May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

The annual palace banquets are always the same lively affair, making it one of the few times of the year when the emperor and his officials can truly enjoy themselves together.

This year was even more different; the Empress Dowager, who usually doesn't like attending such occasions, actually came.

After the Empress Dowager took her seat, she glanced around the hall and asked in surprise, "Why didn't that girl from the Wen family come?"

It turns out that the Empress Dowager was after Wen Yuanshu.

Madam Wen remained expressionless, stood up and said, "We have a guest at home, whose age is similar to Yuan Shu's, so please have Yuan Shu stay and entertain him."

"I see." The Empress Dowager nodded, then glanced at Lu Chengyuan without leaving a trace.

Lu Chengyuan seemed oblivious to the Empress Dowager's gaze, simply standing there, exuding a cold aura that seemed somewhat out of place at the New Year's banquet.

However, this person was always like this, so no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

The Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze and said, "I gave Yuan Shu a phoenix hairpin with a pearl in its beak a few days ago. Did she like it?"

There were no fools present; they naturally knew that the Empress Dowager's question wasn't really about whether Wen Yuanshu liked the hairpin, but rather to let them know that Wen Yuanshu was now considered a confidante by the Empress Dowager.

For a moment, everyone had different thoughts, and their gazes toward the Wen family became more complicated.

"Yuan Shu likes it very much, thank you, Your Majesty."

The Queen Mother nodded.

"Your Majesty really cares about Miss Wen," the Empress said with a smile. "I heard that Your Majesty has bestowed many gifts upon Miss Wen, but I didn't expect that even the phoenix hairpin with a pearl in its beak was given to her."

Logically speaking, the Empress is the mother of the country, and this is a palace banquet, so the Empress Dowager should have given her some face. However, the Empress Dowager only glanced at her and gave a faint "hmm".

The Empress Dowager was all smiles one second, but her face turned cold the next. The change in attitude was so drastic that it was as if she had trampled the Empress's face underfoot.

The Empress's face stiffened, and she lowered her head without saying a word.

At the New Year's banquet, the emperor couldn't just stand by and watch. Seeing that the Empress Dowager had nothing to say, he made some polite remarks as in previous years, and then the palace banquet began, and the palace became lively again.

This lively scene lasted for quite some time before it finally dispersed.

As everyone left the palace, snowflakes began to fall heavily in the night sky.

A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest; it's a good omen.

Lu Chengyuan went straight to the General's Mansion after leaving the palace.

When he arrived, the courtyard was quiet.

Several girls in the dining room were so drunk they were staggering around, and they were all fast asleep.

Lu Chengyuan's gaze shifted to the jars of wine, and he shook his head helplessly.

Oh well, it's Chinese New Year after all.

He went straight to Wen Yuanshu and, seeing that she was sleeping soundly, carried her back to the bedroom, taking care of her meticulously by letting her hair down and taking off her clothes.

After settling Wen Yuanshu in, Lu Chengyuan went out again and ordered the maids to carry the two people who were still in the dining hall back. As for how they were carried, Lu Chengyuan didn't care.

This was already the best he could do to take care of her.

-

The day after the New Year's banquet, everyone went to the hot spring resort.

The three girls were hungover all night and felt listless the next day. After arriving at their destination, they each took a nap to recover.

"I don't even know what to say about you. You don't usually drink much, but when you do, you drink your older brother's liquor," Lu Chengyuan said helplessly. "Even I don't dare to drink too much of his liquor."

These girls are something else; it looks like each of them has a jar of liquor. How could they not get drunk?

Lu Chengyuan held her in his arms, his well-defined fingers gently massaging Wen Yuanshu's temples.

Wen Yuanshu sighed: "How was I supposed to know that wine was so strong?"

It was clearly smooth and mellow, not even as spicy as the wine Lu Chengyuan had fed her before.

Lu Chengyuan also sighed: "Should we use a little more force?"

"Um……"

The embroidered-robed commander, who is decisive and ruthless in the field, is surprisingly patient and thorough when it comes to serving others.

It wasn't until nightfall that Wen Yuanshu finally felt a little better.

After dinner, she was about to go for a soak in the hot spring when she turned around and saw that Lu Chengyuan had followed her.