Chapter 128.1 – Shangyuan Lantern Festival (First Part)

Qi Yang had mentioned more than once that she wanted to see Lu Qipei in women’s clothing, but this was the first time that she was given such a clear response. It was because in the past, no matter how calm Lu Qipei looked at the surface, there was always a tense string in her heart.

Now that Xie Yuan was dead, the biggest threat hanging above them was gone, and Lu Qipei seemed to have become more relaxed.

The unexpected response made Qi Yang feel pleasantly surprised, and she didn’t even want to go to the lantern festival anymore. In her own words, she said, “The Shangyuan Lantern Festival is held every year, how could it be more important than watching Ah Pei dress up?”

Lu Qipei was amused to hear it and stretched her hand out to scratch her cheek lightly, “What Your Highness is saying is wrong. The Shangyuan Lantern Festival only comes once a year. In the future, you still have a lifetime to see me wear women’s clothing. You can see it every day, so why is there a need to be so anxious?”

In fact, there was no need for the two of them to try so hard to persuade the other. Just as they were flirting, the tightly closed door was pushed open, and a small head with black hair poked inside. Lu Sheng looked around and couldn’t see anything unusual, so she happily pushed the door open and ran inside, holding the rabbit lantern that Lu Qipei made in her hand. “Your Highness, Uncle, it’s getting dark, let’s go.”

God knew how long the child had been waiting for the Lantern Festival, and today she had been waiting for the day to get dark ever since she woke up. Right now, the sky was finally turning dark, and she happily came to find them carrying the lamp, eagerly waiting for the two.

Lu Qipei couldn’t help smiling and blinked at Qi Yang, silently expressing: “Look, Ah Sheng has come to find us. If you dare say no, she will start crying in minutes, do you believe it or not?”

Qi Yang received Lu Qipei’s gaze perfectly, and somehow felt a bit discouraged. In the end, she could only mention her peach blossom lamp and said helplessly, “Let’s go, let’s go now.”

The earlier they could return, the better.

Lu Sheng didn’t realize what she had foiled at all, and upon hearing this, she couldn’t help be overjoyed. She held the lantern in one hand, grabbed the hem of Lu Qipei’s robe with the other hand and was about to leave. In the end, she was stopped and had to wait for the two to change before they went out.

The Shangyuan Lantern Festival was usually crowded, so Qi Yang and Lu Qipei purposely brought more attendants when they went out.

In a rare event, the family of three did not take a carriage and went out on foot. Those who could live next to the princess’s mansion, apart from members of the royal family, were nobles and high-ranking officials. SO when the three of them went out, they could see exquisite lanterns hung outside every household.

Some were meticulously crafted by the Ministry of Engineering, while others were especially bought by the prestigious families – it was a sight of numerous extraordinarily beautiful objects competing with each other. In comparison, the peach blossom lanterns that always hung outside the princess’s mansion seemed too ordinary.

Before Lu Sheng could leave this street, she was already dazzled by the lanterns from the various houses. Qi Yang looked at the child with a surprised expression and deliberately asked her, “Ah Sheng, are these lanterns beautiful?”

The little dumpling nodded honestly and said, “They look good, all of them look good.”

Qi Yang turned her eyes and deliberately teased her, “Then, how about Ah Sheng exchange them for the rabbit lantern?”

Unexpectedly, Lu Sheng immediately became vigilant after hearing this and quickly shook her head, hugging her lantern. “No exchange, no exchange, Ah Sheng won’t exchange!”

Qi Yang was amused by the nervous and protective look on her face, and made some jokes from time to time that the child would take seriously. Most of her childish words were amusing, so the group continued walking amidst laughter and liveliness.

In fact, although the various lanterns hanging from the houses on this street were very exquisite, the real excitement of the Lantern Festival was far from here. When the three of them left the street where the rich and powerful were gathered, and turned to the long main street, they saw that the world outside had completely transformed into a new look.

It was actually still early when Lu Sheng made the fuss about going out, and the sky outside had just turned dark. Even so, the lanterns had already been lit everywhere. On top of the ones hanging under the eaves on both sides of the street, there were also horizontal lines above the street where the simplest style of festival lanterns – lotus lanterns, walnut lanterns, and snowflake lanterns. They were spread out everywhere, their bright light lighting the entire street.

Back then, there were not a lot of entertainment for the common people at night. The children of wealthy families could go to entertainment districts, but ordinary people could only rest in the dark to save on lamp oil. There was also a curfew in the city, so there were very few opportunities for entertainment at night.

The Shangyuan Lantern Festival was a rare opportunity. Starting from the 13th, the curfew in the city was lifted, and there were three consecutive days of merriment. But it was only on the day of Shangyuan would the government pay to have lanterns hung all over the main street, making the entire street bright as day. Later on, the Emperor personally went up to watch the lanterns and pray for the people, having fun together with the people and pushing the atmosphere of the Shangyuan Lantern Festival to its peak.

This kind of excitement would last all night, and when the night of Shangyuan passed and the lights were extinguished at dawn, these festival lanterns would also usher in their end. After burning the lanterns, the Shangyuan Lantern Festival was completely over.

But that was the end, and right now it was still the beginning.

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