With the help of Zhongli and many committees, weeks of preparation led to the Spring Festival. The once orderly streets were now littered with people, each of them eager to indulge in the night's festivities. They drank and sang endlessly, bellowing the praises of their emperor and hoping that another year of his reign would come to pass.

You were not among those celebrating, however. Someone had to regulate the night markets, and that duty naturally fell upon you. As the emperor's closest advisor, Zhongli trusted you would enforce the law in a way that both pleased and protected his citizens. Albeit honorable, the task proved arduous. Between managing the floats, planning the fireworks, and coordinating the dancers, you were stretched rather thin. You needed to get away from it all.

Once the merriments were already underway, you took a moment of respite to gaze at the night sky and await the incoming fireworks show. You figured you might fall asleep beforehand, but before your eyes could quite close, the sound of Zhongli's voice startled you.

"Are you alright?" Your eyes met his golden ones, his impartial gaze holding an unusual glint of mirth.

He chuckled at your exhaustion. "Happy Lunar New Year. I would hope this year of the dragon is kinder to you than the prior." Zhongli removed a red envelope from beneath the lapels of his lóng páo, gesturing it in your direction. "Within this envelope is eight thousand Mora. Do not spend it all in one place."

He then cleared his throat, his chest puffing out slightly. "Ah, and please, reconsider renewing our contract. It would be a shame to see such an attentive servant serve another nobleman."

Despite his formal tone, he thinly veiled a hint of worry in his words. You certainly were one of his best advisors, but you were also his closest friend. Losing another one of those could be more than he could bear.