I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 24 New Year
After a few light snowfalls in Luoyang, New Year's Eve arrived quietly.

"It's not a busy New Year's Eve this year," Princess Xuan put down the New Year's Eve menu in her hand, "It's fine that the palace banquet has been cancelled, but why are even lanterns banned?"

It's rare that my son and daughter-in-law are all here, and I want the whole family to go to Zhengyang Street to watch the lanterns and guess the lantern riddles.

"The treasury is empty, His Majesty is seriously ill, and the Empress is in poor health. This is the first time the Imperial Concubine presides over a palace meeting, so the simpler the better." Gu Liu put down his purple wolf-hair brush, waited for the ink to dry, and set the couplet aside. "At this juncture, the less we do, the less mistakes we make."

Everyone can rest assured.

Princess Ming added a roasted lamb leg to the menu and said with a smile, "It's rare for my fifth brother to spend the New Year in Luoyang. He's getting married this year. It would be lively and festive for the five of us to have a New Year's Eve dinner together."

Princess Xuan tilted her head to look at her annoying son who was carelessly writing the word "Fu" and her beloved daughter-in-law who was concentrating on cutting paper-cuts. She felt that the lanterns were nothing special.

Tang Zhao blew away the cut paper scraps and unfolded the red paper bit by bit. On the big red window paper-cut of a fish leaping over the dragon gate, the fat fish that was given hope seemed to have been knocked to the ground by a stick. The scales on its body were like a puzzle piece put together by a child. A strange and different order could be felt in the chaos.

Tang Zhao:.
She couldn't help but lean over to look at the paper-cut window decorations that Nanny Song had cut: the vivid magpie climbed onto a high branch, looking around with its black eyes wide open, looking cute and auspicious.

Tang Zhao:.
No, who is the one who teaches others?
"Wow, what beautiful paper-cuts! This is the first time I've seen so many beautiful designs," Princess Xuan said, standing by the table admiring the finished paper-cuts. "The artisans in the palace only know how to cut traditional patterns like peonies, longevity characters, and butterflies. My dear, where did you come up with all these new designs?"

Chunfeng stood up and said with a red face, "How could my stupid head come up with such a beautiful style? It was all taught to me by the young lady."

Everyone's eyes fell on the window grille of a fish leaping over a dragon gate, and they were silent.

Tang Zhao laughed dryly and hid the Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate in his hand behind his back.

"It's funny."

The Crown Princess kindly changed the subject, "I wonder when this year's annual salary will be paid?"

At the end of each year, the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department would distribute the next year's annual salary to the royal family members and civil and military ministers, and pay them in order of rank and favor.

The time when Prince Xuan's Palace received its annual salary was second only to that of the Eastern Palace. Generally, officials from the Ministry of Revenue would personally deliver it to the palace in mid-December.

Tang Zhao pricked up her ears and listened carefully, she also had a share!
Gu Ci and Gu Liu looked at each other. The Ministry of Revenue had almost emptied the national treasury and the Imperial Household Department in order to raise the annual allowance for the Northwest Army, and they were afraid that they would not be able to spend this amount of money.

Even if we want to send it out, we have to wait until after the New Year.

The fire in Tang Zhao's eyes went out with a flick.

Thinking of the empty money box, Tang Zhao felt as if he had eaten a ton of coptis chinensis raw.

I should have secretly ordered some earlier.

The depressed mood continued until the meal started. Eighteen dishes filled the table, including translucent red pork elbows, fragrant yellow croaker in soup, round and large four-happiness meatballs, fried eels, translucent golden shark fins, etc., surrounding the sizzling roasted lamb legs in the middle.

Although the seasonings of Dayu are monotonous, the imperial chef who stands out from all the chefs in the world always has his own strengths, which can be seen from this table of delicious food with both color and fragrance.

I just don't know what it tastes like?
Tang Zhao took his eyes away from the dinner table with difficulty and looked at the prince who was reading the letter from King Xuan with resentment.

