Xie Ming

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, a small festival is held at the Duke's mansion to worship the Kitchen God.

In the back courtyard, a room was specially set aside to house a shrine with abundant offerings.

There were all sorts of things, from candied fruit and pastries to fruits.

I heard that it was Hongyu who was being reckless and making a fuss. She said that she was afraid she would bring a whole pig and a whole sheep and make a big fuss.

However, sending off the Kitchen God is not the end of the ritual; bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year usually involves sweeping away the dust.

Hongyu was in high spirits. She gathered three or five maids, took dusters and scattered them all over the room, chanting incantations to sweep away bad luck and welcome the New Year.

Anyway, it's lively and cheerful enough to watch.

Xiao Lang and his wife Yu'e have stopped what they were doing and are now standing in the backyard, looking around at the new sights.

"Oh dear, why is it so complicated?"

"Back when we were in the capital, your household didn't go through this much trouble."

Seeing that the entire household was in complete chaos, Xiao thought that if these maids continued to make a fuss, the very pillar of his Duke's mansion might be torn down. So he casually uttered a sarcastic remark.

However, upon hearing these words, Madam Yu'e, who was standing nearby, did not take them seriously.

Instead, she blinked her big, pleading eyes and spoke in a soft, charming voice, begging for a reply.

"Oh well, it's a festive day, so just give in to her."

"I'm happy to see them too. Look at them, over there, over there, hee hee."

Xiao'e was overjoyed and genuinely happy. She pulled Xiao Lang along, looking around at the excitement, her smile never fading.

Seeing her expression, Xiao Yi felt relieved.

As the saying goes, a beautiful woman's smile is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

Since the upheaval in the capital, Yu'e has lost her family and friends. She has traveled all the way south and is now a lonely and widowed person.

Only the eldest sister, Yuzhen, remained, but due to the different palace rules, they rarely saw each other on ordinary days.

As a husband, Xiao Jingchuan was always busy leading troops in the field, and he truly felt guilty towards her.

Every time I think about it, I am filled with heartache.

Today, since I've finally seen her happy, I shouldn't spoil her mood.

I can only rely on my anxious mind and my worries about other things.

After all, the late emperor had only recently passed away, and the palace was not yet in violation of regulations to celebrate this festival.

His residence was in such a noisy state.

It is neither reasonable nor logical.

If any other side issues arise, and someone, without any sense of decency, makes a fuss about it, giving outsiders something to gossip about, it's not a good thing to talk about.

"Hehehe, okay, okay, whatever you say."

“Hey, Uncle Xue.”

Xiao had many concerns and did not want to spoil Xiao'e's mood, so he had no choice but to call the steward, Uncle Xue, who was standing in front of him, and give him a few words of advice.

"Uncle Xue, it's getting late. Go outside and tell them to close the gates."

"Go ahead and tell them what I said."

"We can celebrate the holidays here, but we shouldn't let anyone outside hear the noise."

"Those of you who go out, you better keep your mouths shut."

"This year is not like usual."

"A tall tree catches the wind. Don't go too far and break the rules, or you'll attract gossip and cause trouble." Xiao Yan was right.

Hearing this, Old Man Xue understood the implications and suppressed his smile, quickly stepping forward to greet them.

"Okay, got it, I'll go right away."

After speaking, the old official hurried along, passing through the corridor and the front hall, and rushed towards the gate of the mansion.

It was during this very moment that the place was bustling with noise and excitement, with everyone beaming with joy and high spirits.

Suddenly, a north wind rose outside the gate.

As the whirlwind arrived, a troop of guards, their hooves soaked by the snow, hastily reined in their horses and came to a stop in front of the mansion.

The lead rider dismounted and happened to bump into several servants carrying a pig's head and a whole sheep. He then silently headed towards the mansion.

Looking at the scene, his eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "This time there's bound to be something interesting to see."

So he stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and grinned from ear to ear.

"Standing down? What's going on?"

Is there a feast inside?

Having spent a long time in the Duke's mansion, the jinx had become quite familiar with most of the servants and men. This slap was merely for amusement.

Immediately, the servant who had raised the pig's head was startled and nearly threw the thing away.

Just then, Xue Bo came out from the side to greet them. Luckily, the experienced man straightened the wooden stand and gave the servant a reproachful look. The servant looked dejected and didn't dare to say anything. He quickly went inside.

"Oh, it's General Wang who's back."

"We're lucky to be here today. We're celebrating the Little New Year at home, and there will be a feast later."

Glaring at the servant, Uncle Xue turned his eyes and saw that it was the jinx who had returned. His old face immediately changed to a completely different expression.

As for the title "General Wang," it was actually used by his subordinates to address him.

The real name of the jinx was Wang Sen.

"Happy New Year, Uncle Xue!"

"This, this, good heavens, this is both pig and sheep."

"Okay, this was an urgent mission, I was running like my feet were hitting the back of my head the whole way here."

"Judging by this, it wasn't for nothing that the brothers worked so hard! Hahaha!"

"As the old saying goes, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Today, we're going to make the most of this opportunity to have a good drink."

With the harbinger of misfortune approaching, he inexplicably felt elated, and his usual mild and stern demeanor seemed to have lessened considerably, which surprised many.

Old man Xue Zhong seemed to have some doubts as well.

However, since they are all family members, he may have a grumpy face, but he has a good heart and is a decent kid.

He didn't have time to think much of it, so he nodded repeatedly and made conversation to let them in.

"Hoo hoo hoo, yes, yes, that makes sense."

"Come on, quick, invite these kids in."

"The Duke doesn't want any noise outside, let's have some fun inside, come quickly."

As he spoke, he grabbed the jinx and pulled him inside.

Entering the front hall and passing through the courtyard, we were led by Uncle Xue, who was returning from an errand and had important news to report.

So they followed him through the hall and into the inner courtyard.

Just as they passed the second hall, unexpectedly, as they stepped over the threshold, Xu Jingyi suddenly appeared from the side.

They couldn't see each other through the door, and then they bumped into each other.

"Ouch!"

Startled to see that he had disturbed the women, the jinx panicked and quickly bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Oh dear, this humble general has been disrespectful."

"Hello, Miss Xu."

His expression was composed and very proper.

Of course, Jingyi also shrank back.

However, upon closer inspection, he recognized the jinx as Xiao Lang's close associate and didn't say much.

"Hehe, the general has returned."

"It's alright."

"The Duke is with his wife inside."

"Today is supposed to be the Little New Year, so let's have some fun."

"Look, with that little devil Hongyu's encouragement, everyone's gone crazy with fun."

Such digressions and misunderstandings are not uncommon.

Xu Jingyi is generous and doesn't hold it against anyone.

On the contrary, those born under the "Mourning Star" are often restrained and aware of the differences between superiors and inferiors, and between men and women.

Moreover, these were the women of the governor's household, so he was even more careful and dared not act rashly.

Seeing his demeanor, Jingyi knew he was not a talkative person and didn't want to make things difficult for him.

He just craned his neck and stood on tiptoe to search inside.

“Look, over there, your warlord is there.”

"If you want to find him, go yourself."

With a kind and understanding expression, Jingyi's mother then eagerly pointed out the way for him. (End of Chapter)