Early in the morning of the Lantern Festival, the emperor and empress bestowed lanterns on clan members, nobles, aristocratic families and officials of high status to express their wish for the emperor and his subjects to enjoy the festival together.
The Prince of Jin's Palace also received two palace lanterns as a reward. The octagonal lanterns were painted with eight pictures depicting the harmony between the emperor and his ministers.
"If a king is benevolent, all are benevolent; if a king is righteous, all are righteous." The King of Jin ran his finger across the lampshade.
Jiang Changning raised the corner of his lips. This quote came from "Mencius: Li Lou Xia".
If the monarch is benevolent, then everyone will be benevolent; if the monarch is benevolent and righteous, then everyone will be unkind and righteous.
If the monarch has no virtue, why should the ministers have virtue? If the monarch has no righteousness, then the ministers do not need to talk about righteousness.
The Prince of Jin is ambitious and obedient. He should have always wanted to replace the previous emperor.
Thinking of the ugly face of the current emperor who was obsessed with lust, Jiang Changning felt that it would be better for Prince Jin to be the emperor.
In an era where the monarch is supreme, a wise and benevolent ruler is certainly better than a foolish and tyrannical ruler.
In addition to the emperor and empress, the empress dowager also presented a lantern, a lotus lantern with a boy holding a fish.
The lanterns are exquisitely made and have good meanings.
However, the profound meaning behind the lantern given by the Queen Mother is worth pondering and considering.
She married into the palace in October, and it has been three months now, but there has been no good news of her pregnancy. In the eyes of the empress dowager, she has not yet established herself in the palace.
The Queen Mother wanted her to do something, but she couldn't.
Jiang Changning narrowed her eyes slightly. She would definitely give birth to a child, but she was only sixteen years old, and she didn't want to go against her body so early.
In this era of extremely high mortality rates from difficult births, she has to be responsible for herself and her child.
The Queen Mother saw her as a chess piece and only wanted to make the best use of her, but she was a human being and had her own opinions.
Jiang Changning reached out and touched the boy. She was now the Princess of Jin, and it would not be easy for the Queen Mother to touch her.
Seeing her touching the boy, King Jin misunderstood, "Do you want a child?"
Jiang Changning looked up at him. He couldn't tell the truth, so he could only smile.
Prince Jin took her hand and led her into the warm room, saying seriously, "Ningning, you are still young. Wait until you are eighteen years old before considering this matter. OK?"
Jiang Changning bit the corner of his lip lightly, "My mother will be worried."
"I will go and tell my mother, don't worry." Prince Jin smiled, "Don't worry, there will only be our children in Prince Jin's Mansion, no one else."
Jiang Changning was surprised. Was Prince Jin promising her that he would not let another woman bear his children
No matter whether Prince Jin can do it in the future, he should be sincere now.
Jiang Changning smiled, "Yong Zhou, thank you."
"Just a verbal thank you?" Prince Jin expressed his dissatisfaction.
Jiang Changning's eyes flickered as he leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
Prince Jin stretched out his long arms, hugged her slender waist, pressed her into his arms, and deepened the kiss.
For the festival lunch, Qiao prepared a sumptuous meal.
Jiang Changning once again asked the concubine whether they would go to Qingshui Bridge together in the evening to cure all diseases.
The concubine smiled and refused, "You guys go ahead. I remember there is a duck soup stall near Qingshui Bridge. It tastes great. Let Brother Yu take you there to taste it."
"Thank you, mother, for telling me about this great place. I will definitely go and try it." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
Prince Jin was pleased to see that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got along well. His little princess was indeed likable and won the favor of her mother so quickly.
Mrs. Qiao sat aside, watching this scene with a gratified smile on her face, and seemed very happy for them.
Although Jiang Changning was talking to the Concubine Dowager, he was always keeping an eye on Qiao.
happy
Shouldn't it be jealousy
Qiao's unusual behavior made Jiang Changning suspicious.
In the evening, after dinner, when it was getting dark, Chang Youzhong came to report, "Your Majesty, the carriage is ready."
Jiang Changning changed his clothes and came out, "Yong Zhou, am I okay like this?"
The couple went out hand in hand and took a carriage to Qingshui Bridge.
Not long after they left, Mrs. Qiao and Princess Kang Ren also went out, also heading towards Qingshui Bridge.
From the 13th to the 15th day of the first lunar month, there is no curfew in the capital and people can have fun all night long.
Turning into Qingshui Street, you can hear all kinds of hawking sounds.
Jiang Changning drew aside the curtain and looked outside. There were all kinds of snack vendors along the street, and it was very lively. There were also children running around holding lanterns, looking carefree and happy.
The carriage had not gone far when it could no longer move because there were too many people.
"Ningning, let's get off the car and walk over." said King Jin.
"Okay." Jiang Changning followed him out of the carriage and headed towards Qingshui Bridge under the protection of the guards.
The shops on He Street are all decorated with colorful lanterns, and some stall owners hang exquisite lanterns and let customers spend a small amount of money to guess lantern riddles.
If you guess correctly, you can take the lantern. If you guess incorrectly, the money goes to the stall owner.
The couple walked to a stall, "Ningning, which one do you like?"
Jiang Changning looked up and pointed at the rabbit holding the moon lamp, "That lamp is quite cute."
King Jin asked the stall owner to take down the lantern. There was a sign hanging under the lantern with a riddle written on it.
Seeing this, Chang Youzhong took out a copper coin and handed it to the stall owner.
"I can hear monkeys howling faintly outside the garden, and the sound of flutes can be heard on the star-filled bridge." Jiang Changning pondered for a moment, "Is it the Lantern Festival?"
"Ningning is so smart." King Jin praised.
"Give it to Yong Zhou." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
"It's courtesy to return the favor. I'll treat Ningning to duck soup."
Fuli duck soup is a delicacy among duck dishes. It uses a variety of ingredients, has a strong sauce flavor, and the soup is thick, fragrant, rich, and nutritious.
Many people in Beijing know that this duck soup is delicious, so it is very normal to meet people from other prefectures in the store.
The Crown Prince of Dewang and the Crown Princess, the Grand Princess Jingduan and her husband, the Earl of Shangde Zheng Limin, the Earl of Zhongqin and his wife, the eldest grandson of Princess Wenhe, and Zhao Xifang's eldest brother Zhao Yanxue and his wife.
When Jiang Changning saw Zhao Yanxue and his wife, his eyes moved slightly. Everything was ready, only the east wind was missing.
After eating the duck soup, Lady Zhongqin invited a few people to walk across the Qingshui Bridge together.
Jiang Changning glanced at Prince Jin, who hesitated for a moment and nodded.
So Jiang Changning walked out of the store with Grand Princess Jingduan and the others. A little girl selling flowers came over and said, "My beautiful ladies, please buy some flowers. Flowers and beauties go well together."
Jiang Changning's smile deepened. The east wind had arrived. "The weather hasn't even warmed up yet, and there are already such beautiful flowers for sale."
Jiang Changning took out a flower from the basket and asked, "How much is one?"
This is to tell the little girl to act according to the plan.
If the plan changes, Jiang Changning will ask: "How do you sell the flowers?"
"Six copper coins for a flower. I wish my wife good luck and a beautiful face." The little girl said with a smile.
The Princess of Dewang laughed and said, "This little girl is quite good at talking."
"Just for these auspicious words, I'll buy all the flowers." Jiang Changning bought the whole basket of flowers.
The little girl bowed happily to Jiang Changning and said, "Thank you, Madam. Madam, you are a very good person. I hope you will live a long life and have everything you wish for."
The little girl took the copper coins and ran away into the crowd.
(End of this chapter)