Chapter 59: The Charming Girl Whose House Was Confiscated and Her Family Was Exterminated 11

During the Lantern Festival, the city of Bianjing completely lifted the curfew, just like on New Year's Eve.

The ten-mile-long street is full of lights and people.

The streets are decorated with all kinds of lanterns, including spittoons, raccoons, carps, lotus flowers...all sorts of things.

Gauze lanterns, umbrella lanterns, revolving lanterns...they are so dazzling that the eyes can't take their eyes off.

Even in the streams that have not yet frozen and are still flowing, people have placed many river lanterns. The bright and swaying river lanterns illuminate the entire river. As the stream flows into the distance, it looks like a rushing and brilliant Milky Way from afar.

The girl was wearing a long skirt in the color of imperial concubines and a moon-white cloak. Her face was still covered with a thin veil, and her bright eyes were looking straight at the lanterns on both sides.

"Take a break first. It hurts your eyes to keep looking at the lanterns." The young man in the moon-white robe said with a doting look in his eyes.

The long street was filled with noise and bustle, but the girl was still staring at the colorful lanterns, seemingly not noticing what the man beside her was saying.

Gu Qiao felt a little helpless. The girl beside him was very close to him, but her mind seemed to be completely elsewhere.

Even during the most difficult times in his life, he had never been ignored like this, Gu Qiao thought helplessly.

The girl was still looking at the lanterns attentively. The delicate patterns and diverse colors made her unconsciously fall into amazement.

During the Lantern Festival, families also make lanterns to suit the occasion. They are also very exquisite, but naturally they cannot have as many varieties as those at the lantern festival.

Just as she was sighing inwardly, she seemed to be blinded by something and her eyes fell into darkness.

A light laugh came from above: "Don't look at it, Qiao Qiao, or you'll be dazzled."

Jojo?

How...how can you call me so intimately...No one has ever called me Qiao Qiao before...

The girl came to her senses and listened to the man's intimate words. She muttered unconsciously in her heart, but her ears began to turn red uncontrollably.

As if knowing what the girl was thinking, Gu Qiao put down his hand, looked at the girl with a smile and said:

"Qiao Qiao, don't you like me calling you like that?"

Don't like it?

It seems not... I'm just not used to it...

"Then how about we exchange names? My real name is Gu Qiao, and Qiao Qiao can also call me Qiao Qiao, okay?"

Bridge?! ! !

The girl, who was originally shy, suddenly opened her eyes wider and her gaze immediately shifted to the face of the man in front of her.

He has a handsome face, a noble bearing, and an attitude... an extremely serious attitude!

".....Qiaoqiao?" she repeated with some difficulty.

"Ah!" The handsome young man, who looked even more handsome under the lights, seemed completely unafraid and immediately responded loudly, his eyes full of smiles. Under the dazzling lights, he grasped the girl's hand and said, "Let's go release the river lanterns."

The girl didn't understand what was going on, but she followed him to a shop selling lamps and stopped in front of it.

There are many lanterns with poles hanging outside the store, while inside there are poleless river lanterns with various styles.

"Qiao Qiao, what style of lamp do you like?" The man turned around and asked with a smile.

The shopkeeper nearby also said enthusiastically, "Girl, take a look, is there anything you like...?"

"These are lotus lanterns, koi carp lanterns, and even boat lanterns... I wonder which one the girl likes?"

Nan Qiao looked up at His Majesty, who had a smile on his face. This was their third meeting, and she was actually not as afraid of him as she had been the previous two times.

These lights were indeed beautiful, bright and exquisite. The girl thought for a moment and asked for a golden koi lantern.

Seeing this, Gu Qiao also asked for a koi lantern, then immediately took the girl's hand and walked to the riverside under a weeping willow.

The shopkeeper not only gave them a fire starter, but also two pens. The two wrote their wishes on the river lanterns and put them into the water.

Two almost identical koi lanterns swayed slightly from side to side along the riverbank before drifting forward with the waves...

Gu Qiao did not look at the river lantern that he had put down with his own hands, but stared at the girl beside him.

There are many river lanterns floating in the river. The swaying lights and the clear glimmer in the girl's eyes are reflected in the morning light, as if they were reflected in the starry sky.

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere between the two of them was so good, but an impulse suddenly arose in his heart.

An urgent urge to bring this charming girl back to the palace, provide her with the best clothes and food, and let her be forever imbued with his scent.

The girl's breath was clean and quiet, and the fragrance of plum blossoms lingered around him. Gu Qiao suppressed his emotions and tried hard to hide the darkness in his eyes.

Don't be impulsive.

She was here, and she would be his only queen.

No one can change it.

"Are you feeling tired? Let's go over and take a rest." Lang Jun smiled again.

The fascinated girl came back to her senses and looked up at the man in front of her. He looked less majestic and more youthful.

Maybe the cheerful and free-spirited man in the storybook looks like this... The girl thought a little confusedly.

......

