Lantern Festival
“Perhaps you can do something for me, but we can talk about that later…” Gu Yu pondered, “Does anyone in your department have contracted syphilis?”
Although the women in Yunxian Pavilion were all government-run prostitutes, there were times when the officialdom was calm and there were no new women in the pavilion. So Feng Miaolian would occasionally buy girls from poor families to train, or other pretty prostitutes from other brothels.
The women in the brothel were divided into different classes based on their talent, appearance, and temperament. Even the lower-class prostitutes would serve customers such as peddlers and laborers.
Therefore, the women in the brothel would still be implicated by the guests and contract syphilis. There is currently no cure for this disease, and within three to five years, those who contract it will die a miserable death.
Zhou Yiren nodded upon hearing this. "I do know of one. She used to be my maid, but later she couldn't resist the temptation of gold and silver and went to work as a prostitute. Her name is Zisu."
"You should rest here and relax. I will arrange for some maids and servants to come and take care of you later. Doctor Li will come to check your pulse every five days. The injury on your face should be able to heal, but it's hard to say whether it will leave a scar."
Gu Yu left the calligraphy scroll where it was, and before leaving, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't said her name yet.
"By the way, my name is Gu Yu. If you need anything, you can send someone to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence to find me."
Zhou Yiren was stunned by her name and couldn't come back to her senses for a long time. When exactly did she do a favor for the young lady of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion?
*
Shen Changqing received the fifteenth invitation sent by Gu Yu's messenger, and finally, he condescended to nod and agree to go with her to admire the lanterns.
Prior to this, Gu Yu already knew that Shen Xiuwen had written a memorial pleading guilty for negligence after Xu Shanhai delivered the imperial decree.
Coincidentally, the first thing the emperor learned after emerging from his confinement for enlightenment was the sale of official positions by officials in the Ministry of Personnel.
The Great Sheng Dynasty originally valued civil affairs over military affairs, and all its officials were graduates of the imperial examinations. Now, several semi-literate people who were illiterate and did not understand official documents have suddenly filled the substantive positions in the provinces. This is a slap in the face to all the civil officials in the court.
The ledger that Guan Yiyun submitted listed all the names, including those related to selling official positions, promotions, and performance reviews. Anyone who had offered bribes was listed.
The emperor was furious and ordered the three judicial departments to thoroughly investigate the case. The Eastern Depot had already collected the complete chain of evidence and handed over all the witnesses and physical evidence to the Court of Judicial Review.
This case is also linked to the corruption case in Shaanxi Province. From the central government to local authorities, all officials with guilty consciences are trembling with fear.
However, the officialdom of Dasheng was corrupt to the core. If beheadings were carried out according to the names in that ledger, the court would be in complete chaos.
Gu Yu had anticipated that Shen Xiuwen might not be implicated in the case, but when Gu Jin told her the result, she still suppressed her hatred and smiled as she accepted the news that preparations for her marriage with Shen Changqing would continue.
Following this case, Shen Xiuwen was not only fined three years' salary, but also demoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, which was a nominal severe punishment.
However, as long as the Sun faction remains in power and as long as Shen Xiuwen is still in the Ministry of Personnel, it will be difficult for him not to be reinstated.
It was a rare sunny day, and Gu Jin had some free time at home, so Gu Yu invited him to play chess together in the courtyard.
“Since an official under the Ministry of Personnel has gotten into trouble, the head of the Ministry of Personnel will naturally be the first to be implicated. Brother, don’t you think Uncle Shen seems to have quite a few connections in the court?” Gu Yu held the black chess piece, her brows furrowed as she intently observed the situation on the white jade chessboard.
When officials from the Qingliu faction made a mistake, especially in the Ministry of Personnel, a department with real power, Sun Gu's faction should have taken the opportunity to kick them while they were down and put their own people in the Ministry of Personnel. However, this time, Sun's party surprisingly did not go all out.
“The national treasury is empty right now, and Sun Gu is preoccupied with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue and military pay. He probably has no time to make things difficult for the people in the Ministry of Personnel,” Gu Jin replied.
Perhaps Shen Xiuwen was too good at pretending, because her brother still believes that Shen Xiuwen and Sun Gu are two irreconcilable factions.
Gu Yu sighed inwardly and deliberately walked into Gu Jin's trap to end the game. "Brother, you are still so amazing. I, A Yu, admit defeat."
"Ayu, I'm free today. Would you like to go out and enjoy the Lantern Festival tonight?" Gu Jin's cold and stern face suddenly relaxed, as if winter snow had melted.
Gu Yu had been persistently inviting Shen Changqing for another reason: she had never imagined that Gu Jin would want to go to the Lantern Festival with her.
