The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Spring Lantern Festival.
Starting from the thirteenth, lanterns would be lit throughout the night in the city. On the fifteenth, the lanterns would be like a river and it would be very lively.
Lanterns had been set up at Xuande Gate early. On the fifteenth, the emperor would bring his concubines to visit Xuande Gate. This was a grand event that the entire city knew about. Xuande Gate was the dividing line between the imperial city and the inner city. It was called a gate but it was actually a tall city wall. There were watchtowers on the east and west sides. The city wall was connected to the palace wall behind, separating the two worlds.
Xuande Gate was the first gate of the imperial palace. It was the face of the emperor. Therefore, Xuande Gate was built very tall. Standing on it, one could look down on the entire city.
The walls of Xuande Gate and the two watchtowers formed a flat and wide plaza. With the high status of Xuande Gate, all the important ceremonies and celebrations of the imperial court would be held here. The barriers, canopies, and thrones on the walls had been prepared a long time ago. Now that the time was approaching, eunuchs and palace maids came and went on Xuande Gate. They were all busy doing the final inspection.
Mu Mingtang left for the banquet in the palace in the morning. The emperor set up the banquet in the front court while the empress invited the womenfolk in the back. When the lanterns were lit and the signal for the emperor to leave came from the front court, the empress led the womenfolk to the city tower.
The Spring Lantern Festival was one of the best events of the year. What was especially rare was that both men and women could play freely. This time, the emperor showed mercy. The concubines in the imperial harem did not have to limit their positions. They could all go to the city tower to see the lanterns. The palace maids and concubines in the imperial harem had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
At this time, the city tower was filled with colorful banners and canopies. The official square in front of Xuande Gate was full of people looking up at the city tower. At some point, the eunuchs and palace maids on the city tower started to run more frequently. After a while, the sound of drums suddenly became louder. Everywhere, there was a rumor that "the officials are coming."
The people gathered in the plaza spread the rumor. Not knowing whether it was true or not, the troupes hurriedly performed their own acrobatics. When Mu Mingtang followed the empress and the others to the city gate, she saw the lanterns lit below. The sound of gongs and drums filled the sky.
Now Mu Mingtang was sure that she really came from a small place. She had never seen such a spectacle.
After the Emperor led his people up the city gate tower, the atmosphere below immediately exploded. Shouts of "Long Live the Emperor" rang out one after another. In fact, the city gate tower was so tall, and the sky was so dark that the people below the city gate couldn't see the faces of the people on the tower. They could only faintly see that there were many beautiful women following behind them. Even if the commoners couldn't see them, they could guess that they were the Emperor, the Empress, and the Concubines. They were instantly encouraged and rejoiced.
Mu Mingtang was standing next to the Empress, so he had a good view of the city. He could see the many restaurants in the city that were decorated with lanterns and colored banners. The lights converged into a river, as if the Milky Way was descending from the Nine Heavens. From time to time, Sky Lanterns would rise, as if they wanted to draw the lights of the mortal world into the heavens. It was extremely magnificent.
Mu Mingtang was deeply shocked. On the day of Shangyuan, because of the Emperor's personal visit, the city's most famous opera troupe and craftsmen all gathered in Xuande Square. Downstairs, each of the talented people showed off their magical powers, with many different kinds of tricks and tricks. It was simply too busy for the eyes to keep up.
The Empress saw that Mu Mingtang was very focused on looking at the lights downstairs and asked with a smile: "Princess Consort An is so focused, do you like the liveliness?"
There were at least eighty noble women on the city gate tower, if not a hundred, but among all the officials, the Empress was the only one who spoke to Mu Mingtang. She even used such an intimate tone. Many people immediately looked at Mu Mingtang. Mu Mingtang didn't hide it and nodded in acknowledgment: "That's right, this is the first time I've seen the lights in the capital. I've never seen such a bustling scene before."
