Chapter 385 Princess Taiping
Late at night, by candlelight, Li Sanniang prepared more than ten doses of the medicinal powder she called "Muscle Relaxing Powder," and only then did she lie down to rest, satisfied.
The next day, on the Lantern Festival, as soon as Li San Niang got up, she went to find her father, mother, elder brother, second brother, and sons who had gotten up early, and distributed the muscle-relaxing powder.
"The paper package contains a muscle-relaxing powder that can make one feel weak and sore all over, while the porcelain bottle contains the antidote."
The antidote must be taken 15 minutes in advance; otherwise, its effects will be incomplete, and you might also be poisoned.
Looking at the medicine packet and porcelain bottle in his hand, Brother Li thought to himself, "This stuff is good. It won't work when there are thousands of troops fighting, but it's very useful when it's a one-man battle or a small group of people fighting."
After some discussion, the group decided to first visit the West Market, then split up so that those who wanted to watch storytelling could watch storytelling, those who wanted to watch song and dance performances could watch song and dance performances, and those who wanted to browse the shops could browse the shops.
After lunch, the leaders would gather together for lunch, and in the afternoon they could go see a show or wander around. There were bound to be many new and interesting things on the streets.
"I was thinking of going to the supermarket again. The lard soap that my mother bought last time was really good and not expensive. It would be good to buy some more to keep on hand."
When Sister-in-law Li said this, Sister-in-law Li Er nodded in agreement, thinking of the lard soap with a floral scent.
"In that case, after watching the show, we can go to a restaurant for a meal. Then, after dark, there will definitely be lanterns everywhere. If we have enough time, we can also go to Anhua Gate to see the lantern wheels."
Li Erxiong was well-informed and had already heard from the aunties in the neighborhood that on the night of the Lantern Festival, there would be a lantern wheel outside Anhua Gate. "I heard that the lantern wheel is twenty zhang tall (1 zhang is about 10 chi, 1 chi is about 33 cm, so 20 zhang is about 66 m).
Not only that, palace maids were arranged to dance under the lanterns, and older women and young girls were also invited to sing under them.
Upon hearing this, Li San Niang's initial fear vanished instantly!
You know, even though she had a lot of fun every time she went out with the Li family after traveling for so long, for someone who had seen all kinds of entertainment programs in modern society, those things were interesting, but they didn't amaze Li San Niang.
Oh, apart from the kind of wild animal performances in troupes that basically have no protective gear and are just thrilling, the other shows like storytelling, singing and dancing, acrobatics, and animal training are just so-so.
But what Li Erxiong said about the lantern wheel and the song and dance performances underneath it really excited Li Sanniang.
The Li family members were still discussing how to spread out so that everyone could have more fun.
Prince Xiang, who had been confined to his quarters for a long time, has now entered the palace.
In fact, after being punished with a salary deduction and confined to his home for more than a month for conspiring with Turkic rebels to assassinate Emperor Wu during the Emperor's birthday celebration, Prince Xiang was already allowed to go out again.
Even the things he originally controlled in the court were not directly stripped away by Emperor Wu.
However, Prince Xiang had his own ulterior motives and was unwilling to come to the palace to see Emperor Wu, which is why he had not entered the palace for a long time.
The reason Prince Xiang came to the palace this time was to pick up his younger sister, Princess Taiping, to attend a banquet and go sightseeing.
"Although the Emperor has allowed you to leave the palace, it may be peaceful outside, but it is not necessarily safe. You should bring the guards you are supposed to take with you. Don't complain that they restrict you."
Prince Xiang led Princess Taiping into the carriage and headed out of the palace. This carriage was a special privilege granted by Emperor Wu, and Princess Taiping was allowed to use it only today. It was a gift from Emperor Wu to Princess Taiping because of his affection for her.
After all, it was quite a long way from Princess Taiping's residence to the palace gate.
Although she hadn't left the palace yet, Taiping was still very excited. She was thinking about the interesting things outside the palace that her companion, Wang Jia Shiba Niang, had told her. She was very happy, but she was afraid that she wouldn't have enough fun before it was time to go back to the palace.
“Brother, I understand. Mother has given me quite a few guards, and I’m bringing them all with me.”
The carriage quickly moved out of the palace. After leaving the palace gates, the noise of the city came into view. Princess Taiping curiously lifted the curtain to look out. Prince Xiang looked at Princess Taiping, who still had a childlike air about her, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Okay, okay, okay, just be obedient."
"If you obey this time, the Emperor will allow you to leave the palace again next time."
"Well, brother, let's go to the Prince's mansion to see Sanlang first. I wonder if he's grown up a bit?"
The two first returned to the Prince Xiang's residence, where they met the three young men and five young women of the Prince Xiang's family. Princess Taiping generously presented them with a batch of gifts, allowing them to enjoy the hospitality of an aunt and elder before they were sent to the Prince's family.
This Wang family is the same Wang family where Wang Dezhen, who once served as prime minister, lived. Wang Shibalang was already waiting at the gate. As soon as Princess Taiping's carriage arrived at the gate of the inner courtyard, Wang Shibalang hurriedly went over.
"Princess, you've finally arrived! My mother has prepared some delicious pastries, please come and have a taste."
Princess Taiping got out of the carriage with her mother's help, but as soon as she got out, Wang Shiban grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.
"Eighteen, do not be rude!"
After scolding Wang Shiba Niang, the mother of the eighteenth daughter of the Wang family, Wang Niangzi, the second wife of the Wang family, led a group of maids to pay their respects to Princess Taiping.
After all the proper formalities were performed, Princess Taiping and Wang Shiban went to the garden.
There were more than ten plum trees in full bloom in the garden. As soon as Taiping entered the courtyard, he smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms.
"Your garden is beautifully landscaped; the fragrance of plum blossoms can be smelled from this far away."
"Oh my princess, what's so special about these flowers? Come on, everyone is waiting for you."
Princess Taiping, who had originally planned to admire the flowers, followed Wang Shibalang's suggestion and took a few quick steps. Sure enough, when she entered, she found more than a dozen women dressed in brightly colored clothes waiting for her at the pavilion surrounded by plum blossoms.
These young women were mostly around the same age as Princess Taiping, with a difference of only two or three years at most. Most of them were daughters of officials whose fathers or brothers held official positions in the court. Among them, four or five were like Wang Shiban Niang, also serving as study companions, except that they were study companions of princesses or county princesses from the imperial clan.
After everyone paid their respects to Princess Taiping, they sat in a circle and began to chat.
Although it was still early winter and the weather outside was still cold, there were several charcoal braziers burning inside the pavilion, and two honeycomb briquette stoves, newly introduced in Chang'an, were placed on either side.
The pavilion is surrounded on three sides by thick, windproof felt, so it's not actually that cold inside.
After chatting for a while, the dozen or so women shared their experiences during the New Year holiday. Wang Shiban Niang noticed that it was almost time to go to the restaurant, so she quickly said, "Alright, alright, let's get ready and take the carriage to Junyoulai. I booked the Peony Room a long time ago. After we have the meal, we can go see the Rainbow Dance."
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