In the West Court of the Imperial Palace.
The people outside were celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Of course, this place was also decorated with lanterns and colored banners.
In an open space in the West Court, Li Er led a group of concubines and more than a dozen children to stand in front of the incense table and worship the statue of the Moon Goddess devoutly.
There were moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, grapes, and other offerings on the incense table. The statue of the Moon Goddess was placed in the direction of the rising moon. The incense table and red candles were solemn.
Looking at their posture, they should be praying to the moon.
Speaking of praying to the moon, the story of "saltless praying to the moon" had to be mentioned.
It was said that the ugly girl of the ancient Qi State, Wuyan, prayed to the moon devoutly when she was young. When she grew up, she entered the palace with outstanding virtue, but was not favored. On the 15th of August, Wuyan was praying to the moon. King Xuan of Qi happened to see Wuyan under the moonlight. He felt that she was beautiful and outstanding, so he made her his queen. That was how the tradition of praying to the moon came about. Chang 'e of the moon was famous for her beauty. Therefore, the girl prayed to the moon and wished to be "like Chang' e, with a face like the bright moon".
The story of "saltless praying to the moon" first appeared in the "Biography of the Women" written by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty. Wuyan, also known as Zhong Wuyan, was shockingly ugly. She had a wide forehead, small eyes, a high nose, a big throat, a hunchback, and a thick neck. But in the end, Zhong Wuyan became a typical representative of "the sea cannot be measured with a pint pot, and people cannot be judged by their appearance" through her own efforts.
"May the Tang Empire be free of disasters and have good weather ~!"
Li Er looked at the bright moon in the sky and sighed faintly.
There were less than ten months left before the locust plague mentioned by Li Zexuan. He was somewhat uncertain. In the past few days, he had been concerned about the harvest of various places. He even personally went to the farms near Chang 'an several times. It could be said that he was worried sick.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. The Tang Empire is established according to the will of heaven and will be protected by heaven ~!"
Empress Zhangsun knew what her husband was worried about. She smiled and comforted him softly.
"Yes ~!"
"Wow ~! Father, Mother, look ~! What is that ~? "
Changle, who was at the side, suddenly saw a ball of fire floating in the southern sky. He couldn't help exclaiming in shock.
Li Er, Zhangsun, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, Li Ke, and the Princess of Xiangcheng all looked in the direction of Changle's finger. They saw an extremely bright flame floating in the sky far to the south. It seemed to be moving slowly.
"Zhao Song, get someone to check if this is Li Zexuan's doing!"
This ball of flame was very far away, and it was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish what it was. However, Li Zexuan had seen it from a distance on the Black Tortoise Gate's watchtower when he used the Immortal Lamp to wipe out the Seven Cultivators of True Virtue. Therefore, he was able to recognize it at a glance.
Zhao Song responded and ran out. Not long after, he came back. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, that is Li Xiannan and his wife. They are touring the city on the Immortal Lamp. They are still some distance away from the Imperial City, and it seems like they are about to turn around ~!"
Hearing this, Changle came to a realization. She looked at the fairy lamp in the distance and said with a mesmerized expression, "So this is the fairy lamp. Brother Xiao Xuan actually brought Sister Yuxi up with him. They are really loving!"
Li Er's expression was a little ugly. He snorted and said, "At least this kid knows his place ~! Get the guards at the city gates to keep an eye on him. If he dares to approach the Imperial Palace, shoot him down ~! "
Shoot him down ~?
Everyone present was stunned. They were all thunderstruck by Li Er's words.
Zhao Song wiped his sweat and said respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty ~! However, Li Xiannan shouldn't be so reckless ~! "
Li Er glanced at the Immortal Lamp in the sky and said unhappily, "That better be the case ~!"
This was Li Zexuan. If it were someone else, he would have ordered the Imperial Guards to shoot down the Immortal Lamp.
After Li Er said that, he pulled Empress Zhangsun, who was holding back her laughter, and walked to the back of the palace. He said to the concubines and children, "Let's go to Li Zheng Hall for the Mid-Autumn Festival ~!"
Everyone bowed and agreed.
After Li Er walked away, Li Tai looked at the Immortal Lamp and said indignantly, "Xiao Xuan, this bastard, really forgets about friendship when he sees a girl. He told us that the Immortal Lamp is unstable, has a limited capacity, and can't control the direction. Now it seems like he was lying ~! This won't do, I'll settle the score with this kid tomorrow ~! "
Li Ke, who was following behind Li Er, looked back at the Immortal Lamp in the sky as he walked. He thought to himself, "Is this engineering ~? Li Zexuan's engineering is so amazing ~! No wonder Qingque is so obsessed with engineering ~! "
…
Tonghua Square, Sun Residence.
Sun Zifan, who was eating biscuits and admiring the moon in the courtyard, also saw the Immortal Lamp in the sky. Moreover, he was closer to the Immortal Lamp than Li Tai, so he could see the outline of the Immortal Lamp very clearly. When he found out that Li Zexuan and Han Yuxi were still standing on it, his reaction was exactly the same as Li Tai's.
"Damn ~! Sir, you're too mean ~! That day, you told me that the Immortal Lamp is unstable. Why are you sitting on it today ~! I think this thing is quite stable ~! Damn ~! I've been cheated ~! I've been cheated ~! "
Putting aside whether the Immortal Lamp was stable or not, the two people on it were so romantic that they couldn't control themselves.
"Husband, this is the Imperial City ~!"
Han Yuxi snuggled in Li Zexuan's arms and pointed to the Imperial City in the north as she asked.
Li Zexuan draped his outer robe over Han Yuxi's body. Just now, in order to bring Han Yuxi to see the Imperial Palace, he deliberately raised the Immortal Lamp quite a bit because he couldn't ride the Immortal Lamp to the sky above the Imperial Palace. If he did, Li Er would definitely mess with him. After all, no Emperor could tolerate others spying on his territory. This was also the main reason why the residential buildings next to the Imperial Palace couldn't be built too high.
In this way, the night was already cool, and they still stayed in the sky so high up in the sky, it seemed a little cold. After putting on the clothes, Li Zexuan smiled and said,
"Yes, this is the Imperial City ~! Isn't it spectacular ~? "
Han Yuxi replied softly, "Yes ~! I've never seen the Imperial City from this angle. It's really magnificent ~! But husband, if we look like this, we won't attract the city defense soldiers later, right ~? "
Li Zexuan chuckled and said, "Hehe ~! That's hard to say, so let's run now ~! "
"Ah ~?"
Han Yuxi was stunned and speechless. She thought that since Li Zexuan dared to do this, he must have a card up his sleeve ~!
"Haha ~! Let's go ~! Lan 'er is probably waiting anxiously. We should go back ~! "
Li Zexuan laughed and used "Ten Dragon-Subduing Slaps" to the back. The Immortal Lamp began to change direction and flew toward Yongle Lane.
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