The person involved admitted it, but it made it difficult for others to express themselves. The Empress also smiled and said: "I haven't seen the lights outside for many years. I didn't know that there were so many tricks now. This year's Lantern Festival is very lively. Princess Consort An can take this opportunity to have a look. "
"Thank you, Your Highness the Empress." Mu Mingtang nodded in agreement. The Empress had the intention to appease An Wang's Imperial Residence in front of everyone. She spoke very gently to Mu Mingtang and even pointed at the colored lights downstairs with Mu Mingtang. Jiang Mingwei was also standing not far away. She saw with her own eyes that her mother-in-law, who had always been harsh to her, seemed to be a different person when facing Mu Mingtang. Her heart was very complicated.
It was really ironic. The Empress asked Jiang Mingwei to be simple and humble. She didn't let Jiang Mingwei wear expensive dresses, but she rewarded Mu Mingtang to spend a lot of money. The Empress was very picky with Jiang Mingwei. She asked her to be beautiful and generous, virtuous and virtuous, and to be courteous to the wise. She also asked her to be humble and introspective, not arrogant or jealous, and not spend money. However, to Mu Mingtang, she was gentle and tolerant. Even if Mu Mingtang hadn't seen the lights in the capital before, she personally pointed them out to Mu Mingtang.
Not to mention the distant past, for example, right now, Jiang Mingwei had been standing here for so long, but the Empress didn't even ask a single question or look at her. When the two sides were compared, it really made her angry.
The more Jiang Mingwei thought about it, the more upset she felt. They were both wangfei. No matter what the occasion, as long as Mu Mingtang was present, Jiang Mingwei could only retreat to the side and be a supporting character. What was even worse was that everyone told her to endure and modestly decline. It was as if her avoiding Mu Mingtang was a matter of heaven and earth.
To hell with heaven and earth. If Jiang Mingwei hadn't read a book in her previous life, she would have thought that Mu Mingtang was the main character. Jiang Mingwei thought about what was going to happen in a moment and took a deep breath. She kept telling herself that a big change was going to happen. Her and Xie Xuanji's fortunes would rapidly soar from today onwards. It wasn't worth arguing with a cannon fodder who was intoxicated with success.
She was the one who had discerning eyes and was the one who had married the destined person. Right now, Mu Mingtang was just having the last celebration before falling.
Thinking like this, Jiang Mingwei gradually calmed down. Right now, her mind was full of the fire in the forbidden palace. She didn't have the mood to watch the performance downstairs. She didn't even pay attention to the people around her when they talked to her.
She had important things to do. How could she have the time to pay attention to these minor characters? Jiang Mingwei also didn't care if she would offend people. After today, she would be a meritorious official for the Empress and Empress Dowager. What did it matter how these insignificant madams and madams evaluated her?
On the other side, the eunuch saw that the Emperor and the others were excited. He said as if he was presenting a treasure, "Reporting to the Emperor. Today, the people made a dragon lantern specifically to celebrate His Majesty's good fortune. I heard that the dragon lantern is three zhang tall and painted with gold and powder. It's very beautiful. Especially the dragon eye. I heard that it's made as if it's alive. "
A close official beside him heard this and agreed, "His Majesty is the true Son of Heaven. The people offering a dragon lantern to celebrate really brings out the best in each other. Such a big dragon lantern, other than His Majesty, I'm afraid no one else in the world can suppress it. "
When the eunuch heard this, he quickly agreed, "Isn't that so? I heard that ever since the construction of the dragon lantern, the workshop frequently caught fire. The craftsmen who made the lantern all said that their lives were light and they couldn't suppress the dragon lantern. Therefore, ever since this lantern was made, it has never been lit. I'm afraid that it can only be lit safely in front of the Emperor. "
The Empress, who wasn't far away, heard this and smiled in agreement, "It seems that this concubine and the others are all blessed by the Emperor. Today, we can see the dragon lantern. This concubine has never seen such a big lantern in all my life. "
Everyone naturally agreed. The Emperor was happy to be praised by everyone. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "There's actually such a strange thing. Zhen really wants to see what a dragon lantern looks like. Where's the lantern carriage? "
The eunuch who presented the lantern was overjoyed and said, "It's on the way. If the journey goes smoothly, it will probably be sent to Xuande Gate at around xu shi hour. The lantern will be lit at exactly ha-shi hour."
