Si Tian Guan

Chapter 204 New Year

On the day when the snow falls the most, the New Year is also here.

The routine palace banquet in Taiji Palace is still the same as in previous years, with singing and dancing, and drinking and drinking during the banquet, but many people present have become different.

The position of the head of the three provinces was replaced by the cautious and low-key Zhao Shizhong.

People from the Tang family were no longer in the seats, and even those who were close to Mu Jingde in the past became less.

Lin Xiang heard that he begged the emperor for his bones years ago and wanted to return home, but the emperor probably didn't have a suitable candidate, so he put it off for the time being. At this time next year, he must be replaced.

The only thing that hasn't changed is the silent Liuhou. However, there have been changes in personnel and affairs in the palace over the past year. Everyone can see that Liuhou's low profile is largely to make way for the future head of the Liu family.

Perhaps by next year, the person sitting in that position will also be replaced.

Compared with this side, more people's eyes were fixed on the former seats of the three princes.

But in just one year, the tripartite situation that has been maintained for many years no longer exists.

Mu Jingchen has long been excluded from the battle by everyone, and now it is two tigers fighting, even if one of them is still lying in the arms of the imperial concubine, babbling.

The world is like running water, everyone can only drink last year's wine and wait for next year's events.

Even this year's snow is much heavier than in previous years, but there is still darkness that cannot be covered.

Until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there was still a thick layer of ice forming on the inland river, making it impossible to drive boats or set off river lanterns.

Many people had fun on the ice, shuttled back and forth, and there were more ice carts and ice spinning tops on the side of the road. The screams and laughter kept coming and going, but it was even more lively than in previous years.

The children running around on the street crowded and frolicked and chased on the river, which made the street look much wider in the past.

Liu Chongming lifted the child in his arms and smiled to his side: "It's only been a year, why did it sink so much?"

"Be careful, if you drop him, my mother will definitely chop you up," Bai Shiyan was terrified, and opened his hands in a vain manner, "My mother is also stupid and bold, how dare you let me carry you out to play."

"Huh? What did you say about aunt?"

"..." Bai Shiyan was at a loss for words, and looked around: "Chongming, if you hold a child like this, you won't be afraid that rumors will spread in the city tomorrow, and the hearts of those ladies staring at you will be broken."

Liu Chongming replied calmly: "I am a master, my wife is fierce, I dare not bother them to think about it."

This made Bai Shiyan feel comfortable, but he couldn't say the name here, so he asked vaguely, "Can it be common?"

Liu Chongming shook his head.

Since Qisheng Building changed hands, he asked Fang Wuyang to start repairing the tunnel secret room. The design was complicated, but he didn't dare to make a big noise, so he could only take advantage of the opportunity of the reconstruction of Qisheng Building to do both.

But no matter how many secret places come and go, it will become dangerous, not to mention that he and Shen Zhou have their own responsibilities, if there is no urgent matter, they dare not go there easily.

"A little busy." He simply replied.

Bai Shiyan knew what he was busy with, after all it was left to Shi Lei to do.

Just in case, they asked Shi Lei to lead the troops outside, but after all, they had to find a reason to explain it.

Chongming returned to Beijing a few days later than Shen Zhou last year, just for this reason.

According to Shen Zhou, King Huai relied on two places the most in terms of military power - Shiliting and the slave soldiers in various places.

Now Shiliting has been intimidated to nothing, and only Liu Chongming has enough manpower and financial resources to deal with the remaining scattered places.

But after all, Chongming could only act in secret, and after something happened, he still asked Bai Shilei to lead his troops.

Naturally, it is impossible for King Huai to sit still and wait for death. The two sides have already torn skins and secretly confronted each other. These alone are enough to be busy.

Bai Shiyan couldn't help sighing: "This year is not a peaceful year."

"Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain." Liu Chongming was more calm, stopped in front of the candy stall, and asked Bai Shiyan, "Do you want one?"

"How old are you, sorry?"

Liu Chongming was very embarrassed, he let Bai Shiyan pay for a bunch of them, and waved them in front of Xiao Shiqing.