“I…” she stammered, clearly unsure how to begin.
Qiuju, who was standing to the side, spoke up for her to ease the awkwardness, "Young Master Shen from the Shen family sent a letter today, saying that he wants to go to the Lantern Festival with Miss."
"Young Master, you're too late."
“Brother, come with me. The lantern festival will be more lively with more people.”
Looking into Gu Jin's calm eyes, Gu Yu couldn't help but see a sense of loss in them.
He twitched the corner of his mouth and refused, "Ayu, you and Changqing should just get along well. I won't get stuck between you two."
Gu Yu asked, "Brother, when are we going to the north?"
"It will probably be at the end of this month or the beginning of next month."
"Ayu, I'm sorry, I have to leave you alone in Shengjing again. All these years, have you ever blamed me or Father?"
“I had resentment when I was young, but I came to understand it when I grew up. My father and brother are my heroes, but they are not just my heroes, they are the heroes of all the people of Dasheng.”
Gu Jin was never just her hero.
But now he is her brother.
"Brother, I wish you and Father a triumphant victory. I will be waiting for your triumphant return at home."
Her eyes were filled with hope, and the intermittent sunlight shone on the girl's radiant smile, like a timeless painting.
Gu Jin stared at her, momentarily stunned.
"When Shen Lang returns to the manor, would you be willing to go for a walk with me at Spring Water Lake?"
"good."
The Lantern Festival in Shengjing (Shenyang) begins on the eighth day of the first lunar month and ends on the seventeenth day, with the fifteenth day being the most grand and also known as the Lantern Festival.
Regardless of the turbulent situation in the imperial court at that moment, the lantern market, stretching for two miles from Dong'an Gate, including the Forbidden City, was filled with lanterns, lantern trees, and lantern towers, a dazzling display of light and color.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, its silvery light spilling across the ground, yet it cannot compare to the dazzling lights of the human world.
Inside Dong'an Gate, the giant Aoshan Lantern, resembling a celestial palace, illuminates the imperial city.
Outside Dong'an Gate, woolen curtains were erected between the tall buildings on both sides of the street, and when the lights were turned on, they looked like a galaxy.
The stone lions in front of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion were now illuminated by the bright red silk palace lanterns hanging above them.
Gu Yu led Chun Yue toward the Aoshan Lantern inside Dong'an Gate, the place where Shen Changqing had arranged to meet her.
The Aoshan Lantern is a giant lantern assembly made of countless lanterns stacked together to form a mountain-like shape, resembling a giant turtle.
It is decorated with colorful paper figures of dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, fairies, and divine generals. A giant candle burns inside, and it is surrounded by hundreds of exquisite glass lamps, mica screen lamps, and beaded lamps, which shine with golden light and make the night sky seem like daytime.
Looking at the exquisite and intricate lanterns, Chun Yue couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Miss, this year's lanterns are even more beautiful than in previous years. You never went out of the manor to see the lanterns in previous years, so you missed out on a lot of excitement."
I heard that last year, the granddaughter of the old tutor of the neighboring prefecture met her ideal husband at the lantern festival.
If Miss had come out and looked around more, she definitely wouldn't have been...
"Let bygones be bygones. If you bring this up again, I'll make you copy books as punishment."
In contrast to Qiuju's love of poetry and literature, Chunyue detests anything overly literary.
She muttered, "Miss, please don't punish me. I won't say it again... If there really is a next time... I'll just lose a month's salary for each time I say it, instead of making me copy books."
Chunyue was well aware of her own memory and her tendency to speak carelessly.
"Silly girl," Gu Yu said with a laugh.
Just as he finished speaking, he saw Shen Changqing leading his servant over.
Shen Changqing wore a dark sandalwood-colored satin brocade robe with cloud patterns, over which was a moon-white brocade crane cloak with gold embroidery, and a white jade pendant was tied to a silk sash at his waist.
With a face as handsome as jade, he appeared almost ethereal under the dazzling lights, attracting many women to stop and stare. Beside him, a servant carried a hexagonal palace lantern, its light gleaming like fireflies under the lanterns.
Gu Yu curtsied and said, "Shen Lang, it's been a long time."
As Gu Yu was sizing up Shen Changqing, Shen Changqing was also sizing up Gu Yu. She was wearing a bright red satin cloak with gold embroidery, and a tuft of fur was peeking out from the edge of the hood.
She wore a lake-blue stand-up collar brocaded silver hibiscus jacket underneath, and a moon-white embroidered orchid and grass vest over it. She wore a peach-pink horse-face skirt and a white jade pendant around her waist.
The hair bun is mainly secured with a white jade magnolia hairpin, with finely crafted silver hairpins on both sides, and the pearl pendants under the ears shimmer under the light.
