After leaving Ci'an Palace, it suddenly began to snow. Seeing the gloomy sky, Wang Muhan had already prepared a black felt cloak early on. Wang Muhan helped Chu Shaoling put on the cloak. Chu Shaoling asked, "Wei Ji hasn't returned yet?"

Wang Muhan nodded, "I'm afraid it will be a while longer. He should have left the Wei Manor by now, it will take no more than an hour for him to arrive."

Chu Shaoling looked at the sky and said, "Have someone go back to Bitao Palace to get a cloak and a snow umbrella, and go to the outer city to meet Wei Ji. He just left and probably didn't bring these things with him."

Wang Muhan thought that even if he didn't bring them, being exposed to the cold wind for a short while wouldn't matter, but he didn't dare say it. He nodded, "This servant will give the order right away."

After Chu Shaoling returned to Bitao Palace and sat for a while, Wei Ji came back. Without having time to change his waist tablet, he first came to pay his respects to Chu Shaoling. Chu Shaoling smiled and pulled him onto the couch, handing him the hand warmer. He touched Wei Ji's slightly reddened cheeks from the cold and said softly, "Are you cold? Seeing it was snowing, you didn't know to wear more."

"It's fine." Sitting on the warm and cozy couch, Wei Ji felt his whole body warming up. Holding the small hand warmer, he laughed softly, "Snow itself isn't cold, it's the melting that's cold. Just now I didn't feel much. Your Highness even sent someone with a cloak, and I put it on as soon as I got off the sedan chair, so I didn't really get cold."

Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly, "That cloak was mine from before, but I never wore it much. Now it's just right for you."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness." Wei Ji was happy to hear it was worn by Chu Shaoling before. "It fits me perfectly."

It wasn't time for dinner yet. Chu Shaoling was afraid Wei Ji didn't eat well at noon in the Wei Manor, so he had someone bring a few plates of meat and vegetable snacks for Wei Ji to eat first. Wei Ji was indeed hungry. He picked up a fried roll and started eating. Chu Shaoling poured him a cup of tea and said, "Eat slowly, is everyone at home still well?"

"They're all well." Wei Ji drank half a cup of tea and smiled, "Grandmother and Mother are preparing for the New Year. The whole residence is lively and bustling. This year, because there is a princess in the family, I see that the preparations for the New Year are more abundant than previous years. My elder brother was also at home today. I asked a few more questions about the matters in that courtyard. Big brother didn't say much, but I can see that he and the princess get along very well."

Chu Shaoling nodded, "That's good then, my efforts in playing the grand matchmaker were not in vain. Now we're just waiting for good news from Fuyi."

Wei Ji was stunned for a moment before he understood. He nodded and smiled, "Yes, Your Highness's nephew is my nephew too. I'm also waiting."

Chu Shaoling raised his hand to wipe away the crumbs from the corner of Wei Ji's mouth and chuckled, "Your nephew is born with a noble fate, he will not go wrong." Chu Shaoling was afraid that if Wei Ji ate too many snacks, he wouldn't eat well at dinner later. He let him eat two more pieces before ordering someone to take it away.

Wei Ji acted on his whims, and when the palace servants took away the plates, he kept staring at the snacks longingly. Chu Shaoling found it amusing and coaxed, "There will be stewed venison at dinner. If you eat your fill now, how will you eat later?"

Wei Ji liked meat dishes, especially venison. Upon hearing this, he was indeed happy. Chu Shaoling leaned on the armrest and led him to talk about family matters. Wei Ji chattered on, first saying what new things the residence had acquired and how exquisite they were, then saying how many relatives were eagerly coming to visit during the New Year and how lively it was.

Chu Shaoling had Chu Shaoyang's matter on his mind and was a bit distracted. Wei Ji noticed that Chu Shaoling had something troubling him and said softly, "Does Your Highness have something worrying you?"

Chu Shaoling didn't intend to hide it from Wei Ji and said, "After the New Year, the Emperor may bestow Chu Shaoyang a fief. What do you think?"

Wei Ji was startled. He didn't expect this matter to escalate to this extent.

It was common for the Emperor to prematurely bestow a fief to a prince he disliked. It sounded nice, but it was no different from exile. Looking at past examples, any prince who was prematurely granted a fief basically had nothing to do with the crown prince position. Good places like Jiangnan would definitely not be granted, and poor places like the northern regions where troops were stationed would also not be granted. Only lands with barren soil and uncivilized people would be bestowed.

Wei Ji said slowly, "The Fourth Prince is the legitimate son of Empress Ling, and he's not very old. The Emperor probably wouldn't be so ruthless, right?"

