The Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
This year is the first year that the emperor returned to Chang'an, and it is also the year of the Yuan Dynasty. Chang'an City has also begun to put up lanterns to celebrate this year's Lantern Festival.
Although the palace issued an edict to celebrate, and the Jingzhao Mansion also hired skilled craftsmen to tie the palace lanterns, Chang'an City this year was much deserted than before.
It was the last day of the Zhengdan holiday. In order to celebrate the New Year for the people of Wannian County, the new county magistrate Wang Chengwei had been working in the Yamen since the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Sure enough, several fires and disputes occurred one after another during this period. Although they were not major events, the Yamen was short of manpower during the holiday, which also kept Wang Chengwei busy.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Wang Chengwei was finally able to take a break and travel to Chang'an City with a few friends.
Wei Yingwu and Gu Kuang both served as censors. Censorship was a very noble position, and they did not have to go to the Yamen to work every day.
The censor had great authority in the Tang Dynasty. He could mobilize personnel from Dali Temple to assist in handling cases, and he could freely investigate important officials of the court.
Wei Yingwu and Gu Kuang also didn't understand why Wang Chengwei, the number one scholar, gave up his position as censor and became the county magistrate for ten thousand years.
During the holiday, Wei Yingwu and Gu Kuang made an appointment with their classmates and friends to go sightseeing, but Wang Chengwei had no leisure day and was busy with chores in Wannian County every day.
Tonight is the Lantern Festival of the Lantern Festival, and all Wannian County will be dispatched to maintain law and order in Wannian County tonight.
Therefore, Gu Kuang and Wei Yingwu could only visit Chang'an City with Wang Chengwei during the day.
Wei Yingwu is from Jingzhao Wannian County. He has grown up seeing the prosperity of Kaiyuan Tianbao period since he was a child. Wei Yingwu sighed and said:
"When the emperor was on the throne, he would ask Wannian Lu to build a float. It took thirty people to push the float. The theme of the lanterns is different every year."
"I still remember that one year the theme was the Moon Palace. On the Moon Palace made by Lu, a beauty dressed as Chang'e danced on the float, while the moon rabbit made of paper jumped around Chang'e, and the Wuhan made of paper could also face the huge laurel lantern.
Swinging an ax was really memorable for me."
Gu Kuang and Wang Chengwei both showed yearning expressions. During the Kaiyuan Tianbao period, Chang'an was indeed a prosperous and prosperous age.
Naturally, there will be no Lu family lanterns in Wannian County this year. In fact, after the Lu family was occupied by the puppet Yan in Chang'an City, their property was plundered by the puppet Yan soldiers. All the direct descendants of the Lu family died in the war, and the branches of the family had already
He had already left Chang'an and fled.
Wang Chengwei sighed, but it was a pity that he had never seen Chang'an in its prime.
Wei Yingwu sighed even more. He had seen Chang'an in its prosperous times, and he felt even worse when he saw the streets in such a state of desolation during the Lantern Festival.
Gu Kuang said: "Your Majesty is benevolent and considerate of the people. He does not require all the lantern parades in Chang'an to participate in the lantern parade. Although this year's Lantern Festival is deserted, the people can still spend some money."
According to the tradition of Chang'an, during the Lantern Festival every year, Chang'an 108th Street will put up lanterns and participate in the float parade.
Chang'an suffered a snowstorm this year. It would be very disrespectful to let the city of Chang'an put up lanterns again.
Therefore, the emperor waived this event this year and held a royal lantern parade on Zhuque Street as usual. He also lifted the Lantern Festival curfew and allowed the people to go to Zhuque Street to watch the lantern parade at night.
However, it is the Shangyuan Festival after all, which is also one of the most important festivals in the Tang Dynasty. Unmarried young ladies who rarely go out on the streets can wear new clothes on this day and participate in the night tours of the Shangyuan Festival.
Unknowingly, the three of them walked to the front of Xingqing Palace. At this time, many people gathered in front of Xingqing Palace. They only heard people around shouting: "The emperor has received a lottery!"
Xingqing Palace is far away from the Taiji and Daming Palaces and is relatively small in scale. It is close to the west gate of Chang'an and is also within the scope of Wannian County.
The street in front of Xingqing Palace is also very lively on weekdays. Li Longji would sometimes go up to the Flower Calyx Xianghui Tower to interact with the people on the street.
Some common people who remember the good life during the emperor's period will spontaneously come to the Huaxianhui Tower, hoping that the emperor can stand on the Huaxue Tower like he did in the prosperous times and give the people a kind of comfort.
It seems that as long as Li Longji is still standing there, the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty will not be far behind.
The three of them looked at the many small lanterns hanging on the calyx building, with red notes hanging under the lanterns.
The three curious people walked over and took a look. It turned out that the riddles hanging under the lantern were Lantern Festival riddles.
There are also many people dressed as scholars, standing under these small lanterns, looking at lantern riddles and meditating.
Several eunuchs stood under the calyx building, and those who solved the lantern riddles could take the red slips and claim the prize.
Although the lottery money given by Xingqing Palace is actually not much, the people still join in the fun to celebrate.
It's just that the lantern riddles in Xingqing Palace are quite difficult. Not all scholars stand under the lantern riddles and scratch their heads.
Wei Yingwu suddenly became interested, and he said to Wang Chengwei and Gu Kuang: "Brother Wang, Brother Gu, why don't we use this riddle as a prize to see who can solve more riddles?"