She applied a light layer of makeup to her face and lip rouge to her lips, concealing her usual sickly pallor.
Unlike the elaborate attire of ordinary women today, Gu Yu's attire remained simple and elegant.
"Ayu, I heard you were ill again a few days ago. I wonder if you are still feeling unwell? My father is on good terms with Physician Hu in the palace. Would it be alright if I asked him to go to your residence to take a look at you?"
Shen Changqing asked with concern, looking down at Gu Yu's slightly trembling eyelashes, as if he had already forgotten how he had argued with her a few days ago.
"I've been physically weak since I was a child. I get sick as quickly as a landslide and recover slowly. I'm used to it."
It will probably take some time and proper recuperation for me to fully recover. It's not that the doctors are incompetent; my elder brother already summoned the imperial physician for me."
"Ayu, don't worry. If you marry me, I will never let you have any worries."
Shen Changqing's eyes were filled with deep affection, seemingly more captivating than the dazzling lights.
Gu Yu lowered her head shyly.
The two walked and talked in hushed tones until they reached a place lined with lanterns on both sides, with riddles hanging beneath them.
Gu Yu's gaze lingered briefly on the rabbit-shaped gauze lantern on the left.
Shen Changqing's gaze remained fixed on her, and with just one glance from her, he understood her thoughts.
"Ayu, do you like this lantern?"
"Yes, I like it." Gu Yu nodded, her expectant eyes shining brightly.
"Wait a moment, I'll see you off."
Seeing the two well-dressed guests stop, the vendor quickly said, "Esteemed guests, do you like this gauze lantern? My rule is that you can guess riddles for twenty coins each time. If you guess correctly, you can take the lantern away."
The servant beside him immediately cut off a coin of silver and gave it to the boss. One coin of silver was equivalent to one hundred coins, which could be used to guess five riddles.
Shen Changqing reached out and picked up the riddle hanging below the rabbit lantern.
"Not quite sixty, but over eighty."
"The character '平'." He knew the answer so easily that even the boss didn't have time to react.
"Young master guessed correctly. There are four more chances. Miss, please see if there are any lanterns you like."
Gu Yu looked around and pointed to a lantern shaped like a lotus flower.
"Day after day"
"Changzi."
"Young master guessed correctly again. Miss, is there anything else you'd like?"
Gu Yu shook her head. These two lanterns were already a burden for Chun Yue to carry, so how could she continue guessing?
"Shen Lang, you are so clever. I didn't even realize it for a moment before you guessed the answer." Gu Yu took the rabbit lantern and left the other one for Chun Yue.
When she looked at him with a smile, her eyes seemed to be filled with warm, glowing light, which made his heart flutter.
It is said that one cannot hide the appearance of being moved by love, and Shen Changqing could indeed feel Gu Yu's attraction to him at this moment.
It was just two lanterns, a poetry gathering, and a snow appreciation event.
He felt that winning Gu Yu's heart was too easy and lacked any challenge, yet he was also somewhat surprised by the tremor in his heart.
Perhaps he had seen too many people flattering and hypocritically behaving, so when he suddenly met a girl of noble birth but with a simple mind, he was just a little surprised.
No wonder someone like Su Bicheng could so easily win Gu Yu's favor.
So that's what a silly girl she is. He was a little worried about whether Gu Yu would be able to manage the complicated affairs of the household after she became his wife.
He was exceptionally intelligent and came from a distinguished family. He was known as a child prodigy at the age of ten and was considered the most talented scholar at the age of sixteen. These qualities elevated him to a high position.
He looked down on ordinary smart people because their thoughts and schemes couldn't be hidden from him; he could tell something was wrong at a glance.
But he didn't dislike her; he could see right through her thoughts, yet Gu Yu was guileless and sincere.
His expression remained unchanged, but his mind was racing. "It's just a simple word puzzle. Ayu, is there anything else you want? Let's go take a look ahead."
"Xiao An, why don't you take Chun Yue and have a good look around too?" He continued to Chun Yue, "With me protecting your young lady, you don't need to worry. I will escort her back to the manor later."
With a teasing smile on her face, Chun Yue glanced at her young mistress's shy expression and quickly agreed, "Alright, Young Master Shen, then I'll entrust my young mistress to you."
She walked away with a smile, and Xiao An, seeing his master's expression, quickly followed.
Gu Yu feigned shyness, but was actually pondering what Shen Changqing was up to. However, she knew he wouldn't harm her, since they were already engaged and the Shen family still needed the influence of Marquis Wu'an.
They walked for a long time, and Shen Changqing bought Gu Yu a hairpin and a sugar figurine. The two of them also stopped and watched the acrobatic performance for a long time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com