Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 643: Where the Lights Are Bright [Thank you! Goodbye! 39k more to go]

sunset,

It will get dark,

The lanterns on the streets of Bianjing City have gradually lit up.

Looking out from the third floor of the tall Pan Building, the entire Bianjing became a sea of ​​lights.

Imperial Street, not far from Panlou Main Street, is the most lively place today. From time to time, you can hear the cheers and exclamations of the people watching the performances.

"Second Young Master, it's getting dark. You should prepare to go to the palace." Zhique said with a bow.

Gu Tingye, who was looking at the scenery outside the private room, nodded: "I understand."

After saying that, Gu Tingye gave Xu Zaijing a look, patted Xu Zaijing on the shoulder, then turned and left the private room.

Subsequently,

Han Niu also bowed and said, "Second Master, Third Master, my family has sent a message that our carriage has already left."

Changbai and Changfeng nodded together and said, "Okay, we'll go down now."

After saying that, Changbai looked at everyone in the room and said with a bow, "Everyone, I will take my leave now. Wulang, Young Master, see you tomorrow."

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "See you tomorrow."

Qi Heng echoed from the side.

After sending them to the door, Qi Heng said, "Brother Jing, Third Aunt and the others are all in the Sibaozhai over there, why don't we go down together?"

Liang Han said, "Yes, it's getting dark soon, it's a good time to watch the lanterns."

"Alright."

Then, everyone asked their maids to pack up their things and went upstairs.

The east intersection of Panlou Main Street,
Sibaozhai,
There were many carriages parked downstairs, and many servants, maids and guards standing on the first floor.

On the second floor,
Several noble ladies from the capital were talking.

Looking at the somewhat depressed Zhang Jia Wu Niang, Chai Zhengzheng smiled and whispered a few words in her ear, and then the two noble ladies walked to the window facing the street.

After opening the window, Zhang Jia Wu Niang looked out curiously and whispered, "Where is it?"

Chai Zhengzheng smiled and pointed downstairs, where there was a strong and muscular young man wearing a new brocade robe and standing next to a good horse.

Seeing Chai Zhengzheng and Zhang Jia Wu Niang, the young man in brocade robe who was looking up at the upstairs, his eyes first froze, and then he quickly turned his head to look to the side.

Seeing this, the two ladies closed the windows and covered their mouths with their hands and laughed.

"What are you doing?" Gu Tingyi, who was not far away, looked at his two friends in confusion.

"Sister Tingyi, it's nothing!" Chai Zhengzheng said with a smile.

Rong Feiyan, who was standing next to him, smiled and said, "I was the last one to arrive. When I came up, I seemed to see the Huang family's son, the Shoushanbo."

Upon hearing this,
Gu Tingyi didn't know where to put his eyes for a moment, and nodded: "Oh!"

Looking at the teasing and giggling faces of the noble ladies upstairs, Gu Tingyi rolled his eyes and said, "It's getting dark soon, so I think Yuan Ruo and Brother Jing should be here soon."

"Really?" Zhang Jiawu Niang smiled and walked towards the window again.

Chai Zhengzheng was stunned for a moment, then he forced himself to say, "Let me take a look too."

Just walked to the window,

"Wulang! Have a good day, Shangyuan."

"Brother Yue, have a safe and healthy Lantern Festival."

There were voices talking downstairs.

After another round of greetings to Qi Heng, Liang Han and the others, someone asked, "I heard that Second Mother caught a cold, but is she recovered?"

"She's much better! But to be on the safe side, we didn't let her out today." Huang Qingyue said.

"Yes, yes, it's cold this night."

"It can be seen that the north is indeed a bit dry. Brother Yue, you have become much more mature." Xu Zaijing said.

"Brother Xu Wu!" The voice of Zhang Jia Wu Niang greeting came from upstairs.

Everyone downstairs looked upstairs, and Xu Zaijing smiled and cupped his hands.

upstairs,

Zhang Jia Wu Niang looked back at the people on the second floor and said with a smile: "Let's go!"

After that, after a busy moment upstairs, several noble ladies wearing expensive cloaks and coats came downstairs.

After going downstairs, the cool night breeze blew from the street, bringing with it the elegant and precious scent of incense on the ladies' clothes.

Xu Zaijing looked at Nanny Chang who was following Gu Tingyi, and nodded in greeting with a smile.

Nanny Chang bowed slightly in return.

Everyone rode horses and took carriages, but when they went west out of Panlou Main Street and were still some distance away from Imperial Street, the flow of people became very crowded.

Everyone got off their horses and carriages, preparing to walk to Imperial Street.

Before setting off, Xu Zaijing called Qingyun Alan beside him to guard the outermost side.

To the right of Qingyun and Alan were Qingcao and three other female servants who followed Xu Zaijing.

Qi Heng's close followers, such as Buwei, stood behind Qingyun and his companions.

Zhang's Fifth Lady called to the servants and guards of the Duke of Yingguo, saying, "You guys, go ahead of Brother Qingyun. Madam Fan, you guys go beside me. Protect me, Zhengzheng, Feiyan, and the others."

