Chapter 70 Kongming Lanterns: Hoping the Lady's Wishes Will Be Fulfilled
The waiter standing outside the door respectfully announced, "Your Highness, Manager Huang has sent someone to deliver chilled fruit."
Bai Yan responded, "Come in."
The door opened slightly, but instead of a servant, a graceful dancer entered.
She wore the light gauze summer dress that dancers were used to in summer, with a thin shawl draped over her arm, and carried a sweet, powdery fragrance as she walked.
The tray she was holding held a celadon ice chest, on which wisps of cold air were emanating from the edge of the lid.
With a flicker of his eyes, his gaze swept over Jiang Yuzhi before settling on Bai Yan's face, his smile carrying a hint of deliberately ingratiating charm.
"Your Highness, may you be blessed." The dancer's voice was soft and sweet as she curtsied.
She placed the ice chest on the table, and as she moved, her thin sleeves brushed against Bai Yan's arm as he served food to Jiang Yuzhi.
Bai Yan showed her no mercy, dodging swiftly with a furrowed brow.
"May you be blessed with ten thousand blessings?" Since the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, this word has been almost never heard.
Emperor Huizong was busy every day, like a spinning top. He couldn't stand hearing people say the word "blessing" when they greeted him. Whenever he heard it, he would glare at the person with a gloomy face and think to himself, "Do you want this blessing?"
Of course, he dared not say it aloud; there were plenty of people who wanted the blessing of being an emperor.
The officials below assumed that the emperor disliked this greeting, so they readily changed it to another.
Gradually, ordinary people used it less and less.
Bai Yan, expressionless, picked up a pair of chopsticks that had never been used before and slammed them hard onto the back of the dancer's fair hand, which was opening the ice chest.
Two red marks immediately appeared on that hand.
The dancer gasped and crawled to her knees, trying to grab Bai Yan's leg.
The usually composed young master was even more panicked than the dancer. His reaction was astonishing; he sprang up from his chair with a "whoosh," took several steps back, and precisely hid behind Jiang Yuzhi. He gripped Jiang Yuzhi's shoulders tightly with exaggerated force. "Wife! She tried to take liberties with me!"
He perfectly balanced his grievance and accusation, his tone even carrying a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, as if he hadn't been the one to deliver that vicious chopstick strike.
An eerie silence fell over the private room.
The dancer buried her head on the ground, her heavy panting making her even more jarring.
Jiang Yuzhi: "..."
Feeling the pair of pincer-like hands on my shoulders, I chuckled to myself; they were really putting on a convincing act.
This body is getting better and better; it's no longer as frail as it used to be, as if it could die at any moment.
However, what really caught Jiang Yuzhi's attention was the dancer.
Although she didn't detect any other aura on the dancer, the golden threads flickered, and the requiem bell sounded alarming.
There are also dancers lying on the ground with their limbs twisted and their faces obscured by their hair.
A very soft, barely suppressed laugh entered Jiang Yuzhi's mind.
Jiang Yuzhi: ?
"It's me, Master. You just named someone, and you've already forgotten?"
A name? When did she… Jiang Yuzhi suddenly remembered the only name she had mentioned recently—Jin Xiaohua!
I'll explain to my master when there are fewer people around. For now, let's get rid of this rascal!
The child's innocent voice was extremely angry, shouting that it wanted to show off its skills.
Jiang Yuzhi could only try to soothe her first, saying, "Little Flower, don't worry."
【Aww! I'll do whatever Master says!】
She put down her chopsticks, her movements unhurried and even indulgent, and gently patted the back of Bai Yan's hand that was gripping her shoulder.
Where Jiang Yuzhi couldn't see, the latter's lips curled up into a quick smile.
Then, Jiang Yuzhi, the scholar, depicted the Great Emperor of Fengdu beating his colleagues in the sky, his gaze turning cold and sharp, as if it were tangible, piercing directly at the unidentified dancer on the ground.
"This..." The cold voice carried a touch of the awe-inspiring authority unique to high-ranking figures in the underworld, a presence that could shake even the soul, "Why not show yourself?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the barrier instantly enveloped the private room.
