Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

On New Year's Eve, the Chai family gathered in the main hall. Ye Heng said, "We'll just be at home tonight. It won't be a lot more lively, so let's drink tonight."

Jiaxing, Jiayu, the most important. He sat at the head of the table, Yeheng beside him. They had jars of wine brought out, along with the wine he had bought himself. The guards poured everyone a glass. Jiaxing said, "Everyone, take your first drink and drink together." The boys all shouted, "Cheers!" "Cheers!" Yeheng said, "We've been busy all year. Everyone, take it easy these days. Drink!"

Halfway through the meal, the fourth child asked in a low voice, "Fengxing, there are so many children, why don't you bring them all back? Your mother-in-law misses them all." Ye Heng said, "Dad, the children are too young and it's very cold here. Guoguo said that she will come back next year after the children leave." The fourth child: "Okay. Actually, I miss Guoguo too!" Ye Heng said, "I always listen to Guoguo. I have no choice. Guoguo specifically said that she would not come back this year. Maybe she is too tired."

Ye Heng thought about going home to the hospital to have Guo Guo checked! After hearing what Ye Heng said, the fourth brother said nothing more and just told Guo Guo to take good care of her health.

The Chai family now had many young men, and soon they were all drunk and sent back to their rooms to sleep. Ye Heng, Jia Xing, and Jia Yu drank until late at night before they each went back to their rooms to rest.

The night steward saw that the servants in the mansion had drunk a little, so he told them to go back and rest, and to get up early tomorrow!

Butler Ye looked after the entire Chai Mansion and the Wang Mansion, and he was the one who worried the most! He was in good health, but he didn't know why. He thought his health was due to his busy schedule, the amount of walking and exercise he got. Little did he know that he was eating and drinking well. After seeing that everyone in the mansion had gone to rest, he went back to his room to sleep.

The next day, New Year's Day, everyone rose early to cook, sweep the floor, light a big fire, and set off firecrackers, which Ye Heng had brought back. Everyone donned brand new clothes, and the entire mansion looked brand new! Ye Heng stood at the mansion gate. "New Year, new beginnings! Every year is better than the last!" A burst of firecrackers rang out! Crackling, crackling, crackling!

"Happy New Year!" the butler said to everyone he saw. "Happy New Year!" Everyone was dressed in bright red, beaming with joy. Every time the night butler saw someone in the mansion, he'd give them a red envelope, saying the same thing: "From the prince! Take it!"

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Butler!" Butler Ye smiled and said, "Everyone gets a red envelope." He asked Fu Kang and An Kang to distribute them to the servants. Wherever Ye Heng went, servants would congratulate him, "Master, Happy New Year!" Ye Heng would always nod and reply with a "Happy New Year!"

Ye Heng was alone in the study, drinking tea. Thinking of Guoguo and the children, he thought, "Hey! Get to work!" He was dealing with a memorial in his hand. He once came across a memorial from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. It mentioned problems with driving piles underwater and constructing sluice gates. He sought the prince's advice. Ye Heng pondered the issue. A guard arrived to call for lunch. He put the memorial down and put it in a drawer to review later.

After having breakfast early, all the members of the Chai family got on a carriage and went to the palace together.

In the imperial palace, the Minister of Rites led all the staff of the Ministry of Rites in busy preparations for the sacrificial ceremony and the prince's presentation of the royal jade butterfly to announce the matter to the ancestors.

This year, during the Great Flame Festival, many things needed to be prepared, so the ministers arrived at the palace early. The Emperor, along with the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, the young princes, princesses, and grandchildren, also arrived at the court and sat to one side.

After accepting the congratulations, the emperor also said a few simple festive words, and led the ministers to worship their ancestors. Ancestor worship was a solemn meeting, presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and they burned incense and kowtowed. After everyone kowtowed, the emperor talked about the royal family. "Our ancestors conquered the country and unified the Central Plains. They created a place for the people to rest and recuperate in the land where warlords fought for power. The Great Yan Dynasty is thriving. Now my queen has given birth to a prince and a princess, twins, a boy and a girl. This is a sign of the prosperity of the Great Yan Dynasty. I hereby report this to our ancestors." The emperor wrote the jade butterfly for the children himself. The children's names are in the family tree: the second son is Ye Buqi and the daughter is Ye Can.

