"Auntie, this is a knee pad I made for you," Lin Yubin handed it over to her like a treasure, "It's made of rabbit fur, I've tried it out and it's warm."

  Lin Qingwan put it in the box and packed it well, "Is there anything else?"

  "There is also a purse and a pair of handkerchiefs. Unfortunately, I haven't learned how to make shoes yet, or else I could have made some for Auntie Zhong."

  Lin Qingwan couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, "It seems like I'm your own aunt."

  Lin Yuhong smiled and held her hand: "Auntie, isn't this the New Year's gift for Auntie Zhong? After the New Year, I'll also prepare a gift for you."

  Lin Qingwan's heart finally calmed down a bit.

  She checked again and found no errors, then had someone seal the box.

  Zhong Ruying's gift was ready, so she simply sent the New Year's gifts to the Emperor and Empress together. This was a usual practice, and Lin Qingyuan didn't expect her gift to be particularly impressive, as long as it wasn't wrong.

  So she checked it over and thought there was no problem, so she handed the gift list to Lin Guanjia. "Seal it up," said Lin Qingyuan after thinking for a moment: "Wait a minute, mount the plum blossom painting that Yu Bin painted the other day, and add it to the gift list for the Empress Dowager."

  Lin Guanjia was taken aback and hesitated, saying: "Won't it seem too casual?"

  Lin Qingwan smiled and said: "The princess is a kind and loving person, she won't mind."

  Zhong Ruying told her that the queen was particularly fond of girls because she only had one princess, especially those who were talented and versatile.

  Yu Bing is still young, just let her go and improve her impression on the empress dowager.

  Lin Guan's family went to fetch the painting and sent it out. "Sending more things is not as good as Madam going to see Your Majesty and the Queen in person. Next year, Your Majesty will be a thousand years old, are you really not going?"

  Lin Qingwan shook her head, "The disputes in the capital are even more severe, and the matters of Jiangnan have not been settled yet, what's the point of going to the capital?"

  And next year, there will definitely be many people coming to the capital, and even countries will send people to celebrate her birthday. She is in the capital, the emperor and empress have no time to see her, let alone cultivate feelings?

  It's better to be calm and clear-minded, just spend a good day in Jiangnan.

  Lin Guan's family couldn't help but sigh, "After all, it's the 59th birthday, looking around the world, which emperor has as high an age as Your Majesty?"

  This is true, whether it was the Southern Han Emperor Liu who had been killed by Lü Jing, or the Chu and Liao Emperors, they were all younger than the Emperor.

  Lin Qingwan smiled and said: "Then next year's birthday gift should be prepared more heavily, let's start preparing from now on."

  Lin Guan's family had no choice but to agree, their aunt was simply unwilling to enter the capital, what could he do?

  The emperor's birthday is in July, and there are still more than half a year to go, but this is the first time that His Majesty has celebrated his birthday on a large scale. As early as before the winter solstice, the court had issued an edict, ordering all military generals to enter the capital to celebrate the emperor's birthday next year. In addition, the observing envoys and regional military governors who were appointed outside the capital also had to return to the capital.

  This is a rare big event for Dalang, and it's said that officials from all over have already started preparing birthday gifts.

  The Lin family is no exception, in addition to Lin Qingwen's share, the Lin clan also needs to submit a separate one.

  Lin Yuhong couldn't help but whisper: "Your Majesty's birthday is just an excuse, and the gifts alone will be enough to make your hands soft."

  "I don't know how much of these gifts are the people's hard-earned money." Shang Mingjie furrowed his brow and said, "When those above do it, those below follow. Your Majesty shouldn't be so extravagant."

  Lin Yuhong hummed: "Your Majesty is being extravagant, he has only passed this birthday, and is more frugal than many ordinary people."

  Lin Yuhong often heard his aunt praise the current emperor, so he had a pretty good impression of him. He was unhappy with Shang Mingjie's words: "The emperor is hungry and wants to eat, so the officials rush into the common people's homes to grab rice and send it over. You don't blame those officials who rushed into the common people's homes, but instead you blame the emperor for being hungry and wanting to eat?"

  Shang Mingjie opened his mouth, "Sister, you know I didn't mean it that way."

  "I don't know what you mean, why don't you tell me what you mean?"

  Shang Mingjie said: "Your Majesty can issue an edict, allowing people to enter the capital to celebrate your birthday, but prohibit them from competing with each other in offering gifts and disturbing the peace of the common people."

  He sighed and said, "The war has just subsided in Daliang, and the people are still recovering. If we were to disturb them now for Your Majesty's birthday celebration, it would not be a tribute to Your Majesty, but rather a destruction of your merits."

  "What's the use of telling me these things? I'm not an official." Lin Yuhu seeing his worried expression, suggested: "Why don't you write a letter to your second uncle and ask him to memorialize the Emperor?"

  Shang Ping, as an official of the imperial court, has the privilege of presenting a memorial to the emperor.

  Shang Mingjie's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "This is a good idea, I'll go back and write a letter to Father right away."

  After finishing speaking, the person ran away. Bi Rong looked at him and couldn't help but laugh, "Ever since Second Master and the tenants got together, he's been worrying about these trivial matters. But with so many things in this world, how can he worry about them all?"

  Yingyan glanced at the second sister and winked at Biroong, saying: "Second Master will be an official in the future. He is willing to take care of these things, which is a good thing. After all, it's better than those officials who only receive salaries without doing anything."