Dueling lanterns was also a custom of Shangyuan. Before the Shangyuan Festival, the lantern carriage had to report to the government. During the three days of the festival, all kinds of lantern carriages would set off from the streets and alleys. There would be performers and acrobats standing on the lanterns. Every time two lanterns met, they would duel. The government would have people at the intersection to evaluate the competition. Only the winner could pass, and the loser would have to return home. On the day of Shangyuan, the streets and alleys were very lively. The closer to the center of the lantern, the brighter it was. Only the winner could walk to Xuande Gate Square.
This dragon lantern was dueling lanterns at the end of the city. It could be imagined that it was very confident. When the Emperor heard this, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Good, there will be a reward."
There was a burst of laughter at the city gate. Mu Mingtang heard everyone flattering that the Emperor was the true Son of Heaven. For some reason, she felt uncomfortable in her heart. She quietly looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen. She saw that Hsieh Hyun-chen did not say anything. It was as if he did not hear what everyone was saying.
Mu Mingtang also pretended not to know. She was about to withdraw her gaze when Hsieh Hyun-chen felt that she was looking at him. He also looked in her direction.
Mu Mingtang shook her head, indicating that she was fine. Separated by the crowd, Hsieh Hyun-chen could not hear what Mu Mingtang was saying. He walked directly to the women's side and asked, "What's wrong?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen walked over in front of everyone, making Mu Mingtang feel awkward. She was too embarrassed to say that he had misheard her. In fact, she did not call him that. She could only point to the stall below the city gate tower that made sugar figurines and said, "Look, that stall's business is very good. He can make several types of sugar figurines, and he can even use sugar shreds to make characters."
Hsieh Hyun-chen looked in the direction of her finger and casually nodded. He then said to the eunuch behind him, "Go below the city gate tower and buy a sugar figurine. I want a monkey figurine."
Mu Mingtang did not expect Hsieh Hyun-chen to be so straightforward. She had just casually mentioned it, and he had someone go out and buy it. They were currently on the city gate tower of Xuande Gate. Although it was only a few steps to go down to buy a sugar figurine, in order to leave the palace, one had to obtain a token and pass through the imperial guards. The procedures were very complicated.
Mu Mingtang hurriedly pulled on Hsieh Hyun-chen's sleeve and said, "No need. I'll just take a look."
"What can you see from so far away? A sugar figurine is not expensive or troublesome. Just buy it if you like." Hsieh Hyun-chen was completely unmoved. He said to the eunuch, "Why aren't you going?"
The eunuch secretly glanced at the two masters. Now that he heard Hsieh Hyun-chen's words, he was very obedient. He responded and turned around to leave. When a eunuch went down, many people followed and turned their heads, "What is he going out for?"
"I don't know. It seems like he received an order from Prince An to go down and buy a sugar figurine for Princess An."
Everyone who heard this snorted in their hearts. It was just a sugar figurine. There were plenty of them by the roadside. If he wanted it, he could have bought it anywhere. Why did he have to go through so much trouble today? But who asked Prince An to be happy? The Emperor and the Empress did not say anything.
But it was sour. It was really sour.
After waiting for a while, the eunuch came back. He politely presented a cute monkey candy figurine to Mu Mingtang. Mu Mingtang said she did not want it. But when she saw the charmingly naive sugar monkey, she immediately loved it and could not bear to eat it.
Mu Mingtang glanced at both sides. Everyone was dressed and ready. Only she held a sugar figurine in her hand. It seemed that she was not serious.
A little princess who was being carried by a wet nurse saw it and immediately clamored to eat the sugar figurine. Her birth mother was extremely embarrassed when she heard it. She hurriedly twisted the little princess and asked someone to carry her down.
That concubine did not seem to be favored. She was promoted to the position of concubine because she gave birth to a princess. She did not look as gorgeous as Mu Mingtang. The concubine apologized to Mu Mingtang in fear and trepidation, "Princess An, please calm down. The fifth princess is young and ignorant. She did not mean to offend the princess."
Mu Mingtang was still holding a sugar figurine in her hand. She looked young and delicate. She had an appearance that children liked very much. Mu Mingtang did not know when it started. In the eyes of others, she had become such a terrifying image.
