Chapter 158: Shangyuan Watching Lantern (I)

Li Qingan walked out the door and saw Mingzhu's face full of anxiety, and smiled and said, "Mingzhu, how do you know I'm here?"

Mingzhu finally found Li Qing'an. She couldn't help but feel happy and jumped over to grab his arm and said, "I've been looking for you everywhere. I've been looking for you for an afternoon. I guess you might be here. Sure enough, I guessed right!"

"What are you asking me for?"

"My stupid brother! Have you forgotten what day it is today? It's the day of Yuan night! Such a good opportunity, don't you want to accompany my sister to watch the lights?"

"It was your sister who asked you to come?"

"She!" Mingzhu said with a small mouth: "Even if she is so thin-skinned, she will never speak. I will only run away for her."

Li Qingan looked at the sky and it was getting late, so he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go to the mansion now."

Mingzhu was overjoyed when she saw that he was willing to accompany her sister to surf the lamp. She hurriedly said, "No! You can't go like this. If you invite her in person like this, she will definitely be too shy and unable to let go. I have already thought about it. You will wait in front of our house gate. Then she will be treated as a chance meeting, so that she will have nothing to say."

Seeing that she was thoughtful, Li Qingan couldn't help but shake her head and smiled: "It's really hard for you, sister. I agreed that we will play together tonight, so don't walk away on purpose."

"You don't mind my annoyance, I'll follow you."

Mingzhu laughed, turned around and ran away, and her voice came from afar, "After an hour, I will wait for us at the gate of Wubenfang."

The 14th day of the first lunar month is the Eve of the Shangyuan Festival. Shangyuan Festival is today's Lantern Festival. In the Tang Dynasty, Shangyuan Festival is an extremely grand and lively festival. It is different from the New Year. The New Year is the beginning of the year. It is a farm festival, a community sacrifice, a sacrifice to the sky, and a ancestor. It has a specific purpose, but Shangyuan Festival is different. It is purely an entertainment and a happy festival, with lanterns as a medium to celebrate the whole country, so Shangyuan Festival is the carnival of the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, the Lantern Festival is also Valentine's Day in the Tang Dynasty. The moon is on the willow branches. After the night of dusk, a pair of lovers reveal their heart songs. A pair of lovers will be together on this night. A pair of lovers will get married on this night. Why should we die if we are a mandarin duck and not envy the immortals.

On the eighth year of Tianbao, the Shangyuan Night became even more grand and enthusiastic due to the victory of the Longyou Battle. The court issued a special order to not close the doors on the three nights of the Shangyuan Day and allow the people to enjoy the fun.

Zhuque and Chunming lanterns stretch for more than ten miles on the two streets, the lanterns in each street, the lanterns in front of every household, the lanterns in the hands of tourists, the jade flowing light, and the colorful purples. The whole Chang'an seems to be immersed in the ocean of lamps.

Every year on the Lantern Festival, Dugu Mingyue goes shopping with the sisters of the clan to lights, but this year is different. When it is still dusk, she begins to dress up carefully. She sits in front of the bronze mirror and puts on makeup. She first applies a layer of white powder on her face, then applies rouge, then draws her eyebrows, puts a flower on her forehead, squint on the corners of her lips, slants on her temples, and then applies lip fat. It is almost dark these days.

She looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She was shining brightly in the mirror, looking at her, and looking like a peony like the fragrance of the sky. She felt quite satisfied, so she picked up a green feather hairpin and inserted it into the cloud bun.

"Sister, are you okay?"

Mingzhu pushed the door and urged, "Hurry up! It's dark."

Mingzhu was unintentionally dressed up today. She was still wearing a red grenade skirt and a double ring of looking at the fairy bun. She had not painted her makeup, but she had a slightly drawn eyebrows. She was anxious. The time she had agreed to have come, and her sister was still dressing up calmly. This was not the case in previous years.

Mingyue glanced at her and smiled, "What are you anxious about? The lantern festival will not end, what does it matter if you go later?"

"It's a big deal! You can leave quickly! If you don't leave, Zhao Xuming is here again." Mingzhu took her sister's hand and left.

"Hey! Wait a minute, I still don't wear jewelry. She opened the ivory jewelry box on the dressing table, which contained essential ornaments such as rings, bracelets, arms, jade pendants, sachets, etc.

Mingzhu was so anxious that she jumped straight into her feet. It would take at least a quarter of an hour to wear these. "Sister, I beg you, you're not getting married, why are you so particular? If you don't go, he will leave."

"He!" Mingyue's face turned red and she asked in discomfort: "Who is he?"

