On the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Exorcism Ceremony on Vermilion Bird Avenue was a feast that the common people of Chang 'an participated in together. As night fell, the number of pedestrians on the street increased. When the lanterns were lit, people were already rubbing shoulders and waving sleeves like clouds.
There were people dancing and singing on the streets. There were people watching lanterns and guessing riddles. There were people peddling their goods, and there were people traveling together. When the sonorous and deafening music came from afar, everyone rushed forward to welcome the exorcism array. The exorcism dance team sang and danced as they arrived …
The halberds and golden armor were shining. The first to lead the way was the "Four Xiangs", followed by a man and a woman. The man wore a red robe with painted trousers and an old man's mask. He was the Exorcism Weng. The woman wore a green robe with painted trousers and an old woman's mask. She was the Exorcism Mother.
Behind them were 360 guards wearing baby masks, followed by the Four Heavenly Kings of Brahma Buddhism, holding four kinds of Divine Weapons, the Taoist deities with their white beards fluttering in the wind, the Five Taoist generals waving their long whips, and the Great Zizo of An City spewing holy fire …
This was not only a grand festival for the people of Chang 'an, but also a grand festival for all the gods and Buddhas. Almost all the famous gods and Buddhas had been dragged out. Following them were various demons and demons who played the roles of demons and ghosts. They sang and danced as they marched forward.
That night, there were many stalls selling masks on the street. Most of the common people who came to watch the exorcism dance bought a mask and wore it. Some masked teenagers mixed into the procession of exorcism children while dancing. As a result, the procession grew longer and more people joined the exorcism dance. In the end, there were more than a thousand people dancing the exorcism dance together. It was truly a spectacular scene.
Yang Fan and his family walked in the crowd with masks on their faces. The long street was full of people wearing masks, making people feel like they were in a world of masks. Under such circumstances, it was easy for family members to get lost. Therefore, the adults held their children's hands and did not let go for a moment. Even so, there were still people in the crowd calling for friends at the top of their lungs.
Although Gu Zhuting was pregnant, with her skills, she didn't have to worry about being squeezed by others while walking to watch the dance. However, for safety's sake, Yang Fan still got her a walking cart and carried her along. This cart became a symbol for the Yang family to identify each other, and the whole family slowly walked around this cart.
Bare-armed and muscular, Pan Gu wore a ferocious mask and held a bronze mountain-splitting axe in his hand. Sometimes, he raised his head to hack the sky, and sometimes, he bent his head to hack the ground. He walked with his claws and fangs, accompanied by the spirited drumbeats. Yang Nianzu looked at his ferocious appearance and could not help but timidly move closer to his father.
Yang Fan smiled and rubbed his head while looking at the man. of Pan Gu. of Pan Gu of Pan Gu. The burly man's dance posture was simple and crude, and his movements were rough, giving off a wild and mysterious feeling of the ancient chaotic period. He vividly displayed the spirit of a giant who created the universe and the strength of a primitive human, making people's blood boil.
"Aiya, my mask!"
Suddenly, a coquettish voice came from the side. Yang Fan turned his head and saw that Yang Sirong's mask had been scraped off. Before she could pick it up, she was trampled under the feet of the crowd. The little girl was so angry that she kept stomping her feet. Yang Fan casually took off his mask and handed it to her. He said with a smile, "Don't pout. You can hang an oil bottle on it. If you see someone you like later, you can buy another one."
"Oh!"
Si Rong gloomily took her father's mask. Her mask was originally that of a Magu fairy, which was very beautiful, but her father's mask was that of a monkey's face that was making faces. Si Rong didn't like it, but it was better than nothing, so she could only take it and put it on her head. Yang Nianzu wore a pig's face with a fat head and big ears, laughing loudly at her.
Yang Fan led the family to enjoy the scenery along the way. As they were walking, the road ahead was suddenly blocked by two people coming from the front. Looking at the two people's clothes and figure, they should be a man and a woman. The man was tall and burly, wearing a smiling Maitreya mask. The woman had a green face and fangs, and a bright red tongue stuck out from the ghost face.
"Excuse me, please make way!"
Yang Fan said politely, but the two people did not move. Yang Fan's eyes slightly narrowed. Ren Wei and the others were walking through the crowd with difficulty. When they saw something strange, they immediately came over. The big-bellied Maitreya took off his mask, revealing a smiling face. Yang Fan cried out involuntarily, "Xue … ah, why is it you!"
