Zhou Yi put down her wine cup and asked Li Mu calmly, "Is your wife back?"
Li Mu nodded and said, "They're at home now."
Zhou Yi said calmly, "Then let's go back."
As soon as she said this, the scenery before Li Mu, Xiao Bai, and Wanwan changed. When they appeared again, they were already in the courtyard of the Li Residence.
Liu Hanyan looked at the three people who suddenly appeared and asked, "What's the matter with you guys?"
Li Mu said awkwardly, "We, we were in the palace just now."
Liu Hanyan frowned and asked, "What were you doing in the palace on New Year's Eve?"
Li Mu explained, "Didn't you say that you guys weren't coming back? Only Wanwan, Xiao Bai, and I were left at home? Only Her Majesty was in the palace. We thought that we could have dinner together tonight and have each other's company …"
Liu Hanyan looked at Wanwan and Xiao Bai and asked, "Is that so?"
Xiao Bai and Wanwan nodded repeatedly.
Liu Hanyan walked to the stone table in the courtyard and reached out her finger to gently wipe it. Looking at the dust on her hand, she asked Li Mu, "You guys have been eating this meal for at least half a month, right?"
Li Mu said, "Let me explain first …"
If the imperial court was a company and the Empress was the boss, Li Mu would be the employee that the boss valued the most.
As a boss who cared about her employees, she understood that Li Mu had to travel a long way to and from work, so she let him stay near the company in her own villa. Wasn't this normal?
On New Year's Eve, his wife was at home. The boss was touched that he had worked overtime day and night, so it wasn't too much to treat him to a New Year's Eve dinner, right?
Liu Hanyan looked at Li Mu and asked, "So, for the past half a month, the three of you have been living in the palace?"
Li Mu nodded.
Liu Hanyan didn't make trouble for Li Mu, but Wanwan was called to her room. Li Mu didn't dare to follow her.
He glanced at Li Qing, and Li Qing gave him a helpless look.
Obviously, she was now on the same side as Liu Hanyan.
Inside the room, Liu Hanyan tapped Wanwan's forehead and said, "What did I tell you before I left? I told you to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't come back at night. But you guys are good, you just don't come back with him …"
Wanwan lowered her head and looked at her feet. She sobbed a few times and tears dripped down her face.
This made Liu Hanyan at a loss. She said in a panic, "Why are you crying? I haven't said anything yet …"
Wanwan wiped her tears and said in a muffled voice, "There were so many dishes. I, I haven't eaten a single bite yet …"
Liu Hanyan didn't hear what she said clearly. Seeing that she was crying sadly, she could only hug her and comfort her, "Okay, okay, I don't blame you. Don't cry …"
Fortunately, Li Mu didn't sleep in the palace alone. He had Wanwan and Xiao Bai to accompany him. He didn't do anything to let her down. At most, there was a little more dust in the house. But to clean it up was just a small spell.
Now, Li Mu was facing a very serious problem.
He made the decision to have New Year's Eve dinner at Changle Palace after learning that Liu Hanyan and Li Qing wouldn't come back tonight.
So he didn't buy vegetables in advance. After all, if they were in the palace, he wouldn't have to worry about these things at all.
So, what were they eating now?
It was New Year's Eve. Every family was eating reunion dinner in the middle of the night. Even if they went out to buy vegetables, it would be too late.
It was a pity that they hadn't even touched a single bite of the sumptuous meal on the table in Changle Palace. Little White was slightly better off, but Wan Wan was on the verge of tears. When the Empress had moved her home, her chopsticks were still in her hand.
There was only one way to have a normal New Year's Eve.
Changle Palace.
Zhou Yi sat on the roof of Changle Palace. She didn't touch the New Year's Eve dinner that the imperial kitchen had prepared with great care.
The snow had stopped, but after Li Mu and the others left Changle Palace, it started to fall again. Moreover, it seemed to be falling more and more heavily.
Zhou Yi allowed the snow to fall on her body. She silently looked at the lights of Shen 'du on New Year's Eve.
It was the busiest night in Shen 'du, but Changle Palace was as cold and cheerless as usual.
This was the liveliness of the common people. It had nothing to do with her.
At a certain moment, she felt the spirit snail in the Flask Space vibrate. Zhou Yi stretched out her hand. The spirit snail floated in her palm. She looked at it for a while and put it away, ignoring it.
A moment later, she took it out again and asked, "Why are you looking for me again?"
Wanwan's aggrieved voice came from the spirit snail. "Sister Zhou, there's so much food. Can you finish it all by yourself?"
…
Although Liu Hanyan often complained that the Empress was too harsh on Li Mu, when she really saw the Empress, she kept her head down. She didn't even dare to look at her. She didn't have the arrogance she had in front of Li Mu.