[Little Flower, close the door and beat the dog.]
A golden light, even more refined and dazzling than before, shot out from Jiang Yuzhi's wrist, piercing straight through the dancer's body and precisely binding the outsider who was trying to hide in her soul.
"Ahhh—" The scream, neither male nor female, was so shrill and piercing that it was cut short by the golden thread that the dancer had to utter half a sound.
Her body convulsed violently, her pupils rolled back, and a faint black mist surged and struggled beneath her skin, trying to break free from the golden threads' restraints.
Before long, the room fell completely silent.
Jin Xiaohua returned to Jiang Yuzhi with satisfaction, and the gold thread on her wrist quietly grew longer.
【This tastes awful, Master.】
Jin Xiaohua complained in a coquettish manner.
[Little Flower, you've been wronged. Go back and eat whatever you want.]
[My owner is so kind!]
Bai Yan knew that his wife possessed extraordinary skills, but he did not know they were so powerful. He felt extremely honored.
Jiang Yuzhi: "Mingze, why don't we call Manager Huang in to handle this?"
They made quite a commotion here, but the men guarding outside didn't react; they were probably misled.
"Please invite Manager Huang here," Bai Yan called out to the door, his tone returning to its usual calm.
The waiter guarding outside the door suddenly snapped out of his daze! He jolted awake, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
He had no idea how he had let a strange dancer in just now.
"Okay!" The waiter practically tumbled and crawled to find Manager Huang.
As soon as Manager Huang entered the door, he saw the dancers in strange poses on the ground and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He had worked for the Xiao family for many years and had never made such a big mistake before. He was about to kneel down and beg for forgiveness, trembling.
Bai Yan quickly helped him up, "Uncle Huang, this has nothing to do with Fanlou at the moment. Take the dancer away and find her a doctor. Also, investigate her background and send her to the Bai residence tomorrow."
Manager Huang's hand, which was resting on Bai Yan's arm, trembled slightly. "Alright, alright, I've let down the young master. Thank you for not blaming me. I will definitely investigate more thoroughly in the future."
Manager Huang felt extremely guilty and even started calling him by the name he used to use at the Xiao residence.
Bai Yan certainly didn't blame Manager Huang at all. He originally thought it was just a remnant of the previous dynasty, but later it involved ghosts and monsters, which was really hard to explain to the old man.
"Uncle Huang, you don't need to worry about this. I can't say much. Just focus on managing Fanlou. If anything strange happens, send someone to find me or Yuzhi."
Manager Huang nodded hurriedly, then turned and ordered the terrified shop assistant to find someone to clean up the mess.
"Mingze, I'm full too. Wasn't there supposed to be a lantern festival?"
Master...I want to eat...
Jin Xiaohua's voice echoed softly in Jiang Yuzhi's mind again.
Jiang Yuzhi readily agreed, "Could you make another serving of this meal and send it to the Jiang residence? It's right next to the Bai residence."
"Of course, of course, I'm glad Miss Jiang likes it." Manager Huang agreed without hesitation.
Di Ting arrived just as they left Fanlou.
When the Soul-Soothing Bell went on alert, Di Ting sensed it, but he didn't expect Jin Xiaohua to be so fast and had already taken care of it.
The man, the ghost, and the dog met at the bustling entrance of Fanlou.
Di heard that there were many people, and that they had come in hiding.
After exchanging glances, they hid in the nearest alley one after the other and set up a protective barrier.
To make it easier to talk, the human, the ghost, and the dog all squatted down.
Jiang Yuzhi: "Ah Ting, we encountered a strange ghost at Fanlou just now. Luckily, Xiao Hua dealt with it. Mingze and I are going to the Lantern Festival later. Could you check it out at Fanlou?"
Bai Yan: "Little Flower?"
Di Ting: "Little Flower?"
Jiang Yuzhi showed them the gold thread embedded in the skin of her wrist, twisted into the shape of a small flower, "It's my gold thread."
Jin Xiaohua flicked twice in response.
