Brilliant Lantern Festival
The Jade Rabbit rises in the east, and lighthouses several meters high are erected along the main avenue. Thousands of lanterns are arranged in an orderly manner, making the surrounding area as bright as day. Shops and houses are also decorated with lanterns, creating a scene of fireworks. With the curfew lifted tonight, Yongjing is destined to be a city that never sleeps.
The streets and alleys were already crowded with people. With the sound of drums, people holding lanterns of various colors began to flock to Nanhu Lake. The royal carriage had arrived at the viewing platform, and the Nanhu light boat tour was about to begin.
The colorful lanterns specially arranged for the lantern festival along the shore were lit one after another, and Nanhu Lake was like a necklace inlaid with pearls, shining brightly in the night.
The Empress Dowager held a banquet at Linbo Pavilion on the observation deck, and all the nobles in the capital attended with their wives and children.
With the lesson learned from the previous Wanshou Festival, Yuwen Cong specifically instructed the Guanglu Temple to arrange a relatively remote location for the Anguo Mansion when arranging the seats.
Originally, according to the rank of lords, the Duke of Anguo's Mansion might not have been conspicuous. However, once the emperor inquired about it, the people in the Guanglu Temple once again knew that the Duke of Anguo's Mansion had a special status in the emperor's heart. It was really a self-defeating move.
But no matter what the process was, in the end Su Maoyi and his family did end up sitting in a remote place.
Because the Marquis of Jingxi and his wife were stationed in Xizhou, they entrusted their son Xun Molin to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion for upbringing. At this time, Xun Molin also sat together with Su Musong and his sister.
Not long after, Xiao Luochen came to find Su Musong, and the atmosphere at the Duke of Anguo's Mansion became lively.
According to custom, in addition to singing and dancing, poetry writing and lantern riddle guessing are always indispensable at the Lantern Festival banquet.
Xiao Luochen was well-known in Kyoto for his talent, so he was bound to be thrust into the spotlight at such an event. Furthermore, he had previously won the Wenyuan Gathering in Zhangcheng, bringing honor to Xiangping. There were likely many who wanted to challenge him tonight in Lingbo Pavilion.
Xiao Luochen didn't want to be called the most talented scholar, nor did he want to attract attention. He sat at the table at the Duke of Anguo's mansion, firstly so he could talk to Su Musong, and secondly because he wanted to avoid everyone's attention.
But sometimes he couldn't avoid it even if he wanted to. After the song and dance, it was time for a poetry competition. He saw that the Hanlin scholar who was presiding over the poetry competition seemed to be looking at him. He thought to himself that something was wrong and couldn't help but sigh.
"Luo Chen, why are you sighing?"
"The Grand Secretary is looking at me. I think he's going to grab me and ask me to write a poem for him. I don't want to be in the spotlight."
"That's not difficult. If we're not here, the Grand Secretary won't be able to find you."
"Not here?"
Su Musong did not answer, but raised his eyebrows and smiled at Xiao Luochen, as if he had an idea.
"Mu Liu, there are so many beautiful lanterns and delicious food on the street outside. Do you want to go out and play?"
Although Su Mufeng and Su Muliu were well-behaved and restrained their tempers, sitting at the table in an orderly manner, they were still young after all. It was ok for them to sit for a while, but they would get bored after a while. When they heard their elder brother say this, they suddenly became interested.
"Yes. Big brother, please take me there."
"But I'm afraid of Daddy's scolding. I dare not go out without Daddy's permission. Oh! Forget it, Daddy won't agree."
Su Musong pretended to be distressed and shook his head and sighed, looking very sorry. Xiao Luochen, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but praise him and said that his acting was better than that of the actors in Yunlei Theater.
Su Muliu had been moved by Su Musong's words and could no longer sit still.
She stood up, ran to Su Maoyi, grabbed her father's shoulders, covered her mouth with her sleeves, and asked softly in her father's ear:
"Dad, when can we go back? There are so many people here, Mu Liu is a little scared."