After this arrangement was made, the ladies were protected inside by guards, servants, maids and maids. This was both safe and would not delay the viewing of lanterns and guessing riddles.

When everyone was about to start walking forward, Madam Chang stood on tiptoe and looked forward, pointed at someone and shouted, "Hey! That boy over there, come to me, Madam!"

The servants and maids in front all looked towards Nanny Chang.

Qingyun relied on his height and pointed at Alan in front of him. Nanny Chang nodded quickly: "Brother Qingyun, it's that boy. Let him come over."

Hearing this, Qingyun pushed Alan.

quickly,

Alan came near Nanny Chang. Nanny Chang looked at Qingzhi who was about to bury her head in her chest and said, "Just stay behind me and take good care of my maid."

Several of Gu Tingyi's personal maids around Nanny Chang covered their mouths and laughed.

And he looked at Alan's embarrassment without any shyness.

When everyone reached the vicinity of the Imperial Street, the entire team was still relatively intact.

Zhang Jia Wu Niang intentionally or unintentionally held the hands of her two friends and walked to Xu Zaijing.

Qi Heng and Liang Han walked together, whispering to each other from time to time.

It seemed that Liang Han was mostly talking and Qi Heng was listening, nodding from time to time while listening.

Walking in the middle were Huang Qingyue and Gu Tingyi. Perhaps they had just returned to Beijing and had not yet given up their habits from the battlefield.

Huang Qingyue looked around from time to time, his eyes scanning the lanterns and faces of passers-by, but he didn't dare to look at the girl beside him.

Gu Tingyi glanced at the young man next to him several times. Just when he was about to say a few words to break the dull atmosphere, the young man next to him turned his head and looked away.

When Gu Tingyi was looking at the lanterns by herself, she felt that the young man next to her was looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

After a few rounds, Gu Tingyi curled his lips helplessly, and then looked straight at the young man next to him.

When Huang Qingyue 'peeked' again, he was greeted by the gaze of the girl next to him.

"Wow, the lanterns are really beautiful tonight." Huang Qingyue said, pointing around.

Gu Tingyi nodded and said, "How does the weather in the north compare to that in Bianjing?"

Huang Qingyue touched his cheek and said with a smile: "As Wulang said, cold and dryness can devastate people." "Father has an ointment that he often uses. I'll ask Nanny to send you a bottle tomorrow. I think it will be able to resist the disease to some extent." Gu Tingyi said with a smile.

Huang Qingyue was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Okay."

Nanny Chang, who seemed to be looking away but was listening with her ears perked up, nodded secretly as she listened to the conversation between the two.

Crowds of people walked along Imperial Street, stopping from time to time to watch the various performances on the roadside.

Xu Zaijing had visited the lantern show so many times that some of the performances seemed quite boring.

It was just a colorful tent for telling jokes and stories, where Xu Zaijing could stay for a while.

The three noble ladies around him were focusing on the exquisite lanterns, and from time to time they would ask Xu Zaijing and Qi Heng to help them guess riddles.

As he got closer to the three girls, Xu Zaijing's outstanding nose detected three different scents of incense.

Walking northward along the Imperial Street, the crowd gradually approached the huge open space in front of Xuande Gate, and the various noisy sounds were getting louder.

From time to time, shouts of "Long live the emperor" could be heard, the sound like a tsunami.

Most of Xu Zaijing and his companions had been to Xuande Gate to appreciate the lanterns, so they were not unfamiliar with it.

Along the way, they would occasionally see similar groups to theirs, mostly young men and women traveling together.

Coming closer, looking at the crowded crowd in front, Zhang Jia Wu Niang held Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan's hands and said hesitantly to Xu Zaijing: "Brother Xu Wu, can we still go to Da'ao Mountain over there?"

"This Da'aoshan Lantern is there every year. I heard that as long as you pray to it sincerely, your wishes will come true!"

When Xu Zaijing heard this, he asked in confusion, "Wu Niang, why haven't I heard of this?"

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing glanced at Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, who was being protected very well, and then looked at Qi Heng and Liang Han: "Yuan Ruo, Liu Lang, do you know?"

Qi Heng and Liang Han nodded. Liang Han said, "Brother Jing, I know! In fact, this saying has gradually emerged since the lanterns on Da'ao Mountain were made."

"Oh! I see." Xu Zaijing said.

Listening to the conversation between the few people, Rong Feiyan beside Wu Niang nodded repeatedly, her eyes jumping between the people who were talking.

When her eyes were on Xu Zaijing who was speaking, Rong Feiyan inevitably looked at Xu Zaijing.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's meaningful glance, Rong Feiyan felt shy at first, but after the shyness, she felt more confused and puzzled.

Although Rong Feiyan had known Xu Zaijing for many years and had talked and looked into his eyes many times, she had never seen Xu Zaijing look like this.

"Sister Feiyan?" Wu Niang called out.

"Ah? What's wrong?" Rong Feiyan woke up from confusion.

"Fei Yan, what are you praying for in front of the lanterns on Da'ao Mountain?" Chai Zhengzheng, who was on the other side of Wu Niang, asked with a smile.

"Well, I'm going to pray for my brother." Rong Feiyan said.

