Chapter 128 Riddle
On the other side of the lamp mountain, more and more talented people gathered, pondering the answer to the riddle.
My wife sleeps alone in the drizzling spring rain; when I wake she is already at the hour of Xu, and the moon has just risen. My husband has been with me, and yet he has not returned; the butterfly has emerged from its cocoon, and is now left to wither on the branch.
This is a poem written by a resentful woman that contains a riddle, and no one has been able to give the answer to it yet.
"Who do you think can win that glass lamp?" Zhu Jiayu held up the lotus lantern, her face still full of excitement. "Yier, how about you try again?"
Chen Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I have no idea at all, but I dare not embarrass myself."
Lin Hao was not good at guessing riddles. He was concentrating on enjoying the fun of the Lantern Festival. He glanced around casually and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
It was Prince Jing’s son Qi Shuo.
Qi Shuo also noticed her, smiled slightly across from her, and strode out.
Qi Huan behind him was shocked: "Brother, do you want to guess the riddles?"
Qi Shuo said "hmm".
Qi Huan was even more shocked.
Although my brother likes reading, I didn't realize he was good at solving riddles. This riddle was quite difficult. He just saw Yang Zhuangyuan in the crowd and he didn't move.
Because no one had guessed it, the situation had been deadlocked for a while. When Qi Shuo appeared, the clerk was overjoyed: "Sir, do you have the answer?"
Whether it's right or wrong, it's better than a dull silence.
Qi Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly: "How can you know the answer if you don't even know the puzzle?"
"I've read the riddle before." Because so many people challenged it, the clerk had memorized it. He opened his mouth and said, "Spring rain continues, and my wife stays alone—"
Qi Shuo politely interrupted the clerk's recitation of the poem: "Sorry, I'm not challenging this puzzle. I want to try the butterfly lantern in the northeast corner of the seventh floor."
The clerk was stunned.
Isn't this the hardest challenge?
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and quickly ordered the bailiff to get the riddles.
The onlookers were speechless.
Everyone was thinking hard, how could this young man have the nerve to stand up if he didn't challenge the ninth level of the poem riddle?
Qi Huan patted his forehead. While he admired his elder brother's calmness, he also felt that it was normal.
The seventh floor should have hope for Big Brother.
But - Qi Huan looked left and right, and was suddenly moved.
The younger sister is upstairs in Xuande Building, and he and the elder brother are alone together. Is the elder brother going to give him a lantern?
Brothers are different after all!
Many people in the crowd recognized Qi Shuo's identity, including Chen Yi and others.
"Ah, that's Prince Jing, right?"
"Yeah." Lin Hao's eyes fell on the man in the center of the crowd, feeling a little amused.
Just as she was making eye contact with Prince Jing, he suddenly moved. Her first reaction was that he was coming to find her, but it turned out that he was guessing riddles.
Ahem, I was overthinking it.
"Returning from stepping on flowers, butterflies swirl around my knees." The clerk took the riddle and read it aloud, "Name a medicinal herb."
Name of medicinal material?
People were thinking subconsciously, but Qi Shuo blurted out, "It's Cyperus rotundus."
The clerk took one look at the answer and gave a thumbs-up: "You guessed it right, young master, you guessed it really quickly!"
Qi Shuo took the butterfly lantern and smiled modestly: "I just happen to know a little about medicine. I'm lucky."
This riddle is neither difficult nor easy. If someone knows nothing about medicine, they will be unable to figure it out no matter how hard they try. But if someone who knows about pharmacology finds it, it will be easy to guess.
This is a rather tricky puzzle.
Someone in the crowd who recognized Qi Huan's identity laughed and said, "It's no surprise that Prince Jing could guess it."
It is common knowledge in this circle that Prince Jing is frail and sickly.
What is interesting is, to whom will Prince Jing give this butterfly lantern?
Following everyone's curious gazes, Qi Shuo walked back carrying the exquisite butterfly lantern.
