After the replacement marriage, I was forced to fight at home

"Everything for the palace banquet has been prepared." Zhou Yu said excitedly.

"Oh? What will happen if it succeeds?" Meng Wan asked.

"If it succeeds, Prince Duan will not be able to get that position, and Prince Jing and Prince Cheng will both lose several generals. Even if it fails, the emperor will become suspicious of them."

Meng Wan nodded. No wonder Zhou Yu had been so busy during this period that he couldn't even catch a glimpse of him. Setting up such a big scheme and involving such an important person would naturally take a lot of thought.

"Then will my palace banquet still go according to the original plan? Will it affect you?"

"No, your matter has nothing to do with what Master Lin arranged. Just go ahead and continue. Besides, the palace banquet is not in the same place."

Meng Wan nodded, "You said last time that the princess also made some moves at the palace banquet. Have you found out what it was?"

Zhou Yu drank the calming soup. Meng Wan really didn't understand why people in ancient times drank tea so late at night. So she changed Zhou Yu's habit of drinking a cup of tea before going to bed to drinking the calming soup.

"We have a direction, but we don't know who the target is, and what means she will use."

"Target? Zhou Yingning's or Zhou Zheng's?" Meng Wan sat next to Zhou Yu, and Zhou Yu reached out and hugged Meng Wan.

"I don't know. Maybe both. After all, there aren't many opportunities like this. She can do whatever she wants. We don't have much energy right now, nor do we have the ability to stop her in the palace. I think she must have put a lot of effort into this palace banquet, and the success rate should not be low. It all depends on her luck."

"How can that be possible? What if she really wants to find a rich family to marry Zhou Zheng into? What should we do if she gets her wish?" Meng Wan looked up with a look of disapproval.

"I know. Don't worry. Even if she has her eye on it, this palace banquet will only allow her children to show up. Do you think she really dares to do anything at the palace banquet?"

Meng Wan chuckled, "I've read too many storybooks, and I'm afraid of a scene where a noble lady falls into the water and Mr. Zhou San risks his life to save her."

Zhou Yu laughed loudly after hearing this, kissed Meng Wan's forehead and said, "Even if Hu dares to do so, the people who plan for her in the palace don't dare to do so. Besides, the emperor's temper is very unpredictable now, who dares to show such an eye at the palace banquet? Don't worry, Hu must have used the palace banquet to let the people she wants to make friends with see the best side of Zhou Zheng and Zhou Yingning. As for the accident you just mentioned, it's not impossible, it just won't happen at the palace banquet, maybe at other family banquets in the first month of the year.

"So, let her be at the palace banquet this time. It's a good opportunity to see what she means, and then prepare for the families she favors."

Meng Wan understood that she was too anxious, but Zhou Yu's analysis of the situation in the palace was thorough.

Meng Wan took off her shoes and got on the kang, then went to pull Zhou Yu up, "It's very cold, you come up too."

Zhou Yu lifted the kang table to the edge of the kang, and placed the white porcelain jar that Meng Wan used to drink water at night on the small table next to it. After blowing out the palace lantern on the round table, he took off his shoes and came up, hugged Meng Wan tightly in his arms, and groped her up and down.

"Hey, be honest, I have something serious to tell you."

"Isn't this a serious matter? In my eyes, there is nothing more serious than this." After saying that, his hand had already reached under the hem of Meng Wan's inner garment, accurately climbed up to the high ground, and began to knead gently.

Meng Wan twisted her body and patted his hands, "Stop making trouble. You haven't been to the inner courtyard for several days. I really have a lot to tell you."

Zhou Yu heard Meng Wan say this, reluctantly took his hand away, and kissed Meng Wan on the lips again, "Blame me, I have been busy arranging the palace banquet these days..."

"It's okay, I know, you don't have to say anything."

Zhou Yu hugged Meng Wan again and whispered, "Tell me, do you need your husband to make a decision for you?"

"Well, two things. One is that Chuntao is indeed pregnant."

Zhou Yu's body stiffened slightly and asked, "When did it happen?"

"It's just now. It's not a big deal. I didn't tell you about it."

