Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

Chapter 421: Staying Up All Year Long

After eating the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone sat around the charcoal stove and chatted for a while. Then You Xin, the steward who had accompanied Sang Li to Beijing, drove a carriage to pick up Sang Li.

Although the Sixteen Miao people are neighbors of the Sheng Kingdom, they do not have the tradition of celebrating the New Year, let alone the custom of staying up all night. So when he saw You Xin coming to pick him up, Sang Li politely thanked everyone and then said goodbye and left.

Not long after Sang Li left, seeing that it was getting late, Xu Jingzong and Xu Jingzu came over to ask Li Ping if he could go back. Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng both asked him to stay.

"Pingzi, Sang Li is a Sixteen Miao. He doesn't have the custom of celebrating the New Year or staying up all night. It's getting late, so why don't you stay here and stay up all night with us? Rest here tonight. Tomorrow morning, my husband and parents will give you a red envelope for New Year's Eve."

I came to Shigu Lane early this morning and spent the day with Master Ye Changyan and his family. I found that they were all very kind and easy to get along with. The strong family affection that flowed from them made Li Ping envious.

Although what Li Ping wanted most at this moment was to stay up all night with his mother, he also knew that this was impossible. Ever since he moved out of the palace, he was the only one who stayed up all night every New Year in the huge mansion. When Li Ping heard Ye Changyan's offer to keep him as a guest, he was somewhat tempted.

But as an outsider, it would be inappropriate for him to stay here during the New Year, so he spoke in a tactful way.

"After today, I will be of age, and I will be past the age of receiving New Year's red envelopes."

Hearing what Li Ping said, Mr. Cai burst into laughter first.

"My fourth disciple, Wang Xinkuan, will be 27 after tonight, but he is still unmarried. I will still give him a red envelope for the New Year. I will also give red envelopes to all the disciples in front of me who are not married. Mr. Li, you have just come of age, so I will naturally prepare a red envelope for you."

Li Ping was slightly shocked when he heard what Mr. Cai said. He didn't expect that Wang Xinkuan was already 26 or 27 years old and was still accepting New Year's red envelopes from his teacher. But then he heard Ye Xiaozheng also speak.

"My son Sanlang has been in Beijing for more than a year. He is unfamiliar with the place and does not have many friends. It is rare for him to get to know Mr. Li. His mother and I have no chance to thank you properly. Mr. Li should stay tonight."

Hearing Ye Xiaozheng's offer to keep the guest, Li Ping, who had originally been weak in determination, did not insist any further and nodded and said.

"In that case, I'll bother you a little bit."

Hearing Li Ping's agreement, Ye Changyan ordered the maid to clean up a guest room and light a charcoal brazier in the room so that it would not be too cold inside when he went to bed later.

Seeing that Ye Changyan had made all the arrangements very well, Old Cai was very satisfied. He recalled that a few days ago, he had heard His Majesty's words of concern for the Fourth Prince. At that time, he had some guesses in his mind, but His Majesty's mind was unpredictable, and the matter was of great importance. If His Majesty really had such an idea, it would surely be a bloody storm if it were to be realized.

But judging from today's contact with the Fourth Prince, the friendship between the Fourth Prince and Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng is even deeper than Mr. Cai expected. If it is true as he guessed, there must be a deep meaning behind His Majesty letting these three children have more contact.

Not to mention that Liang Jingcheng is the orphan of King Cheng and has a special status in the royal family. Moreover, Mr. Cai is not completely unaware of King Ying's unusual behavior after seeing Liang Jingcheng. King Ying and Princess Cheng are cousins. If the Queen Mother had not intervened, Princess Cheng might have become the current Princess Ying.

It is impossible that His Majesty, who is suspicious by nature, would be unaware of what Mr. Cai has noticed. If the King of England still has feelings for Princess Cheng, then Liang Jingcheng will certainly be protected by the King of England. Given the King of England's status in the royal family, the identity of King Cheng, and the Queen Mother's sense of indebtedness to Liang Jingcheng, once Liang Jingcheng's identity is exposed, he will definitely be an important presence in the royal family that cannot be ignored.

Mr. Cai saw that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, His Majesty handled the Dragon Boat Festival match-fixing case and the flood dereliction of duty case, as well as the personnel arrangements in the court, and that neutral officials were greatly promoted, especially the extraordinary promotion of his eldest disciple. In Mr. Cai's opinion, His Majesty was sending out some kind of implicit signal.

If Your Majesty really wants to let the Fourth Prince take that path, the Fourth Prince is too weak with his current strength. He has neither a strong maternal family nor a powerful wife's family, and he doesn't even have anyone around him to give him advice.

Judging from His Majesty's attitude towards Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng that day, His Majesty is obviously very interested in the relationship between Ye Changyan and Yujing Palace. Therefore, it is not difficult for His Majesty to accept the two children being together, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to suggest that the Fourth Prince have more contact with these two children.

If Your Majesty really intends to push the Fourth Prince to the forefront, then judging from Your Majesty's current actions, by then most of the royal family headed by King Ying and Li Ping will stand on the side of the Fourth Prince. As a result of Your Majesty's previous arrangements, the neutral officials in the court will occupy important positions, and these people will be the backbone of stabilizing the court by then.

Your Majesty may have deeper plans. From what Your Majesty asked me that day, Your Majesty should be positive about the door in Yujing Palace that can communicate with heaven and earth. However, the gate of Yujing Palace is tightly closed, and its status in the cultivation world is transcendent. Emperors of all dynasties have never used force on Yujing Palace unless it is absolutely necessary.

In view of the special relationship between Ye Changyan and Yujing Palace, Mr. Cai has every reason to believe that His Majesty is playing the long game and perhaps his successor in the future will be able to obtain the method of communicating between heaven and earth from Yujing Palace.

Just as Mr. Cai was lost in his own thoughts, the people sitting together to keep awake the new year started talking about "The Female Prime Minister" which has been popular in Shengjing City in recent times. Wulang and Erniu were unaware of this. When they heard that "The Female Prime Minister" was actually written by their brother, both siblings were shocked.

"Brother, did you really write "The Female Prince Consort"?"

Ye Changyan saw Wulang's surprised expression, smiled, nodded, and then shook his head. Wulang and Erniu became even more confused.

"Strictly speaking, this book cannot simply be said to be written by me. I just sorted out the framework structure of the whole story. The specific content was written by the people from Zhongzheng Bookstore. I just reviewed and polished it before the final printing."

When Li Ping saw Wu Lang's admiring eyes, he said something that shocked everyone present.

"So far, the share your brother has earned from Zhongzheng Bookstore through the book "The Female Prince Consort" is enough to buy a house as big as this one in your Yuzhou Prefecture."