Chapter 207 Another Lantern Festival
Young people are naturally wild and crazy.
Look down on Kunlun and laugh at Luliang.
After years of sharpening the sword, it is now sharp.
The fierce fire will refine for another two hundred days,
Transformed into Moye, the sharp blade cuts the diamond.
The young eagle is taking flight,
Covered with thunder, proud of the sun.
Singing in the wild wind, not afraid of ice, snow or frost.
I want to reach the sky and embrace the sun and moon
Pour the East Sea, and wash away the vastness with just a pen.
After turning left and right, passing through the mountain corridor and several doors, we finally arrived at the banquet place.
This was a living room. Facing the entrance was a rosewood screen inlaid with a jade base and carved with pine and crane patterns. On either side were tables with raised heads, upon which were placed five or six large porcelain vases and marble plaques. The living room's furnishings were ornate, meticulously carved, inlaid with marble, gemstones, and enamel. While beautiful, they evoked a strong sense of extravagance.
In the center of the living room hangs a central hall and a couplet, which reads, "Coarse clothes, plain meals, and good tea, this old man of fortune has enjoyed the joy of managing his family, governing the country, and pacifying the world. Such things are up to Cao's discretion."
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, commonly known as the Shangyuan Festival, also commonly known as the "Lantern Festival".
According to custom, the Spring Festival is not considered over until the Lantern Festival is over, so the Lantern Festival is also one of the most important festivals in the Song Dynasty.
The Lantern Festival is said to have been passed down from the time of Xiang Yu, the founding emperor of the Chu Kingdom.
During the Chu-Han contention, legend has it that the Jade Emperor ordered the God of Fire to burn down the capital on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Emperor Xiang Yu of Great Chu learned about this in a dream, and he led his ministers and the people of the capital to welcome the Star God and begged him earnestly.
The Fire God could not bear to see the suffering of the people, but was also afraid of violating the laws of heaven. Just when he was in a dilemma, a wise man offered a plan.
That night, inside and outside the capital, from the imperial palace to the courtyards of ordinary people, lights and torches were lit everywhere, making it as bright as day.
The flames pierced the sky, as if a fire had descended from heaven, and deceived the Jade Emperor. From then on, every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the capital would light all the lights in commemoration. This is the origin of the Lantern Festival.
In order to show filial piety to the God of Fire, later generations used glutinous rice flour to make balls into offerings to the gods. These balls were shaped like pearls and were called "tangyuan" in the south and "yuanxiao" in the north.
The Lantern Festival is the beginning of spring, when everything comes back to life. People who have been dormant for a winter start to go out and make activities, making it more lively than the Spring Festival.
However, people are not allowed to go out on the fifteenth day of the lunar month. According to the customs of the Song Dynasty, tonight is the time to eat Yuanxiao (Chinese Yuanxiao), and people can only go out on long journeys after eating Yuanxiao.
Zhao Huan and the two young ladies entered the city in their carriage. The eldest young lady gazed at the magnificent scenery outside and sighed softly, "We've been traveling for over ten days and nights since we set out on the third day of the Lunar New Year. It's already the Lantern Festival, and we haven't even realized it yet."
While other people spend the Lantern Festival together as a family, living in harmony and happiness, they have to go on a long journey before the fourth day of the first lunar month. It is really hard for them.
The second young lady was traveling far away for the first time. Her eyes were slightly red as she said, "Sister, I miss mother a little. I wonder what she does at home alone. Does she eat Yuanxiao?"
Hearing the two young ladies mention this, Zhao Huan also felt a little uncomfortable. He wondered what Zhu Lian was doing at this moment? Was she staring blankly at the white glutinous rice balls in the bowl, with tears dripping into the bowl?
Thinking back to when he saw her off, the girl had fainted from crying in his arms. Zhao Huan couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. It was true that having a wife meant worrying about someone. Fortunately, Fu Jin received news about Sister Li and arrived in the capital ahead of time. Otherwise, who knows what kind of scene would have turned out.
