The next day is the Shangyuan Festival.
The first Shangyuan Festival after the new king ascended the throne was even more lively than the Chinese New Year.
In order to please the superiors, the officials below decorated the main streets of the imperial capital with lanterns and festoons, all of which were new lanterns that had not been seen in previous years, attracting crowds of children from the folk.
Although it costs money to do so, the official said that the new king should have a new look when he ascends the throne, even if it costs more money, it is worth it.
"Since the subject is interested, I also want to go out of the palace to see how beautiful the emperor's capital is arranged tonight."
Ning Chengzhi was in high spirits, he didn't want to see those lanterns, what he wanted to see was the love and respect from his subjects.
Eunuch Chi understood what he meant and didn't dare to stop him, "Does Your Majesty want to go out to watch the lanterns in person tonight? There are people coming and going on the Lantern Festival Street. Do you want to block the streets and let Your Majesty watch the lanterns alone?"
Ning Chengzhi curled his lips, "I just want to go out of the palace to see my subjects. You have blocked the street, why should I go to see it? There is no need to block it, and I don't even need to disclose the news of my departure from the palace. I want to visit privately."
Eunuch Chi frowned, his face showing bitterness.
Weifu's private interview is simple, if there is any danger when going out of the palace, wouldn't it be their slaves who lost their heads
Ning Chengzhi had never been a master who would consider his subjects and slaves, and this became even worse after he became emperor.
Eunuch Chi was thinking about the arrangements for going out of the palace at night, and suddenly heard Ning Chengzhi say again: "What's the fun in admiring the lanterns by myself? Let's go to Guhou's mansion in the evening and ask Yufu to go with me."
Eunuch Chi's face froze, Ning Chengzhi looked back at him, and he smiled awkwardly.
At first, he never thought that there would be a woman in this world who would not be willing to be a queen, but whenever he went to Guhou Mansion to give Yufu a reward, he always flattered her as a queen with a smile.
Until the New Year's Eve palace banquet, he confirmed that Yufu didn't have that kind of intention, and after Guhou's mansion and all the old officials in the court strongly opposed Ning Chengzhi's appointment of Yufu, he couldn't laugh when he saw Yufu again.
He tentatively said: "Your Majesty, the cabinet affairs have not been fully settled yet, and the matter of establishing a successor is more sensitive. Is it not good for you to go to Princess Zhenjiang at this time?"
Ning Chengzhi glanced at him, "What's wrong? Didn't you tell Zhen that you want to cultivate more relationships with Yufu, and you can't be too tough and canonize her directly?"
Eunuch Chi was choked back and had nothing to answer.
Is now the time to cultivate relationships
Ning Chengzhi snorted softly, "Yin Shuo is conceited and smart, but the government is well-managed, but he has no good strategy in the matter of canonizing Yufu."
Eunuch Chi opened his mouth, about to say something, when suddenly a palace official from outside came in and said: "Your Majesty, Concubine Li is asking to see you."
Ning Chengzhi got a headache when he heard the word Li Fei, "What is she doing here again? The harem is not big enough for her to cause trouble, so she must come back to Zhen?"
Concubine Li was the former side concubine of the second prince's mansion, Ning Chengzhi thought of her seniority, he didn't want to embarrass her, he just wanted to keep her away.
Eunuch Chi said: "Your Majesty's harem is empty. Apart from Concubine Li, there are only a few concubines left. Concubine Li has nothing to do. She often gets angry with those concubines. I can't blame Your Majesty."
Ning Chengzhi said: "Tell me, who does she want me to deal with today? There are only a few people in the harem, and she beats chickens and scolds dogs all day long. In the future, the empress will be in the middle palace. Is she still like this?"
The palace servant raised his head in embarrassment, "Return to Your Majesty, Empress Li did not come to make trouble this time, but brought a food box, saying that she made supplements for Your Majesty herself."
"She still makes supplements?"
Ning Chengzhi thought of Concubine Li's self-conceited appearance, and couldn't imagine her cooking in person. In the past, in the second prince's mansion, she didn't touch the spring water with her ten fingers. After entering the palace, she claimed to be the most honorable woman in the harem, and even Ken takes it easy.
How did you change your gender today
He waved his hand casually, "Forget it, it's rare for Concubine Li to come to the kitchen, let her in."
