On the traditional festival of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the State of Wei also held a grand Lantern Festival as scheduled.
On this special day, Chu Fan, with the company of Mu Xi and Chang Sun Pin Qing, no longer felt lonely like he did during the Lunar New Year. Therefore, Chu Fan decided to take Mu Xi, Chang Sun Pin Qing and the others with him to leave the palace and head to Kaifeng City to participate in the Lantern Festival, where they could enjoy the lanterns and the festive atmosphere.
The reason why Mu Xi and others chose to accompany Chu Fan on the Lantern Festival was because they felt guilty towards Chu Fan deep in their hearts.
After all, they all knew what happened to Chu Fan during the Chinese New Year. His Majesty's parents were assassinated last year, and he was the only one left in his family. His Majesty's brothers and sisters all had their own families, so he was the only one who was there during the Chinese New Year this year.
However, since they had a formal wedding with Chu Fan, they could not be with him during the Chinese New Year. Therefore, they decided to use the Lantern Festival as an opportunity to accompany Chu Fan to make up for it and let him feel their care and concern for him.
The Lantern Festival is more than just a time to enjoy lanterns; it's also a special time for lovers to express their love and make wishes. Mu Xi and her other female friends chose to accompany Chu Fan on this romantic day, hoping to express their feelings to him and deepen their relationship.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, Kaifeng was adorned with dazzling lights, the whole city immersed in joy and excitement. Chu Fan, Mu Xi, and other friends strolled among the bustling crowd, their laughter and chatter continuing.
Amidst the flickering lights, they savored a variety of delicious snacks, admired the uniquely shaped and colorful lanterns, and felt the warm festive atmosphere. On this special night, their friendship and emotions were quietly deepened and sublimated.
On the night of lantern viewing, Chu Fan, Mu Xi and other female companions strolled along the brightly lit streets. The stalls were hung with colorful lanterns, and each lantern had a riddle attached.
Chu Fan's eyes swept over the riddles. Many of the answers seemed easy for him to guess, but he was not in a hurry to reveal the answers. Instead, he listened patiently with a smile as Mu Xi and the other female companions enthusiastically discussed and answered them.
Every time they guessed a riddle correctly, he applauded enthusiastically, celebrating their wisdom and joy. In this joyful atmosphere, Chu Fan savored every wonderful moment he spent with them.
As for why Chu Fan didn’t show his talents at this time?
In fact, Chu Fan had already demonstrated his extraordinary talent in his daily life. Whether it was the wonderful stories he told to Mu Xi and others in the palace, or the masterpiece "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" that he personally carried, Chu Fan's talent was already admirable enough.
If he continued to show off his talent at this point, it would only bore people. Chu Fan knew that one must leave room for improvement. He preferred to let Mu Xi and the others enjoy the fun of guessing riddles, rather than being overshadowed by his own brilliance. He hoped that these women could showcase their wisdom and grace, letting Mu Xi and the others guess the riddles themselves, and that they would gain a sense of accomplishment and joy with each successful riddle.
But for Chu Fan, the laughter and happiness of these women are the most important.
Mu Xi and the other women were no fools; they understood why Chu Fan didn't just offer an answer, but patiently waited for them to think. Chu Fan's humble demeanor always won them over, and Mu Xi and the others' affection for him grew. They admired Chu Fan's wisdom and were grateful for the opportunity he gave them to express themselves.
As time passed, the Lantern Festival drew to a close. As they parted, Mu Xi and her female companions clung to Chu Fan, their eyes filled with reluctance. Chu Fan promised them that in the near future, he would hold a grand wedding, allowing them to appear by his side in the most glorious manner and share their happiness and joy.
After hearing Chu Fan's promise, Mu Xi and the other women were filled with excitement and overwhelming emotions. They realized that what Chu Fan gave them was not just a simple promise, but a profound affirmation of their feelings and a courageous commitment to their future responsibilities.
Crystal tears sparkled in the eyes of Mu Xi and others, but these tears contained the light of happiness. They held Chu Fan's body tightly with their hands, expressing their deep gratitude and infinite expectations for a better life in the future in this silent way.
Chu Fan looked at every woman present with his gentle eyes and silently swore in his heart that he would do his best to make each of them the happiest woman in the world.
After returning to the palace, Chu Fan couldn't help but reminisce about the joyful night. He was keenly aware of some unusual signs in Kaifeng City. Especially on this Lantern Festival night, he noticed that the number of beautiful women in the city seemed to be much greater than usual.
Even though he was surrounded by beautiful women like Mu Xi, Chu Fan couldn't help but admire the beauties passing by out of the corner of his eye.
However, Chu Fan did not pay too much attention to this phenomenon. After all, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the celebration of this traditional festival made Kaifeng City extremely lively.
Kaifeng was home to many prominent nobles and wealthy merchants, who would often invite their distant family members back to celebrate with them during the Lunar New Year. Therefore, it was no surprise that Kaifeng was filled with beautiful women during this festive occasion.
Of course, Chu Fan knew very little about the Wei Imperial Court. Whether it was the royal family members or the eunuchs and maids in the palace, they had completely different characteristics from the royal family and servants of ordinary countries. The Wei Imperial Court was actually a clan power disguised as a country, and its internal operations and organizational structure were very different from those of a typical country.
Most of these women came from Wei or surrounding countries, harboring dreams of cultivation and hoping to improve their skills by joining the Wei Imperial Court. Because the Wei Imperial Court was not as strict in recruiting members as other sects, many women who were rejected in other sects' selections chose to come to the Wei Imperial Court, hoping to find their own opportunities there.
As for the outside world's concerns about whether these women would become playthings of the Wei emperor, in fact, the reputation of the Wei royal court was much better than that of other sects.
The Wei imperial court did not restrict women's freedom to go out; if they felt unsafe or treated unfairly, they could choose to leave, or even accuse the emperor of misconduct to the ancestors of the royal family and seek protection and justice.
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