Chapter 73 A Lamp Shining Just for You
On the night of Qixi Festival, the silence of Jiayu County was dispelled by the lights, and the entire city was as bright as day.
Lanterns hung under the eaves of every house, and the streets were filled with the shimmering light and bustling noise of people.
Chu Chongjin was being pushed in a wheelchair, Mu Fang was holding Mu Yu, and Xiao Beichen and Yan Ziche were protecting him on either side.
Su Wan'er followed behind, and the group walked into the bustling crowd.
"Wow! It's beautiful!" Su Wan'er pointed to a lamp shop on the street.
"Look at that phoenix lantern! Its wings are moving!"
Mu Yu couldn't see it.
Mu Yu smelled the sweet aroma of sugar and fried fruit in the air and heard the heartfelt laughter of the people around her.
Mu Yu felt that warm, comforting joy.
Within Mu Yu's Eye of Fortune, the entire sky above Jiayu County was filled with a layer of pink and pale gold mist—the colors of joy.
“Ninth Brother.” Mu Yu reached out and tugged at Chu Chongjin’s sleeve.
"What does the lamp look like?"
Chu Chongjin's gaze moved away from the smiling faces and finally settled on Mu Yu's amber eyes.
Those eyes were so clear, yet they could see nothing.
Something stirred in his heart.
"The lamp is the sun at night."
Chu Chongjin spoke softly as he recounted everything he had seen to Mu Yu.
"Ahead, there is a revolving lantern with a picture of Chang'e flying to the moon. The heat from the candle makes it rotate, and the figures inside turn on their own, like they are performing a play."
"The one on the left is a lotus lantern. The pink petals are layered upon layer, and the lotus seedpod in the middle emits a yellow light."
"Above the head is a very long dragon lantern. The dragon's head is golden and its body is red. Many people carry it together and walk in the street, which is very impressive."
He spoke very carefully, wanting to send all the light of the city into Mu Yu's mind through his voice.
Mu Yu listened attentively.
Mu Yu's little head followed Chu Chongjin's narration, turning left and right at times.
Mu Yu seemed to have really "seen" those lights.
After walking for a while, Chu Chongjin stopped in front of a lantern riddle stall.
Seeing their unusual attire, the stall owner immediately greeted them with a smile: "Gentlemen and ladies, would you like to play a riddle game? If you guess it correctly, this fish lantern is yours."
Yan Ziche stepped forward and glanced at the words on the lamp.
“A dot and a horizontal line, a stroke to the South Seas, a cross to a cross, the sun to the moon.”
Yan Ziche's lips twitched. This kind of riddle was too simple.
"temple."
The stall owner immediately clapped his hands: "Young master, you are truly talented!"
The stall owner took down the lifelike koi lantern and handed it over.
Yan Ziche did not reach out to take it; instead, he turned his head towards Mu Yu.
"Princess, this is for you."
Mu Yu reached out and touched the paper surface of the lantern; it was very smooth. She then touched the upturned fish tail and felt very happy.
But Mu Yu shook her head.
"I don't want to."
Mu Yu carefully took something out of her small cloth bag.
That was also a lamp.
A lamp... whose shape is hard to describe.
The lamp's frame is made of thin bamboo strips and is slightly crooked.
The paper pasted on the outside was good Xuan paper, but it was smeared all over the place.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Mu Yu wanted to create a koi fish.
But with its chubby body, short tail, and two wide-open eyes, it looked more like a fat potato that had grown facial features.
"Pfft..." Xiao Beichen was the first to burst out laughing.
Su Wan'er quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her small shoulders trembling.
Mu Fang's face clearly showed that "everything my daughter does is the best," revealing an unreasonable pride.
Mu Yu didn't care at all; instead, she presented the "potato lamp" to Chu Chongjin as if it were a treasure.
"Ninth Brother, this is a lamp I made!"
"My little sister Wan'er helped me build the frame, and I painted the colors myself!"
Mu Yu sounded very smug.
Looking at this lantern, which could be called a "masterpiece," Chu Chongjin's smile was even brighter than the starlight in the sky.
"It looks great," he said sincerely.
Mu Yu was even happier, and she stuffed the lantern directly into Chu Chongjin's arms.
"This is for you!"
“Ninth Brother,” Mu Yu looked up, her amber eyes sparkling in the surrounding lights.
“I can’t see other lights, but I can ‘feel’ the light of my own light.”
Mu Yu stretched out her little finger and touched the tiny candle flame inside the lantern.
It was saying, 'Ninth Brother is a good person!' 'Ninth Brother has golden light on him!'
"So, this is a light that shines only for you!"
In that instant, Chu Chongjin felt as if a small hand had grabbed his heart.
He lowered his head and looked at the ugly potato lantern.
The candlelight shining from the lantern was not the usual orange-yellow.
It was a series of very soft golden halos, with a hint of his own dragon aura in the purple.
The light was warm and pure, as if it could shine into every corner of his heart that was occupied by power struggles and scheming.
Chu Chongjin knew that this was Mu Yu's good fortune, and that the reaction was due to the mixing of his dragon energy with Mu Yu's.
There is no gift more precious than this in the world.
Chu Chongjin solemnly accepted the lantern, holding it carefully in his hands as if it were not a paper lantern, but the entire weight of the world.
"Thank you, Little Fish."
His voice came out lower than usual.
"This is the best lamp I have ever received."
Mu Yu was pleased with the praise. Mu Fang pulled Mu Yu back into his arms, and Mu Yu began searching for a stall selling candied hawthorns in the crowd.
The little incident passed just like that.
However, Mu Fang, Yan Ziche, and Xiao Beichen, who were present, all sensed it.
Your Highness the Ninth Prince seems different.
The aura that always emanated from him, keeping people at a distance, seemed to have been partially melted away by this ugly lantern.
...
On a tall building in the distance.
A young gentleman dressed in fine clothes was watching the scene unfold on the street.
He twirled a white jade wine cup in his hand, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
But that smile didn't reach his eyes.
"The deep affection between siblings and the harmonious relationship between ruler and subject are truly touching."
He muttered to himself as he downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
"Chu Chongjin, Mu Yu..."
"Your good days are over."
He was none other than the Second Prince, Sikong Ming, who had secretly arrived in Jiayu County.
Sikong Ming put down his wine glass, walked to the window, and looked down at the city bustling with excitement because of the lantern festival.
Public opinion was controlled by the Jiangnan Times, and most of the people he had placed in the Jiangnan officialdom were eliminated by Chu Chongjin with swift and decisive measures.
The original plan to use rumors and public resentment to wear down Chu Chongjin has now become a joke.
The common people only knew about the koi carp and the little water god, and only knew that the Ninth Prince was the savior.
"That's a really good tactic." Sikong Ming's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Publishing a newspaper to win over the people. That kid Yan Ziche is indeed quite something."
He looked towards Mirror Lake, where the lights were most concentrated.
"Unfortunately, even the strongest public support is worthless in the face of natural disasters."
"Since you like being saviors, then I'll let you save the world one more time."
“I want to see how much faith will remain when the floodwaters once again inundate Jiayu County, when these people who are grateful to you become displaced disaster victims.”
"Chu Chongjin, you will lose everything once again."
Sikong Ming turned around, left the window, and disappeared into the darkness.
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