There was no 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the tenth year of Qingzheng, so the 29th was New Year's Eve.
Rong Tang was too lazy to go to the palace banquet, so he excused himself from illness and stayed at home to recuperate.
Rong Mingyu simply didn't care about him and instead brought Rong Zheng into the palace.
Su Huaijing naturally had to follow Tangtang. A few years ago, Ke Xuebao returned to the capital from Jiangnan, and Ke Hongxue no longer needed to attend the banquet on behalf of his father. After a discussion, the few of them, including Mu Jingxu, said that their old injuries had not healed yet and it was not suitable for them to go out, so they all skipped Emperor Renshou's banquet.
Ke Hongxue brought Mu Jingxu and Yuanyuan to Tang Jing's house. As Rong Tang let go of Su Huaijing's lips, a few uncontrollable tears flowed from the corners of her eyes and her eyes were red.
Master Ke stepped over the threshold, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled casually: "What's going on? Master Su is bullying our prince again?"
He teased, "I know you are young and you have just started eating meat, but you can't be so reckless and do it all day and night. Look at how sensible your brother and I are. You should learn from us."
Mu Jingxu's gaze shifted from Rongtang's face and he stared coldly at Ke Hongxue for a moment. If his eyes could freeze people to death, Master Ke could probably go to the yard and make an ice sculpture emitting fresh cold air.
Yuanyuan likes this uncle very much, but she likes Mumu even more. Seeing this, she frowned and hesitated for a long time, but finally decided to speak up for Mumu: "But you bullied Mumu until he cried last night."
Mu Jingxu paused slightly, his eyes widened uncontrollably, and the look he gave Ke Hongxue suddenly became extremely cold.
Master Ke froze all over, knowing that he had drawn fire and completely angered his senior. He immediately squatted down and told Yuanyuan: "Don't talk nonsense. It's obviously your brother Mumu's injury that hasn't healed yet. I'm helping him apply medicine."
"Really?" Yuanyuan didn't believe it anyway.
Ke Hongxue nodded firmly: "Really? You've seen the wound on Mu Mu's back. It's scary and extremely painful."
Yuanyuan frowned, worry written all over her delicate little face.
Ke Hongxue led the group out, whispering, "Mumu is very shy. She will be very sad if someone hears her crying. Yuanyuan, don't say it out loud next time."
The ten-year-old boy was skeptical and always felt that Uncle Ke was lying to him. But when he turned around, he caught a glimpse of Mu Jingxu's lips slightly pursed, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes fixed on a certain point on the ground, his fingers clenched into fists in his sleeves. In the end, he believed Ke Hongxue's lies.
He nodded: "Then I will go to apply the medicine next time, and I will help Mu Mu blow it."
Ke Hongxue was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He didn't know whether he should agree or not. He took great pains to get the man out and asked Shuangfu to accompany him to catch sparrows on the snow.
When they came back, everyone in the room had calmed down. There was a wooden box on the table. Ke Hongxue glanced at it, paused for a moment, then understood what Su Huaijing meant and asked, "Did you do it?"
Su Huaijing didn't comment, took the box and put it on the shelf.
Mu Jingxu looked back in confusion, and Ke Hongxue shook her head: "It's okay, it's New Year's Day, don't say unlucky words."
He turned to Rong Tang and asked, "Has the rice milk been cooked in the kitchen? I'll go and help you put up the Spring Festival couplets."
Year after year, they were the ones who helped to put up the Spring Festival couplets here last year.
Rong Tang nodded: "Everything is ready. We have also bought a lot of firecrackers and lanterns. We can let Yuanyuan have a good time today."
"That's great." Ke Hongxue said with a smile, and then asked, "Do you have mahjong at home?"
Rong Tang showed a puzzled expression, and Ke Hongxue said, "We plan to stay here tonight. We can't just sit there and wait for the New Year. Will the prince play mahjong?"
Rong Tang reacted and nodded: "Yes."
Ke Hongxue clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's stay up together today."
There is a charcoal fire burning in the house. After the twelfth lunar month, the New Year will come. There have been several heavy snowfalls this year, so there will definitely be a good harvest next year.
