Tonight, all the masters and servants in Sumeng Pavilion were sitting at the same table. The lively New Year's Eve dinner lasted until midnight. Some of the drunkards had already passed out under the table, and there were not many people who could stand.
One is awake.
Fan Tao and several palace servants who were still able to walk carried the drunken people back to their respective rooms. Xuechun was still conscious. After tidying up the room, he brought Xi Qian hot water for washing her face.
Xi Qian took off the hairpin on her head in front of the mirror, and her long black hair fell down on her shoulders like a waterfall. Xuechun gently combed it with a comb and said, "Princess also drank a lot of wine tonight, why not wash it early?"
Go to sleep."
Xiqian shook her head and said, "I want to stay a while longer. Anyway, we don't have a queen in charge in the palace. There is no need to get up early to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow morning. If you are sleepy, just go to bed first."
"Is your servant staying with you?" Xuechun looked sad, and there seemed to be tears in his eyes under the yellowish candlelight. "Although everyone in the family is gone, I still want to stay up late and pray for them."
Xi Qian pulled her to sit on the bed together, "Okay, let's watch the New Year's Eve together tonight. Whoever falls asleep will be the puppy."
Xuechun swept away the gloom just now, took Xi Xuan's hand and said urgently, "No, no, I drank a lot of wine just now, and now I'm a little dizzy. I will definitely fall asleep first in a while."
"No cheating! Anyone who falls asleep will have to bark like a dog tomorrow."
Xuechun had a sad expression on his face at first, but after turning his eyes, he smiled and said, "Princess, please tell me some more stories. Listening to the stories will prevent you from falling asleep."
"No problem, what do you want to hear?" Xi Qian doesn't know anything else, but has read a lot of miscellaneous books, and the stories she tells are never the same every time.
Xuechun thought for a while but couldn't think of what to listen to, so he said, "Whatever, as long as it's interesting."
"Today is New Year's Eve. Let me tell you something related to the Chinese New Year. Do you know why you have to stay up during the Chinese New Year?"
"Of course I understand." Xuechun looked like he was not at a loss. "The purpose of staying up late is to pray that in the coming year, my family will be safe and healthy, and I will go well."
"What else?" Xi Qian was like a teacher in school testing students.
Xuechun pursed his lips and shook his head, "What else is there? This is all I know."
"If you don't know, just listen to me carefully." Xi Qian pretended to be mature and cleared her throat, and began to tell the story of staying up late.
"According to legend, in the ancient times long, long ago, there was a ferocious monster named 'Nian'."
"Nian? How could there be a monster with this name?" Xuechun interrupted her story with some doubts.
"There are so many reasons, just listen to me." Seeing Xi Qian's serious expression, Xuechun stuck out his tongue and stopped questioning.
Xi Qian continued, "This 'Nian' will crawl out of the sea every night on New Year's Eve, eating up all the people and livestock wherever he goes, destroying all the fields, and making people work so hard."
All the achievements of the past year have been ruined by the 'Nian'. So every night on New Year's Eve, people close the door early, and the whole family dare not sleep. They sit around and drink to strengthen their courage, and wait until the New Year's Eve.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, when the Nian returned to the sea, people dared to go out. After meeting, they all congratulated each other and were glad that they had not been eaten."
Xuechun sighed for the people in the story, "These people are so pitiful. Shouldn't everyone be happy during the New Year? What happens next?"
"Then one year on the 30th night, 'Nian' ran into a village and ate up all the people. Only a family of newlyweds wearing red clothes and a red sign of happiness survived. 'Nian' ran to another village again.
In the village, a few children set off firecrackers, scaring Nian so much that he turned around and ran away. People finally knew what Nian was afraid of. Later, every thirtieth day, people would put red paper on their doors and wear red clothes???
"
Xuechun lay on the side and fell asleep slowly. Xiqian shook her head with a smile and gently covered her with a quilt.
Outside the window was a fiery red light reflected by the lanterns, and occasionally the sound of firecrackers could be heard in the distance. Xi Xian put on her big cloak and walked out of the courtyard. When the cold wind blew on her forehead, she almost woke up from the wine.
Both sides of the road were hung with bright red lanterns, all swaying in the wind, like soldiers lined up waiting for a general's review.
Xi Qian followed the light and walked into the main hall of Wanyun Palace. The palace people took advantage of the Chinese New Year to go drinking somewhere. There was no one in the bright hall. When they entered the inner room where Li Zhaoyuan lived, the layout and furnishings were still the same, but there were no more people.
No more.
Xi Qian sat next to the table mat, thinking that in the autumn she was still sitting here chatting with Li Zhaoyuan, but now they are separated from each other, and she couldn't help but lament the impermanence of the human world.
When Li Zhaoyuan was there, the Wanyun Palace was not as lively as the Lanchi Palace with all the welcome and drop-offs all day long, but looking at it today, it was as quiet as a cold palace.
Xiqian didn't want to stay any longer, so she walked out quickly, but when she reached the door, she stopped again, staring blankly at the empty space where the jade screen was originally placed, and suddenly her heart felt empty.
After leaving the palace door, she took a deep breath, and the waves in her heart slowly subsided. When she saw a faint fire in the distance, she walked over unconsciously.
When she got closer, she saw clearly that it was a palace maid who was burning paper money. It was taboo to burn paper money privately in the palace. Xi Qian was about to step forward to stop it, but suddenly remembered that the palace maid was Chunxi, Li Zhaoyuan's personal maid.
.
Xiqian looked at Chunxi's sobbing back, felt sad in her heart, and turned around silently to leave. The silence in Wanyun Palace made people feel extremely depressing. She quickly walked out of the palace gate and walked aimlessly in the imperial garden.
Unknowingly, she walked to the place where she first played on the swing, but when she looked around, there was no sign of the swing, and it felt like another piece of her heart had been taken away.
Xiqian didn't want to see this anymore, lowered her head and turned around to leave, only looking at the stone road under her feet.
It wasn't until my legs were sore from walking that I stopped. I looked up at the unfamiliar environment and realized that I was lost. I wanted to ask someone from the palace for directions, but it was Chinese New Year in the middle of the night and I couldn't find anyone.
.
She had no choice but to walk by her feelings. When she saw a small road in front of her, she felt familiar, so she walked up it. When she reached the end of the road, she found an open space, and the familiar feeling became stronger and stronger.
She quickened her pace in excitement and walked to a door. When she looked up, she saw three words "Mengxinju".
Xi Zhi's feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move at all. Her eyes were looking straight at the three big characters with cold light. Her heart seemed to have been completely sucked away, and her body instantly became cold.
Those three words were like a spell, nailing her to the bottom of it. She couldn't retreat if she wanted to, couldn't advance if she wanted to, and could only linger in place in embarrassment.