"Ruthless?" Chu Shaoling sneered, "Chu Shaoyang offended his great taboo this time. It's already good that he wasn't imprisoned. According to the rules of the ancestors, as long as the crown prince position is decided, he should go to his fief at this age. It can't be considered a grievance for him. It's just that he won't have a chance at a good fief now. The Emperor probably hasn't decided yet. I'm just thinking about where would be better for him to go."

Wei Ji hesitated for a moment and said, "I boldly speculate on the Emperor's intentions. The northern and southern regions probably won't be granted to the Fourth Prince. If it's just an ordinary fief, so be it. But if the Emperor truly despises the Fourth Prince, it's possible that he will send the Fourth Prince to the west. The Liaoliang matter has always been unresolved. If at this time, a desolate land in the west is divided and granted to the Fourth Prince, I'm afraid the Fourth Prince won't be able to achieve any political success within ten years, which would be just what the Emperor wants."

Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly and said, "You want me to do something to facilitate this matter?"

Wei Ji shook his head, "I'm just reminding Your Highness. If the Emperor has this plan, Your Highness must find a way to intervene. Even if the Fourth Prince is sent to a prosperous land in the south, it's better than going to the west."

Chu Shaoling raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Why is that?"

Wei Ji hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm foolish, and will have to let Your Highness critique what I say. Now that the Fourth Prince has been prematurely moved out of the imperial city, if there are no accidents, he has already lost his chance at the crown prince position. But the Fourth Prince has great ambitions. If I were the Fourth Prince, my only hope now would be to rely on military power. There are many troops stationed in the north, and the Emperor definitely won't grant it to him. Where else could there possibly be a large number of troops? In recent years, there is only the west."

"The Emperor has always been indecisive about the Liaoliang matter, but this is ultimately a calamity for our Great Chu. Even if the current Emperor never takes action against Liaoliang, I'm afraid Your Highness..." Wei Ji pursed his lips and changed his words, "The future crown prince will not tolerate Liaoliang. Sooner or later, there will be a great war in the west. At that time, no matter which general is sent on the expedition, their status will not be more noble than the Fourth Prince. As long as the Fourth Prince is determined, relying on the forces he has occupied in his western fief for many years, it's not impossible for him to collude with Liaoliang and seize military power. When the time comes, if there is a mutiny in the army and the Liaoliang troops join the rebel army to turn east, it won't be difficult to break into the imperial city."

Wei Ji lowered his head, "I don't know much, only a little about military strategy. I'm very worried about this."

Chu Shaoling sighed inwardly. How many more surprises would his Wei Ji give him?

Chu Shaoling didn't expect this. Wei Ji said that although there were still some loopholes, this was indeed a potential danger. Chu Shaoling looked at Wei Ji's serious and worried face and couldn't help but laugh. He pulled Wei Ji over and hugged him, kissing his forehead, and said, "You've really thought it through. Actually, at first I was thinking of letting him go to the west, and then take the opportunity to kill him with the Liaoliang soldiers, killing two birds with one stone."

Wei Ji looked up at Chu Shaoling. Chu Shaoling's face was full of viciousness as he sneered coldly, "Naturally, I won't let Liaoliang off. Sooner or later, I will send troops to fight a battle. At that time, I will take the opportunity to kill him and push the blame on the Liaoliang people. Wouldn't that be clean?"

Wei Ji was shocked. Chu Shaoling saw Wei Ji's startled expression and realized that he had lost his composure. He quickly softened his expression and chuckled lightly, "I'm just joking. You're still more thoughtful. There will be a battle there sooner or later. We can't be careless and let Chu Shaoyang take advantage. It's better to send him away early. Speaking of which, how did you know that I would definitely send troops against Liaoliang?"

Wei Ji lowered his head and smiled, his eyes full of admiration, "Your Highness has great ambitions and lofty ideals. How could you tolerate the barbarians invading our borders? Your Highness's words at the court meeting have already spread throughout the army, and the officers and soldiers all greatly admire you."

Chu Shaoling didn't know about this. He chuckled lightly, "What did they say?"

Wei Ji smiled and said, "'Liaoliang has repeatedly provoked us. If we don't teach them a lesson, how can we make the barbarians fear us? Now that Liaoliang has invaded, if we endure it again and again without taking action, in the future, the Tartars in the north, Burma in the south, and Korea in the east will all be able to lead troops to invade our borders and plunder on a large scale before leaving. Every inch of land on the borders of Great Chu was won by the blood and flesh of our martyrs. How can we allow the barbarians to trample on it?' Your Highness, these few sentences are really well said. The officers and soldiers all know that Your Highness is in favor of war against Liaoliang, and you even volunteered to lead the troops. The officers and soldiers who heard about it all praised Your Highness for being brave."

