“What, you want to wear a flower too?” Qiao Zhao glanced at Shao Mingyuan teasingly.

Shao Mingyuan laughed: “If it’s Zhaozhao putting it on me, then why not?”

For men to wear flowers on festive occasions wasn’t shocking at all, but rather quite common, though mostly among scholars and refined gentlemen. For someone like Marquis Guanjun, an iron-blooded general famous throughout the world, the contrast would be quite striking.

“What did you pull me for just now?” In front of her elder brother and younger sister, Qiao Zhao naturally wouldn’t banter with him.

“Zhaozhao, look at this dumpling I made. How is it?”

Qiao Zhao looked and nodded: “More neat than mine.”

So he was here to show off?

Using his strengths to attack her weaknesses – this man needed to be dealt with!

“Look, I made an extra fold here. When we cook the dumplings at midnight, you eat this one.” Shao Mingyuan lowered his voice: “I put a piece of sugar in here.”

Eating sugar in the first dumpling predicted a sweet and happy new year without hardships.

“Isn’t this cheating?”

Shao Mingyuan raised his eyebrows: “Who says so? I’m not telling you when we’re eating the dumplings.”

“Brother-in-law, what are you two whispering about?”

Shao Mingyuan sat up straight and said seriously: “Brother-in-law is teaching your sister how to make dumplings.”

Qiao Wan looked at Qiao Zhao and muttered, “It’s Sister Li.”

The way the brother-in-law spoke, people who didn’t know would think Sister Li was her real elder sister.

Although they had spent time together these days, and she felt Sister Li was also a good person, no matter how good she was, she wasn’t her real elder sister.

Though the young girl had lowered her voice, all three people present heard her. They looked at each other and fell quiet for a moment.

Before Qiao Wan could react to the change in atmosphere, Qiao Mo smiled and said, “Come, Wan Wan, elder brother will teach you to make dumplings.”

The atmosphere quickly became harmonious and joyful again. At midnight, with firecrackers going off endlessly outside, Qiao Mo woke up the drowsy Qiao Wan: “Wan Wan, time to get up and eat dumplings.”

Shao Mingyuan turned to ask Qiao Zhao, “Are you tired?”

Staying up on New Year’s Eve was a tradition – they had to stay up until midnight to eat dumplings before sleeping. This was much later than usual, and Shao Mingyuan worried Qiao Zhao couldn’t endure it.

“I’m fine, still quite alert.”

Soon, steaming hot dumplings were brought to the table. Qiao Zhao looked and found that after cooking, the dumplings showed no trace of any special markings. She randomly picked one up and put it in her mouth.

Biting into the dumpling, the melted sugar juice spread across her tongue. Qiao Zhao was slightly stunned and looked at Shao Mingyuan in surprise.

“What filling is it?”

“Sweet.”

Shao Mingyuan smiled broadly.

Mm, he’d have to give the kitchen maid who served the dumplings a big red envelope later – well done.

Qiao Zhao looked deeply at Shao Mingyuan. Though she knew there must be something fishy about it, her heart felt sweet.

Regardless, having good luck was something to be happy about. She hoped the new year would be as sweet as this moment.

“Sister Li is so lucky, I only got meat filling!” Qiao Wan was full of envy.

The four of them finished the dumplings in a lively atmosphere. Qiao Wan was already so tired she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

“I’ll escort Wan Wan back.” Qiao Mo left with Qiao Wan.

Naturally, the masters didn’t need to clean up cups and dishes. Shao Mingyuan took Qiao Zhao’s hand: “Let’s wash up and rest. We still need to enter the palace tomorrow morning to pay New Year’s respects.”

Qiao Zhao was no longer the unremarkable daughter of a Hanlin scholar, but the dignified wife of a marquis. On New Year’s Day, she naturally had to enter the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.

The night passed without incident.

While it was still dark, Qiao Zhao got up to wash and dress. Just doing her hair and changing clothes took most of an hour.

