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After a moment of silence, Dongfang Ze sadly said, "Don't you think it's too hard for Seventh Brother to bear all of this on his own?"

"As long as she is well, no matter how hard I work, it's worth it." After saying this, Dongfang Qin wiped his face with force and said, "Remember, you are not to tell Qianxue these words."

"I know." Dong Fang sighed and stayed silent for a while. He said, "Seventh Brother still hasn't told me why he married Zhao Pingqing. If she is like the princess said, a beauty who is like a snake or a scorpion, then wouldn't she be leading the wolf into the house?"

Dongfang Shou opened the window and let the biting cold wind blow snow onto his red-hot face, "Rather than fighting alone, why don't we just lure in wolves and let them kill each other!"

Dongfang Ze carefully thought about what he had said and probed, "Seventh Brother is saying that you're going to use Zhao Pingqing to control Shen Xijun?"

"That's right." After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, "Old Ninth, do you know who has the best opinion in front of the Queen Mother?"

Dongfang Ze thought carefully for a while and said, "Naturally, it's Second Brother."

Dongfang Qing shook his head. "His Majesty may be the empress dowager's biological son, but he's not the one with the most words."

"Who is that?"

Facing Dongfang Ze's curious gaze, Dongfang Yan slowly said four words, "Princess Pingyang."

"She?" Dongfang Ze was first startled, then relieved. He nodded and said, "That's right. Princess Pingyang is the Queen Mother's youngest sister. We've had a good relationship for decades."

"Other than the elite battalion, there is only one other Ministry of Justice that we have. Compared to His Majesty, this kind of strength is far too inferior and is not enough to contend against him. The Queen Mother and Second Brother are suspicious, so they would not give us more power without the help of Princess Pingyang."

Dongfang Ze probed, "Is Seventh Brother planning to use Shen Xijun to tie Princess Pingyang onto your boat?" Before the latter replied, he said, "But even without Zhao Pingqing, she is still Seventh Brother's mother-in-law. It makes no difference."

"Zhao Pingqing's existence will make Shen Xijun feel threatened at all times. If I treat Zhao Pingqing better, then she will feel threatened even more. Under these circumstances, Princess Pingyang will definitely help me to protect Shen Xijun's official position."

"That's true." Dongfang Ze nodded and looked at Dongfang Zhi blankly. The latter noticed his slightly odd gaze and said with sympathy, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I never knew that Seventh Brother could also scheme against people, but …" Dongfang Ze smiled, and his eyes were abnormally bright. "I like it!"

"People change." Dongfang Gu held onto the windowsill, staring at the sky full of snow and wind, and said, "After half a lifetime of chaos, it's time to wake up."

This matter had become a secret between the two of them. Besides Dongfang Ze, there was no one else who knew of Dongfang Qing's true intentions. Even Mu Qianxue was firmly kept in the dark.

Since the end of the month, the snow had been falling intermittently, and the sky was always gray and gloomy. There was no sign of a clear sky, making one wonder if the new year would be spent in cold, snowy weather.

Fortunately, the heavens did not have this intention. On the twenty-ninth day of the month of December, the overcast sky finally cleared up. Sunlight that had not been seen for a long time pierced through the clouds and shone on Nanjing.

On New Year's Eve, the weather was even better. The golden sunlight had a slight warmth to it. The snow piled up on the roof of the building turned into clear streams of snow that flowed down along the eaves.

Early in the morning, Xia Yue brought Xu Li and a few others to clean the courtyard, and then hung up the couplets, flowers, and lanterns she had prepared beforehand. As she busied herself, the East District finally had the joyous feeling of a New Year approaching.

Xu Li hung the last lantern and went down the ladder to Xia Yue's side, "Is it good to hang like this?"

"Yes, the distance is just right and there's no deviation." After saying that, Xia Yue took a look at the sky and said, "Ah Zhu and the others have all left. You should hurry back as well. Don't miss the New Year's Eve meal with your family."

The Ri family's rule was that Mu Qianxue and the others would miss their families and would specifically allow the servants who were serving in the East District to return home for one night. They would return tomorrow.

Xu Li hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I better not go back. Otherwise, only Big Sister Xia Yue and the princess will be here. It's too lonely, and the princess has always been in a bad mood."

Xia Yue's expression darkened, but she quickly forced a smile and said: "Princess has me taking care of her, it's fine, hurry up and leave. New Year's Eve only happens once a year."

Xu Li thought for a while, but still shook his head, "Sister Xia Yue also said once a year. Going back next year is also the same. As for staying home with your siblings, with them there, the house won't be deserted."

"Since that's the case, come with me to the kitchen and wrap the dumplings. It's about time you get ready." Seeing that he was unwilling to leave, Xia Yue did not force him. Moreover, there were only the two of them in this huge courtyard. It was truly too lonely.

It was not yet time to prepare dinner, so there were not many people in the kitchen. There were only two small cooks sitting in the corner making a stew.

As Xu Li was wrapping dumplings, he peeked at Xia Yue. He thought that he was hiding his identity, but he didn't know that Xia Yue was looking at him, "What's wrong, do you have something to say to me?"

Seeing that she had seen through his thoughts, Xu Li felt a little awkward, but he couldn't resist the curiosity in his heart. He carefully asked a question that he had held in his throat for many days, "Big sister Xia Yue, between the prince and the princess … "What happened? Why haven't I seen Your Highness come to the East District for a month? It wasn't like this in the past."

At the mention of Dongfang Shoubin, Xia Yue couldn't help but get angry and viciously pinch the dumplings she had just wrapped up. "What else could it be? A dog biting Lü Dongbin, I don't know what a good person is."

Xu Li was flabbergasted. He lowered his voice and asked, "Is it related to Miss Zhao?"

"It's not only related to her. She was the one who did all of this. I've lived for so many years, yet I've never seen such a shameless woman. Just thinking about it makes me angry."

When Xu Li heard this, he became even more curious, "What exactly happened?"

"Anyway, Zhao Pingqing is not a good man. Be careful when you see her again." Xia Yue vaguely replied and urged Xu Li to wrap the dumplings quickly.

The winter night was exceptionally dark. Just as the time began to arrive, it had already turned completely dark. Only a few strands of the sunset glow were left struggling in the layers of evening clouds.

Xia Yue carried the hot dumplings and entered the house. She smiled at Mu Qianxue, who was sitting by the window in a daze, and said, "Princess, you can eat dumplings now."

When Mu Qianxue came back to her senses and saw Xu Li, she asked in astonishment, "Why aren't you going back yet?"

Xia Yuetai replied, "This servant told him, but he insisted on staying, so I could only let him."

As Xu Li fiddled with his plate, he chuckled and said, "Once I get home, my little brothers and sisters will have to pester me for new year's money. It wasn't easy to save some, but I still want to hold on for a while. I beg you, Princess, please don't chase me back."