Concubine Wende was seriously injured after giving birth, so Ning Chen ordered her to observe a double confinement period, thus she would be spared the hard work during the New Year.
It gets even busier once December arrives, as there are a lot of things piling up at the end of the year.
Thinking that she couldn't miss the palace banquet during the New Year, the empress dowager finally agreed to see people even though she hadn't fully recovered yet.
During this period, the Cining Palace received several letters from the Duke of Yingguo. This brother cares about his sister and the uncle cares about his mother, so Ning Chen naturally did not stop him.
Although he didn't know what was written in the letter, it seemed that the empress dowager had been persuaded to understand a little.
First, she said that she was sick and confused, and that the rewards given to the eldest prince and Concubine Wende were previously handled by Nanny Fu. In this way, it was understandable that the rewards were small.
Then, naturally, he generously gave the child a lot of gifts and even sent Nanny Fu to look after the child.
Later, a fox fur scarf was sent to Jiuchen Palace, saying that it was made during the emperor's illness. The weather was getting colder and they were worried that the emperor would catch a cold.
What happened next was even more interesting, as Yuxiu Pavilion also received rewards.
The Queen Mother praised Ye Yun for being kind, generous and broad-minded, and said that giving up the ginseng saved the lives of Concubine Wen and her son.
There is also the original quote, "The word Ming also means understanding and righteousness. The Ye family has been loyal for generations, and a good father will have a good daughter. Lady Ming is indeed a role model for women."
That's going a bit too far.
What role model is a woman? The role model should be the queen.
Anyway, Ye Jun didn't dare to respond. He immediately changed his clothes and went to the Cining Palace to express his gratitude. He declined the offer, saying that he was not worthy of it, and spread the news so that everyone in the palace knew about it.
Are you kidding? With her current status, if the Queen is determined to kill her, it won’t be difficult.
Fortunately, the queen was not stupid. Although she felt uncomfortable, she knew that the queen mother just wanted to disgust her, so she did nothing.
Instead, he followed the Empress Dowager in rewarding Concubine Wende and Ye Yun.
With these two in front, Ning Chen naturally had to keep silent and followed suit.
In addition, Chen Wanrong, who was originally to be under house arrest for three months, was released because of her meritorious service in caring for the sick.
After all, the New Year is almost here, and it’s not good for the mother and son to have a bad quarrel.
In mid-December, news came from outside the palace that Ye Zhe had returned to Beijing. Although he still missed Chu's birthday, at least he was back.
Now the Ye family is gradually recovering. Ning Chen also gave some gifts to Chu on her birthday, which was a great honor.
The day after Ye Zhe returned to Beijing, it started snowing.
"Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. I'm sure next year will be a good year." Ye Jun stood in the corridor and watched.
Luzhi took out a scarf and tied it on her. "Although the scenery is beautiful, my lady, please be careful not to catch a cold. I heard that Chen Wanrong is sick."
"Oh? You're sick again right after you were released from house arrest. It's really... I won't be able to sleep with you for a few days." Ye Jun smiled, "Come out for a walk with me. In this weather, walking in the snow to look for plum blossoms is very artistic."
"Then let me get another cloak. It's windy outside."
Luzhi is now the one who serves the most among the people of the Lu generation. She is smart, good at talking, and does things properly, and Ye Jun is quite satisfied with her.
But you can't go out with just one person. Nan Zhi and Hui Yue have been taking inventory of the warehouse these two days. By the end of the year there will always be favors and rewards, and they also have to rush to make new clothes and jewelry, so they are busy with all these things.
It was Luhe who was helping them.
But this time, he still called Huiyue to go out with him, and Baizhu and Lumei also followed.
In the plum garden, large patches of red plum blossoms are in full bloom. It is really beautiful to see them on a snowy day.
"Break a few and take them back to put in a vase and put them on the table in front of the window." Ye Jun was very interested.
Bai Zhu responded, saying that since he was tall, he would naturally be the one to do it.
"Ming Mei is in a good mood, are you here to enjoy the plum blossoms too?"
I heard a voice behind me, and when I turned around, it was Yao Xiang coming here.
