On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighteenth year of Yongli, the capital city of the Great Yan Kingdom, Yongcheng, was decorated with lanterns and streamers to welcome the New Year. The faces of the people coming and going were all filled with joy.
In front of the Prince Ning's Mansion, Lvluo watched with a beaming smile as Wei Yi and Wei Er deftly hung the big red lanterns high up.
The two of them even engaged in a rather childish competition to see who could hang the lanterns more quickly and steadily.
As for Wei Huan and Wei Yan, they had entered the palace earlier. Yuan Rui said that he wanted them to stay in the palace for half a day to have some fun and would send them back in the evening.
As for Chu Zhan... He had brought Chu Xing and Qin Zhao to the Prince Ning's Mansion early in the morning. At this moment, he was chatting amicably with Chu Qing and Wei Ying in the hall.
When Chu Xing was smilingly telling Wei Ying some interesting anecdotes about Chu Qing's childhood, Liu Xin suddenly walked in and reported in a low voice, "My lord, there is a group of guests outside the mansion."
"A group?" Chu Qing was a bit surprised.
Fifteen years had passed, and time didn't seem to have left many traces on her face. However, her charm was even more evident when she lifted her eyes.
Liu Xin nodded after hearing this. Seeing her lord's surprise, she continued to explain, "It's... Miss Qu Ling, and some... other guests. It is said that... they are all from the Fengyue Villa."
"Ling'er?" Chu Zhan had already stood up. The joy on his handsome face was impossible to hide.
Seeing this, Chu Qing raised her eyebrows and teased, "What's this? You seemed listless just now, but as soon as you heard it was Ling'er... Brother, you're clearly quite excited!"
Chu Zhan blushed and walked out without looking back, saying, "How can I not be excited to see your future sister - in - law?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he had already reached the door.
Chu Qing looked at Qin Zhao, who was calmly drinking tea, in shock.
"Mother..."
Qin Zhao put down the teacup in her hand with a smile, stood up, and pulled Chu Qing out as well. "Come on, let's go and have a look. That brat Chu Zhan is finally showing some emotion."
Chu Qing nodded with a big smile.
Outside the Prince Ning's Mansion, Qu Ling felt shy for the first time. She originally wanted to celebrate the New Year with everyone in the Fengyue Villa, but she couldn't resist everyone's eagerness after they heard that she and Chu Zhan had finally achieved a happy ending. They pulled her on a night - long journey to Yongcheng.
"Coming so suddenly... Is it inappropriate..." Qu Ling picked at her palm and said nervously.
The people from the villa didn't respond. Feng Zi stroked his smooth chin and squinted his eyes, saying, "That brat Chu Zhan, why hasn't he come out yet?"
The sisters Yue Qing and Yue Mei were smiling, looking like they were eager to watch a good show.
And Er Ya, who was hiding behind Feng Ya, poked out half of her head. She stared curiously at the mansion's gate and whispered, "Is the princess also inside?"
Just as the little girl finished speaking, Chu Zhan came out.
After seeing Qu Ling, the corners of Chu Zhan's mouth almost reached his ears.
"You... You're here!"
Qu Ling blushed and nodded.
Seeing the two of them, Feng Ya curled her lips.
Before they could exchange a few words of greeting, a voice full of joy rang out.
"Ling'er is here!" Qin Zhao came out with Chu Qing.
Chu Zhan had already grabbed Qu Ling's hand, but as soon as his mother came out, she pulled away the still - warm little hand.
Chu Zhan: "???"
Qu Ling: "..."
Chu Qing almost burst out laughing when she saw Chu Zhan's changed expression.
However, she wasn't going to help Chu Zhan.
Pressing her lips together, Chu Qing greeted the others from the Fengyue Villa.
Everyone laughed and was about to step into the mansion.
But before they could enter, two carriages suddenly stopped in front of the mansion.
Seeing this, Wei Yi, Wei Er and the others walked forward warily with full alertness.