Do you have to be so slow and measured? Do you have to be so expressive?
But this was not actually Gu Liu's fault. It was the first time that King Xuan had received full military pay before the New Year after being stationed in the northwest for so many years. Therefore, he killed dozens of pigs and sheep in a heroic manner, and let all the soldiers in the camp have a good meal.

After eating and drinking his fill, King Xuan wrote a nearly seven-page letter home. Besides expressing his longing for his daughter-in-law, he devoted three full pages to lavishly commending his fifth daughter-in-law for helping the Northwest Army stop the princelings from withholding their pay. Tang Zhao was stunned. King Xuan was a rough man, but how could he write such a eloquent and eloquent letter?

The food is getting cold!
Princess Xuan glanced at her fifth son and said, "Did you hear that? Your father also likes your wife!"
You little bastard, why don’t you learn how to please your wife?
Gu Ci felt tired.

After the long family letter was read, Princess Xuan cheerfully said that the meal was ready. Everyone immediately picked up their bowls and chopsticks and took their favorite dishes.

Tang Zhao quickly tasted all the dishes on the table, ate until he was half full, silently scored them in his mind, and then looked at the roasted leg of lamb in the middle with greed.

Isn’t it not very elegant to just tear it with your hands?
Tang Zhao hesitated and was about to ask someone to get a knife when he saw Gu Ci take out a jade dagger from his arms, stand up, stretch out his arm, and skillfully slice thin slices of meat from the roasted lamb leg.

Tang Zhao swallowed his saliva. This swordsmanship and this technique were worthy of a man who was named General of Cavalry.

Gu Ci made five copies and, under the warning look of Princess Xuan, presented the first one to Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao was both surprised and delighted. She felt that considering how much Gu Ci annoyed her was, it was a rare moment of conscience for him to remember to give her one. She didn't expect that he would actually give her the first one!
Amitabha, the life points she gave him were worth it!
This roasted lamb leg is so delicious!
It’s just that the seasoning is not good enough, what a pity for Tang Zhao.

After all, it is rare to find such pure, natural and pollution-free mutton in modern times.

Gu Ci divided the meat one by one, picked up the chopsticks and was about to taste it, when he saw the person opposite him holding an empty plate, staring at him with sharp eyes.

Another plate!
Is he treating him like a waiter? Gu Ci pursed his lips, took the plate and filled another plate for her.

Tang Zhao ate to his heart's content.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was time to pay New Year’s greetings. As the youngest, Tang Zhao received New Year’s money from Princess Xuan and the Crown Prince’s wife as expected.

Tang Zhaohui gave them a Chinese auspicious knot that he had made himself.

Princess Xuan put it on her waist on the spot. Seeing that the children looked sleepy, she did not force them to stay and watch the New Year. She used the excuse that they were old and needed to rest and sent them back to their respective courtyards.

After returning to Bidan Courtyard, Tang Zhao, with a smile on his face but a bitter heart, sat in the main seat with Gu Ci. He received New Year greetings from everyone in Bidan Courtyard and personally distributed the red envelopes that had been prepared long ago.

Everyone happily accepted the red envelopes and went back to sleep.

"Madam is very generous," Gu Ci sighed, "Is all the monthly allowance you saved up during this period gone?"

Tang Zhao looked at him resentfully.

You're useless and don't have any personal property. How could it be easy for her to save up these little things?!
Gu Ci understood her meaningful look and turned away awkwardly.

All the properties in the palace were handed over to Princess Xuan to manage. Not only him, but all the men in the palace had no private property.

King Xuan believed that men would become bad when they had money. In order to make all the men in the royal palace grow up to be independent men, he made a rule that men in the royal palace were not allowed to own private property regardless of whether they were married or not.

Therefore, the only hope for the men in the palace, apart from the pitiful monthly allowance and annual salary, was the dowry and dowry money brought by their wives.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the relationship between husband and wife is harmonious, or that one is thick-skinned enough to be able to live off the kindness of others.

(End of this chapter)