Chapter 1473: Chapter 1473: Father-in-law Theory
Zhulan turned to look at her son. "You come with me."
Mingyun shook his head. "Father, Grandfather instructed that you should go alone."
Father would have to face things by himself sooner or later. He worked at the Hanlin Academy during the day and couldn’t always accompany his father. It would be better for his father to gain experience sooner rather than later.
Zhulan was briefly at a loss for words but still tried to persuade him. "You stayed by my side during last time’s banquet."
If his son hadn’t stayed by his side back then, he might have embarrassed the Hou Residence on multiple occasions.
Mingyun chuckled. "Father, the circumstances are different now."
At the banquet, the attendees were one kind of people, and now it’s another. He heard from his grandfather that those tribal princes wouldn’t last long. Even if Father said something wrong, it wouldn’t matter.
Eventually, Zhulan took Steward Ding with him and left, looking rather deflated. When Minghui saw this, he couldn’t help but feel pity. "Big Brother, what about Father?"
Mingyun shot a glare at him, and Minghui clamped his hands over his mouth, swallowing the rest of his words.
Mingjung didn’t want to stay in the same room with his two brothers. Without Father to have his back, he decided to slip away quickly. He clapped his hands and declared, "I’m going to see what good food Mother’s making!"
Minghui lowered his hands, his face full of pain. "How much weight have you gained these past few days?"
Mingjung loosened his belt. No wonder he couldn’t eat anymore—it was tied too tight. "I lost weight a few days ago, so naturally, I need to make up for it."
Mingyun said, "...I’ll get you a new belt another day. This one is too short."
Mingjung nodded earnestly. "It really is a bit short. Big Brother is so considerate."
Minghui burst into laughter. Big Brother was clearly mocking Mingjung, but Mingjung didn’t catch on. He couldn’t stop laughing, "Oh, my foolish little brother."
Mingjung was furious and ignored Minghui entirely, turning to find his mother. He still wanted to tattle and get Minghui punished with the feather duster!
In the front courtyard, Young Prince didn’t see Marquis Zhou and was instead greeted by the rather ineffectual son of Mr. Hou. His expression turned particularly stiff, and all the words in his throat were choked back.
Zhou Changli had been quite nervous, but upon seeing the Young Prince’s stiff expression, he suddenly felt at ease. "This New Year’s gift is too generous; we can’t accept unearned rewards. Our Hou Residence cannot accept this."
The Young Prince’s expression stiffened even further. "Residing together in the capital in the future, I merely hoped to strengthen ties with the Hou Residence."
Zhou Changli didn’t buy it. Strengthening ties requires a few chests of jewels? Whose household gives New Year gifts like this? If they returned the gesture, it’d be enough to bleed them dry.
Changli thought this and said it aloud too. "This gift is too extravagant; our Hou Residence cannot afford to exchange New Year’s gifts of this level."
The Young Prince cursed the foolishness of the Hou Residence’s heir internally but couldn’t say it outright. He had originally come to see Marquis Zhou, but his father had fallen ill after returning from the palace, so he had to come in his father’s place. "I heard Marquis Zhou has recovered. My father instructed me to visit him on his behalf. I kindly ask the heir to take me to Marquis Zhou."
Changli’s face showed obvious difficulty. "Oh, the entire capital knows that my father needs to rest quietly. This year has been exhausting for him. During his recovery, he prefers to nap, and he’s already asleep now."
The Young Prince didn’t believe him. "I..."
"I can’t predict when my father will wake up, and I dare not disturb him. Young Prince, it would be better for you to return for now."
He looked as if he was genuinely thinking of the Young Prince’s interests.
The Young Prince was speechless. "..."
He eyed his waist knife and felt a sudden urge to use it.
Changli sent off the Young Prince and asked the steward, "Did I handle the hosting well?"
Steward Ding smiled. "The heir hosted magnificently."
Changli walked away with his hands behind his back. "People of their status dislike directness the most, but really, isn’t being straightforward better?"
Steward Ding laughed. "The heir is absolutely right."
When Zhou Shuren heard how Changli handled the hosting, he laughed as well. "You did a great job."