Di Ting quickly realized, "A living being?"
Jiang Yuzhi: "It should be. I can hear Xiaohua's voice talking in my head."
Di Ting was speechless. How could this golden thread, which had only existed for a short time, possess a spirit? Could Zhi Zhi be Heaven's favorite daughter...?
"You mean you went to the lantern festival with this kid while I was watching something strange at Fanlou? Zhizhi, where's your conscience?" Diting glared at Baiyan resentfully.
Bai Yan gave an innocent smile.
Jiang Yuzhi showed no remorse for enslaving Di Ting. "Okay, Ting, I've never restricted you in any way when you go out to play, nor have I complained to Brother Xie. Just this once, I haven't gone out to play in a long time, okay?"
With a drawn-out, soft pleading tone, Jiang Yuzhi rarely acted coquettishly, and Diting couldn't resist. Its long white fur covered its flushed dog face. "Ahem, alright, go play. Take care of yourself."
"Great! Ah Ting is the best!"
After saying that, Jiang Yuzhi grabbed Bai Yan, whose ears were turning red, and disappeared into the alley.
Along both sides of the long street, all kinds of lanterns competed for beauty, including lotus lanterns, rabbit lanterns, revolving lanterns, octagonal palace lanterns... The soft orange light illuminated the moonless night sky.
The cries of vendors, the cheers of guessing riddles, the clear voices of students reciting poems...
Jiang Yuzhi hadn't experienced the pure, vibrant atmosphere of everyday life in a long time.
"Do you like it?" Bai Yan turned his head, looking at the dazzling lights reflected in her eyes, and asked in a low voice.
"Mm." Jiang Yuzhi nodded gently, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turning up. "It's... lively."
Bai Yan's smile deepened as he pulled her towards the more lively riverbank. That was where river lanterns were released, a place where students would entrust their wishes to the river.
This lantern festival was specially prepared for this year's exam takers, but anyone is welcome to come and visit. It can dispel the gloom of the past few years and show the people the new look of the Xia Dynasty.
On the river, countless lit lotus lanterns drifted with the current, carrying flickering candlelight as they slowly floated into the distance.
Bright Kongming lanterns rise into the night sky, soaring higher and higher, carrying wishes for success in examinations and a bright future, before disappearing into the darkness.
Should we light one too?
Jiang Yuzhi smiled and said okay.
Bai Yan enthusiastically pulled her to a small stall selling lanterns.
The stall owner was a kind-looking old woman, with writing brushes, ink, and two plain white Kongming lanterns in front of her.
"Young couple, why don't you buy two lamps and place them together? Write your wishes on them and send them to the gods in heaven. They're sure to come true," the old woman warmly invited.
The old woman's Kongming lanterns were the best made in the area, and her business was the best. Now, only two are left.
Bai Yan accepted the old woman's explanation of "young couple" with a smile, paid the money, and handed the pen to Jiang Yuzhi, saying, "Yuzhi, write first."
Jiang Yuzhi held the pen, somewhat hesitant. What was her wish? Even if it were sent to the gods in heaven, most likely no god would grant it.
Her family was well? Her parents… Her eyes darkened. Was the underworld peaceful? Or… She glanced at Bai Yan, who was smiling at her beside her.
The lamplight outlined his handsome profile, his gaze focused and gentle.
Jiang Yuzhi finally wrote in delicate small characters on one side of the lamp wall: "The mountains and rivers are safe and sound."
Knowing that the gods couldn't help her achieve her wish, Jiang Yuzhi still sent the Kongming lantern into the sky with her beautiful dream.
Bai Yan leaned closer and asked her, "What did you write?"
Jiang Yuzhi watched the Kongming lantern drift away, thinking, "Some wishes that are not easy to fulfill."
"Really? That's perfect. We have two lamps. Maybe one won't be enough, but two might be enough?"
Jiang Yuzhi tilted her head, meeting Bai Yan's radiant smile, "What did Mingze write?"
"I hope my wife's wish will be fulfilled."
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Author's Note: [Hugs]
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