On New Year’s Day, the court’s congratulations to external court ladies and civil and military officials were conducted separately. Shao Mingyuan rode his horse while Qiao Zhao took a carriage, each heading to the imperial palace.

The lantern-decorated imperial palace drove away the darkness before dawn, appearing majestic and dignified in the flowing, brilliant colors.

When Qiao Zhao arrived, many external court ladies were already waiting. Seeing her being led by a young eunuch carrying a lantern, they all turned to look.

The true red wide-sleeved robe symbolizing a marquis’s wife’s status, the dark blue gold-embroidered cloud and rainbow pheasant-patterned cape, and the elaborate Songshan-style hair ornament with golden pheasant birds poised to take flight – the woman walking slowly displayed inviolable dignity and nobility from the tips of her hair to her shoe tips.

Many external court ladies showed envy and jealousy in their eyes.

How young was this Li family daughter? They heard she wasn’t even of age yet, but here she was wearing a marquis’s wife’s court dress to pay respects, while girls her age in other families had just worked their way up from being granddaughter-in-laws.

Qiao Zhao’s steps paused slightly when she reached where the many marquis wives were positioned, but the young eunuch leading her smiled: “Madam, this way please.”

Seeing Qiao Zhao being led by the young eunuch to where the few dukes’ wives sat, the external court ladies could no longer contain their low discussions, and their gazes toward Qiao Zhao could no longer be described as mere envy.

“Tsk, people really can’t be compared to each other. I was just thinking what kind of fortune from past lives it took to wear such a court dress at barely ten years old, but it turns out she’s even more capable than we imagined.”

Duke’s wife – what kind of honor was that? Just look at those three or four duke’s duchesses sitting at the very front of the external court ladies, so old they could barely walk.

“Exactly. Think about what we were like at ten-something years old. Still serving our mothers-in-law with lowered brows and eyes in the residence.”

Someone nearby chuckled: “You were better off than I. At that time, besides serving my mother-in-law, there was another mother-in-law above her.”

Minister of Justice Wang stood among the third-rank wives. Usually, high and mighty third-rank wives now didn’t even have the qualification to sit, and her expression looking toward Qiao Zhao was particularly complex.

She had always wanted to ask Miss Li to examine her youngest daughter-in-law, but had never been able to achieve this wish. Now that the other party’s status far exceeded hers, it would be even harder to get her agreement.

What method should she think of?

Lady Wang racked her brains pondering this.

“The Empress Dowager arrives—”

The hall immediately fell silent, and everyone rose.

Surrounded by palace attendants, the Empress Dowager slowly approached. Music played as she took her seat, all the court ladies bowed in unison, and then the court ladies were divided into several groups by rank to present congratulatory memorials.

Qiao Zhao, along with the other dukes’ wives, was positioned right after the Eldest Princess Changrong, Princess Mu, and others. The Empress Dowager quickly noticed her.

The Empress Dowager, showing no emotion on her face, coldly scrutinized the excessively young girl among the court ladies. Seeing that she couldn’t find fault with any aspect of her conduct from beginning to end, and that she was even more composed than many court ladies, she couldn’t help but be puzzled.

She had long known this girl was somewhat different, but hadn’t expected her to reach this level.

The daughter of a mere Hanlin scholar was indeed skilled at networking, actually climbing onto the big tree that was Marquis Guanjun, becoming a golden phoenix overnight.

The Empress Dowager concealed the displeasure in her eyes and quietly looked away.

After the Empress Dowager accepted congratulations from all the court ladies, she walked into the inner hall amid ceremonial music to begin individually summoning external court ladies for conversation.

The earlier congratulations were just years of routine, but this was when the Empress Dowager’s favor toward external court ladies was truly displayed. Each New Year’s Day, whichever court lady was individually summoned by the Empress Dowager could hold her head high for an entire year.

First, the Eldest Princess Changrong and others went in. Soon after, Grand Eunuch Laixi called out: “Summon Marquis Guanjun’s wife, Lady Li, for audience—”