The New Year’s Eve dinner is eaten together at home.
In fact, Zi'an had never eaten with the Noble Concubine, let alone with his brother-in-law.
Murong Jie came back in the afternoon and said to Zi'an directly: "We won't have the New Year's Eve dinner together. Let's go back and have it with my mother-in-law."
"Mother-in-law is just mother-in-law. Can you please not add the word old? She is not even forty!" Zi'an was speechless.
Murong Jie sat down and ate melon seeds. "No matter how young she is, she is still my mother-in-law."
"Shall we go back to eat? This is not a good idea, right? Your stubborn third brother will scold us again." Zi'an said. Prince Li attaches great importance to these family ethics. He is a stubborn person.
"When he talks about us, you should ask him back, shouldn't we have the New Year's Eve dinner as a family? We and my mother-in-law are a family. Otherwise, you can eat in the palace as long as you are not afraid of being pestered by the ladies." Murong Jie spit out the melon seed shells. He didn't eat snacks in the past, but now he has changed a lot in all aspects.
"Then let's go home and eat." Zi'an said with a smile. In fact, she really wanted to go back and eat. It was New Year's Day, and who would want to eat a meal with thorns in it? It would not be a peaceful New Year.
Zi'an went home temporarily for dinner and did not mention it today, so the people in Qingning Pavilion thought that she would order people to prepare a New Year's Eve dinner. She was too lazy to give instructions and just told King Nanhuai to wait until she came to invite him in person before leaving.
She waited until the end of the You hour, and it was not until someone from the kitchen came up to ask if the meal was ready that she realized that Xia Zian and Murong Jie were not at home for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Concubine Gui was so angry that she was about to die. Although she didn't really want to eat with Xia Zian, it was her decision whether to eat or not, not Xia Zian.
She didn't even say a word before taking her son out to have the New Year's Eve dinner. She was really rebelling.
"Serve the meal!" Prince Nan Huai saw that Concubine Dowager was unhappy and gave the order indifferently.
"Yes!" The head of the kitchen also saw the dark face of the noble concubine and thought he would be scolded. After hearing the order from Prince Nan Huai, he went there immediately.
King Nan Huai immediately ordered someone to call Sun Fang'er, but Xiaohong came back and told him that Sun Fang'er was not there.
Prince Nan Huai asked angrily, "Where did she go? Didn't she tell me?"
"To reply to Your Majesty, Miss Sun didn't say where she was going, and I didn't see her go out. I always thought she was in her room." Xiaohong said.
Prince Nan Huai waved his hand and said with disgust: "Let her go, and leave her alone."
But the noble concubine called out to Xiaohong, "Did anything special happen today?"
Xiao Hong told the truth, "In reply to your Majesty, the shopkeeper of the Hu family gave Miss Sun a gift today. Apart from that, nothing else happened."
"The Hu family's shopkeeper? Hu Huanxi!" The noble concubine frowned, "She gave Fang'er something? What did she give her?"
"It's a small brocade box, which should contain jewelry, and a piece of silk." Xiaohong said.
"It should be filled with jewelry? Didn't you see it?" asked King Nan Huai.
Xiao Hong shook her head. "I didn't see it. Miss Sun told me to open it. However, she said she didn't want it at first, but then she suddenly told me to take it back."
The noble concubine waved her to leave, then looked at Prince Nan Huai, "Hu Huanxi has close contacts with your aunt and Xia Zian, what does it mean that she gave Fang'er a gift?"
"Sow discord? If we know that she gave things to Fang'er, we will misunderstand that Fang'er has contact with them." This was the first thing King Nan Huai thought of.
"No, if it is to alienate each other, it will not work as long as Sun Fang'er doesn't accept it." said the noble concubine.
Prince Nan Huai thought for a moment and asked, "What do you think, mother?"
The noble concubine shook her head, "I am now increasingly unable to see the situation clearly."
Prince Nan Huai said, "Forget it, don't think about it. Sun Fang'er will not betray me. I am very sure of this."
"Are you sure that she won't betray you? Why are you so sure?" asked the noble concubine.
Nan Huai Wang said: "Because, except for me, no one will take her in, and she will not be willing to just live an ordinary life. She wants to fight for her reputation too much."
The noble concubine shook her head. "You, I told you before that maybe no one dared to take her in before, but now it's different. Many people know her ability now. Don't be too sure. I have a feeling that Hu Huanxi approached Sun Fang'er in order to incite her to rebel."
Prince Nan Huai smiled, "You worry too much, mother. Even if Hu Huanxi wants to do this, Sun Fang'er won't. She will be the princess soon. This position is something she couldn't even dream of when she was a concubine."
"But you should also be able to see that she is not so willing, right?"
"She is unwilling because my heart is not with her. Perhaps, she still has some fantasies about Murong Jie, but she is smart enough. Murong Jie didn't look at her straight in the eye before, and he won't look at her now, and he won't look at her in the future. She is just daydreaming. She will know whether it is more important to keep this dream or to hold on to the position of princess."
The noble concubine said calmly: "You also admitted that your heart is not with her, which shows that you still haven't forgotten that bitch Rouyao."
Prince Nan Huai changed the subject, "Stop talking, let's eat the New Year's Eve dinner."
Qingning Pavilion was deserted, but Tingyuxuan was very lively.
Two tables were set up, one for Murong Jie and his wife and Murong Jie's mother-in-law Yuan Cuiyu, and the other for Xiaosun Guiyuandao's eldest brother and sister, their nanny, and the servants who served Yuan Cuiyu.
Ni Rong didn't come tonight. He went home to have the New Year's Eve dinner.
Zi'an originally wanted to invite Xiaosun and the others to eat together, but they took one look at the prince's stern face and said they didn't dare, so Zi'an had to order another table to be set up.
Tonight's New Year's Eve dinner was actually made by Aunt Cuiyu. When everyone was eating, they all praised her and said that her cooking skills were better than those of the chef.
Zi'an stood up and raised his glass. "Today, I want to toast everyone. Thank you for taking care of me in the past six months. Thank you!"
The princess picked up the cup to toast the servants, but for the first time, Murong Jie did not move, but just ate the food calmly. The maids immediately stood up and said, "Princess, this is not allowed. How can you toast us? We should toast you."
Zi'an said, "Mammy, you all have to drink this glass of wine. If you don't, I'll be angry."
Boss Dao drank first. He didn't know so many etiquettes. He just knew that when someone toasted him, he had to drink it all.
After hearing what Zi'an said, and seeing that Dao Lao Da had already finished the drink, Nanny could only say awkwardly, "Well, we servants will accept the princess' kindness."
Just after the first glass of wine was toasted, there was a knock on the door.
Dao Lao Da went to open the door immediately, but saw King Liang coming, sitting on a chair and being carried by guards. As soon as he came in, he said resentfully: "You hid the feast from me and didn't even call me king. You are selfish."
"Why are you here if you are not going to the palace to accompany your grandmother?" Murong Jie raised his head, glanced at King Liang, and asked indifferently.
"The Empress Dowager has so many daughters-in-law to accompany her, and a large group of lovely and smart grandchildren. I, a lonely man, should come and join you!" Prince Liang said pitifully.
"Come on, set the table for King Liang." Zi'an said quickly.
(End of this chapter)