While these people were stunned, Jiuzhu lifted her skirt and walked to Shen's side: "Mother, let's go."
"Keep calm and don't panic." Shen smiled: "In the future, when you meet someone you don't want to talk to, just keep smiling and droop your eyelids slightly, and they will tactfully leave on their own."
Jiuzhu laughed quietly, "Wouldn't that seem a bit too arrogant?"
"No, this is not arrogance, it's the dignity of a superior." Shen glanced at the people who had just surrounded Jiuzhu and said, "A truly smart person would not use such a stupid method to please you."
Jiuzhu sighed: "Let everything go with the flow. Life in the capital is so hard."
Shen smiled and said, "I forgot. Taoism emphasizes letting things go with the flow and being at ease as one pleases. Your personality is somewhat Taoist-like."
She patted her daughter's arm, doing a great job of hiding her worry.
But after marrying into the royal family, can Queen Su and Prince Chen allow their daughter to remain like this?
"With the character of County Lady Ming, when she marries into the royal family..." Princess Huai and Sun Caiyao walked side by side. After witnessing Ming Jiuzhu being flattered and then hurriedly leaving, she said with a somewhat melancholy tone: "No matter how innocent a girl is, when she marries into the royal family, she will become a vine entwined with a tree."
After saying this, realizing that something was wrong, Princess Huai smiled at Sun Caiyao and said, "It was just a joke, don't take it seriously, Fourth Brother's wife. Mother is not in good health, I will help her back to the palace."
Princess An and Princess Jing also went to serve their mothers-in-law. Sun Caiyao stood there, looking at the outer hall where there were fewer and fewer people, not knowing where to go.
"Tonight is the Lantern Festival, right?" She touched the golden phoenix-tail hairpin on her head and smiled bitterly. Less than forty-nine days had passed since her mother-in-law's death, and His Highness and her, as her son and daughter-in-law, not only could not wear mourning clothes, but on the day of the empress's coronation ceremony, they had to wear brocade clothes, wear gold hairpins, and perform the ritual of three bows and nine kowtows to Empress Su.
During the Lantern Festival in previous years, she would always go to the street with her father, brothers and sisters to guess riddles and watch street operas, but this year she was afraid that no one would be able to accompany her.
"The Crown Princess..." The palace maid looked at her worriedly. The Crown Princess had not had a good rest in these days and had lost a lot of weight.
"It's okay." Sun Caiyao returned to Zhangliu Palace, took off her hairpins and jewelry, and changed into a plain brocade dress. She leaned against the window, watching the sky gradually darken.
It’s so late, where has your Highness gone?
Mingyue Palace was hung with red lanterns and red hydrangeas, and even the palace maids and eunuchs wore red belts around their waists, as if they were holding a wedding.
Emperor Longfeng looked at his son who was staring at the red lanterns and was distracted, and asked with a smile: "Little girl from the Ming family, will you go to the lantern show with your family tonight?"
"This is the first time for the little girl to celebrate the Lantern Festival in the capital, so of course she has to watch it." Prince Chen regained his focus: "Father, why are you asking this?"
"Go if you want to." Emperor Longfeng waved his hand: "The little girl has had a hard time in the past. As her fiancé, you should not miss her first Lantern Festival in the capital."
Prince Chen moved his butt and sat back down: "Father, I am not the kind of person who forgets my parents after getting a wife. I will accompany you tonight."
"Really?" Emperor Longfeng raised his eyebrows.
"Really." Prince Chen looked at the sky which was already darkening, gritted his teeth and nodded.
Emperor Longfeng looked at his son, who was physically present but mentally distant, and smiled as he kicked him, "Go away, go away! Who wants you to accompany me on this important day for your mother and I?"
Prince Chen dodged the kick and poured tea for Emperor Longfeng and Empress Su: "You really don't want me to accompany you?"
"I heard from Liu Zhongbao that the eldest, second and third sons have all taken their princesses out of the palace to play." Emperor Longfeng stood up and took Empress Su's hand: "Your mother and I will also go out of the palace incognito later. If you want to stay in Mingyue Palace, I will not force you..."