Ke Hongxue and Mu Jingxu went out to look for Yuanyuan. Rong Tang stood up and was about to go with them. Su Huaijing took his arm, lowered his head, and kissed him lightly on the lips again.
If the kiss initiated by Rong Tang just now was an invasion, a vent, and an outlet for all the grievances and anger that had nowhere to be complained, then the kiss initiated by Su Huaijing now was complete comfort and coaxing, even the movements were gentle, rubbing against each other bit by bit, bringing peace of mind inch by inch.
After the kiss, Su Huaijing hugged Rong Tang, letting his rapid breathing fall on his neck.
"Tangtang, Happy New Year's Eve." Thousands of words finally condensed into six words. Rongtang closed his eyes, paused for a long time, and whispered: "Happy New Year's Eve."
"You're one year older, Huaijing."
"That's also Brother Tangtang's little boy." Su Huaijing said with a smile.
Rong Tang's face turned slightly red, and he was unable to speak for a long time.
The neighbors outside had already started setting off firecrackers. Rong Tang came out of Su Huaijing's arms and was going to the yard to find Yuanyuan. When they were about to pass the corner, Su Huaijing pulled his wrist and stopped, tilted his ear to identify him, and a smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He took Rong Tang's hand and walked out of another door.
Rong Tang looked at him in confusion, and Su Huaijing lowered his voice to explain: "Brother and Master Ke are doing something bad."
The whisper was so intimate and hidden that Young Master Rong was stunned for a second. Then he reacted immediately, and half of his body froze slightly. He walked straight ahead, but when he passed the corner again, he couldn't help but turned back and took a sneak peek.
Su Huaijing was touched by his cute little actions and his mood became infinitely better.
Rong Tang suddenly asked, "Is the brother the one below?"
Su Huaijing's expression froze slightly. It was the first time he realized that Tangtang could be so curious.
He pursed his lips. After all, it was not nice to talk about people behind their backs, especially one of them was his own brother. But the big villain lowered his eyes, saw Rong Tang's eyes flashing with question marks, and finally nodded.
Rong Tang just showed an expression of "as expected", but Su Huaijing shook his head again and said hesitantly: "Not necessarily."
Rong Tang's understanding and relief that he was not on the wrong side was suddenly hit. He raised his eyes in shock and looked at the person who spoke.
Su Huaijing said implicitly: "Third brother's back..."
The flogging Qiuchu received was healed by the ointment prepared by Su Huaijing himself, but he certainly could not lie in bed and bear the stress during the healing period.
But Su Huaijing didn't think that the two of them could endure not doing anything for three months.
So Su Xiaoqi's embarrassment about secretly telling his brother's secret immediately disappeared. He even admired Rong Tang's expression with interest, hooked his palm with his little finger, and asked with a chuckle: "Tangtang, do you want to try it too?"
Rong Tang changed from a white egg to a red egg.
Su Huaijing smiled and seduced: "It's very comfortable and can go very deep."
Rong Tang almost bit his teeth off. He turned around and glared at him fiercely: "Are you dissatisfied that I don't go deep enough, or do you think I'm lucky?"
"No." Su Huaijing said lightly: "I just want Tangtang to feel more comfortable."
Rong Tang: “…” Pah!
He stared at Su Huaijing for a few seconds, but Su Huaijing was not as thick-skinned as him, so he shook his arm and turned to walk forward. But a certain villain who was not a human being was still chasing after him and asking, "Are you okay, Brother Tangtang?"
"Husband? Husband?" He paused for a moment. Although he didn't quite understand what it meant, he still called out tentatively, "Husband?"
"!"
Rong Tang missed a step and almost fell down, but Su Huaijing was quick to grab him from behind.
After Young Master Rong stood firm, he shook off Su Huaijing again, strode forward, and angrily said, "We'll discuss this later!"
Su Huaijing was stunned for a moment, and once again doubted what this was called, leaving Hong Jidan walking forward with regret.
Damn it!
Who would use the names learned in bed outside
How can a person on top of someone call someone husband outside with clothes on
Rong Tang once wanted to travel back in time and kill himself who started begging for mercy when he lost consciousness, and kill the culprit himself at the same time.
