Chapter 747 This is a lonely soul, a cursed star descended from the heavens.
Time flies.
Before we knew it, it was the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
After New Year's Eve, the entire capital was shrouded in gloom. For the past two weeks, everyone, both inside and outside the palace, has been in low spirits.
Because the Spring Festival was not properly celebrated, the Empress decided to hold a grand Lantern Festival.
Early in the morning, the palace maids and eunuchs were busy preparing. Kunning Palace was filled with lanterns, the kind with intricate and complex shapes. When the candles in the middle were lit, the lanterns had a sense of layering and were dazzlingly beautiful.
Not only Kunning Palace, but also the Imperial Garden was decorated with lanterns, with hundreds and thousands of lanterns illuminating the dark night.
This Lantern Festival was organized by the Empress. In addition to the women of the inner palace, the wives and daughters of officials of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth ranks were also invited. Literary talents were also among the invitees. It is said that every year on the Lantern Festival, several couples would become lovers, which can be regarded as another form of matchmaking banquet.
Cheng Wanwan's injuries had almost healed, so she naturally participated in the Lantern Festival. Not only that, her family members were also invited to the palace, including Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan, as well as Cheng Zhao and Situ Man.
Knowing that she had been separated from her family for a long time and missed them, the Queen specially arranged for them to sit at the same table.
Situ Man smiled and said, "Second Aunt seems to have gained some weight."
Cheng Wanwan pinched her face with a wry smile. Indeed, she had been eating and sleeping all day in the palace, and she wasn't even allowed to go out for a walk. She had probably gained at least five pounds.
“She looks better with a little more weight,” Mrs. Ruan chimed in from the next table. “Being too thin makes you wrinkle more easily and makes you look older. Wanwan doesn’t even look thirty yet, she’s so young.”
"Sister Ruan, that's too much of an exaggeration." Cheng Wanwan said, embarrassed. "You said I look less than thirty-five years old, and I can believe that, but I'm thirty-eight years old. If people say I'm not thirty, they'll laugh me to death."
Madam Lin's face hardened: "Let's see who dares to laugh."
Zhao Sidan chuckled, then, seeing the ladies around him looking at him, he quickly coughed and said, "So many people like my mother, I'm just happy."
The ladies and young women entering the banquet hall would all come to Cheng Wanwan to inquire about her health, and everyone's attitude was very respectful and friendly.
The people talking on Cheng Wanwan's side only dispersed after the royal family arrived.
The Emperor and Empress walked in front, Rongqing supported the Empress Dowager and walked slightly behind, followed by the princes and princesses, and then all the imperial concubines.
Because of the unfortunate events that occurred on New Year's Eve, the royal family dressed extra festively for this day, as if doing so could dispel the pain of the past two weeks...
After everyone was seated, the Lantern Festival banquet began.
The palace maids and eunuchs brought out all the dishes, and after a few rounds of drinks, it was time for the talent show, which everyone was used to.
Because it was a disguised matchmaking event, all the performers were unmarried young ladies and gentlemen.
The second and third princes had reached marriageable age but remained unmarried, so all the young ladies were determined to attract their attention, and their performances were more spectacular than the last.
Cheng Wanwan ate while watching the show, and she felt very good.
After the young ladies had finished their performances, it was the young masters' turn. The second and third princes performed first, followed by the other noble young masters...
After one of the performances ended, the Queen suddenly spoke up: "Sui Su-ren's third son is nineteen years old this year, right? He seems to be unmarried. Why don't you also perform?"
Zhao Sanniu was engrossed in his meal when he was called out by name, and he was so startled that he almost choked to death. He quickly waved his hand in refusal.
Cheng Wanwan stood up: "Everyone here is a socialite and a lady of high society. My son is naturally dull-witted, so it would be best if he didn't go on stage and offend everyone."
San Niu is simple-minded and not suitable to marry a daughter of a wealthy family. If she gets involved in a power struggle within the household, it will be a real headache. It's not good to let her, as the mother, deal with the mess in the household after marriage.
