Chapter 117 Taking to the Streets

Shen Yuan fell asleep almost at dawn, but after a short while, he was awakened by the crackling sound of firecrackers outside.

According to custom, people are not allowed to stay in bed on the first day of the New Year. Early in the morning, the whole family sits in the dining room to eat breakfast.

Except for Madam Shen and He Ying who went to bed early, everyone else looked listless.

Fortunately, there was nothing to do on the first day of the New Year, and no one came to visit us. After breakfast, everyone went back to their rooms to catch up on sleep.

When Shen Yuan woke up again, it was already afternoon. When Qingdai came to help Shen Yuan dress, she also brought a letter.

"Miss, Master Xie sent it here. Butler He brought it over at noon."

Shen Yuan took the letter, opened it and smiled, "Master Xie asked me to go to Yu Street to see the lights in the evening."

Yu Street was usually not open to the public, but only during important festivals or when the emperor was on tour.

During the Chinese New Year, in order to express the desire to share happiness with the people, the palace would decorate the streets with various lanterns and open them to the public for viewing until after the Lantern Festival of the following year.

"Miss, please change your clothes later. I will pick out new ones for you!"

Before Shen Yuan could say anything, Qingdai left excitedly and dived into the closet, vowing to find the most beautiful clothes for her daughter.

After changing clothes and washing up, Shen Yuan sat in front of the dressing table and Qingdai styled her hair.

"Qingdai, are you ready? I'm hungry."

"Don't worry, young lady. Fuling has gone to get the food and will be here soon. I will put makeup on you after you finish eating."

"Well! Girl, you must be the most beautiful girl on the street tonight!"

Shen Yuan chuckled, "Qingdai, you are just like Wang Po selling melons."

"No, my girl is the most beautiful."

After dinner, Shen Yuan thought that she had to go out at night and needed her father's consent, so she went to find her father again.

Shen Yun was free today, so he played chess and talked with his brother Shen Si. After the second day of the New Year, Shen Si would leave the capital, and he had to hurry back to his place of work.

Shen Yuan came in and saw her great uncle was there too. She was too embarrassed to say anything, but it was not easy to ask her great uncle to leave, so she had to go to her father and whisper in his ear.

"There are many people outside, bring the maid with you. Your sister has come to the capital and hasn't been out much, so it's a good opportunity for you two to go together."

After all, we're not engaged yet, so going out alone isn't a good idea.

"Okay!" After getting her father's permission, Shen Yuan happily went to find Shen Xi again. She had originally planned to ask her elder sister to go along, but she was afraid of collisions because there were too many people outside, so Shen Yuan did not dare to call her sister-in-law.

Xie Hui also knew that it was not good for unengaged couples to go out alone, so he wrote in the letter, along with Zhou Zhongan, Princess Zhaoyang and Princess Jinghe.

After Shen Yuan left, Shen Si asked his brother, "Where are you going, Manman?"

"Go look at the lights on the street."

Shen Si laughed, "How come you are too embarrassed to say that you are going to the street to see the lights?"

Shen Yun changed the subject and talked about other things. It was not that he treated his brother as an outsider, but the matter had not been concluded after all, so he did not dare to tell anyone about it.

Shen Yuan found Shen Xi and told her about this. Shen Xi's first reaction was to refuse.

"Master Xie invited you to come, why did he invite me as well? It would be so bad to disturb you."

"It's not just the two of us, there are others too, let's go together, sis, just treat it as having fun."

After hearing that there were other people there, Shen Xi agreed. She had never gone out at night since coming to the capital. Shen Xi had heard that the night market in the capital was very lively, and she was looking forward to it.

The eldest lady and the old lady knew that they were going out to see the lights, but since it was New Year's Day, they didn't want to restrict them and only told them to be careful and not to play too late.

When the family was having dinner, Shen Su found out that his sister had gone out to see the lanterns. Shen Su had a feeling that things were not that simple.

