Lantern Festival (2)
Changfeng, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't help but let out a very soft sneer. He immediately realized his mistake and quickly straightened his face before Xiao Chengyan's sharp gaze swept over him. He stepped forward and respectfully opened the sandalwood box he was holding.
Inside the box, a brand-new, snow-white fox fur cloak was neatly folded, and next to it lay a shimmering, gold hairpin inlaid with pigeon-blood rubies.
"His Highness has instructed that the wind and dew are strong and heavy along the riverbank during the Lantern Festival, and that you should wear something warmer, Miss," Changfeng reported, bowing her head.
Gu Jinghong's gaze swept over the luxurious fox fur coat and the hairpin. The cloak was indeed necessary for warmth. But the hairpin... was too conspicuous, a burden when a low profile was required.
She curtsied and spoke in a clear and calm voice: "Thank you for your kind advice, Your Highness. The lantern festival is quite... bright, and I would like to see it. I appreciate the cloak for keeping warm. However, this hair ornament is too precious and eye-catching. I am afraid that it will overshadow the main attraction and make me lose my sense of duty as a maid. Moreover, it does not contribute to the... brightness."
After saying all that, Gu Jinghong herself couldn't make sense of it.
But who cares? It was Xiao Chengyan who started it.
Xiao Chengyan was momentarily speechless at her nonsensical yet seemingly "using one's own spear against one's own shield" reply. He looked at Gu Jinghong's calm and expressionless face, her eyes seemingly concealing a thousand thoughts, yet covered by a thin layer of ice.
His curiosity and the complex emotions arising from the "inappropriate handling" intertwined, ultimately culminating in a monotone, emotionless "Whatever."
Gu Jinghong was taken aback when she saw the casual clothes Changfeng was holding. She then went behind the screen to change her clothes and put the fox fur coat on herself.
...
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, at nightfall, on the banks of the Jinlin River in the capital city.
Along both sides of the long street, thousands of lanterns lit up one after another, forming a dazzling and flowing river of light.
Lanterns of all shapes and sizes competed for attention. Lotus lanterns were crystal clear, carp lanterns had shimmering red scales, revolving lanterns told mythological stories, palace lanterns hung high with swaying tassels... illuminating the entire long street as bright as day, with light and shadow dancing on the faces of passersby.
Xiao Chengyan, accompanied by Changfeng and a few other plainclothes guards, followed at a distance, blending into the bustling crowd. He wore a dark green brocade robe with a matching thin woolen cloak, which added a touch of refined elegance to the shimmering light.
Gu Jinghong followed half a step behind him, having also changed out of the maid's clothes from the Prince's mansion and into a new pale yellow jacket and skirt, over which she wore a snow-white fox fur cloak. The warm fox fur wrapped around her, reflecting the surrounding lights, her skin was as white as snow, her features as beautiful as a painting, like an elegant magnolia in a sea of lights, attracting frequent glances from passersby.
As she walked, Gu Jinghong suddenly noticed a large group of people gathered ahead. Out of professional instinct, her gaze was immediately drawn to that spot.
At the very top of that shelf hung a huge lantern, with obvious mortise and tenon joints inside.
The shopkeeper stood on a low table, one hand on his hip, the other gesturing wildly at the enormous lantern, proclaiming, "This year's Lantern Festival, my lantern is absolutely the largest along the entire Jinlin River, and even in the entire capital! This lantern will ensure everyone's safety and prosperity, and that men and women will be happily together!"
One of the well-dressed men politely asked, "Boss, how much is this lamp?"
The shopkeeper smirked and waved his hand in front of the man: "This lamp... isn't for sale."
Everyone was startled, and their attention was drawn to the boss.
The man then asked, "Why aren't you selling it?!"
The shopkeeper said, "Sir, it's not that I don't want to sell it, but you wouldn't use this lamp even if you bought it, because it... is hard to light! Let me put it this way, this lamp is a gift to someone who is destined to have it; whoever can light it will get it!"
How should I order?
The shopkeeper said, "One tael of silver per serving."
This is quite a novel way to play... Hearing this, more and more people gathered around, and even Gu Jinghong subconsciously walked towards the direction where the lanterns were being sold.
Perhaps seeing that all the men and women along the riverbank were in pairs, and fearing that it might cause unnecessary commotion, Xiao Chengyan called Changfeng to his side and whispered to him, "You... stay away from each other."
He then strode towards Gu Jinghong's direction.
Gu Jinghong looked at the lantern, then at the people who were eager to try but ultimately returned home looking dejected, and at the boss's ever-growing money bag, and suddenly became interested as well.
"Boss, I'll give it a try."
The shopkeeper, seeing that it was such a pretty young girl, chuckled inwardly to himself that another one was offering him money, but said warmly, "Come, come, young lady! Here, have a tinderbox. The rules are still the same, one tael of silver per use."
Gu Jinghong didn't take the tinder; instead, she focused her mind and reached out to feel for the lantern.
Her fingertips brushed very gently across several seemingly unrelated bamboo strip nodes at the bottom of the lantern. For a moment, no one knew what she was doing, but because the girl was extremely beautiful, everyone waited patiently for a while, which was quite a sight to behold.
After a while, a woman couldn't help but say, "Are you going to order or not? Hurry up, we're all in line."
Gu Jinghong turned around and smiled slightly.
This smile was quite something; the man next to the woman was now completely captivated by Gu Jinghong.
Xiao Chengyan's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he took a few more steps forward.
Gu Jinghong immediately said to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, tinderbox."