"Whoever solves the least lantern riddles will be treated to a treat tonight."
Hearing that there was a lucky draw, Gu Kuang also became eager to win, and the three of them separated to look for lantern riddles.
This time Wang Chengwei did not use the search function outside the game, nor did he post on the forum to ask for help from other players, but honestly participated in solving the lantern riddles.
There was no cheating, and in the end the most knowledgeable Gu Kuang won. He solved nine lantern riddles alone and won five pieces of lottery money.
Wei Yingwu solved five lantern riddles and took away five pieces of lottery money as everyone watched in amazement.
Wang Chengwei only solved three lantern riddles. Although it was a good result in the entire square, he could only be ranked last among the three.
Gu Kuang and Wei Yingwu defeated Wang Chengwei once, and they happily wanted to kill Wang Chengwei, a big dog.
Wang Chengwei had to stay at the county government office in the evening, so he simply found a restaurant near Huacalyx Tower. The three of them boarded the restaurant and looked at the crowd below. Wei Yingwu couldn't help but sigh:
"When the emperor was in court, every year during the Shangyuan Festival, the Lu family would put up a lantern as high as the calyx tower. The emperor would also give banquets to the ministers in the Qinben Hall and the calyx tower. At that time, Chang'an City was a happy place.
The city that never sleeps.”
Speaking of this, Wei Yingwu couldn't help but miss the time when the emperor was on the throne.
In Xingqing Palace, Gao Lishi was saying to Li Longji: "Sage, the emperor invites you to go to Taiji Palace to attend the royal banquet tonight. The waiting car is already outside the gate of Xingqing Palace."
Li Longji said with some displeasure: "I just want to stay in Xingqing Palace to celebrate the Lantern Festival, but the emperor doesn't allow it?"
Li Longji wanted to stay in Xingqing Palace. Starting from the first year of Tianbao, Li Longji spent the Lantern Festival in Xingqing Palace every year.
Especially after Yang Yuhuan entered the palace, Li Longji would order craftsmen to put up lanterns as high as a hill every year in order to make the beauty laugh. Every year on the night of the Lantern Festival, he would watch the fireworks with Yang Yuhuan on the Calyx Tower.
On the other hand, only in the deserted Xingqing Palace, the emperor would feel that he was still the supreme ruler of the empire, instead of watching his son play the leading role in the Taiji Palace.
"Tell the emperor that I am sick and will not go to the Tai Chi Palace night banquet today."
Li Longji grabbed his cloak and said.
Gao Lishi originally wanted to persuade him again, but seeing Li Longji's thin body, Gao Lishi finally backed down.
The emperor is old.
When he won the throne, Gao Lishi was by Li Longji's side. At that time, Li Longji was cautious in his words and deeds, and did not give any loopholes to the enemy.
Even Gao Lishi understood that it was very unwise to disobey the emperor in this situation.
It is impossible for him not to see the emperor's political wisdom.
The reason why he insisted on staying in Xingqing Palace to celebrate the Lantern Festival was probably because the emperor was old. People naturally become stubborn when they get older.
Gao Lishi walked outside the gate of Xingqing Palace and said to Yu Chaoen who was greeting the emperor;
"The Emperor is ill. Please go back and report to Your Majesty."
Yu Chaoen looked at Gao Lishi and said, "The Emperor is ill? Do you need to ask for an imperial doctor?"
Gao Lishi said coldly: "The imperial doctor from Xingqing Palace has examined and treated me. He said that he had an occasional cold and he was already taking medicine."
Yu Chaoen said with some embarrassment: "But this is His Majesty's will."
Gao Lishi suddenly felt an unknown fire. A mere eunuch dared to force the emperor like this.
He immediately said with a cold face: "You are so brave, are you going to let the sick emperor attend His Majesty's night banquet? Are you trying to ruin His Majesty's reputation for loyalty and filial piety?"
Yu Chaoen quickly knelt down and said, "I don't dare!"
After saying this, Gao Lishi returned to Xingqing Palace. He suddenly laughed. Just now, he was lamenting that the emperor was old. How could he not be old too?
Yu Chaoen stood up with a sinister look on his face, looking at the closed gate of Xingqing Palace, his heart filled with dissatisfaction.
As Yu Chaoen came out to deliver the order, Mu Rong quickly approached and asked:
"Jian Cheng, shall we go back now?"
"go back!"
The seeds of hatred between the two palaces were first planted between the eunuchs between the two palaces.
The lights in the Tai Chi Palace are bright. Today is a royal family banquet, not a banquet for the officials to stay up on New Year's Eve.
Princess Yanguang is putting on makeup. She will enter the palace tonight to attend the Shangyuan Banquet, which is also a very important royal banquet.
After dressing up carefully, Wan'er, the maid next to the princess, held the glass mirror donated by the Longyou Governor's Mansion and said:
"Your Highness is already so beautiful, why do you need to wear such vulgar makeup?"
"What do you know? My father is hosting a banquet today, so I can't overshadow the banquet."
Wan'er understood what the princess meant. The protagonist of the royal family banquet was naturally the newly canonized Queen Zhang.
In the palace of the Crown Prince and Prince Qi, the two princes are also preparing to enter the palace. Today's night banquet is also an important opportunity for performance.
Chang'an once again hides the storm.
It’s a transitional episode. I can’t update it recently because I’m wearing a mask at home with my baby. I’m sorry.