For an emperor, how could he not celebrate such a great achievement when the country had reached a golden age under his rule, an unprecedented golden age?

This year, in particular, many new styles of lighting fixtures have been added, and even the colors are more complete.

Moreover, after two years of accelerated development, electric lights have been installed on the main roads leading to neighboring countries in the Great Qi. Lantern festivals are held in most prefectures and towns. Larger prefectures are lined with shops and have even earned the reputation of being cities that never sleep. Not to mention the capital, the prosperity of which is now completely different from what it used to be.

Emperor Qingyuan also wanted to show off, so he started preparing for the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month two months before the new year.

They extended invitations to royalty and nobility from various countries to come and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

All officials of the fourth rank and above in the Great Qi Dynasty were allowed to come to the capital to offer congratulations.

Ordinary citizens of Daqi can also come to participate by presenting a travel permit from their place of household registration.

At that time, Kyoto City will set up a continuous banquet on Jingren Street for three days, the 14th, 15th and 16th of the first lunar month, to entertain guests from all directions.

Therefore, Emperor Qingyuan specially transferred 30,000 garrison troops from the capital region to build 3,000 large dormitories outside the city for the common people who came to the capital to live in.

Of the 30,000 garrison troops, half will remain outside the city, while the other half will enter the city to assist the city defense forces in maintaining order.

When the invitations were sent out, everyone could tell that Emperor Qingyuan wanted to show off, so of course they had to cooperate.

Firstly, the people are now living in peace and contentment, and the Great Qi is in a state of harmony, which is indeed something to celebrate. Not to mention officials and nobles, even outlaws and merchants from all walks of life have never seen such a magnificent scene, and ordinary people can only dream of experiencing it once in many lifetimes.

So, as soon as they heard the news, those who had the means to go and join in the fun basically started packing their bags and heading to Kyoto a month or two in advance.

Such an unprecedented feast, if officials didn't want to go, they could use the excuse that the journey was too long and that going back and forth would interfere with their official duties too much.

After all, Emperor Qingyuan said that all officials of the fourth rank and above could participate, not that they had to.

However, people like Xie Yushu, princesses, county princesses, princes, marquises, earls, and imperial relatives from all over the country, unless they were too sick to get out of bed, basically all had to attend.

It's possible that others have high expectations for this grand event.

Xie Yushu had seen all sorts of grand events in her later years. Not to mention the Olympic Games we hosted, or the tourist attractions that became wildly popular every year, she really had little interest in them.

However, Xie Yumin and the others were very interested in going to take a look.

Xie Yushu calculated that Chu Jinyu should also be taking the imperial examination next March, so it would be good for him to return to the capital early to get used to the environment.

So they took him to say goodbye to the teacher and then went back to pack their things to return to the capital.

Since it was such a rare and grand occasion, Xie Yushu asked around who wanted to go with her, as long as they weren't afraid of hardship, since traveling in the dead of winter was quite arduous.

The elderly couple, Han Wuyong and his wife, refused to go, stating bluntly that they had seen enough of the scumbags in the capital and would never miss them again.

Others might share his thoughts, after all, they've been criticized by him for half their lives, who hasn't had enough of being scolded?

Aunt Su suffered a lot when she was young, and her knees would hurt every winter. Now that Yuquan Villa has heating, she basically doesn't like to go out, so she doesn't go there.

Now that Nanxing is capable of handling things on her own, she feels relieved to let go.

I thought Qu Xiaodie would go, but she unexpectedly chose to stay home.

Xie Yushu advised her to go along for a trip and experience something new.

Qu Xiaodie said

"Now that you've all left, someone has to keep an eye on the resort. Besides, I'm really not interested in places with huge crowds. I feel safer staying at home!"

Seeing that she was determined, Xie Yushu didn't press her further. Going out to play was all about having fun, and since staying at home was comfortable, it was fine too.

Finally, Xie Yushu brought Xie Yumin, Xiao Haitang, Chu Jinyu, and their three little followers.

Then there are Xie Baotian and Xie Baoshu's two large families.

As Madam Lü grew older, she could no longer endure the arduous journey, so she was left at Yuquan Villa, where Aunt Su stayed with her.

Sun Chongren, Xie Tianqi, and Liu Xiaodong also followed along.

So, there were quite a lot of them when they came to Beijing this time.

The group, along with their belongings, arrived in five large horse-drawn carriages. Zhao Hu led fifty men on horseback to escort them.

They thought this trip would just be about enjoying the lanterns, eating, drinking, and having fun, but unexpectedly, just two days after Xie Yushu and her group set off, they received a letter from Qiu Shuang saying that the First Prince and the Fifth Prince had been making frequent moves recently and were probably planning to cause trouble.

Xie Yushu thought for a moment, then had someone send the letter to Qingfeng, and also wrote him a warrant, instructing him to lead three hundred Divine Eagle Guards to secretly enter the capital and infiltrate their various strongholds in the capital in batches.

Over the past few years, they have expanded to more than a dozen locations in Kyoto, with properties and shops in all directions.

Hiding three to five hundred people is quite easy.

No matter what the Fifth Prince and the First Prince do, she is always prepared.

It's obvious that the sudden appointment of the Third Prince as Crown Prince would be a devastating blow to the First and Fifth Princes.

It is estimated that Emperor Qingyuan's sudden and direct investiture was also an attempt to avoid their open and covert struggles. Unfortunately, the struggle for the throne is not so easily given up.

The third prince became the crown prince, and without doing anything, he had the support of a large number of officials. Even those who originally supported him began to waver.

It's only been a few days since the crown prince was appointed, and the situation is already quite obvious. If they wait any longer, the crown prince will become too powerful, and what chance will they have?

It would be better to strike first before he firmly establishes himself as the crown prince.

I just don't know how he made his move.

It could be a direct attack on the Crown Prince, or it could be to clip the Crown Prince's wings. Not to mention that Xie Yushu dislikes the Fifth Prince's character very much, just considering the grudge between her and the Fifth Prince, she would not allow the Fifth Prince to succeed.

As for the eldest prince, he's in his thirties now, and there's no news of any political achievements. It seems he only accepted tasks given to them by Emperor Qingyuan for practice, and he didn't do anything particularly outstanding.

So, being unremarkable, she still favored the Third Prince.

When that time comes, she will have to choose a way out for her group, and obviously choosing the Third Prince is the safest option.

Aside from Zhao Hu, Xie Yushu didn't alert anyone else about mobilizing the Divine Eagle Guards. They had all come out, and Xie Baotian and the others were all in high spirits, eager to fly to the capital to broaden their horizons. Xie Yushu couldn't bear to tell them to go back and see their disappointed looks.

Even if trouble arises, protecting Xie Baotian and the others will be a piece of cake.

Moreover, the situation is still unclear, so there's no point in saying more. I just want Zhao Hu to be more vigilant and pay attention to everyone's safety.

We'll have to wait until we get to the capital to find out the specifics. I reckon Han Zhongyu probably already knows something, but we'll have to investigate further as we go.