Qi Huan looked at his brother walking towards him, subconsciously straightened his back, and suppressed his pride.
After watching for so long, those who guessed the riddles gave the lanterns they won to the girls, except his eldest brother who gave one to his brother!
Qi Shuo walked back and stood beside Qi Huan.
Everyone watched him for a while but saw no movement, so they looked away with regret.
I thought I could see Prince Jing's beloved, but it turned out that the lantern was won by Prince Jing for himself.
“Brother——”
"Um?"
"You lantern—"
"Oh, it's for a friend."
Qi Huan covered his chest, feeling extremely aggrieved: "Brother, I thought it was a gift for me!"
Qi Shuo looked strange: "Second brother, you are already eighteen."
What is his brother thinking?
At this time, a thin man came over and asked: "Has anyone guessed the riddle of the Liuli Palace Lantern?"
The clerk was surprised when he saw the man's attire.
It turned out to be from the palace!
He immediately smiled and said respectfully, "Not yet."
The eunuch nodded and went back to report.
"No one has guessed it yet?" Emperor Tai'an shook his head after hearing this.
No one guessed the puzzle last year, so if no one can guess this year's puzzle, it will be a bit boring.
"What about those students from the Imperial College and the newly graduated Jinshi? Didn't they participate?" Emperor Tai'an was a little skeptical.
Is this the case for the young people of Da Zhou?
"Reporting to the Emperor, many talented people participated, but none of them guessed correctly."
Emperor Tai'an thought for a moment and said, "Liu Chuan, pass on my order: whoever wins the colored glass lamp tonight will be rewarded with a bucket of pearls."
"Yes." Liu Chuan took the order and went downstairs.
A sweet voice rang out: "Father, can I go and take a look?"
Qi Qiong looked at Princess Yi'an in surprise.
Princess Yi'an walked up to Emperor Tai'an and said, "This sounds very interesting to me. I really want to see it with my own eyes. I beg your permission, father."
Emperor Tai'an frowned subconsciously: "There are too many people on the street, it's a mess."
Princess Yi'an raised her hand and said, "I promise not to wander around and will come back after finishing the riddle."
Princess Yi'an's eagerness to try made Emperor Tai'an hesitate.
He couldn't say that he had a deep affection for this adopted daughter, but she was his mother's favorite child, so naturally he loved her a little.
"Father, please—" Princess Yi'an started to act coquettishly.
Qi Qiong was stunned.
Even if she is a real princess, she wouldn't dare to act so coquettishly in front of the king, right?
The Queen Mother is indeed a powerful backer.
Princess Yi'an was indeed quite confident. She was the Empress Dowager's great-niece, having been with her for nine years, and the Emperor's only daughter was only eight years old. The Empress Dowager doted on her far more than the little princess herself, and her father, the Emperor, also treated her with great affection.
Living under someone else's roof? For Princess Yi'an, who was used to being pampered by the most noble woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, that didn't exist.
Princess Yi'an's plea reassured Emperor Tai'an: "Then let Qiong'er accompany you. Bring a few more guards with you, and make sure you don't wander around."
"Thank you, father." Princess Yi'an smiled sweetly at Emperor Tai'an and looked at Qi Qiong, "Ninghua, let's go."
Ning Hua is Qi Qiong's title as a princess.
For Qi Qiong, going to watch the lantern riddle guessing was more of an option than just sitting there in a daze in Xuande Tower.
Seeing the two of them happily going downstairs, the prince couldn't help but say, "Father, I want to go and see it too."
Emperor Tai'an's face darkened, and he said unhappily, "Just stay here!"
The prince moved the corners of his mouth but didn't dare to mention it again, feeling a little depressed.
As the crown prince, he really has no freedom at all!
Liu Chuan arrived there before Qi Qiong and the others and announced in a loud voice, "Sacred decree, whoever guesses the lantern riddle will be rewarded with a bushel of pearls—"
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