After finishing his meal, he immediately went to ask his father, and only then did he know why his sister went out to see the lights.

"Dad, you too, how can I agree to this?"

"It's not just the two of them. Xixi is here too. Why are you in such a hurry? Go read a book if you have nothing to do. Are you really waiting for your mother to bless you?"

Not finding recognition, Shen Su returned to his room angrily and complained to his wife.

After he finished speaking, he realized that his wife had a calm face, and his heart skipped a beat.

"You already knew about that Xie matter?!"

He Ying then realized that she had forgotten to react and had no choice but to admit it.

"You knew it, but you didn't tell me..."

Shen Su was reluctant to be angry with his wife, so he could only complain aggrievedly.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would do this. This is a girl's secret. When the time is right, I will definitely tell you."

"What's so good about that guy named Xie? He has such a good family background. What if he bullies us in the future?"

"According to what you said, Manman should find someone with a bad family background?"

"Of course that's not what I meant!"

He Ying gently held her husband's hand and said, "I know you just don't want Manman to get married, but Manman has grown up, and we should listen to her own wishes."

"No matter what time it is, you are Manman's brother, and that will never change."

…

When Shen Yuan went out, he took the four maids around him with him, thinking of letting them come out and play as well. Shen Xi also took the two maids who followed her from Jinling with her.

But compared to Xie Hui and his group, this was nothing. Xie Hui brought Princess Zhaoyang and Princess Jinghe with him. The princesses were going out to enjoy the lanterns, and naturally they were followed by a group of guards and maids.

However, these people were instructed before going out. Except for Princess Jinghe who was young and had a nanny following her closely, the other guards stayed nearby and would never disturb their masters' play.

The wooden forks on both sides of the street have been removed. Now there are many stalls of various types on both sides of the road, and the street lanterns light up the street like daylight.

Shen Yuan walked closer and saw the black jade hair crown on Xie Hui's head at a glance.

Xie Hui also noticed Shen Yuan's look and said with a smile, "Thank you for the hair crown, it looks great."

"As long as you like it, it suits you very well." This hair crown was sent by Shen Yuan's servants yesterday as a New Year gift in return for his love.

"Hiss! My teeth are sore." Zhou Zhongan regretted coming here to join in the fun today.

After hearing Zhou Zhongan's words, Shen Yuan suddenly remembered that he had been so busy talking that he hadn't even saluted the princess.

"No, no, no, we are all family now, why should we be polite, right, cousin?"

"right."

"Hey, hello, Sister Yuanyuan." Princess Zhaoyang pulled her sister over again, "Xinxin, say hello to sister."

Princess Jinghe is only six years old this year. Her mother was injured during childbirth and passed away within two years. Since then, she has been taken care of by the maids in the palace.

Princess Jinghe's mother was not favored during her lifetime. The emperor had many concubines and children, so he had no time to care for his daughter. It was not until the empress accidentally discovered that the princess was not well raised by the nanny, and thinking that she would have nothing to worry about, she took her to her side to take care of her.

Princess Jinghe was very well-behaved. When asked to call people, she waved to Shen Yuan and Shen Xi, "Hello, two beautiful sisters." Her cute look made Shen Yuan and Shen Xi couldn't help laughing.

Shen Yuan introduced Shen Xi to everyone, "Let me introduce you. This is my elder sister, Shen Xi. She is the third child in the family and I am the fourth."

"Hello, everyone, just call me Third Miss."

"I want to call you Sister Xixi!" Princess Zhaoyang came forward and took Shen Xi's arm, leading her forward, and did not forget to turn around and call Zhou Zhongan, "Zhou Zhongan, follow me quickly!" Don't disturb her cousin and future cousin-in-law!

Zhou Zhongan did not move. Instead, he shook his head in embarrassment and asked Shen Yuan: "Your sister..."

Shen Yuan was confused, "What happened to my sister?"

But Xie Hui had known Zhou Zhongan for many years, so he naturally saw it.

"Her elder sister is already engaged."