The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

New Year's Eve is here in a blink of an eye.

An Lingrong chose a dark red auspicious dress and a light pink cloak. It was the New Year, so one had to dress festively.

Soon, Shen Meizhuang came in, supporting Caixing. After replacing the charcoal in the hand warmer, the two of them walked together towards Chonghua Palace, where the palace banquet was being held.

Chonghua Palace had been adorned with new decorations, exuding festive cheer everywhere. The rooftops were festooned with lanterns of all colors, and the plants in the corners were draped with red silk. An Lingrong surveyed the furnishings within the palace and was amazed. Concubine Hua must have added a lot of money to the lavish displays.

On New Year's Eve, the palace reunites with the entire family. Each prince, duke, or nobleman will bring his or her own wife to attend, a celebration that must highlight the royal family's prestige. But how can it be done properly without a large sum of money? Any carelessness would make the wives and their wives a laughingstock, and the emperor would also be embarrassed. Concubine Hua is the host, and to demonstrate her ability in front of the emperor, she will undoubtedly contribute her own money to make up for the shortfall.

The emperor transported the silver saved by the harem to the northwest and gave it to Nian Gengyao. Nian Gengyao embezzled the food and money and gave it to Concubine Hua, who then spent it on the people in the harem. This formed a perfect closed loop and boosted the GDP of the Qing Dynasty.

In the middle facing south is the seat for the emperor and empress. The two rows to the emperor's right are the seats for princes of the royal family, and the two rows to his left are the seats for concubines. The open space in the middle is used for singing and dancing performances.

The people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs led Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong to sit down.

Shen Meizhuang had a higher position and sat below Noble Lady Fucha, while An Lingrong was in the row behind and to the right of Shen Meizhuang.

Except for the sick Concubine Duan and Concubine Wan, all the concubines in the harem went out.

After a while, the emperor and empress came hand in hand and everyone saluted.

"Greetings to the Emperor and Empress!"

"Today is New Year's Eve. The whole palace is reunited to stay up all night. There is no need to be so formal." Yongzheng was in a good mood.

"My royal brother always says there's no need to be so formal, but when we follow the rules, it still feels awkward."

An Lingrong knew that this was Shi’s brother, a civet cat.

At the beginning of Yongzheng's reign, he dealt with the Eighth and Ninth Princes with thunderous means, but he always loved his Seventeenth Brother, who only loved romance. He laughed heartily, "Only you dare to say that. You didn't skip the banquet today, and you didn't come late. It's already a great achievement!"

"Tonight is New Year's Eve. How could I be late?" Prince Guo stood up and raised his glass: "Let me toast to my royal brother first. I wish him a long life and peace for the people of the Qing Dynasty."

The Queen also stood up with a smile and raised her glass, saying, "Long live the Emperor."

Seeing that the queen was ready, the others quickly stood up and raised their glasses: "Long live the queen."

"Come!"

Yongzheng was in a good mood and drank it all in one gulp.

"This wine is excellent, Concubine Hua, have you drunk it?"

Hua Fei's beautiful eyes looked forward to it: "Of course I did it!"

The Queen looked at Yongzheng's face and said, "Your Majesty is particularly happy today!"

Yongzheng answered the queen's words without looking at her, but kept looking at Concubine Hua next to him.

"In the afternoon, victory news arrived from the northwest. Nian Gengyao quelled the rebellion of Lobsang Danjin in Qinghai, capturing all his men, livestock, and tribes. What a great Nian Gengyao! What a great General Nian."

The Queen said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty..."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty." Hua Fei interrupted the Queen and raised her wine glass. A pair of oriental pearl earrings sparkled in the candlelight, making her look extraordinarily elegant.

Yongzheng looked at Hua Fei meaningfully: "Your brother is very good."

"My brother served the emperor in the previous dynasty, and I am in the harem managing the harem for the emperor. That is all natural." Concubine Hua looked at Yongzheng affectionately.

After hearing this, the queen felt relieved!

To prevent Nian Gengyao from monopolizing power during the Qinghai Campaign, the Emperor ordered Yue Zhongqi to serve as his advisor on military affairs and control Nian Gengyao. However, he also wanted to appease him and encourage him to devote all his energy to suppressing the Qinghai rebellion, which forced him to work on Concubine Hua. Therefore, the Emperor's gift of the Dongzhu to Concubine Hua was not out of favor, but rather because it involved a matter of state affairs. Concubine Hua, believing the Emperor's unwavering love for her, bestowed upon her the Dongzhu, reserved for the Empress, and openly wore it on her ear. This act only made the Emperor think she was usurping power and coveting the position of Empress, further fearing Nian Gengyao.

The people below have different thoughts.

Singing and dancing began.

An Lingrong had no time to enjoy the singing and dancing.

The palace-wide evening banquet hosted by Concubine Hua was excellent, with abalone, shark's fin, bird's nest, and various fruits served in a continuous stream. The eunuchs serving beside her were busy bringing new dishes to the table and removing the ones that had been eaten.

A dish of Longjing shrimp was placed in front of An Lingrong.

This dish is fresh and tender, with white and tender shrimps, fragrant buds and leaves, and elegant color. The shrimps have the fragrance of tea, and the tea has the freshness of shrimps. It is refreshing and appetizing, leaving you with an endless aftertaste.

Too bad there are only four.

Suddenly, another plate of Longjing shrimps was placed on her table.

An Lingrong followed Su Ye's gaze and saw Shen Meizhuang slightly leaning to the side and nodding at her.

Although Shen Meizhuang sat elegantly, she kept an eye on An Lingrong. Seeing how happy she was eating, she told Caiyue to give her dish to An Lingrong. She had grown up in Shandong and was already accustomed to seafood.

An Lingrong raised her wine glass, and Shen Meizhuang also raised hers and clinked glasses with her from a distance.

it is more than words.

Yongzheng, who was sitting in the upper seat, saw all their little movements and couldn't help laughing when he saw them drinking one cup after another.

The Queen followed Yongzheng's gaze and looked at Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong.

Shen Meizhuang was ordered to study the affairs of the six palaces, so Concubine Hua naturally would not let her not have to worry about it herself.

As for An Lingrong.

The queen looked at the hairpin on her head and felt a little relieved. A concubine with a humble family background and no children would not pose a threat even if she was favored by the emperor.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."

The emperor was very polite and clinked glasses with her.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Yongzheng turned around and suddenly saw the red plum pot on the table, and his mood suddenly dropped.

"Have the plum blossoms in Yimei Garden bloomed yet?"

The Queen withdrew her gaze from watching Noble Lady Fucha playing the guzheng, "It blooms in the frost."

"I'll go take a look."

"It's cold outside, Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."

"It blooms against the frost, how can it be wasted?"

The queen wanted to persuade him again.

"No need to say more!"

"Su Peisheng, no one is allowed to follow me. I want to walk alone to sober up."

An Lingrong knew that the heroine was about to meet the hero.

Famous scene!

It was a pity that I couldn’t leave without a reason and missed the opportunity to watch the live broadcast.