After leaving the palace, Gu Jiangli learned why the emperor had specifically chosen to invite her out on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring).
People here attach great importance to the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring) and hold all sorts of activities to celebrate it.
As Gu Jiangli and the emperor's carriage passed through the street, she lifted the curtain and found that there were hardly any people on the street, making it quite deserted.
She had her doubts, but when she turned to look at the emperor's face, she found that he did not seem surprised at all, as if he had expected this.
Gu Jiangli then had a guess: "Your Majesty, could it be because we are going out today that the residents have been dispersed?"
The emperor was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing: "How could that be? You and I were dressed in ordinary clothes, our hairstyles were extremely simple, and even our carriage was the most basic one we could find. Apart from a few ministers in the palace, no one knew we had left the palace."
"Huh? What about the people on the street? Didn't everyone say that the Beginning of Spring festival is very important?"
The emperor smiled mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough."
Gu Jiangli, holding onto hope, asked no more questions.
The carriage stopped after a short while.
Unlike the quiet streets, this place is bustling with noise and excitement.
She looked ahead and realized that everyone was gathered by a river, their faces beaming with joy as they talked to those around them and fiddled with the objects in their hands.
"My God, everyone in the capital has come here?" Gu Jiangli exclaimed.
"Pretty much. This is the Dan River, a main river within the imperial city. Legend has it that a goddess lives downstream, who can grant people's wishes. On the goddess's birthday, which is the spring equinox, the people fold a bamboo leaf boat by hand, place a small candle on it, and write their wishes on it, letting the bamboo leaf boat carry their wishes downstream. It is said that the first bamboo leaf boat to reach the downstream intact will be favored by the goddess, and she will surely bless them to have their wishes fulfilled."
After explaining, the emperor gestured with his chin towards the crowd, "A burlap sack has been laid across the river. At the stroke of midnight, everyone's bamboo leaf boats will rush downstream. Look, they've already started folding the bamboo leaf boats."
Gu Jiangli looked quite interested; she had never participated in such an activity before.
"After launching the bamboo leaf boats, will they all go downstream to keep watch?"
"Yes, everyone will crane their necks to see if the first bamboo leaf boat that rushes out belongs to them."
I want to participate too!
"I...I brought you here so that we could participate."
The emperor was prepared; with a wave of his hand, Liu Feng took out a large handful of bamboo leaves from the back of the carriage.
These bamboo leaves were clearly carefully selected; each leaf was thick and sturdy, making them appear resistant to damage.
Gu Jiangli took the leaf but didn't know how to fold it.
The emperor was right there beside her, teaching her step by step.
His movements were somewhat clumsy, but the steps were still very meticulous.
"So Your Majesty can fold this too."
The emperor chuckled, "It was Consort Yu who taught me."
Gu Jiangli was taken aback. She glanced at the emperor and was relieved to find that he did not look sad.
"Consort Yu is a wonderful person."
"Yes, actually, she was the one who told me the legend of the Dan River. I was young then and couldn't leave the palace. Every year on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring), we would secretly play this game at the Taiqing Pond in the palace. She taught me how to fold bamboo leaf boats, saying that she was particularly good at it and that the bamboo leaf boats she folded wouldn't capsize in the river even after being battered by wind and rain. Back then, my brothers and I competed with her, and none of us could beat her. We all admired her immensely. Later, she taught me the secret to folding bamboo leaf boats on her own, and I narrowly defeated her once in front of my brothers."
He said this with a smile on his face the whole time.
Gu Jiangli smiled with relief: "Although His Majesty has never left the palace, he is living a very colorful life by Consort Yu's side."
“Yes, she taught me a lot.” With that, he held up the small boat in his hand. “It’s folded up.”
He placed the folded bamboo leaf boat in Gu Jiangli's arms, saying, "This one is yours."
Then she took the half-finished product that wasn't folded perfectly, modified it a bit, and said, "This one is mine."
Gu Jiangli watched him operate with wide eyes, unable to utter a word of refusal.
Because she's really not good at crafts, especially in such a rush.
Thinking back to how it took her three whole days to finish that simple little lantern, she couldn't help but sigh that she wasn't cut out for crafts.
The emperor was clearly better at it than she was.
Gu Jiangli took the paper and pen from Liu Feng and watched as the emperor began to write on the paper. Without hesitation, she wrote down her wish and put it into the bamboo leaf boat.
The small candle is only half a finger long and thinner than a regular candle, so it won't capsize the bamboo leaf boat when placed inside.
However, it is clear that for a large number of people, the bamboo leaf boats can only go this far.
The two of them walked toward the Danshui River, each carrying the object in their hands.
Gu Jiangli asked the emperor curiously, "What wish did Your Majesty write down?"
"I can't tell you."
"Does saying it won't work anymore?"
"Yes, wishes can only be known to the goddess."
Since that was the case, Gu Jiangli didn't ask any more questions.
When they reached the riverbank, they discovered that each person's bamboo leaf boat was different, suggesting that different people used different methods.
Ultimately, who will come out on top depends on their skill and luck.
At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), hundreds and thousands of bamboo leaf boats carrying candles float downstream, their flickering flames dazzling the eye.
People raised their arms and shouted as they ran alongside their small boats.
Gu Jiangli looked at the emperor and asked, "Is Your Majesty no longer afraid of fire?"
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