They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Chapter 350 Shangyuan Beiyang

Seeing how tired they were from drawing, she rolled snow in a corner of the yard and made little snowmen. Surprisingly, they looked quite similar to each of them.

She squatted there bored, poking this and that with a twig, and even mimicking their speech.

"Brothers, are you all tired? Sit down and have some water."

"Honey, I'm not tired. I'm going to stay up all night to finish drawing it..."

The men were focused on their work, but gradually they felt their limbs stiffen and they couldn't move anymore. Only then did they realize that Wu Ziyan was still squatting in the snowdrift.

"Ziyan, why don't you go to your room? What if you catch a cold outside?" Sima Lingchuan's nose was red from the cold, and every joint was also red.

The same was true of everyone else, but there seemed to be no complaints in their eyes. Wu Ziyan grinned and said, "It's okay, I'll stay outside with you."

"You deserve to freeze to death. We're cold, why don't you find a warm place for yourselves?" Han Yuxiu reverted to his sarcastic tone.

"Alright, Xiaoyun and I will go and cook a pot of red date and ginger soup for everyone. It will warm you up and keep you warm. You can rest for a while."

She looked like a lovesick fool, smiling somewhat foolishly. As she walked outside, she almost tripped and fell on the threshold.

She pounced on Mo Baiyun's back, and Mo Baiyun teased her as usual: "What, Zhu Zi, everyone's still here, are you going to molest me?"

"Little Yun'er, what are you saying? I just lost my balance by accident. Let's go, let's go."

But Mo Baiyun still reached out and supported Wu Ziyan, afraid that he would fall on the snow and mud.

A large pot of ginger soup, steaming hot, was brought over on a small cart. Each person held a bowl and drank the ginger soup. Some found it spicy, while others found it sweet. After drinking it, they indeed felt warm all over.

We were busy until evening, when all the vendors outside had to pack up and go home, and we finally finished the initial coloring.

"Thank you all for your hard work today. Take a good bath and rest tonight. We'll have to work hard again tomorrow."

Their eyes were all on her, but her hand was in Sima Lingchuan's: "Let's go, Lingchuan."

Although they were all going back to the same place, the order of importance was clearly distinguished. Several people had a look of desolation in their eyes. After all, they had no status, so what right did they have?

When the men returned to their rooms, they found that each of them had received an extra item, and each man received a different one, which they placed on their beds.

It turned out that those were gifts that Xiao Rong had brought, which they hadn't had time to distribute to them yet. Wu Ziyan had entered their room without permission, placed them on their beds, and left a note.

Han Yuxiu held up a box of Ganoderma lucidum slices. "I heard this is a specialty of Xiaorong. We don't have any here. I'll definitely take you with me then."

He snorted coldly, but in his heart he was thinking, "You better keep your word!"

Changsun Boyu received a set of brushes. "I hope your skills will improve even further. These brushes are made from the wool of Xiao Rong's lambs. I hope you like them."

Actually, she'll like anything I give her, but what I like most is her as a person!

Huang Ziliang received a set of books that recorded Xiao Rong's strange and wonderful stories, as well as some customs and culture. "I know you like to read and learn about foreign cultures. I hope we will have the opportunity to travel together someday."

Huang Ziliang put the books aside, blew out the lamp, and thought to himself how thoughtful the young lady was.

What Fang Yuerong received was an abacus pendant, and the workmanship was extremely rough. If you turned it over and saw the crooked character "Fang" written on it, you could tell that it was handmade: "I carved it myself, I hope you like it."

Chu Qiu stood by the window, holding a sharpened dagger inlaid with many gems. It was sharp, but more suited to being an ornament. "This dagger is like me, like you, beautiful on the outside but sharp on the inside."

Chu Qiu touched it again and again, repeating, "It has a sharp edge inside, doesn't it?"

Mo Baiyun received a hair tonic made with Polygonum multiflorum, which read, "May your hair grow long enough to reach your waist soon, my little Yun'er."

"My lord, I won't bother you tonight!"

As soon as she entered the room, she took off her cloak and was about to lie down on the bed when Sima Lingchuan grabbed her wrist: "Ziyan, you're covered in dust, how can you lie down on the bed?"

"Ugh, I'm tired, hmph!"

"Look at your face, you look like a little kitten. Wash up first, then lie down."