"I will not disturb my father and mother any more. I'll take my leave now." Prince Chen stood up and ran a few steps, then turned around and ran back, stretching his hand in front of Emperor Longfeng.
Emperor Longfeng rummaged in his sleeves and threw a purse into his hand: "You are so old, and you still have to pay for your father when you go out with your fiancée."
"Father, give me some more." Prince Chen continued to hold out his hand: "It's enough for two people."
"Liu Zhongbao." Emperor Longfeng sighed helplessly: "Give him a silver note."
Liu Zhongbao took out a few banknotes from his pocket and asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, which one do you plan to give to His Highness?"
Prince Chen jumped up and took all the banknotes in his hands: "Thank you, father, thank you, mother, I will take my leave!"
Looking at the happy back of His Royal Highness Prince Chen, Liu Zhongbao smiled and bowed to apologize: "This old servant failed to protect the silver, please punish me, Your Majesty."
"Forget it, forget it. I think you are deliberately failing to protect the silver." Emperor Longfeng did not get angry but laughed: "Let's go outside the palace to watch the fireworks of the people."
When Prince Chen ran to the Ming family with the silver and the Dragon Guards, he learned that the Ming family had been out for half an hour and the servants didn't know where they would go to play.
Looking at the bustling crowd, the smile on Prince Chen's face gradually faded. Walking on the crowded streets, he found that the Lantern Festival was not very interesting except for the large number of people and the old-fashioned styles of the lanterns.
Talented men and beautiful women were guessing riddles, military generals were carrying large and small bags for their wives, and the Lantern Festival stalls were filled with guests, emitting hot steam in the cold night.
"Your Highness." The Dragon Guard asked in a low voice, "Do you want to return to the palace now?"
"No need, I'm just walking around casually." He saw a lantern stall selling puppy lanterns, so he paid for it and bought it, holding it in his hand.
The music performed by the musicians was not nice, the acrobatics on the sidewalk stalls were so crude that they could be seen through at a glance, and even the clown show that made people laugh was boring.
The candle in the lantern was about to burn out, and the light flickered. King Chen stopped and looked up at the full moon in the sky. He sneered and turned to the dragon guard and said, "Go find a new candle."
"Brother, that lamp is so beautiful." Jiuzhu pointed at a lamp on the lamp stand and said, "I want to buy it."
Ming Jiyuan looked down at the four or five lamps in his hand and nodded without any principles: "Buy."
"Shopkeeper, how much is this lamp?" Jiuzhu walked to the front of the lamp shop and pointed at the top lamp.
"Girl, this is our display, we don't sell it." Seeing that the girl was pretty and likable, the shopkeeper explained in a good mood: "You can take a look at our other lamps."
"You're not selling it?" Jiuzhu slumped her shoulders in disappointment: "Okay."
Seeing this, Ming Jiyuan hurriedly comforted him: "Why don't we go somewhere else?"
"Okay." Jiuzhu nodded, but the brother and sister walked two or three streets and didn't find a lamp like the one just now. Jiuzhu sat down on a stone bench by the roadside in frustration: "It seems that I can't buy such a beautiful lamp tonight."
"Do you like that lamp very much?" Ming Jiyuan bought two masks and handed one to Jiuzhu: "Then I will help you think of a solution."
"No need, brother." Jiuzhu shook her head: "His Highness can't come out of the palace tonight, so I thought of buying a few beautiful lanterns and bringing them to the palace for him to see. It doesn't matter if I can't buy them."
"Are these lights bought for His Royal Highness Prince Chen?"
"No." Jiuzhu pointed at one of the lanterns with a smile: "This one is for my brother. I just noticed that you secretly glanced at this lantern several times. The remaining ones are for my father, mother and sister Chunfen."
"What about yours?" Ming Jiyuan asked with a smile.
Jiuzhu was stunned: "I forgot..."