Mingzhu said that she let it go, but she simply didn't hide it and said, "He wants to come to ask you. I tell him not to come. My sister is thin-skinned and will definitely be unwilling to go. He waited for you at the gate of the house. The appointment was long past. I was worried that he would not be able to wait for you, so I went shopping by myself. Once Cui Liuliu and Cui Ningbi's mothers met her sister, go away! I was so anxious."

"I didn't ask him to wait for me, so it's his business for whom he wants to see the lights."

Dugu Mingyue said it lightly, but she closed the jewelry box with a "slap!" and stood up and smiled, "Look at you so anxious, I think you want to go shopping with him on the lights!"

Mingzhu was told to the point, and she said angrily: "Sister, what are you talking nonsense? Otherwise, I won't go, he will wait for you at the gate of the house."

"Silly girl, let's go!"

Dugu Mingyue pulled her sister out quickly. As soon as she walked into the outer courtyard, someone called them behind her, "Mingyue, Mingzhu!"

The one who called them was a palace-dressed lady in her forties. Although she was middle-aged, she was still beautiful. You can imagine her beauty when she was young. She was Pei, the mother of the sisters. Pei was the daughter of Pei Zunqing. She married Dugu Hao more than 20 years ago and gave birth to a son and three daughters for him. The eldest son Gu Duyu passed the imperial examination last year and became the chief clerk of Ye County, Hebei Province. She did not come back for the New Year this year. Her eldest daughter Mingjing was named Princess Jingle and married the Khitan, but died tragically under the Khitan sword. This was Mrs. Pei's greatest heartache.

Although her youngest daughter Mingzhu is fifteen years old, she still looks like a child. She doesn't worry about it. What she is most worried about now is the marriage of her second daughter Mingyue. Mingyue is already seventeen years old this year. Although she is not old, she is gentle and polite, and seems more mature than ordinary peers. It is time to get married. At the beginning, Mingyue's grandfather was afraid that her granddaughter would be chosen to marry another, so she hurriedly found a soldier Li Qing'an for a blind date. Mrs. Pei happened to be away. Afterwards, she shook her head repeatedly. How could her daughter marry an officer? Even if she was an officer, she could do it if she had a family background. She was a person without any background, which made her displeasure.

Among all the young people who came to propose marriage, she fell in love with Zhao Xuming, the Tanhua Lang last year. She was young and promising, knowledgeable, and good character. As for the matters in the officialdom, she didn't care much. The key is that Zhao Xuming is the legitimate son of the Zhao family of Qinzhou. She is a well-known family and has a great family concept. In addition, Zhao Xuming is deeply in love with her daughter. Just when she was considering how to convince her daughter, something sensation happened last night. Li Qing'an was jealous for his daughter, and even drew his sword to face her, which surprised and annoyed Mrs. Pei. If Li Qing'an came like this, who would dare to propose marriage?

"Where are you two going?" Mrs. Pei asked with a smile.

"Mom, we want to go out and watch the lights!"

"Oh! Are you the two of you? I mean, have you made an appointment with anyone?"

"No! No!" Mingzhu denied.

"That's good!"

Seeing Mingyue dressed up very beautifully, Mrs. Pei nodded and smiled, "Mingyue, Mr. Zhao came just now, and she is waiting for you in the guest room! Tonight, let him accompany you to visit the lights!"

Mingyue was stunned, "Mom, which Young Master Zhao?"

"Who else will be Zhao Xuming, who is deeply in love with you! He has been waiting for you for a long time, go quickly!"

Mingzhu said quickly and immediately said, "Mom, my sister hates that guy named Zhao the most."

"Shut up!"

Mrs. Pei's face immediately became gloomy, she slowly walked to her daughter and asked, "Mingyue, have you not even listened to your mother's words?"

"Mom, I"

Mingyue's heart was extremely painful. Mingzhu was about to speak, but Mrs. Pei glared at her fiercely, scaring her to swallow her words. Mrs. Pei smiled and said softly to Mingyue: "Mingyue, mom knows that you have been obedient since childhood. Although Zhao Xuming is a little weak, he is the legitimate son of a famous family and is a match with our Dugu family. Moreover, he is a professional Tanhualang, and his future is limitless. He is knowledgeable and polite. Isn't he the scholar you always like? Mom believes that you will still have feelings after you have been with me for a long time. Don't be willful. Listen to your mother's words, okay?"

At this time, Zhao Xuming suddenly came out of the gate of the courtyard and bowed deeply to the lonely Mingyue, "Miss Mingyue, I apologized to you last night when a young student was rude!"

