Chapter 432 The ladies all want to visit the lantern festival
"Is Your Majesty also going out? The New Year is just around the corner. There's a custom in Hengyang that from the first day of the twelfth lunar month until New Year's Eve, there will be a lantern festival. It's very lively."
Zhu Yiyi explained, "This is how it is in previous years. This year, because of the late emperor's funeral, it may not be as lively. However, the funeral is over now, and I heard that the government has lifted the ban on entertainment. This decree must be because His Majesty cares about the people and therefore lifted the ban."
Xie Shang originally just wanted them to go out for a stroll. He thought that they hadn't actually gone out for a stroll or wandered around in the past two weeks. He had been busy every day, and he only felt a little relieved now that the late emperor had been buried.
It has been almost two months since the late emperor passed away. The dead are gone, and the future should naturally be bright and prosperous. Remembering the ancestors and governing the Great Zhou Dynasty should not interfere with each other, so he ordered the nationwide lifting of the ban.
He said in a deep voice, "Please have the officials arrange for you to go for a stroll in the streets. I still have state affairs to attend to."
Zhu Yiyi thought that it was because Zhu Zhenzhen and Zhang Jingjing came to cause trouble that the Emperor didn't go. In fact, Xie Shang had never liked to join in the fun since he was a child. Perhaps it was meaningless without the right person by his side.
Xie Shang then sent someone to invite Jiang Jinyan to arrange for them to go out on the street.
Soon, Jiang Jinyan and Xiao Yu arrived one after the other, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Xiao Yu, due to his outstanding political achievements in the past, now serves in the Ministry of Rites. He deserves much credit for the success of the late emperor's funeral.
Xie Shang said, "You should also change into casual clothes and go enjoy the lantern festival in Hengyang City. See if the lantern festival in Hengyang is better or the lantern festival in our Shengjing City is more outstanding. This matter will be arranged by Minister Xiao." In fact, he rarely participated in either the lantern festival in Hengyang or the one in Shengjing, so he couldn't make a comparison.
Jiang Jinyan reminded him, "The Empress has not returned yet." Since the Emperor has arrived in Hengyang, he should go to Hengyang Palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. They don't know anything about royal affairs.
Hengyang Palace seemed to be a taboo for the royal family.
"With Lin Feng leading troops with her, she'll be fine." Given the Empress Dowager's temper, she probably won't see the Empress. Even when the Emperor was alive, he couldn't do anything about her. If Ruan Ruan goes, she'll only be turned away.
He knew that Jiang Fenghua was stubborn. She came to Hengyang to send her father off on his final journey and to see the Empress Dowager. She was determined to fulfill the late emperor's wishes and not let her father's love for her go to waste.
Jiang Jinyan said, "Let Minister Xiao send someone to accompany the young ladies to tour the city. I will lead men to Hengyang Palace to fetch the Empress." He and Xiao Yu had been busy with follow-up matters and only now had a moment to spare.
"I will go to Hengyang Palace with you." He then had the processed memorials sent out.
Xiao Yu respectfully said, "Lord Jiang and His Majesty should go directly to Hengyang Palace to pick up the Empress. I will go to Hengyang City first to arrange accommodation. It is getting late, so I will stay in Hengyang for another day and then depart from Hengyang City to return to Shengjing."
"That's fine then," Xie Shang said. "Lord Xiao, please begin your preparations!"
Zhu Zhenzhen said, "This concubine would like to accompany Your Majesty to pick up the Empress." Without the Emperor, there's no point in going out.
“I’ll come along too,” Zhang Jingjing said.
Zhu Yiyi also seized the opportunity, saying, "Let me accompany you, Sister Zhen. It's been a long time since we sisters have been together, this is a rare opportunity."
They all wanted to stick close to the emperor.