"I pay my respects to Lady Ming." Yao Xiang bowed.
Ye Jun waved his hand, "Don't be polite, Mr. Fang. It's a coincidence that we meet here."
Yao Xiang smiled and said, "I have always liked the purity of plum blossoms. Today, when it snowed, I thought of them. I never thought that I would meet the beautiful lady Ming while I was looking for plum blossoms in the snow."
This is very thought-provoking.
Was it really an accident that they met someone, or was it ironic that I didn't expect Ye Jun to have such elegant and leisure time.
Ye Jun smiled without saying anything. He stared at her for a while before speaking calmly.
"My reason for coming to the plum garden is simple. I just want to pick a few branches to put in a vase. The word "noble" may be used to describe plum blossoms, but how many noble people can be? It would be better to just appreciate the flowers. What do you think?"
"Miss Ming is right." Yao Xiang's eyes darkened.
She could naturally guess the hidden meaning in Ye Jun's words, but since he didn't explicitly say that she was not noble, she couldn't refute it.
While they were talking, Baizhu picked a bunch of beautiful plum branches and brought them back.
Yao Xiang's eyes flashed with a gleam, and she pursed her lips and said, "It is best for my concubine's flowers to bloom on the branches for everyone to appreciate. If you pick them and take them back, they will wilt in a few days. It is better for you to come to the plum garden more often."
"What a pity! I have always been a person who plucks flowers when they are in season, and I can't compare to Fang Cairen who has such a kind heart as a bodhisattva." Ye Jun glanced at her coldly.
Ye Jun naturally had no good feelings towards this Yao family, especially now, this feeling was getting stronger and stronger.
"It's a good omen that flowers should be picked when they are in season." Ning Chen's voice came from not far away.
They both turned around at the same time and saw him walking towards them in a black robe on the light snow.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." The two of them saluted together.
Ning Chen approached, "No need to be polite, I went to Yuxiu Pavilion to look for you, but I didn't expect you to be out, so I came back empty-handed."
As he said this, Ning Chen reached out to support Ye Jun and squeezed her hand skillfully.
Suddenly I remembered that there was someone next to me, so I paused and took my thoughts back.
This small action was extremely glaring in Yao Xiang's eyes.
In the previous life, even though she had done so much, he had never treated her so gently and intimately. Ye, why!
But now is not the time to worry about these things.
Yao Xiang suppressed her reluctance and spoke softly, "Since Your Majesty is here to look for Sister Ming, I will take my leave first."
"Okay, you go back first. I'll visit you another day." Ning Chen nodded.
During the days since entering the palace, Yao Xiang has been abiding by the rules and has not made any mistakes. The last investigation into the Yao family's bribery did not reveal anything. Ning Chen is currently quite satisfied with Yao Xiang.
"Since the emperor is so reluctant to part with Concubine Fang, why not just go with her?"
Seeing that Ning Chen's eyes seemed thoughtful and distracted, Ye Jun hummed twice.
Ning Chen came back to his senses and looked at her helplessly, "I said I came to look for you early in the morning, what are you doing now?"
"Your Majesty still blames me for making trouble. Could it be that I was so cruel and cruel and drove away the talented woman that made Your Majesty disgusted with me?" Ye Jun refused to give in.
"You woman, you are such a jerk!" Ning Chen gritted his teeth, "Yuan Jiu, go pick some more plum blossoms for Lady Ming, and send the pair of white porcelain vases in my storehouse to Yuxiu Pavilion."
At last, he unnaturally took the hand of the concubine beside him and asked, "Are you satisfied?"
Ye Jun tilted her head back without saying a word. Suddenly she stood on tiptoe and pecked him on the lips. Then she curled her lips into a smile. Her beautiful eyes were as bright as stars, making all the red plum blossoms in the garden pale in comparison.
"Nonsense." Ning Chen's face flushed immediately, and he turned his back immediately, "It's cold outside, let's go back to Yuxiu Pavilion first."
Huatangxiugeshuo
I have been working overtime these two days, so the update may not be timely, please forgive me