Chapter 147 Lantern Festival Banquet
The setting sun melts gold.
Dusk is falling.
The lights are coming on.
The first full moon night of the new year, the Lantern Festival.
Thousands of sky lanterns rose into the night sky.
It made Jiangzhou City brighter than ever before.
The Cui family set up a stage and hosted a banquet for officials of all ranks in Jiangzhou, including the top official of Jiangzhou, Prefect Qin.
Prefect Qin arrived with his wife as promised.
The prefect's wife was the legitimate daughter of a large family. She was beautiful, dignified and virtuous. Among the official families in Jiangzhou, she was one of the best in terms of status and style.
But even so, the dwarf Mrs. Cui still has to give her the upper hand.
It was just because she married him, a fourth-rank prefect whose family was not as well-off as the Cui family.
Moreover, the Cui family also produced the Princess of Liang, who was of a very high generation.
He has to act according to other people's wishes in his own territory and be cautious at all times.
But soon, the Cui family will be in big trouble.
The Cui family must be extremely bold to dare to place Your Majesty's uncle under house arrest.
His eyes wandered to the girl from the Lu family who was attacked by Princess Liang.
This woman can't be kept either.
With her around, most of the money in my pocket has been reduced over the past year.
What’s even more hateful is that all the grain in Jiangzhou was taken into her pocket. If you want grain, you have to buy it from her at a high price.
A lot of money was wasted in vain.
Lu Qingyao and Xiuxiu clearly felt the malicious gaze.
He continued to accompany Princess Liang as if nothing had happened, drinking tea and listening to music.
The beauty in the attic on one side leaned over.
Relying on two girls, one big and one small.
Eat snacks, enjoy the moon, appreciate the lanterns, listen to music...
On the stage below, the actors were singing in a humming voice.
"The blood-splattered peach blossom fan... looks even brighter than the branches..." (Note 1)
Jiang Miaomiao didn't quite understand.
Look at the countless sky lanterns floating in the sky.
Each lamp carries a person's wish, and her mother also lit one for her.
She has a mother and brothers who love her, delicious food and fun things, and beautiful dresses.
I really can't think of any other wish.
If there is one thing I must say, it is that I hope all my mother and brothers' wishes can come true.
There is also one regrettable thing, which is that I want to know who the biological parents of this body are and whether they are still alive?
It’s not that she really wants to recognize her parents.
But she knew where her soul came from, but she didn't know where her body came from.
It's somewhat curious and regretful.
"Sister Yuan, what wish did you make?" Little Miaomiao looked up at Princess Rong'an curiously.
Princess Rong'an patted her little head and smiled faintly, "Didn't you say that wishes won't come true once you make them? Why are you still asking?"
The little girl smacked her lips.
She just wanted to know, because Sister Fu Yuan looked so devout when she prayed just now.
"Okay, then I'll reveal a little to you..."
Princess Rong'an pointed at the person approaching slowly from below and said in a deep voice, "It's about him."
Jiang Miaomiao tilted her head and looked down.
Then I saw a group of people, about eight or nine servants, carrying a sedan chair and slowly walking across the wooden bridge.
There was a pile of meat on the sedan chair.
No, it should be said that it was King Liang who was so fat that he had no chin.
Why did the princess let him out?
Everyone was gossiping and whispering.
"Didn't they say that Prince Liang died of his injuries, and the Cui family kept the news a secret?"
"This is not good..."
"I heard that Princess Liang took advantage of Prince Liang's illness and placed him under house arrest."
"Nonsense, he's fine, you see!"
"But why does the King of Liang look like this? Is it because he's too fat and inconvenient that he's ashamed to see people?"
Princess Liang listened to these voices and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
He quickly stood up and went to greet him.
King Liang, who was originally planning to escape, was inexplicably carried out.
His face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
When he saw the servants carrying him, his face became even darker.
Is he really that heavy? It takes so many people to lift him, making him look like an elephant.
But Ling'er probably doesn't know that he has left the yard. What if he goes there and finds nothing?
"Your Majesty, you are finally willing to go out. I and the officials of Jiangzhou have been waiting for you for a long time..."
Before the sedan chair was put down, Princess Liang stepped forward and shook Prince Liang's hand, her face full of joy.
Everyone left their seats and knelt down.
After hearing what Princess Liang said, everyone finally understood.
It turned out that it was not because King Liang was henpecked, trapped, or died, but because he was ashamed to see people in this state.
After the sedan chair came down, it was discovered that King Liang could not walk at all and needed to be carried by servants.
Princess Liang even personally served her husband dishes, snacks, and waited on him during meals.
Very gentle and virtuous.
But King Liang never treated her well.
The officials who were able to see what was happening all looked at their wives.
The perceptive wife quickly poured wine and served food to her husband.
King Liang hadn't eaten for a whole day, and by now he was so hungry that he didn't care about anything else but eating.
Eat first and talk later.
Only after eating can I have the strength to speak. I must expose Cui Mingzhu and even the Cui family's hypocritical and ugly faces in public.
King Liang ate voraciously, and the officials who were watching frowned.
If many officials had not recognized King Liang, they would have thought that he was an impostor.
Speaking of which, Princess Liang hasn't seen Prince Liang for more than half a month.
If he hadn't intended to escape, she would have kept him locked up.
Seeing him like this now, fat and bloated, eating in a rude manner, he is completely different from before.
The fear of him became less and less.
All fear turned into anger.
I didn't give him any food all day just for this moment.
King Liang had eaten and drunk his fill and was about to ask everyone for help when he was interrupted by several exclamations.
"The fire is coming... the fire is coming..."
"Your Highness, Princess, bandits have infiltrated the city..."
The scene was in chaos. The lanterns on both sides of the stage were pushed over by someone and burst into flames.
The entire stage was on fire.
The theater where the banquet was held was surrounded by water on all sides, and there was only a wooden bridge that could accommodate four people walking side by side.
Everyone rushed onto the wooden bridge, ready to escape from the fire scene.
"Hurry, this place is on fire, carry the prince back..." Princess Liang hurriedly ordered people to carry Prince Liang away.
The servants lifted Prince Liang and pushed their way onto the bridge.
Prefect Qin embraced his wife and squeezed onto the bridge. He was a little confused.
Wasn't it a fire in the kitchen's woodshed? How did it become a theater?
Jiang Miaomiao and Princess Rong'an were watching with great interest when Xiuxiu dragged them downstairs.
But the two of them didn't see enough and refused to leave.
Jiang Miaomiao half of her body was lying on the beauty's backrest, "Auntie, don't pull me, I want to watch for a while..."
Xiuxiu touched her forehead.
This fire is real fire, and this building is really burning.
Princess Rong'an was also unwilling to leave.
After she told Aunt Lu and her mother about it, they went to discuss it with her uncle and aunt.
And then there was this big drama.
The stage is set up.
But she was also curious about how the play would proceed.
…
Note 1: From Peach Blossom Fan
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com