My husband, who abandoned his father and kept his son, actually wants me to be his concubine.

Chapter 160 Chinese New Year
It snowed early on New Year's Eve.

Ruixue is a prosperous year.

Back in Shanyin, Lu Jinshi rarely saw such thick snow. Today, having nothing to do, Lu Jinshi, along with several maids including Caiyun and Yunxia who had come to the palace for the New Year, built a snowman and made a snow bridge.

When Rong Yi saw Lu Jinshi having fun with several maids, he took the hot water bottle and walked up to Lu Jinshi, saying, "Be careful not to get frostbite on your hands."

Lu Jinshi rubbed his hands and said, "I have never seen such heavy snow before. Maybe I saw it before when I was three years old, but I really don't remember it much."

Rong Yi used his hands, which had been warmed by a hot water bottle, to warm Lu Jinshi's hands.

Lu Jinshi smiled and continued building the snowman.

Rong Yi chuckled softly, "Since you became pregnant with this child, you seem to have become much more active. It seems that the child in your womb may not be a girl..."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Lu Jinshi frowned and looked at Rong Yi. "You hurry up and spit it out!"

Rong Yi said, "It's a daughter."

Lu Jinshi was finally satisfied. She also felt that she had become more and more childish these past few days, actually building a snowman as the Crown Princess.

In the afternoon, court ladies and imperial wives came one after another to deliver New Year's gifts, and some came to pay their respects and offer their blessings to the bride.

Lu Jinshi only met Princess An and her two cousins.

At dusk, Lu Jinshi and Rong Yi went to the Taiji Hall for a palace banquet and then returned to the East Palace early.

As darkness fell, fireworks were set off in the Eastern Palace, with iron trees and silver flowers blooming in the sky, a truly beautiful sight.

Rong Yi held Xiao Zhang'er in one arm and covered Lu Jinshi's ears with the other. Xiao Zhang'er could only cover his ears with his own two little hands and look at the twinkling stars in the sky.

Lu Jinshi looked up at the fireworks and said, "They're so beautiful."

Fireworks are not set off at Tianzhang Academy during the Lunar New Year, not because fireworks are expensive, but because Tianzhang Academy has so many books and is located in the mountains, where fires are easily started in winter.

If Lu Jinshi wanted to see fireworks, he could only take a boat to the city.

Now we can see such dazzling fireworks at home, like iron trees and silver flowers, which lasted for a full quarter of an hour before stopping.

Xiao Zhang'er was still a little unsatisfied.

It was snowing heavily outside and very cold, so Rong Yi, disregarding Zhang'er's desire to play outside, handed him over to the wet nurse and asked her to take him downstairs and put him to sleep.

Inside the bedchamber, only Lu Jinshi and Rong Yi were present.

Lu Jinshi looked at Rong Yi and said, "Today we're supposed to stay up all night, why make the wet nurse take Zhang'er downstairs so early?"

Rong Yi pulled Lu Jinshi into his arms and said, "Next year, Zhang'er will be two years old, and your baby will be born. We won't be able to enjoy the New Year together as a couple anymore."

Rong Yi looked down into Lu Jinshi's eyes and said, "Fortunately, we can still be together for the New Year this year."

Lu Jinshi looked up at Rong Yi, and when he recalled the moment Rong Yi was stabbed, Lu Jinshi was still a little scared.

Lu Jinshi then tiptoed and kissed Rong Yi's thin lips.

Rong Yi cupped the back of Lu Jinshi's head with his hand and lowered his head to deepen the kiss.

Lu Jinshi kept backing away, and saw that Rong Yi had already led her into the bedroom where charcoal was burning. Rong Yi picked Lu Jinshi up horizontally and carefully placed her on the bed. He then lowered his head and kissed Lu Jinshi's lips.

Lu Jinshi sensed Rong Yi's inappropriate hand gesture and frowned, saying, "I'm pregnant."

Rong Yi said in a low voice, "It is written in the medical books that there is no problem from March to September."

"I'll be gentler." "But...your...injury..."