  "Why are you talking so much?" Lin Yubin pointed to the needle and thread in the basket: "Didn't we say we were going to make new clothes, how can you not stop your mouths from working?"

  Bi Rong couldn't help but stick out her tongue, got up and carried her own basket away.

  Yingyan glanced outside and sat down beside Lin Yuhong, saying in a low voice: "Miss, please don't blame me for speaking out of turn. You and Second Master grew up together, it wasn't noticeable when you were young, but now that you're older, playing together like this is somewhat improper."

  "If he comes again in the future, just block him outside."

  "Big sister is talking nonsense again, if you don't want to see him, he wouldn't dare to force his way in." Yingyan said softly: "I'm also doing this for the miss's own good, I neither want you to be gossiped about nor do I want to go against your wishes, that's why I mentioned this."

  Yingyan glanced at Lin Yuhong and saw that she was hanging her head and not speaking, so she sighed: "I know what the eldest miss is thinking, I'll know how to do it from now on."

  Lin Yuhong glared at him, "What do you know?"

  "I know Miss can't bear to part with Second Master, who has grown up together since childhood. But given the situation between our two families, getting together again will only make things difficult for you, Second Master and Madam. So next time Second Master comes, I'll have to stop him and not allow him to come to the backyard again."

  Lin Yuhong bit his lip and did not object.

  Yingyan knew she had given in, let out a sigh and also took her own basket away.

  She has always been by Lin Yuhong's side and is most familiar with Xiaojie's concerns.

  She felt that Eldest Miss also liked Second Master and thought it was hard to find someone who treated Eldest Miss with such importance in this world.

  Nothing in this world is perfect.

  The Zhao and Lin families have already fallen out with each other, and Second Mistress is that kind of person. If the eldest young lady really marries into their family, what good days can she expect to have?

  One or two days can be spent relying on Er Biao's kindness, but what about in the long run?

  If Second Master's wife had another son, it would be fine. At worst, the second young master could have divided the family property and lived separately. Unfortunately, he is an only child.

  In the past, when Big Sister was younger, she also kept her distance and even deliberately distanced herself from Second Brother. However, over the past half year, Second Brother has been running to the other courtyard every now and then, and the feelings between the two of them, which had easily cooled down, have warmed up again.

  It seems like we're going back to how things were before when Miss was living with the Shang family, and that's when Yingyan couldn't help but remind her.

  Besides, Big Sister has already come of age and will be pinning up her hair next year. If nothing unexpected happens, this New Year's, Auntie will take her out to social events and start preparing for her marriage.

  At this point, either make up her mind to marry into the Shang family or break off the relationship with Second Master thoroughly, so as not to get entangled and suffer more in the future.

  Mingyan has such insight and determination, let alone Lin Yuhbin?

  It was just a temporary habit, so she didn't notice it until now. Now that she's been pointed out by Yingyan, she came back to her senses.

  She knew that unless the Zhao family sincerely apologized, the feud between the Lin and Zhao families would never be resolved.

  She and her aunt were both not people who could compromise easily.

  Lin Yuhbin thought of the joy of writing books with his second elder brother for several days, and couldn't help but pull on his hair tie.

  She got up and went to the small study to find her aunt.

  Lin Qingwan was in the middle of reviewing a manuscript and when she saw her, beckoned her over saying: "Come take a look at your second older cousin's book."

  "I've seen it all."

  "That's right, I heard he said it was you who corrected his mistakes." Lin Qingwen rubbed the corner of her eyes and put the manuscript aside with a smile: "I read more than half of it, it's written very well, this kid is clever, and even searched for some food ingredients to write down the production methods."

  Lin Yuhbin found a chair and sat down, dejectedly lowering his head to stare at his toes.

  Lin Qingwan didn't see her respond, and when she looked up, she saw Yu Bin like this. She couldn't help but smile and ask, "What's wrong? Has someone made our family's Yu Bin angry?"

  "No, it's just that when I was in second grade, I didn't want to go to my maternal grandparents' house anymore. Auntie, you can go by yourself."

  "That's your maternal grandparents' home, not mine. Why should I be the only one to go?" Lin Qingwen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you have a fight with Mingjie?"

  Lin Yuhbin shook his head, "What's wrong with me and him arguing?"

  Lin Qingwan looked at her for a while, smiled and said: "It's good that we didn't quarrel. Next year during the Lantern Festival, our family will also set up a lantern shed, and then we'll have to ask him to bring some people over to warm up the shed."

  There are still ten days until Chinese New Year, and twenty-five days until Lantern Festival.

  Lin Yuhbin sulkily tapped his toes and said, "Our family has so many people, each of my brothers brings a few friends, that's enough, why do we need him to bring more? Besides, I also have some classmates who are close friends, I'll invite them all when the time comes."

  "So you don't want to see him anymore?"

  Lin Yuhong's eyes were slightly red, but he still nodded and said: "Auntie, I've grown up, it's not good to play with my cousins anymore."

  Lin Qingwan put away the smile on her face and asked: "Have you told him that?"

  "I'll personally talk to him when he comes tomorrow."

  Lin Qingwan didn't stop her. Since she found out that the Zhao family might have connections with the Liao people, she was even more dissatisfied with the Shang family.

  What a pity for Shang Ming Jie and Shang Ming Yuan, these two brothers.

  Lin Qingyan nodded and said: "You kids settle your own affairs."

  She decided to take Lin Yubin out more during the New Year this year, and also take a look at the young talents of Jiangnan. After all, their family's Yubin will be coming of age next year.