Before Xiao Shiqing waved his little hand to reach it, the string of candies circled around and fell back into Liu Chongming's mouth.

Bai Shiyan's ears were instantly filled with the earth-shattering cries of his younger brother, and he couldn't laugh or cry for a while.

"Playing with children, are you lacking morality?"

"Aren't children just for playing?"

"You can be a person!"

He wanted to hug his younger brother, but this little guy with shallow eyelids wanted to hold on to Liu Chongming, he couldn't speak clearly for a while, so he hugged Liu Chongming's nose fiercely and bit him.

Liu Chongming touched the saliva on his nose, overjoyed: "You are still young, my aunt won't let you eat anything that is too sweet, so bear with it."

He sat with the small stone chime on his neck, and the wonderful light and shadow overlooking from a height quickly attracted the child's attention.

Bai Shiyan had never played with children, instead he could only walk aside with his arms folded: "Chongming, I didn't realize before that you are quite good at coaxing children."

"I wasn't too good at it before." Liu Chongming swallowed the candies and grinned at him, "But my wife is young and likes children's things. I should learn to make him happy."

……

The child who was in a hurry to play ran recklessly and almost collided with someone. The attendant behind that person didn't have time to reprimand him, and he waved his hand down.

"What are you panicking about?" There was a laughing voice under the cover of the white gauze, like a jade bell hitting a clear icicle, extremely elegant and clean.

"Big Daddy... Your Excellency..." The child was obviously frightened by the battle behind him.

A white hand stretched out in front of him, holding a bunch of candies: "Do you want to eat?"

The child was stunned for a moment, and immediately he was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth from ear to ear. He immediately took it and took a bite. His attitude became affectionate, and he pointed forward familiarly: "Go and see the fireworks!"

In the direction he pointed, even those who were playing around on the ice gathered.

"Young master," Steward Lin reminded softly from the side: "There are too many people over there, and it will be troublesome if they are crowded, so don't go there to join in the fun."

"There are a lot of flower arrangements this year! Much, much more than last year...so much, so much! It's all arranged by Shi Ziye! It's so beautiful! I'm a fool not to see it!"

The child ate the candy two times and three times, wiped his mouth, squeezed into the crowd and disappeared without looking up.

Steward Lin called everyone to protect Qu Shenzhou in the crowd, and asked, "Do you want to watch the fireworks, my lord?"

"Of course." The crowded place is really not suitable for them to go, Qu Shenzhou pointed to the other side of the river: "Go there."

Even without going up to the roof, it's a wonderful place.

The ice on the river is thick, and it is very solid to step on, and there is a wanton impulse that makes people want to slide to the end.

The blessing lamps that cannot be placed in the river are all placed on the ice. Pedestrians are careful to avoid them, but they will inevitably kick them. The streamers wandering around in the dark night make this year's Shangyuan have a different flavor.

Qu Chenzhou stopped, there was a fish's back flashing under the ice surface, reflected by the light of the blessing lamp, he slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke in the bustling winter.

The crowd in the distance suddenly let out a burst of exclamation, the sound wave was like a torch in the hands of a smoker, and the sound of fireworks exploding for a moment was deafening, with screams of joy.

He raised his head and looked at the bright sky, the fiery trees and silver flowers flickered, and a new color shone in his pupils.

The sky full of fireworks is like a curtain embroidered with stars, slowly falling to the top of the head, but nothing can be caught with the palm of your hand.

Qu Chenzhou looked at the cheering crowd under the fireworks, with a smile on his lips.

Although they can't get together to celebrate the New Year, they can share a piece of fireworks - which is lit by Chongming just for him.

Maybe after this year, they will be together for many, many years.

"Congratulations, new year..."

"What about the new year?"

Yu Dexi stood on the porch, watching the little eunuchs running around below with caged hands, arranging the shelf flowers in the open space properly, and murmured.

The people around heard it, and said auspicious words: "Father-in-law will be promoted step by step in the new year, and the grace will last forever."