Xiao Yu said, "I heard from Imperial Censor Zhu that Miss Zhu went to Hengyang City these past few days. I wonder if Miss Zhu could show me the way and tell me which places are fun to visit? I will make arrangements in advance, and we can go to Hengyang City to enjoy the lantern festival together after His Majesty and the Empress return. We can set off from Hengyang City back to the capital early tomorrow."
Zhu Yiyi only came to the lantern festival with the Emperor so that she could be with him, but now everything has been ruined.
Before she could speak, Zhu Zhenzhen said, "Then we'll have to trouble Lord Xiao to take good care of my elder sister. We'll come to meet you after we pick up Her Majesty the Empress."
Finally, Xie Shang and Jiang Jinyan went to Hengyang Palace together, while Xiao Yu took a group of women to Hengyang City.
Zhu Zhenzhen, Zhu Yiyi, and Zhang Jingjing sat together inside the carriage, each of them seated separately.
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Jiang Fenghua came out of Hengyang Palace. Seeing that it was getting late, she said to Lin Feng, "Wouldn't it be dark by the time we get back to the post station now?"
Lin Feng, dressed in a soldier's uniform, rode on his horse. "Judging by the time, it should be dark by the time we get back to the post station."
"Let's go, speed up, it's not safe outside after dark." Jiang Fenghua had maintained a calm and composed demeanor ever since she came out of Hengyang Palace. The guards in Hengyang Palace were probably not all the Empress Dowager's men, there might also be some from Prince Kang.
Are these people protecting Xie Minmin?
In her previous life, she knew that the Fourth Prince would rebel, but she did not know whether the Kang Prince's lineage would rebel. She was as if she were isolated from the world in the deep palace and did not know the specific situation outside.
Prince Kang did not rebel during Emperor Huijing's reign, but now that Xie Shang is emperor, he is trying to seize the throne. According to her memories from her previous life, he did not. Otherwise, even if she were in the deep palace, given Su Tingwan's personality of visiting her every day, Su Tingwan would definitely have told her these things.
The guards in Hengyang Palace were probably only there to protect the Empress Dowager or Xie Minmin.
Many things have changed in this life, and she can't predict what will happen in the future.
When they had only gone halfway, a funeral procession and a wedding procession suddenly appeared in the middle of the road and started arguing, instantly blocking the entire road.
Neither side would give way to the other, and the drummers and trumpeters on both sides were even more determined to play their instruments, making so much noise that it hurt people's eardrums.
Lin Feng stepped forward and said coldly, "Stop, all of you stop."
At this moment, the person from the funeral party bowed and scraped, saying, "Greetings, sir. I'm on my way to my mother's funeral, and it's almost dark. If I don't leave now, I'll be late, but they won't let me pass."
The person on the other side also said, "We are also in a hurry. The auspicious day we chose has been canceled due to the late emperor's passing and the national mourning period. The government has posted a notice to lift the ban, and my daughter also needs to wait for the appointed time to enter the house. We can't afford to delay even for a moment!"
Seeing this, Lin Feng thought that since the late emperor had suddenly passed away, the government had issued a decree to the world strictly prohibiting all matters such as banquets, weddings, and funerals. Now that the ban had finally been lifted, it was understandable that everyone was anxious.
He said, "If you step back a step, the road will open up."
The people from the wedding party said, "We've already had enough bad luck with a wedding happening to us, let alone a bride being forced to postpone her wedding. They're letting us pass first..."
"Why should we give way? Funerals are a serious matter; you should be the ones making way for us..."
The two sides were arguing fiercely when Lin Feng rode back and reported to Your Majesty.
Jiang Fenghua also lifted the carriage curtain and glanced over there, saying softly, "I heard everything. Tell everyone to be vigilant. If they quietly make way, then fine. But if they make any further moves, leave them alive."
Lin Feng was stunned and looked at the people arguing over there. "Does Your Majesty mean that the other party might be using a trap?"
"We must be on guard," Jiang Fenghua added.
The imperial court has just lifted the ban, and funerals cannot wait; the deceased must be buried as soon as possible. But must weddings be held on this day?
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