Mu Mingtang said in a warm voice, "It's okay. The fifth princess is still young. It's normal for her to like to eat candy. I have never eaten this sugar figurine. If the fifth princess does not mind, you can take this one. "
The fifth princess' birth mother looked hesitant. Her eyes were blank. She did not know whether to accept it or not. Mu Mingtang handed the figurine to a eunuch and asked someone to deliver it to the fifth princess. Only then did the concubine finally confirm that Mu Mingtang was not being sarcastic. She really wanted to give something.
The concubine hurriedly sneaked a glance at Hsieh Hyun-chen. Princess An gave his gift to someone else in front of Prince An. Would Prince An not be angry? Not only this concubine, but other people were also secretly watching. In the end, they watched for a long time and found that Hsieh Hyun-chen really did not care. He did not take it to heart at all.
The concubine was shocked. Even the empress who was watching from the corner of her eye was shocked. The concubine reacted and hurriedly brought the fifth princess over to Mu Mingtang to thank her.
Mu Mingtang would not argue with a child. She actually liked children very much. However, when she thought of her identity, she decided not to cause trouble for this mother and daughter who did not seem to have it easy. She held back and did not talk to the fifth princess.
After this small disturbance passed, Mu Mingtang looked at the various acrobatics below the city gate tower and the various snacks. She sighed regretfully in her heart. Hsieh Hyun-chen was right. They were so far away, so what could they see? This kind of event was only interesting when they were in the middle of it.
Hsieh Hyun-chen and Mu Mingtang had been together for so long that he had already seen through her little movements. He saw Mu Mingtang looking down and understood. He asked, "Do you want to go down and see?"
Mu Mingtang was flattered and widened her eyes, "Can I?"
"As long as you like it." Hsieh Hyun-chen simply said, "Stand here and don't move. I'll be right back."
After saying that, Hsieh Hyun-chen went to say something to the Emperor. The Emperor looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen in surprise and then looked in the direction of Mu Mingtang. In the end, he nodded good-naturedly and said something in a gentle voice. From the movement of his lips, it should be something like bringing more Imperial Bodyguards.
Mu Mingtang knew that it was done. When Hsieh Hyun-chen walked over, Mu Mingtang happily rushed over and naturally pulled on Hsieh Hyun-chen's sleeve.
Thus, under everyone's gaze, they swaggered out of the city gate tower, passed through the layers of Imperial Guards, and merged into the flood outside.
Jiang Mingwei, the other women of the court officials, and even the Empress and Empress Dowager watched Mu Mingtang happily leave the Imperial Palace and go shopping outside.
The fifth princess still had sugar residue on the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, she pulled on her mother's sleeve and asked, "Mother, why can they leave but we can't?"
The imperial concubine sighed silently and said in a low voice, "Because they are An Wang and An Wang Fei."
Jiang Mingwei stood on the city gate tower and watched with her own eyes as the Imperial Guards quickly ran downstairs. In the end, they chased away the commoners and cleared a path for An Wang and An Wang Fei, escorting Hsieh Hyun-chen and Mu Mingtang away. The commoners on both sides were very surprised when they saw them coming down from the city gate tower. They fought to be the first to see Mu Mingtang and Hsieh Hyun-chen. In the end, they were violently stopped by the Imperial Guards. Not long after, Mu Mingtang and Hsieh Hyun-chen walked far away and blended into the crowd.
Jiang Mingwei stared in the direction they left. Another Duke's wife saw it and sighed softly with her, "An Wang really indulges An Wang Fei. It's like this on New Year's Eve, and it's still like this today in Shangyuan. An Wang has a fierce reputation. I didn't expect that under the Wang Fei's name, he would be so considerate. "
Jiang Mingwei didn't want to reply when she heard it. Fortunately, the Duke's wife only sighed and didn't plan on listening to Jiang Mingwei's reply. After the Duke's wife finished speaking, she dispersed.
Jiang Mingwei looked into the distance. Dongjing had a million people. Today, the entire city was mobilized. The streets were so crowded that carriages and horses couldn't stop. All of this looked so prosperous and prosperous. However, Jiang Mingwei knew that very soon, a big fire would overturn everything.
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