Xue Huaiyi put down his mask and said with a smile, "Such a lively scene, I naturally want to see it." Yang Fan glanced at the little ghost standing beside him and thought, "This must be Shiniang Ruoxiang." The thought of a gentle and graceful Fusang beauty actually wearing a green-faced and fanged little ghost mask made him feel a little strange.
Seeing that Yang Fan knew the person, Ren Wei and the others immediately dispersed into the crowd. From the beginning to the end, no one noticed that they were the family's attendants. Xiao Man and A Nu both recognized Xue Huaiyi, and the two were secretly shocked. But they were very calm, and immediately held Ruoxiang's arm, as if they were a family.
The long street was full of people, so Yang Fan no longer addressed him as Master Xue. He only said, "It's not like you haven't seen the Exorcism Dance before, what's there to see?"
Xue Huaiyi laughed and said, "The Exorcism Ceremony is the most lively event of the new year. Although I have seen it before, Ruoxiang has not, so I brought her here to broaden her horizons."
"Oh! Where are the two Shixiongs? "
"Don't mention them, those two good-for-nothings. There was a group of girls singing and dancing just now, and those two bastards squeezed in to join in the fun. In the end … they got separated. "
Yang Fan really did not expect Xue Huaiyi to be so bold. The two walked side by side, and Yang Fan kept looking left and right. Xue Huaiyi saw his uneasy look and said with a smile, "What are you afraid of? With my current appearance, it's not a big deal even if I walk in front of the palace."
Yang Fan sighed and said, "The older you are in the pugilistic world, the more timid you become."
Xue Huaiyi looked at him and sneered, "In front of me, you dare to call yourself old in the pugilistic world? When I was roaming the pugilistic world, you still did not know … "Xue Huaiyi paused, then let out a long sigh and said," Forget it, I am a pugilistic world disciple, and you are old in the pugilistic world. You are not old in the pugilistic world, and you are not old either. We can't compare! "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Eldest Master is so free and unfettered now, and has not lost any of his prestige from back then. If you say you are old, you are still full of vigor."
Xue Huaiyi laughed and said proudly, "Not bad, this, I am worthy of it!" He put his arm around Yang Fan's shoulder and said secretively in his ear, "Very soon, you will have a little Shixiong."
Yang Fan said curiously, "It can't be, Master is helping people shave again … Ah!" Yang Fan suddenly reacted and said with surprise, "Could it be that Mistress …"
Xue Huaiyi chuckled. In fact, he wanted to laugh out loud, but he suddenly remembered that he was going to be a father soon, and he should be more reserved. The result of deliberately holding it in was that his laughter sounded like an old hen that had just laid an egg.
The exorcism procession gradually went further away, and many people chased after them with cheers and laughter. The place where Yang Fan and the rest were suddenly much more spacious, and they could stroll around and enjoy the scenery.
Xue Huaiyi looked at a huge lantern tree by the roadside, and commented with disdain, "This lantern tree is far inferior to the hundred-foot lantern tree I had in the past."
This lantern tree was dozens of feet tall, and was the largest lantern tree on Vermillion Bird Avenue, but compared to the lantern tree that Xue Huaiyi had built in Luoyang's Ding Ding Street, it was more than half the size. Yang Fan recalled the time when he climbed the lantern tree with Princess Taiping, sat side by side on the 'leaf', looked down at Luoyang, and whispered sweet kisses at the starry sky. He could not help but be fascinated.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the distance, and then there were earth-shattering cheers. In fact, at this time, the street was crowded, and the crowd was dense, so it was not easy to see what the commotion was, but the people's movements were moving along Vermillion Bird Avenue from north to south. If the crowd suddenly stopped and moved to the left and right, it would naturally be eye-catching.
Yang Fan and Xue Huaiyi stopped, and looked towards the long street. They saw four or five border army officers, their faces weathered, holding red flags in their hands. The red flags fluttered in the wind. As they galloped over, they waved the red flags, and with rough and hoarse voices, they shouted, "Tufan Zanpu has died suddenly, the sons of princes are fighting for the throne, the country is in chaos, and the border threat has been resolved!"