Chu Shaoling couldn't help but laugh. If he wasn't certain that the emperor wouldn't let him interfere with military power, he wouldn't have been so righteous at the court meeting that day. It seemed that it was easy to gain the favor of military officials. He just moved his lips and said a few words of passion, and it actually spread.

Chu Shaoling looked at the admiration in Wei Ji's eyes and felt very pleased. He couldn't help but tease in a low voice, "With a little general like you by my side, perhaps I've also been infected with some of the heroic spirit of a military officer. Isn't it said that when taking a wife, one should marry a virtuous one? The ancients did not deceive me."

They were originally talking properly, but who knew that Chu Shaoling would suddenly bring this up. Wei Ji's face immediately turned red. Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly and hugged Wei Ji intimately for a good while.

Chu Shaoling had a plan in mind regarding Chu Shaoyang. After discussing it with Marquis Zijun a few more times, he finally made a decision. After this incident, Chu Shaoling increasingly relied on Wei Ji. In daily matters that did not involve bloodshed or harm one's moral integrity, he gradually began to discuss them with Wei Ji as well. Although Wei Ji's thoughts were not as meticulous as Chu Shaoling's, he made up for it with his honesty. If Chu Shaoling's ideas were tempered by Wei Ji's modifications, they would become much more moderate and less conspicuous.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the year. This year, Chu Shaoling let Wei Ji spend the Little New Year at the Wei Manor. On New Year's Eve, he didn't let him go back again. Chu Shaoling had made enough appearances earlier and returned to Bitao Palace. The two of them set up a separate table of wine to celebrate the New Year by themselves.

Chu Shaoling felt very guilty for keeping Wei Ji in the palace but leaving him alone for a day. He held Wei Ji's hand and said softly, "This year, I couldn't help but stay in the palace. In the future, I definitely won't let you be alone again. I will accompany you every year."

Wei Ji felt warm in his heart and smiled, "In the evening, I drank a few cups with the senior brothers of the palace guards and chatted and laughed for a while. It wasn't boring."

Chu Shaoling looked carefully under the candlelight and indeed saw some signs of intoxication on Wei Ji's face. He knew that the guards had no restraint when they played in private. Hearing these words, he said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "In the future, when you're not with me, you're not allowed to drink too much. If you do this again, I'll have to punish you."

On New Year's Day, Wei Ji joked, "Didn't Your Highness say that you'll spend the New Year with me in the future? With Your Highness watching, how would I dare to drink more?"

Chu Shaoling couldn't help but laugh. Knowing that Wei Ji had been drinking, he didn't let him drink anymore and only let him eat a bowl of bird's nest congee before lying down together.

Outside, firecrackers were going off one after another. After lying down, the two of them couldn't fall asleep right away. They huddled together in the warm and fluffy quilt, talking slowly. Chu Shaoling kicked the hot-water bottle at his feet to Wei Ji's feet and hugged him as they talked. Before long, the sound of firecrackers outside grew louder, one after another. Even in Bitao Palace, firecrackers were being set off. Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly, "It's already midnight. Another year has passed."

Wei Ji didn't dare to forget the rules and wanted to get out of bed, but Chu Shaoling stopped him. Chu Shaoling couldn't help but scold, "You just got warmed up and you're making a fuss again. If you really get cold, see how I'll punish you."

Wei Ji had no choice but to kneel on the bed and say to Chu Shaoling, "I wish Your Highness good health, prosperity, blessings, and longevity."

Chu Shaoling pulled Wei Ji back into the quilt and laughed, "I've also stayed in the palace for these years, but I've really never seen anyone more observant of etiquette than you. Since you've already given New Year's greetings, I can't just accept them for nothing."

Chu Shaoling sat up and took a heavy, four-lobed, gold-embroidered, auspicious pouch from the head of the bed and handed it to Wei Ji, chuckling lightly, "I originally wanted to give you this lucky money tomorrow, but I'll give it to you now."

Wei Ji originally thought that Chu Shaoling was joking. Seeing him really take out a pouch, he felt a bit embarrassed. He was already so old, how could he still take Chu Shaoling's lucky money?

Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly, "Open it and take a look."

Wei Ji's face was a bit red. He untied the pouch and looked inside. It was actually filled with small gold turtles and fish engraved with the words "Prosperity", "Longevity", "Wealth", and "Fortune". The small turtles were carved with a silly and cute appearance, while the small fish were carved with a lively and adorable look, very pleasing to the eye. The pouch was packed full, probably weighing more than twenty taels. Wei Ji quickly said, "Your Highness, this is too much."

Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly, "What's too much? Take it and play with it. You can spend it as gold or give it to your family's children and nephews. You're getting older year by year, and your social interactions are increasing. If you lack anything, you must tell me, understand?"

Wei Ji felt warm in his heart and nodded.