I became a prince in a martial arts world.

Chapter 106 Lantern Festival

Lantern Festival!

As a vital trade route in the Northwest, Longshan Prefecture was bustling and prosperous. During the New Year, it was naturally decorated with lanterns and colorful lanterns at the door of every household to celebrate.

There was also a lantern festival specially organized by the government in the city. The wealthy merchants in the city would also make lanterns to show off their strength. From the seventh to the fifteenth of the lunar month, they would light lanterns every night to wish for a better year to come.

The Lantern Festival is the last day of the lantern festival and also the most lively day.

"It's so beautiful!" Alde exclaimed.

In fact, they had already come out a few days earlier and seen the large lanterns in the city, including the dragon lantern made by the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion, the celestial maiden lantern made by the Wang family, and various lanterns made by other forces.

To be honest, even Wang Yu, who had traveled from the modern era, was greatly impressed.

Yes, that's right. It was an eye-opener for him. He discovered that the lanterns made by the artisans of Longshan Prefecture were more exquisite, intricate, and beautiful than any lanterns he had seen in modern times!

In terms of craftsmanship alone, the ancients truly surpassed modern people.

Besides large lanterns, there are also various small lanterns that are colorful, uniquely shaped, and each has its own characteristics. Even if the styles are slightly similar, the paintings on the surface of the lanterns are completely different.

After browsing for several days, apart from a few basic red lanterns, Wang Yu rarely saw any lanterns that were the same as each other.

So even if you visit the lantern festival every night, you'll discover something new every night.

Li Yunxiu was to Wang Yu's left, while Aldey was to his right. Several guards from the royal palace in plain clothes surrounded them, with Zhao Shan and Zhao He following not far behind.

As the three of them strolled along, they saw Zhao Yingjie and Yuan Feifei walking by in the distance, all lovey-dovey. Wang Yu ignored the couple and then saw Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu walking by hand in hand not far away. He immediately smiled and greeted them.

Besides the Han Chinese, many merchants from the Western Regions happened to be staying in Longshan Prefecture at this time. Those who had seen it before were fine, but those who were encountering this time of year for the first time were all shocked.

"The craftsmanship of Han Chinese artisans is truly exquisite!"

"If it weren't for the fact that the West has some gems and spices, I'm afraid even if we knelt down and begged, they might not even give us a second glance."

"The Celestial Empire truly lives up to its name."

Wang Yu listened to the praises from the surrounding Hu people, Li Yunxiu remained indifferent, while Alde felt honored.

Although she was a princess of the Baiqiang tribe, Arde's mother was a Han woman who had previously visited Han lands anonymously. Therefore, she always considered herself half Han and was naturally proud of Han culture.

"Match the couplets! Match the couplets! A lantern will be given away if you provide the correct matching line!"

A shout came from the side. Wang Yu turned around and saw a dozen lanterns hanging on a shelf at the entrance of Ya Yun Zhai. The shopkeeper at the entrance was holding a piece of paper and loudly calling out to the crowd.

At the lantern festival, besides various vendors selling snacks and toys, the most numerous vendors are lantern vendors, selling all kinds of lanterns.

Besides vendors, established shops like Wangjia Yayunzhai also hold events at the lantern festival to join in the fun, celebrate the occasion, showcase their influence, and promote their reputation.

The various shops offered a variety of activities, including sports such as pitch-pot, kicking, and arm wrestling, as well as cultural activities such as guessing lantern riddles, matching couplets, and playing word games.

The Ya Yun Zhai event was for matching couplets. The Wang family prepared more than a hundred lanterns and sent them out over eight days. Now only a dozen or so remain, but they are all exquisite and very beautiful.

At this moment, Li Yunxiu was already holding a lotus lantern, while Alde's hands were still empty. Firstly, she thought all the lanterns looked beautiful and couldn't decide which one to buy. Secondly, she had already eaten maltose, fruit, and candied hawthorns along the way, and simply didn't have any hands left to hold a lantern.

Just then, Aldey heard the hawker's call and put the last candied hawthorn into her mouth. She turned around abruptly and saw the shop assistant of Ya Yun Zhai holding a sheep lantern.

"Wow! It looks just like my little white dog!" Alde's eyes lit up.

Little White is a lamb that Alde has raised. She had mentioned before that the lantern in front of her was also made in the shape of a little lamb. It was exquisite, beautiful, and lifelike. Alde fell in love with the lantern at first sight.

Wang Yu smiled and asked, "You've taken a liking to this lantern?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Alde nodded repeatedly.

The three stopped and turned around, getting a little closer. They saw the shopkeeper paste the first line of a couplet written on a red paper onto the wooden frame, displaying it so that everyone could see it.

"The sun rises on the first day of the new year, the moon sets in the ninth month, on the Lantern Festival, the sun and moon shine together." Li Yunxiu read aloud, raising an eyebrow, "The Wang family is indeed quite capable."

With limited education, Aldette asked, bewildered, "Is it difficult?"

Li Yunxiu smiled and said, "Although it's not very difficult, it's not exactly easy either. This couplet contains the numbers one and nine, which happen to be the largest and smallest numbers, respectively."

In addition, "one yuan" represents the beginning, and "nine nights" corresponds to the nine nights of the lantern festival, which together form the characters for "Yuanxiao" (元宵). Furthermore, the rising sun corresponds to the setting moon, and the sun and moon together form the character for "bright" (明), needless to say.

Alde blinked. She had received education in the Central Plains since childhood and had learned a lot about Han culture, but not much. She couldn't see the difficulty of the couplet until Li Yunxiu explained it to her. Only then did she realize that there were so many intricacies involved.

