During the day, rumors began to circulate about the Crown Prince. Yin took Qingyan out for a stroll, where dragon boats were racing on the canal.
Around the Dragon Boat Festival every year, people in the south hold dragon boat races.
This year is different. The people have extended the dragon boat race schedule, which now covers almost the entire time of Emperor Kangxi's southern tour. The race has attracted many people from the surrounding area.
"Little darling, look how happy the people are." Yin was wearing a lake-blue long dress, while Qingyan was wearing a light blue Hanfu. Their hair was styled into a small swallowtail with a pink hibiscus gold hairpin and hibiscus earrings.
After they went outside, she was wearing a light blue cap, and the two of them were surrounded by guards.
"Master, what's going on over there?" Qingyan noticed a newly erected pavilion in the distance, surrounded by a number of people. Qingyan found it strange and wanted to go and investigate.
"Go and take a look!" Yin glanced at Su Peisheng and told him to go and find out what was going on.
People surrounded the pavilion, each carrying their own money bag, seemingly placing it on a table.
“Reporting to you, sir, that pavilion is for people to place bets. Every year during the dragon boat races, people set up betting booths and place bets,” Su Peisheng reported.
Yin looked ahead, observing the activity in the pavilion. He had to admit that this dragon boat race was the grandest competition ever, and there must have been gambling dens in the area.
"Little darling, do you want to join in?" Yin looked at the pavilion. Little darling liked new things, and this was the first time she had participated in setting up a gambling game.
Qingyan was very interested; those gambling games and cooking would cost a lot of money, and the nearsighted man made everyone laugh.
“Let’s go take a look!” Qingyan said directly.
Yin took the lead and walked towards the pavilion. As he approached, he found the area around the pavilion bustling with people discussing which ship would win.
"Go and throw any dragon boat you like." Qingyan didn't want to go up. The status of women in the south was not high. In public, women from respectable families could not show their faces in public.
Yin felt a pang of sympathy. When had Qingyan ever been so wronged?
"Su Peisheng, go and throw it, the fourth ship." Yin stood beside her, no longer able to think about throwing it.
He was even more worried about Qingyan being alone here.
"Sisi, aren't you going?" Qingyan turned to look at him.
"It's just for fun, let's go to the teahouse and have some fun." Yin looked around and saw a luxurious teahouse next door. He decided to go there and rest for a while. Some wealthy families were resting in private rooms on the second floor.
Qingyan followed the others to the teahouse and found that the staff had not changed. Su Peisheng had booked a private room in advance so that they could go there.
The private room we booked faced the lake. Looking out the window, we could see dragon boats lined up on the starting line. Each dragon boat represented a region in Jiangnan, and each region had basically selected its best teams to compete.
"The competition has been going on for several days now, and these ships can be considered the victors," Yin said directly.
Looking at the procession outside, Qingyan couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. The people in the south had put in a lot of effort for the dragon boat race.
Most of the participants were local farmers who, after a busy spring planting season, began to form their own dragon boat teams.
"Master, when will this competition begin?" Qingyan asked directly.
"In another quarter of an hour, do you see anyone dressed in red on the dock?" Yin pointed to the distance of the dock, where a man dressed in red was standing, holding a drumstick in his hand, which was probably specially set up for the competition.
Qingyan nodded slightly; this person clearly looked like an official.
"Those were Cao Yin's subordinates. Originally, Cao Yin himself was in charge of striking the drums for the dragon boat. After Granny Cao left, Cao Yin was forced to shut himself in and completely distance himself from such public affairs," Yin explained in a low voice.
The passing of Granny Cao was a good thing. Cao Yin was spared the trouble of being in the palace, which meant he wouldn't be favored by Emperor Kangxi. If Cao Yin had continued to rise to prominence and gained a greater reputation in the south than Emperor Kangxi, the final outcome would certainly have been unfavorable.
"Was it held because the Emperor came to the south?" Qingyan asked in surprise.
Every year, there is a tradition of dragon boat racing in the south, but never before has it been this popular.
Yin nodded. The dragon boat races are usually small-scale events, lasting only two or three days during the Dragon Boat Festival. This time, in addition to the dragon boat races, there are also some demonstrations of southern crafts.
As Qingyan watched the drumsticks fall, five dragon boats shot out like arrows in a line on the canal. The people on the bank watched with bated breath as they placed their bets on the dragon boats. Qingyan observed them through his binoculars and realized that the dragon boats were not five-clawed, but rather three-clawed, and each one was made to look incredibly lifelike.
"Fourth, this dragon boat is actually a three-clawed dragon?" Qingyan remembered that in modern times, the dragon boats she saw on TV were all five-clawed dragons.
"Yes, this is something that ordinary people can use, but it's very exquisitely painted." Yin couldn't help but admire the craftsmen from the south. Every part of their work was done with remarkable skill. Many of the artisans in the palace came from the south, and Yin would always sigh with admiration whenever he saw them.
As Qingyan watched the dragon boat glide further and further away, she acknowledged the craftsmanship of the artisans from the south. Many of the head craftsmen at Linglong Pavilion were originally from Jiangnan, and their skills were passed down through generations, making her designs incredibly exquisite.
"Do we still need to go see the craftsmen this time?" Yin asked Qingyan.
Every year, the manager of Linglong Pavilion would search for artisans in the south, have them make the headdresses, and personally deliver them to the capital for the Qingyan (Imperial Banquet) to be judged.
This year, they came to Jiangnan, and should have the opportunity to choose locally.
"Yes, the shopkeeper will be sending over those exquisite jewelry pieces in the next few days. Master, you need to take a look at them for me again. There might be some spies among the craftsmen." Qingyan didn't dare to trust anyone easily.
Previously, she had also approached several beneficiaries, and those people had indeed been approached before. They would select certain information to send to their masters, almost turning Qingyan's Linglong Pavilion into a sieve.
Yin reached out and pinched her little face, then nodded to her.
"Master, which ship is yours?" Qingyan asked with interest as he saw the dragon boat arrive at the shore.
Yin glanced at it and said, "It should be the fourth one."
Qingyan turned her head and looked around. Sure enough, there were several dragon boats at the finish line, which made Qingyan feel a little depressed.
I had hoped to find out immediately whether Yin had won, but now I have no choice but to listen to the report from my subordinates.
"There are seven matches in total throughout the day. I always bet on the fourth ship. We're just doing this for fun." After reviewing all the match schedules, Yin ordered Su Peisheng to book all the matches. They might not watch them in the teahouse; when they leave, they will send a servant to keep an eye on things.
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