Rong Yi said, "It's alright, I'm fine now."

Looking into Rong Yi's deep eyes in the dim candlelight, Lu Jinshi reached out and lowered the bed curtains, causing Rong Yi to chuckle softly.

At midnight, the sounds of fireworks echoed throughout the palace walls.

Inside the bedchamber, Lu Jinshi leaned against Rong Yi's chest, saying, "Happy New Year, my husband."

When Rong Yi heard Lu Jinshi call him "husband," he couldn't help but tighten his embrace of Lu Jinshi's hand and say, "Happy New Year, Crown Princess."
-
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Jinshi was supposed to get up early to pay New Year's visits to Shou Kang Palace and Feng Kun Palace, but Rong Yi had gone too far the night before, and the two of them didn't get up until Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

They arrived late to pay their respects at Shou Kang Palace, but fortunately, the Empress Dowager did not reprimand them.

When they arrived at Fengkun Palace to offer New Year's greetings, there were many noblewomen and wives of noble families who came to pay their respects to Empress Rong.

Lu Jinshi had no choice but to accompany Empress Rong in receiving the greetings of these noblewomen and wives of nobles. Clearly, being the Empress was not an easy job. Just receiving the greetings of noblewomen and bestowing gifts upon them on the first day of the Lunar New Year was not a simple matter.

It wasn't until the afternoon that no noblewomen or wives came to offer New Year's greetings.

Lu Jinshi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Empress Rong smiled and looked at Lu Jinshi, saying, "In the past, on the first and fifteenth of each month, noblewomen and wives of noble families would come to the palace to pay their respects. Now, only the first day of the first lunar month and the Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival have been changed. As for the rewards, there are still established customs."

Lu Jinshi smiled and said, "Yes, Mother."

Empress Rong looked at Lu Jinshi's protruding belly and coughed, saying, "Your belly is five months along now. You need to be more careful. I know you two are a loving couple, but having offspring is even more important."

Lu Jinshi's ears turned red, and she felt extremely resentful towards Rong Yi. "Yes, Mother."

Empress Rong chuckled and said, "I heard that on the first day of the new year, people in Shanyin City eat glutinous rice balls and New Year cakes instead of dumplings, is that right?"

Lu Jinshi replied, "Yes."

Empress Rong smiled and said, "I specially asked a chef from Jiangnan to make you a bowl of osmanthus-flavored rice wine with glutinous rice balls. You are pregnant, and I have consulted the imperial physician about this wine; it is harmless."

Lu Jinshi looked at Empress Rong with delight, "Thank you, Mother. I have troubled you."

Empress Rong smiled and said, "Princess Mingzhu is not by your side. From now on, I will be your mother. It's not a matter of whether it will be troublesome or not. I will never let my own child suffer any injustice."

Lu Jinshi smiled and looked at Empress Rong. She thought to herself that she was quite lucky to have met such a good mother-in-law as Empress Rong.

Lu Jinshi vividly remembered the endless abuse Shen Xing's mother hurled at her after learning of Shen Xing's illness, while Empress Rong said it was all nonsense.

If it weren't for Empress Rong's persuasion and insistence, Lu Jinshi thought she probably wouldn't have been able to overcome her belief that she was a jinx to her husband.

Lu Jinshi understood why Emperor Huiyuan had favored Empress Rong for so many years: it was because Empress Rong was gentle and considerate.

"mother."

When Empress Rong heard Lu Jinshi call her "Mother," she smiled and responded.

After receiving New Year's greetings from the court officials, Rong Yi and Emperor Huiyuan also came to Fengkun Palace.

When Rong Yi saw Lu Jinshi eating sweet fermented rice balls, he chuckled and said, "Isn't this what we eat during the New Year in Shanyin City?"

Lu Jinshi said, "Yes, Mother prepared it especially for me."

Rong Yi walked over to Lu Jinshi and said, "Give me a bite too."

Lu Jinshi gave Rong Yi a bite and said with a smile, "The taste of this dumpling is the same as the one I had in Shanyin City. It's just like celebrating the New Year in Shanyin City."