"You." Ming Jiyuan laughed and put on the mask: "Let's go, brother will accompany you to pick the lamp you like."
Jiuzhu imitated her brother, put on the mask on her face, and followed him hopping and skipping: "Brother, I just saw a lot of talented people guessing lantern riddles. You are so talented, why don't you go?"
"Guessing lantern riddles is a chance for many students to show off. I've already entered the court as an official, so why should I make things difficult for them?" Ming Jiyuan was afraid that his sister would get lost, so he told her, "There are many people on the road, hold my clothes, don't get lost."
"Then let's go watch the lantern show." Jiuzhu grabbed Ming Jiyuan's clothes: "There are a lot of people gathered over there."
"Okay." Ming Jiyuan held a few lanterns in one hand and protected his sister with the other. He squeezed into the crowd steadily and occupied an excellent viewing position.
Through the mask, he couldn't see the expression on his sister's face, but he knew that his sister must be smiling happily at this moment.
She exclaimed with the crowd and clapped along with them, carefree and innocent.
Under the fireworks, she took off her mask, and her beautiful eyes were filled with happy stars.
If he had a choice, he didn't want his sister to marry into the royal family.
But in order to buy a lantern for Prince Chen, she had to walk several streets and had no time to look at the street scenery or taste the Yuanxiao.
"Brother?" Jiuzhu saw her brother looking at her and touched her face in confusion: "What's wrong?"
"Put on the mask." Ming Jiyuan helped her put on the mask: "The lantern show is over, shall I take you to taste Yuanxiao?"
"Okay." She nodded in agreement, and as she passed by one lantern shop after another, she still subconsciously looked for the lantern she liked.
Suddenly, Jiuzhu saw a man from afar holding a small dog lantern in his left hand and the must-buy lantern she liked in the other hand, and he ran up to him quickly: "Sir, please stay."
The man holding the lantern stopped and turned to look at her in the mask: "Ming Xiaozhu?"
"Your Highness?!" Jiuzhu took off the mask: "How do you know it's me?"
"Don't mention you're wearing a mask. Even if your whole head is covered, I can still guess it's you." He lowered his head to look at the light in his hand and handed it all to her: "Here, it's for you."
The candlelight in the lanterns was flickering. Jiuzhu took the two lanterns and asked, "Are you buying them all for me?"
"Who else can I buy it for besides you?" Prince Chen looked at the mask on her face carefully: "Where did you buy this? I'll buy one too."
Jiuzhu turned around and looked at Ming Jiyuan: "Brother, where did you buy this mask?"
"Walk about a hundred steps forward, there is a stall selling masks." Ming Jiyuan looked at the puppy lamp in Jiuzhu's hand. He remembered that his sister's zodiac sign was dog.
"So the Third Young Master Ming is here too." Prince Chen nodded politely, "I wonder if Minister Ming and Madam Ming are traveling with you?"
"Your Highness, my parents have other plans." Ming Jiyuan looked at the Lantern Festival lantern in Ming Jiuzhu's hand and spoke politely, "Just now, my younger sister wanted to buy this lantern for Your Highness to send to the palace. She walked three streets but couldn't buy it. I didn't expect Your Highness to buy it himself. Perhaps, this is fate."
"Your Highness, my sister is young and naive. Please send her back to the mansion before midnight." Ming Jiyuan smiled slightly and said, "I will take my leave first."
Prince Chen looked at his future uncle with satisfaction. No wonder people always praised Ming Jiyuan as a gentle and elegant gentleman. What a kind person he was.
"Brother." Jiuzhu called Ming Jiyuan, looking reluctant: "Why did you leave first?"
"I remembered that I still have some things to deal with." Ming Jiyuan looked at Prince Chen: "Your Highness will accompany you well."
One went from street to street, trying to buy the best lamp for him.
One of them bought her a puppy light, held it in his hand, and walked on the busy street for an unknown amount of time.
How could he be willing to be the Queen Mother who draws the hairpin and draws the Milky Way?
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