The palace people breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately withdrew from the hall to pass on to Concubine Li, fearing that if Ning Chengzhi was too late, he would change his mind, and Concubine Li would take revenge on these palace people again.
After a while, only the sound of the ring was heard, and Concubine Li came in from outside the hall in a gorgeous dress, followed by a palace lady carrying a food box.
"The concubine has seen His Majesty."
She has a beautiful body, and the pomegranate-like red dress falls on her side, like spring water being rippled by the wind, twists and turns and delicate.
Ning Chengzhi frowned, "What are you doing so gorgeously?"
Concubine Li looked up in astonishment, her charming smile disappeared, "Isn't Your Majesty the most fond of women who dress up gorgeously and exquisitely? Today is the Lantern Festival, so the ministers and concubines dress up extra gorgeously, so as not to be caught by the lights when watching the lanterns with His Majesty at night." Mingyan is down. Why, His Majesty doesn't like it again today?"
Ning Chengzhi got up from the couch, walked down and looked around Concubine Li, and was even more displeased when he saw the hairpins on her head.
"Gorgeous and exquisite is good, but you don't even look at what time it is now. You have forgotten what Princess Zhenjiang said at the New Year's Eve banquet? It has only been a few months since the late emperor passed away. You can dress like this in your eyes." The first emperor?"
Concubine Li suffered a lot, thinking that if Ning Chengzhi hadn't disrespected the late emperor, how would she dare to slack off? Well now, the culprit came to question her.
Hearing Ning Chengzhi mention Yufu again and again, her heart was filled with sourness, "Your Majesty just listened to the words of Princess Zhenjiang like this. Those who knew that she was the adopted daughter of the Marquis Gu's Mansion, but those who didn't know thought she was His Majesty's direct sister. Woolen cloth!"
When Ning Chengzhi heard that she not only did not admit his mistake, but also dared to set his sights clearly, he immediately squinted his eyes and stepped forward to hit her. Concubine Li shrank her head and immediately pleaded guilty.
Ning Chengzhi withdrew his hand again, "What do you know? Yufu is not my direct sister, but she is more important than my direct sister. She is the future queen, and you are a concubine. I will not allow you to talk about the queen, listen! Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand, my concubine understands!"
Concubine Li agreed, then got up and muttered, "This isn't a queen yet, His Majesty just protects her like this, and doesn't even allow her to say anything. Will she really become a queen in the future, will there still be a place for a concubine in the palace?"
Ning Chengzhi wanted to tear her mouth open, "If you dare to talk about her again, I will put you in limbo, believe it or not?"
The corners of Concubine Li's mouth twitched, tears welled up in her rouged eyes, and she cried, "Your Majesty! This concubine has been with you since you were the second prince, how can you be so cruel?"
Ning Chengzhi sat down on the couch, "Okay, okay, don't be crying and howling there, hurry up and sit down, I'll see what supplements you make."
Concubine Li immediately beamed with joy, "This concubine knows that His Majesty is scaring this concubine!"
As he said that, he took off his silk shoes, leaned on the couch, and waited for the maid to bring out the lidded cup from the food box, and then reached out and lifted the lid by herself.
The aroma of deer antler chicken soup wafted out, and when he looked up, Li Fei smiled ambiguously.
"Cough cough."
He covered his mouth and coughed dryly, "Why are you drinking this in broad daylight?" When he raised his eyes, Eunuch Chi and the others had already lowered their heads, pretending that they hadn't seen anything.
Concubine Li pushed the cover cup towards him, "What are you worried about, Your Majesty? It's just a little bit, nothing will happen."
Ning Chengzhi was skeptical, took the spoon from Concubine Li, poked it a few times into the lid cup, and sure enough, there were only three or four pieces of velvet antler.
He was finally relieved, "You have a heart."
The corners of Li Fei's mouth curled up triumphantly. No one knew that she put half a branch of velvet antler into the soup, but after the stew was finished, she scooped up all the velvet antler residues, leaving only three or four pieces in the pot.
She took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, this is the first Lantern Festival after His Majesty ascended the throne. All the lanterns in the palace have been hung up. In the evening, my concubine will accompany your Majesty to the imperial garden to enjoy the lanterns. Would you like to invite the bright moon with wine?"