The Empress glanced at Zhao San Niu. He did look simple-minded, but such a man was reliable and would be a trustworthy husband.
She has a nice niece on her family's side. If there's an opportunity, she could let her niece and Wanwan's son get to know each other. If the two families become in-laws, her relationship with Wanwan could become closer.
After the performances by the crowd, the much-anticipated lantern festival will begin.
Hundreds of palace lanterns hang in the sky, each with a riddle underneath. The winner is the one who can guess the most riddles within the time limit of an incense stick burning.
It was Cheng Wanwan's first time attending a lantern festival, and she strolled around with great interest.
However, at that moment, a group of people rushed into the Imperial Garden, and the originally lively lantern festival suddenly turned into chaos.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man dressed in Taoist robes, around fifty or sixty years old, rushing in from the entrance. He was holding a peach wood sword and chanting incantations, followed by four or five young Taoist priests.
Some of the people present recognized the man.
"It's the Imperial Advisor!"
"The Imperial Advisor rarely appears; what has happened today?"
"The appearance of the Imperial Advisor indicates that something significant is about to happen. We must not take it lightly and just wait and see."
The crowd, who had been enthusiastically trying to solve the riddles, lost interest and quickly moved aside to watch what was going on.
Even the royals sitting on high seats looked puzzled, wondering what the Imperial Advisor was doing at the Lantern Festival.
Although the Imperial Advisor held the highest rank, he had no real power. He was in charge of researching celestial phenomena and divination. The Imperial Advisor was usually quiet, but whenever he spoke, it would always attract attention.
The Imperial Advisor stood in the center of the lantern festival and suddenly threw the peach wood sword in his hand.
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"
"By imperial decree, your lonely soul is exorcised..."
"Five Elements, Three Realms, Eight Trigrams Soul Severing... Quickly reveal your form!"
The surroundings were completely silent, except for the peach wood sword spinning rapidly in the air, and a flash of fire lit up the night.
It wasn't the usual red flame, but a bluish-green, ghostly light, before it suddenly flew into the crowd...
Everyone was so frightened that they quickly backed away.
The Imperial Advisor leaped up, grasped the peach wood sword in his hand, scattered countless grains of white rice, burned several talismans, and shouted, "Freeze!"
The will-o'-the-wisp froze in mid-air.
Cheng Wanwan looked up and saw the pale blue flame hovering above her head.
"This is a wandering soul, a harbinger of doom!" The Imperial Advisor's peachwood sword pointed directly at Cheng Wanwan's brow. "A harbinger is formed from the transformations of the five planets, disrupting the balance of the five elements of heaven and earth, a sign of great misfortune. If a nation is plagued by a harbinger of doom, it will gradually become a lawless and disrespectful country, bringing droughts and floods, causing hardship for the people and starvation for the soldiers..."
Everyone present understood, and each of them looked on incredulously.
"Does the Imperial Advisor mean that Lady Sui is a jinx?"
"Lady Sui is clearly a lucky star for the Great Yu Dynasty. Has the Imperial Advisor made a mistake?"
“But think about it carefully. Doesn’t the place where Lady Sui lives frequently suffer from natural disasters? First there was a locust plague and a drought, then a plague, and later a snowstorm and a flood… This is a warning from heaven.”
"..."
When the Imperial Advisor pointed a peach wood sword at Cheng Wanwan, she was initially slightly flustered, because she was indeed a wandering soul, or what is commonly known as a ghost. It seemed reasonable that the Imperial Advisor could see through her disguise.
However, the imperial advisor's subsequent words were full of loopholes.
If you say she's a wandering ghost, then prove that point properly, instead of insisting she's some kind of evil spirit.
Before she came to this era, there were still all sorts of disasters. After she arrived, she reduced countless losses for the Great Yu Dynasty. She shouldn't be considered a jinx.
Also, that will-o'-the-wisp on its head is just too ridiculous.
Cheng Wanwan looked up, her gaze passing through the crowd, and saw Princess Rongqing standing beside the Empress Dowager, catching a fleeting, cold smile on Princess Rongqing's lips.
She understood instantly.
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