There were too many people on Vermillion Bird Avenue. Although the long street was brightly lit, the people saw that the people coming were the couriers reporting the victory with the red flags, and they did not have time to dodge. As a result, these border army couriers did not run very fast, and everyone could hear their shouts clearly. Cheers immediately rang out, and the people behind them who still did not know the truth were immediately stunned.
As the couriers rushed towards the direction of the palace, the news spread out one after another, and the cheers also rose and fell, like waves of the tide. Yang Fan was stunned at first, but soon after, he was wild with joy. He did not expect that Tufan Zanpu personally led the imperial army to the Six Zhao, but actually died suddenly.
Tufan Zanpu was only thirty-four years old, and none of his sons had reached adulthood. The so-called sons of princes are fighting for the throne, it should be a contest between the maternal families behind the princes. Only in this way, would the consequences be even more serious. This internal strife in Tufan was a hundred times more complicated than he had expected!
Tufan was really unlucky this year. First, they joined forces with the Turks to send troops. Originally, the plan was good, but suddenly they encountered a snowstorm, which delayed the operation. Then, Zanpu, who personally led the imperial army, died suddenly, and the country was in chaos. Although there was still no news from Suiye City, the crisis of the imperial court being attacked from two sides had been declared resolved.
Outside Vermillion Bird Gate, in front of Guanglu Temple, there were all kinds of magnificent and mysterious ice lanterns on the street. Although it was not the Shangyuan period, there were still many lantern riddles hanging under the eaves on both sides of the street. The sisters of the Prince of Xiang's residence were all sightseeing by the roadside. Shou Chang, Xian Yuan, and two others who were slightly older gathered together to watch the lanterns, while the other seven younger ones were guessing the lantern riddles by the roadside.
Among the girls, Li Chiying was the most intelligent and had the fastest reaction. She had already guessed several riddles, and all the rewards and gifts she received were given to the younger sister, Huo Guo. Huo Guo beamed with joy, and used her skirt to carry a pile of toys, and tightly stuck behind her sister's butt, flattering and encouraging her.
Qing Yang stood in front of a riddle, and slowly recited: "Nose to the sky, mouth to the ground. Hit it with a hammer, and it will shake the heavens and the earth. En, this is... "
"A bell! It's clearly a bell! "
Li Chiying jumped over, giggling as she continued.
"Aiya, little girl, you're really amazing. You guessed it right again!"
The stall owner picked up a lotus lantern, and said with a smile: "This is your reward."
Huo Guo hurriedly covered her lapel, saying: "Put it here, put it here." She then said to Li Chiying: "Shiniang is really amazing."
Li Chiying used the back of her hand to rub the tip of her slightly red nose, and proudly said: "Of course, there is no riddle that can stump me. En, a hundred sisters, a thousand sisters, sleep on the same bed, each covered with a blanket. What is this? "
Li Chiying lightly tapped her forehead, thinking. Li Huawan sighed. Qing Yang asked: "It's the New Year, why is Wuniang sighing?"
Li Huawan said: "The Tubo envoy is still unwilling to give up. I'm afraid that we can hide for one day, but we won't be able to hide forever. Unlike that girl... "
Li Huawan stared at Li Chiying who was engrossed in guessing the riddle, and hatefully said: "This heartless girl doesn't know how to worry."
Qing Yang said: "If grandmother really wants to send someone to Tubo to make peace, it will definitely be between us. Chiying is only nine years old, how can it be her turn? She is naturally not in a hurry."
Li Chiying's ears were sharp, and she felt wronged when she heard the discussion of her sisters. She was an optimist, thinking that even if they were to get married, they were not married yet. Life still had to go on. Could crying every day solve the problem? At least they had thought of a solution. She was naturally unhappy when her sisters said this.
However, she could not tell her sister that General Yang had promised her that he would think of a solution. It was just that the matter was important and complicated, and it could not be solved immediately. When Li Chiying was angry, she forgot about guessing the riddle. Huo Guo waited for a while, and could not help but ask: "Shiniang, what is this riddle about?"