He had been hiding behind the yard gate. When he heard what Mrs. Pei said, he couldn't help but feel excited. It turned out that there was someone in the Dugu family who supported him, and it was the heavyweight Mingyue mother. He had hope. He secretly saw that Mingyue was dressed up like Qiongzi today, and he was already fascinated, so he couldn't help but come out from behind the door.

Mrs. Pei glanced at him and saw that he was elegant and handsome, as handsome as a beautiful tree, and polite, and could not help but liked him a little more. Then she held Mingyue's hand and smiled, "Go! Mom hopes you have fun today."

"Mom, I'm sorry!"

Mingyue broke free from her mother's hand, turned around and ran towards the inner yard, and Mingzhu hurriedly chased after her.

"Mingyue! Mingyue!" Mrs. Pei shouted twice, but Mingyue just refused to look back.

Mrs. Pei had no choice but to apologize to Zhao Xuming: "Young Master Zhao, I'm sorry."

"It's okay! It's okay! My aunt is an elder, so there's no reason to apologize to my younger generation. Today, a few old classmates and friends happened to ask me, so I'll go watch the lantern with them."

Speaking of this, he gave another deep tribute and said sincerely: "Thank you, aunt for your fulfillment, I am grateful to you."

When Mrs. Pei saw that he was well-educated, she felt even more guilty and said, "Young Master Zhao, do you have elders in Chang'an?"

Zhao Xuming was stunned. He suddenly reacted and said happily: "Yes! Yes! My uncle is in Chang'an, I'll discuss with him now."

"Don't worry, let's talk about it after the Lantern Festival. You'd better have fun with your classmates tonight!"

Mrs. Pei smiled slightly and turned around and left. Zhao Xuming jumped high with joy. He finally had hope.

Mingyue had already returned to her room, and she felt extremely painful. Her mother actually wanted to marry her to Zhao Xuming. She was stunned outside the window and suddenly covered her face and started crying in a low voice.

"Sister, stop crying, and Daddy! Daddy won't let you marry that man named Zhao."

Mingzhu stepped forward and pulled her sister and said, "Let's go through the back door! Don't let Brother Li wait in a hurry."

Mingyue wiped away her tears, shook her head and said, "It's not a problem with the front and back doors. Mingzhu, go and tell him, and say I can't go out tonight, please forgive me."

Seeing that her sister was determined, Mingzhu felt helpless and had to turn around and go. Along the way, she secretly cursed Zhao Xuming, a stinky pig who was stinky, would be better off being hit by a carriage as soon as she went out. She turned a corner in the back garden and suddenly appeared in front of her. Mingzhu was not careful and almost hit her.

"Mingzhu, are you thinking about sneaking out to play again?"

Mingzhu looked up and saw that it was Zuniang, which scared her to salute her quickly, "Zuniang, I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

This woman is the wife of Mingzhu's grandfather Dugu Shi, and Mrs. Wang. She has always liked Mingzhu the most. Mingzhu sneaked out to play in the past. Dugu Shi was furious several times, but she persuaded her. Seeing Mingzhu was worried, she smiled and said, "Do you want to go out for a lantern but your mother doesn't let her? Just go play, I'll make the decision for you."

Mingzhu's eyes rolled, and she suddenly thought of a wonderful idea and said quickly: "Zu Niang, my sister wants to go out for the lights, but she doesn't let me, go and tell my mother! She said she wants her sister to accompany you to go out for the lights."

Mrs. Wang smiled and pointed at her forehead, "You weird little girl, do you think I don't know? You want to offend your mother, you can think of it."

Mingzhu blushed and took Mrs. Wang's hand and begged: "Zu Niang, just help me! Please."

"Then tell me the truth, is Li Qing'an waiting for your sister outside?"

Mingzhu had no choice but to nod and said worriedly: "It's already a quarter of an hour late. I'm afraid he can't wait to come to find his sister. If my mother finds out, things will be in trouble."

Mrs. Wang is a smart and pragmatic woman. In her opinion, what is Zhao Xuming? A little assistant to the Imperial Academy and a seventh-rank official, can she compare with the Beiting Jiedushi? Mrs. Pei is really confused and is interested in those empty and useless families. She had seen Li Qing'an on a blind date last time. Although she was a little rude, the young man was very capable and respected by the emperor. At a young age, she became the governor of Yizhen. If Mingyue married him, how big is this for the Dugu family?

She smiled and said, "Okay! I was about to go out for a lantern, but no one was with me. Just accompany me with my sister! Your mother is my junior, so there is no need to say anything to her. Go and call your sister, and we will leave now."

Mingzhu was so happy that her heart was about to explode. She stretched out her mouth and kissed Mrs. Wang hard on the face, "Thank you, Zuniang, I'll call my sister now."

"This dead girl!"
Chapter completed!