"All right"

Sima Lingchuan personally wiped her face clean with a towel and washed her hands; she was too embarrassed to let Sima Lingchuan wash her feet, she just casually shook them in the wooden basin a couple of times and dried them.

He rolled over and sat on the bed. This bed was so comfortable. Lying on it made him feel completely relaxed. Sima Lingchuan slowly combed his hair with a wooden comb, then took the comb and walked to the bedside. Wu Ziyan's hair was still in a bun.

As he untangled and combed her hair, he asked casually, "Ziyan, have you ever thought about giving your younger brothers a proper status?"

"Huh, what younger brother?"

"I can tell from everyone that everyone likes you."

At this point, we have to say how inclusive this game is; it can even handle 1vN situations. Is this something that can be released?

"I would like to, but as you know, the situation in Lingchuan doesn't allow it yet."

"Is it all because of my mother, or perhaps because of my brother and me? If my situation puts you in a difficult position, I can talk to you about it..."

Before she could utter the words "divorce," Wu Ziyan covered her mouth with her hand. She frowned, her eyes flashing, and said, "How could you say such a thing? You've broken my heart."

Without warning, she gave him a quick kiss, then followed his neck and pulled him onto the bed. They quickly snuggled under the covers, wrapped up like two cream horns.

Wu Ziyan's hands and feet were restless under the quilt, his hands always seeking out warm places to burrow, and his feet kept burrowing into Sima Lingchuan's inner thighs.

Sima Lingchuan seems to be in a low mood lately, perhaps because he's been too busy with things piling up and hasn't had time to think about them.

He held Wu Ziyan's hand, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

The next day, they continued working on the construction site, busy until dark; they were busy for several days in a row afterward, everyone was the same, ordinary and uneventful, day after day.

Before we knew it, it was already the day before the Lantern Festival. The lantern was only one step away from being finished, and no one dared to make the first move. Everything else was exquisite, but the eyes were still a stark white.

"Your Highness, you made this lamp, why don't you do the eye-dotting?"

"No, I don't have that skill. I'll go get my older sister."

Wu Chengji was forced to come and add an eye to the lamp. When he came in and saw this amazing work, his hand holding the paintbrush trembled. If he did not do it well, wouldn't it be ruined?

He swallowed hard, made two strokes, decent but not particularly brilliant, just passable.

"My fourth sister, I never expected you to finish this lamp in such a short time, and make it so exquisite!"

"Big sister, why don't you check who your fourth sister is?"

"Oh my, I can't even praise you anymore, I almost made your tail wag so high."

"Alright, alright, I won't argue with you anymore. I only troubled you because I couldn't think of a solution. Otherwise, how could I have asked you to come all this way?"

She tapped her nose, and Wu Chengling stood at a distance with a look of doubt on her face. She really didn't expect that there was such pure sisterhood among the royal family!

She had been protecting the workshop's safety all these days, because if anything went wrong, Wu Ziyan would definitely blame it on her.

Seeing that everything was completed smoothly, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't let his guard down until tomorrow, the last day.

The Lantern Festival is a time of national celebration, with people parading through the streets to see lanterns, playing dragon dances, solving lantern riddles, and paying respects to their ancestors. It must be exhausting to do so many things in one day.

But when her lamp was lit at night, almost all the other lanterns paled in comparison, and the people praised Wu Ziyan for her benevolence and filial piety.

On the Lantern Festival, after the boys finished their meal together, they went back to their respective homes, since the real festival should be spent with their families.

Apart from those who are already homeless.

Inside the palace, I listened to the master of ceremonies recite a long string of lines, mostly praising the ancestors, saying how good they were, how wonderful they were, how beautiful this lamp was, how wonderful that lamp was, how amazing the current empress was, and so on.

Wu Ziyan just wanted to eat and then go home to sleep. As he stood there in a daze, he seemed to hear someone call his name.

"I heard that this year's ancestral lantern was actually completed by the Fourth Prince himself, and we also owe a lot to the sons of the various officials for their help. Look how magnificent this lantern is this year! Our Wu Dynasty will surely prosper!"

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is both talented and virtuous!"

Hearing others praise her made her head clearer, but seeing those people speaking, she sighed inwardly before they finished.

After the ceremony was over, Wu Ziyan stomped her feet as if they were numb, which seemed to be a lingering effect of soaking in the cold pool last time.

"Fourth Sister, don't go."