Changli blushed, embarrassed and eager for praise. His complexion was already pale from being indoors all winter, so the blush stood out prominently. "I’ll continue working harder."
"Good."
Zhou Shuren sent people to inquire about the actions of the various princes. Some sent gifts to the Wen family, others to the Ning family, all of whom were related to the royal family.
The result was the same: nobody accepted the gifts.
At the Liu family residence, Lady Gu tugged on her husband’s sleeve. "You’re not paying attention. Which of our son’s outfits looks best? Give me your opinion."
Sir Liu was distressed. "You’re being too indulgent. Isn’t it just New Year’s? Why did you make five outfits for him and only two for me?"
Lady Gu chuckled. "Are you jealous of your son now?"
Sir Liu clutched his chest. "Jealous? No, I’m distressed about the silver spent."
Lady Gu rolled her eyes. "Your son is visiting in-laws for the first time after getting engaged. We can’t skimp on this silver."
Sir Liu sighed. "Didn’t he say he already had clothes to wear before?"
"That was before. Now Yuan Bo is a man with a betrothed wife."
Thinking of Zhou Changyi’s father-in-law credentials, Sir Liu got even angrier. "You spoil him too much—the fact that you let him personally pick the Zhou family’s New Year’s gift!"
Thinking of his collection of fine tea gone, his favorite ornaments missing, his face turned pale.
Lady Gu couldn’t stop laughing. "You have only yourself to blame that your son hasn’t married the Zhou girl yet."
"Hah, knowing my son, it’ll be worse after he gets her through the door. No, I need some fresh air—you choose for him. I don’t want to see him right now."
Lady Gu thought to herself that her husband couldn’t handle even this much, then chuckled again. Life at home would definitely be lively in the future.
In no time, New Year’s Day had arrived. This year, the Zhou family celebrated with unprecedented cheer, buying plenty of firecrackers and setting off a spectacular display of fireworks in the evening.
Many events had happened over the past year, but thankfully, the entire family was safe and sound.
Time flew by to the second day of the New Year, when married daughters returned to their parental home. Xue Mei and Xue Han visited home. Xue Han said, "This year’s Lantern Festival will be grand. I heard from Rongchuan that they’ve made plenty of lanterns for riddles competitions."
Zhulan remarked, "Last year’s mood was too somber. It’s true that starting a new year merits some liveliness."
Xue Han added, "Exactly. That’s why this year’s Lantern Festival will be especially extravagant. The first prize has a reward of Five Hundred Taels of Silver."
Zhulan showed interest. "That high?"
"Yes."
Xue Mei grew curious. "Who’s paying for the silver?"
Xue Han smiled. "Rongchuan said it’s the imperial merchants. These lanterns for the competition were also arranged by them. Oh, and so were the fireworks."
Zhulan said, "The scale is indeed impressive this year."
Xue Han nodded. "More grand than any previous year. Rongchuan said there could even be one-on-one contests, with participants exchanging riddles and wagers."
She was determined to attend. To convince Rongchuan, she pestered him for ages and promised she wouldn’t catch cold. Only then did Rongchuan agree to accompany her.
Xue Mei’s interest was piqued. "Now that you mention it, I’d like to go too."
"Then let’s go together and stroll around."
Zhulan also felt tempted but hesitated—it was so cold! She worried about Shuren catching a chill and didn’t say anything.
The young girls, including Yu Die, were particularly excited, all chiming in about going. Even Zhao and Su Xuan showed interest. Lady Li, however, didn’t react at all. After learning to read for so many years, she still didn’t enjoy writing or books. She preferred to stay cozy at home during the Lantern Festival, as the decorations at the residence were already beautiful—why go out into the crowd?
In a blink, the Lantern Festival arrived. While putting on her cloak, Zhulan remarked, "Time really flies."
Zhou Shuren handed her the hand warmer he was holding. "If we don’t leave now, we won’t catch up to the kids."
Zhulan said, "With our status, we’d better stroll on our own."
It wouldn’t be appropriate for grandparents to follow their grandchildren.
Zhou Shuren chuckled, "I said that so you wouldn’t worry about the kids."
Actually, he relished the rare opportunity to stroll with his wife alone—after all these years, it was hard to come by moments like this, just the two of them enjoying the lanterns together.