"Miss, do we have a place to eat Yuanxiao tonight? I'm a little hungry." Putting aside the thoughts in his mind, Zhao Huan laughed and comforted the two sisters.
"You only know how to eat!" The eldest lady said lightly, "When we get to the branch in Beijing, how can we miss yours?"
The carriage advanced a few steps before stalling. It was the Lantern Festival, and every household in Beijing had come out to admire the lanterns. The roads were so crowded that even pedestrians, let alone carriages, had difficulty passing.
Li Qingzhao was young and missed her mother at home for a while. Seeing the lively scene outside, she suddenly felt longing and wiped away her tears.
"Sister, since the carriage can't move, why don't we get off and walk? Today is the Lantern Festival. It's very lively outside. Why don't we go out and take a look?"
A bright moon rose from the east, and the capital seemed to be covered with a layer of silvery white gauze. The city was bustling with traffic, lanterns were everywhere, and people came and went like a surging tide.
Each person held a small lantern in their hands. Some wealthy young men and women, accompanied by dozens of servants, paraded through the streets carrying lanterns of varying sizes, crowding the streets to the point of impassability.
On both sides of the avenue, buildings with eaves and pavilions are decorated with colorful lanterns. There are revolving lanterns, jade rabbit lanterns, gourd lanterns, watermelon lanterns, cat lanterns, doll lanterns, peacock lanterns with their tails spread out, and Ziya Fengshen lanterns. Each one is lifelike, like a hundred flowers in full bloom, each with its own unique expression and beauty.
The crowds of people rushed to see the lanterns, pointing and commenting on them. There was laughter and joy everywhere, and the atmosphere was extremely lively. The festive atmosphere was even more festive than that of New Year's Eve.
The man who entered appeared to be in his fifties, of medium build. His ruddy face concealed a subtle pallor. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth, but a sharp glint shone in his eyes. He wore a tufted dragon robe, and his steps were slow and commanding. His fierce gaze swept across the room, and no one dared to meet his gaze. His fierce aura, needless to say, overwhelmed everyone.
The eldest daughter was mature and prudent. No one dared to offend the Li family in Nanjing, but this was the capital. No one knew the Xiao family, so it was better to be cautious.
Seeing the eldest lady shaking her head slightly, the second lady hugged Yuruo's arm and said coquettishly, "Sister. It's a rare good day like the Lantern Festival today, let's go out and have some fun!"
This girl.
The eldest lady sighed helplessly, glanced at Zhao Huan, and asked for his opinion: "What do you think?"
Weishan Lake is hundreds of miles in circumference and has a vast territory, not only spanning several counties in Shandong Province. What's more, the lake is covered with water plants and reed marshes, one after another, with no end in sight in the distance.
In ancient times, people took baths in wooden barrels. Ancient bathtubs were all made of wooden barrels. They were first made of dry wood and then soaked in water so that the wood would expand and would not leak.
The longer a wooden barrel is used, the less likely it is to leak. The manufacturing process for wooden barrels is quite complicated. In ancient times, there was a profession called coopers who specialized in making barrels. A wooden barrel goes through dozens of steps from material selection to finished product. It is very durable and is often coated with a kind of oil for maintenance.
Starting from the shore, the water was a man's height in shallow places and dozens of feet deep in deep places. Even if the city of Jining was buried, it wouldn't cause much of a wave, let alone a mere 350,000 taels of silver. If the silver was truly hidden in the lake, perhaps only the Dragon King knew its exact location.
Zhao Huan smiled bitterly and said, "The carriage is currently unable to move forward. You have to get off even if you don't want to. So, let's fulfill the Second Miss's wish."
Li Qingzhao looked at him with a sweet smile, biting her red lips. If her sister had not been by her side, she would have rushed over to hug his neck and kissed him. The eldest lady said helplessly: "Okay then."
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