Xiao Yun was reprimanded by the Emperor with an imperial decree, and was forbidden to enter the palace without being summoned.
For a prince, this was undoubtedly a humiliating and dangerous matter.
Those who were unaware of the inside story began to speculate.
Had Prince Ding'an fallen out of favor?
But the reason for falling out of favor was too far-fetched, dereliction of duty?
Was this the first day the Emperor knew about Prince Ding'an's dereliction of duty?
Even his colleagues in the Ministry of War felt that Xiao Yun was a bit wronged; he was originally here to experience life.
The Emperor's attitude was ambiguous, and for a while, everyone didn't know whether to continue to be close to Prince Ding'an or to distance themselves from him.
They could only wait and see.
Regardless of the direction of the wind in Shengjing, and regardless of the predicament of Wang Qingyao's investigation.
Time moved forward, unhurried and unhurried.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.
The mansion had long been decorated, and all areas had been scrubbed clean, with new couplets pasted and red lanterns hung.
The two children had put on their New Year's clothes early in the morning. They were chubby and rosy, like little figures from a New Year's painting, incredibly cute.
The two were almost half a year old. Pingping had already learned to sit and was very well-behaved when eating and sleeping. An'an was still a little behind; she could only sit for a few seconds before falling backward. Even when she fell, she wouldn't cry, but would giggle and play while lying down. An'an was also particularly greedy and would reach for anything she saw.
She had only recently started eating solid food, and Wang Qingyao did not allow her to eat too much.
One thought that raising children in ancient times was unscientific, but who knew that wealthy families were even more meticulous than in modern times. They often called in doctors to consult about their condition, and they knew clearly what could be eaten and what could not.
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun each held one child and took them to the door to hang peach charms.
An'an grabbed the peach charm and was about to bite it, so Xiao Yun quickly snatched it away and hung it up. An'an didn't get to bite it, and didn't cry. She stared at Xiao Yun with wide eyes, then suddenly grinned, saliva dripping down her chin.
Xiao Yun's heart melted: "Oh my, my daughter is so cute. I wonder which brat will get lucky with her in the future."
Wang Qingyao remarked: Prince Ding'an, you're thinking too far ahead; your daughter is not even a year old.
Pingping and Wang Qingyao held peach charms together and hung them up, showing a steady smile.
Wang Qingyao said: "I feel like Pingping will be a stickler for rules in the future."
"Isn't that just like his uncle."
Wang Qingyao thought of Wang Zijin's serious demeanor and smiled: "It's not bad to be like his uncle."
Consort Dowager Fang had been truly reclusive since her previous encounter with Wang Qingyao.
Even on a festive occasion like the New Year, Jingwu Courtyard remained tightly shut.
When the New Year's Eve banquet began in the evening, Consort Dowager Fang still did not show up.
The Old Consort Dowager said: "Your mother sent someone to inform us that she has semi-entered the monastic life, and worldly disturbances have nothing to do with her anymore."
Xiao Yun and Xiao Mo exchanged a glance and said nothing.
The Old Consort Dowager continued: "Fine, let her be. Tomorrow, on the first day of the New Year, you can go and pay your respects to her early in the morning."
The younger generation all nodded.
According to custom, the palace would bestow dishes on the New Year's Eve dinner every year.
In previous years, it was always one dish, but this year, Prince Ding'an's mansion received three.
Xiao Yun sent someone to inquire. Other noble families and royal relatives received one or two dishes, but only Prince Ding'an's mansion received three.
It was unique.
When Xiao Yun sent someone to inquire, others naturally also sent people to inquire.
Upon inquiring, they discovered that Prince Ding'an had not fallen out of favor at all; he was still highly favored by the Emperor!
This made everyone even more unable to fathom the Emperor's intentions.
Was it a slap followed by a sweet date?
Indeed, the Emperor's heart was unfathomable!
The Xiao family, however, understood the Emperor's intentions. The Emperor had reprimanded Xiao Yun, and then, fearing that people in Duanjing would take advantage of the situation to bully Xiao Yun, he had also ostentatiously displayed his favor.
The Emperor was truly good to Xiao Yun.
Even if he didn't know that Xiao Yun was his own son, he treated him almost like his own son.
Wang Qingyao glanced at Xiao Yun and conveyed with his eyes: Your biological father is quite good.
Xiao Yun raised his eyebrows at him, a hint of pride still on his face.
Consort Dowager Dowager sighed: "I hope the Xiao family's New Year's Eve dinner gets more crowded year by year."
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun looked at Xiao Mo in unison.
Alright, the pressure was now on Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo remained very calm, his expression unchanged.
Before the New Year's Eve dinner began, the elders would give lucky money to the younger generation.
Although Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun were already married, the Old Consort Dowager had still prepared large red envelopes for them.
As for the two little ones, it went without saying; the envelopes were so heavy they could barely carry them.
When the New Year's Eve dinner was almost over, deafening firecrackers could be heard from outside.
This was the palace setting off firecrackers.
The New Year's Eve night in the palace was undoubtedly the liveliest. At this time every year, almost everyone in Duanjing City could hear the firecrackers from the palace, which meant that the New Year's Eve revelry had begun.
After the firecrackers in the palace ended, firecrackers in the streets and alleys also began to "crack crackle," and adults and children alike went out to set them off.
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun, like children, took Pingping and An'an to the outer courtyard to set off fireworks and firecrackers.
These fireworks and firecrackers were all collected by Xiao Mo and were more varied than those sold outside.
Pingping and An'an saw fireworks and firecrackers for the first time. Pingping was more composed, simply appreciating the brilliant fireworks without fear.
An'an, however, was different. Apart from the sound of fireworks and firecrackers, there were her exclamations of "Wow," "Oh," and "Ah."
This made everyone laugh uncontrollably.