After he left, the third prince Xiao Jun died in prison by hitting his head against a wall.
At this time, the court had just been restored and the fifth prince Xiao Jin was reported. Because he had no permission to enter or leave the Heavenly Prison and was suspected of plotting to murder the prince, he was directly beaten with a board and locked up.
"I didn't expect there were such fools in the world." Xiao Tang tied his cloak and looked at his appearance in the mirror. "How do I look like this?"
"The prince is in very good health now, and he is undoubtedly a man of extraordinary talent." Cunzhi praised.
Xiao Tang breathed a sigh of relief. He was clearly going there to discuss something and not to really enjoy the lanterns, but he still felt that he couldn't be negligent and actually changed three sets of clothes.
No matter how chaotic things were in the palace, it could not stop the people from enjoying themselves. One could see the splendor and brightness outside the palace from far away. When the carriage left the palace and reached the street, it was almost impossible to move forward because of the huge crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder. Everyone was immersed in the lanterns and sometimes had no time to look around.
"Your Highness, you may have to wait a moment before you can pass." The attendant said outside.
Xiao Tang opened the car window and looked at the lively scene outside in a daze. He had not seen such a lively scene for a long time. In his memory, the lanterns carried during the Lantern Festival were made by his mother out of paper. She was not good at it and her paintings were not as beautiful as the lanterns on the roadside, but that was his favorite one.
"It's unobstructed here, but there will be traffic jams ahead. I'll get out and walk." Xiao Tang was a little interested, and was helped down by the servants when he opened the car door.
The clothes he wore did not have any markings to indicate his identity. He got off the car in the dark, and when he walked onto the street, everyone saw him as a nobleman and subconsciously gave way to him. However, no one noticed his identity in the light.
The wind was slightly chilly, but Xiao Tang felt a rare sense of joy in his heart. "Where did Miss Lin say to wait?"
"They said they would meet at Langmu Bridge, not far ahead." said the attendant.
Xiao Tang walked all the way to the bridge. Various lotus lanterns were also floating on the surface of the moat, which looked extremely beautiful, but there was no sign of Lin Ting'er anywhere.
"Young man, would you like to guess the riddles? If you guess them right, you can get a lantern so that you won't get lost on the road ahead." said the stall owner beside the bridge.
Xiao Tang hadn't meant to do that, but the lanterns on his stall were truly beautiful, with patterns and designs not seen elsewhere. Yet, for some reason, so few people gathered. "Aren't you afraid of losing out by giving away lanterns like this?"
"The Lantern Festival is a time for everyone to have fun together. If I lose money here, I can always make it back somewhere else," said the old man selling lanterns. "Young master, if you want to give it a try, it's only one cent."
Xiao Tang gestured, and the attendant beside him handed over a penny. The old man came out with a lantern and handed it to Xiao Tang: "If you guess it right, this lantern will be given to you."
The lamp was exceptionally beautiful. I didn't know how it was made, but it looked like a silly little fox sleeping soundly, hugging its tail. Its beautifully painted eyebrows and eyes carried a natural charm and innocence, as if it would wake up if its tail was gently touched.
Xiao Tang originally just wanted to make a random guess, but when he saw the lamp, he couldn't take his eyes away. He lowered his head and looked carefully at the riddle on it: Hit me to know that there is someone behind you; why did you come out? To show the way.
Xiao Tang originally thought he would be troubled for a long time by such a beautiful lamp, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the answer to the riddle: "The answer is lamp. Can I take this lamp away?"
"Now that the answer is figured out, the lamp naturally belongs to the young master. The person you are looking for can walk a hundred steps in this direction and you will find the answer," said the old man.
"You know I'm looking for someone?" Xiao Tang was a little surprised.
The old man just smiled and said nothing.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see her, but he had made preparations in advance. He invited Lin Su and your sister to come together. Lin Ting'er might not have such a clever idea. Could it be that person's idea?
Xiao Tang picked up the lantern and walked slowly along the road ahead. When he reached a hundred steps, he saw another stall with only a lantern hanging above it. The stall owner saw him, looked at the lantern in his hand, and said with a smile, "Sir, are you looking for someone?"
"Please give me some advice, stall owner." Xiao Tang said.
The stall owner pointed to the lamp hanging in front of the stall and said, "Just guess the riddle."
Xiao Tang went closer to take a look and saw the words written on the lamp: When small, it is as big as a needle hole; when big, it fills a hillside; it can cross thousands of mountains and ridges, but cannot cross a small river.
The answer to this riddle was easy to guess. Xiao Tang was initially hesitant, but when he saw the flickering candlelight in the lantern, he said, "It's fire."
"Sir, your answer is correct. This is a gift to you. Turn left from here and walk a hundred steps." The man said, "But can you please keep this lamp for me to use as a light?"
"Thank you." Xiao Tang took the silver mask and put it on. He seldom appeared, and the common people might not recognize him, but there were officials' families among the crowd, and it would inevitably cause trouble if they were recognized. That person had good intentions.
As for the lotus-shaped lamp, it was beautiful, but not as rare as the little fox in his hand. He just stayed and walked over where the stall owner pointed.
"Your Highness, there must be some conspiracy," the attendant said beside him.
In the past, Xiao Tang would have been on guard, but when he saw the light today, he felt a sense of urgency. If they really wanted to harm him, why would they resort to such a clever trick? "It's okay."
He went on to another stall, but found a flower-making stall. Flower-making was not unusual, but what was unusual was that there was a bunch of fresh flowers on the stall. It was rare to see fresh flowers blooming in the cold winter, so it naturally attracted many people to watch. However, when someone asked about it, the stall owner just said that he did not sell any.
Xiao Tang held the lantern and counted a hundred steps. When he stopped, he asked, "May I ask if I can get directions here?"
The man looked at his mask, then at the lamp in his hand and said, "Just guess the riddle."
"You, the stall owner, are really partial. Why can't we guess the riddles when we come here?" a man said dissatisfiedly.
"My dear, the lamp in his hand is so beautiful, as if it were alive." said a woman, holding her husband's arm.
"Sir, this lamp is for sale. I'm willing to pay a large sum of money for it." Another person stepped forward and asked.
"This lantern is my treasured possession, I won't sell it." After refusing, Xiao Tang looked at the lantern riddle handed to him by the boss.
Letter to the emperor: The censor has nothing to say, and there is leisure in the gate.
"Don't have any objections. I only recognize people who carry fox lanterns here. If you want to guess, you might as well find out where the fox lanterns came from." said the stall owner.
Someone wanted to ask, but was stopped by the attendant, who said, "I got it by guessing the riddle at Langmu Bridge. If you want it, go there."
Xiao Tang had already guessed the riddle: "Lan."
The stall owner took out the flowers and handed them to Xiao Tang, saying, "This is a gift from that person to you, young master. Please go one hundred and fifty steps forward from here."
The flower was in full bloom, emitting bursts of fragrance even in the cold wind. Xiao Tang held on to the flower and walked forward again. One hundred and fifty steps away, he got another riddle: Two beautiful figures standing before me.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com