Adding Ye Heng's sons, all of Ye Heng's children have been ranked above the Imperial Jade Butterfly. The eldest son, Ye Huangbao, Ye Donghua, the second son, Ye Haoxing, the third son, Ye Haochen, the fourth son, Ye Chengyi, and the fifth son, Ye Chengze. There are three daughters, the eldest, Ye Yongyang. The second daughter, Ye Yongyue, and the third daughter, Ye Yongran. The Emperor personally read out the list of the Imperial heirs.

The prince's son, Ye-Donglin. His nickname is Ruirui.

All the court officials knelt on the ground and shouted: "Congratulations to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress! Long live the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess!"

Three steps and nine kowtows, the ceremony is complete! The emperor leads all the officials to the Wenhua Hall for a grand banquet!

The children brought by the officials were all legitimate sons and daughters, steady and polite. Led by the clan women, they paid their respects to the queen and the crown princess, the head of the harem.

The Queen said, "Ladies and ladies, please take a seat. Today is a great day, so no formalities are necessary." Everyone knelt and said in unison, "Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen, Her Majesty the Crown Princess!"

Chai Yan sat aside, holding her son, accepting everyone's congratulations! After the Queen finished speaking, she also said, "Happy New Year, ladies and gentlemen! In the new year, I wish you all the best and happiness to your families!"

The clan wives and the young lady said again, "Thank you, Crown Princess!" Chai Yan said calmly, "Please stand up and sit down!"

Dignified and graceful, the queen felt happy looking at her daughter-in-law, who was an example of a mother of a country!

A palace maid brought people tea and snacks! After sitting for a while, a maid came to report, "Empress! The Emperor, this servant, has come to invite you to the Wenhua Hall!" The Queen: "Okay, everyone, let's go! The banquet is about to begin!"

The Queen was in front, Chai Yan was behind, and a large group of people followed closely behind, heading to the palace banquet in a mighty manner.

Originally, men sat on the left and women on the right, with the emperor and his subjects enjoying themselves. This year, the situation has changed. The whole family sits at one table, making it more convenient for everyone. There's singing and dancing during the banquet, and the emperor and his subjects enjoy themselves together!

Ye Heng's table was occupied by members of the Chai family. The fourth brother called Sun Quan and Sun Qing over, and they drank and ate together. They also watched a performance. Sun Quan said, "Family reputation, I never thought I could attend such a banquet!" The fourth brother said, "It's all earned through my own hard work. I left my wife and children behind and have been away from home all year round. Well, I won't say any more. My wife will make a fuss if I say more. Let's have a drink!" Sun Quan: "Drink." Ye Heng: "Sun Qing!" Sun Qing heard the prince call, "Hello, Your Highness." Ye Heng nodded, "Is it okay in the Ministry of Rites?" Sun Qing said, "I've become more proficient in these years. It's not bad." Ye Heng nodded and said, "Eat." Sun Qing saluted, "Yes, Your Highness."

The Chai family's table was occupied by only two women, Zhang Baohua and Li Ru. The Chai family was like royalty attending a banquet. The two women didn't talk much, just eating and listening to the conversations around them.

Some people spoke loudly, "I don't know what good luck the Chai family has had these years. Even a country bumpkin can sit at the imperial palace banquet!" "Keep your voice down. If you want to die, just say it. I'll give you a divorce letter when I get home. No matter what you say, it has nothing to do with me." The lady lowered her head and dared not say anything! Li Ru heard it, but just looked up and said nothing. Zhang Baohua was unhappy when she heard it. Just as she was about to speak, Jiaxing pulled her and shook her head. Ye Heng glanced at the table and said, "You have an opinion!"

The master of that family was a second-rank official of the current dynasty, an official of the Ministry of Personnel. He stood up and saluted Ye Heng, "Your humble servant apologizes. Madam, I said the wrong thing out of ignorance. I will punish you severely when I get home!" Ye Heng: "He Min, you have also been in the Ministry of Personnel for many years. I don't know how you do your job. You manage your family and govern the country. If you can't even manage a small family, how can you manage the people of the world? Today is the New Year, sit back down. Have a good meal!" He Min knelt down and kowtowed. He returned to his seat and looked at his wife. He thought that his official career had come to an end. He would not be exiled, but would do hard labor. This meal was more uncomfortable than the La Festival. I don't know what happened to my wife today!

The emperor saw what was happening below and said nothing. He just took care of his queen and children, ate, and shared the joy with his court officials!

There were girls from aristocratic families performing, and some dreaming of becoming the Crown Prince's concubine. They hoped to perform well and be noticed by the Queen and chosen! Little did they know that the Crown Prince would no longer look for women, but would be solely devoted to Yan'er for the rest of his life.

