Chapter 1004 - 427: Lunar New Year
An Zhichen seemed to be lost in thought.
Yueyao asked Gu Lan to bring the clothes made for the two of them. Each had two sets of clothes from inside to outside. An Zhichen’s clothes were all in bright colors, while Tingzheng’s were in dark colors.
An Zhichen looked at Tingzheng, who was dressed in a dark blue long robe, and twitched the corner of his mouth. Why did a boy have to look so good?
Yueyao thought An Zhichen found the color of Tingzheng’s clothes too somber, so she explained: "Tingzheng has good skin, this color is perfect to offset that." This color seemed a bit mature for a child of fifteen or sixteen, but Yueyao was very concerned that if Tingzheng wore bright clothes, it would be too dazzling.
After dinner, An Zhichen asked, "Tingzheng, the martial exam is coming up soon, do you plan on taking it?" The martial exam was in April, just a few months away.
Tingzheng was prepared to take the exam.
However, An Zhichen didn’t allow Tingzheng to take the exam: "Your foundation is too thin; if you go for the exam this time, you won’t get a good rank. My suggestion is not to take this exam but to try again in three years." Tingzheng’s martial skills were good, but unfortunately, his young age was an unchangeable disadvantage. An Zhichen was well aware of Tingzheng’s capabilities. In his estimation, Tingzheng might pass, but the ranking wouldn’t be outstanding.
Although the martial exam wasn’t as prestigious as the literary exam, there was one similarity: if the results weren’t good, it would also affect a career path.
Listening to An Zhichen’s reasoning, Yueyao hesitated and said: "Let Tingzheng try, go and understand the subjects for the exam, and in the next attempt, he will know what to expect."
However, An Zhichen disagreed with Yueyao’s suggestion: "If you’re going to take it, you should give it your all. If you don’t perform well and return to the Primus Battalion without having passed, you’ll be looked down upon. Zichang, the literary and martial exams are different." In the literary exam, it’s okay to stop halfway, but not in the martial exam, unless you’re eliminated or have special reasons. Otherwise, quitting halfway is viewed as desertion and will be frowned upon.
After a long silence, Yueyao said: "Tingzheng, then you’d better wait three more years before taking the exam! You’ll only be eighteen then, so there’s no rush." Indeed, every line of work has its own rules.
Tingzheng listened to Yueyao’s words and readily agreed: "Alright."
An Zhichen heard from a friend that Tingzheng was quite ruthless when fighting in the military camp. Unexpectedly, in front of Yueyao, he was as docile as a cat, which made An Zhichen laugh.
Yueyao, a bit puzzled, asked: "What’s wrong? Did I say something inappropriate?" She had always been worried about Tingzheng. Even if Tingzheng became an official in the future, he would have to navigate it on his own. Now, with An Zhichen, Tingzheng could avoid some detours.
Smiling, An Zhichen replied: "No," he simply found the sibling bond very close, and he was somewhat envious. He had so many siblings, but unfortunately, none were close to him. Well, his only close elder brother had to pretend to be estranged due to many reasons.
At bedtime, An Zhichen held Yueyao and said: "Zichang, let’s have a son!" He really wanted to have his own child.
Startled, Yueyao asked: "Don’t you like daughters?" She wanted a daughter, soft and sweet-smelling.
Laughing, An Zhichen responded: "I like both sons and daughters." With that, he pressed Yueyao beneath him.
Yueyao quickly pushed him away: "We have to head to the palace to give New Year’s greetings tomorrow, another day!" The court attire she wore to the palace weighed over ten jin, and she had to walk a long distance. The back and forth was quite exhausting, but since she had good stamina, most others, if they visited the palace once, would fall sick from the ordeal.
Hearing this, An Zhichen stopped bothering. In truth, An Zhichen felt a bit regretful. Mingzhu became pregnant just a month after marrying, while they had been married for almost three months, and Yueyao was not yet pregnant. He wondered when he could hold a child in his arms.
By the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, everything was prepared, the Door Gods were replaced with new ones, couplets were pasted, and the whole place was revitalized.
The next day, Yueyao got up, practiced a set of martial arts, had breakfast, dressed up, and took a sedan chair to the palace for New Year’s greetings.
Upon returning to An Mansion after attending the receiving banquets in the palace, Yueyao immediately changed out of her clothes. Fortunately, her stamina was good, as many needed a maid’s support to walk out of the palace.
Seeing this, An Zhichen suggested: "Rest a bit, there’s nothing much to do at the mansion."
Yueyao had the habit of taking naps, and feeling tired, she obediently went to sleep. She woke up after about an hour.
At night, from the main gate to the Inner Courtyard, all the large red lanterns were lit, illuminating the mansion as if it were daylight.
Tingzheng received three thick red envelopes: one from Yueyao, one from An Zhichen, and one from Xiang Wei.
The next day, after the court banquet return, Yueyao felt the exhaustion again. Fortunately, the court banquet lasted only two days, so after a bit of rest, she was fine. Otherwise, she couldn’t have managed it.
Following that, she began visiting relatives, and hosting banquets. She was busy until after the Lantern Festival, finally taking a breath of relief. Being the Lady of the house surely wasn’t a job just anyone could do well.
Yueyao donned new clothes sent from the Cloth Workshop, and after dressing, she muttered: "Why are these clothes a bit loose?"
Xi Yu laughed and said: "Madam, it’s not that the clothes from the Cloth Workshop are loose, it’s that you’ve lost weight." Over the past few months, with all the hustle and bustle, the lady had never been this busy before.
Looking in the mirror, Yueyao didn’t really feel she had lost any weight!