It turned out that the reason why she cooked the soup herself today was because of this.
Ning Chengzhi drank the chicken soup without raising his head, "I'm going to leave the palace in low clothes at night. I heard that the lanterns outside the palace are more beautifully arranged this year. I'm going to go out to have a look."
Concubine Li happily said: "Okay! The concubine accompanied His Majesty out of the palace to enjoy the lanterns. The concubine has not been out of the palace since she entered the palace and became Concubine Li!"
Ning Chengzhi paused, put down the spoon and picked up the handkerchief, "You don't have to go, I'm going to Guhou Mansion to enjoy the lanterns with Yufu, it's inconvenient for you to go with me."
It's Yufu again!
Concubine Li's face immediately turned ugly, "Your Majesty! It's okay, you don't need concubines if you have a future empress, and concubines have been with you for many years! If it comes first come first, concubines come first!"
Ning Chengzhi picked out his ears and gave Eunuch Chi a wink, "You have said this many times, and I named you a concubine just because you have been by my side for a long time. What do you compare with Yufu?"
Concubine Li was also a lady of an official family before she came to him. He said she was useless, so she immediately refused to let her go. Eunuch Chi hurried forward and said, "Miss Li, please go back. Your Majesty has already drank your soup and received it." Your mind is gone. There will be ministers coming to discuss matters with His Majesty in a while, and it is inconvenient for Your Majesty to be here."
As he spoke, he waved his hands to the bottom, and two palace servants came up to ask Concubine Li to go out, Concubine Li was so angry that she dropped the lid of the soup pot, "I saw the newcomer laughing, but I heard the old one crying, the concubine is miserable!"
After finishing speaking, he wiped his tears and ran out, leaving Ning Chengzhi and Eunuch Chi staring at each other.
Ning Chengzhi picked up the spoon again, "After she entered the palace, her temper became more and more stubborn. She wanted to learn from each other. Otherwise, in the future, when Yufu enters the palace, will she have to look at the face of her concubine?"
Eunuch Chi knew that he disliked Concubine Li, but he still cared about the relationship between husband and wife for many years, otherwise he would not drink the soup she cooked himself.
"What your Majesty said is true, but this servant feels that the eldest princess of Zhenjiang will not easily look at other people's faces. Don't you think that the empress Li is completely incapable of causing trouble in front of the eldest princess?"
Ning Chengzhi thought of Yufu's obedient and docile appearance, and thought of her efforts to protect Guhou's mansion at the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet last year, and her generous speech, and thought of her calmness and composure when she refused to be named queen...
Even though he was rejected, he still thinks Yufu is cute and beautiful like that.
"You're right, Yufu looks gentle and well-behaved, but she has a natural nobility in her bones, awe-inspiring and inviolable. Sometimes I am also surprised that she stands with Danyang, but she is more like a princess."
Eunuch Chi slandered in his heart, what does it matter if he is the first princess? Yu Fu is not a direct princess to become a queen, the status of a queen is naturally much more valuable than a direct princess.
He flattered him happily, "That's right, the person His Majesty likes is naturally not bad. The servant once saw the Princess Zhenjiang for the first time, and felt that she was too expensive, and she must be the mother of the world in the future."
Ning Chengzhi glanced at him triumphantly, and drank the chicken soup in the cup, "What are you doing here? Hurry up and prepare for leaving the palace!"
…
The most important festival of Dongling is the Spring Festival, and the most lively is indeed the Shangyuan Festival.
During the Spring Festival, there are too many rituals and customs for sacrificial ceremonies, and there are still unwritten rules among the people. Before the end of the year, you must understand all important matters, such as debts or food storage, so most people are too busy during the Spring Festival.
Only one or two strings of firecrackers before the New Year's Eve dinner was heard.
The Shangyuan Festival is different.
People who have just escaped from the reunion atmosphere of the Spring Festival are in a leisurely and comfortable way, and when the weather is getting warmer, it is most suitable to go to the streets to enjoy the lanterns and the night view.
However, such a lively and festive festival still cannot infect the dull and solemn Xiangfu.
Yin Jiyu changed into brightly colored clothes, and the wound on her head was also replaced with a gauze ribbon of the same color as the clothes, which could not only cover the scars but also look chic.
