Chương 565: Lantern Festival

"Your Majesty, we humbly obey your decree! Long live the Emperor!"

The orderly and resounding chants of worship pierced through the heavy palace buildings, echoing for a long time in the sky above the entire imperial city, and spreading throughout the streets and alleys of Luoyang.

The people outside the city didn't know what was happening in the court, but they felt that the palace seemed unusually bright today.

...

On the fifteenth day of the first month of the sixth year of Shenwu's reign, the Lantern Festival was held.

As soon as it got dark, Luoyang City was in complete chaos.

This is the first Lantern Festival after the Han Dynasty abolished the ancient curfew and implemented a flexible night curfew.

The imperial court issued a special decree to keep the city awake for three days and lift all restrictions. The people had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Zhuque Avenue is lined with all kinds of lanterns from south to north.

Rabbit lanterns, lotus lanterns, tiger lanterns, and revolving lanterns were stacked on top of each other. The largest dragon lantern was three zhang tall, with smoke coming out of its mouth. From a distance, it looked just like a living dragon.

Even the trees were covered with colorful lanterns—red, green, purple, and yellow. From afar, the entire city was illuminated like a sea of stars, even more dazzling than the Milky Way in the sky.

Some people exclaimed that they had seen all the lights they would ever see in their lifetime in just one night.

The streets and alleys were bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, laughter, and drums rose and fell.

The dragon dance team swung their golden dragon bodies through the crowd, the dragon's body trembling and its scales shimmering under the lights, drawing cheers from the onlookers from time to time.

Stilt walkers dressed as various gods, monsters, and historical figures walked back and forth among the crowd on high wooden stilts, while the children below looked up, mesmerized.

The hawthorn vendor carried a straw basket covered with bright red candied hawthorns, the syrup glistening under the light...

The sugar-blowing stall was surrounded by children. With a few blows and pinches, the master craftsman brought a lifelike little mouse to life on a bamboo skewer...

The dough figurine stall was filled with all sorts of lifelike figures.

The air was filled with the aroma of glutinous rice balls, grilled skewers, and fried cakes. The aroma alone was enough to make your mouth water. It was so lively and festive that it was even more festive than the Lunar New Year.

...

At the side gate beneath the imperial city wall, a group of people were gathering furtively.

Liu Ce was dressed in a brocade robe, with some makeup on his face. He had lightened his signature sword-like eyebrows, making him look like a rich young master. However, he still couldn't quite suppress his aura, and you wouldn't recognize him if you didn't look closely.

He was followed by a line of elegantly dressed ladies.

Cai Yan, dressed in a simple white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and wearing thin-rimmed crystal glasses, was quiet and elegant, like a female scholar who had stepped out of a painting...

Zhen Mi wore a light pink silk dress, as gentle as a peach blossom. The wind blew, causing the skirt to flutter, and she wore the pearl hairpin Liu Ce had given her...

Zhang Ning was dressed in a smart and capable outfit, looking sharp and efficient. A small dagger was tucked into her waistband, which she said was for self-defense...

Ren Hongchang wore a pale yellow dance dress, looking lively and playful, with a butterfly hairpin swaying in her hair...

Following behind were more than a dozen ladies, including Du Xiuniang, Zou Yu, Zhen Jiang, Zhen Tuo, Zhen Dao, Zhen Rong, Mi Zhen, Gan Mei, He Lian, Yin Ying, Feng Yu, Cai Wan, Da Qiao, and Xiao Qiao. Each of them was as beautiful as a flower, and their presence on the road was so striking that they attracted a lot of attention, even more so than lanterns.

Behind them were eleven energetic children, each dressed in brightly colored clothes, pocket money tucked in their pockets, their eyes sparkling as they stared at the street, unable to contain themselves any longer, stomping their little feet on the ground as if they wished they could sprout wings and fly away.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu disguised themselves as two strong guards, standing on either side of each other. They were burly and imposing, and looked like they were not to be trifled with.

Not far away, a dozen or so members of the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, dressed in plain clothes, were mixed in. Some were disguised as candied hawthorn sellers, while others were disguised as onlookers. In the shadows, hundreds of Imperial Guards were scattered to protect the family from the elements.

Lu Bing personally led the team, dressed in plain clothes, squatting at the tea stall drinking tea, but his eyes were scanning around like an eagle.

"Stand still! I'll say the rules one last time!"

Liu Ce stood with his hands on his hips, his face stern, and spoke in a very low voice.

"Once you step out this door, no one will know you are the Crown Prince, Princes, or Princesses! You are not allowed to mention palace matters, not to call them Father or Mother, not to lose your temper easily, and most importantly, not to bully others! Do you understand? Anyone who causes trouble will be locked in a dark room when they get back!"

"I heard you—!"

As soon as the eleven kids finished shouting in unison, before the words had even faded, they took off like wild horses and dashed into the street, running faster than rabbits.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

Zhang Ning reacted quickly, grabbing Liu Yan by the back of his collar, the fastest runner, and lifting him up like an eagle snatching a chick.

Liu Yan kicked and thrashed about like a struggling eel, his face turning bright red.

"Aunt Ning! Let me go! I see candied hawthorns! Bright red candied hawthorns! They'll be sold out soon! The old man who sells candied hawthorns is leaving!"

"You'd better behave yourself after you sell them all!" Zhang Ning glared at him, her voice fierce, but she didn't use much force in her hand.

"With so many people, what if you get lost and kidnapped by human traffickers, sold to work in the coal mines in the mountains? Then you won't even be able to afford candied hawthorns, let alone steamed buns!"

Zhen Mi smiled and stepped forward, pulling Liu Yan to her side. Her voice was so gentle it could melt your heart:

"Run slowly, don't fall. Your father just said that whatever you want to eat or buy today, he'll pay for it, there's plenty. Don't be afraid."

"Hey! Mi'er, don't trick me!" Liu Ce's face instantly turned green, as if he had eaten a bitter melon.

"When did I say that? I don't remember. I only said I'd buy lanterns, not that I'd include everything!"

Cai Yan added insult to injury slowly and casually, her tone nonchalant:

"Half an hour ago, you patted your chest in the Lizheng Hall and told us, 'Today is the Lantern Festival, I'm happy, you can do whatever you want, I'll pay for everything.' My husband, a king's word is his bond. Everyone in the room heard it."

Ren Hongchang covered his mouth and laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight; tears were almost streaming down his face.

"Husband, just accept it. It's a rare opportunity for us to get out. As long as the children are happy, what's a little money? You're worried about it?"

"That's right!" Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao nodded in agreement. Xiao Qiao added, "Besides, you're not short of money. There's so much money in the imperial treasury."

Seeing the amused expressions on the faces of the group of ladies, and then looking at the eleven children staring at him expectantly, Liu Ce gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and looked ready to go all out.

"Alright! Today I'm your walking cash cow! Spend all you want! But let me make this clear: if you buy too much and can't carry it all, I'm not responsible! Whoever buys it carries it themselves, don't try to drag me down with you!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Liu Ran tugged at his sleeve, making him sway, and pointed to a stall selling rabbit lanterns nearby, her voice sickeningly sweet:

"Daddy~ Daddy~ I want the biggest rabbit lantern! The white one with long ears! And the one with red eyes!"

Liu Ce went over to take a look, and wow, the rabbit lantern was half a head taller than Liu Ran, with fluffy ears drooping down. When the candle was lit, it swayed back and forth, and it was indeed cute. Moreover, its eyes were made of red beads, which twinkled in the candlelight.