As the largest restaurant in Bianjing City, Tianyonglou would not miss the Lantern Festival. At this time, the main gate was wide open to welcome guests from all directions.

If the girls and boys who are out for fun feel tired, they can take a rest here for a while.

At this time, the main hall on the first floor of Tianyong Tower was already full of people. They were all ordinary people with spare money. They were drinking wine and listening to music, looking very comfortable.

On the second floor, Shuangquan had already booked a private room and was standing respectfully outside the door, waiting for his master and the girl to arrive.

"Shuangquan eunuch...?"

Shuangquan raised his eyes and saw two gentlemen standing in front of a private room in the corridor outside the room.

It turned out to be Prime Minister Xie and Mr. Ye?

Xie Yu was still wearing a cloak and looked like he had just arrived at Tianyong Tower. His brows were gentle and there was a smile on the corners of his lips.

"Could it be that the eunuch Shuangquan is on leave and has come to see the lanterns today?"

If he remembered correctly, this young man from the Ye family seemed to have been engaged to a girl from the Nan family since childhood...

Shuangquan's thoughts turned slightly, but he didn't show any of it on his face. He smiled and said, "Today is the Lantern Festival, and the lantern festival is very lively. Naturally, I want to join in the fun."

He glanced at the young master of the Ye family beside him and continued, "I guess the two young masters have just finished admiring the lanterns and are about to rest."

"I will not disturb you two gentlemen any longer."

After saying that, he bowed slightly, then turned and entered the private room.

Xie Yu looked at the slightly closed red door, turned to the stern young man beside him, and chuckled softly, "I still remember when we were young and studying together in the palace, the late emperor's eunuchs served by the emperor's side all day long."

"At that time, I thought that the chief stewards serving the emperor had no days off."

Mr. Qingrun had a handsome face. He stretched out his hand and pushed open the red door of the private room in front of him. He said with interest, "I didn't expect that the chief eunuch in front of our Majesty would even have a day off now..."

Ye Xun raised his eyes to look at his friend whose words seemed to have deep meaning, and frowned slightly.

The eunuch chief is not an official. He serves the emperor all day long and does not have a specific day off unless he is sick.

Even if they have a day off, the eunuchs in the palace are absolutely not allowed to leave the palace without special permission.

There are only two reasons why eunuchs can appear outside the palace. One is to leave the palace on orders, and the other is to leave the palace with His Majesty.

Xie Yu didn't seem to notice his friend's expression. There was a charcoal fire burning in the room. He took off his cloak, opened the window, and leaned against the windowsill.

Climb up to Tianyong Tower and look far into the distance. From the private room, you can fully see the lanterns on the ten-mile-long street below.

He glanced casually twice, then suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on one place. After a while, he looked away and said calmly:

"The Lantern Festival is indeed a great time to travel with your beloved..."

His words were so abrupt that Ye Xun, who was drinking tea, couldn't help but shift his gaze to the window and look in the direction he was looking at just now.

Two figures were standing on the river bank with drooping willows. Their faces could not be seen clearly, but from their clothes one could vaguely tell that they were a man and a woman.

The lights on the street were so bright that the jade pendant on the man's waist was faintly illuminated.

Ye Xun's hand holding the cup paused slightly, his expression a little puzzled.

That jade pendant...

"This lantern really looks beautiful when placed in the river, Wen Chi, why don't we place one too?"

Xie Yu did not notice his friend who was lost in thought. Instead, he turned his head to admire the brilliant stream and made a suggestion with great interest.

Ye Xun came back to his senses when he heard the other party's proposal. He frowned slightly, and although he didn't know what the other party's intention was, he still agreed.

"Girl, are you staring at me in a daze?" A male voice with a strong teasing tone sounded, bringing the girl back to her senses.

Looking at the handsome man in front of her with a slightly raised eyebrow and a playful expression looking at her, heat suddenly crept up on her face again. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Did I really say I was stunned...

This is really too shameful...

The girl clenched her hands, and a burning blush appeared on her face again.

She was wearing a veil, so her face couldn't be seen clearly, but from the tears gradually appearing in her eyes, which shone even brighter under the exposed light, it was enough to tell how embarrassed and angry the girl was at the moment.

The satisfaction he felt from the girl's gaze still lingered in his heart. Gu Qiao stopped while he was ahead and put away the frivolous look on his face. He chuckled and held the girl's hand, freeing her entangled hands.

Then he took Roudi's hand and said softly:

"I've been walking around for so long, I'm tired."

"I've already booked a private room. Go and rest for a while."

The girl, soaked in shame, nodded impatiently, avoiding the gaze of the man in front of her with her wet eyes. Shame made her take off her quiet appearance at this moment.

The whole person is like the plum blossom cake she loves to eat, sweet and soft...

Gu Qiao's eyes darkened slightly, and the gloom he had managed to conceal in his heart seemed to surge back to his mind because of the girl's small gesture...

"Your Majesty...Rokuro?"

A clear male voice with a hint of surprise and hesitation sounded, and Gu Qiao glanced over slightly.