In the hearts of the women of the Great Zhou, the Empress was like a god.
It wasn't just the women of the Great Zhou. In the countries of Zu Province, no matter if they were human, ghost, or demon, as long as they were female, they all admired the Empress.
She was less than 30 years old, but she was sitting in the most powerful empire in Zu Province. Her strength had also reached the upper three realms that cultivators dreamed of. She was the first person in history.
This number one person included the man.
People who weren't familiar with her were easily intimidated by her noble and powerful aura.
Liu Hanyan was one of them.
In Changle Palace, she even spoke much less than usual.
Fortunately, with Wanwan and Xiao Bai, especially Wanwan, the atmosphere of this special New Year's Eve dinner didn't seem so awkward.
The people of the Great Zhou had the custom of enduring the New Year. Tonight, they generally didn't sleep.
They had to tidy up when they got home, so Li Mu and the others simply stayed in Changle Palace.
In order to make it easier to get through the long night, Li Mu used more than 100 pieces of spirit jade to carve a set of mahjong tiles.
Of course, no one present was an ordinary person. For the sake of fairness, no one, including the Empress, was allowed to use magic to cheat.
Except for the silly girl Wanwan, which one of the women in Changle Palace tonight wasn't intelligent and quickly learned how to play.
Thus, Changle Palace was filled with the sound of playing mahjong for the entire night.
Li Mu, Liu Hanyan, Li Qing, and the Empress sat at a square table. Xiao Bai moved a chair and sat behind Li Mu.
Wanwan ran over to take a look and quickly ran back to the table to eat a few mouthfuls. The night passed quickly.
On the morning of the first day of the New Year, after eating dumplings, Liu Hanyan and Li Qing were about to return.
This time, their return to Shen 'du was a last-minute decision. Yuzhenzi was still waiting for Liu Hanyan at Mount Baiyun. Li Qing also had to go back to continue her seclusion and strive to break through to the fifth realm as soon as possible.
Li Mu asked the Dao Bell to escort them back. When they reached Mount Baiyun, it flew back by itself.
On the morning of the first day of the New Year, Li Mu and the Empress didn't idle around.
Every year on the first day of the New Year, there was a court assembly as usual.
In addition to the officials of Shen 'du, the governors of the 36 counties also had to enter the palace on this day to report on their work.
In addition, the Ministry of Rites also had to take the lead to hold the first ceremony of the new year. When all the procedures were completed, it was almost night.
Next was a long holiday.
From the first day of the first month to the fifteenth day of the New Year, except for important government offices like the Ministry of Justice that needed officials to be on duty, most officials could enjoy half a month of holiday.
Li Mu originally planned to take advantage of this holiday to return to Mount Baiyun.
However, Li Qing was in seclusion, and Liu Hanyan was about to travel with Yuzhenzi. After he returned to Mount Baiyun, there was a high possibility that he would be treated as a heartless talisman-drawing machine by those old guys. After careful consideration, Li Mu dispelled this idea.
Instead of being squeezed dry by those old guys, he would rather stay in Shen 'du and be squeezed dry by the Empress.
However, the Empress hadn't squeezed him dry recently. The government offices weren't open, and there were no reports to read. Li Mu's daily life was nothing more than playing mahjong, cultivating, and repairing the Dao Bell.
The cracks on the Dao Bell were almost invisible to the naked eye, but if the bell grew larger, the cracks would still be very obvious.
At present, Li Mu could use it as an offensive Dharma Artifact, and it could also protect Li Mu.
If he wanted to restore it to its original state and have the power to protect a mountain gate, he would have to wait for it to be completely repaired.
However, Li Mu didn't have any new Dharma Arts in his mind. Without Dharma Arts that hadn't appeared in this world, he wouldn't be able to obtain the Origin Energy of Heaven and Earth. Li Mu didn't know of any other methods to obtain the Origin Energy of Heaven and Earth.
He could only put this matter aside for the time being, and leave the Dao Bell by his side for the time being.
Even if he didn't have any new Dharma Arts, the Dao Bell would be able to repair itself within ten years.
Li Mu walked out of Changle Palace, patted the Dao Bell on his shoulder, and said, "You can only stay by my side for a while longer …"
The Dao Bell buzzed in response.
Li Mu suddenly looked ahead and saw a figure slowly walking toward Changle Palace.
Judging from the figure, it seemed to be a woman. She was wearing a black cloak and a black bamboo hat, and her aura was obscure as she walked slowly to the entrance of Changle Palace.
She looked at Li Mu, who was standing at the entrance of Changle Palace, and asked, "What's your name?"
Li Mu sized her up and said, "Li Mu."
The woman in black nodded slightly, and then asked, "Little Li, is Her Majesty in Changle Palace?"
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