He was so angry that even in the cold winter, the temperature of his cheeks rose to the point where when they met up, Ke Hongxue looked at him, then looked at his senior fellow student who remained calm and calmer than ice and snow, and for the first time he felt defeated in front of Su Huaijing.
—Master Ke had never felt so frustrated when this kid came to show off to him after court.
Several people had different thoughts in their minds. They played with Yuanyuan for the whole day, set off fireworks, had a reunion dinner, and played mahjong to celebrate the New Year. Yuanyuan fell asleep on a small couch beside her, covered with a small quilt. The charcoal fire was burning in the room, and the firelight was warm.
Rong Tang yawned, suddenly remembered something, was distracted for a while, and his expression changed slightly.
Su Huaijing peeled another plate of dried fruit for him and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay," Rong Tang subconsciously covered up, paused, and then said: "Did you put away the New Year's money given by my brother?"
"Put it away." Su Huaijing replied.
Rong Tang nodded and passed over this episode naturally.
Su Huaijing looked at him calmly for a while and did not ask any more questions.
The sound of firecrackers resounded through the night sky of Yujing. The year has come to an end, the New Year has arrived, and spring is about to return to this homeland again.
During the Chinese New Year, Lu Jiaxi hid from his sisters at home and came here to pay New Year's greetings and to take in the weather for a few days. Duanyi and Wang Xiuyu also stayed in Yong'an Lane for a few days.
Yuanyuan likes the eldest princess very much, and Duanyi also likes this child very much. The two of them, old and young, get along very harmoniously.
Rong Tang was originally worried that Wang Xiuyu would be tricked back to the palace by Rong Mingyu again, but who would have thought that after the New Year, after dealing with all the social engagements, she and the eldest princess returned to their house in the suburbs of Beijing again.
In the name of serving her mother-in-law, even if Rong Mingyu was unwilling, she couldn't say a word of rebuttal.
Su Huaijing was promoted and officially took over the position of Chief Censor, and Mu Jingxu also returned to the court. The difference was that Emperor Renshou no longer dared to punish him at will this time.
The case of Southwest Governor Zhang Baoshan embezzling military pay has come to an end. As an imperial envoy, Sheng Chengli should have enjoyed great glory, but due to unspeakable reasons, the Fifth Prince did not even attend the royal New Year's Eve banquet. He only said that he was seriously ill again and the palace had already found a traveling sorcerer as a doctor.
Only a very few people know the inside story of why he does not appear in public.
Shen Feiyi was promoted to General of the Right Guard of Jinwu Guard for his meritorious service in investigating the case, and was in charge of the guards of half of the imperial city. General of the Left Guard was Ding Weishan, whose only son was reported and executed by Lu Jiaxi, and his loyalty to his master was no longer sincere. Once he was brought down, the guards of the entire imperial city would fall into the hands of Su Huaijing.
Everything was getting better, Su Huaijing was getting closer and closer to his goal, but he found that Rong Tang was absent-minded more and more often.
At the beginning it is very covert, and there is no big change in emotions. The eyes fall on a fixed point in the air. The mind is distracted for a second or two, then it comes back to its senses and continues to do what it was doing before, as if it is just because it is tired and wants to take a moment to relax.
But as time went by, the frequency became higher and higher, Rong Tang's brows began to frown gradually, and a hint of sadness gathered in his eyes, as if something had happened that he could not control but was extremely worried about.
Before going to bed another day, Su Huaijing asked, "Is Tangtang really okay recently?"
Rong Tang was slightly startled, and shook his head subconsciously: "Nothing."
Su Huaijing looked at him for a moment in the dark night, and finally closed his eyes and patted Rong Tang's back gently: "Good night, Tangtang."
"Good night." Rong Tang replied.
But after closing his eyes, he called out softly again: "System?"
[…]
The only response to Rong Tang was a long silence, without even the faint sound of electricity.
The two cloud-like blocks of color in his mind were still competing with each other, but his stupid system that could only jump around and sulk was gone.
He celebrated a reunion year, but he didn't say Happy New Year to the system.
(End of this chapter)