Su Maoyi frowned slightly and looked at Su Muliu with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
"What did you say?"
Is his daughter afraid of crowds? This is the first time I've heard of it.
Seeing that his father seemed unconvinced, Su Muliu didn't say much. He pulled Su Mufeng over. The two of them tilted their little heads, blinked their big eyes, and looked at their father with innocent faces.
Su Maoyi knew that they must want to go outside to watch the fun. Looking at this pair of innocent and lovely children, there was no way he could refuse them.
"Musong, take your brothers and sisters to play on the street."
"Thank you, Daddy!"
With his father's approval, Su Musong was like a bird flying out of a cage. He pulled Xiao Luochen, Xun Molin and his younger brothers and sisters, and quietly slipped out of Lingbo Pavilion while everyone's attention was on the singing and dancing.
Su Musong thought that no one noticed him, but he didn't know that Princess Duanmin, who was sitting next to the Empress Dowager on the high platform in the distance, saw everything.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen were accompanied by four little ghosts, plus servants, a group of about ten people. Normally, this group would have been considered a spectacular sight, but tonight, they blended into the crowd like a glass of water poured into Nanhu Lake, completely disappearing.
Fortunately, Su Mubai and Xun Molin were much more sensible than the two younger ones. They each held Su Mufeng and Su Muliu tightly, not letting them leave their side at all, which made Su Musong feel a lot more at ease.
Besides viewing and lighting lanterns, guessing lantern riddles is also an essential part of the Lantern Festival. Su Musong loves guessing lantern riddles, especially competing with others for the first prize. But he prefers watching Xiao Luochen dominate the arena rather than competing himself, so he now urges Xiao Luochen to take on the challenge.
"Luo Chen, look at the prizes on this stage. They're really good. Why don't you go win it and give it to me?"
Xiao Luochen glanced at the prize on the platform. It was a fat jade fan pendant. Xiao Luochen had seen at least five fan pendants of better quality than this one in Su Musong's study alone.
"You don't need it, so why bother fighting with others for it?"
Whether in Lingbo Pavilion or on the lantern riddle arena, Xiao Luochen did not intend to show off tonight. Moreover, he could see clearly that the two people competing on the arena were Lady Duanmin, a woman dressed as a man, and Ji Ziming. She was still in Lingbo Pavilion just now, and she did not expect that she would be competing with others so soon. She must have sneaked out during the singing and dancing.
"I don't need it, but those weren't sent by you. Besides, look at Ji Ziming, he might be ready to admit defeat. Shixue is so embarrassed. How can we let him win just because his opponent is a girl?"
Although Su Musong did not know Lady Duanmin, he could tell that she was a girl disguised as a man. He could also tell that Ji Ziming was trying to give in and was not giving his all when fighting against her. He couldn't help but wonder, how could the nerd Ji Ziming become so worldly-wise?
"He's a modest gentleman, so what's wrong with giving way to a girl? Unlike you, you act like you've never won before. You've always been thick-skinned, and today you're concerned about Shixue's reputation? If you want to go, go ahead. I won't compete with a little girl."
Xiao Luochen was half joking and half serious, but he had made up his mind that no matter how Su Musong cheated, he would never go up to the arena.
I don’t know if it was because of Xiao Luochen’s words that Su Musong was actually ready to go on the ring for a fight.
"Go ahead. She's wearing men's clothes, and she's on this stage. I'm afraid she doesn't want others to give way to her on purpose. You guys act like gentlemen, and I can be an ignorant fool."
Not long after, Ji Ziming was defeated, and Duan Min would get the prize if he defeated another person.
Su Musong jumped onto the stage, and Duan Min recognized him immediately. She turned around and glanced around, and sure enough, she saw Xiao Luochen in the crowd. She didn't want to lose this match even more.
Xiao Luochen nodded to Duan Min, and the two of them greeted each other.