Zhang Jia Wu Niang nodded and said, "The mountains and rivers in the south are dangerous and there are many poisonous miasma. We need to pray more."

Xu Zaijing looked at the huge crowd in front of him and turned back to say, "Guards and servants, link your arms together, and the mothers and maids should do the same."

Hearing this, Qi Heng and Liang Han hurriedly came to Xu Zaijing and each held one of his arms.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's helpless look, Liang Han smiled and squeezed his elbows hard. After feeling the strength of Xu Zaijing's arms, Liang Han looked at his own arms a little depressed.

Then, everyone walked towards the crowded crowd.

On the high Xuande Gate Tower,

Under the lantern on one side of the door,

Princess Pingning stood behind the parapet with a worried look on her face, looking at the colorful lanterns in front of Xuande Gate and the crowds moving under them.

"Madam, what's wrong?" Duke Qi walked over and asked with concern.

Princess Pingning said softly: "Today Yuanruo is watching the lanterns by himself. I wonder where he is now. Will he..."

Duke Qi comforted him, "My lady, Yuan Ruo has Xu's Wu Lang with her. Wu Lang is always a good boy, so you can rest assured."

Princess Pingning sighed, "During the Lantern Festival, many young men and women take advantage of today to meet each other. Jing'er is still young, what if he is not looking after Yuan Ruo and the others?"

"Yuan Ruo is surrounded by guards and servants, and the Chai family's strong women and guards are also there. Would Zheng Zheng let anything happen to his cousin Yuan Ruo?" Qi Guogong said.

"Well! Your Excellency is right."

"That's right! Don't worry about it."

As they spoke, Duke Qi and Princess Pingning walked towards the Xuande Gate Tower together.

On the other side,
In the corridor between the Xuande Gate Tower and the Duolou nearby, several daughters-in-law of noble families were gathered together talking.

Hualan looked at Yanran standing next to Pingmei and said with a smile: "Sister Yanran, if your husband does this again in the future, you can ask him, no matter how much he dislikes Huang's brother and how much he can't bear to part with Tingyi, can he still stop Tingyi's marriage?"

Yanran, who had her hair done in a woman's style, nodded repeatedly, then turned her eyes to Pingmei and said, "Sister-in-law, when you and big brother got married, was the Yongyi Marquis' son like this as well?"

Hearing this, Pingmei smiled and tapped Yanran's forehead, saying, "You were talking about Erlang, why are you bringing me up again?"

Hua Lan smiled and said, "Sister, I am also curious about what our eldest brother thought of Brother Yu at that time."

Pingmei looked at her sisters-in-law and brother's wife, shook her head and smiled, "Big brother doesn't dislike his brother-in-law like Erlang does. Although the master's martial arts are only for physical fitness, he is good at reading. He would praise me when I said a few lines of poetry."

"Haha." Yanran and Hualan both covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs and laughed when they heard this.

After laughing, Yanran's eyes moved between Pingmei and Hualan.

"Yanran, what are you thinking about?" Pingmei said with a smile.

Yanran quickly shook her head and said, "Sister-in-law, I didn't think anything."

Hualan smiled and frowned: "Really?"

Feeling the gazes of the two ladies, Yu Yanran couldn't help but said, "I, I, I often hear my grandmother talk about the girls in Beijing."

Pingmei and Hualan understood what Yu Yanran had said halfway through.

Pingmei smiled and sighed, saying, "Hey, Xiaowu, there's no point in saying more. Let's talk about it later."

Hua Lan said softly: "Yanran, did your stepmother let you do that?"

Pingmei also looked over, and Yanran quickly waved her hands: "No, no, one, my grandmother told me a few times, and the other is that I often participated in some elegant gatherings of Xiangyi before, and I heard and saw it."

Seeing that Pingmei and Hualan didn't show any surprise at all, Yu Yanran didn't continue talking, and said, "Sister-in-law, Sister Hualan, you don't know anything, do you?"

Hualan and Pingmei looked at each other and said in unison: "We know nothing."

After listening to this, Yu Yanran nodded thoughtfully.

In front of Xuande Gate,

In front of the huge Aoshan lantern,

Xu Zaijing, who finally walked over, let out a deep breath.

Then he leaned sideways to make way for the noble ladies behind him.

Rong Feiyan and others hurried over, stood beside Xu Zaijing and others, clasped their hands together and prayed sincerely.

When Xu Zaijing was about to turn around to look at the Aoshan Lanterns, Qi Heng pulled Xu Zaijing's sleeve and said, "Brother Jing, look over there!"

Xu Zaijing turned his head and looked as he was told, and then his eyes showed surprise.

The reason was that, not far away from five or six people, Wang Ruofu, the eldest lady of the Sheng family, was also praying with her hands folded.

Next to Wang Ruofu were Mama Liu who was wiping her sweat and Caihuan who looked pale. Not far outside Caihuan and Mama Liu were the panting servants of the Sheng family.

It's clear at a glance that the Sheng family has put in a lot of effort to get to Da'ao Mountain.

"Mrs. Wang is so sincere!" Liang Han said sincerely as he stood on tiptoe to watch.

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Of course."

(End of this chapter)