When it comes to their elder brother Li Yizhen, both of them are a little uninterested.
Because among the three, Li Yizhen was the most opinionated. Now that he is no longer around, leaving only the two of them, it feels like he has lost his backbone.
However, you still have to participate in the lantern festival. The annual Lantern Festival Lantern Festival in Chang'an is the most anticipated ceremony for Chang'an people, and "outsiders" like them have also longed for it.
The two of them were not in a hurry. They came out of Anchangfang and walked straight ahead until they reached Anshang Street. When they got here, the flow of people began to get denser and they could see the lanterns.
The two brothers and two servants poked their heads around the street and looked around. Li Yiyan made a difficult decision and went directly north to the imperial city.
The reason given is that there will be fireworks going off in the Imperial City tonight, so go there early to avoid missing it.
Li Shangde said, "This year, the lanterns are all over the city. I guess no one can see them all. It's a pity."
In the blink of an eye, he laughed and said, "Brother, before leaving, he asked us two to think twice about everything, go with the flow, and don't force anything. So today we will go with the general trend and follow everyone."
Li Yiyan rolled his eyelids. There was a big difference in temperament between him and his younger brother. Without Li Yichen around, they would have to fight each other after just a few words.
So Li Yiyan wrapped his sleeves and gave a reserved hum. The corner of Li Shangde's mouth twitched. He couldn't stand the pretentiousness of his elder brother. He really wanted to kick him as he did when he was a child.
In any case, the two brothers rarely reached an agreement and followed the flow of people while watching the lanterns on the street and headed towards the imperial city.
Although the scale of this year's lantern festival is much larger, as the night gets darker, the flow of people on the street gradually becomes crowded.
Because people are used to going to the Imperial City to watch the lanterns, the three spacious eight-lane roads in Chang'an are crowded with people, all of them heading north.
Especially on Zhuque Street, people were supporting the old and the young, and the crowds were buzzing. The lanterns on the street could not keep the crowd away. It is conceivable that the grand occasion in the imperial city tonight was not half as bad as in previous years.
More and more people were pouring into the Imperial City. The situation was a bit unexpected. The garrison troops were immediately mobilized and entered the Imperial City to guard the city.
Not only are people afraid of stampedes, fires and other emergencies, but what is especially worrying is that like last year, someone will commit murder in full view of the public.
It seemed like the two brothers who were still rushing to the imperial city were mumbling.
"The lights are dim tonight and the grand occasion is unprecedented. I don't know if anyone will rise up and cause chaos in the imperial city..."
"Shut up, can't you think of something good? Haven't you seen enough fun?"
"I also want to be safe, but those thieves are really bold. Brother, are you in Guanwen Hall? Did you hear that the fatal incident on New Year's Eve last year was still unsolved? Has the murderer been caught in the end?"
Li Yiyan was extremely upset by his younger brother and missed his eldest brother Li Yichen who was far away.
While pretending to watch the lanterns, he was perfunctory with his younger brother, "I serve in the Guanwen Palace, and my appointment is a matter for the Chang'an magistrate. How could I hear about such things?
This lantern is uniquely made and has a small poem written on it. Come on, let’s go over and take a closer look.”
Li Shangde's attention was immediately diverted, and he followed his brother over. After reading it, he shook his head, "It's so far from the sapphire eucalyptus, it's a pity that this lantern..."
Someone next to him chuckled softly, "Hao Chujun, a talented scholar from Jiangyou, still has some poetic talent, but compared with the green jade eucalyptus...it's so unfair to treat others."
The voice has some southern accent, is soft and thin, and scratches people's heart even when they don't see anyone.
Li Yichen immediately turned around and almost twisted his neck, but saw that several people had already come to them and were reading the poems on the lanterns.
They were all wearing men's clothes and were followed by servants. Under the light, Li Yiyan seemed to only see a few white necks.
Li Shangde turned his head to look at the side, but he immediately stepped forward to greet him happily, which shocked Li Yiyan. He thought to himself, you are a libertine, how could you just go up to meet each other like this? You are very brave, don't be rude.
beautiful woman.
It's just that Li Shangde is not a cowardly person, he recognizes the person coming.
"Shangde has met Mrs. Li. Did she come from the academy?"
It was Li Keqing and his party who came. In the middle were three ladies disguised as men. Li Keqing was on the left, and on the right was a tall, handsome young woman.
Her name is Bai Hongyu, and she is as famous in Jiangzuo as Li Keqing. Needless to say, she is also a famous prostitute in Jiangnan, famous for her sword dance.
She arrived in Chang'an at the end of autumn this year, and it was Lu Xiangjun who was also a famous prostitute in the south of the Yangtze River and had become famous in Chang'an in recent years.
There was one person sandwiched between two tall and delicate women. She was short and had some baby fat on her face, but she was full of energy in the cold weather. It was Lu Sheng and Lu Xiangjun.
At this time, Li Keqing covered his mouth and smiled, bowing, "Professor Li, you are polite. You are a talented person, but your casual comments are unfair. I couldn't help but said something fair. Don't be upset."
slave."
Li Shangde's eyes were wandering wildly, looking at this person and that person. His two eyes were not enough.
However, he was open-minded by nature, and when he saw several such outstanding young ladies, he was not afraid of the stage. He cupped his fists and said with a smile: "I'm ashamed, I'm just saying it casually. In fact, what can I do if I can write inscriptions on lanterns?"
?Definitely much better than me.
My wife said that he is a great talent in Jiangyou, so she must be right."
The three famous prostitutes from the south of the Yangtze River all laughed, their flowers trembling, and their eyes were dazzled.
They are all people who are accustomed to seeing talented people. The fact that Li Shangde could joke like this in front of them shows that he has a really good character.
It's just that the eyes are a bit dishonest, making people want to poke them.
Li Shangde pulled his brother over and introduced him to Li Keqing. Hearing that he was a doctor from Guanwen Hall, the three of them immediately became more reserved, which was a sign of respect.
Only Lu Xiangjun has been to the Guanwen Hall, but he has never seen Li Yiyan. This is normal. There are many palaces in the Guanwen Hall. When Lu Xiangjun went to check the classics, he only looked up books on music.
Li Yiyan was sorting out various historical materials, so naturally he couldn't see her.
Li Yiyan had not experienced such a scene. The eyes of the three women were wandering around him, which made him very uncomfortable. His face was as red as Guan Gong's, and even his hands and feet became stiff.
Li Keqing and the other three couldn't help but laugh when they saw it. They were so happy that they couldn't even say a word. They secretly thought in their hearts, it seems that this person is a person in the entertainment scene, he is very cute.
Li Keqing and the other three returned the greeting one by one, and Li Keqing introduced the other two people.
Li Shangde was extremely happy. When he went to the lantern festival last year, his mind was filled with stories of talented people and beauties. When he went to see the lanterns at the Caiyufang brothel, he saw a little bit of the colors.
I didn't want to come back this year, but I unexpectedly met three famous prostitutes. God was really grateful. The few sticks of incense burned to the Buddha when they came out were also very effective.