When Zhou Yu heard Meng Wan say that this was not a big deal, he chuckled and said, "This clown must be too proud of himself."

"Well, now she really thinks of herself as a concubine. She doesn't even take on her old job anymore. She spends her days eating and sleeping, sleeping and strolling around. She has more free time than a proper second wife like me."

Zhou Yu began to stroke Meng Wan's fingers one by one again, "Let her be proud. You also said that there were too many things before the New Year, and there are also things happening in the palace during the first month of the year. It is impossible for Hu to dig up this matter now."

"Hmph, even if she doesn't turn over, I will do so after the first month of the year." Meng Wan leaned into Zhou Yu's arms and found a comfortable position.

"Just let her be. You have so many things to do right now. It's not worth it to spend more time on her."

"I go to Mother Fan's room every day. When I first got married, I didn't see them getting along so well. Now they stay together day after day. I wonder what they will do to me." After saying this, he laughed.

"Mother Fan is really something, how can I say good things about her? It's nothing that she holds on to my New Year gift booklet and doesn't give it to you, can she really let you cause trouble?" Zhou Yu felt helpless as if he was disappointed in his friend.

"Let her go. Didn't we agree on this? Once Chuntao's pregnancy is settled, we'll send her back to her son. Give her more money, send two maids to serve her, and buy her a small courtyard with two entrances. This will be a reward for her loyalty to you over the years."

Zhou Yu nodded helplessly, "What's the second one?"

Meng Wan sat up straighter and said, "You have to help me think about this. I don't know if my analysis is correct. Regarding the annual gift of the palace, apart from the information you asked Wu Hen to investigate in the past few days, plus the foundation of previous years, and what Lvliu has thought of in combination with our courtyard, there is no place for harm."

Meng Wan turned her head and looked at Zhou Yu. "I asked Cai'er to let Brother Wu check the list that Xie Fen brought. I feel that since Xie Fen dared to bring it, it proves that there must be no problem. Tell me, if there is no problem with the situation in these mansions, how would the princess make things difficult for me?"

Zhou Yu pulled her back into the quilt, lifted the quilt up to Meng Wan's neck, thought for a moment and said, "Since the situation in each mansion is fine and the account books of previous years are fine, then we can only tamper with the things."

"Things? New Year's gifts?"

"Yes, you have only been looking at the account books these days? Have you sent anyone to look at those things?"

Meng Wan shook his head. "Not yet. I want to understand the account books first, and then go and see the actual items. When the time comes, I will take them out from the warehouse one by one according to the list. How can there be any mistakes?"

Meng Wan now admires the ancients more and more. According to her modern mind, there is no room for Hu to do anything wrong in this matter.

"Could it be that the princess didn't intend to make things difficult for me in this matter? Are we overthinking it? Maybe she was trying her best to deal with me at the palace banquet? And about Chuntao's pregnancy?"

"No, she will embarrass you at the palace banquet, but she won't let you involve the palace. That would not only make her lose face, but also make her father angry, not to mention that she is now choosing her own in-laws. Therefore, she will only make you look bad at the palace banquet, so that the people in the capital will think you are not presentable, or she can even bring up your mother-in-law's teaching that you are not doing your job well as an excuse."

Meng Wan sighed, "I've thought about this too. So what is she doing now? Where is she going to start?"

"Have all the New Year gifts been put into storage?" Zhou Yu asked.

"When they distributed the food to me and my sister-in-law a few days ago, they said there were a few more items left."

"Which ones?"

"Sugar, salt, and tea. Doesn't the palace have a tea shop? Why do we have to wait for them to be delivered from the south?"

"Our tea shop is fine for sending tea to similar friends and in-laws, but if we want to send tea to people in the palace or important figures, we order it from tea gardens in the south every year, and the production volume is very small." Zhou Yu explained.

"Are these indeed late?"

Zhou Yu smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I really don't know, it should be about the same. You see, salt is controlled by the imperial court..."

Zhou Yu suddenly sat up when he said this, and Meng Wan also sat up, "What's wrong? Did you think of something?"