"It's too difficult—" Alde said timidly, feeling the lamp getting further and further away from her.

As the three were still talking, people around them soon shouted their responses, but the shopkeeper rejected them all and then pointed out the key to the couplet.

"These couplets are so difficult, are you planning to save these lanterns for next year?" someone complained.

The shop assistant laughed and said, "My boss instructed that today is the Lantern Festival, and we must set a good omen. If no one comes up with a matching answer, we will give them all away at midnight. If you are willing to wait, that is fine too."

The crowd then quieted down and began to ponder deeply.

Several scholars paced back and forth, muttering to themselves. Sometimes they seemed to have a flash of inspiration, and other times they began to frown. Clearly, they had not found the answer.

Alde glanced longingly at the sheep lamp, then shook her head and said to Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu, "Let's go."

Li Yunxiu asked with a smile, "Didn't you really like this lamp?"

"But this couplet is too difficult. I don't think anyone can come up with a matching one. Let's play a little longer and come back at midnight. Maybe we can still get it then," Alde said seriously.

Li Yunxiu smiled and stepped forward.

Several guards from the Prince's Palace quickly surrounded her, subtly pushing aside the crowd to make way for Li Yunxiu to reach the shop.

The shop assistant, of course, also noticed Li Yunxiu and asked curiously, "Miss, have you come up with a second line?"

Li Yunxiu nodded, and without wasting any words, said in a clear voice, "The three flowers are dim, the five lamps are bright, the lanterns fill the city, and the volcano shines."

One and nine represent the extremes of size, while three and five represent water and fire. The two correspond perfectly. Lanterns and Yuanxiao (the Lantern Festival) are opposites, as are mountain fire and light and darkness. Mountain fire can also be combined to form the character "灿" (càn), which expresses the brilliance of lanterns. The antithesis is perfect and the artistic conception is harmonious.

"Great!" The onlookers who had come to taste it exclaimed in approval.

The shopkeeper hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting, loudly proclaimed Li Yunxiu's second line of the couplet, and then respectfully asked, "Which lantern would you like, Miss?"

Li Yunxiu pointed to the sheep lantern he had just held in his hand and then hung back on the wooden frame, "I want this one."

"Alright!" The shop assistant hurriedly took down the lamp and handed it to Li Yunxiu.

Li Yunxiu handed it to Alde in return.

"Thank you, Sister Yunxiu!" Alde said happily.

Li Yunxiu turned to Wang Yu and said, "Let's go."

Wang Yu shook his head and pointed to the lotus lantern in her hand, "This lantern isn't as pretty as the one in Ya Yun Zhai."

Li Yunxiu raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Yu, not understanding what he meant.

Then she saw Wang Yu turn around and walk towards the shop.

Li Yunxiu looked at Wang Yu's back with surprise, only to see Wang Yu walk up to the shopkeeper in just a few steps.

Seeing Wang Yu dressed in fine clothes and possessing a handsome appearance, the shopkeeper dared not be negligent and hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting, asking, "May I ask, young master, have you also come up with a matching couplet?"

Wang Yu nodded. "That's right, that's the second line."

The shopkeeper gestured with his hand, indicating that it was invited to speak, "Please speak, sir."

Then the onlookers heard this seemingly refined and talented young man say in a loud voice, "If my heart is moved for one day, it will not rest for nine nights; as day and night alternate, my heart will not be troubled."

Everyone, "————"

Everyone was stunned. The young men couldn't help but grin and chuckle, looking at each other with admiration.

"Who is this guy? He doesn't seem to be a student from Wensong Academy or Hanlu Academy."

"What excellent writing! Truly excellent writing! I must make friends with him later, and invite him along next time I go to Caifeng Pavilion!"

"Open your dog eyes and take a good look. His two female companions are much prettier than the girls in the Rainbow Phoenix Pavilion."

"Then you don't understand, the wild flowers are always more fragrant than the garden flowers."

As the crowd below chatted, the shopkeeper on stage was stunned. Looking at the men below who seemed to be laughing meaningfully, and the group of young women and wives who were blushing and peeking, he didn't know what to say.

The shop assistant looked at Wang Yu, and Wang Yu looked back at the shop assistant. "What are you looking at? Is my answer not neat enough?"

Although Wang Yu's second line is full of flaws and the artistic conception is completely mismatched, it cannot be said to be unskilled.

Well, strictly speaking, the Lantern Festival also has elements of love, so it can't be said that Wang Yu's second line is completely unrelated in its sentiment.

The shop assistant immediately understood and nodded repeatedly, "Neat and tidy, sir, which lamp would you like? I'll get it for you!"

Wang Yu pointed to the lotus lantern hanging on the other side, "This one."

"Alright!" The shop assistant hurriedly took down the lotus lantern and quickly handed it to Wang Yu.

When Wang Yu returned with a lotus lantern, all he saw was Li Yunxiu shaking her head helplessly, her eyes half-smiling, and Alde's flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.

Wang Yu looked at Alder, "Did you understand?"

Alde finally laughed out loud, "Brother Zhao, your couplet isn't subtle at all, how could I not understand it?"

Alde simply didn't study much, not that she was uncultured.

Wang Yu chuckled, shoved the lotus lantern in his hand into Li Yunxiu's hand, took the lantern from her and carried it himself, "Let's go."

Li Yunxiu's heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and followed.

Alde's eyes flickered as she glanced at the lotus lantern in Li Yunxiu's hand, feeling that her own sheep lantern wasn't so attractive after all.

Zhao Shan and Zhao He, who were following behind, exchanged a glance, admiration flashing in their eyes, and hurriedly followed.

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