The boss handed it over, waiting to see the joke.
Gu Jinghong half-squatted down, and instead of trying to insert the tinder into the lantern opening like the others, she precisely brought the flame close to one of the most inconspicuous points she had just touched.
"Hey? Little girl, you've turned on the wrong light! The wick is on the top!" someone couldn't help but remind her.
“Girl, that spot won’t light…” a man chimed in.
Gu Jinghong seemed not to hear, and pressed down a few times.
"Sizzle...click...tap-tap..."
A series of extremely faint, pearl-like clicking sounds came from inside the lantern, clear and continuous, as if a dormant mechanism had been instantly awakened.
Immediately afterwards, Gu Jinghong inserted the tinderbox.
To everyone's astonishment, the tiny flame, as if drawn by invisible threads, meandered upwards along a hidden air passage cleverly guided by multiple mortise and tenon joints inside the lantern's frame.
The flame danced and leaped, precisely bypassing all the "dead ends" that hindered the heat flow, and finally, with a "poof," it steadily ignited the wick, which was suspended in the very center of the lantern and soaked in special lamp oil.
The enormous lantern instantly shone brightly, as dazzling as daytime!
The cranes depicted on the lantern's surface seem ready to take flight, and the flowing clouds appear to be drifting slowly, creating a breathtaking scene!
"It's lit up! It's really lit up!"
"My God! This...this girl must be a fairy descended from heaven?!"
"That was fast! I didn't even see how she did it!"
The crowd erupted in deafening gasps and incredulous chatter.
The boss's smile froze instantly, replaced by immense shock and fear.
This lamp was a treasure he had spent a fortune and pulled countless strings to "invite" from the residence of Minister Zhang, a retired official of the Ministry of Works, to protect his home—the "Nine Stars Linked to Lock Qi Lamp".
Master Zhang once said that this lamp has nine valve nodes, which must be activated in a specific order and with a specific force to open the core air passage and ignite the wick. If the order is wrong or the force is slightly off, it will not work.
This little girl... how did she do that in the blink of an eye?!
The boss's heart bled as he watched the priceless treasure gleam before him.
His eyes were bloodshot, and evil thoughts surged within him. He lunged forward, trying to snatch the lamp back: "It doesn't count, it doesn't count! You, you must have used sorcery! This lamp cannot be given to you!"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
Gu Jinghong's eyes turned cold, and her fingertips twitched slightly, as she was about to teach this scoundrel a lesson he would never forget...
"Insolence!" A voice as cold as the deepest hell, carrying supreme authority, suddenly rang out, like a thunderclap in the boss's ears.
By the time the boss came to his senses, King Jin Xiao Chengyan had already walked through the crowd and stood in front of Gu Jinghong, protecting her behind him.
He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his black robes gleaming coldly in the lamplight. Just by standing there, his domineering aura instantly silenced the noisy scene.
"The 'Nine Stars Aligned and Locking Lamp' was the final work of Zhang Zhihuan, the Vice Minister of Works, before his retirement. Its core mystery lies in the nine 'star gates' at the bottom that must be touched in sequence according to the 'Nine Palaces' and with the skillful force of the 'Cloud-Sweeping Hand' to open. Even with the diagrams, it would be difficult to accomplish this without mastery of mechanisms and internal martial arts finger strength. Am I right?"
The boss was struck dumb, his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, his whole body trembling like a leaf!
This person… this person not only knew Zhang Shilang's name, but also the name of the lamp, its core principle, and even the method and order of touch?! He was handsome, yet exuded a sharp killing intent… He was… a name was about to be uttered, and immense fear instantly seized him!
"Your Highness! I deserve to die! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, I offended you! This lamp belongs to this young lady! It belongs to me! No, it belongs to the young lady! Please spare my life, Your Highness! Spare my life!" The shopkeeper was in tears, and he no longer dared to have any covetous thoughts.
The crowd erupted in a frenzy over the enigmatic terms "Vice Minister of Works," "his final work," "the Nine Palaces of the Mysterious Pivot," and "the Cloud-Sweeping Hand," along with the shopkeeper's terrified cry of "Your Highness!" Finally, someone recognized the powerful and reclusive Prince Jin!
"King Jin! It's His Highness King Jin!"
"My God! King Jin is a thousand years old!"
"Long live Your Highness!"
The excited crowd surged forward instantly, all eager to catch a glimpse of this legendary figure up close, and the scene quickly spiraled out of control.
In the chaos of pushing and shoving, someone's elbow or a tug somehow managed to pull Xiao Chengyan's black woolen cloak off to the ground.
"Ah!" The crowd gasped in surprise.
His cloak slipped down, revealing the brocade robe underneath Xiao Chengyan's clothes.
However, what is astonishing is that the two sleeves of his brocade robe were of different lengths!
The left sleeve was the normal length, neatly covering the wrist; but the right sleeve was noticeably shorter, barely covering the elbow, revealing the finely crafted, exquisitely embroidered silver-white brocade sleeve underneath. Even more amusing was the fact that the edges of the short sleeve looked like they'd been chewed by a dog, the stitches crooked and messy, a truly pitiful sight!
An eerie silence instantly fell over the entire room.
Everyone was stunned, their gazes fixed on Prince Jin's extremely incongruous, even somewhat comical, sleeves. The contrast between his devastating aura and this "unique" attire was so stark it was almost suffocating.
Just as Xiao Chengyan's face was ashen and his anger was about to erupt, a clear, crisp laugh, like a spring striking jade, rang out beside him.
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