Li Chiying glared at him, and just when she was about to speak, the red flag messengers arrived. Their voices became hoarse, but the Gate of Heaven Influence was already in sight, and their voices became unusually excited: "Victory report! Victory report! Tubo Zanpu died suddenly, and the Tubo princes are fighting for the throne. Tubo is in chaos, and the threat at the border is resolved! "
Shou Guang, Qing Yang, Xi Cheng and the others were stunned when they heard the news. Only when the messengers disappeared from their sight did the sisters cheer and hug each other tightly. Huo Guo persistently asked: "Shiniang, what is the answer to the riddle? Shiniang … "
"Pomegranate! Pomegranate! " Li Chiying answered her sister casually, and Huo Guo immediately turned around and said excitedly: "Shopkeeper, the answer to the riddle is Pomegranate, quickly give me a present!"
Li Chiying seemed to be sleepwalking, and walked down the stairs in a daze. The light from the ice lanterns reflected on her jelly-like smooth face, and there was a kind of dreamy beauty.
"Oh my god! How did he do it? He actually did it! He … really killed the king of Tubo, this … this is really amazing. "
Li Chiying's eyes were reflected by the colorful lights like little stars. She murmured in a voice that only she could hear. Her tone was dreamy and dreamy, with a trace of a girl's unique blurred childishness.
At the Gate of Heaven Bearing, Wu Zetian, accompanied by Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, was watching the exorcism dance in the palace. The exorcism dance in the palace was hosted by Taichang Temple. One hundred and twenty people from the Little Eunuch Sect were chosen to be the maids, and then they were chosen to be strong and sturdy soldiers of the Jin Wu Guards, holding golden spears and dragon flags, embroidered clothes, and gold-plated bronze armors.
At this time, all the immortals, accompanied by Duke Nuo, Nuo Mother and the maids, were chasing after the demon kings and demons until there was no way out. They could only kneel down and surrender, and let their faces be chopped by the axes. Duke Nuo and Nuo Mother led the maids to the top of the Gate of Heaven Bearing and sang a divine poem, "First, I wish for every family to be happy. Second, I wish for the husband and wife to be at peace. Third, I wish for the weather to be good. Fourth, I wish for the crops to be ripe. Fifth, I wish for the pigs and cows to be prosperous. Sixth, I wish for the five grains to be plentiful. Seventh, I wish for the world to be at peace. Eighth, I wish for the emperor to reign for thousands of years. Ninth, I wish for …"
A courier with a red flag on his back, whose legs were already numb due to the constant galloping, was carried up to the Gate of Heaven Bearing by two strong imperial guards. That courier threw himself at the feet of Wu Zetian, and reported everything that had happened in Tubo to Wu Zetian in detail.
It turned out that the Nanzhao Kingdom in the region of Jiang rebelled under the instigation of Great Zhou, and soon after, the southern vassal states such as the Nibrahmin Sect rebelled one after another. The Tubo King also knew that in order to fend off foreign aggression, he personally led an expedition to suppress the rebels. In the end, the Nanzhao region was ravaged by a plague, and in a moment of carelessness, the Tubo King actually died from the disease.
Originally, the Tubo generals also understood the principle of keeping it a secret and retreating calmly. But the problem was that this news could be kept a secret to the outside world, but could not be concealed from the inside world. As soon as the news reached the royal court, the capital was in an uproar. The sons of the Tubo King were still young, and each of the concubines had their own political factions behind them. They all wanted to support their sons to ascend the throne, and for a while, they were in a fierce battle.
Once the capital of Tubo was in chaos, the news could no longer be concealed. The Six Imperial Edicts took the opportunity to pursue the Tubo army, and the Wuzhou army also launched an attack on the Tubo army that had been in a stalemate for a long time. All the Tubo soldiers were eager to help their princes seize power, and so they were not in the mood to continue fighting.
Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi were both surprised and delighted when they heard this, and quickly bowed to Wu Zetian, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The beginning of the New Year this year is auspicious, with one happy event after another, it's really worth celebrating! "
Wu Zetian slowly stood up from her throne and looked disdainfully at the people below the city wall. Suddenly she pointed at those people who were dressed as demons and ghosts kneeling on the ground and offering their heads. She smiled at Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong and said, "Wulang, Wulang, look at those demons and ghosts. Don't they look like Tubo people?"
Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong understood tacitly, and quickly replied, "Yes! Too similar! Obviously they are! "
"Hahahaha …"
Wu Zetian put her hands on the wall, and laughed to the sky …
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