He smirked, not knowing if it was for the words, or for himself.

They have already reached this position, so there is no way to improve step by step.

The only one to rely on is the emperor, but in this year, even if others saw Qu Sitian's great kindness again, how could he feel it deeply.

But he understood the emperor after all—seeing that Qu Sitian's novelty and awe had gradually calmed down in his habits, how could he always be willing to obey others as the Ninth Five-Year Lord?

If Qu Sitian also starts to observe words and expressions, and only picks what the emperor likes to hear, he will gradually fall into mediocrity, not worth mentioning.

If he still speaks bluntly, the emperor will definitely not like it more.

People are not happy for a hundred days, and flowers are not red for a hundred days. No matter how beautiful things are in your hands for a long time, they are no different from wild flowers and weeds on the roadside.

He and Liao Guangming are examples from the past.

And he had the patience to wait, and when there were a few traces of rot on the smooth peel, it would be the season for harvesting in one go.

At the other end of the corridor, someone came trotting over and said in a low voice: "I'm tired, father-in-law, the singing and dancing have been given up, and the emperor and empress are waiting to watch the fireworks."

He nodded slightly, indicating to go on.

Thousands of trees and flowers illuminate the star bridge, the light reflects the dark night, the brilliance is bright, and there seems to be joy and laughter in the distance outside the palace city amidst the rumbling sound of explosions.

Another cluster of stars, sun, and moon, which seemed to be higher than the sky, were so intense that they drilled into the sky, scattered like snow, and everyone in the seat couldn't help but lie down by the window to watch.

There is an empty space in the middle of the open window, and no one dares to squeeze.

"My lord, this year's Shangyuan is a bit colder, but as the saying goes, auspicious snow heralds a good year, and this year's fireworks are even more prosperous than in previous years."

Mu Jingyan clasped the stove with both hands, with an invariable gentle smile on his face, he didn't hear the compliments and congratulations from everyone, and only looked at the layers of bright lights on the other side of the river, without blinking.

After a long time, I seemed to feel a little cold, and asked the people around me: "Where is the emperor watching fireworks tonight?"

The people around hurriedly suppressed their laughter.

The movement in the palace is the emperor's mind, but even if you don't guess, you can still think about where the emperor is now.

Someone immediately replied softly: "Dinner with a few empresses, after dinner, go upstairs to wait for the flowers to sit. At first, only the imperial concubine and Yu concubine accompanied me to drink. Afterwards, Yu concubine said she was not feeling well, so I went back The palace is gone."

Mu Jingyan nodded.

I am used to his calmness all the time, the silence now makes the people around me a little uneasy, and the silent gaze conveys a clear understanding.

It's not that Concubine Yu is unwell, it's because the emperor didn't want her to disturb He Le's interest, so he sent her back.

The people who can stand here are naturally the hands and eyes of this prince, and it is because of this that they know that under the calmness of the capital, there is a confrontation outside the capital.

They are also very clear about the gains of Bai Shilei's "suppression of bandits". The order was spread in time and hidden in a darker place, so that too many losses were avoided.

On the other hand, since the emperor paid attention to salt and iron last year, the private sales of official salt had to be restrained a lot.

After the limelight passed, not only the salt merchants who were contacted had concerns, but even they had to look forward and backward - if Liu Chongming was caught among the recruits, it would be a real steal.

But in just one year, Liu Chongming, who was never seen by the prince before, became a serious problem.

"My lord," someone said from the side, "Your lord will surely win the battle, and you will succeed in no time!"

Mu Jingyan glanced sideways at him, and sneered: "Naturally."

In the new year, after the opening of the seal, there will be endless battles between dragons and tigers.

Before the next fireworks fall, maybe everything will be settled.

The author has something to say: Do the math, Shen Zhou is 18 years old, and Chong Ming is 21. Shen Zhou was locked up in the building on the first New Year when he was reborn, and he only got a plate of dumplings. kissing under fireworks

In the third year, inside and outside the palace, each separated

It's the fourth year until the dust settles