"Luo Chen, do you think Mu Song will win this game?"
Hearing this elegant and otherworldly voice, Xiao Luochen was in disbelief for a moment. He turned around and saw his fourth brother Xiao Luochen sitting in a wheelchair behind him.
"Fourth brother!?"
Xiao Luochen was usually a recluse, not to mention appearing in such a crowded place. Therefore, Xiao Luochen was so surprised to see him that he felt his fuss might offend his fourth brother, and immediately felt awkward.
Xiao Luochen noticed the surprise on his seventh brother's face, but he didn't feel offended. Instead, he found the hint of embarrassment on Xiao Luochen's face quite amusing.
"I heard this year's Lantern Festival is even more lively than ever, so I wanted to come out and see it. I wanted you to accompany me, but you left the house early this morning. And it's true, accompanying someone like me with limited mobility is naturally not as fun as traveling with my classmates and friends."
"I... I didn't know Fourth Brother was coming to the Lantern Festival. If I had known earlier, I would definitely have accompanied Fourth Brother."
Xiao Luoqian looked at his flustered seventh brother with a smile in his eyes and decided to let him go.
"I decided to go out at the last minute. I don't blame you."
“…”
Xiao Luochen didn't know how to respond for a moment. Although his fourth brother was a gentle and kind young man who always made people feel warm and happy, his ability to tease people was also unmatched.
Xiao Luoqian couldn't help but be lost in thought as he looked at Su Musong and Lady Duanmin on the stage. The city lights, the bustling crowds, and the lantern riddle stage seemed to be no different from six years ago.
This was his first time to visit the Lantern Festival since he became unable to move. Facing such a similar scene, he should have had many feelings, but things and people had long since changed. In the end, he could only sigh in his heart, "I don't know where the people have gone, but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze."
On the stage, the incense stick was about to burn out, and Duan Min was three questions behind Su Musong. She didn't want to lose to Su Musong in front of Xiao Luochen, but in this situation, it seemed that she was doomed to lose.
At this time, Su Musong did not forget to raise his face to provoke her. She was anxious and annoyed. She could not help but rush to the edge of the ring and complained to Xiao Luochen, pointing at Su Musong.
"Brother Luo Chen, Su Musong bullied me!"
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen were both shocked
"Why is this girl, whom I don't know, so familiar with Luo Chen? She actually recognizes me?!"
"Have I gotten to know her this well?!"
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen looked at each other, feeling a little embarrassed.
"This brother is a bit unreasonable. He can't beat the eldest brother, so he asks Brother Luo Chen for help."
Su Mufeng's childish words were innocent, but Duan Min took them to heart and became even more annoyed, but this time she was annoyed with herself.
"Mu Song..."
"Okay~"
Xiao Luochen only called out, and with years of tacit understanding, Su Musong understood what he meant and agreed. After all, guessing the riddles was just for fun. Since Xiao Luochen asked him to give way to the girl, then he would just accept the loss.
Su Musong no longer answered. As long as Duan Min guessed the remaining riddles at her own pace, she would win.
But Duan Min also stopped writing. It was true that she complained to Xiao Luochen, but she was also unwilling to accept Su Musong's deliberate concession.
The two of them stood on the ring staring at each other, waiting for the incense to burn out.
"It's quite amusing what they are like."
Xiao Luochen was envious of the youthful spirit. He had once had it, but now...
Xiao Luoqian was staring at the arena in a daze, when suddenly he felt a sinking sensation in his arms. He looked down and saw a child of three or four years old who had somehow fallen into his arms. The child was white, chubby, round, soft and cute. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a lost young master from some family.
Xiao Luoqian lovingly picked up the little boy, but before he could take a closer look at him, he heard someone coming to look for him.
"Qi'er~"
Soon, a young lady in elegant clothes came over through the crowd. She must be the child's family.
