Yi Chenli still acted like a wealthy and powerful man.

Looking at the fireworks piled up like a small mountain in front of her, An Yuan'er sighed and said, "Yi Chenli, I'm all alone, how can I possibly set off so many?"

Fireworks are beautiful for a fleeting moment, but all that's spent is money.

An Yuan'er looked at the fireworks and felt a pang of heartache.

Yi Chenli didn't take it seriously: "Since we're going to release them, we're going to go all out. We're not short of money."

Yi Chenli waved his hand, and the eunuchs scattered fireworks in every corner of Chenyang Palace, connecting them with fuses.

The young eunuch handed the incense sticks for starting the fire to An Yuan'er.

This was the first time An Yuan'er had ever set off so many fireworks. With a mix of nervousness and excitement, she lit the fuse.

"Zzzzz... La la la..." Sparks collided, and countless fireworks, connected by fuses, were ignited like a long, fiery snake.

"Bang bang bang!"

Thousands of fireworks burst open one after another, emitting huge explosions. The fireworks rose and fell in the sky, vying for beauty, with colorful spheres overlapping each other.

An Yuan'er had never seen such beautiful fireworks bloom all at once. Amidst the fireworks, the girl's laughter was like silver bells. She held two fireworks in her hand and flicked them. Amidst the fireworks, the girl danced gracefully.

Everything in the world seemed to lose its color at this moment, except for the girl's figure, which was reflected in the fireworks, creating a beautiful image.

The boy in the wheelchair couldn't be with her to set off fireworks, but seeing her so excited, his joy was contagious.

He realized he didn't need to stand up to share her joy.

Yi Chenli's lips curved into a smile, his eyes softened, a gentle grace that seemed to soften the passage of time. Soon, he would be able to set off fireworks with her; that day wasn't far off.

Fireworks may only be beautiful for a fleeting moment, but at least they shone brightly and are forever etched in people's hearts.

The entire Chenyang Palace was as bright as day; with her there, it was no longer a lonely palace.

*

But another place seemed rather deserted.

Lan Jingtang sat in the courtyard with a few small dishes and a pot of wine, drinking one cup after another by himself.

“Master, the master said that you should go to the main hall to attend the banquet. So many distinguished guests have been invited today. The master has prepared this especially for you. There are also many young ladies from Shengjing at the banquet. Sanqi secretly took a look and they are all very beautiful. Young master, please do me the honor of going to see them.”

Lan Liansheng hosted a New Year's banquet for everyone, firstly to help Lan Jingtang make connections with officials in the court, and secondly because Lan Jingtang was over 15 years old, and Lan Liansheng, as his uncle, was choosing a future mistress for him.

Lan Jingtang knew exactly what his uncle was thinking, but he really had no interest in it.

"I'm not going. It's his business if he wants to invite me, what does it have to do with me? Nobody should bother me." Lan Jingtang would rather drink alone in silence than go out and force a smile for someone.

He loathed that kind of life. What good was it if he was surrounded by beautiful women, but they weren't the ones he wanted?

Lan Jingtang didn't like any of the women in the hall.

Suddenly, a blinding light shone in the sky, and Lan Jingtang looked up to see that dazzling fireworks were being set off in the direction of Chenyang Palace.

He murmured to himself, "It's Xiaoyuan setting them off. She must be so happy. I can just imagine how happy she is setting off the fireworks." Lan Jingtang felt a moment of tenderness, but it quickly disappeared.

He took another sip of wine. Sanqi couldn't dissuade the young master; how could his master not be happy during the New Year?

Just as Sanqi was feeling troubled, a figure suddenly ran in through the back door.