine to coax Prince Jin, who was preparing to cut the eleventh piece of paper with great enthusiasm, out of the yard.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the court put down its writing system and, except for officials on duty in various departments, all other officials went home to celebrate the New Year.
The officials who seemed to have some free time were actually busier than usual. They were actively finding out who had received rewards from the palace and who could attend the royal annual banquet.
Starting from this morning, eunuchs would rush to various mansions with rewards.
Rewards can be thick or thin, more or less.
The Prince Qing's Mansion had no treatment last year, but this year it was rewarded by the three palaces, which shows that Prince Qing's status has been improved. Outside the gate of Prince Qing's Mansion, many officials came to flatter him.
However, not many people know why the Prince Qing’s Mansion is valued by the Emperor.
Apart from these six families, other families either received the Emperor's blessing, or the Empress Dowager's reward, or the Queen's reward. None of them were so honored to receive the joint reward from the three giants.
But as long as there is a reward from the palace, it is an honor.
The Princess Dowager of Prince Jin was not interested in it. She looked at the emperor's handwriting and curled her lips in disdain.
Seriously speaking, the emperor's handwriting is not too bad, with a good structure and layout, but the brushwork is a little frivolous, not as strong and vigorous as the handwriting of Prince Jin, which is full of tiger-like vigor.
In addition to the royal family and the royal family, those with first-class titles in the capital and officials of the second rank and above were also fortunate enough to enter the palace to enjoy the New Year's Eve banquet.
Not only is there a dinner on this day, but there are also ceremonies to ancestor worship.
At the exact time of Yin, Jiang Changning got up and dressed.
The Prince of Jin did not attend the morning court, but still got up at the beginning of the morning hour and no one knew where he went.
Jiang Changning didn't ask any more questions and sat in front of the dressing table with a look of despair on his face.
The princess' phoenix crown was covered with kingfisher jewels that looked like clouds and towers. The six dragons and three phoenixes were exquisitely shaped and lifelike, and the gems were dotted on the front of the crown like stars.
Luxurious and beautiful, it is an invaluable blessing.
Putting it in the display cabinet, Jiang Changning could write an essay of more than a thousand words to praise it.
But now, Jiang Changning's evaluation of it is just one word: heavy.
She has to carry such a heavy phoenix crown for a whole day.
My neck feels tired just thinking about it. Alas, if you wear the phoenix crown, you must bear its weight!
"Princess, the snacks you asked the kitchen to prepare yesterday have all been packed into the food boxes." Xiulan came in to report.
Jiang Changning almost fainted after learning that the sacrificial ceremony would take three hours from start to finish. "Fortunately, my sleeve pocket is big enough to hide a few more cakes."
Not only does it take a long time, but I can't eat in between and I have to stay hungry. The dinner doesn't start until 3 p.m.
It’s so inhumane!
"Princess, what would you like for breakfast?" asked Xiulan.
"It's early in the morning, I don't have much of an appetite." Jiang Changning frowned, "Just have a bowl of porridge, and some pickles or something."
"Princess, it's not convenient for you to go to the bathroom wearing this. Besides, the ceremony will last for three hours. You'd better eat noodles. They will fill you up and keep you from getting hungry." Xiulan advised.
This made sense, Jiang Changning accepted the suggestion, "Well, OK, let's do as you say.
As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Jin came in. He had already changed into the prince's robes and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Almost." Jiang Changning put the earrings on her ears.
"What do you want to eat for breakfast?" Prince Jin sat down on the round stool next to him.
"I'm eating noodles. What do you want to eat?" Jiang Changning asked with a smile.
King Jin smiled and said, "Same as you."
Jiang Changning was not in a hurry to put on the phoenix crown that weighed more than ten pounds, but ate noodles first.
In the small kitchen, three-fresh noodles were prepared.
The first thing about the three-fresh noodles is the soup; the second thing is the ingredients; the third thing is the winter bamboo shoots.
(End of this chapter)