"Mother~"
When the young master heard his mother's voice, he struggled to get out of Xiao Luochen's arms anxiously, but he lost his balance and almost fell on his back. Fortunately, Xiao Luochen, who was standing beside him, held him up and prevented him from getting hurt.
"Thank you, sir!"
The young lady took her son from Xiao Luochen and thanked him repeatedly, but she froze when her eyes swept over Xiao Luochen who was sitting in a wheelchair beside her. She unconsciously wanted to step forward, but ended up taking two steps back. In an instant, two lines of tears flowed from her dark eyes.
Xiao Luochen was surprised by the young lady's reaction and looked at his fourth brother unconsciously.
He didn't know how to describe Fourth Brother's expression at the moment, but he knew that Fourth Brother must be feeling a mixture of emotions. This was the first time he saw happiness, sadness, love, and helplessness on a person's face at the same time.
The two looked at each other, speechless. In the noisy crowd, Xiao Luochen and the young lady were like two Bodhisattvas in meditation, facing each other quietly, but without a word.
In this situation, Xiao Luochen suddenly had an idea and guessed who this young lady was. Soon, his guess was confirmed.
After a while, a refined and handsome young man came from the direction where the young lady came from, and took the young master from her hands.
"Qi'er, you naughty boy, you've made your mother cry. Next time, don't run around alone, okay?"
The young man took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the young lady, and the young lady came back to her senses as if she had just woken up from a dream.
"Wanran, the fireworks in the center of the lake are about to be set off. Let's go there first."
It was indeed her, Wang Wanran, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Wang!
The young man, holding his young son in one hand and his wife in the other, merged into the crowd. Wang Wanran glanced back at Xiao Luochen, but ultimately left no words.
Xiao Luochen raised his face and sighed deeply. Although his eyes were closed, Xiao Luochen could still see traces of tears in the corners of his eyes.
Xiao Luochen looked at his fourth brother who was depressed and sad, and felt indescribably sad in his heart.
Outsiders don’t know the inside story, but Xiao Luochen, as a member of the Xiao family, knows it very well.
Outsiders only know that six years ago, the fourth son of the Xiao family, who was famous in Kyoto for his talent and had the greatest chance of becoming the top scorer in the imperial examination, suddenly fell seriously ill and crippled his legs. The future of this promising young talent was completely ruined, and he has since lived in seclusion in the inner chambers, hiding from the capital.
However, Xiao Luochen knew that his fourth brother and Miss Wang fell in love and promised to be together for life, but because of opposition from both families, the lovers were forced to elope.
When there was no escape left, he jumped off a cliff with the determination to die.
It is not known whether it was God's mercy or God's trick, but the fourth brother and Miss Wang jumped off the cliff, but they were unable to fulfill their wish to die together.
The two dying men were taken back home separately. The fourth brother had both legs broken, and it was said that Miss Wang was also half dead and had to rest in bed for more than half a year.
In Kyoto, naturally, not a single word could leak out about what the Wang and Xiao families were trying to conceal.
Later, the news was heard that Miss Wang married the top scholar.
Since then, the feud between the Wang family and the Xiao family, which had always had a bad relationship, has become even deeper.
Looking back now, Xiao Luochen thought that it might have been because of his fourth brother's experience that his father had been stricter in disciplining him and his brothers, and that he firmly disagreed with his relationship with Su Musong.
The winner of the competition has been decided, and Su Musong and Lady Duanmin are competing for the prize of the fat jade fan pendant.
Xiao Luochen looked at the two of them and suddenly felt an indescribable sadness. The question Su Musong asked by the lake, the thoughts that Princess Duanmin confided to him in the Zen temple, and the words Su Musong said when he gave him the jade statue, all echoed in his ears alternately.
It turns out that people who promised to grow old together can become strangers. Even the deep love of going to the underworld together cannot withstand the pressure of the world. So how much weight does the promise of a young person have?
At this time, Xiao Luochen didn't know the answer, nor did he want to know the answer.
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