Chu Qing tilted her head, looking at them with scrutiny.
On this New Year's Eve, who would be so idle as to come to their mansion?
Well... Except for the people from the Fengyue Villa.
Just as everyone was sizing up the two carriages, someone got off the left - hand carriage.
The man had a somewhat dark complexion, but his smile was extremely bright.
"Ba Te'er?!" Chu Qing covered her mouth and looked at the person.
The former young man's eyebrows now showed some signs of the passage of time.
The person who came was Ba Te'er.
Just as Ba Te'er was about to speak, another person slowly got off the other carriage.
This time, Chu Qing was stunned on the spot.
Was she drunk?
Rong He... that is, Wen Lang, the emperor of Dongyi, actually...
Also came to Yongcheng?
"You..." Chu Qing stepped forward.
Wen Lang smiled slightly and said, "I finally got some free time. The second brother can take care of the country, so... I came. Princess Ning, aren't you welcome?"
Chu Qing was a bit helpless. Could she not welcome him?
Could she... send him back?
Thinking of this, Chu Qing waved her hand and said, "Since you're here, come in together."
...
Wei Ying was chatting casually with Chu Xing. When he looked up inadvertently, he saw Chu Qing and the others coming in with a group of people.
Naturally, he saw Wen Lang at first sight.
"Your Majesty..." Wei Ying stood up with mixed feelings.
Seeing Wei Ying's reaction, Chu Xing looked at his wife in surprise.
Qin Zhao naturally saw Chu Xing's question.
However...
She didn't know either.
Only then did Chu Qing realize it. She walked to Wei Ying's side and signaled with her eyes whether to say it or not.
Wei Ying frowned slightly and slowly said, "There are no outsiders here. This is actually... the emperor of Dongyi."
Wen Lang waved his hand with a smile.
Wei Ying's background had become a well - known "secret". Everyone had heard about it, but no one had ever said anything about it, understanding each other tacitly.
Therefore, when Wei Ying said this, everyone understood in their hearts.
Although Chu Xing was a bit shocked, soon he stepped forward to exchange greetings with Wen Lang.
And Ba Te'er beside him finally rushed to Wei Ying's side. His eyes were full of excitement as he said, "Master!"
Seeing Ba Te'er, who was now as tall as himself, Wei Ying patted his shoulder with emotion.
Just as everyone was chatting enthusiastically, someone asked, "Where is Young Master Chu?"
Hearing this, Chu Qing slightly raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "I guess... he's pulled Ling'er somewhere to whisper sweet nothings. It's not easy for him to show some emotion. Let's not spoil it."
...
No one knew when it got dark. Different from the usual silence, Yongcheng was even more lively than during the day at this moment.
Wei Huan and Wei Yan had also returned to the Prince Ning's Mansion.
However...
They also brought back two people.
Yuan Rui, the emperor of the Great Yan, and Lan Wanyu, the queen.
After pulling the children into her arms, Chu Qing finally asked, "You two..."
Yuan Rui laughed and said, "It's really boring in the palace. Thinking that it would be livelier outside, we came out."
In the end, in Yuan Rui's heart, he still wanted to celebrate the New Year with Chu Qing.
Chu Qing rubbed her forehead and slowly said, "The Prince Ning's Mansion is particularly popular today."
Wei Ying walked to Chu Qing's side, put his arm around her shoulder, and said to everyone, "It's getting late. The New Year's Eve dinner is ready. Let's start."
Everyone responded with smiles.
This reunion dinner was extremely lively.
As the wine cups clinked, Chu Qing's eyes were a bit moist.
In this second life, she had so many people who loved her and whom she loved. She had no regrets.
Chu Qing reached out to rub her slightly moist eyes. A warm smile appeared on her face. She raised her glass and said loudly,
"Except for Xiliang, people from several countries are all here. It's really not easy for us to get together like this. Thank you all for regarding this place as your home. May the mountains and rivers remain safe, and may we all be peaceful and happy."