After leaving her own courtyard, she went straight to the east courtyard, and all the guards in the east courtyard had been evacuated.
Since Ning Chengzhi talked with Yin Shuo last time, Yin Shuo has been more tolerant of Princess Danyang's treatment, and no longer sent people to monitor her, allowing her to move around in the mansion.
Princess Danyang didn't seem to care about this, because she wanted to take care of Yin Shuo's injury, but she was still refused to come back.
"Danyang."
Yin Jiyu entered the east courtyard, and seeing that the weather in the courtyard was much better than before, she entered the room with a smile to look for Princess Danyang.
She was still in plain clothes, sitting in front of the window and looking out, looking out of her mind. Tian'er coughed, and she came back to her senses.
"It's you, Ji Yan."
The two went to the inner room hand in hand to talk, Yin Jixie said: "The guards in the East courtyard have already withdrawn, big brother is not so guarded against you now. Why are you still so unhappy? Today is the Lantern Festival, why don't we go out to watch the lanterns together at night Bar?"
"Appreciate the lights?"
Princess Danyang shook her head, her thin face showed no trace of joy, "I don't want to go. He didn't take precautions against me any more, it was just to show His Majesty face. His leg was injured like that. I wanted to take care of him but he didn't even Don't let me come any closer."
Yin Jixi was taken aback, and looked carefully at Princess Danyang's expression, with an inexplicable meaning in her eyes, "Danyang, do you really like my elder brother? But I remember, before you got married, you were very disdainful of him. Yes. He did those harsh things to you after marriage, how could you... "
Princess Danyang dodged her eyes, as if unwilling to admit Yin Jiqian's words.
Yin Jiqian chased after her closely, so she had no choice but to reply: "I don't know why, the person I liked before the big wedding was Brother Shubai, and even after the big wedding, my heart for him has not changed. I don't know since when, I have been to Yin Shuo..."
"He is so ruthless to you, don't you hate?"
Princess Danyang smiled, "I hate it, of course I hate it, I hate it to the bone. I hate him for taking revenge on me, and hate him for showing me no mercy... That's because I hope he can cherish me."
Yin Jiqian finally understood that a woman would not hate anyone easily, if she really hated someone, it was often because of love.
How can there be hate if you don't love
She used to think that she and Gu Jiuge were destined by accident, and the two approached each other with a purpose, but she did not expect that she would be attracted by Gu Jiuge, and it has been out of control ever since.
Now that I think about it, Princess Danyang has a bad relationship with Yin Shuo that shouldn't exist.
The two have their own hearts and minds, but they were brought together by the first emperor's marriage contract. They looked down on each other but had to get married—
The most terrible thing is that Duke Danyang took the initiative to have a relationship that should not be touched, and the balance between the two began to tilt, and the passionate side was doomed to suffer grievances.
She suddenly felt fortunate that even if Gu Jiuge didn't love her, at least he wouldn't treat her like Yin Shuo treated Princess Danyang.
She is lucky.
Princess Danyang couldn't help but wiped the corners of her eyes. Seeing that Yin Jiqian seemed to have dressed up today, she realized something, "You want to go out with Gu Jiuge?"
Yin Jixie's face was slightly red, and she nodded slightly.
Princess Danyang took her hand, "You want to go out with him and invite me to join you. If I agree, won't it ruin your good time?"
Yin Ji hurriedly explained: "Don't get me wrong, I sincerely invite you out. In fact, not only me and him, but also Yufu and Shizi, everyone wants to go out to enjoy the lantern together. I think you are familiar with everyone , of course you can invite."
"My son?"
Princess Danyang was in a daze, thinking of the first time she saw Gu Shubai when she was young, it seemed like a lifetime away.
She shook her head lightly, "No, if you go out to have fun, I won't go. Tonight is the Lantern Festival, even if your elder brother refuses to see me, as the mistress of the Prime Minister's Mansion, I should stay here."
Yin Ji's nose was slightly sour.
The mistress of Xiangfu...
It's hard to be Princess Danyang, and she is still willing to call herself this identity.
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Chicken soup is a foreshadowing, and then the update time is finally restored, I will restore the update word count as soon as possible!