Ye Heng's military power has now been handed over to Xiaodong. With such power in hand, he doesn't need a woman to consolidate his power. Xiaodong usually practices martial arts every day and also has the Royal Secret Guard.

Ye Heng gave all his secret guards to Xiao Dong. However, some of Ye Heng's men remained in Taohua Village, acting as their own force to secretly protect his family.

In recent years, they have intensified their training and brought back all the orphans in the world. Those with good qualifications are kept as secret guards, and those with poor qualifications are brought to the capital. After they are raised and trained, they help Guoguo with work and are assigned to various places.

The Empress and the Emperor each held the two children. Xiaodong also helped Yan'er hold the children. The two took turns eating.

The Empress has managed the palace well over the past few years. All the maids with ulterior motives have been sent home. The eunuchs have only a few masters, so there's no intrigue. They all revolve around the Emperor and the Crown Prince, exercising strict self-discipline and maintaining a high degree of self-discipline.

The palace was bustling with activity, good food and wonderful shows. The girls tried their best to show themselves. Their parents knew that their chances were slim, but they did not want their daughters to be sad, so they let them try.

The banquet didn't end until 3 p.m.

At the Chai residence, Zhang Baohua and Li Ru were talking. As they discussed their own family, Zhang Baohua became angry. "What kind of people are you? What's wrong with our family? We all work hard for our family and our country."

Li Ru: "Baohua, don't be angry. It's not worth it. Didn't you hear Fengxing speak?" Zhang Baohua: "Well, otherwise, how could I have endured it?"

Jiaxing said to Yeheng, "Fengxing, thank you for speaking up for our family today!" Yeheng said, "Second uncle, you said it was our family. What are you thanking me for?" Jiaxing said, "I have no official position and I'm just being bullied. I'm lucky to have you." Yeheng smiled and said, "Second uncle, I didn't let you suffer in the capital, did I?" Jiaxing chuckled and said, "That's right, it's all your credit."

Ye Heng added, "It's my duty to do things for my family. Besides, I trust our family's character. Go and have a rest. Talk to Second Aunt-in-law and don't make her angry. We all need to be fine." Jia Xing: "Well, you should go back to your room and have a rest too. You're all tired today." Ye Heng: "Well, I have to go to the palace tonight."

Inside Jiaxing's room, Zhang Baohua said to him, "Hey, our family has a good life in the capital, but I'm not as well off as I was back home. A little fatigue out there isn't a big deal, but look at the people in the capital—they're all so cunning, always talking in roundabout ways, as if they're superior to others!" Jiaxing looked at his wife and smiled, "Don't be angry, Baohua. Fengxing, if I can help you, he'll vent his anger for us. Live a good life, for the future!" Jiaxing looked forward to it! Zhang Baohua said, "Yes, I know. It's because you're here—Grandpa, Mom and Dad are all here—that I'm busy here. With the children here, I feel at ease here too." Jiaxing said, "You're right. Our family is all here. Besides, the capital isn't theirs; it belongs to everyone. Don't be angry. Our family treats you well." Zhang Baohua nodded. Their conversation made her feel better. She was good at work, but she couldn't stand being bullied. This was still much more restrained than her temper at home.

Jiaxing smiled and said, "My wife is capable. I can't catch up with her!" "You're just making fun of me. Haven't you been hooking up with other women lately?" Jiaxing said quickly, "I dare not. Don't say that in the future." Zhang Baohua snorted, "If you find a woman, our family will fall apart." "Yes, my wife has the final say. Didn't I give you all the money?" Zhang Baohua chuckled, "Do you think I'm a fool? You'll be short of money!" Jiaxing chuckled, "Don't worry if you don't find one. I will always treat you well. It's not easy for me to start a family! Our family should not be distracted." Zhang Baohua sighed, "Life is better, but there are more troubles!" Jiaxing was afraid that his wife would be unhappy, "Baohua, tell me, I'll do whatever you need. I'll stay at home more in the future." Zhang Baohua glanced at him, "No need, you have a lot of things to do. As long as you have this family in your heart, it's fine." Jiaxing said seriously, "Don't worry!"

Ye Heng rested for a while, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and took a carriage to the palace. A team of guards protected him.

Jiaxing stayed at home, looking after the family, while Lao Si chatted with his wife.

Butler Ye returned to the palace to take charge of the affairs and manage the palace.