Seeing that she was about to sneak out of the crowd, Wu Chengling called her back. Although the free evening tour ended without any accidents, she was not grateful to Wu Chengling.

"Third Sister, is there anything else?"

"No, I just wanted to congratulate you. I think the lamp you made this time is quite pleasing to the Queen Mother."

"Then I must congratulate you, Third Sister. I owe this praise to you."

She kept walking, not stopping, because she didn't want to stay in the cold square for even a second longer.

Wu Chengji, who was behind, only glanced at Wu Chengling, said nothing, and followed him away.

Back in their respective residences that evening, Wu Ziyan was hungry. She hadn't eaten her fill, and as she walked into the courtyard, she found Chu Qiu waiting for her with his hands behind his back.

By the way, everyone else has returned to their residences. General Situ and the others are all at the border, and now, he is the only one left in the Situ residence in the capital.

"It's so cold outside, why don't you go inside and wait?"

“I am not as afraid of the cold as Your Highness. I came to give this to you.”

The lamp was crookedly tied, and it was impossible to tell whether it was made of cow or horse. Wu Ziyan didn't know whether he should accept it or not. It seemed to imply that he was being treated like a cow or horse.

"What animal is this?"

"It's a rabbit."

Wu Ziyan chuckled. Chu Qiu really didn't have any talent for handicrafts; he couldn't even tie hair. It seemed he was only suited to wielding a sword.

"Thank you. I'm relieved to know it's a rabbit."

"What does Your Highness think she is?"

"Hey, you know what, this little thing is really unique, it's quite something." She changed the subject, but upon closer inspection, the lamp did have a certain charm.

Holding lantern poles, there were only a few servants in the mansion; perhaps Sima Lingchuan was benevolent and kind, and they had all gone to celebrate the festival.

They walked for a while, then Chu Qiu stopped, because they were getting close to Wu Ziyan's bedroom, and he knew that wasn't the place for him.

"Thank you, Chu Qiu. I like you... and the lamp." She shook the lamp in her hand and walked back.

Now, only he and Huang Ziliang, two homeless people, are in the mansion. They are not very familiar with each other, but today they can have a couple of drinks together.

Huang Ziliang's attitude was neither competitive nor competitive. He was currently in his room reading the set of books that Wu Ziyan had given him by candlelight. He found the contents very interesting, and many of the local customs and things were different from those in the Wu Dynasty. He really wanted to go and see them.

Suddenly he heard a knock on the door. He was initially delighted, but when he looked at the figure outside, he knew it wasn't the one he was looking for.

"Please come in, Chu Qiu."

Huang Ziliang's observation skills were indeed amazing. He could recognize Chu Qiu just by looking at his shadow. He pushed open the door. Today's sword was hanging at his waist. He was carrying a pot of wine in one hand and two bowls in the other.

"Want a drink?"

"Okay."

He slowly closed the book, as if caressing a beloved object, and placed it on the bookshelf. Several oranges were roasting on the stove in the room, their peels already charred black.

He picked one up: "You know what? I read in a book that roasted oranges can stop coughing."

"Is there anything else written in the book?"

"They say adding a little orange peel and rock sugar to this wine gives it a unique flavor."

"Then let's give it a try today."

Chu Qiu placed the bowl in front of Huang Ziliang, poured him half a cup, and drank half a cup herself. After all, it wasn't a sad drink, and she didn't want to get drunk.

"Chu Qiu, I think things might get a little unsettled on the border after this Spring Festival."

"How to say."

"Wu Chengye is alright, but Sima Zongcheng, she always harbors a strange hatred for the Empress, and she has also gone to the border. Has the Empress made any statement? I wonder if the Empress intends to wipe out Sima Zongcheng's power on the border in one fell swoop."

"Who dares to fathom the Emperor's heart? But I have heard about what you've said."

"Tell your aunt to be careful at the border, and Bei Rong will definitely not let such a good opportunity pass by."

"Thanks for reminding me."

They took turns drinking. They chatted about everything from family matters to national affairs, and surprisingly found that they could still have a good conversation, perhaps because they were less reserved after drinking.

After the Lantern Festival, the Spring Festival is just around the corner. The ministers quite like celebrating the Spring Festival because they can have several days off.

She thought she could finally have a proper Spring Festival, but Wu Chengye did something strange and told the Empress that he didn't want to spend the Spring Festival in the capital, as it was too agonizing, and that he wanted to leave for Beiyang immediately.