"The wisdom of the saints awakens the people to the right path, and the grace of God is spread far and wide to carry people out of the maze."
Suddenly, cheers came from the front. They both looked at the same time and found that it was the Taoist priest who came on stage.
"You want to go see it?"
Xu Jiang actually wanted to go, but when she saw so many people, she gave up the idea and said, "There are too many people. Let's just watch from here."
"Okay." Lou Yunchun still held her tightly, afraid that she would be swept away by the crowd again.
When the fire was lit, the people passed the offerings in their hands to the Taoist priests guarding the four sides of the furnace, and then put them into the furnace through their hands.
Xu Jiang also handed over the offerings in his hand and turned to ask Lou Yunchun, "Didn't your Excellency bring any offerings?"
"We have an altar at home and offer sacrifices separately."
Xu Jiang nodded, thinking that Zhaoyue must be well-off to be able to work at the Dali Temple. During each solar term, wealthy families would hold their own sacrifices to pay respect to heaven and earth and to their ancestors.
After burning the offerings, the Taoist priest chanted the "Water Official's Precious Edict" solemnly, and the people listened attentively.
Yanggu Dongyuan, in Qingling Palace.
The forty-two divisions, with a force of ninety million,
In charge of the affairs of rivers, water emperors and all spirits.
Floods are a time of disaster.
The Zhengyi Dharma King is in charge of the records of the dead souls and ghosts of the long night;
The leader of the Wuwei Sect records the merits, demerits, sins and blessings of all living beings.
To relieve natural disasters and save souls whose karma has been fulfilled;
Go down to the dark and lock the door, and distinguish the ways of humans and ghosts.
Life and death are both safe and sound, and the power of assistance is endless.
Great compassion, great vows, great saint, great mercy.
The five qi of Xia Yuan can relieve the water official from disasters.
The Great Emperor Jinling Dongyin and the Emperor Yanggu.
After the chanting, the Taoist priest knelt down and bowed. After the bowing, the Taoist priest brought a basin of blessed water, and the Taoist priest held a willow branch and sprinkled the blessed water on the people.
The people cheered again.
After sprinkling the blessed water, the Taoist priest turned towards the inner river, rang the bell and shouted: "Please call the water god——"
The people also shouted, "Please call on the water god!" and then rushed to the inner river.
Seeing that Xu Jiang was about to be pushed away again, Lou Yunchun quickly pulled her in front of him. However, he was afraid that he could not hold her anymore, so he simply reached across and hugged her waist.
"I'm sorry."
Xu Jiang almost lay on top of him, and she used her hands to block between them to avoid awkward contact.
Neither of them dared to move.
Xu Jiang's hand was on Lou Yunchun's chest. She could feel his heart beating like a drum, which made her a little panicked.
Lou Yunchun placed his hand on Xu Jiang's waist, thinking that the bones under his hand seemed too thin to be grasped even through the winter clothes.
Amidst the crowd, the two embraced each other, creating a world of their own.
Only after the crowd squeezed out of the street did Lou Yunchun let her go. He and she turned their faces away, both feeling a little dry in the mouth.
"Are you going to see the water god?" Lou Yunchun asked after a while.
"Um."
"Let's go, I know a place where there aren't many people."
As if by magic, Xu Jiang followed him.
The two walked upstream, and there were fewer and fewer people. When they arrived at a teahouse, Lou Yunchun asked her to wait there, saying that he was going to get the horse.
Xu Jiang was thirsty, so she simply sat down and ordered a cup of tea. Without looking at the tea menu, she asked the waiter to bring her a random cup. When she opened the cup and smelled it, it turned out to be Kuizhou Xiangyu.
She quickly took a sip. It was mellow and bitter at first, but then turned sweet. It was a familiar taste.
After drinking it, he asked again, "Brother, do you sell this Kuizhou Xiangyu separately?"
The tea attendant nodded, "It's for sale, one tael and two hundred wen."
"Please weigh two ounces for me."
"Okay."
The tea attendant quickly weighed the tea and said with a smile, "Young lady, you are an expert. You can tell it is Kuizhou Xiangyu at the first taste."
"I've been to Kuizhou before, so I recognize it."
"I see." The tea attendant nodded and added, "This is the last batch before the New Year. If you want more, you'll have to wait until after the New Year."
Xu Jiang took it, sniffed it through the paper, and weighed it again, "These two taels should last until after the New Year."
"The fragrant rain after the New Year will be even more fragrant. If my lady likes this tea, she can come back to taste it after the New Year."
Xu Jiang counted the money and handed it to him, smiling and saying, "I will definitely come."
After finishing their tea, Lou Yunchun rode over. The tea attendant's smile faded as he saw him, and he picked up the teacup, nodded to Xu Jiang, and went back into the shop.
Lou Yunchun didn't care. He just raised his foot to make way for the stirrup and reached out to Xu Jiang.
"Get on the horse."
Xu Jiang did not hesitate, stepped on the stirrup, grabbed his hand, turned over and sat behind him.
"Where are you going?"
"Shuiyuntan."
After saying this, he pulled the reins and the horse galloped away.
Shuiyuntan is a bend in the lower reaches of the inland river, five or six blocks away from the place of sacrifice. It takes about an hour to walk there, and only one incense stick of time to ride on horseback.
The horse ran very fast, and the lanterns on both sides streaked across the sky like shooting stars. The cold wind blew so hard that Xu Jiang's face hurt, so she had to hide behind Lou Yunchun.
By the time they reached Shuiyuntan, Xu Jiang's face had been battered by the wind and was numb. Lou Yunchun helped her off the horse, and when their hands touched, he realized her hands were cold, and he immediately felt a little annoyed.
"cold?"
Xu Jiang nodded, then stamped her feet, rubbed her hands and face, and smiled at him again.
"It's not cold now."
Lou Yunchun still had a stiff face.
She looked around and found that there were quite a few people here, but much fewer than in Shoukangfang. With her sharp eyes, she spotted a spot and hurriedly called out to Lou Yunchun, "Let's go there."
Seeing her smiling face, Lou Yunchun felt better. He led the horse and followed behind her, walking towards that direction together.
The moonlight was like a thread, its shimmering light staining the waves. Two men, sharing a horse, stood by the riverbank, beneath withered willows, gazing longingly into the distance. Lights shone like stars on both banks, and buildings resembled a forest. Pedestrians came and went, some in groups, some admiring the moon, some in groups, some in solitary contemplation. Naturally, a scene of a nighttime stroll through the capital was created.
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