Ling Qingwan immediately regained her composure and shook her head to indicate that everything was alright.
"I was also there when the second young lady of the Shen family and An Yi had an argument yesterday. When I heard my second brother talking about it, I couldn't help but recall the scene at that time."
Ling Qingwan had never thought of mentioning these rights and wrongs to Ling Xiao and Tan Hongbo.
Firstly, she had no right to interfere in the Shen family affairs. Secondly, Ling Xiao and Tan Hongbo were two grown men, so they naturally didn't understand the open and secret struggles in the backyard.
I think Shen Jiaxin's life from now on will not be easy.
Shen Mansion.
The door creaked open from the outside. Sunlight shone in through the cracks, and the room finally had some life. Seeing someone coming, Shen Jiaxin stood up immediately with excitement.
"Madame Sun, does father feel sorry for me and wants to let me go?" Shen Jiaxin's eyes were full of anticipation.
Nanny Liu held a bowl of white porridge and a steamed bun and placed them on the table.
"The master is still angry, and there is nothing the madam can do. She can only ask the old servants to send some food to fill the young lady's stomach first." Nanny Sun lowered her voice and said to Shen Jiaxin.
Shen Jiaxin glanced at the food on the table with disdain, then turned her head away again.
"How can I eat this? Dogs won't even eat this."
She had been spoiled since she was a child, and had everything she wanted. She had never eaten porridge or steamed buns. Shen Jiaxin felt very unwilling to accept the fact that she had been wronged so much.
"Let me out, I will go to daddy to beg for mercy. Daddy loves me so much, he won't watch me live such a miserable life." After saying that, Shen Jiaxin was about to walk around Nanny Sun and leave the room.
Nanny Sun moved sideways and stood firmly in front of Shen Jiaxin.
"Miss, you have to think clearly. According to the master's order, you can't even eat today. The reason why the lady asked the old servant to bring white porridge and steamed buns is that she doesn't want to add fuel to the fire and make the master angry. You made a mistake and you have to admit it, but you are not wrong to this extent. The lady knows it in her heart. She loves you the most, how could she allow others to plot against you like this."
"Plotting against me? Who are you talking about?" Shen Jiaxin was surprised and looked at Nanny Sun with wide eyes.
Nanny Sun sighed.
"Who in this mansion will benefit the most from your fall?"
Shen Jiaxin thought about it for a moment, and suddenly understood. She clenched her hands into fists, wishing she could tear Shen Youran apart right now.
She had been scolding An Yi from yesterday till today, and she never thought that she hated the wrong person.
"So, young lady, do you want to eat this meal or not?" Nanny Sun brought the topic back to the bowl of white porridge.
Shen Jiaxin glanced at the food on the table, made up her mind, walked to the table, sat down, and started eating obediently.
The New Year Banquet is not only lively in the palace, but also the most lively time in the entire Dai Viet Kingdom.
By then, every household will hang big red lanterns on their doors, and the whole family will gather together to have a reunion dinner to celebrate the passing of another New Year.
The carriage moved slowly, pressing on the snow, making a slight "rustling" sound.
Ling Qingwan opened the window and was shocked by the beautiful scenery on the street.
Ten miles of long streets, decorated with lights and colors, this is the city of Tokyo! Adults rushed to their relatives and neighbors to send their blessings, and children gathered in groups of three or five, laughing and cursing. Ling Qingwan was so fascinated that she arrived at the north gate of the palace without realizing it.
The annual banquet was, after all, no different from any other banquet. The ministers chatted about state and family affairs, while dancers danced on the stage. Ling Qingwan found it boring, so she lowered her head and concentrated on eating.
The banquet was only halfway through, and the food on other people's tables had not been touched, but there were already several empty plates on Ling Qingwan's table.
"Second Miss." Song Zhi moved behind Ling Qingwan and called her. "The old lady told you to eat slowly. If you are not full, you can eat after returning to the Marquis' Mansion."
Ling Qingwan understood.
What Old Madam Ling meant was that she disliked the girl because she came from a poor family, didn't know the rules, and only cared about eating and drinking in front of outsiders, which damaged the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion.
Just as she was thinking, a hand reached out in front of her.
Ling Xiao handed over a plate of glutinous rice duck, followed by steamed pork with rice flour, sweet and sour spare ribs, and fresh meat and egg custard... In a blink of an eye, Ling Qingwan's table was filled with many more dishes.
"These dishes are cooked for people to eat. If Wanwan wants to eat them, just eat them." Ling Xiao moved closer to Ling Qingwan.
The sound was not loud, but Songzhi must have heard it. Otherwise, she would not have looked embarrassed and quietly returned to Old Madam Ling.
There was still one stick of incense left before the end of the year, and everyone left the hall in order and went to the open space outside.
Ling Qingwan followed the people from the Marquis' Mansion, and suddenly, someone patted her on the shoulder.
She turned around and saw Tan Hongbo and An Yi smiling brightly.
"Let's go." An Yi took Ling Qingwan's hand.
"What?" Ling Qingwan was confused.
"There's nothing to see here. We found a good spot ahead of time. We don't have to squeeze in. It's very convenient." Tan Hongbo told Ling Qingwan. "Okay, okay, you two follow us first."
So, Ling Qingwan, An Yi, Tan Hongbo and Ling Xiao turned their backs and quietly squeezed out of the crowd.
Ling Qingwan had not expected that there was a tall building behind the Tenglong Palace. Standing on top and looking down, the area below was pitch black.
When they arrived, Wei Xun and Tan Jiao were waiting.
"We can't enter here." Ling Xiao asked in confusion.
"Have you forgotten? We have a Seventh Prince here. There is nothing he can't do." Tan Hongbo blinked his eyes and smiled brightly.
Ling Qingwan subconsciously glanced at Wei Xun, only to find that Wei Xun was also looking at her.
In panic, Ling Qingwan withdrew her gaze.
Those people were only immersed in the joy and emotion of the past year, and did not notice the changes between Mu Yunran and Wei Xun. Only Tan Jiao saw the interaction between the two clearly.
"Brother Wei Xun, time flies. We have spent more than ten years together." Tan Jiao deliberately raised her voice so that Ling Qingwan, who was standing not far away, could also hear it.
Wei Xun didn't say anything, but looked up at the sky.
"Stop fooling around, it's about to begin." Finally, Wei Xun spoke, reminding the few people who were still laughing and joking.
They hurried to the railing, and both sides of Ling Qingwan were suddenly filled with people.
With a "bang", gorgeous fireworks bloomed in the sky.
Everyone looked up intently, their faces reflected by the fireworks, which was colorful and beautiful.
At this moment, Ling Qingwan didn't think about anything.
She didn't realize that when the fireworks were at their most beautiful, Wei Xun was looking at her.
After the event was over, it was already late at night. Everyone said goodbye to each other and left the palace one after another, returning to their own homes.
Ling Feng drank a lot of wine and was very drunk. He could not even walk steadily and needed the support of his servants.
As soon as he got off the carriage, Ling Feng lost his balance and fell.
The people around him were extremely worried and hurriedly helped Ling Feng up. Only Ling Qingwan lowered her head and suppressed her laughter.
Ye Yun waited at the door for a long time. When he saw everyone coming back, he went to greet them.
"son!"
Ling Feng roared with full energy, shocking everyone present. Then, Ling Feng hugged Ye Yun.